as they honour the Father." Insomuch that "the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he had said that God was His Father, making himself equal with God."*.

It would be easy for me, perchance, to amuse you, beloved hearers, with my own words; but I feel, that, in a subject of such overwhelming interest, it is better to lead you directly to the fountain of truth. Your souls are at stake. Unless you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, you must be damned.† Far away then be all attempt to gratify. Rather would I present, against your doubts, your difficulties, and your unbelief, the artillery of Heaven. My days are wasting and your days are wasting: soon must we stand before the bar where we must give account of our faithfulness. Let us then, in simplicity and godly sincerity deal with your souls. The Bible, the Bible is our religion. From the plain words of the Bible, let us delight to learn.

"I am," says Jesus, "the resurrection and the life: I am the truth and the life."These are assertions of Divinity; for who is the resurrection, who is the truth, who is the life but God? Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.§ Lo, I am with you alway,

* John v. 23, 18. † Mark xvi. 16. John xi. 25.

even unto the end of the world."* Here are declarations of Omnipresence.

We know that Jesus is Divine, because He died in attestation of his Divinity. This was the great charge brought against Him-" We have a law," said the Jews, "and by our law he ought to die, because he made himself the Son of God." If the Jews were in an error in supposing that He declared Himself God, why did not our blessed Lord undeceive them? So far from saying they were in an error in understanding Him as asserting his Godhead, He, at the very judgment seat, reiterated His declaration that He was God, by saying, "Ye shall see the Son of Man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of Heaven;" insomuch that they said, "What need we any further witnesses? Ye have heard the blasphemy." Now, beloved, either Christ was God, or, with reverence be it spoken, He did not act the part of a righteous man.

His resurrection was by his own power."I have power to lay-mylife-down, and I have power to take it again." He laid down His life, because, in one sense, there was a necessity that He should die. "Without shedding of blood" there" is no remission;* it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should

*Mat. xxviii. 20. † John xix. 7.-See Lev. xxiv. 16, and Deut. xviii. 20. Mark xiv. 62-64. § John x. 18.-Heb. ix, 22.

take away sins:"* He, therefore, gave Himself:-" by his own blood, he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.† Through death he-destroyed-him that had the power of death.”‡The cross itself, and the grave itself, was each the chariot of victory. He vanquished sin and discomfited Satan on the cross. He triumphed

over death, and robbed him of his sceptre.Having hallowed the grave for the sweet sleep of His Saints, He arose, leading "captivity captive," and Heaven and earth attested His

supremacy: All power," said He, "all power is given unto me in Heaven and in earth.”|| In the fulness of this power, He sent forth his Apostles with a commission to evangelize the world. If He had been less than God the command to them would have been preposterous. A few miserable fishermen to effect more than all the Alexanders and Cæsars, all the Catos and Pythogoras, that ever lived! With a doctrine which would rouse the world in arms against it, to send them forth to subdue that world! Truly, if He had not been God, Paul, and Peter, and all the rest of the Apostles, would have been ranked among the deluded victims of imposture, centuries upon centuries ago. The wide spread of their then humbled

*Heb. x. 4. † Heb. ix. 12. Heb. ii. 14. || Eph. iv. 8. § Matt, xxviii. 18.

cause; the sweep it has taken throughout the earth; the march it is prosecuting in this triumphant day; lead us to exclaim with the convinced centurion, "Truly this was the Son of God:"* and to say with the adoring Thomas, "My Lord, and my God."+

"I am he," said Christ to John, in the Apocalypse, "I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending,-which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Al. mighty."

Stephen, "full of the Holy Ghost,—saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God. And they stoned him-invoking, -and saying Lord Jesus receive my spiritLord lay not this sin to their charge."§

The Apostles, when assembled to acknowledge another in the place of Judas, prayed, "Thou, Lord, which knowest the hearts of all men, show whether of these two thou hast chosen."**

Peter, preaching to the crucifiers, says, "Therefore, being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he-Jesus-hath shed forth this which ye now see and hear."+t The same Peter, speaking to Cornelius con

*Matt. xxvii. 54. Acts vii. 55, 59, 60.

†John xx. 28.
**Acts i. 24.

Rev. ii. 23. || Rev. i. 8.
Acts ii. 33.

cerning Jesus Christ, says, "He is Lord of all."*

"Angels, authorities, and powers," says Holy Scripture, are "made subject unto him." He is entitled "our God and Saviour Jesus Christ;" and His Kingdom is called "the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Grow in Grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ;" says the Apostle-"To our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, be glory, both now and forever." James entitles Him "The Lord of glory:" and Jude, "The only wise God our Saviour."**

"By him" Christ, says Paul, "were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: and he is before all things, and by him all things consist. In him are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. In him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.‡‡ He is able to subdue all things unto himself. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me."$$

Paul had every reason to believe in the Di

* Acts x. 36. † 1 Peter iii. 22. ‡ 2 Peter i. 1. || 2 Peter i. 11 § Peter iii. 18. Jas. ii. 1. ** Jude xxv. tt Col. i. 16, 17. ‡‡ Col. ii. 3,9. || Phil. ii. xxi. §§ Phil. iv. 13.