enliven the service, we continually repeat, "Christ have mercy upon us." The prayer at the end of the morning and evening services, which is known by the title of the prayer of St. Chrysostom, is clearly addressed directly to Christ himself. Thus again, in the beginning of the Litany, we say, "O God the Son, Redeemer of the world, have mercy upon us, miserable sinners." And farther on we say, "From our enemies defend us, O Christ. O Son of David, have mercy upon us. Both now, and ever, vouchsafe to hear us, O Christ. Graciously hear us, O Christ; graciously hear us, O Lord Christ."

We see then what is the plain doctrine of our Church upon this point. And surely, with this before us, we must also be disposed to consider it very desirable to inquire what ground the Church has for so boldly maintaining this doctrine. For let it not be imagined that it is a question of little or no importance. Such an opinion must not be held for an instant. For the case stands in this way if Christ be not God, very and eternal God, then are we idolaters, setting up, as it were, an idol, an image in the place of God, and then worshipping him as our God. For by praying to him, we offer him that homage, honour, and worship, which belongs to God alone. Whilst on the other hand, if Christ be really God, as we humbly believe, then are all those who wilfully deny that he is God blasphemers against his holy name. This, then, must shew the extreme importance of inquiring fairly and honestly into the truth, and seeing for ourselves who are right, those who believe in Christ as God, or those who deny his divinity. Let us then spend a few moments on this interesting inquiry, and sure I am that we shall, in so doing, have the satisfaction of finding that here, as in all the rest of her doctrines, our Church has indeed a most firm and safe foundation.

Now it must at once be laid down that there can be only one source from which a good foundation can be derived for any point of christian faith,-I mean of course the Bible, the word of God. "To the law then, and to the testimony," we must refer for the truth. What, then, saith the Scripture ? Let us first refer shortly to what may be gathered on this subject from the Old Testament, which, we know, foretold the coming of the Messiah. Does that give us any information respecting this part of the character of Him who was to come? It is well known that there was scarcely a single part of the character of our Lord which was not in some portion of the ancient Scriptures prefigured or plainly predicted: it is not then probable that all notice of this most important point should be there omitted. Nor is it, we think, there omitted. Far from it. Nay, it is as clearly foretold as almost any other point respecting him. If words have any meaning, the holy prophets foretold that the Messiah should be God upon earth.

Let us refer to the passage of the prophet Isaiah, in which he foretold our Lord's miraculous birth of a pure virgin; how did he declare this?"Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel,” (Isa. vii. 14,) which word, as St. Matthew tells us, "interpreted, is, God with us,” (Matt. i. 23.) This speaks very clearly to the point. Again, when in another passage the same prophet foretels the same event, he is taught of God to announce it as though it had already taken place, in these words: "Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given and his name shall be called Wonderful,

Counsellor, the mighty God, the everlasting Father," or rather, the Father of eternity, "the Prince of peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever." Here we see the Messiah was to be called that is, in scripture language, should in fact be-" the mighty God," (Isa. ix. 6, 7.) So also, when the prophet Micah foretold the place where Christ was to be born, he used these words, “Thou, Beth-lehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting,' (Micah v. 2.) Here it is distinctly asserted, that the expected Messiah was to be one who had been from everlasting, a perfection which belongs to God alone. And to quote only one more passage from the Old Testament, I shall refer to the words of Malachi, where he foretels the messenger which was to go before the face of the Messiah, thus"Behold, I send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me and the Lord," (which is the same word as Jehovah,) whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the Lord," (Mal. iii. 1.) From this passage, we conclude that he that was to come was to be the Lord, or the Lord Jehovah, for such is the real meaning of the Lord in this passage.

us,

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Having thus considered these passages of the Old Testament, each one of which, be it remembered, has been quoted by the inspired writers of the Gospels, and expressly applied by them to our blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, we gather from them, that the ancient prophets, before our Lord came, taught that he was to be "God with ," "the mighty God," "he whose goings forth had been from everlasting," and "the Lord Jehovah ;" and hence we shall be well prepared to consider the words of my text, and other texts of the New Testament, which most clearly and decidedly declare, respecting our Lord, the same divine truths. Indeed, with these remarkable passages before us, it would be sufficient merely to refer to the words which I have chosen for our more immediate consideration from the Gospel for this day; for if we admit the plain meaning of those words of the beloved disciple St. John to be the truth, the question of our Lord's divinity must be considered as set at rest for ever. For what are they? What do they declare? "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God: the same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. And the Word was made flesb, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only-begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth." What can be more clear and explicit than this? What can be more decided and satisfactory? This the opponents of the truth of our Lord's divinity have ever felt, and consequently have directed against this passage their chief attacks. It may therefore be generally satisfactory to bring forward a few other plain texts, which may serve to shew that the doctrines here contained are as fully and decidedly maintained in the other parts of the New Testament. Let us then consider what language our blessed Lord used with

regard to himself when he came into the world; let us observe what he said respecting his own nature and character. When the unbelieving Jews objected to Christ, that from his age he could not have seen Abraham, he made this very striking reply, "Before Abraham was, I am," (John viii. 58.) Observe, he does not say, "Before Abraham was," I was, but "I am;" thus, as it should seem, applying to himself the very title which the Lord Jehovah gave as his own name to Moses out of the burning bush, "I am that I am." (Exod. iii. 14.) "I Am hath sent thee:" by which term we may understand to be meant the eternal existence from everlasting to everlasting of the Being to whom it is applied, I am everexisting. Again, on another occasion, our Lord declares his sameness and unity with the Father: "I and my Father are one," (John x. 10 ;) by which expression the Jews understood him to mean that he "made himself equal with God," and were about to stone him for blasphemy for so doing; just as at another time we read, that "the Jews sought the more to kill him because he not only had," as they pretended, "broken the Sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God." (John v. 18.) And if it should be said, that at other seasons he used language which seemed to make him only to be a messenger sent into the world by the Father, and that on one occasion he even said, "My Father is greater than I,” we must understand him there to be speaking of himself in his human capacity only,-speaking in reference to his manhood, in which we believe and acknowledge that he was inferior to the Father, whereas in his Godhead he was fully equal with him. Once more, let us hear how our Lord describes himself after he was ascended up into heaven. When St. John was allowed, in the Spirit, to see things in heaven, he tells us he saw there " one like unto the Son of man," " and when I saw him," he says, "I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last : I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death." (Rev. i. 17, 18.) That it was our blessed Saviour himself who here speaks, cannot, certainly, be doubted; for he speaks of himself as having died and been made alive again, and having the keys of hell and of death, which can apply to him alone of those who have ever died. Yet in the first words of the text, he says, "I am the first and the last ;" which is an expression, as we well know from other parts of Scripture, means that he to whom it is applied possesses existence enduring from everlasting to everlasting, and is never applied to any but the one true God. (See Isa. xli. 4; xliv. 6; xlviii. 12; and Rev. i. 8.) Let, then, these passages of Scripture now before us have their full weight upon our minds. But this is not all. Let us also observe that our Lord not only allowed his apostle St. Thomas to call him God, but even commended him for his faith as displayed in so doing. After having been permitted to examine our Lord's body, he "answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God." (John xx. 28.)

From our Lord's own testimony to his own character, let us add that of his inspired apostles and followers. St. Paul, writing to the Romans, speaks of "the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever." (Rom ix. 5.) Writing to

Timothy, he says, "Without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh." (1 Tim. iii. 16.) Writing to the Corinthians, he says, "God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them," (2 Cor. v. 18); and writing to the Hebrews, he says, "Unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever." (Heb. i. 8.)

Such are the plain declarations of our Lord's inspired disciples respecting his divinity. Can any thing be more decided? Yet we go farther; we may add, that so convinced were they of his divine nature, that they continually addressed to him prayers and supplications, as to God. Thus St. Stephen, when about to die, uttered a prayer to his divine Master, and gave up his spirit into his hands. And be it remembered that we are expressly told that he was, at that moment, "full of the Holy Ghost." They stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." (Acts vii. 59.) Thus also St. Paul, writing to the Corinthians, says, "I besought the Lord thrice, that it (that is, the affliction under which he was suffering,) might depart from me. And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me." (2 Cor. xii. 8, 9.) Again, writing to the Thessalonians, he prays thus, "Now God himself, and our Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, direct our way unto you. And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men." (1 Thess. iii. 12, 13.) And when St. John had, in his book of Revelation, declared that the Lord said, "Surely I come quickly," he immediately prays to him, saying, "Even so, come, Lord Jesus." (Rev. xxii. 20.) We may certainly see clearly from these passages, that our Lord's disciples had well learned of their Master, when he taught them, that "all men should honour the Son even as they honour the Father." (John v. 23.)

Now, my brethren, on looking back upon what has been advanced in this discourse, let me ask, what has been the impression made by it on your minds? What are the views and feelings to which it has given rise? I am of course aware that I have not brought forth all the argu ments which may be produced in favour of the divinity of our Lord, nor indeed any thing like all the texts of Scripture which bear upon the point; but I think I have laid before you sufficient evidence to convince any plain thinking people that we are fully justified in believing, with the Church to which we belong, that our Lord Jesus Christ is both God and man ;-God, of the substance of the Father, begotten before the world, and man of the substance of his mother, born in the world; perfect God, and perfect man.

In conclusion, then, let us meditate for a few moments on the practical inference which may naturally be deduced from the right consideration of this most important subject. Let us reflect on the plain truth declared in my text. The Word, the Son of God, who was in the beginning, and from everlasting with God, and was God, who with God created every thing that was made, humbled himself to be made flesh, to take upon him our nature, with its varied sorrows and infirmities, and consented to pass through the midst of this sinful, corrupt, and wicked world, enduring its troubles and miseries, and submit

ting to its trials and temptations, yet ever full of grace and truth. Now does not the question naturally arise in our minds, why did he endure all this? For whose sake was it he did it? for his own sake, or for the sake of others? We know that it was entirely for our sake, for the sake of us men and our salvation. O what a view is thus opened to us! The Son of God became man for us! The eternal Almighty, all holy, all happy, Son of the Father; he who could require nothing to add to his happiness, was graciously pleased to leave the glory which he had with his Father, and to become, as at this time, a little child, to pass through the long course and training of childhood, to meet the various trials and evils which attend the early stages of human life, and above all, as man to die, and that by a most cruel and ignominious death, and all this entirely for our sakes; Oh! our hearts be hard indeed if we are not moved with the deepest feelings of gratitude for this gracious goodness of the Son of God which was thus vouchsafed unto us!

But what was there in our condition which required such a sacrifice as this? My brethren, we had become sinners before God; the divine image and likeness in which man had been first created had been sadly marred in us; we were in a state of guilt and perdition by reason of sin; we had lost the divine favour, and were under condemnation in the sight of God, and consequently were in danger of perishing everlastingly. And in our need the Son of God stood forth to succour and to save us. "Christ our Saviour, both God and man, did humble himself even to the death upon the cross for us miserable sinners, who lay in darkness and the shadow of death, that he might make us the children of God, and exalt us to everlasting life."* But let us not deceive ourselves upon this point. All this goodness of our Lord may after all be to us in vain. Christ may have done all that we have described for us and for our salvation, and yet we may not be saved; we may be lost just as much as if he had never done any thing for us. Christ will not save us in our sins; he will not save us unless we are in a state of salvation. It is not enough that we may have been once made children of God by adoption and grace. No; we must be made in some degree at least like the Son of God himself, who was, we know, "full of grace and truth;" we must be enabled to look upon God as our reconciled Father in Jesus Christ; we must have the spirit of adoption sent forth into our hearts, enabling us to cry out with hope and confidence, Abba, Father; we must have the divine image and likeness in some measure restored in us; we must resemble the Lord Jesus Christ; we must have something of the same mind in us which was also in Christ Jesus, and consequently we must be transformed by the renewing of our mind, and be conformed to the will of God. O, then, taking Christ as our only Saviour from sin, and misery, and eternal ruin, let us also take him as an ensample of godly life; and though we cannot now, like his holy apostles, "behold his glory" in the flesh, "the glory as of the onlybegotten of the Father," yet we may still study, and ought to study, his glorious and gracious example as described by those who beheld it, and as it is displayed to us in the Scriptures of truth. If we have not

* Communion Service.