each other's personal subsistence. "No man knoweth the Son but the Father, neither knoweth any man the Father save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him." (Matt. xi. 27.)

The Scriptures give the Messiah the glory of all those titles of divinity which are to be ranked among the other arguments of his eternal power and godhead; such as "God," (1 Tim. iii. 16,) "Jehovah," (Jer. xxiii. 6,) "The great God our Saviour," (Tit. ii. 13,) "the mighty God, the everlasting Father," (Isa. ix. 6,) "the only wise God our Saviour," (Jude 25,) "the true God," (1 John v. 20,) "Lord of Hosts," (Isa. vi. 3. A late writer, a Dignitary of the Church, unfortunately for the cause of which he was the professed abettor, has acknowledged that the title, "Lord of Hosts," is applicable only to the supreme God, and concludes it to be the exclusive title of the Father. His end in so doing is obvious. We thank him for the concession, but reprobate the inference. For, in his zeal to exclude the Son from a claim to the above title, he forgot that the Scripture doctrine of the Trinity is equally deducible from the writings of the Prophets, as from those of the Apostles; and that the divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ is proved in the Old Testament, and taken for granted in the NEW; at least, that, when interpreted according to their mutual harmony, they establish the truth upon the ground of the plainest and most irrefragable testimony. The present instance is in point: for St. John, quoting a passage from that very chapter, in which the Prophet recites the circumstances of the vision with which he had been favoured of the glory of the Lord of Hosts, the Apostle says, "These things said Esaias, when he saw his (Christ's) GLORY, and spake of him," (John xii. 41.) So that, if "Lord of Hosts" be the exclusive title of the supreme God, and St. John asserts

that it was the glory of Christ which Isaiah saw in his vision of the Lord of Hosts, it follows, that the inspired writers give him the most exalted title of essential Deity, and such a claim to unbounded supremacy over all created beings, as is compatible only with the nature and dominion of Him who "is the Most High God, possessor of heaven and earth."

St. Paul lays it down as a plain and confessedly important truth, that "he that built all things is God." (Heb. iii. 4.) The power that formed, without any pre-existing materials, and the wisdom that arranged, the several parts of the stupendous frame of the universe, must be infinite; and the architect himself must be, in all respects, God. But the creation, arrangement, and support of the universal system, is attributed to Him, who was "God manifest in the flesh, the image of the invisible God, and the first born of every creature. For, 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." (Col. i. 15-17.) The inference deducible from this argument, in favour of our Lord's proper divinity, is so plain and so cogent, that it makes its appeal to the understanding of every man, not conversant in the wiles of sophistical criticism; and to the faith of every believer, who takes his creed, not from "the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness whereby they lie in wait to deceive," but from the obvious and untortured signification of the word of God; which, while it reveals subjects worthy the contemplation of the brightest philosopher, and surpassing the comprehension of angels themselves, establishes them upon a style of argument so level with the capacities of the most unlettered Christian, "that the way

faring man, though a fool, shall not err therein." For, a plainer and more conclusive syllogism was never proposed to the understanding of man, than that which arises from the foregoing Scriptures. He that built all things is God. But Jesus Christ built all things; therefore Jesus Christ is God.

De Courcy.

CHRIST A TEACHER.

OUR Lord Jesus Christ had been long expected to appear in the Jewish church, as a prophet like unto Moses, and his ministry had been characterized as the most beneficial that could be imagined. The people, therefore, formed the highest expectations of his economy, and he framed it so as to exceed all description. He taught......not as the scribes.

First, instead of deriving his doctrine from popular notions, human passions, the interests of princes, or the traditions of priests, he took it immediately from the Holy Scriptures, to which he constantly appealed. The truths of natural religion he explained and established; the doctrines of revelation he expounded, elucidated, and enforced, and thus brought life and immortality to light by the Gospel.

Next, the doctrines which he taught, were all plain facts-God is a Spirit-God sent his Son into the world, that the world by him might be saved-Moses wrote of me e-He that believeth on him that sent me, is passed from death unto life-The dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God-The righteous shall go into life eternal-My kingdom is not of this world— The merciful are happy-Happy are the pure in heart-Few find the narrow way that leadeth to life

Many go in at the wide gate that leadeth to destruction. All these, and many more of the same kind, are facts plain and true, and they were the simple truths which Jesus Christ chose to teach.

Thirdly, the motives which he employed to give his doctrine energy, were not taken from sinful secular things; but it was urged home in its truth and importance. This fact is true, and therefore you ought to believe it, whether the world admit it or not. That duty is important to your health, to your property, to your comfort, to your salvation, to your pleasing God, and therefore you ought to perform it, whether the world perform it or not.

The tempers, in which he executed his ministry, were the noblest that can be conceived. He was humble, compassionate, firm, disinterested, and generous. He displayed in all the course of his ministry, such an assortment of properties as obliged some of his auditors to burst into exclamatory admiration, Blessed are the paps which thou hast sucked! others to hang upon his lips, wondering at the gracious words that proceeded out of his mouth, and all to acknowledge, Never man spake like this man! This was not a temporary of popularity, it was admiration founded on reason, and all ages since have admired and exclaimed in like

manner.

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Add to these the simplicity and majesty of his style, the beauty of his images, the alternate softness and severity of his address, the choice of his subjects, the gracefulness of his deportment, the indefatigableness of his zeal......where shall I put the period? his perfections are inexhaustible, and our admiration is everlasting. The character of Christ is the best book a preacher can study.

In order to mortify human vanity, to convince the world that religion was a plain simple thing, and that

a little common sense accompanied with an honest good heart was sufficient to propagate it, without any aid derived from the cabinets of princes, or the schools of human science, he took twelve poor illiterate men into his company, admitted them to an intimacy with himself, and, after he had kept them awhile in tuition, sent them to preach the good tidings of salvation to their countrymen. A while after he sent seventy more, and the discourses, which he delivered to each class at their ordination, are made up of the most wise and benevolent sentiments, that ever fell from the mouth of man. All the topics are pure theology, and all unpolluted with puerile conceits, human politics, literary dreams, ecclesiastical traditions, party disputes, and all other disgraces of preaching, which those sanctimonious hypocrites, scribes, and pharisees, and pretended doctors and rabbies had introduced into it.

Jesus Christ had never paid any regard to the place where he delivered his sermons; he had taught in the temple, the synagogues, public walks, private houses; he had preached on mountains, and in barges and ships. His missionaries imitated him, and convenience for the time was consecration of the place. He had been equally indifferent to the posture; he stood, or sat, as his own ease and the popular edification required. The time also had been accommodated to the same end. He had preached early in the morning, late in the evening, on sabbath days and festivals, and whenever else the people had leisure and inclination to hear. It had been foretold, the Messiah should not lift up, nor cry, nor cause his voice to be heard in the streets; that is, should not use the artifices of those, who sought for popularity. It should seem, Jesus Christ used very little action: but that little was just, natural, grave, and expressive. He sometimes wept, and always felt; but he never expressed his emotions