it is of the utmost moment, that the opinions which we entertain concerning Christ should be correct; for if the opinions which we entertain concerning him are not correct, they will lead to practical errors; and practical errors concerning Jesus Christ, persisted in until death, will be finally, irreversibly, and eternally fatal. Oh, it is not without reason, then, that the Redeemer presses upon us the solemn question, and that we, in his name, urge it upon you again this evening "What think ye of Christ? Whom say ye that he is?"

I seek no artificial arrangement of this discourse. I observe in the first place, and the observation was suggested by the Saviour's inquiry of the disciples, that THERE ARE MANY OPINIONS ABOUT CHRIST. There were in his day; there have been ever since; there are so still. No decrees of Councils, no authoritative edicts, no decrees or formularies in religion, no Act of Uniformity, have ever been able to secure perfect uniformity as regards the opinion of mankind, touching this great question-Who is Jesus Christ? There are many indeed-alas, how many!-who neither know, nor care anything at all about him. Put the question to them-"Who is Jesus Christ?" and they are confounded and astonished by its novelty. They know not what to answer; like Gallio, they care for none of these things. All their concern is, to buy, and sell, and get gain; to eat, and drink, and be merry; to take their ease, enjoy their pleasure, and gratify their lusts, and appetites, and passions. But whether Jesus Christ be the Son of God or not, be the Saviour of the world or not, be the Judge of quick and dead or not, they neither know nor care.

But amongst those who do give themselves some concern respecting this important question, the opinions that prevail are various. It was so in the days of our Redeemer's personal ministry. "Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?" "Some say John the Baptist; some Elias; and others Jeremias, or one of the prophets." Herod said John; his conscience suggested this to him; when he heard of the fame of Christ, he thought of the murder of that holy man, and then said, "Doubtless it is John the Baptist risen from the dead." Some said Elias: for it was predicted that the Messiah should come in the form and power of Elias. Some said Jeremias: for Jeremias was a weeping prophet; and Christ was a man of sorrows. Some said one thing, and some another.

But we have more to do with the opinions that prevail in our own day; and it may not be uninteresting and unprofitable, to review some of the more prominent and prevalent of these opinions; and ascertain how far they agree with the testimony of the Holy Scriptures, and how far our opinions correspond with these.

Whom say ye then that he is, as it regards his person? There are some who have had the hardihood to deny the actual existence of any such person as Jesus Christ: they affirm that he is altogether a fictitious and fabulous character; that the whole of the Gospel history is a fiction, a forgery, cunningly devised, and artfully executed, by man. But who were they by whom this forgery was so wonderfully achieved? Who were they that wrote the four Gospels, the Acts of the Apostles, the Epistles of the various Apostles, and the Book of the Revelations; books differing so widely as to their style, clearly indicating different authors, and yet corresponding so exactly each with the

other? Who is it that wrote the volumes of the fathers, which may be considered as so many commentaries upon the life, character, and doctrines of Christ? Who is it that skilfully inserted all those passages throughout the writings of classic authors, which have an obvious reference to Christ, and Christians, and the Christian cause? Who did all this? When did they do it? Where did they do it? How did they do it? And by what marvellous means did they succeed in ultimately palming the imposition upon the credulity of mankind; and then founding and instituting a church, which has been continued down to us from the beginning, and through so many ages? I say this they have never told us; and this they never will. But until they do, we must retain our belief unshaken by all their sophistry and art; while we fix on them the charge of forgery and fiction, which they are anxious to fasten upon us.

There are others who admit that Jesus Christ did exist; but they say that he was an impostor. To those that are of this opinion, we would propose for consideration, the declaration of the Jewish Rabbi: "We know," said he, "that thou art a teacher come from God, for no man can do the miracles which thou doest, except God be with him." No man can work miracles, but by the mighty power of God. Jesus Christ did work miracles. Either then Jesus Christ was no impostor, or else God assisted him in the fraud; a suggestion, at the bare thought of which we shudder, so horrible is its blasphemy. But, perhaps, these men will deny that Jesus Christ did work miracles. They might as well deny that Cæsar conquered Britain, or that Titus Vespasian took Jerusalem, or any other fact of credible history; for the evidence in support of the one is precisely the same-as good, as conclusive as undoubted— as that which supports the other. In short, the infidel upon his own profession, upon his own principles, by his own shewing, who rejects the truth of the Gospel history, ought to reject the truth of all history, and all the events of time; whatever his own ears have not heard, or his own eyes have not beheld.

There are others who admit that such a person as Jesus Christ existed, and that he was no impostor, but they say he was a man, a mere man, nothing but a man. They deny that he had any existence previous to his birth in Bethlehem; they deny, likewise, that there were any miraculous or marvellous circumstances connected with his birth. They admit, indeed, that, in some sort, he was divinely inspired and taught of God; and hence, that he was a teacher sent from God, to enlighten and instruct mankind. But even upon this point, there are diversities of sentiment. Some will maintain that there were scenes and instances in which he was fallible; whilst there are some in the present day, who have not hesitated to assert the monstrous doctrine, that he had a sinful nature, though they admit, that he himself did no sin.

Such are some of the low and degrading opinions which men entertain concerning Christ. Thus they sink Him, who was the brightness of the Father's glory and the express image of his person,t o the level of creatures, frail and fallible as we.

But there are others, who, while they deny the true and proper divinity of Christ, nevertheless exalt him to the highest rank amongst created and dependent intelligences; and are willing to ascribe to him all possible honours, excepting only, such as are divine. But, if Jesus Christ be God, what is the

rank which they assign to him, to that which he actually possesses? If Jesus Christ be God, what are the honours they are disposed to pay him compared to those honours to which he has an unquestionable right? After all, between the highest finite and infinite intelligence, there must be an infinite distance; and the glories which they ascribe to him, and the honours which they pay him, withholding from him those honours which are divine, are nothing, less than nothing, and vanity, in comparison with those of which they rob him, and which he has a right to.

"But whom say ye that I am?" said Christ to the disciples. Now let us attend to the answer of Peter, who, speaking in the name, and on the behalf of the rest, promptly replied "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God." Let us ascertain what is the amount of dignity and glory which Peter thus ascribes to his Master; for it met with his Master's approbation, and, therefore, it is worthy to be our pattern and our guide.

"Blessed art thou,” said Christ, "blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona, for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. And I say unto thee, that thou art Peter"-alluding to his name, which signifies a rock, or stone: "and upon this rock"-not upon Peter, but upon that great fact which Peter's testimony had embraced, namely, his own Messiahship, his own essential Godhead, and his mediatorial character-" and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell"—that is, the powers of darkness— "shall not prevail against it." What was Peter's answer? "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God." "The Christ;" that is, the Messiah, the Anointed of God. "The Son of the living God," an expression which was equivalent to saying, “Thou art in thy person divine; thou art equal with the Father; thou art one with Jehovah." It is a title which involves true and proper divinity. That it did so in the apprehension of the Jews, that the Jews universally so understood it, is obvious from that passage in John, where the Jews took up stones to stone him; when he asked them for which of the works-good works-he had done amongst them, they were about to stone him, they answered him, "For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou being a man, makest thyself God." For he had said

that God was his Father, as they understood him, making himself equal with God. And he is the Son of God, in a sense in which no other being is; above and beyond that of the highest seraph that burns beyond the eternal throne: for, to which of those morning stars of light did he say, "Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee?"

Whom say ye, then that he is? Are you now prepared to give the answer to the question? Are you prepared to admit with the Apostle, that he was "in the form of God, and thought it no robbery to be equal with God?" Are you prepared to give him the titles enumerated by the prophet-" And his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace?" Are you prepared to render to him that homage which it is the Father's pleasure he should receive, not only from mortals here below, but from the cherubim and seraphim of glory, and all the radiant hosts of the disembodied spirits of the just made perfect in the blessed world? "For when he bringeth in his first-begotten into the world he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him:" and "the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed

all judgment unto the Son," for this purpose," that all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father." Are you prepared then to fall down in homage, and to say with Thomas, "My Lord, and my God?" Then do you admit his true and proper divinity; then may you say, and glory in the assurance, My Redeemer is strong, the Lord of Hosts is his name, he shall thoroughly plead my cause.'

But, secondly, Whom say ye that he is? What are your opinions concerning the nature of the work which he came to accomplish? Some affirm that Jesus Christ came merely to found a new religion, and teach a purer morality, and illustrate that purer morality by his holy life; and finally seal his testimony by a martyr's death. But do such conflicting views of the nature of the work the Redeemer came to accomplish answer the idea naturally awakened in the mind by expressions and declarations such as these: "For the Son of man is come not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many." "In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins." "All we like sheep have gone astray: we have turned every one to his own way, and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquities of us all." "For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." "For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth-to the Jew first, and also to the Gentiles." Now what do expressions such as these mean? Do they not mean that we were lost, and that he paid the price which infinite justice demanded for our redemption; that thus we are bought by "the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot, who verily was fore-ordained before the foundation of the world?" Do they not mean, that we were guilty, and that he is our substitute, and in our room and our stead endured the penalty and punishment due to our transgressions; that thus "by his stripes we are healed," and that "the chastisement of our peace was laid upon him?" Do they not mean that we have broken the law of God, and that he has rendered to that law that perfect, that spiritual obedience which it requires, and which we could never render; and that by virtue of that obedience, embraced by us in the exercise of faith, we are justified in the sight of God; and that thus he is "the end of the law for righteousness;" that thus "being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ;" that so we may not have on our own righteousness at the last day, but, "be found in him," having on the righteousness of God, which is " by the faith of Jesus Christ, even the righteousness which is of God by faith?" My brethren, if words mean any thing they surely mean this. Those conceptions of the Redeemer's work that fall below this level, fall below the reality, and far below the necessity of the case; for he came "to seek and to save that which was lost."

Thirdly, Whom say ye that he is? What think ye of his religion, his requirements, and his claims? There are some who regard religion as the dark and gloomy parent of sadness and melancholy; as fit only for the aged and dying; for the chambers of maniacs; the cells of lunatics: and not fit for the active, the busy, the young, and the vigorous. But what are conceptions like these? What!-the canker of calumny. What is there in religion to make a man melancholy? The religion of Jesus! Is it that peace which passeth understanding, which it pours like a river through the soul? Is it that joy unspeakable

and full of glory, with which it lights up the countenance in gladness? Is it that hope for immortality which it awakens, and bids to blossom in the human breast? Is it this? What is there in the religion of Jesus Christ to make you melancholy? Is it the scenes of Paradise; the enjoyment of communion and fellowship with God; the sure and certain prospect of a brighter and better world beyond the grave? Is it this? Is there any thing in communion with God to make men miserable? Is there any thing in his service oppressive? No; his yoke is easy, and his burden is light.

But there are sacrifices—yes, there are sacrifices required of him who would be the disciple of Christ. But what are they? Why the patient must sacrifice his disease; and the slave must cast away his chains; and the prodigal must forsake his filth and his rags, and must change them for the best robe, the fud board, and all the other endearments of his father's house, his kindred, and his home. Yes, there are sacrifices; but of such things, as, if retained, would only work your ruin. There is a right eye to be plucked out, and a right hand to be cut off: that is, the for ever abandoning the pursuits once dear and precious. And why is this? Is it not far better to cut them off and cast them from you, than that body and soul should be cast together into hell? Oh, there is nothing required to be sacrificed by the religion of Jesus, but that which would work your ruin everything is substituted that can ensure your felicity. There is joy in sorrow; there is support in trial; there is security in danger; there is consolation in death and beyond the grave there is a mansion prepared for them that love the Saviour, and a glorious resurrection at the last day. Then shall we behold his face in righteousness, and be satisfied, waking up in his likeness.

Brethren, we observe, in the second place, that IT IS OF THE UTMOST IMPORTANCE THAT WE FORM CORRECT AND DECIDED OPINIONS ON THIS SUBJECT. "What think ye of Christ? Whom say ye that he is?"

Remember that our opportunities of doing so are very great. There is the Bible; read it. Seek information concerning the nature and character of Christ, his office and his work, not from the testimony of others, but from the testimony of God in his holy word. Bring the sentiments and opinions of others to this test, and form your judgment accordingly. With the Bible in your hands, and the ministry of reconciliation and peace established in the midst of you, and the experience and the testimony of multitudes all around you, with a thousand voices crying perpetually in your ears, "This is the way, walk ye in it," how will ye escape if you treat this subject with indifference, if you disregard altogether the solemn call of the Gospel, which demands your attention, and solicits your regard? How shall you escape if you neglect so great salvation?" It is utterly impossible that you should escape. There will be no plea that you can urge; no apology you can make; no argument you can use: you must stand speechless and condemned when the neglected and insulted Saviour sits upon the dread tribunal, and you are summoned to his bar. Oh, then, to-day, while it is called to-day, ponder the things which belong to your everlasting peace, ere you be called for ever from your probation. The cup of life and salvation is handed round amongst you-how often has it been presented to you!—oh, dash it not away, I beseech you, from your lips. The rock is smitten, and the living waters are flowing; stoop down and drink, and live for

66