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SECTION III.

CHRIST DISCLAIMS the attributes of the divine nature, UNDERIVED POWER, OMNISCIENCE, and SELFEXISTENCE. I can of my own self do nothing. This declaration respects his high power and authority of raising the dead and executing judgment; which, he says, were bestowed upon him by the Father. It is a plain declaration of his incompetency to perform these works, in and by himself, or by the essential powers of his own nature. And since surpassing power and knowledge are requisite for their performance, the declaration substantiates his natural incompetency in both these particulars.

Or that day and hour knoweth no man; no not the Angels which are in heaven; neither the Son; but the Father. Matthew has it but the Father only. Here it is evident, that the representation rises in a climax. From man it ascends to the Angels; from the Angels to the Son; from the Son to the Father; who is made the only exception. In this exalted grade of superiority to the Angels of heaven, the Son declares himself ignorant of the precise time, when that day of desolation is to come upon Jerusalem; or, as some will have it, upon the world. The advocates for the Deity of Christ are not a little stumbled at this plain denial of omniscience, by the Savior, concerning himself, as well as men and angels.Their conscience, feeling the force of this climax, is under no small degree of embarrassment, at resorting to the generally convenient doctrine of the human nature, for the explanation of the difficulty. The ingenious Dr. Mc. Knight, though persuaded that the Son has here his highest designation, yet, unwilling to see a passage of scripture so pointedly against the omniscience of Christ,

* John, v. 20.--ion
-† Mark, xiii. 32.

says, that the meaning of the assertion, no one knoweth. of that day, is, "no one maketh it known, or maketh men to know it," but the Father only. According to this statement, though neither men, nor angels, nor the Son of God, make to know, or specify to the world, the precise day and hour of this judgment, yet it is made known by the Father. But the learned Dr. has forgotten to inform us, in what subsequent part of scripture the Father has specified this dreadful day. On the occasion, on which this declaration was made, the Son informed of the preceding signs, by which men might know that it was at hand: But we cannot obtain in any part of scripturé, further intelligence, concerning the day and hour of that event. Hence our Lord should have said, “Of that day no one maketh to know; no not the angels in heaven, neither the Son, nor the Father, instead of but the Father. We shall, therefore, receive the passage in its natural construction, and conclude it to be the declaration of our Lord, that he is not omniscient.

"As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father; so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me."* I live by the Father. What is this, but disclaiming selfexistence? Let his living by the Father be considered as referring to his natural or moral life, the conclusion is exactly the same. It is an assertion, that he is not a selfexistent and independent being.

* John, vi. 57.

SECTION IV.

THE scriptures represent Christ possessed of such

COMMUNICATED or DELEGATED POWERS from God, as fairly account for all his high titles and wonderful works, without a necessary supposition of his supreme divinity.

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For though he was crucified through weakness, yet liveth by the power of God for we also are weak in him, but we shall live with him by the power of God."* We adduce this text to prove, that, even for resurrection from the dead, he is as much dependent upon the power of another, as his fellows. We now speak of the powers with which he is invested. And Jesus came and spake unto them, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.↑ Whatever power he has is given, or delegated unto him. This language can never be tortured to signify, that he has this power inherently.

But our cause does not depend on a single declaration. The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hands. What necessity of giving all things into his hands, if he eternally had had them in his possession ? Indeed where is the possibility of receiving that, which is an eternal property of one's own nature?

"The Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son;-for as the Father hath life in himself, so hath he given the Son to have life in himself; and hath given him authority rav to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man.-I can of my own self do nothing. As I hear I judge, and my judgment is just, because I seek not my own will, but the will of him that sent me." What works or deeds more illustrious, than raising the universal dead, and executing judgment upon mankind! Yet these things, our Lord declares, are delegated to him, in consequence of his be ing the Son of man.

II Cor. xiii. 4.

+ Matt. xxviii. 18. -‡ John, iii. 35.- - Chap. v. 20-2 W

"But I know that, even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee."* This is a declaration of the faith of one, who, Jesus declared, had chosen the better part. She did not suppose, that he had inhe. rent power to raise her brother from the dead, but that God would give him this power, should he request it.

"For I have not spoken of myself: But the Father which sent me, he gave me commandment what I should say, and what I should speak."+"My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me." Christ himself declares, that his doctrines are delivered by the inspiration of God.

In prayer to God and speaking of his disciples, he says, "Now they have known, that all things, whatsoever thou hast given me, are of thee." We hence learn it to have been the faith of the disciples, that all Christ's wonderful powers, doctrines, knowledge, authority, &c. were not of himself, but from God; and this full assurance, our Lord, as appears from the context, urges in prayer to the Father, that they were not of the world.

The apostle Peter asserts, that the word, which God sent unto the children of Israel, and which was published throughout all Judea, concerning Christ, is this; "how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power; who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil, for God was with him." This is unquestionably an assertion, that the first preaching, concerning the powers of Christ, was, that these powers were delegated to him from God.

Paul, inspired to give account concerning the exaltation of Christ, tells the Ephesians how he came by it; "The God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory-raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come; and hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be head over all things to the church."T That Christ's highest authority and ti

John, xi. 22. + Chap. xii. 49.Acts, x. 38.- -I Eph. i. 20-22.

- Chap. vii. 16.

- John, xvii. 7.

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tles are delegated to him, by his God, cannot be more definitely expressed in any language whatsoever.

"The revelation of Jesus Christ, WHICH GOD GAVE UNTO HIM, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and_signified it, by his angel, unto his servant John."* Here the futurition of all those events, contained in this book of prophecy, is declared to be as much a delegated or inspired revelation from God to Jesus Christ, as from Christ to John. God is considered as having this knowledge in himself. This he communicates to Jesus Christ. Christ communicates it to his Angel. And his Angel communicates it to John.

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In reference to Christ, John the baptist says, whom God hath sent, speaketh the words of God, for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him." If the Spirit, as here used, mean any thing, it means inspiration; for it is that, which enabled Christ to speak the words of God. And since it is declared to be without measure, it fairly accounts for all that he ever said or did, without the strange supposition of his being the infinite, eternal, and independent God.

Finally-Let this same mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus; who, being in the form of God thought it not robbery to be equal with God, but made himself of no reputation-Here it should be remarked, that the word, which our translators have rendered equal, is used adverb. ially, and signifies resemblance, similarity, or likeness. It is not but . This part of the passage should be too 10%.‡ rendered thus, Who being in the form of God, (or of a God) was not tenacious of his godlike station, (or did not greedily seize on the opportunity of being like a God ;) on the contrary, he made himself empty (in this respect) 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 become obedient unto death, even

*Rev. i. 1.———— -+ John, iii. 34.

When our Lord says, concerning the children of the resurrection, boayyeλol yag ɛlo Luke, xx. 36, we do not suppose they are really equal unto the angels; much less that they are identically the same beings.

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