tion of those who love the honour and glory of Christ, their God and Redeemer, ineffably better than their own lives, I will present to their impartial and rigorous examination, the subsequent scriptural, and consequently unanswerable, demonstrations of the Godhead of the Saviour.

First. Christ is absolutely called God in the sacred language of inspiration. This position, the opposers of this doctrine obstinately deny; and contend, that whenever this term is applied to Jesus of Nazareth, it is to be taken in a figurative sense; or that he is God merely by appointment or office. But those who are disposed seriously to attend to the testimony of scripture, will easily detect the fallacy of their reasoning, and be not a little shocked at the daring impiety of those who, Judas like, say, Hail, Master!" and at the same time, use every effort to degrade the Son of God to the rank of a dependent creature like themselves. "Thou thoughtest that I was altogether such an one as thyself: but I will reprove thee, and set them in order before thine eyes." The following texts strikingly assert the deity of Christ: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God," John i. 1. "Unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever; a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom," Heb. i. 8. "To them that have obtained like precious faith with us, through the righteousness of God, and our Saviour Jesus Christ, (or rather, as it ought to be translated, EVEN our Saviour Jesus Christ,") 2 Peter i. 1. "Ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and (or EVEN) our Lord Jesus Christ," Jude 4. The living and true God. "We are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.” "I am he that liveth, and was dead; and behold, I am alive for evermore. Amen," 1 St. John v. 20. Rev. i. 18. "The great and mighty God, the everlasting Father," Titus ii. 13-Isaiah ix. 6. "The only wise God," Jude 25. "The God of glory," Acts vii. 2. "God over all, blessed for ever," Romans ix. 5. "He is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords," 1 Tim. vi. 15.Rev. xvii. 14; xix. 13-16. Finally, the sublime and incommunicable name of Jehovah is assumed by the Saviour, and positively ascribed to him by the Holy Spirit. "Before

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Abraham was, I AM," John viii. 58. "For if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins," John viii. 24. "This is the name whereby he shall be called, Jehovah our righteousness!" Jer. xxiii. 6. "For thy Maker is thine husband, the Lord of Hosts is his name," Isaiah liv. 5.

I am well aware the hatred of the Socinians is so implacable against Christ, that these clear, harmonious scriptural testimonies, and consequently infallible proofs of his Deity, instead of convincing them of their soulruining errors, they put a fresh edge upon their subtlety, and endeavour to evade their force, by telling us that the foregoing divine titles are applied to the Son of God only in a qualified or secondary sense, as a magistrate, king, or emperor, is styled lord or god, as "There be gods many, and lords many." But I ask them, where do we read, in the sacred oracles, of a magistrate, king, or judge, being called god and lord, with such additional transcendent epithets as these, "The Mighty God! The everlasting Father! The living and true God! The Most High God! The only wise God! The God of glory! King of kings, and Lord of lords! The God of the whole earth! God over all, blessed for ever! Amen." Look, and search diligently, for in the volume of holy writ you will find no such horrid blasphemy.

Secondly. The incommunicable attributes and perfections of Jehovah are ascribed to him. To Christ, as God, belong self-existence and absolute independence. In this character, his being and nature are of himself. This cannot be asserted, with truth, of any mere creature, however high in the scale of creation. They are solely dependent on him for their existence and operation. "For in him we live, move, and have our being," Acts xvii. 28.-Exodus iii. 14.-Rev. i. 8, xvi. 5. "He is eternal without beginning, ending, or succession of duration," Prov. viii. 23—31; Micah v. 2; 1 John v. 7., He is the unchangeable God, in his nature, essence, and purpose, love, mercy, and faithfulness. "Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, and to-day, and for ever," Heb. xiii. 8, i. 12; Psalm cii. 24-27. He possesses almighty power, which is distinct from his mediatorial power that he received from the Father, which proves him to be God Almighty, Phil. iii. 20-21; Rev. xi. 17-22, xii. 13— 20; Isaiah lxiii. 1. He is omnipresent; but if he was a

mere creature, he could not be in more than one place at the same time. As man, he is confined at the right hand of God as much as my body is confined in this pulpit. But as God, he fills immensity; neither men, angels, nor devils, can flee from his all-penetrating presence. "If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there; if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there," Psalm cxxxix. 7-12; Matt. xviii. 20; Col. i. 17; Heb. i. 3; St. John iii. 13. The Saviour is omniscient. He has an infinite and perfect knowledge of past, present, and future events. "He searches the hearts, and tries the reins of the children of men," Rev. ii. 23. "And needed not that any should testify of man; for he knew what was in man," St. John ii. 25, vi. 14, xxi. 17; St. Matt. ix. 4, xii. 25; Heb. i.; Col. ii. 3. It is also written, "In him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily," Col. ii. 9. "Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God." "I and my Father are one,' Phil. ii. 5, 6; Zech. xiii. 7; Heb. i. 3; Col. i. 15; St. John x. 30, xiv. 9, 10; 1 St. John v. 7.

Thirdly. The works and actions which are proper only to God, are attributed to him. Nothing takes place, or ever shall happen, either in time or eternity, but according to his decree and appointment, or permission. He created all things, and for his pleasure they are and were created. "All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made." He preserves and governs all things by his infinite wisdom and almighty power. Miracles he accomplished by his own power, and in his own name. He has finished the work of human redemption, a work he never could have accomplished, had he not been God. There are other divine actions which incontrovertibly prove his deity; such as sending the Holy Ghost-quickening the spiritually dead-applying to the consciences of convinced sinners his precious blood-justifying the ungodly-pardoning sin-sanctifying the hearts of his elect-causing them to persevere in a state of grace, and preserving their faith, until they receive its end, the salvation of their souls; raising the dead at the last day, and judging the world. Not one of these supernatural actions could he perform by his own power and wisdom, was he not the eternal God. Fervently pray for the Spirit of illumination, that you may understand, by his soul-enlightening rays,

the following revealed statements of irrefutable facts and indissolubly united testimonies, which you will find, upon a close examination, delightful confirmations of the above declarations: St. John i. 3; Prov. viii. 14, 15, 16; Rev. iv. 11; Heb. i. 3; Heb. xiii. 12; St. John xv. 26; St. John v. 25; Matt. ix. 2; Rom. iv. 5; Col. ii. 13; Phil. i. 6; St. John v. 28, v. 22.

Fourthly. The saints, in every age, have called upon the name of Christ, and worshipped him as the living and true God. It was a leading and prominent characteristic of the primitive christians, that they called upon the name of Jesus, and sung hymns of praise and thanksgiving unto Christ their King. When Saul of Tarsus was convinced of sin, and saw and felt his lost condition, the reality of his conversion was known by his calling upon the name of the Lord Jesus. This the apostle represents as an infallible proof of salvation. "And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord, shall be saved." This heart-cheering evidence the blessed Stephen richly possessed, and pre-eminently enjoyed, amidst a deadly shower of stones, a few moments before he fell asleep, to enter unspeakable glory. "And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this he fell asleep." Acts vii. 59, 60.

Fifthly. The same worship and divine homage given to the Almighty Father are ascribed to his co-equal Son. Believers have the same trust in him; there is no true faith in God the Father, as a covenant God, but through Christ, "who by him do believe in God." They love him with the same love; render unto him the same obedience.Those who lightly esteem Christ dishonour the Father; and they "who worship the Son glorify the Father." "The Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son; that all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father." "He that honoureth not the Son, honoureth not the Father which hath sent him." We are charged with idolatry when we ascribe the same honour to the Saviour as we do to Almighty God. We reply, if we are guilty of idolatry in ascribing divine honour to the Son, we are neither without precept nor example for so doing "When he bringeth in the first-begotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him.”

We are also in good company, for all the Lord's regenerated people on earth, the saints in glory, and the angels in heaven are idolaters.

If therefore to confide in Christ with the same confidence we trust in the Father of mercies, and God of all consolation, and to render to him the same humble homage and devout adoration, be idolatry, I am determined through grace to live, and with the thief upon the cross to die, an idolater!

My respected hearers, carefully examine the subsequent testimonies of holy writ. Matt. viii. 2. Exod. xxiii. 21. Ps. cxix. 12. xlv. 3, 5, 11. Matt. xviii. 19. Acts x. 48. xix. 5. Compare the 5th with the 7th chapter of Revelation.

Secondly. HIS PRAYER" Lord, remember me, when thou comest into thy kingdom!" How instantaneous and truly astonishing the change accomplished in the heart of this malefactor! the moment before he was a reviler, and railed upon the Saviour with the other thief and the murderers of Christ. "The thieves also which were crucified with him, cast the same in his teeth." But from being a persecutor, he becomes an humble penitent, ingenuously confesses his sin, acknowledges the justice of the sentence of the law which condemned him to die, and rebukes his hardened fellow-sufferer. He then declares the innocence of the Messiah, and earnestly prays to be remembered by him when he entered his kingdom. The prayer of faith is the first favourable symptom and satisfactory evidence of spiritual life; and he that liveth in the constant neglect of this heavenly exercise, is dead while he liveth. Let this solemn and momentous fact never be forgotten, that the realization of the " spirit of grace and supplication," enabling us to pour out our hearts to God, in earnest prayer, is as indispensably requisite to the essence, well-being, growth, and spiritual prosperity of the soul in the knowledge of sanctifying, saving, divine truth, and to every part of vital, experimental, and practical godliness, as the air we breathe is to the life and health of our bodies.

In the prayer of the dying culprit, there are three essential properties which are inseparably connected in the desires and petitions of every one taught by the Spirit of Christ

1. A clear conviction of his lost and ruined condition as