be proved inconsistent with it. Considering then neither union nor separation essential to personality, but merely accidental to it, the objection which the rejecters of our Lord's Divinity urge against the idea which this term expresses must be powerless. The distinctness of person, expressed by the pronouns I, THOU, HE, is essential to the personal character, as ascribed to the Trinity. Thus we find the very frequent occurrence of these terms, both in the addresses of the Father to the Son, and in those of the Son to the Father, and by the pronoun HE our Lord generally speaks of the Holy Spirit. Likewise we and Us are repeatedly used in the Old Testament, when Jehovah speaks of Himself alone. In using the term person, then, in this definite sense, no absurdity can be involved in maintaining that God consists in THREE as to PERSONS, and in only ONE as to BEING. * As then no one doubts the existence of the Father, or the unity of the Godhead, should we prove that Christ is the true God, we shall have thereby proved that more than one person exists in one being.

We shall now proceed to lay before you some of the evidences and arguments by which we prove,

First, That the works which are peculiar to Jehovah are ascribed to Christ.

That the creation of the heavens and the earth, with all they contain, is claimed in the Old Testament by Jehovah, we need not detain you to prove; for none can have read the Jewish Scriptures without knowing that the supreme God there distinguished Himself from all other beings, by His claim to have created all things that exist. Now should we find this great claim asserted by, and accorded to Christ, in the Scriptures, the conclusion will be, what God claims to the exclusion of all else in the universe belongs to Christ; and that therefore Christ is God. By adverting to the first chapter of John's Gospel, we will find the work of creation ascribed to Christ, in the most express language that could have been employed. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God; all things were made by Him, and without Him was not any thing made that was made. Here it is affirmed that the Word was in the beginning, that it was with God in the beginning, that it was God, that all things were created by it; all things, in the most comprehensive sense, for without the Word was not any thing created that was made. Now should the term made be understood to signify nothing more than

*The question often propounded is, Can three be but one, or can one be three, while it remains still but one? But the question identifies the two different senses, in which the terms one and three are used; and by doing this, it creates the absurdity which it groundlessly charges on Trinitarians. They use the term one to signify a being, and three, to signify the MODES in which a being exists.— Were these terms so used as to imply THREE beings in ONE being, or THREE PERSONS in ONE PERSON, they would state what no rational being could believe; for no one understanding the terms could believe that three things made but one of the three; or that one thing made three like itself, any more than he could believe that the whole is greater than all its parts, or that a part is as great as the whole. But when person is used not to express a separate Being, only a mode of the Divine existence, it can involve no absurdity to affirm of three persons that they are but one being; or of one being, that he exists in three persons. Now this plain distinction between a person and a separate being-between a being that simply has existence, and the modes in which it exists, obviates all objections urged on the ground of confounding numbers, and leaves our way unobstructed in which we are to proceed in sustaining the fact thus stated.

arranging and setting in order the new dispensation, as the Socinians contend, it convicts the Evangelists of this pitiful truism,' that Christ did nothing in establishing His religion which He did not do.. But when this passage is taken in connection with several that follow it, how is it conceivable that any can understand it as signifying less than creating the physical world? For here it is asserted that the world was made by Him; that very world into which He came as a 'light;' that very world in which He was made flesh;' that same world which 'received Him not.' Now if it be asserted that the words,' the world was made by Him,' mean a moral renewal, it must either be maintained that the natural world has been morally renewed by Christ, or that the world, here meaning men, was morally renewed by Christ, and yet did not receive Him; either of which would be too absurd to argue against. Thus these efforts, and the most strenuous that have been made to make the beginning of the Gospel teach any thing but the supreme Divinity of Christ, end in the confusion of the system they aim to support. But let us view still more narrowly the passage in question. By this text we understand that nothing was made but by the Word, which was in the beginning with God. This shows it impossible that the beginning should refer to any later period, than the first moment when the creation began to arise; otherwise the Word by whom the creation was made, would have acted before it existed. It teaches the Word was never created, for it declares without Him-the Wordwas nothing made that was made; if, therefore, the Word was created, it created itself, that is, it acted before it existed, which is impossible. The text then teaches that the Word is uncreated.

Now as there can be no possible existence between that which was created, and Him who always existed, to the Word must belong an unbeginning existence. Hence the peculiar sense fixed on the expression the Word was with God;' with Him as no other being can be; with Him in creative power; with Him in uncreated essence ; Him so as to be God.

with

But if this passage in John's Gospel ascribes the whole physical creation to the power of Christ, and thereby proves him to be the uncreated the eternal God, one in the epistle to the Colossians does it no less explicitly- For by Him were all things created that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers, all things were created by Him, and for Him, and He is before all things, and by Him all things consist,' Col. i, 16-17. In these two verses there are four facts stated of Christ, each one of which could characterize none but the Supreme Being. 1st. It is affirmed that by Him were all things created that are in heaven and that are on earth. By using nearly the same language adopted by Moses where he informs us that God created the heavens and the earth;' the apostle evidently intended to designate Christ as the God of which Moses speaks. Now as it is impossible that each of two beings should have created the same heavens and earth, and as Moses ascribes this work to God, and the apostle to Christ, the conclusion is irresistible that Christ is God. But the apostle is both more comprehensive and more particular than the historian; Moses ascribes to God in this passage only what is corporeal; the apostle ascribes to Christ all this, together with all incorporeal

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existences: not only all things visible, but likewise all things invisible, all the hierarchies of the heavenly world; ascending through all the ranks of angelic natures, he showed them to be but beams of Christ's brightness. Thus in the immense embrace of his expression the apostle includes all worlds and all natures. 2d. But lest the mighty work of giving existence to all that has being should be imputed to power with which Christ was delegated, the apostle assures us that all things were created for Him; that He is not only the creator but the proprietor of all worlds. Could He have acted as an instrument, the creation He formed would have belonged to Him who employed the instrument-to Him who communicated the power to create. But as all things were made for Him, He must always have been enrobed with creative power, Rom. i, 20. The apostle proceeds to state that He is before all things; before all the things that He had created, before all things that were ever created, otherwise He could not have created all things. Had He been created, the text could not be true, that all the visible and invisible, in heaven and earth, matter and spirit, were created by Him. Nor could it be true that He was before all things that were created; for were He a created being, as the rejecters of His Divinity contend, the text would make Him exist before He existed. And this is one of those absurdities in which that

class of men is unavoidably involved. But it is added in this passage, that by Him do all things consist.' Here the same by whom all things were created, the same for whom all things were created, the same who was before all things-is the very same by whom all things consist. By the word of His power the mighty fabric of all worlds is borne up: men and angels, all that has dife, live and move in Him.

I know not that in all the Divine records a higher ascription of almighty power is made to the omnipotent God than is here made to Jesus Christ.

As then the whole creation is ascribed to Christ, and as St. Paul informs us, Rom. i, 20, that the eternal power and Godhead are clearly seen in the creation, that eternal power and Godhead must belong to Christ. But if a created being could have made the world, the apostle cannot be correct in stating that it is a standing proof of eternal power and Godhead; for then it would not show forth the Godhead of the eternal, but merely the powers of the creature.

But not only building and sustaining the creation are ascribed to Christ, but the removal of the material universe is also to be effected by His power. In the first chapter to the Hebrews the Father says to the Son, And thou LORD in the beginning laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of thy hands: these shall perish, but thou remainest; and as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed.' Here unbounded power is seen changing, removing, and wrapping together the whole universe of material things, with the same ease and majesty with which it first raised them from nothing, arranged their materials, and sustained the fabric. And all this incommunicable power is, by the mouth of the Father, ascribed to Christ. Now, if God and Christ are not the same Being, as Christ is declared the creator of all things, God can have created nothing; as all things were made for Christ, God possesses nothing; as all things

consist by Christ, God upholds nothing. By this system, therefore, the adorable Jehovah is robbed of His whole empire. He can deserve no worship from any being, for He is neither the author, upholder, nor proprietor of any.

But not merely do the great works of making, preserving, and finally removing the material universe, properly belong to Christ; but also such a control of the elements of nature, the power of death, and the spirits of darkness, as prove Him supreme.

That the power of working miracles was His own cannot be doubted when we attend to the facts, that He wrought them in His own name ; when He restored to life the widow's son, His language was, Young man, I say unto thee, Arise ;' when He called putrefied Lazarus from the grave, whose power did He invoke? whose name did He use but His own? 'Lazarus, come forth,' was sufficiently efficacious to raise his corpse from the tomb, and call his spirit from eternity. That this was an original power of His own, appears also from His having bestowed it on His disciples, Luke x, 12, Behold I give you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.' Luke xi, 1, And He gave them power and authority over all devils, and to cure diseases.' Thus the power of working miracles He expressly reserves to Himself. In my name shall they cast out devils.' • His name, through faith in His name, hath made this man strong.' The prophets wrought stupendous miracles, but they never did attempt them in their own name. It was not Moses, but the rod of God, that so controlled the elements of nature. The apostles wrought miracles that blazed through a whole age, but they were shocked if any thought of ascribing them to their own power or holiness.' All the wonder-working men that wrought miracles in any age acted then not as AGENTS, but merely as INSTruMENTS. Of all the beings that have ever appeared among men, Christ alone has ever pretended to work the works of His Father.'

Another act of Christ demonstrative of His Godhead is, His having given the Holy Spirit. 'If I go away I will send the Comforter.'This is the language of one possessing the original right to send forth the eternal Spirit-to communicate that miracle-working power that wrought all the deeds of a God. It is also said of the Spirit,' whom the Father shall send ;' but Christ claims to do the same : • The Comforter whom I will send unto you.' Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He hath shed forth this which ye now see and hear.' Thus the Holy Ghost is called indifferently the Spirit of Christ and the Spirit of God.

The prerogative to FORGIVE SINS, which belonged to Christ, proves Him to be God. A man or angel may be commissioned to announce the principles on which the eternal Sovereign will forgive sin, but no created being can possess the right to pardon it. The party offended, alone, can obviously possess the right to pardon the offender; for if 'sin is the transgression of the law of God,' He is the object offended. What is it then for a mere creature to forgive sin, but to take in his own hands the rights of the infinite Jehovah? It is not questioned whether the Supreme Being can reveal to His servants the fact of another's pardon, and they declaratively pronounce that pardon; but this is no

more authoritatively granting pardon, than it is to usurp Jehovah's throne. To Him who is the source of law, which sin violates-the author of that government on which it tramples-to Him alone it can belong authoritatively to pardon it. Now, in this very manner we find Christ forgiving sin. He said to the sick of the palsy, 'Son, be of good cheer, thy sins be forgiven thee.' But when the scribes charged Christ with blaspheming because He thus assumed the prerogative of God, did our Lord retract,-did He attempt to correct their mistaken view of His pretensions? Directly the reverse! He proceeded to support His claims to Divinity in the very light they had considered Him making those claims. 'But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins; then said He to the sick of the palsy," Arise, take up thy bed and go to thine own house.” — Here was a miracle wrought, unquestionably, to prove Himself sessed of power to forgive sins. He therefore was the source of law. He was the party offended. He was God.

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May we be permitted now to call your attention to the fact, secondly, That the worship which belongs only to Jehovah is rendered to Christ. It is a fact, of which no reader of the New Testament can remain ignorant, that instances are frequently occurring there, of persons prostrating themselves in worship before Christ. But attempts have been made to show that as in the east prostration before civil rulers was a common practice, so its being paid to Christ can furnish no proof of His Divinity. But nothing can be plainer than that Christ never received worship as a civil governor, for He most cautiously avoided giving the least sanction to the idea that he had any civil pretensions. Now in the midst of all this care to excite not the least suspicion that He aspired at civil distinction, what inconsistency could be more glaring than habitually to receive worship, like a civil governor? yet where is a hint in all the Divine record of His ever refusing to receive homage, where His worshippers rendered it to Him? The leper came and worshipped Him.' The man cured of blindness said, 'Lord, I believe, and worshipped Him.' They came and worshipped Him, saying, Thou art the Son of God,' Matt. xiv, 33. In none of those instances, or any other, did Christ intimate that worship was inappropriately paid to Him, but taught that all men should honor the Son even as they honor the Father.' But to obviate all objections against the worship which our Lord received being Divine, we need only to state the fact, that it was rendered to Him after He ascended to heaven. 'He was parted from them, and received up into heaven, and they worshipped Him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy,' Luke xxiv, 51, 52. The worship here mentioned could not have been offered as a token of civil respect, because it was rendered after He was parted from them; after He was to show Himself in person to them no more on earth. That the HOMAGE of PRAYER is rendered to Christ, as to God, a very few quotations will convince us. Lord Jesus,' prayed dying Stephen, receive my Spirit.' 'Lord,' said he, lay not this sin to their charge.' In the former he acknowledges Christ to be dispenser of the ETERNAL states of men; in the latter he recognizes Him as the Governor and Judge of men, having power to remit, pass by, or visit, their sins. This prayer of Stephen to Christ acknowledges His property in spirits no less than the prayer of Christ