SERMON IV.

ON THE DIVINITY OF THE WORD.

JOHN i. 1.

In the beginning was the Word; and the Word was with God; and the Word was God.

IN the portions of scripture selected for the morning's service of that day, on which we commemorate the Nativity of our Lord, it appears to be the intention of the Church to fill us with the most magnificent notions of the dignity of that divine Person, whose appearance in the flesh we then more immediately celebrate. The royal Psalmist leads the way, addressing him in a prophetical hymn of incomparable sublimity, as God; seated on a throne of everlasting

duration, and bearing a sceptre of unerring righteousness. The evangelical Prophet follows, describing him as invested with an everlasting dominion, established " in justice and in judgment;" and as intitled to the lofty appellations of "Wonderful, Counsellor, the mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace"." To him succeeds "the beloved Physician whose praise is in the Gospel," announcing the incarnation of the same divine Person, and representing him in the language of an angel, as "a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord." By the great Apostle of the Gentiles, who next comes in the order of selection, he is represented as "the Son of God;" "the brightness of his Father's glory, and the express image of his person ;". -as the object of adoration to "all the angels of God;". as God," the everlasting King;-as the "Lord," the unchangeable Creator of the universed. Lastly, the beloved Disciple stands forward to bear testimony to the majesty of his Lord; and speaking of him under the appellation of "the Word," be

a

Psalm xlv. 7.

d Heb. i. 2, 3, 6, 8, 10.

Isaiah ix. 6, 7.

c Luke ii. 11.

cause by Him the divine will has been revealed to man, pronounces him the only begotten of the Father, with whose glory he was invested: the maker of all things; the life and the light of men: begotten of the Father from everlasting, before all worlds; of one substance with the Father; very and eternal God;-for such appears to be the intention of the Apostle in the passage, with which he opens his Gospel, and which I have chosen for my text; "In the beginning was the Word; and the Word was with God; and the Word was God."

Stronger and more elevated language cannot be conceived, than that which is employed in these several extracts, to fill us with becoming notions of the dignity of our blessed Redeemer. And perhaps it might be sufficient to rest our belief in his divine nature on such general statements as these. But as there are some among the professors of Christianity, who are for reducing our notions of the Saviour's dignity to a less exalted standard, and for having him regarded as an inferior and a created being, a being of the same nature as ourselves,

but elevated to a higher degree of honour; it becomes necessary that we should examine the grounds of our faith more minutely and in detail; and show, in opposition to the error of the Socinian, that the universal church of Christ in general, and we of the pure branch of it established in this kingdom in particular, are amply warranted in believing Jesus of Nazareth, who took upon him the nature of man, to be essentially partaker of the divine nature also; and to have been, and to be, very and eternal God.

For the establishment of this truth, (a truth, let it be observed in passing, not of a mere speculative nature, but one most intimately interwoven with our practice, inasmuch as upon it depends the worship, which we offer to our blessed Lord;) I propose to lay before you various passages from the inspired writings: wherein 1st, he is denominated by the name and titles of God; 2dly he is described as performing divine acts; 3dly, he is invested with the divine attributes; and fourthly, is represented as the object of divine worship.

The conclusion from the whole will be, that a being, to whom these marks characteristic of divinity are assigned by the word of truth, must be himself really and essentially divine.

First, then; I observe that Jesus Christ is perpetually denominated in the holy scriptures by the name and titles of God.

And here the difficulty is, not to adduce passages by which this proposition is confirmed, but to select a few from the variety of passages which offer themselves.

By David, as we have already seen, and the application of the passage is made by St. Paul, he is called "God, whose throne is for ever and ever:" by Isaiah, "the mighty God, the everlasting Father;" by Jeremiah, "the Lord our Righteousness";" by the Psalmist, "the most high God";" by Isaiah again, "the Lord, the Lord of Hosts, the First and the Last, beside whom

e Psalm xlv. 7. Heb. i. 8. xxiii. 6.

1 Cor. x. 9.

f Isaiah ix. 6. & Jer. Psalm lxxviii. 56. Compare with this,