an assumption of union with God, in power, in works, even the most awful works-would such an assumption have been tolerated; much more would it have been favoured and glorified, by such stupendous co-operation, in a mere man ; in any being not really united with God, in nature and will, in dignity and authority?

Having called your attention, my fellow-Christians, to this general principle on which the argument of this discourse rests, I shall now proceed to examine the nature and extent of these various powers and works, by which this principle is exemplified and confirmed.

It may, however, be necessary previously to obviate an apparent objection, arising from the declaration of our Lord, "The Son can do nothing of Himself; but what He seeth the Father do ;" words which have been supposed to indicate such a dependence and inferiority in the Son, as excludes all idea of equality of nature with the Father, and therefore prove Him not to be God. But if we consider these words, in context with the following, the whole passage will clearly establish such an union of power and will, and operation, as clearly proves an identity of nature. It is evident, that if the Son claimed or exercised a power of doing what he had not seen the Father do, this would prove that He either possessed some power or powers different from any which God the Father possessed, which would be inconsistent with the infinite perfection of the great First Cause, or that He exercised His power in an extent beyond that in which it was exercised by God the Father, an opinion irreconcileable with the infinitude, eternity and variety of the divine operations. Either case would impress an idea not so much of equality of the Son with the Father as of disunion and opposition between them. Their natures would appear not to be one and the same, but different and contrary; their designs and operations jarring and adverse. While, on the contrary, our Saviour declares, that the Son, "though He doeth nothing but what He seeth the Father do," which implies the most perfect union of will and operation, yet He can do every thing, which he seeth the Father do; "for what things soever the Father doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise." Surely this proves, He must possess equality of wisdom and power, and therefore of nature and dignity. Is it not sufficient to prove our Lord to be God, that He can do every thing

which God the Father doeth; or can it be necessary to show that He can do more, or that He can and does employ His powers in a different manner from the all-perfect God? This were surely impious and absurd.

Very different is the view of their perpetual union and concurrence, shown by the very next words of our Lord's declaration: "that the Father loveth the Son, and showeth Him all things that Himself doeth;" that is, that He communicates to the Son, and unites Him with Himself, in the entire scheme of His divine government, and the entire series of His infinite dispensations. Now, could this be possible, if the Son did not partake of the same divine nature and perfections? Could He otherwise fully comprehend all the counsels of the Divine Ruler, and perpetually co-operate in all His will? Could the Son do this, if He were not Himself infinite in wisdom and power, and if He did not Himself possess the attributes, and act according to the immutable rules of all-perfect justice, mercy and truth-and must He not therefore be Himself truly God?

Further still, our Saviour goes on to declare, that he will himself communicate to his followers, the power of working even greater miracles than those which he himself performed; thus giving to human weakness a power of calling into action, as it were, the Divine Omnipotence, by the assistance of the Son of God. Must He not Himself then partake of this Omnipotence, and be himself certainly and truly God? This conclusion is abundantly confirmed by the nature of those particular powers, which our Lord proceeds to declare He possesses, and will exercise in common with God the Father, powers which we shall now proceed to consider.

On this subject, the observation which appears most obviously and powerfully to force itself on the mind, from perusing the account of our Saviour's miracles, is this-that though on many occasions he asserts the constant union and co-operation of God the Father in all his works, so as to assure us He never acts without his concurrence both in power and will, yet in many instances He speaks and acts as if entirely from Himself, and so as not to lead the spectator to look beyond Him, but rather to ascribe to Him directly the power and the glory of the mighty works He performed.

Thus immediately after the Sermon on the Mount, (in which he had assumed the character of a divine Lawgiver, with an authority which astonished his hearers,) when a leper came and worshipped him, saying, "Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean,' (thus appearing to pay him homage, and ascribe to him a degree of power belonging only to God,) our Lord replies, "I will; be thou clean,” accepting that homage, and exercising that power.

Thus again, when the pious centurion soon after approached, beseeching him, and saying, "Lord, my servant lieth at home, sick of the palsy, grievously tormented,"† our Lord instantly replies, "I will come and heal him ;" a reply which certainly did not lead the Centurion to look beyond his own immediate power. And it is evident he viewed our Lord as possessing in himself a degree of authority which it is scarcely possible to imagine should belong to any being but God, that of commanding all the powers of nature, and all the springs of life, so that he could in a moment cure all diseases, in all individuals, even though absent, and at places however remote merely by a word. "Lord," said he, "I am not worthy thou shouldest come under my roof, but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed; for I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me, and I say to this man, go, and he goeth; and to another, come, and he cometh; and to my servant, do this, and he doeth it." Surely here, were our Lord a mere man, possessing no inherent power of thus commanding absolutely all the elements, and controlling all the operations of nature, he would necessarily have corrected the misconception of the overzealous supplicant, and directed his attention to the Supreme God, as alone possessing such power, by declaring, that he was merely his delegate, appointed in particular cases to dispense his mercies and execute his will. But on the contrary, our Lord declares the opinion the Centurion had formed of his power was accurately just, and he highly applauds the faith which dictated this opinion, and rewards it with an immediate grant of his humble request. "When Jesus heard it, he marvelled," (doubtless at finding a person who, not likely to have been conversant in the Jewish Scriptures, had such just ideas of the Divine nature and powers of the Messiah,) "and he said to them that followed + Matt. viii. 5-14.

* Matt. viii. 2, 3.

him, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel." He also takes occasion to impress upon his hearers, that such a faith as this, which acknowledged and revered the divine and boundless power of the Messiah, was essentially necessary for obtaining admission into his kingdom, and salvation by his interposition. "And I say unto you, that many shall come from the East and from the West, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob in the Kingdom of Heaven; but the children of the Kingdom shall be cast into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth; and he said unto the Centurion, Go thy way, and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee; and his servant was healed in the self-same hour." From the entire of this transaction, it appears to me most certain that the Centurion believed that Christ possessed permanently and inherently in His own person, the same power, as is usually believed to belong exclusively to God, and therefore looked up to Him as God; and that our Lord confirmed and applauded this faith, and therefore assumed to Himself a dignity and power, which, had He not been really God, would have been criminal and impious.

Soon after this, when our Lord had entered into a ship, and His disciples followed Him, behold "there arose a great tempest, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves."* Here it appeared how deeply the disciples were impressed with the conviction, that our Lord possessed that power to direct and control all the elements of nature, which we usually attribute to the God of nature alone. Instantly they applied to Him, and awoke Him, saying, "Lord, save us, we perish." Our Lord does not, like Moses, refer the supplicants to God-" Fear ye not; stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord."† "He saith unto

Then He arose,

them, why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm."+ This naturally led the awe-struck spectators to consider this stupendous power, as inherent in their master. "They now marvelled, saying, what manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?" Now what could have produced this surprise, in men accustomed to read of so many apparently + Exod. xiv. 13. + Matt. viii. 26

*Matt. viii. 23-27.

greater miracles, wrought by Jewish Prophets, through the acknowledged interposition of God, but their opinion, that this miracle was performed by a power, inherent in Jesus Christ Himself, that the winds and the waves obeyed Him? an opinion doubtlessly produced from the manner of our Saviour having indicated, that He acted from His own power.

A subsequent occasion of a somewhat similar nature, soon after took place; where the disciples were in a ship tossed by the waves, and He, in the fourth watch of the night, appeared to them walking on the sea. "When the disciples saw him they were troubled, saying it is a spirit, and they cried out for fear; but straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer, it is I; be not afraid."* Then follows the remarkable circumstance of Peter's requesting, "Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee upon the waters; and the Lord said Come, and he walked on the waters to go to Jesus," sustained by the almighty power over the elements, which our Lord now exerted for him. "But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid." The Searcher of hearts perceived the criminal terror, and for an instant withheld his secret aid; when the terrified apostle "beginning to sink, cried, Lord, save me; immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt? and when they were come into the ship the wind ceased." This repeated exercise of power over the elements, naturally impressed the disciples with a strong conviction, that their Lord possessed the same power as the God of nature, and therefore was entitled to the same homage. "Then they who were in the ship came and worshipped Him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God." The circumstances prove, that by this high title they did not mean that he was merely like any other man, a creature of God, or like the greatest of prophets, inspired and assisted by God, but that He was in such a peculiar sense the Son of God, as to partake of the same nature, and the same power as God, and was entitled to the same adoration. Would the pious and humble Jesus have permitted this error to arise from His own conduct, and leave it uncorrected if it had been an error? would

• Matt. xiv, 24