and probably always will be in this world. And if the most common of God's works, with which we are so conversant, be in this respect incomprehensible, how can men think that the mode of the existence of the infinite Creator should be level to their capacities?

Looking now to the proofs, we shall find it most natural to divide our subject into two parts.

First, God is revealed in the Scriptures as the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost, and these three are one. In the following passages, the three are placed in marked distinction from each other and all upon the same divine basis.

"Go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost." Matt. xxviii. 19. "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all." 2 Cor. xiii. 14. "The Lord [evidently the Holy Ghost] direct your hearts into the love of God, [God the Father,] and into the patient waiting for Christ." 2 Thes. iii. 5. "Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ." 1 Peter i. 2.

Other passages might be adduced in which the three persons in the Trinity address each other, enter into covenant engagements with each other, and in various ways are distinguished into different personalities.

That these three are the one only God is abundantly taught from texts which exclude all other Gods, such as

"Is there a God any." Isa. xliv. 8.

beside me? Yea, there is no God; I know not "See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no

god with me: I kill and I make alive; I wound and I heal: neither is there any that can deliver out of my hand. For I lift my hand to heaven and say, I live forever." Deut. xxxii. 39, 40. God alone." Ps. lxxxvi. 10.

"Thou art

Second, these three persons are revealed in the Scriptures as equal in all divine attributes. It will not be necessary to enumerate the proofs that all divine attributes and titles are ascribed to God the Father; since as creator and governor this is everywhere seen and admitted. Our remaining work is, therefore, to

produce the evidences that such is the case also in relation to the Son, and the Holy Ghost.

It is necessary, however, first to premise that there can be no middle ground between God and a created being. From the nature of the case there can be no degrees in divine nature, since the very idea of divinity is infinite completeness, the highest possible state of being. The gulf between the creature and the Creator is an absolutely impassable and boundless one. There may be different orders of angels, rising rank above rank in the scale of being. But the highest, the archangel, is no more divine, no nearer to God in his real nature than the lowest. He is still a creature, and the distance between the creature and the Creator is and must be infinite. Το suppose the contrary is to confound all distinctions of thought and language and render reasoning and knowledge as impossible as was society to the builders of Babel.

If, therefore, we find in the Scriptures that Christ and the Holy Ghost are spoken of in a way which raises them above the rank of creatures; if the divine, incommunicable attributes, such as eternity, self-existence, creative power, and omniscience are attributed to them; if a religious reverence is required to be paid to them, and sentiments and feelings are expressed towards them such as are only proper to be given to God; we must regard them as supremely Divine.

Let us come now to the view which the Bible presents of the Lord Jesus Christ. And at the outset it is essential to meet and answer satisfactorily the objections to the divine character of Christ which arise from apparently opposing texts, such as,

"The Son can do nothing of himself." John v. 19. "My Father is greater than I." John xiv. 28. "As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father." John vi. 57. "No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him." John i. 18.

Now in relation to these and all similar passages, two considerations furnish a complete answer.

First. The Son of God was truly and completely human as well as divine; and of course we expect the Scriptures to affirm

his humanity and in various ways recognize it. It was as important to his work of atonement that he should be human as that he should be divine. To be a proper daysman or mediator between God and man, he must partake of the nature of both. The idea of God, suffering as God, is revolting to our feelings, if not absurd. We see not how the whole Godhead could leave the throne of government and majesty even for a moment, and trail his royal robes in dust and ignominy in order to make atonement. It requires three persons, if one is to be the mediator between two.

And on the other hand, if we regard Christ as only the manifestation of God, and not a real person, then the suffering and atonement was only a pretense on the part of God and not real; which is utterly untenable and revolting. Christ must have had therefore a human body and soul as real, and in every respect like our own. His human body was as dependent on God for strength as any other human body; and his human mind and soul as dependent on God for sympathy, knowledge and wisdom as that of any other human mind and soul. And if this his humanity was essential to his character and work as redeemer, we see not how the Bible could be expected to be silent or equivocal on this subject. Hence the Scriptures are explicit and full in bringing out the distinct and perfect humanity of the Lord Jesus. It is said,

"He increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man." "The word was made flesh and dwelt among us." "There is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus." "Verily he took not on him the nature of angels, but he took on him the seed of Abraham: wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren."

The other consideration is, that the Son of God for a time. assumed, as was necessary to his redeeming work, a place subordinate to that of the Father, the place of an obedient, faithful, loving, and suffering son and servant. Both Isaiah and the Psalmist plainly intimate that, far back in the councils of eterǹity, the Three in One entered into covenant in relation to human redemption, in which the Son engages to take upon him the form of a servant and make atonement, and the Father en

gages that if the Son shall make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see of the travail of his soul and be satisfied. Accordingly Paul says of Jesus:

"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 : and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name; that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow of things in heaven and things in earth, and things under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father." Phil. ii. 6—11.

Now with these two considerations in our mind the whole Bible harmonizes with the claim to supreme divinity which the Son of God himself set up and frequently advocated. Not a text can be found which asserts the humanity, the dependence, or subordination of Christ, in contradiction to his divinity. In every instance the text and context may be naturally made to harmonize with all these numerous passages which unequivocally assert the supreme divinity of the Saviour.

It is only necessary to add a few of these passages. In the following passages in John, Christ claims equality and unity with God.

Therefore the Jews

"My Father worketh hitherto and I work. sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also, that God was his Father, making himself equal with God." John v. 17, 18.

And notwithstanding this accusation, Jesus continued to call God his Father more than fifty times as recorded by the evangelists.

"I and my Father are one." John x. 30. "The Jews answered him, saying: For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy, and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God." John x. 33. "Say ye of him whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, Thou blasphemist; because I said I am the Son of God?" John x. 36. "If I do not the work of my Father, believe me not." John x. 37. "O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self, with the glory which I had with thee before the world was." John xvii. 5.

In the following passages is collected a specimen of the titles given to Christ in the Scriptures.

"I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last." Rev. xxii. 13. ." Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given and the government shall be upon his shoulders: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Councillor, the Mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace." Isa. ix. 6. "And we are

in him that is true, even in his son Jesus Christ: this is the true God and eternal life." 1 John v. 20. "Lord of all." Acts-x. 36. "Lord of lords." Rev. xvii. 14. "It pleased the Father that in him should .all fulness dwell." Col. i. 19.

And again," Ye are complete in him

who is the head of all principality and power." Col. ii. 10.

In Heb. xiii. 8, immutability is ascribed to him: "Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, to-day, and forever."

In Col. i. 16, he is recognized as the creator and as having the right to seek his own glory. "All things were created by him and for him."

John i. 3, asserts his omnipotence:

"All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made." Also his eternity: "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."

In the following text from Col. i. 16, 17, both his omnipotence and his eternity are asserted:

"By him 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."

Here is omnipresence :

"Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them." Matt. xviii. 20. "I am with you always, even unto the end of the world." Matt. xxviii. 20.

While he is yet on earth he asserts that he is in heaven.

"No man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of Man which is in heaven." John iii. 13.