eth whom he will," and, "That all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father," might very readily be understood as implying an assertion of equality with the Father. But this affords one of numerous instances of the danger of resting an opinion on the apparent meaning of the words of insulated passages of Scripture, without attention to the context; for I am convinced that no unprejudiced person can peruse the verses preceding and subsequent to those quoted by the Editor, without feeling that a more explicit disavowal of equality with God can hardly be expressed by language than that which they contain. I must therefore beg permission to give the entire passage in this place, though some parts of it have been quoted before in support of arguments already discussed. It is to be observed, that the occasion of the expressions here made use of by Jesus, was the accusation brought against him by the Jews, that he had made himself equal with God. John, ch. v. vers. 19-36: "Then answered Jesus, and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise. For the Father loveth the Son, and sheweth him all things that himself doeth: and he will shew him greater works than these, that ye may marvel. For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them; even so the Son quickeneth whom he will. For the Father judgeth no man, but hath

committed all judgment unto the Son: that all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son, honoureth not the Father who hath sent him. Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. 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. Marvel not at this for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the grave shall hear his voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation. I can of mine ownself do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just, because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father who hath sent me. If I bear witness of myself, my witness is not true. There is another that beareth witness of me; and witness which he witnesseth of me is true. Ye sent unto John, and he bare witness unto the truth.

I

I know that the

But

I receive not testimony from man: but these things say, that ye might be saved. He was a burning and a shining light: and ye were willing for a season

to rejoice in his light. But I have greater witness

than that of John: for the works which the Father hath given me to finish, the same works that I do, bear witness of me, that the Father hath sent me."

It would have been strange indeed had Jesus, in repelling the accusation of blasphemy, which had wrought on the minds of the Jews so far that they sought to kill him, confirmed their assertion, that he made himself equal with God, and thus prematurely endangered his own life; but we find that so far from being further incensed by the explanation above quoted, they seem to have quietly acquiesced in his appeal to their own Scriptures, that the Messiah should have all the power and authority which he asserted the Father had given to himself. Ver. 46: "For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for he wrote of me." The only text in the writings of Moses that refers to the nature of the Messiah, is that of Deuteronomy, ch. xviii. vers. 15 and 18, quoted by St. Peter in the Acts of the Apostles, ch. iii. ver. 22, and by St. Stephen, ch. vii. ver. 37, Moses said to the children of Israel, "The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken." The words which the Lord addressed to Moses were exactly of the same import: "I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee," &c. It was, no doubt, to this remarkable passage that Jesus referred, and nothing can more distinctly prove the light in which he wished to be considered, namely, that of a Messenger

or Prophet of God. But this is not the only instance in which Jesus entirely disclaims the attribute of omnipotence. On many other particular occasions he declares, in the strongest language, his want of almighty power, and his constant need of divine influence. Matthew, ch. xx. ver. 23: "And he saith unto them, Ye shall drink indeed of my cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with: but to sit on my right hand, and on my left, is not mine to give; but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared of my Father." Ch. xii. ver. 28: "But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you." Ch. xxvi. ver. 39: "And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt." Ver. 42: "He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done." Luke, ch. xxii. ver. 32: "But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not," &c. John, ch. xii. ver. 27: "Father, save me from this hour." Whosoever honours God, cannot, I presume, consistently refuse to honour his Prophet, whom he dignified with the name of "Son of God;" and as he honours God, he will also honour that Prophet, though he be well aware of the distinction between the Almighty and his chosen Son. The honour paid to the Prophet may in this sense be fairly considered the test of the real degree of respect

entertained for God-as Jesus saith, Matthew, ch. x. ver. 40, "He that receiveth you, receiveth me; and he that receiveth me, receiveth him that sent me." The obvious meaning of which words is, As far as men listen to your instructions, they listen to mine, and in so far they receive the commandments of God who hath sent me. Prejudice alone could, I think, infer from such expressions, that those who received the Apostles were literally receiving God himself under their form and substance. Equally demonstrative of prejudice, I conceive, would it be to deduce the identity or equality of the Father and the Son from the following passage, John, ch. v. ver. 23: "That all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father who hath sent him." For in this very passage the Son is represented as the Messenger of the Father, and for that reason only entitled to honour. That the preposition "as" implies here, as in many other places, likeness in nature and quality, and not in exact degree of honour, is illustrated by its obvious meaning in the last verse of Matthew v., "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect;" for by these words no one can conceive, that equality in degree of perfection between God and the disciples is intended to be enjoined.

The fifth position is, that his heavenly Father had committed to Jesus the final judgment of all who have lived since the creation. I readily admit the