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he is described prophetically by Isaiah, so is he painted actually by St. John, as one who possessed all the attributes of divinity. "In the beginning," says he, "was the Word"-(such being the appropriate title of the second person in the Trinity as it is through his Son that God hath always "spoken" to his creatures)" 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 1." Such is St. John's emphatic statement of the nature of Him with whom we have to do; and for fear we should mistake his meaning, and underrate the dignity of the great Being whom he is describing, he repeats each assertion concerning Him, with more emphasis, and, if possible, greater distinctness, than before. "The Word was with God, and was God; the same was in the beginning with God."

1 John i. 1, 2, 3.

Such language as this cannot be applied to any created being, however exalted; for even if it were possible that such a being could, in any sense, be with God, and be God-he could not have been "in the beginning," or from all eternity, with God. To the same point tends that other repeated-assertion, which follows: "All things were made by him, and without him was not any thing made that was made:" he himself, therefore, in the language of the Nicene Creed, must have been "begotten, not made;" and, being uncreated, must be " of one substance with the Father." Such is the nature of that Son, by whom the Father hath spoken to us in these last days;-" He is the brightness of his Father's glory, the express image of his person, and upholds all things by the word of his power Now we must ever bear in mind, that to enquire into this point, and to ascertain the rank and nature of our Redeemer, is not a mere matter of curiosity;-a

1 Hebrews i. 3.

question for the learned to discuss, but which the humble Christian may pass by as unimportant. It is, on the contrary, the most vital question of Christianity! and the whole strength of our faith, and zeal of our practice, the reasonableness of our hopes, and folly of our fears, depend almost entirely upon the notions we entertain of the dignity of our blessed Saviour. If he were but a human being, nay, if he were even the most exalted of created intelligences, how little could he have effected of all that we believe to have been done for us by the only Son of God! How could the mortal agonies of a mere man have made atonement to divine justice for more than his own sins? As the Psalmist 1 says: no man may deliver his brother; nor make agreement unto God for him; for it cost more to redeem their souls: so that he must let that alone for ever." Such a man, (or be he more than man,) might indeed have taught us the will of God in truth.

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He might, as our blessed Saviour did, have expounded to us the Law of Moses more perfectly-he might even have communicated to us a new revelation from heaven; nay more, he might have shewn us, by his own manner of life, how that revelation was to be acted upon, and so have left us an example that we should follow his steps. He might thus, both by his words and actions, have taught us the will of God, and might finally have died on the cross, to prove the truth of his mission, and his resignation to the divine decree; and yet, after all, had this been the extent of his favours to us, we ourselves could have derived but little benefit from his coming. For where is the value of a perfect rule of life to those who cannot keep it? where is the excellence of a perfect example to those who cannot follow it? and what consolation could we draw from the knowledge that there was a world of happiness and immortality beyond the grave, if we felt at the same time that the weakness of our mortal nature, and the weight of our sins,

would for ever prevent us from rising to that region of endless life and glory? The prospect of happiness which we cannot share, and of rewards which we cannot reach, is rather a source of torment than of joy; and will, as we are informed, be one of the bitterest ingredients in the sufferings of the bad hereafter; and yet, what else could have been our lot, if Christ, being but a created being, had just pointed out to us the way to heaven, and not at the same time given us power to travel it? But, thanks be to God, the power to do so has been granted us, because he, through his omnipotence, has the ability to grant it. The sufferings of his divinity were more than an atonement for our mortal sins. The influence of his divinity hath sent down into our hearts the aid of the Holy Spirit. The power of his divinity enables him to intercede with his Father for our forgiveness, and will finally raise us from the sleep of death, to the resurrection of eternal life. On his divinity, then, and on that alone, are all our prospects centered. If he be