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in JOHN vi. 64, a knowledge equivalent to this is ascribed to Christ: "For Jesus knew, from the beginning, who they were that believed not, and who should betray him ;" and in ACTS i. 24, the Apostles addressed Christ, thus: "Thou, Lord, which knowest the hearts of all men ;" and in MATT. xii. 25, we read, Jesus knew their thoughts;" and also in LUKE vi. 8; and again in JOHN vi. 61, it is said, "That Jesus knew in himself (i. e. not by communication, that his disciples murmured); and in JOHN ii. 24, it is still more emphatically asserted, that he did not obtain his knowledge by communication or derivation of any kind: "But Jesus did not commit himself unto them, because he knew all men, and needed not that any should testify of man: for he knew what was in man."

The forgiveness of sins is ascribed indifferently to Christ and God; as in EPH. iv. 32, "Be kind one to another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you;" and in COL. iii. 13, the exercise of the same divine prerogative is ascribed to Christ in terms which are evidently a paraphrase of the above: "Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye." In MAL. iii. 6, immutability is represented as an attribute of Jehovah: "I am the Lord, I change not."-But in HEB. i. 12, the same attribute is ascribed to Christ: 66 But thou art the same;" and in HEB. xiii. 8: "Jesus Christ the same yesterday, to-day, and for

ever."

In REV. xx. 12, the dead are described as standing before God for judgment: "And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened, and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works." But in 2 COR. v. 10, he who is called God in REVELATION, is called Christ: "For we must all appear before the judgment-seat of Christ, that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad."

There are also several other passages in which the judgment of the world is referred to Jehovah, which, when taken in contrast with others in which Christ is spoken of in the same direct and emphatic terms as the Judge, must necessarily prove his true and proper Deity. This argument will appear evident from a comparison of the two following classes of texts; viz.

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have made a covenant with me by sacrifice. And the heavens shall declare his righteousness: for God is judge himself.-PSALM 1. 4-6.

For God will bring every work into judgment, with every seeret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil. -ECCL. xii. 14.

And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; ** and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.-REV. xx. 12.

shall rise first: then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air; and so shall we ever be with the Lord.-1 THESS. iv, 16, 17.

Judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts.-1 Cor. iv. 5.

We must all appear before the judgment-seat of Christ, that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.2 COR. v. 10.;

The inference from the comparison of these passages in support of the true Deity of Christ, receives, if possible, additional strength from the consideration that "the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son." JOHN V. 22. It is therefore evident, that the Jehovah or God who is described as Judge, is not to be understood of the Father, but of the Son; who, because he has assumed human nature and become the Son of man, possesses, in addition to the necessary qualifications with which he is endowed as God, the advantages of visibility, which neither the Father nor the Son possess in reference to their essential Godhead. And we may legitimately infer from the mere fact of Christ's being exhibited as the destined Judge of all men, that he must in some sense possess the knowledge, the power, the authority, and judicial prerogatives of true Deity, in order to justify his being represented as sustaining so high and arduous an office.

Christ occupies the very same position in relation to the Christian Church, which Jehovah occupied in relation to the Jewish Church. For example: The Jewish Church assembled in the name of Jehovah (Exod. xx. 24): the Christian Church assemble in the name of Christ (MATT. xviii. 20). The Passover is called the Lord's passover (Exod. xii, 11); which Christ abolished (EPH. ii. 15), and substituted a supper of communion in remembrance of himself (Luke xxii. 19). The Sabbath, the day of rest to the Jewish Church, is called the Sabbath of the Lord their God (Exod. xx. 10); which Christ, through his Apostles, abolished (COL. ii. 16), and instituted in its stead the first day of the week, which is called the Lord's Day (REV. i. 10). Moses and the Prophets, the ministers of the Jewish Church, performed their miracles through the power of Jehovah (Ps. lxxviii. 43): the Apostles, the ministers of the Christian Church, performed their miracles in the name and by the power of Christ (MARK xvi. 20. Acts iii. 6; ix. 34). And the Jewish Church are described as those whom the Lord God had chosen to be a peculiar people unto himself (DEUT. xiv. 2); and the Christian Church are described as those for whom Christ gave himself, that he might purify unto himself a peculiar people (TIT. ii. 14). From these examples, it must follow that Christ is the Jehovah of the Old Testament; as we could

not suppose that an inferior and created minister of God would have thus placed himself in the exact relative position of that God who sent him. And this argument receives additional force-if possible -when we consider that the introduction of Christianity was, in one sense, a breaking down of the middle wall of partition between Jews and Gentiles; so that he who is now the God of Jews and Gentiles in the Christian Church, is the one being who was in a special sense the God of the Jews only. ROM. iii. 29.

I would here remark, that there are two methods of argument by which we may arrive at the conclusion in support of the Deity of Christ, from the comparison of passages in which Jehovah or God is spoken of, with others in which either the same passages are referred to Christ; or in which divine attributes which the former speak of, are in the same sense ascribed to him. 1st, This comparison either identifies Christ with the Jehovah or God who is spoken of in the one passage, and thus directly proves his Deity;-or, 2dly, If we admit that, in the passages in which the name of Jehovah or God occurs, the person of the Father is meant; then the parallel texts which speak of Christ in the same sense, ascribing to him the same divine characteristics and attributes with the Father, prove him to be the one God with the Father, and so indirectly, but as validly, demonstrate his true Deity. Thus, for instance, it is said, in PSALM lxxxiii. 18, that the Israelites tempted the Most High God in the desert; but, in 1 Cor. x. 9, Paul asserts, in reference to the same circumstance, that it was Christ whom they tempted. Now, I can arrive at a valid conclusion, substantiating the true Deity of Christ, from a comparison of these passages; by either at once inferring, that Christ, in his pre-existent Deity, was the Most High God, whom the Israelites tempted; or, admitting the Most High God to be meant by the Psalmist of the Father, I have an instance of Christ's being associated with the Father as the one object against whom the Israelites sinned; and therefore I necessarily infer, that Christ was the Most High God with the Father.

IV. I SHALL NOW ADVANCE ANOTHER CLASS OF PROOFS; NAMELY, INSTANCES OF CHRIST'S ASSUMING OR APPLYING TO HIMSELF DECLARATIONS OF SCRIPTURE, OR ATTRIBUTES ELSEWHERE REFERRING TO JEHOVAH OR GOD.

In Exod. xx. 24, God is represented as making this promise to the Jewish Church: "In all places where I record my name, I will come unto thee, and I will bless thee."-But Christ, in the New Testament, represents himself as sustaining the very same relationship to the Christian Church, by recording two precisely similar promises; in MATT. xviii. 20: "For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them;" and in MATT. xxviii. 20: "Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.". Upon this comparison, I remark; 1st, It must obviously require the divine faculty of being omnipresent, in order to enable a person who made these promises to fulfil them; and, 2dly, if Christ were a creature infinitely inferior to the true God, a promise of his perpetual presence would have been of no value. A promise of the presence and protec

tion of God, delivered authoritatively by Jesus his Messenger, would have been alone serviceable, and could alone have prevented the Jewish Church from possessing an infinitely higher advantage than the Christian, by enjoying the presence and protection of Jehovah himself.

In MATT. v. 21, and throughout his entire sermon, Christ contrasts his own instructions with the commandments of Jehovah to the Jews, so as to assume to himself the very same legislative prerogatives and authority: "Ye have heard that it was said to them of old time" (for so it is in the Greek); "but I say unto you."-What creature could presume to improve upon the language of a commandment of Jehovah ?

In Isa. xl. 10, we read, "Behold, the Lord God will come with strong hand, and his arm shall rule for him: behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him."-But in REV. xxii. 12, Christ applies the very same language to himself, and assumes to himself the same divine prerogative of rewarding: "And behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be."

In 1 COR. vi. 14, it is said, "God hath both raised up the Lord.". But in JOHN ii. 19, Christ asserts, in reference to his resurrection : "Destroy this temple, and I will raise it up in three days."-Upon which comparison Ĩ remark, that Christ must have been possessed of a divine nature, distinct from his human body, which divine nature raised up that body; and which was so connected with it at the time be made this declaration, as to justify his speaking in the first person singular" I will raise it up :" and that this was true, is evident from his calling his body a temple, on seeing the temple of Jerusalem. That temple was the house of Jehovah; and his body is so styled, because "in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily."

In 1 COR. vi. 14, it is also said, "God will raise up us by his own power."-But in JOHN vi. 39, 40, 44, 54, Christ says, four times, in reference to his people, "I WILL RAISE HIM up at the last day :" therefore, Christ is either that God who will raise the dead, or he is one with the Father in the exercise of that divine prerogative and power.

In ISA. xliv. 6, we read, "Thus saith the Lord, the King of Israel, and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no god."-But in REV. i. 17; ii. 8; xxii. 13, Christ assumes this title to himself by saying, “I am the first and the last ;" upon which I remark, 1st, If we understand this title as designating eternal existence, then it is evident that Christ must be the one true and everlasting God with Jehovah, as no two perfectly distinct beings could say of themselves with truth, “I am the first and the last ;" or, 2dly, If we understand the words as denoting the first cause and final object of all things, it equally proves his true Deity.

Christ promises to give to his disciples that wisdom which the

Apostle directs them to pray to God for. LUKE xxi. 15, "For 1 WILL GIVE you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist."-Compared with JAMES i. 5, "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all liberally," &c.

In PSALM vii. 9, it is said, "The righteous God trieth the hearts and reins ;" and in JER. xvii. 10, “I Jehovah search the heart; I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings."-But in REV. ii. 23, Christ not only assumes to himself these two divine prerogatives of searching the reins and the heart, and of exercising retributive justice-but expressly identifies himself with Jehovah, who speaks in this passage, by quoting it in direct application to himself: "And all the Churches shall know that I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts; and I will give unto every one of you according to your works."-Here, I simply ask, Can any one have the hardihood to maintain, or even to insinuate, that Christ might have made an unjustifiable quotation, and incorrect application to himself, of the words of the Prophet?

From the language which Christ adopts in his addresses to the seven churches in Asia, in REV. ii. and iii. we infer his possession of the attributes and prerogatives of Deity. He does not use that style of address which a created being, acting as the inferior agent of God, would naturally employ, and always did employ, by saying, "Thus saith Jehovah."-But he says, "I know thy works," &c.; "I have somewhat against thee:" "To him that overcometh, will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God;" "Repent, or else I will come unto thee quickly," "He that overcometh, and keepth my words unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations;" ;" "I will not blot his name out of the book of life;" "He that openeth, and no man (or "no one") shutteth, he that shutteth, and no one openeth;" "Thou hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name ;"" I will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world;"" Him that overcometh, will I make a pillar in the temple of my God;" "As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten;" "To him that overcometh, will I grant to sit with me on my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne."-Upon these passages it is obvious to remark, that the assumption of independent and underived knowledge of authority to dispense the blessedness and the dignities of heaven-of power to exercise retributive justice—of the possession of irresistible dominion over the condition of men-and of preserving, correcting, punishing, and rewarding the members of his churches, which they contain,-is totally unaccountable upon any principle, but that which admits and recognises him as the one God with the Father. And, as the threats denounced against the Asiatic churches have been fulfilled by rendering the ordinary arrangements of providence the instruments of their accomplishment, it is evident, that Christ has, in these passages, represented himself as the God of providence, who can alone order all things for the accomplishment of his purposes.

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