not his own, but his who sent him; nor did he speak of himself; but the Father, who sent him, gave him a commandment what he should say, and what he should speak: as he heard he judged. Whatsoever, therefore, he spoke, even as the Father said unto him, so he spoke and the word which they heard, was not his own, but the Father's, who sent him. those things, which he as the Father taught him; and what he had seen with the Father; and all that he heard of the Father, he had made known unto them: what he had seen and heard, that he testified.

He spoke to the world heard of him: he spoke

He informs James and John, that "to sit on his right hand and on his left, in his kingdom, was not his to give, but should be given to them, for whom it was prepared, by his Father." On another occasion, he says of the day of judgment: "of that day and that hour, knoweth no man; no, not the Angels; neither the Son, but the Father only." By these words, he seems to mark the gradation of ranks in the spiritual creation; assigning to himself a place above the Angels, and below the Almighty. "Why," says he, "callest thou me good? there is none good but one; that is, God." Finally, he said, "I ascend to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God:" and this, after his resurrection, when he had conquered death, and thrown off mortality and human nature.

His dependance in God is most strongly declared by his humble and earnest supplications; and, particularly, his prayer, that, "if possible, the bitter cup should pass from him;" and his pathetic complaint, when he hung on the cross; "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?"

Notwithstanding this humility, he claimed and exercised extraordinary powers while on earth. He was empowered to forgive sins; to heal sicknesses; to expel unclean spirits, by the finger of God; to perform various miracles, and even to raise the dead; "to bestow eternal life on as many as God had given him; to lay down his own life, and take it up again. As the Father has life in himself, so has he given to the Son to have life in himself. As the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them; even so the Son quickeneth whom he will: for the Father hath committed all judgment to the Son." Among his last words were these: "All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth."

As to the period after his ascension; he was to return to the glory, which he had enjoyed before; and he promised, that, before the Apostles withdrew from Jerusalem, he would send them another Comforter, but not of himself. He was to pray the Father to give them the Spirit of Truth, that he might abide with them for ever; to guide them into all truth, and to shew them things to

come: but neither was he to speak of himself; but what he should hear, that would he speak. He was to receive of what belonged to Jesus, and shew it to the disciples. This Holy Spirit was to be sent in his name: He, therefore, was not to come, till our Lord departed; and then he would send him. By the assistance of the Holy Spirit, they were to expel demons; and all the disciples were to be baptized in his name, with that of the Father and the Son. When the "Apostles were brought before kings and governors, they were to take no thought how or what they should speak; for Christ would give them a mouth and wisdom, that their adversaries would not be able to resist; and it was not they that would speak, but the Holy Ghost, and the spirit of their Father that would speak in them." Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit he declared to be an unpardonable sin. After his resurrection, he "breathed on his Apostles, and said: receive ye the Holy Ghost: whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained." He himself, however, promised to be with them to the end of the world.

This closing scene he announces in these words :: "The hour is coming, when all that are in their graves, shall hear the voice of the Son of God; and they that hear shall live. They shall come forth; they that have done good, to the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, to the

resurrection of condemnation. They shall see the Son of Man coming in the clouds, with power and great glory. He shall send his Angels to gather his Elect from one end of heaven to the other. He shall sit upon the throne of his glory. Before him shall be gathered all nations; and he shall separate them one from the other; and reward every one according to his works."

From this detail, it is manifest, that as a son must be subsequent in existence, and subordinate in dignity to his father, so was Christ to the Almighty; and as he that sendeth is greater than he that is sent, so the Holy Spirit is inferior to Christ, and was to act as his substitute; that our Lord enjoyed a glorious state of existence before he visited this world; that every thing, which he did or taught, was communicated to him by his Father, who had invested him with ample powers for the execution of his office; that there were some things which he could not do; and some, that he did not know;' that he deprecated any competition with the Almighty; professed, that he could do nothing of himself; and confessed subjection to his heavenly Father, by earnest and lowly supplications; but, that after his ascension, he was raised to the most exalted dignity, that we can conceive to belong to any created being.

These inferences seem to me, to follow so naturally from the words of our Lord, that I wonder, how they can be denied by any, who draw

their knowledge of the Gospel from that source. With a few observations on each of these propositions I shall occupy the remainder of this discourse.

The title, which he commonly assumes, is that of the "Son of God." This necessarily implies priority of existence, and superiority of dignity, on the part of his Father. He also styles himself "the only begotten Son of God." By this we are to understand his only Son, by way of preeminence; and also his dearest Son; as human parents are most tenderly attached to an only child. The original word has often this signification, and is, therefore, tantamount to another appellation, which our Saviour assumes, the Beloved, and the Beloved Son of God." This is the meaning of these phrases; and they imply, that he is inferior in dignity, and subsequent, in point of time, to the Father, and peculiarly dear to him. Whatever mysterious sense may be put upon them, it will still remain unquestionable, that a father must exist before his son; and the origin of the son, being a fact, must have taken place at some particular time, however remote.

Some, who deny the superior nature of our Lord, contend, that he received this appellation at baptism, or in consequence of his resurrection: but Luke informs us, that it was given before his nativity, on account of his miraculous concep