Christ was the God and King of Israel. If Jesus Christ was the God and King of Israel, then may St. Paul be justified in representing him as the Creator of the universe, Col. 1:16, and in applying to him in his epistles, what was evidently spoken of the God and King of Israel in the sacred writings of the Old Testament. Compare Ps 68: 18 with Eph. 4: 8, and Ps. 102: 25 with Heb. 1:10. And our blessed Savior may be justified in laying down his life rather than give up his claim. And there was more truth in the title set up over his head when on the cross: 'Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews,' than his crucifiers were aware of; for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory." Works, fol. 1, p. 467, note. The pious and judicious E. Simpson says, “That the Son of God, before he took upon him human nature, did conduct all the divine dispensations, has been and now is the opinion of some of the most able and learned men of every denomination. I know of none among us who reject the sentiment, except the Deists and Socinians. The Arians and Orthodox are agreed on the subject. And as this opinion, if once fairly established, absolutely subverts the Socinian hypothesis, that Christ had no existence before he was born of the Virgin Mary, we will dwell a little on the subject, and notice such considerations as appear to us altogether conclusive.

"1. It has been the uniform opinion of men the most competent to judge, though on other subjects they widely differ from each other. 2. It appears from the internal marks of many of those dispensations recorded in Scripture. 3. From the application of many passages of the Old Testament to the Son of God, in the New, by the apostles who wrote under the direction and influence of the Holy Spirit; which passages can be applied to no merely created being whatever. 4. From the opinion of the most able and learned of the ancient Jewish writers, who usually

applied the appearance of God, both before and during their own dispensation, to the Logos. 5. From the uniform sense of the Christian Church, even in its best and purest ages. If we can establish these five propositions, it will be easily granted that Christ in his divine nature conducted all the dispensations of God from the beginning." p. 123.

I can assure you, my dear brother, that these propositions are so established and confirmed as it were upon a rock, that all the opposers of the divinity of the blessed Jesus will never be able to refute them, and I regret exceed ingly that they are too long to be transcribed. I proceed therefore to show,

2dly, That Jesus Christ possesses all the Divine criteria.

3. He is called God. It is granted that his name (God) is given to creatures, but it is apparent that in such cases it is either given in the plural number, (as to angels and magistrates,) or if used in the singular number, it is in such a particular sense, and under such circumstances and limitations, as plainly show it is applied only in a figurative sense; as when Moses is said to be a god to Aaron, that is, instead of God, and when he is said to be made a god to Pharaoh, Exod. 7: 1, it is limited, and signifies no more than that he should represent God's authority in commanding, and exert his power in punishing Pharaoh. It is evident that Moses was not a god by nature, because he was a made god, which the true God is not; and he is said to be a god only to Pharaoh, whereas the true God “is over all, God blessed for ever." Magistrates must die, Ps. 82: 6, and angels are but ministering spirits. In like manner the devil is called the god of this world; here again is a limitation, but when ascribed to Jesus it is without limitation in any circumstances that should lead us to a figurative sense of the word; nay, on the contrary, it is used in such a manner as leads us to take the title in its true and proper sense. Hence, in accordance with the prediction,

Isa. 7:14, He was called Immanuel, i. e. God with us, Matt. 1: 23, without any limitation.

§ 4. The apostle John says: "This is the true God and eternal life," and then adds, " Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen." Now it has been properly observed that it is very unlikely that the apostle should conclude his epistle with such a solemn charge against idolatry, and yet in the foregoing verse leave his expression concerning the true God so easily and so naturally to be interpreted concerning Jesus Christ, if he were not the true God. Again, he is called the mighty God, Isa. 9: 6. and the great God, Titus, 2:13; and you know, dear Benjamin, that this last expression is the distinguishing name of Jehovah. See Deut. 10: 17; Jer. 32: 18, 19.

Further, he is called the only wise God. Jude, v. 24, 25. • Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, to the only wise God our Savior, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen." That this doxology is ascribed to Jesus is evident from Eph. 5:25, 27; where he is said to present the church. Farther, this name is also ascribed to him, Rom. 16: 27, and 1 Tim. 1: 17. Again, Jesus Christ is called the only God, or God and none else; for Isa. 45: 22–25, is applied to Jesus by the apostle, Rom. 14: 10, 11; and yet this is the peculiar name of Jehovah, as appears from Deut. 4: 35, 39; and Isa. 45 5. Again, the apostle calls him, Rom. 95, "God blessed for ever." Now I wish you, my dear Benjamin, to notice particularly that this description, God blessed for ever, is an incommunicable name of the true God, and is no where in Scripture given to any mere creature. The apostle gives it as a distinguishing character from all that are called gods, "who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshiped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen."

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Rom. 1: 25. And you know that it has ever been the custom of our people, when they speak of the true and living God, to add," Blessed be he;" and sometimes," for ever and ever. Amen."

Hence the question proposed by the high priest was, "Art thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed ?" and when Christ had answered it in the affirmative, the high priest rent his clothes (as an expression of mourning) and said, "What need we any further witnesses? ye have heard the blasphemy." Now, if the apostle had believed our Savior to be no more than a dignified creature, he could not have put a greater stumbling-block before our people, to harden them in their unbelief and prejudice against Christ, than by giving him a name and character which they had always appropriated to the great Jehovah.

§ 5. Jehovah, or Jehovah of hosts, is the next incommunicable name which is also ascribed to Jesus.

That this is the peculiar name of the true and living God, and never given to any mere intelligent being, has been proved before, and I will now show that it is ascribed to the Messiah in several places in the Old Testament, which are applied to him by the Rabbins, and which are quoted in the New Testament and applied to Jesus Christ.

The Lord of hosts, whom Isaiah, ch. 8 : 13, 14, foretold would be a sanctuary to some, and a stone of stumbling and rock of offence to others, good old Simeon and the apostle Peter apply to Jesus Christ, Luke, 2: 34. 1 Pet. 2: 7; and our own nation to the present day is an awful proof of its fulfillment.

The Lord of hosts, whom Isaiah saw seated on a throne, and who was worshiped by the seraphim and cherubim, we are assured by the evangelist John, was our blessed Jesus. Compare Isa. 6: 1-10, with John, 12: 40, 41.

Again, the Lord God, (Jehovah Elohim,) whose way was to be prepared in the wilderness, is Jesus Christ our

Lord, whose way was prepared by John the Baptist, as has been fully shown before, (see p. 272.)

The title King of glory, which is Jehovah of hosts in Psalm 24, is ascribed to Jesus Christ by the apostle, 1 Cor. 2:8; and in the Revelation of St. John, 17: 14; and 19: 16, Christ is called King of kings and Lord of lords. Now, if Christ was not the Lord of glory before his crucifixion, the force of the apostle's argument with the church at Corinth, in the forecited passage, vanishes, and the application of that title is unbecoming, for Jehovah claims it as his own. Deut. 10: 17; Psa. 136: 2, 3.

§ 6. In the following passage we have a glorious de. scription of the triumph of Jehovah: "He rides upon the heavens by his name Jah. The earth shook, the heavens dropped at the presence of God, the God of Israel. The chariots of God are twenty thousand, even thousands of angels. The Lord is among them as in Sinai, in the holy place. Thou hast ascended on high, thou hast led captivity captive, thou hast received gifts for men." Psa. 68: 4, 8, 17, 18. Now this passage is applied to the ascension of Christ into heaven; Eph. 4: 8, 10. Christ is, therefore, this Lord, this God, this Jehovah or Jah, whose triumph is there described. To these passages I might add, Jer. 23 : 5,6; 33: 15, 16, compared with 1 Cor. 1: 30; Zech. 11: 12, compared with Matt. 27: 9, 10, &c. &c.; but I close this paragraph by observing, that since the title of Jehovah, or Jehovah of hosts, is a principal mark of distinction by which the true God was pleased to manifest himself, and to set forth his own superior excellency in opposition to all pretended deities; and since the writers of the New Testament have assured us that Christ is Jehovah, or Lord of hosts, and consequently possessed of all those distinguishing powers and perfections which go along with that title, the consequence is evident and undeniable, that they considered Christ to be God in the true, strict, and proper