"and his righteousness, it sustained him!" Here, then, we discern

3. The method of man's redemption.

The only begotten Son of God,-he, who was "the brightness of his glory, and the express "image of his person;" who was in power infinite, in majesty supreme, in whom "dwelleth all "the fulness of the Godhead;" he, who is "the "heir of all things," "by whom were all things "created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, "who is before all things, and by whom all things consist;" who was co-eternal and co-essential " with God, and was God:"4*-He, the adorable

8 Isa. 1. 2. lix. 16. Ezek. xxii. 30. Psl. xlix. 7.

9 Heb. i. 3. John, i. 14. Col. i. 15.

3 Col. i. 16, 17.

1 Col. ii. 9.

2 Heb. i. 3.

4 John i. 1.

*The basis of a Christian's hope is the Deity of his Redeemer :—if He is not independent and Divine, all that he has done and suffered for us is utterly useless-our faith in him is vain. The above passages are sufficient of themselves, if none other were extant, to demonstrate this fundamental doctrine. But as a further confirmation of such an indispensable truth, we may notice the pre-existence of Jesus Christ. This once established, will render a denial of his Divinity quite irreconcileable. There are numerous passages in which this doctrine is expressly asserted, and still more from which it may be inferred. A few only of these shall be adduced here.Christ, then, is called "the only-begotten of the Father." John i. 14. Now, as Owen observes, if this Son had no pre-existence in his Divine nature before he was born of the Virgin, there was no God the Father 1700 years ago, because there was no Son. For it seems to follow, that he whom we worship being the Father, and on this supposition that the Son had no pre-existence unto his incarnation, he was not the Father under the Old Testament, he is some other from him that was so revealed. I know the folly of this inference; yet how on this opinion of the sole existence of the Son in time, men can prove the Father to be God, let others determine.— Again-" He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father

Son, entered into a gracious covenant with his everlasting Father, to redeem the souls of sinners

5

"and the Son. But whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the "doctrine of Christ, hath not God." 2 John, 9. Whoever, then, denies Christ the Son, as the Son, that is, the eternal Son of God, he loses the Father also, and the true God ;-he hath not God. For that God which is not the Father who was not so from eternity, whose paternity is not equally co-existent with his Deity, is not the true God—is no God to us, for “to us "there is but one God the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; " and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him." 1 Cor. viii. 6. The first passage which I shall allege as confirmatory of the doctrine is the opening of St. John's Gospel :-"In the beginning was "the Word." By the Word is meant Jesus Christ, either as being the Eternal Word and Wisdom of the Father, or as the great revealer of the will of God to us. The Unitarian and Socinian writers interpret this of God the Father. But in the 14th verse we are told that "the Word was "made flesh, and dwelt among us ;" from which, on their principles, it would follow, that Jesus Christ was God the Father. If, however, by the expression "the Word," the Evangelist did not mean something in some respect different from God the Father, no satisfactory reason can be assigned for his use of it, nor indeed for any part of the introduction to his Gospel. Why should be tell us, what no one could entertain a doubt of, that God the Father existed in the beginning of the Gospel? or why, at such an advanced period of divine revelation, tell us, in so formal a manner, that he existed from all eternity? Why should he inform us of that, which required no revelation at all, namely, that Christ existed in the beginning of his Gospel? Why should he tell us, moreover, that God was with God? or that God was God? The Evangelist did not intend to give us such needless information. He doubtless meant to teach us, that the Messiah, who had so long been expected in the world, and especially among the Jews under the title of "the Word," existed with God before all time. For the phrase “In the beginning” if it does not absolutely express eternity, it certainly does a pre-existence before the whole creation, which amounts to the same. For nothing can pre-exist before all creatures but in the nature of God, which is eternal; unless we absurdly imagine the existence of a creature before any was created. But the meaning of the expression is shown elsewhere in Scripture: "I was set up from everlasting before the

5 Zech. iii. 13. Isa. liv. 10. Dan. ix. 25-27.

and snatch them as "brands from the burning," by a voluntary sacrifice of himself. He agreed to

"beginning, or even the earth was." Prov. viii. 23. “And now, O Father, "glorify thou me with thine own self, with the glory which I had with "thee before the world was. For thou lovedst me before the foundation of "the world." John xvii. 5.24.-Which passages, as they explain the phrase, so also do they undeniably prove the eternal pre-existence of Christ the Son of God. For Christ in the latter passage speaks of a past glory as of a state, which had really existed; and if it did exist, Christ, as the subject of it, must have existed also. Besides, if Christ did not exist before the creation of the world, how could it with any propriety be said, that God loved him before the foundation of it? — Another passage is John viii. 58, "Jesus said unto them, verily, verily, I say unto you, before Abraham "was, I am." Now that the Jews then present understood that he asserted his divine pre-existence is evident from what followed :- "then took they ་ up stones to cast at him." For they conceived that by asserting his existence before Abraham, and consequently before his own birth, he assumed to himself divine attributes, and spoke blasphemy. For if, as is abundantly proved, the Word or Son of God had a personal existence before the whole creation, it must have been a divine pre-existence. For the Creator and the creatures comprehend the whole nature of Beings—one of them, therefore, Christ must be; and which of them it may be easily as certained, when we are told that he "is before all things," and that "by him were all things created." Col. i. 16, 17. But the Evangelist St. John still further confirms this doctrine, when he adds that " the Word was with God." There being no creature then existing, he could be no where but with God; that is, God the Father, as it is explained in Proverbs viii. 22. 30-" The Lord possessed me in the beginning of his way, before "his works of old, While as yet he had not made the earth, &c.: then I "' was by him, as one brought up with him; and I was daily his delight, " rejoicing always before him ;" that is, in the beginning this Word or Wisdom of God" was with God." And this is precisely the same as our Lord Jesus asserts respecting himself: "and no man (says he) hath as"cended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son " of man, which is in heaven." John iii. 13. He here affirms his being in heaven, that is, with God, at the same time that he was on the earth; whereby he declares the immensity of his nature, and the distinction of his

6 Amos iv. 11. Zech. iii. 2. Jude 23.

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substitute his own righteous Person in the room of the guilty, and to suffer all things which their iniquities had merited, and to endure all things which the nature of a plenary satisfaction rendered obligatory;—to "make himself of no reputation, "to take upon him the form of a servant, be made "in the likeness of men, and to humble himself "and become obedient unto death, even the death "of the cross." 7 He, "who thought it" no usurpation of divine honor, "no robbery" of heaven's prerogative, no illegal assumption of another's right "to be equal with God,"* consented to person; and his coming down from heaven before he was incarnate on the earth, most decidedly proving his pre-existence; by both manifesting the meaning of this expression, that in the beginning he was with God.See also Owen on the Doctrine of the Trinity.— Horne on the Trinity. Pearson on the Creed.-Dr. Ed. Pearson's Hulsean Defence for the year 1810.

7 Phil. ii. 6-8,

2.)

* The all-sufficiency of the sinner's Surety, results entirely from the dignity and excellence of his Person and character. His dignity and excellence then are the necessary properties of his Divine nature. "Thou "art fairer than the children of men," says the Prophet. (Psl. xlv. Now although the pre-existence of Christ in the manner it is revealed, necessarily involves his Divinity, yet there are some who will readily admit the former, and still deny the latter. It is of consequence, therefore, to establish both on separate grounds. From the great importance of the latter doctrine, we may naturally look for abundant testimonies in confirmation of its truth. Nor shall we be disappointed-nothing being so clearly revealed, or so convincingly proved, as this article of our belief. We find every thing that belongs to the nature of God, ascribed in Scripture equally to Christ. I.-DIVINE TITLES are applied to him:-the name Jehovah (translated, Lord) is given to Christ, a name exclusively belonging to the supreme God.-Thus in Hos. i. 7. Jer. xxiii. 5-8. Isa. vii. 8-10 compared with John xii. 40, 41.—Also in Num. xiv. 2,3. and xxi. 5, 6,

subject himself to all the requirements of a sinner's Surety, and to render himself subordinate to his Father's will, and obnoxious to the infliction of his

applied to Christ, 1 Cor. x. 9. Again—Psl. cii. 25. 27, is spoken of the Lord, but is applied to the Lord Jesus Christ in Heb. i. 9. Also-Psl. lxviii. 18. proved by Eph. iv. 8, 9. Psl. cx. 1. compared with Matt. xxii. 42, 43. The title Eloim (translated God, or God of Israel) is likewise ascribed to Christ. See Psl. xlv. 6, 7, compared with Heb. i. 8, 9. also— Psl. lxviii. 8-10. 19, 20. Isa. ix. 6. Other titles also which are applied to him, prove his divinity. Thus he is called "the great God," Tit. ii. 13, "the true God,” 1 John v. 20, "the only wise God,” Jude, 25. “ God over all, blessed for ever," Rom. ix. 5. "the Lord of glory," 1 Cor. ii. 8, "the King of kings," 1 Tim. vi. 15, 1 Tim. i. 17. II.-DIVINE ATTRIBUTES belong to him: Immutability, Psl. cii. 26, 27, compared with Heb. i. 12. Independence, Rev. i. 8. 17, 18. xxii. 13. Eternity, Isa. ix. 6. Rev. x. 6. Heb. vii. 3. Mic. v. 2, compared with Matt. ii. 6. and John xvii. 5. Omnipresence, Matt. xviii. 20. xxviii. 18. 20. John iii. 13. Omnipotence, Rev. i. 8. xv. 3. Omniscience, John ii. 24, 25. xxi. 17. Rev. ii, 2,3. In short, there is no perfection attributable to God the Father, which is not ascribed also to God the Son. III.-But his Divinity may be further demonstrated from his WORKS: as he said " My Father worketh hitherto, "and I work." John. v. 17. " If I do not the works of (God) my Father, "believe me not. But if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the "works: that ye may know, and believe that the Father is in me, and I "in him," John x. 37, 38. The works of Jesus then are those of God, viz. Creation, John i. 3. Col. i. 16. Heb. i. 2. Providence, Heb. i. 3. Col. i. 17. Miracles, John v. 21. xi. 43, 44. ii. 19. 21. x. 17, 18. Rom. i. 4. Redemption and its benefits, Matt. i. 21. Isa. liii. 11. Matt. ix. 6. Heb. x. 10. Eph. ii. 1. Matt. xxviii. 18, 19. 1 Cor. xi. 23. John xvi. 7. 13, 14. IV.-DIVINE WORSHIP is also due to Jesus Christ, John v. 23. Phil. ii. 10, 11. Rom. xiv. 11. Heb. i. 6. 1 Cor. i. 2. Acts vii. 59. ix. 14. 2 Cor. xii. 8. Rev. i. 5, 6. v. 13. testimonies, which are but a portion of what confirmation of the doctrine of Christ's Divinity, it appears extraordinary that it should be even called in question by those who pretend to receive the Scriptures as the revelation of " the whole counsel of God." It may not be unnecessary, therefore, to remove the common objections which Deists, Socinians, and other infidels bring forward in refutation of the above testimonies; and for this purpose I shall make use of the

From these numerous might be adduced in