Emmanuel : or, The incarnation of the Son of God the foundation of immutable truth

Front matter

Dime Oe So aR he Sadler, Me FU 7 870r1 se5.

Emmanuel a7 i sey iain

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Section I.—the Testimony Of St. Matthew

Eixceedingly prominent place of the Incarnation throughout the New Testament, 1—3.—St. Matthew’s Genealogy of our Lord, 3. —The Angelic Message, 4.—The Name of Jesus, 4. Emmanuel: God with us, 4.—Worship of the Magi, 5.—Hosea’s prophecy, 6. —The Forerunner, 6.—The Baptism, 6.—Christ speaking with authority, 7.—The Cleanser, 8.—Assertion of Omnipresence, 8. —Rebuking the sea, 9.—Christ and Moses, 9.—The confession of Christ’s Name, 10.—Christ demands supreme love, 10.—His amazing claims, 11.—His ground of exemption from tribute, 11. —He a Son; the prophets but servants, 12.—Receives the Hosannas, 12.—Lord of angels, and Supreme Judge, 13.—Baptism into His Name, 14.—Christ under the form and keeping the place of a servant, at once Son of Man and Son of God, 14, 15.

Section J].—THE TESTIMONY OF 8T. PAUL.

Epistle to the Romans, 15.—St. Paul the slave of the Crucified Nazarene, 16.—Christ the “proper” Son of God, God’s own Son, 17.—Lord of dead and living, 17.—Relationship of Christ to the world and to the Church as the Second Adam, 18, 19.— This relationship presupposes the Incarnation, and is a result in some degree answering to such an interposition, 20—22.—The phrase “7a Christ ;” Rest of the Epistles ; Christ’s service contrasted with the service of man, 23.—Christ, equally with God, the fountain of grace, 24.—Christ the object of saving faith, 25;

and of supreme love, 25,—The title “Saviour” applied without x CONTENTS.

distinction to God and to Christ, 25, 26.—Christians “in” Christ, just as they are “in” God and “in” the Holy Ghost, 26.—Christ equally with God and the Holy Ghost “in” the Christian, 27.— Amazing assertions respecting Christ in First Epistle to tne Corinthians, 27.—In what sense must He be the Son of God? 28, 29.

Srction IJ].—THE TESTIMONY OF ST. JOHN.

Sketch of St. Luke’s witness to His person and pretensions, 31

_ (Note).—Identity of teaching between St. Paul’s Epistles and our Lord’s discourses-in St. John on the Christian’s inherence in Christ, 34.—On Christ as the object of faith and love, 35.— On the Resurrection, 36.—Note on numerous other instances of identity of thought and expression between St. Paul’s Epistles and St. John’s Gospel, 35—37.—In the matter of Christ as the Creator, St. Paul more absolute than St. John, 40.—St. John supplies the Church with two terms, “Only Begotten” and “Word,” 40.—The term “Only Begotten” fixes the meaning of “ Son,” 41.—Remarks on John v. 18, with note from Augustine, 41. —TExamination of the term “ Word,” 43.—The title “God” only asserts the Catholic doctrine of Christ’s Godhead in connexion with the terms “ Only Begotten,” and “ Word,” 45.—St. Thomas’s confession, 46.—St. John’s Gospel adds to our conceptions of Christ little except distinctness, 47.—The subordination, 48.— Proofs of the Trinity more frequent in St. Paul, 49.

Section [V.—JEHOVAH AND LORD.

The word ‘‘ Jehovah” translated by Kuproc, 51.—This word apphed to Christ in contexts which necessitate a Divine meaning, 52, 53.— Special relationships of Jehovah to His people borne by Christ : as Saviour, 53; Shepherd of Israel, 54 ; King of Israel, 55.— Unity of God being the one dogma of the Old Testament, intensifies the force of the application of such terms to Christ, 55—58. —Note on expression used by author of Hcece Homo, 57.

SECTION V.—THE CREEDS OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH.

What do they add to the Scripture statements? 59.—Note on Mr. Jowett’s supposed antagonism between the Creeds and the Gospels, 60.—On his attempt to evade the force of Phil. ii. 6.

CONTENTS. x1

Chapter II. The Incarnation And Miracles

SECTION J].—THE MIRACLE OF THE INCARNATION ITSELF.

Absurdity of all questioning on minor miracles on the part of those - who confess the Incarnation, 65.—The Resurrection of Christ follows naturally on His Incarnation, 65, 66.—Futility of attempts to make the supernatural acceptable to unbelievers, 67. —Note on Stanley on Passage of the Jordan, 67 ; and on Hdinburgh Review on the supernatural, 68.—How the Sceptics might retort on the Rationalistic Divines, 69—73.— What is involved in the simplest statement of the Incarnation, 73—76.— Note from Newman’s Sermons, 76.

Section IJ.—ouR LORD’S MIRACLES AS SETTING FORTH THE PURPOSES OF HIS INCARNATION.

Christ’s miracles set forth the fact that God has subordinated the »” natural to the moral and spiritual, 79.—Pledges that God has reserved to Himself the right and power of interfering, 79.— Pledges that God regards physical evils as we do, 80.—So performed as to assure us that He is Himself both Physician and Remedy, 80.—In performing His miracles of healing He specially fastens our attention on His Person, 80, 81.—His miracles exhibit Him as the Second Adam, 83.—Christianity inconceivable without assuming belief from the very first in Christ’s Resurrection, 85.— Without this no one Gospel or Epistle could have been written, 86, 87.—Chrysostom on the conversion of the nations, 87.—Miracles essential to sustain the faith of the Apostles, 89, 90.—Christ’s discourses could not have been uttered except by One who had especial credentials, 91.

The disorder of our moral nature a reason for such an interference as the Incarnation, 91.—The typical man, 92.—Analogy of the Physician, 93, 94.—Men reject the supernatural interposition because they are not alive to the need of it, 95, 96.

Snorion I.

In the highest sense it is natural that God should have predicted

the coming of His Son in the flesh, 97—99.—Unless He has,

men have had more care about the coming of Christ than The

Father has had, 100.—Illustration from use made by the Evangelist of Hosea xi. I.

INTRODUCTORY.

xii CONTENTS.

Srcotion I].—JACOB’Ss PROPHECY OF THE SHILOH.

The Messianic Interpretation the most natural, 103, 104.— Note on. the Septuagint and its readings, 105.—Fulfilment in Christ alone, 107.

Section IJ].—psaLM XXII.

Language of the Psalm totally inapplicable to David, 110—113.— Note on the “piercing of the hands and feet,” 111.—Written for Christ rather than of Him, 114.

Section I[V.—PsALM XLV.

Totally inapplicable to Solomon, 115—118.—Note on Dean Stanley’s suggested mistranslation, 120.

SECTION V.—PSALM CX.

Totally inapplicable to David, 122.—Note on Dean Stanley’s ascription of Priesthood to David, 124.—Need of such a type of Christ as that furnished by Melchisedec, 125.—Note on “ Thou hast the dew of Thy youth,” 128.

Section VI.—1SAIAH LIIL.

Sacrificial terms of this prophecy applied to the sufferings of no mere human being, 133.—Only to the Levitical offerings, 134 ; and to the Blood of Christ, 135, 136.—If the Son of God suffered for sin, the application to Him natural, 136—138.— Absurdity of application of it to Jeremiah, 139—144; or to “ godly remnant,” or to “ prophetic order,” 138 (Note).

Section VII.—vARIOUS OTHER PROPHECIES.

The Prophet like unto Moses, 146.—The Second Psalm, 147.— The Seventy-second Psalm, 149.—Isaiah vii. 14 (Immanuel), 149. —Isaiah ix. 6 (The Mighty God), 152.—Providence of God exhibited in the decline of the House of David, 155.

Section VIIIL.—new TESTAMENT APPLICATION.

The Old Testament prophets predict seeming contradictions of the Messiah, 156—158.—How are these opposites to meet and be reconciled in Him? 159.—Predictions cited in St. Matthew’s Gospel, 160.—Christ Himself alludes to very many prophecies as

CONTENTS. xiii fulfilled in His death, 161---164.—Rationalistic views of prophecy

incompatible with all Scripture, 164, 165.—Through seeing the

fulfilment of prophecy in His humiliation, men recognised His - Divine glory, 166—168.

Calieas bP baba eve, THE ATONEMENT.

SECTION I.—ATONEMENT AS SET FORTH IN THE WORDS OF CHRIST.

Christ the Life came to die, 169—171.—The relations of His death to God and man a matter of pure Revelation, 172.—Christ at the Institution of the Eucharist applies sacrificial language to His own death, 172—175.—Bishop Butler on Levitical Sacrifices, 176, 177.—Other references by our Lord to the atoning nature of His death, 177.—He claims Isaiah liii. as referring to Himself, 177.—Why our Lord so seldom refers to the propitiatory character of His own death, 178.—He could not speak of it to His enemies, because they would not believe in His Incarnation, 179 ; nor to His friends, because they would not realize that He was to die, 182.—Note on Mr. Jowett’s distinction between the words of Christ and those of His servants, 183,— All references of our Lord to the benefits of His death imply its propitiatory nature, 184.—Christ Himself refers us for further instruction to the words of His servants, 185.—What, judging from His own words, is their further doctrine likely to be? 186 —188.

Srzction II.—aTONEMENT AS SET FORTH IN THE WORDS OF CHRIST'S SERVANTS,

~ In St. Paul’s Epistle to the Romans, 190.—In 1 Cor., 192,— 2 Cor. v. 18 (Christ made sin for us), and Gal. iii. 13 (Christ made a curse for us), 194.—In Remainder of Pauline Epistles, 197.—In Catholic Epistles, 199.—In Epistle to the Hebrews, 200 —208.—Sketch of the argument of this Epistle, 201, 202.—Its teaching respecting Sacrificial Atonement only the expansion of what we find elsewhere, 202—205.—Gives somewhat more prominence to the idea that Christ is priest as well as victim, 205. —Unfair use made by Mr. Jowett of Heb. x. 5—7 (Note), 207. —That the virtue of Christ’s sacrifice consisted in His obedient will, allowed on all hands, 208.—Bishop Butler, with all the difficulties of the question fully before him, adhered to the Sacrificial view, 210.—No other view possible, assuming the Scrip. tures written to make us acquainted with the mind of God, 212— 218.—Proved by a general survey of the antecedents and effects of the death of Christ, 214—218.

xiv CONTENTS.

The (so-called) moral view, 218.—Renders the humiliation of the Eternal Son unnecessary, 219.—Renders nugatory all appeals to our gratitude founded on the death of Christ, 220—222.

Srction IJ].—tTHE MYSTERY INHERENT IN SACRIFICE.

Substitution of some sort underlies all the figures by which the beneficial effects of Christ’s death are described, 223, 224.— Christ died for us in a different sense from what He lived for us, 225, 226.— No figure, as of a hero’s or a martyr’s death, meets the requirements of the case, 226.—The figure of ‘‘ Sacrifice,” provided by God, at once illustrates and hides, 229.—The (so-called) moral difficulty cannot be got rid of, 229.—Much of it arises from misconception respecting the Trinity, 231.

Srection I1V.—THE LEVITICAL OFFERINGS.

Attempts made to discredit them, and through them the Atonement of Christ, lst, by Mr. Jowett, 235; 2d, by Dean Stanley, 236.— No contempt shown by prophets for the Levitical System, 236, -—Prophets invariably foretell the pure worship of Messianic times in sacrificial terms, 236.—Testimony of Isaiah to this, 237.— Of Jeremiah, 238.—Of Ezekiel, 240.—Of Daniel and Minor Prophets, 241—243.—Our Lord’s express testimony to the Divine origin of the Levitical System, 243.—Futility of Rationalistic inference from Isaiah i. (“‘ Bring no more vain oblations,” &c.), 246.—Assumed antagonism between priest and prophet, 247—249.—The Levitical worship adapted to moral state of worshippers, 250.—Not more strange to the natural mind than the pleading of the blood of Christ, 251, 252.

Review of Dr. Bushnell On the Vicarious Sacrifice (Note), 252.— Dr. Bushnell utterly fails to establish his view, though he regards Christ’s death from the highest “standpoint” possible, 253—256.—Makes Christ in reality die for a scenic purpose, 257, 258.—Lstablishes beyond all power of contradiction the Sacrificial view, 258—264.

CHAPTER V.

IIFE AND EXAMPLE OF CHRIST.

| The doctrine of His Godhead affects His whole life as an example, - 265—267.—Application of Matthew xi. 28 (“I am meek and lowly in heart”), 267—269.—Of. John xiii. 1—15 (washing the disciples’ feet), 269—272.—His humility the only point of His

CONTENTS. XV character set before us by the Apostles, 272—276.—The Son of God cannot have become Incarnate in order to set us a merely human example, 275; for so very little of His private life has been preserved to us, 276.—Much of His manner of teaching even cannot be imitated by us, 278.—The Gospels rather manifestations than biographies, 282.—Humiliation of Christ set forth in obscurity of His early years, 282; and in His conformity to the religion of His nation, 285.— His manifestation of the hidden mind of God in His treatment of children, 286; and in His tears at the grave of Lazarus, 288.—His reserve in performing miracles, 290, 291.—Author of cce Homo on this (Note), 291.—He illustrates the conduct of God in the matter of requiring faith in those He healed, 292.—In His mode of imparting knowledge, 293.—In His revelations of God’s awful severity, 295.—His temptation cannot be viewed on its merely human side, 297.—Neither can His death be viewed on its merely human side, 301.—It is miserably ungrateful to wish so to view it, 303.—The view of Christ which God has given to us in the Gospels is addressed to our faith in Him as the One Mediator, 305.

CHEAP TER «iI: DOGMA.

Dogmas, Doctrines, Facts, 310—312.—In ordaining dogma the Church guards the meaning of facts from misrepresentation, 312. —Without dogma, the facts of Redemption have no meaning, 313, 314.—Without dogma we cannot understand our relations to Christ, 314.— Without dogma we have no ground for trusting in Him, 315.—Those who dislike or denounce dogma ignore the facts as proofs of Divine love, 315, 316.—The simplest statement of Christianity conceivable, such as “ God so loved the world,” &c. involves the highest dogma, 317--324.,—As, for instance, the Trinity, 318.—The Incarnation, 319.—Justification by grace, 321. —The fall and corruption of man, 322.

Highest dogma necessary to vindicate the moral character of Christ, 324.—By dogma alone can we vindicate His personal pretensions, and so acquit Him of blasphemy, 324—326.—-The Socinian dogma, of itself, presents far more difficulties than the Catholic, 326.—The Arian dogma presents far more difficulties than the Catholic, 328, 329.—The Catholic dogma the most natural, 330.

Assumed antagonism between “dogma” and practical Christianity, 332,.— Enthusiasm of humanity,” 333.—As yet only kindled

Xvi CONTENTS.

by dogma, 334.—Cooled or extinguished by liberalism, 336.— Instances, 336.—Compassion for the heathen only inspired by dogma, 339.—Reclamation of the fallen, 340.

Dogma and Liberalism, 342—349.—Catholic dogma seems to make liberal assumptions, 343; but admits of no compromise with unbelief as such, 346.—The Catholic will be charitable, but not on “liberal” grounds, 348.

CHAPTER VII.

INSPIRATION OF HOLY SCRIPTURE.

Misconception respecting the true bearings of the controversy respecting Inspiration, 350.—The miraculous in the life of Christ independent of any theory of Inspiration, 352.—So also the fact that Christ asserted certain prophecies to be fulfilled in His life and death, 362.—The Sacrificial or propitiatory character of the death of Christ similarly unaffected by ‘Theories of Inspiration, 366. ,

Inspiration of St. Paul, 369—376. —Sabellianism, 379.—The Personality of the Holy Spirit, 381.—Bearing of the truth of the Personality of the Holy Spirit on the Inspiration of Holy Scripture, 386.—It imports an intensely personal element into the whole matter, 388.—Gives us the fullest confidence that we have a true and reliable account of Christ in the Gospels, 393.—And that any Divine names which are ascribed to Him are in accordance with the mind of God, 397.

CHAPTER VIII.

SCRIPTURE CRITICISM AND INTERPRETATION.

Value of Biblical criticism, 401.—Means we have for ascertaining correctly the original text, 405—407.—Results of critical investigations, 407, 408.—How far they affect the conclusions arrived at in this volume, 409—414.—Authenticity of the Gospels, 414. —KEspecially of St. John’s Gospel, 416—419.—St. Mark’s doctrine incomplete without St. John’s, 420—425.—So also St. Paul’s, 426—428,

“Continuity,” 431.—The Incarnation affords a principle of interpretation which it is irrational to ignore, 432,

HMMANUEL.

CHAPTER I.

THE TESTIMONY OF SCRIPTURE TO THE INCARNATION OF THE ETERNAL SON.

SECTION I.

THE TESTIMONY OF ST. MATTHEW.

J PURPOSE, relying on God’s help, to examine the | testimony of Scripture to the Incarnation of the Son of God, and the bearing of that testimony on certain controversies now agitating the Church.

The Incarnation 1s the first article of the Mystery of Godliness. The New Testament opens with it, and the apprehension of it by each member of the Church must of necessity be prior to his right conception of every other truth of God. The Atonement wrought out by the Son of God, His everlasting Priesthood, His Headship over the Church, and His future Judgment, all depend upon the truth of His Holy Incarnation.

His Incarnation is the only foundation which can bear such a superstructure.

B

Through the Incarnation of Jesus we realize the Eternal Fatherhood of God—that God is by nature a Father, and from all eternity has loved with a Father's love ; and through the Incarnation we learn the Deity and Procession of the Holy Ghost: for what must He be through Whom the Son of God was conceived, and by Whose anointing He was made the Christ, and Whose presence amongst us was of such moment that it rendered needful the departure of the Son of God Himself 2

The Incarnation of the Eternal Son is the first thing revealed in the New Testament. It is set forth in the first page of God’s perfect Revelation—in the beginning of St. Matthew’s Gospel. |

It is revealed in equally plain and abrupt terms in the first chapter of St. Luke’s Gospel.

It is enunciated very dogmatically indeed in the opening verses of the fourth and last Gospel.

That the Son of God was made of the seed of David according to the flesh is the first statement respecting Divine Truth in the most important of the purely doctrinal books, viz. St. Paul’s Epistle to the Romans.

The author of the Epistle to the Hebrews commences that wondrous treatise on the Priestly Functions of our Redeemer with an exordium on the Divine Dignity of Him Who passed by the nature of angels and took on Him the nature of the seed of Abraham, that He might be the Apostle and High Priest of our Profession. :

Lastly, the one Prophetiéal Book of the New Testament begins and ends with words respecting the Person anc Glory of the Redeemer, which would be unintelheible, as well as blasphemous, unless He Who there reveals Himself be Lord and God in our nature.

No other thing which God has made known to us has any place in His word to be compared to the place which He has assigned to the Incarnation of His Dear Son, except perhaps the facts of His Son’s Death and Resurrection.

It is immeasurably more prominent than the revelation of a Future State or of Original Sin.

It takes precedence of all enunciations of the general goodness of God, or of the holiness of God, or of His justice, or of His mercy.

All appeals to us to follow the example of Christ’s humility and self-denial assume the truth of His Incarnation, and would fall to the ground without it.

We shall now make good what we have said respecting this place of the Incarnation by appeal to Scripture, and begin our examination with the first Gospel. :

This Gospel commences with a genealogy of the Person Whose words, acts, and sufferings form its subject matter.

As the book of the Old Covenant begins with the generations of the heavens and the earth, so the book of the New begins with the generation of that Human Nature which is emphatically the New Creation.

Unspeakably precious to a believing heart is this opening of the book of God’s New Covenant, for it serves to emphasize, as nothing else could have done, the Person of Christ as the one great object of our Faith. The New Testament sets forth, not a religion, er a philosophy, or a system, but a Person ; and so it

B 2 begins by tracing His descent from men to whom God had given solemn promises that One sprung from their loins should in His own Person redress all the evils of humanity.

Then comes the actual generation of this Son of David—this Son of Abraham. ‘“ When as His Mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, — she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.”

To this Joseph came a message from God through His angel. The angel of the Lord said, “ Fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS, for He shall save His people from their sins.”

Here we have the Blessed Name interpreted, and the true application of its meaning to Him Who bare it asserted in that “He saves His people from their sins.” He saves from sin—z.e. His salvation goes to the very root of all evil, and so is the greatest of all salvations, being a salvation in the spiritual world; and He saves His people, so that the people of God, who are thus saved, are the people of this Jesus, thus miraculously conceived.

The Evangelist then proceeds to assert that the Birth of this Jesus in this supernatural way was a matter which had been in the Divine foreknowledge for ages, and that the leading Jewish Prophet had predicted it, and that He Who was to be thus born was to be called by a name especially applicable to the mystery of His Person—viz. Emmanuel, as meaning “ God with us.”

This word “ Emmanuel,” taken as interpreted, “God with us,’ has ever had the highest meaning attached to it by the Church. It has been ever held to signify “God in our nature,’ and so to set forth the union of real Godhead and real manhood in the Person of Him Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, and Who saves His people from sin. They who would take from Christ His Divine Glory have said that it need not mean this; that such a term is capable of a lower meaning ; that it need only signify that, since the time of Christ, God the Father only (as distinguished from any supposed Son) has been with His people somewhat more effectually than He was before.

Let us examine this Gospel and see whether its witness to the Person of Jesus corresponds best with the Catholic or with the Rationalistic meaning of “ God with us.”

Immediately following the account of His birth, we have the record of certain Magi being directed from some great distance by a star, or meteor, to the place of His Nativity ; and when they found Him, it is said that “ they fell down and worshipped Him,” and “presented unto Him gifts,” not only gold, to be a support to His parents in their poverty, but also frankincense, a substance universally consecrated to the worship of Deity.*

This incident leads to the fight into Egypt. The return from Egypt of this Emmanuel is declared by

* And they brought gifts, such as they might offer symbolically to a being, so to speak, compounded of God and mortal man—gold, as to a king; myrrh, as to one about to die ; encense, as to God.—Origen, Cont. Celsum, 1. 60. Yet they not only worship, but also open their treasures, and offer gifts, and gifts, not as to a man, but as to God.—Chrysostom on Matt, ii. 11.

the Evangelist to be the fulfikment of the prophecy— “Out of Egypt have I called my Son.” So that the application of this prophetic utterance to the whole ' collective people of Israel, whom God brought out of Keypt with a mighty hand and a stretched-out arm, 1s summarily thrust aside by the inspired Evangelist as not comparable in the eye of faith to the bringing out of Egypt of a little infant, the reputed son of a poor artizan, in a country town of Galilee.

After this the Evangelist enters upon the ministry of this Virgin-born Emmanuel. .

In order that men might be prepared to receive Him, one is sent before Him to prepare His way, and this messenger and his office of forerunner is likewise declared to be the fulfilment of a prophecy in which one is described as “ preparing the way of the Lord.” Then this messenger announces that this Jesus Emmanuel was so much greater than himself that he (John) was not worthy to bear His shoes, and also that just as he used the element of water for his Baptism, so this Emmanuel would use the very Holy Ghost Himself as the element of His Baptism; moreover, that the Church of God is the barn-floor of this Emmanuel, and the elect or the saints of Ged are His wheat, and that He would at the last gather them into His barn,—z.e. into heaven, or into His Kingdom of Glory.

Then we have the Baptism of this Jesus, wherein the Holy Spirit takes a bodily shape like’a dove, so that He was visible to eyes of flesh and blood ; and all to honour the submission of this Emmanuel in receiving what was designed for sinners; and at this His Baptism, the voice of the Father witnesses to Him that He is His very Son :—‘“ This is My beloved Son.”

After this we have the trial or temptation—the tempter twice referring to the witness which Jesus had just received from His Father: “ If Thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.” “If Thou be the Son of God, cast Thyself down.”

After this, we have a sermon preached by this Emmanuel, in which, instead of enforcing what He had to say with the words, “Thus saith the Lord,” as the prophets before Him did, He rather speaks as the Lord Himself spake :—“I say unto you ;” and what He says modifies, extends, seems almost sometimes to set aside, what the Divine Being had uttered from the thick cloud and the fire from the top of Sinai. “Ye have heard that it was said to them of old time, (é€pp70y rots apyaioes,) Thou shalt not kill; but I say unto you—’* “ Ye have heard that it was said to them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery ; but I say unto you—’ “ Ye have heard that it was said to them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself; but I say unto you—”

At the end of this sermon the Preacher speaks of a time when men shall pray to Him,—“ Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord.’ He speaks also

* Seest thou authority in perfection? Seest thou a bearing suited to a lawgiver? Why, who among prophets ever spake on this wise? Who among righteous men? Who among Patriarchs ? None, but “ Thus saith the Lord.” But not so the Son. Because they were publishing their Master’s commands, He His Father’s. And when I say His Father’s, I mean His own. For Maine, saith He, are Thine, and Thine are Mine.—Chrysostom on Matt, v. 22. :

of the day when all-men will be assembled before Him to receive their final sentence, and foretells that some shall deprecate His wrath,—‘‘ Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Thy name?” and He, as sovereign judge, will not allow this plea,—‘“ Then will I profess unto them, I never knew you;” reminding us of the words of God Himself, in describing the great day of account :—-“ The ungodly shall not be able to stand in the judgment .. . . for the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous.” So that for the Virgin-born Jesus to know a man at the last day is that man’s aequittal ; and those whom He condemns He bids “ depart from Him,” as if He Himself were the exceeding great reward of the faithful servants of God.

No wonder that they who heard all this from the lips of a man like one of themselves, “were astonished at His doctrine, for He taught them as one having authority.”

Then (chap. viii. 2, 3) one prays to Him,— Lord, if Thou wilt, Thou canst make me clean;” and He answers him as though He were Himself the cleanser,

\Y-—* T will; be thou clean.”

Again, one comes to Him with words which seem to assign to Him the attribute of omnipresence: “ Lord, 1 am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof, but speak the word only—”’ and instead of rebuking homage so seemingly idolatrous, He commends this man’s faith,—* Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not-in Israel” (vill. 10).

Again, we find applied to Him the prophecy,—

i Himself took our infirmities and bare our sicknesses ;” as if His original nature were far above the reach of such evils, and He had stooped to assume a nature of which such evils were the portion (viii. 17). Again, this Emmanuel rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm, bringing to our minds a certain rebuking of that element, recorded in the Scripture* as the mightiest instance of the power of Jehovah Himself, ever put forth on His people’s behalf. In connexion with this miracle. He rebuked His disciples for their want of faith in supposing that the elements were of any power against them whilst He was in the ship—‘‘ Why are ye so fearful, O ye of little faith?” (viii. 26.)

Furthermore, the evil spirits whom He expelled from the Gergesenes cried out,—‘‘ What have we to do with thee, Jesus, Thou Son of God?” and they acknowledged that He had all power in the invisible world as well as in the visible—“ Art Thou come hither to torment us before the time?” (viii. 29.)

Then this Emmanuel encouraged those about Him to exercise faith in Him—in His power and willingness to save—in a way that the greatest of prophets had never presumed to do.

Moses, it is true, once ventured to draw attention to himself as he was performing a miracle—“ Hear, now, ye rebels, must we fetch you water out of this rock?” but it cost him the hope of his life. No entreaties could prevail to obtain a reversal of the sentence pronounced upon him for this one act of self-assertion. On the contrary, the Son of God,