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to be clearly proposed. And whereas in the record of the Word, or in the Word written, which should contain these pretensions, there are two constituent parts, the form and doctrine, the letter and spirit, the expression and meaning, or text and signification-each equally requiring to be proved; as that, for example, to be the work of true men, and this to be the truth,-it would here be necessary to propose and vindicate not only the last mentioned part, which seems the most important, but previously and as preparatory to that the first likewise, if there was any thing in the letter of the Subject's pretensions, that is likely to be disputed: but as any dispute that may arise is only to be expected on their meaning or validity, the evidence of the letter in this, as in other passages, may be reserved for the part to which it properly belongs. Taking the record therefore to be genuine as to this matter, we may consider the Subject's pretensions distinctly, 1, by word; 2, by deed.

1, In considering these pretensions by word, there are two points or objects of evidence to be regarded, 1, the Subject's official character or Messiahship; 2, his essential constitution or divinity, on which that is founded, and from which it could not be separated by any who "remembered, that God was their strength, and THE MOST HIGH GOD their Redeemer," (Ps. lxxviii. 35): and being so connected, the two may be unitedly considered; the Subject's direct evidence being here given first, indifferently to either as follows, v. g.

-1, Talking once, for example, with a woman of Samaria by Jacob's well of Christ or Messiah, the Subject plainly declared to her, "I THAT SPEAK UNTO THEE AM HE" (John iv. 26); and intimates the same also to his disciples and others, if not in plain terms, yet in figures and parallels not to be mistaken: as "I am the door of the sheep all that ever went before me are thieves and robbers" (Ib. x. 7, 8). "I am the resurrection and the life" (Ib. xi. 25). "For as the Father raiseth up the dead and quickeneth them, even so the Son quickeneth whom

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he will" (Ib. v. 21). "I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. . . . I am the living bread which came down from heaven (the Word of God): if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh..... Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.. As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father; so he that eateth me, even he, shall live by me" (Ib. vi. 35, 51, 53, 54, 57). "For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given the Son to have life in himself" (Ib. v. 26), "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father but by me" (Ib. xiv. 6). “I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness but shall have the light of life" (Ib. viii. 12). "The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hands. He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him" (Ib. iii. 35, 36).

-2, And not only does the Subject pretend to exercise these exalted powers himself, but to communicate the same to his disciples, and by them to posterity: which seems an higher display of his heavenly commission, than as if he had only the use, and not the power thereof: for example,

"When he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out and to heal all manner of disease" (Matt. x. 1). "These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, &c. And ye shall be brought before governors and kings for my sake for a testimony against them and the Gentiles. But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak. For it is not ye that speak, but

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the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you" (Ib. 5, 18-20). "For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist" (Luke xxi. 15). "Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth, shall be bound in Heaven; and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth, shall be loosed in Heaven. Again, I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask,' it shall be done for them by my Father which is in Heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them" (Matt. xviii. 18-20). "And I appoint unto you a Kingdom, as my Father hath appointed unto me: that ye may eat and drink at my table in my Kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel" (Luke xxii. 29, 30). "Sanctify them (O Father) through thy truth: thy Word is truth. As thou has sent me into the world even so have I also sent them into the world. And FOR THEIR SAKES I SANCTIFY MYSELF, that they also might be sanctified through the truth. Neither pray I for these alone; but for them also which shall believe on me through their word: that they all may be one; as Thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. And the glory which thou gavest me have I given them; that they may be one, even as We are one: I in them, and thou in me; that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me" (John xvii. 17, &c.). Only the choice or endowment of his apostles, as elsewhere observed, may be referred to as no mean evidence of the Subject's pretensions to the Messiahship, as well as to divinity. But,

-3, Continuing in the same strain of pretensions more particularly implying the latter, or in which the divinity of Messiah is more particularly held forth, he says, "God so loved the world that He gave HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but

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have everlasting life. . . . He that believeth on him is not condemned, but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of THE ONLY BEGOTTEN SON OF GOD" (John iii. 16, 18). "I and my Father are one If I do not the works of 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" (Ib. x. 30, 37, 38). He that hath seen me hath seen the Father.. He that hateth me hateth my Father also. If I had not done among them the works which none other man did, they had not had sin: but now have they both seen and hated both me and my Father" (Ib. xiv. 9; xv. 23, 24). "Before Abraham was, I am" (Ib. viii. 58). "I came down from Heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of Him that sent me . I am the living bread which came down from Heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh" (Ib. vi. 38, 51). "All things that the Father hath are mine" (Ib. xvi. 15). "And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was" (Ib. xvii. 5). “I am the good Shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father. And I lay down my life for the sheep. . . . No man taketh it from me; but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father" (Ib. x. 14, 15, 18).

-4, It must be owned that among the forecited passages are some very direct symptoms or implications of the Subject's pretensions to divinity: and others may also be adduced, which if not so direct are still equally decided; as the asserting of himself to be greater than the temple (Matt. xii. 6), which his countrymen generally held to be one of the most sacred objects upon earth-also to be Lord of the Sabbath (Luke vi. 5); which, as a divine institution, cannot be subject to the power of any man.

-5. And all that has yet been alleged is seemingly outdone by the Subject's proposing to his followers the pleasures and dignities of a future state, not only in some of the sayings before cited, but in many others agreeing therewith; as for example, 1, to his disciples, in decreeing, or "appointing" unto them kingdoms and thrones hereafter; which has just been mentioned:-2, to one of those who were crucified with him, who also was a martyr: "And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me, when thou comest into thy kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, TO-DAY SHALT THOU BE WITH ME IN PARADISE" (Luke xxiii. 42, 43).

But it seems nearly time for this specimen of pretensions to be concluded; as it very well might, with only the addition of a few instances of the same couched in terms of performance; which deserve to be considered as well as those in saying or assertion, if not rather seeing that actions speak louder than words.

2, Of such Pretensions by performance, whether in thinking or in doing, a great part was miraculous; and not the less important in the way of evidence for not being so intended, but rather for the gratification of a benevolent spirit. To enumerate, therefore, a few particular actions of the Subject with that tendency, namely, for proofs or instances of his high pretensions in these sensible terms, -Such was, 1, his clearing the temple of unworthy occupants, as we read, "And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the money-changers, and the seats of them that sold doves; and said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves" (Matt. xxi. 12, 13): 2, his commanding the elements (Ib. viii. 27); and 3, unclean spirits (Mark i. 27); 4, raising the dead (Luke vii. 15; John xi. 43); 5, himself especially, as intimated by the phrase, "HE IS RISEN" (Matt. xxviii. 6; Mark xvi. 6; Luke xxiv. 6): 6, instituting sacraments (Matt. xxviii. 19;

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