vinity of Christ, for, like Isaiah,* he saw his glory, thus we are told, "As he journeyed he came near Damascus; and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven; and he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest:and he, trembling and astonished, said, Lord what wilt thou have me to do?" And when he went into Damascus, Ananias came to him, saying, "Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus, that appeared unto thee in the way as thou camest, hath sent me, that thou mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost." The repenting, believing Pharisee, felt, as well as saw, the power of Jesus. He now united with the church in calling on the name of, or praying to-Jesus; and he continued so to do.

We find him, in the Epistle to the Corinthians, entitling believers those who "call upon the name of Jesus Christ"-showing that they remembered the words of the Master Himself, who said, "If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it."§ Indeed Paul often prayed to Christ. When he had the thorn in the flesh, he "besought the Lord thrice that it might depart from" him; and he received for answer,

*Isaiah vi. 1, and John xii. 41. †Acts ix 3-6. Acts ix. 17. 1 Cor. i. 2. § John xiv. 14.

"My grace is sufficient for thee." At another time he informs us-" while I prayed in the temple, I was in a trance, and saw him-Christ -saying unto me, make haste and get thee quickly out of Jerusalem; for they will not receive thy testimony concerning me. And I said, Lord, they know that I imprisoned, and beat in every synagogue them that believed on thee: and when the blood of thy martyr, Stephen, was shed, I also was standing by, and consenting unto his death, and kept the raiment of them that slew him. And he said unto me, Depart: for I will send thee far hence unto the Gentiles."+

Certainly the Apostle Paul was guilty of no idolatry. He knew well whether Christ was worthy of Divine honours. His mind was too strong to be led away by fanaticism. He ne

ver would have prayed to the Lord Jesus, and held that intercourse which a creature holds with his Almighty Sovereign, relying entirely upon Him for grace and for strength, if he had not been well assured our Saviour was Divine. Paul must have believed the truth of those words of the Bible-" at the name of Jesus every knee should bow."

Beloved, this is not all. If Christ be not Divine, there is idolatry in Heaven. “When he-Jesus-had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before

*2 Cor. xii. 8, 9. Acts xxii. 17-21. ‡ Phil. ii. 10.

the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints,-THE PRAYERS OF SAINTS!and they sung a new song, saying, thou art worthy, for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood.*-I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne, and the beasts, and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands; saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain, to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing. And every creature which is in Heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I, saying Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and UNTO THE LAMB forever and ever.† Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.”‡

Now we know that there is a law given to us in this world, "Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve:"|| and there is reason to suppose the same law exists in Heaven. Certainly it is as necessary for celestial beings to worship God alone as for terrestrial. Adoration is the keystone of all. Whoever is adored will be obeyed. Now one

*Rev. v. 8. 9. † Rev. v. 11—13, ‡ Rev. vii. 10. ġ Mat. iv. 10.

or other of these two conclusions must we adopt, viz: that the angels are idolaters, or that Jesus Christ is the very and eternal God.

And yet we have only begun this argument. Do you grow weary? How then will you endure an eternal celebration of the praises of Jesus? How will you enjoy the pursuits of that world where Holy, Holy, Holy, is continually sounding around the throne of the Lamb? If you ever join those who have palms in their hands, as symbols of victory, you will join in the song "Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive" all "glory." Exercise yourselves then upon earth. Take your Bibles, as well as listen in the sanctuary; and let your prayers continually ascend to the Giver of all grace that "Christ Jesus" may be made of God unto" you "wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption."*

IV.

Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:

But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men.-Phil. ii. 6, 7.

Still do we linger around that delightful theme, Jesus Christ and Him crucified. Still

* 1 Cor. i. 30.

do we station ourselves at the foot of His throne, that we may catch some glimpses of His glory, and obtain power to be transformed into His image. We are poor, suffering, condemned creatures—our minds can revolve no subject more calculated to comfort; for this blessed Jesus, it is said, has come to "heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind; to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord."* Even as some perishing caravan, in the midst of a desert, would earnestly inquire, whether he who came offering to deliver them, was able; so we are naturally anxious to ascertain whether Jesus Christ is indeed Divine.

We have already employed the greater part of two sermons on the subject, and, instead of diminishing, the theme still grows upon our hands. Like a traveller, who, from a great distance, approaches some lofty range of mountains: they rise, and rise, and their summits, lost amid the clouds, seem to defy all attempts to explore them.

The command to baptize was in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost.† All, then, who were baptized, were dedicated to the Son, as much as to the Father, and to the Holy Ghost. They were dedicated to the One

* Luke iv. 18, 19. † Mat. xxviii. 19.