good reason, one would think, could be assigned why he should be worshipped in that character, and the Mediator denied it. But the express testimony of Scripture on this head is very abundant. The Father

expressly enjoins the same divine honour to be paid to the Mediator as to himself. "For the Father judgeth no man; but hath committed all judgment unto the Son: that all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son, honoureth not the Father who hath sent him.' John v. 22, 23. The divine equality of these two persons is clearly asserted in the context by the Son himself, when he calls God his Father. He did not charge the Jews with an error, when they understood him in this sense. He was then executing his mediatory work, agreeably to the authority and instructions received from his Father, to which he refers. "The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do." His moral authority did not warrant him to do any thing but in executing the Father's will, "Who shewed him all things that himself did, and committed all judgment unto him." These were economical acts, performed by them in their economical characters only. The end of this power is, "That all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father," &c. That honour which belongs to the Father respects his economical character and work in sending the Son, and he will have the Son, as sent, honoured as much as himself, because he has all judgment, all power in heaven and in earth, committed to him. If this honour is denied to the Son,the Father considers himself as robbed of his honour. The honour due to these two persons is distinct, yet equal; and, according to the order of the economy, the Father is the first object of it. To honour the Son

is to acknowledge his supreme Deity, it is to receive him and believe in him as the Messenger of the Father, and to render to him all that worship and obedience which are due to the incarnate God.

IN the 5th of the Revelation an exhibition of the economical administration is given. The Father occupies the throne of supreme power, sustains the rights of Deity, and superintends the execution of the whole scheme. He holds in his right hand a book containing all things belonging to this scheme, which, although sealed, is to be opened, and its contents unfolded and executed. The throne is encircled by a rainbow, an emblem of God's covenant by which his faithfulness is pledged to save sinners, pointing out the peculiar nature of the administration from the throne. The Lamb approaches the throne and receives the sealed book from the hand of him that sat upon it, in order to open the seals, and execute the counsels of heaven recorded in the book. This no sooner takes place, than the general assembly of the first-born, with myriads of holy angels, proceed to ascribe the highest honours equally to the Father on the throne, and the Lamb before it. "Blessing, and honour, and glory and power be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb, for ever and ever." ver. 13. The same "Salvation to our

thing is expressed chap. vii, 10. God, who sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.” The practice of the church thus corresponds to the appointment of the Father, who will have all men to honour the Son as they honour himself

MOREOVER this worship is ascribed distinctly to the Mediator, as well as in connection with the Father. The text contains an injunction to worship him, di&tated to the prophet by the Spirit, which is therefore a divine

command. The angels also are enjoined to worship him. "And again, when he bringeth in the first-begotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him." Heb. i. 6. His incarnation is alluded to, in order to show in what character the angels are to worship him, namely, as God's first-born, the supreme Lord and Heir of all things. In this character he is contrasted with the angels, and represented as greatly superior to them," as he hath by inheri tance obtained a more excellent name than they." The first-born, under the law, had a double portion of his father's inheritance, and was lord over his brethren; in allusion to which Christ is Heir and universal Lord of all things. It was one of the great designs of the Father in exalting the Redeemer to his right hand, "That at his name every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth." At his birth the wise men came from the east to worship him. When the blind man's sight was restored by Jesus, he believed in him and wor shipped him. As he ascended up to heaven his disciples worshipped him. The redeemed company, and the holy angels do the same thing. "Unto him who lov ed us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, and hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominon for ever and ever. Amen. Rev. i. 6. "And I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.' Rev. v. 11, 12. No truth can be more clearly established from the sacred oracles than that divine honours are due to the Mediator.

The

passages adduced are only a few out of many,

* Rr

contained in the sacred volume. In these passages he is brought into view in his mediatory character only, and in the execution of his mediatory work; and in that character worshipped by men and angels. Neicher abstract Sonship, nor abstract official capacity, are worshipped; but a divine person, the Son of God, clothed with the mediatory character.

7. THE human nature of Christ is no object of worship, nor do we, in worshipping the Mediator, worship it.

THAT nature does not possess those divine perfections which are the sole foundation of all divine worship. These, by virtue of the hypostatical union, belong to his human nature relatively, not essentially and inherently. It was created, suffered and died; and though exalted to inconceivable dignity and glory, is still, in the strictest sense, a creature.

his

BUT the human nature is not an object of separate consideration, in the Mediator. Whatever view we take of him must be personal, and in this view he is absolutely simple. To speak of him as a complex person is both a contradiction in terms, and grossly erroneous. He is complex in respect to his natures, having in person, both the divine and human. His character too is complex, because he is God, Creator, Governor, Mediator, These are distinct views and considerations of the Mediator, and, in respect of these, he is complex. Two distinct things, at least, are necessary to constitute any object complex; but nothing can be more simple than a person, either human or divine; the term Complex person, therefore, is a plain contradiction, because it affirms that the person consists of more things than one. When applied to the Son of God, which has been done by great men, who have been incautiously fol

lowed by others, it contains gross error. It will lead us to infer, either that Christ assumed a human person, which will make him equally complex in his personality as in his nature; or that there was an imperfection in his divine person, which is supplied by the assumption of human nature; or according to some that there are three persons in him, the divine, the human, and the mediatorial, made up of, or arising from the junction of the other two. While the word complex retains its meaning, one or other of these errors will necessarily be implied in the expression, whatever may be the conceptions of those who use it. The error would be no greater to affirm, that the nature of God is complex, than that the person of the Mediator is so. As the humam nature has no human personality, no distinct personal subsistence, it is no object of distinct consideration in the person of the Mediator as the object of worship. We worship him in his personal character. Every act of worship terminates upon his person formally: but as the human nature subsists in his person, and is inseparable from it, he must be worshipped as clothed with that nature. The Word made flesh, the Mediator, is the object of worship, which worship he claims because he is God,

If it should seem dificult or impossible to any, to consider the Mediator as the object of divine worship, and yet exclude the human nature from sharing in it; they may very easily perceive that the difficulty is no greater than in various other instances. It will be equally difficult for those who deny him to be the object of worship, as Mediator, to worship him as the Son of God, and yet exclude the consideration of his mediatory character. It is equally difficult to conceive that the Mediator offered himself in sacrifice, and died,