And therefore it is, that the name of Jesus is" above every name," not only on earth, but in Heaven. Because it intimates his accomplishment of our salvation; and that salvation is from sin. "Thou shalt call his name Jesus, for He himself shall save his people from their sins." Accordingly Matthew in his first chap. subjoins to this as follows; "Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet; Behold a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us."

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Now in the light of this of Matthew, let us read that of Paul in the 20th of the Acts; "Feed the church of God, which he (who is God), hath purchased with his own blood." And let us connect with these scriptures, that of Isaiah ; Unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given, and his name shall be called, Wonderful, Counsellor, the mighty God, the Father of the everlasting age, the Prince of Peace." To deny proper deity to the Son, of whom the sacred records declare such things, is to annihilate the authority of the Scriptures altogether. I would here remark, that to make the proof of Christ's godhead from his works conclusive, that of creation is often attributed to him along with that of redemption from sin. See in particular the 1st chap. of the gospel by John, the 1st chap. of the Colossians,-and

the 1st chap. of the Hebrews. With these if you compare the 43rd of Isaiah, you will see the tenour of both Testaments to be, that the Creator is the only Saviour and Redeemer; and that he who saves, by redeeming from sin, is no other than the Lord God the Creator.

But in the passages we have been now discussing, the Spirit is likewise introduced as a distinct agent. He descends upon Christ in a visible form, in shape like a dove, that men might have occular demonstration of the Son's Messiahship. On the day of Pentecost the Spirit likewise descended on the body of Christ, that is, the church, and crowned the heads of the disciples with lambent flames of fire. Yet all this will be said to fall short of any proof of personal agency. True; but the instant the baptism is over, Matthew begins his 4th chap. with a personal act of the Spirit. "Then was Jesus led up by the Spirit, to be tempted by the Devil." Here is Christ, as the head of the church, acted upon by two several agents at once; he was led up into the wilderness by the Spirit, that he migh there be tempted by the Devil. So on the day of Pentecost, the disciples were no sooner baptized with the Holy Ghost and with fire, than they began to show proof of his agencyon them; they began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

However, as we borrowed proof in favour of Christ from Matthew's 1st chap., so we

*

shall do in reference to the Spirit. The Spirit is an Almighty Agent in the whole affair of the salvation of the church. If we look at the body of the church, every real member of it is declared to be born of the Spirit. But this is eminently true of its Head. No one doubts, in the case of the birth of Isaac, that in the existing state of the parents it was physically impossible for them to have a son. But the powers of nature being restored, it became possible. Who then doubts that he who restored these powers was God? But in the production of Christ's human nature, it is still more palpable, that, there being no human parent, the sole author must have been God, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee," said Gabriel; whilst John says, "She was found with child of the Holy Ghost." And "That which is conceived in her, is of the Holy Ghost."

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Nor is the Spirit's agency less apparent in every member of the body of Christ. "There is one Body, and one Spirit." He proves himself omnipresent; for he dwells in every one of the faithful wherever dispersed abroad through the whole world. Each one of them is individually a "temple of the Holy Ghost." He is also almighty; for every spiritual act performed by the church, and by all its members, is effected by "the power of the Spirit of God." And he is omniscient; for

* John iii, 5-8,

he has at once a perfect knowledge of our infirmities and wants, and of the Father's will and pleasure respecting us. "The Spirit helpeth our infirmities; for we know not what we should pray for as we ought; but the Spirit himself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he who searcheth the hearts, knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because He maketh intercession for the Saints according to the will of God."

2. I pass on to the 28th of Matthew. Christ is here giving commission to his disciples. Go teach and baptize "in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost." The moment was most important. Christ came from Heaven to bear witness to the truth. He came a light into the world to dispel the existing darkness. He had hitherto acted as the instructer of mankind in his own person.

But the critical instant

was now arrived, when he must return to Heaven, and delegate the office of instruction to human agents. He knew the world to be one vast pantheon, a temple filled with myriads of idol gods. And his servants were to enter it, not to unite in the prevailing worship of a plurality of Deities, but to cast out the idols of every name and every nation, and introduce Jehovah alone," as the Alehim of eternity."* Had Jehovah existed in unity * Isaiah, xl, 28. These are called, in Isaiah, lxv, 16 "the Alehim of Truth."

of person, as well as of substance, the commission to the apostles would have run in the name of that one person, namely the Father, and of his delegate the Lord Jesus Christ. And then there had been no room for controversy. Mahomet would have worded the commission after this manner; and so would all Unitarians of every sect, whether among Jews or Gentiles; I mean by Unitarians those who contend for unity of person. On this

sole ground Gibbon gave preference to Mahomet's bible, the koran; and in point of fact all those who deny the doctrine of the trinity do the same. "The creed of Mohammed (says Gibbon), is free from suspicion and ambiguity; and the koran is a glorious testimony to the unity of God! The first principle of reason and revelation was confirmed by the voice of Mohammed. His proselytes from India to Morocco, are distinguished by the name of Unitarians!"

Now this is, in truth, the first principle neither of reason nor of revelation, as we have already proved. And Mahomet's proselytes, so far from being witnesses to the truth, are those locusts of John in the *9th of revelation, which came out of the smoke of the bottomless pit, and whose king is there called Apollyon, or the destroyer. A fit name for the false prophet of Mecca. But as the fifth trumpet called forth those locusts, to their work of vengeance, so shall the sixth

*See also Rev, xvi. 12-14. and 19,20.