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The evangelical prophet saw, in a vision, the glory of the Son of God; and he heard the seraphim ascribing to him the Divine attribute of holiness. The words of the prophet are worthy of our most serious consideration: "I saw," says Isaiah, (vi. 1, 5,) "the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. Above it stood the seraphim; each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. And one cried unto another, and said, "holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory. And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke. Then said I, 'wo is me, for I am undone, because I am a man of unclean lips; for mine eyes have seen the king, the Lord of hosts.' This glory which Isaiah saw was the glory of the Son. He is called the Lord of hosts: in his presence the seraphim cover their faces with their wings, and unto him they ascribe the glory of his holiness, saying, holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts—the whole earth is full of his glory. That these words relate to the Son of God, and that the prophet saw his glory, is asserted by the evangelist John, who could not mistake the prophet's meaning, nor misapply his words: "These things said Esaias, when he saw his glory and spake of him." John xii. 41.

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We may now proceed to show that the Divine attributes, Justice, Mercy, Truth, and Faithfulness, are ascribed to Jesus Christ, the Son of God. These attributes are ascribed to him in the highest sense of the words, in the same style and language that the inspired writers use to express these attributes and perfections of the living and true God. The psalmist, singing the high praises of his God, uses these remarkable words: "Justice and judgment are the ha bitation of thy throne; mercy, accompanied with truth, shall go before thy face." This is a very sublime and beautiful passage. Justice and judgment are represented as a sacred temple, where the throne

of God is fixed upon immoveable foundations; and where God, who is infinitely righteous, delights to dwell. And words of the same import, and expressive of equal dignity, are addressed to the Son. Thus, for instance; "thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever-a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom." And, says the prophet, "with rightcousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity, for the meek of the earth; and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked. And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins."-Isaiah, xi. 5, 6. Jesus is called "the just one, the sun of righteousness, and everlasting righteousness," Jesus is "the judge of all the earth" and shall not the judge of all the earth do right? Must not his justice be infinite? The judge of angels and men, the judge of the quick and of the dead, the heart-searching judge, who must be omniscient, because he is the searcher of hearts; must be infinitely just, to give to every one according to his ways. Jesus is called "the Lord, the righteous judge; and before his tribunal we must all appear— "we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ; for as it is written, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. So then every one of us shall give an account of himself to God."-Rom. xiv. 11, 12. Here the judge, before whose judgment seat we shall all stand, is called God; and on the great and terrible day of the Lord his righteousness shall be acknowledged to be infinite, both by his saints and enemies. Elements melting with fervent heat! the heavens rolling together as a scroll! angels applauding! saints triumphant! shall declare the righteousness of the almighty, all-wise, and infinitely righteous Judge.

As our God is just and righteous, so also is he merciful; his mercy is infinite; his mercy is everlast ing; his mercy endureth for ever; his mercy is great unto the heavens., "Who is a God like unto thee,

that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? He retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy." Thus the mercy of God is illustriously displayed in the forgiveness of sins, and in sending his own Son to be the propitiation for our sins: and the mercy of Jesus, the Son of God, is illustriously manifested by his redeeming love, and his pity and compassion to poor sinners. If Lot said unto God, thou hast magnified thy mercy, in saving my life, how has the Son of God magnified his mercy in saving our souls from everlasting death! How has he magnified his mercy, in his divine condescension, in becom-ing poor for our sakes, that we through his poverty might be made rich! He hath glorified his grace in dying for us, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God. View the mercy of the blessed Jesus, in his condescension, in his humiliation, in his life, sufferings, agony, and bitter passion, and confessthat the love of Jesus passeth knowledge-is un-: searchable and divine. Jesus is praised in heaven,. for his mercy, and for the wonderful works of his grace; but he could not be praised for his redeeming grace and love, if his grace and love are not Divine perfections-that is, if his mercy is not infinite; because he only whose mercy is infinite is to be adored: and praised for the exercise of mercy. Farther, the mercy of the Redeemer is spoken of as Divine mercy, even the mercy of God, when it is said, "for a small moment have I forsaken thee, but with great mercies will I gather thee; in a little wrath I hid my face from thee, but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the Lord thy Redeemer." This everlasting kindness with which the Redeemer will have mercy on his church is the kindness of that God whose mercy endureth for ever. The apostle Paul. speaks of the mercy of Christ as the mercy of God,. when he says, "I obtained mercy of the Lord to be faithful" and as the mercy of that God who is longsuffering and slow to anger, when he says, "I thank

Jesus Christ our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry; who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly, in unbelief. And the grace of our Lord Jesus was exceeding abundant, with faith, and love, which is in Christ Jesus. This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into this world to save sinners; of whom I am chief. Howbeit, for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show forth all long-suffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting."-I. Tim. i. 14, 15, 16. In these words the apostle acknowledges the pardoning mercy of Jesus; he acknowledges his long-suffering patience; he calls it all long-suffering; now, that mercy which pardoneth sinners; that mercy which we are commanded to look for unto eternal life, (Jude 21); that merey which is long-suffering, and that long-sufing which is salvation, must be infinite.

The truth and faithfulness of Jesus are spoken of in the scriptures in the most exalted terms. He is the truth and the life; the true God, and eternal life; his name is Faithful and True. The disciples encouraged each other by the truth and faithfulness of Christ; they believed in him, and trusted in him for the accomplishment of his promises; they looked unto him for promised protection and deliverance, and they con fided in his truth and faithfulness. "The Lord is faithful," says the apostle, "who shall establish you, and keep you from evil." Christians believe in Jesus, and depend upon his truth and faithfulness, with that divine faith and hope with which the ancient worthies depended upon the God of truth and faithfulness; nor have Christians any reason to be ashamed of their hope-it is a hope that maketh not ashamed. The apostle rejoiced in hope, though in bonds; his chain sat light upon him, because he could say, "for the hope of Israel am I bound with this chain." The psalmist, speaking of the Son of God, pronounces a

blessing upon all those that hope in him. It is unlawful to place religious hope and confidence in one whose truth and faithfulness are not divine, that is, infinite. It is our duty to trust in God, and to hope in God, and in none but him. "In thee, O Lord, do I hope," saith the psalmist; and again, "thou art my hope, O Lord God, thou art my trust from my youth." God is called the God of hope, and Jesus Christ is called the hope of glory. He is our hope; and we are said to have hope in him, not with regard to the things of this world only, but eminently with regard to the world to come, even the hope of eternal life. "Beloved," says the apostle, 66 "now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be; but we know that when he" that is, God the Son, "shall appear, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. And every one that hath this hope in him, purifieth himself, even as he is pure."-I. John, iii. 2, 3. The true and faithful God was the hope of Israel, and Jesus Christ is the hope of glory, and our hope; is he not therefore the true and faithful God? Is it lawful for Christians to hope in Jesus, if he is not the true and faithful God?

We are next to show that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is called Jehovah. But, before we do this, it may be useful to give some account of this name, and its signification. It is the adorable and incommunicable name of the living and true God, and is never ascribed to any but him. It is an essential name, a name of essence, and signifies the eternal, necessary, underived existence of that Being who is self-existent; and which is, and was, and is to come.

The

name Jehovah, says a judicious critic, "sets out God's eternity, in that it contains all times, future, present, and past; thus," says he, "this title given to Christ, which is, and which was, and which is to come, is an express interpretation of Je

* Leigh's Critica Sacra,

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