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subordination to the Father, in his capacity of a Son, they also appear to declare, in language which cannot easily be misunderstood, his real equality and unity with the Father, in the divine nature. Clear is the light which many of our Lord's expressions now cited throw on the parallelism and reciprocity-on the intimate connection, and even fellowship-on the harmony and union in the exercise of divine attributes -which subsist between God the Father, and that eternal Son of his love, in whom he is made manifest to mankind.

The Father alone knoweth the Son, or who the Son is the Son alone knoweth the Father, or who the Father is. The omniscient Father has a perfect knowledge of the Son: and the Son knoweth the Father, even as the Father knoweth the Son. The Son glorifieth the Father, and the Father glorifieth the Son. All those persons who are in a peculiar sense the Son's, are also the Father's: and all those persons who, in the same sense, belong to the Father, belong also to the Son. Whatsoever things, indeed, are possessed by the Son, are of necessity the Father's, and "ALL THINGS that the Father hath," are the Son's: John xvi, 15.

So intimate is their connection-in so absolute a sense is it true that the Son is in the Father, and the Father in the Son,-that whosoever believeth in the Son, believeth in the Father; whosoever knoweth the Son, knoweth the Father; whosoever seeth the Son, seeth the Father; to whomsoever the Son is shewn, the Father is shewn. So even is their fellowship in the divine nature, that the unity of mind and counsel, which characterizes the equal disciples of the same Lord, is compared to the unity which subsists

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between these two-" That they may be one, as we are:" John xvii, 11. Nothing, indeed, can be much more striking or more evidently unsuitable to the condition and circumstances of any mere creature, than the familiar use which, in speaking of himself and God the Father Almighty, our Lord, has made of pronouns, we, us, our. "If a man love me," cried Jesus," he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make OUR abode with him :" John xiv, 23. This is a mode of speech, with which (as it relates to the Deity) nothing, that I know of, can be justly compared, but the phraseology adopted by Jehovah himself in the Old Testament, "Let us make man in OUR image, after OUR likeness:" Gen. i, 26. "Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil:" iii, 22.

Lastly, with respect to their joint and equal exercise of the divine attributes, we read that the Son works, as his Father works; that "whatsoever" he sees the Father do, he does himself-that as the Father raises and quickens the dead, "even so" (in the same manner, and by the same power) the Son quickens whom he pleases; (John v, 17-21;)—that the Father gives the Holy Spirit, and that the Son also bestows the Comforter, and sends him from the Father; (John xv, 26, &c.;)-that the Father and the Son condescend in unison to abide (in a spiritual sense) with their obedient children; (John xiv, 23;)—that the Father receives the prayers of believers, and that these petitions are answered and fulfilled by the Son: If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it:" John xiv, 14. Now, since Jesus Christ thus describes himself as cooperating with the Father, in the equal exercise of the attributes of deity, and since "all judg

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ment" is committed unto him, it is not without substantial reasons, that he calls upon all men to honour him "even as they honour the Father:" John v, 23. And yet where is the mere creature, however powerful and exalted, who could, without committing an undeniable act of rebellion and blasphemy, thus present himself to mankind as an object of equal honour with Jehovah?

In conclusion, we may advert to another of our Lord's declarations, which is more especially worthy of our attention, because his hearers understood, and even attempted to punish it, as a direct assumption of the character of God. "My sheep," said Jesus, "hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. And I give unto them eternal life: and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all, and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. I and my Father are ONE:" John x, 27-30. No sooner were these words uttered, than the unbelieving Jews, by whom our Saviour was surrounded, "took up stones again to stone him. For a good work," they cried, "we stone thee not, but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, MAKEST THYSELF GOD:" ver. 33.

Here, in the first place, Jesus Christ describes himself as exercising some of the most remarkable of the divine attributes—namely, as bestowing the gift of eternal life on his followers, and as preserving them by an invincible and perpetual protection, from all the power of their enemies. In the second place, he speaks of the Father, who gave him the sheep, as of a Being, whose gracious designs, and

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superintending Providence, were alike indefeasible. And in the third place, he deduces from his premises, this very plain inference, that he and his Father are one or one thing; that is to say (as I apprehend) that in their dispensation of mercy towards their obedient followers, they have the same purpose, and that in carrying that purpose into execution, they exercise the same power. Now if this view of the the passage be correct, (and it is surely its natural and obvious interpretation) and if it be also admitted, that Jehovah, whose authority alone is supreme and independent, and who is placed at an infinite distance above his creatures, finds in none of them a counsellor, or a rival, or a partaker in his characteristic attributes then I think it plainly follows, that he who thus described himself as one thing with the Father, in entertaining the hidden purposes and in effecting the sublimest works of Deity, was either justly liable to the charge of blasphemy (an alternative from which every Christian must shrink with horror,) or is really with the Father, ONE GOD.

II. I may now proceed to the second branch of the proposed argument, and endeavour to show that our Lord, during his abode on earth, justified his assumption of the divine character by an actual display of divine powers.

1. On various occasions which arose during his life and ministry, Jesus addressed those persons who were in his company in such a manner, as afforded an incontrovertible evidence that he was well acquainted with their secret thoughts. Thus, for example, when the Pharisees privately insinuated that

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he cast out devils, by the power of Beelzebub, "Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation:" Matt. xii, 25. And again, when there arose among his disciples "a reasoning, which of them should be the greatest," Jesus "perceiving the thought of their heart, took a child, and set him by him, and said unto them, Whosoever shall receive this child in my name, receiveth me, &c." Luke ix, 46-48.

Here the question naturally arises, how it came to pass that Jesus Christ was thus acquainted with the hidden thoughts of his fellow-men? If those thoughts were merely revealed to him by the Spirit of God, such a circumstance would prove only that he was a messenger of the Lord, eminently endowed with the prophetic gift. But if, on the other hand, his acquaintance with the secrets of the hearts of other men, was intuitive and inherent in himself, the display of such a knowledge was a display of a divine attribute; for the Bible declarés, that while man "looketh on the outward appearance," it is Jehovah who looketh on the heart;" I Sam. xvi, 7that it is God "only," who knows "the hearts of all the children of men:" I Kings viii, 39.

Now, that our Lord's acquaintance with the thoughts of his companions was indeed of this latter description, appears to be a fair and even necessary inference from the manner in which the subject is handled by the writers of the New Testament. Not a word is said, in the various narrations which relate to it, of inspiration or revelation or communication of any sort, but the faculty which Jesus thus frequently exercised, is uniformly described as that of perception or know