the Old Testament concerning him, actually did expect the Christ at the very precise moment he made his appearance. They admitted, also, that he was the most powerful, most benevolent, and most perfect being that ever had appeared in the world.

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There," said a person present, "I beg leave to differ from you; for, unless he was what he pretended to be, the Son of God; or, in other words, God the Son, he must have been an impostor, consequently could not have been a good man."

"Jesus never said he was the Son of God," rejoined the champion of infidelity, "and I defy any one to show a single passage in the New Testament declaratory to that effect."

Let us examine the sacred book, and see how far the infidel is borne out in his assertion.

In St. Matthew xvi. 15, 16, and 17, we read, that Jesus asked his disciples, saying: "Whom say ye that I am ?"

Simon answered and said, "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God."

Now, had Jesus not been the Son of God, he would (if a good and honest man, as the infidel allowed he was), here have set Simon right, by removing the opinion he had formed of him; but, instead of doing so, we find that Jesus confirmed Simon's opinion; for he said unto him,"Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-Jona, for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is heaven."

The other three evangelists give us to understand, that Jesus acknowledged himself to be the Son of God. St. Luke, whom the infidels themselves admit to be genuine, calls Jesus the Son of God. The

F

same evangelist tells us, that when Jesus was questioned by the chief priests and by Pilate, as to who he was, he confessed that he was the Son of God, and the king of the Jews, saying, "Ye say that I am," and "Thou sayest it," a manner of expressing an affirmative still used by the inhabitants of the East.

St. John in the eighteenth chapter of his book, corroborates the above passage of St. Luke; for we there read that Pilate asked Jesus, saying,-" Art thou the king of the Jews ?"

Jesus answered :-" My kingdom is not of this world.”

"Art thou a king, then ?"

"Jesus said :-Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world."

St. John relates also Christ's conversation with the woman of Samaria.

"I know," said the woman, "that Messias cometh, which is called Christ when he is come, he will tell us all things."

Jesus saith unto her: "I that speak unto thee am he."

In the fourteenth chapter of St. Mark, sixty-first verse, we read,-"Again the high-priest asked him, and said unto him: Art thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed ?"

"And Jesus said: I am."

Can any assertion be more direct than

the above?

In the fifth chapter of St. John it is again written :-"Verily, verily, I say unto you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live. For, as the Father hath life in himself, so hath he given to the Son to have

life in himself. And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the son of man." And in the seventeenth chapter of the same book, we read as follows:-"Jesus lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come: glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee." And in the fourteenth chapter we find that Philip saith, "Lord, show us the Father, and it sufficeth us."

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Jesus saith unto him,-Have I been so long time with you,

and yet

hast thou

not known me, Philip? He that hath seen me, hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, show us the Father? Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father, that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.