Comp. Ps. 119. 105,
Jam. 1. 7), and that

and that he is light (1 John, 1. 5-7. 130. Prov. 6. 23. Isa. 5. 20; 8. 12. he is love (1 John, 4. 8), and that he is truth, for he is the God of truth (Deut. 32. 4); and that he is wise, for he is the giver of wisdom (1 Kings, 4. 29. Jam. 1.5), and wisdom is manifested in all his works (Prov. 8. Matt. 11. 19); and that He is immutable (Num. 23. 19. Matt. 24. 35. Rom. 11. 29. Jam. 1. 17. 1 Sam. 13. 29. Job, 23. 13. Mal. 3. 16); and that he is the Rock; his work is perfect, for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth, and without iniquity; just and right is he' (Deut. 33. 4); and that he is holy (Lev. 11. 44; 19. 2; 33. 13, 14. Ps. 119. 1-4. Jer. 33. 23. 24. Heb. 4. 13. 1 Pet. 3. 12.) He is the holy Father (John, 17. 11) who is of purer eyes than to behold iniquity. There is nothing eternal but God, for nothing exists but by his will, and only so long as he chooses that it shall exist (Deut. 8. 3. Matt. 4. 4), and it is said that no man hath seen God at any time,' for he is invisible. (Exod. 33. 20. Isa. 40. 18. John, 1. 18. Col. 1. 15.) These are the essential elements which constitute the nature of God, as they are set forth in the Holy Scriptures, which also reveal his attributes, namely, omniscience and omnipotence, by virtue of which he is omnipresent, for his power is felt throughout all creation, though his throne is in heaven. (Gen. 17. 1. Deut. 10. 17. Ps. 8. 6; 22. 27; 48. 8. Matt. 19. 26.) In Ps. 49. 1-11, David exalts and magnifies the omniscience and omnipresence of Jehovah, who has created all things, and who preserves and governs all mankind; and whose omnipotence is expressed by the terms the Eternal of Hosts, and the Almighty God.

But independently of the revelation of the existence of God, which he has graciously vouchsafed to the saints in his word; he is revealed to all men in nature by his works, 'Because,' as the Spirit saith, that which may be known of God is manifest to them; for God hath showed it. For

the invisible things of him since the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and divinity; so that they may be without excuse.' (Rom. 1. 19, 20.) For it is rational to infer that anything in which order prevails must have had an intelligent being for its author, and hence the existence of God is a legitimate conclusion derived from the contemplation of the laws of nature; for it is more reasonable to believe that the world was created by God than to suppose that it is self-existent, as some affirm. Wherefore Paul exhorts all men, whether idolaters or atheists, to believe in the Eternal God, the creator and preserver of all things, by whom all men move, and live, and have their being, and who is alone worthy of their adoration. (Acts, 17. 16-31.) Deism, which is the belief in one God, has therefore a rational foundation; but atheism has not, for it is not only the negation of God, but the negation of reason also. It is true that to believe that God is a Being apart from the creation, and the author of it, transcends human reason, but it is not contrary to it; and we who have faith accept the mystery, independently of the testimony of nature, which speaks to the minds of all men, for 'through faith we understand that the world was framed by the word of God, so that that which is seen was not made of things which do appear.' (Heb. 11. 3. Comp. Gen. 1. 1; Heb. 1. 2; John, 1. 1.) The elements which constitute the nature of God and his attributes are made known to us in his word, but everything else with regard to the supreme Being must remain an impenetrable mystery to man, for how can the finite comprehend the infinite? 'Canst thou by searching find out God? canst thou find out the Almighty to perfection?' (Job, 11. 7.)

We conclude, then, from the testimony of the Holy Scriptures that there is but one God, Jehovah, the God of Israel, who has created all things by his own will and for

his own glory; and although we shall never find out the Almighty to perfection, yet he has revealed himself to us in the only manner that is comprehensible to our limited faculties, for he is the embodiment of our highest conceptions of justice, mercy, love, truth, wisdom, holiness, and power; and we, who are his children by grace, know him, and love him, and shall worship him as the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, and our God and our Father for ever.

8

CHAPTER II.

JESUS THE CHRIST, THE SON OF GOD.

And he [the Christ] gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as preachers of the good news, and some as pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of the Christ; till we all come to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the fulness of the stature of the Christ; that we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, who lie in wait to deceive.'-EPH. 4. 11-14.

I. As the just Man.

II. As the Prophet.

III. As the Lord and the Christ.

IV. The divinity of the Lord Jesus Christ.

I. The just and holy Man.

There are two distinct periods in the life of Jesus while in the flesh, the first of which he passed in obscurity at Nazareth, and the second as a prophet sent by God to the house of Israel. We shall therefore begin by considering the testimony of the Scriptures concerning Jesus as a righteous and holy man.

Now that which distinguishes Jesus from all

other men, and raises him above them, is his miraculous birth as the Son of God, which is related as follows by the apostle Matthew, who, after tracing his descent from Abraham and David to Joseph the husband of Mary, says that the birth of Jesus, 'who is the Christ' (Matt. 1. 16),* was in this wise :-'When as his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child by the Holy Spirit. Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privately. But while he thought on these things, behold the angel of the Lord appeared to him, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife, for that which is begotten in her is by the Holy Spirit, and she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins. Now this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is God with us.' (Matt. 1. 18-23. Comp. Isa. 7. 14.)

Such is the account of the miraculous generation of the Son of God, whose name was called 'Joshua,' which is literally Jehovah the Saviour, for he was thus named by God because he was to be the Saviour of his people, which name comes from the Hebrew 'yesha,' to save, of which 'Iesous' is the Greek form; and the Messiah, which is an appellative indicative of the holiness of the Son of God, is also a Hebrew word, which signifies the Anointed, and which is rendered in Greek 'ho Christos,' the Christ, which means set apart for the service of God, and is equivalent to holy. The prophet Daniel speaks of the Saviour as 'the Son of Man,' and as the

Anointed Man,' the King and

*In Greek, Who is called the Christ.' This is a Hebraism which signifies who is the Christ.