equal, and also that the son is wholly dependent on him for all things. The New Testament does not furnish one passage, in which it is either declared, or implied that the son is equal with God. On the contrary, it contains above three hundred passages, in which it is either positively declared or clearly implied, that he is inferior to his Father. If then I am governed by reasonable evidence, I must conclude that Jesus is not equal with God. And as an honest man I dare not reject this conclusion. I dare not contradict the uniform testimony of the whole Bible. When Jesus declared in so many words

My Father is greater than I,"-I dare not accuse him of uttering falsehood. I dare not unite with the Jews in accusing him of making himself equal with God. For I would not knowingly deny the Lord Jesus.

III. An instance of the second kind of denial is contained in the twenty second chapter of the book of Revelation. The apostle John fell down before the risen Jesus, to offer him the religious worship which is due only to God. By so doing he disobeyed the commands of his master; and unintentionally denied the Lord Jesus.

1. The circumstances were these. "God gave unto Jesus" a revelation. Jesus communicated the same to the beloved John, sometimes in person, and sometimes by messengers. John was so transported with what he saw and heard, that he fell down to offer him religious worship. Jesus instantly forbade him, in these words; "See thou do it not; for I am thy fellow servant, and of thy brethren the Prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book; WORSHIP God." The different names, by which he distinguishes himself, are the same as he used before his crucifixion. Let me quote merely

one specimen. "Behold my servant whom I have chosen." “Go tell my brethren that they go into Galilee." "If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love. By turning to the passage in question, you will notice that Jesus is called "the angel." The word angel means messenger; and in the Revelation the name is given to Jesus, as in the first verse of the first chapter and elsewhere; to spiritual beings, as in many chapters; and to John, as in the sixteenth verse of the twenty second chapter. You can determine the person, to whom it is applied in any particular place, by examining the sense and connexion. You perceive that Jesus resumes the conversation in the sixth verse of the twenty second chapter. For in the seventh he says, "Behold I come quickly;" in the tenth, he says, "seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book;" and in the sixteenth, he says "I Jesus have sent mine angel," meaning John, to testify to the churches. And before this verse, he calls himself" the beginning and the end;" so that you cannot have the shadow of a doubt, that Jesus forbade John to offer him religious worship, although he is in this place, as in many others, called an angel, or God's messenger. And as this prohibition is in perfect accordance with his other commands, John's disobedience made him guilty of unintentionally denying the Lord Jesus. Rev. xxii. 6, 21. Matth. xi. 18; xxviii. 16. John xv. 10.

2. If you worship Jesus as God, you disobey the instruction of Moses and the Prophets. They taught by precept and example. They have recorded the commands of God. The first is this. "Thou shalt have no other Gods before me." You will not pretend that these words proceeded from Jesus. They came from the

same Being who promised to raise up a Saviour. You will also notice that the word me can mean but one person. And you will remember that this one person said, by his servant "Thou shalt worship no other God; for the Lord is a jealous God." If then you worship Jesus as God, you disobey the first great command, and have another God besides your heavenly Father. This command was, however, literally obeyed by the ancient worthies. Look at their example. "And Hezekiah prayed before the Lord, and said, O Lord God of Israel, thou art the God, even thou alone." This prayer is not addressed to the Son; but to one God, in one person. All the commands and examples of the Old Testament are in perfect accordance with the specimens quoted. The ancient Jews uniformly worshipped one God in one person; their modern descendants, in imitation of their example, still adhere to the plain commands of their scriptures. If therefore you worship Jesus as God, you disobey the instruction of Moses and the Prophets; and consequently deny the Lord Jesus. Ex. xx. 3. xxxiv. 14. 2 Kings xix. 15.

3. If you worship Jesus as God, you disobey his own instruction. He also taught by example and precept. Many specimens of his prayers are contained in the gospels. In a season of joy, he ejaculated-"I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth." When he received assistance to perform his greatest miracle, he said, " Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me. And I know that thou hearest me always." In an hour of agony, he prayed, "Father, if thou be willing remove this cup from me." In the moment of death, he exclaimed, "Father, into thy hand I commend my spirit." You notice that his prayers were uniformly address

ed to the FATHER. Not an instance can you find, in which he prayed, either to himself, or the holy spirit, or any being but his God and Father. As he practised, so he preached. His disciples requested him to teach them to pray. "When ye pray, say our Father which art in heaven." He never hinted that he was himself that Father, or any part of that Father, to whom he directed them to offer their devotions. Could he either ignorantly or designedly lead them into error on this most important subject? Far from our minds be the base suspicion. Soon after, he informed the woman of Samaria, that the time had arrived, "when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth." If you worship any being but the Father, you are not the true worshippers; for he alone is the only proper object of worship. "Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve." But to prevent all mistake, he explicitly forbade worship to himself. "In that day "-after my ascension "YE SHALL ASK ME NOTHING." A more positive proNot in one instance

hibition could not have been given. has he commanded any one to worship either himself, or the spirit, or any being, but his FATHER; the ONLY TRUE GOD. On this all important subject, therefore, his instructions are peculiarly plain, and explicit, and definite. And if you worship him as God, you disobey his uniform example and commands, and consequently, you deny the Lord Jesus. Luke x. 21; xxii. 42; xxiii. 46; xi. 2. John iv. 23. Matth. iv. 10. John xvi. 23.

4. If you worship Jesus as God, you disobey the instructions of the Apostles. They likewise taught by example and precept. While Jesus remained on earth, they worshipped the Father only, in obedience to his instructions. Soon after his ascension, they "lifted up

their voice to God with one accord, and said, Lord, thou art God, which hast made the heavens, and earth, and the sea, and all that in them is;" "of a truth against thy holy child Jesus whom thou hast anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate were gathered together." This prayer is offered to the God whom Jesus taught them to worship; to his God and Father. Take an example from their epistles. Paul, who was caught up to the third heaven, and, of course, ought to know the proper object of worship, declared, "I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ." Peter prayed, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ," James said, speaking of the tongue-" Therewith bless we God, even the Father." John said—" Grace be with you from God the Father." Jude begins his epistle with the mention of "God the Father." It was their uniform practice to worship the Father of Jesus, and him only, as the supreme God. And no instance of their worshipping Jesus as God, can be found in their writings. They preached as they practised. When addressing Jews, they incul cated no new object of worship. For the Jews already worshipped the God of their Fathers; the one true God of heaven and earth. When addressing Cornelius, they gave him no command to worship Je sus, but permitted him to continue in the worship of the one impartial Father of the universe. When addressing the learned, idolatrous, Athenians, they explained to them the only proper object of religious worship. But it was not Jesus; it was the infinite Father who had raised Jesus from the dead, and ordained him to be the judge of the world. When addressing christian converts, Paul said, "Whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by