more agreeable to what our reason represents to us as probable, and which are therefore more worthy of being accepted by persons of judgment and understanding. But, on the other hand, let the received doctrines of our holy religion respecting the divinity of our blessed Saviour and the atonement effected by his blood be admitted; and all these discordances vanish at once; we find harmony in every part, as well with reference to the expressions which occur in different parts of scripture respecting Him, as to the perfection of those moral qualities in his character which are propounded for our imitation. Do we, for instance, find our Lord continually spoken of by himself and by others, as the Son, the only begotten Son, of God; do we find him hailed by a voice from heaven as the beloved Son? Does He claim God as his Father, in a manner in which no former prophet had presumed to do? Was He born into the world by the operation of the Holy Spirit, with an express annunciation added that he was born in this extraordinary manner, because he was the Son of God? How could it be otherwise, since he was really the Son of God, in a manner in which no other being is, begotten of eternal ages, partaking of the same nature with the everlasting Father? Do we find it declared that he existed before Abraham, that he was in the beginning with God, that by him all things were made? How strictly does this also accord with the doctrine that He is the true Son of God, and that He dwelt with Him in everlasting glory before He came down to earth? Do we find it declared that men should honour the Son, as they honour the Father; and did St. Stephen, when about to suffer martyrdom for the truth, pray to the Lord Jesus to receive his spirit? How could it be otherwise, than that prayer and adoration should be due to Jesus, if He be, as He is declared to be, God blessed for evermore? Do we find expressions in which He is mentioned on terms of equality with the Father and the Holy Spirit; as when he commands his apostles to baptize in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost; and when the Apostle prays that the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Ghost might be with them all? How natural was it to expect that, if our Saviour was really part of the Divine essence, such expressions should occur, mentioning him together with the other persons of the Godhead in terms of equality? Do the scriptures inform us that He was delivered up for us all; that He gave himself a ransom and a sacrifice e John v. 22. to God; that He has suffered for sin, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God? that His blood was shed for all for the remission of sins? If he was himself merely a human being, merely bearing the same fallen and sinful nature with the rest of mankind, it would be hard to understand how he could make atonement for the sins of others. But, when we know that He possessed the divine nature as well as the human, we then perceive that he was able, as we know that he was willing, to make an all-sufficient sacrifice for the sins of the whole world. Again, do we find our Saviour continually claiming to himself equality with the Father, calling himself the Son, and arrogating equal honour with the Father; and still does he recommend to others the duty of humility, and propose his own example as a model of this great virtue of his holy religion? Here is no inconsistency, but, on the other hand, the most perfect harmony. For, as He was really God, the intimations which he gave of the honour which was due to him, of the divine power which he possessed, and of his union with the Father, were all consistent with his lowliness and meekness of character, and with the truth. And he might well desire his disciples to learn humility from him, since He exhibited in his own person the strongest instance of humility that can be imagined; since, although He was a partaker of the Divine nature, he made himself of no reputation, took upon him the form of a servant, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Under the considerations which have now been suggested, every enquiring Christian may, I trust, be satisfied that they, who would seduce him from the faith in a Divine Redeemer, under the pretence that in so doing they get rid of difficulty and perplexity in understanding the holy scriptures, do, in reality, notwithstanding their high pretensions, make the bible very inconsistent, plunge into greater difficulties, and things more hard to be understood, than those from which they would escape; and proceed on a far less rational plan than the rest of the Christian world. At the same time, no Christian who rightly considers, will suffer the mysteries which his religion presents to him to prove a stumbling-block to his faith. He will remember that it is not for man lightly to doubt, or in a spirit of cavil to dispute, what God has been pleased to disclose to him. It is not for man, in his pride of understanding, to say what a revelation from heaven ought to contain, but to receive with humble gratitude that revelation which has been afforded to him; to receive the truths and doctrines therein propounded for his belief, not as they may chance to agree or disagree with his preconceived notions of things, but solely and entirely because he is satisfied that they are revealed by Him who opens to the eye of faith that measure of heavenly truth which consists with His high dispensations, and with the decisions of His sovereign will. He, who would expect to find a revelation from the source of all wisdom level in every part with his finite understanding, would expect to find that which is rendered antecedently improbable by the analogy of what we know respecting the truths of natural religion, respecting our own nature, respecting many of the plainest objects around us. g Approaching the records of revealed truth with these feelings and dispositions, we shall ever remain steadfast in the belief that Jesus is the Christ the Son of God; we shall look up to Him as the Eternal Word who in the beginning was with God, and was God, and who condescended to take our nature upon him that He might atone for our sins by His blood shed upon the cross; and we shall humbly hope for mercy and peace from God the Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love". f John xx. 31. * John i. 1. h 2 John 3. |