withdrew his light, the rocks rent-these convulsions of nature could not be mistaken-its author in some way must have been the sufferer. He must then have perished with a falsehood in his mouth, or what he asserted of himself is true. In short, he is God, or he is not, he is Deity or a deceiver. This inference I take to be irresistible.

In the habitable parts of the earth, Wisdom had this cup of gall and bitterness to drink. Even in this he rejoiced: "In the volume of the book it is written of me, I delight to do thy will, O my God."

3. The mediatorial reign of the Son of God next claims our attention. Is he dead or does he still live? Has he survived the mighty struggle with the powers of darkness, or has he sunk to rise no more? Is the whole narrative of his resurrection nothing else than "a cunningly devised fable?” The present state of the world, in connexion with the general scope of scripture prophecy, stand opposed to such a conclusion. Plain matter of fact, now before the eyes of every man, proves that as a Prince and a Savior, he is exalted and reigning in the invisible heavens over the church militant on earth; and that the world is now under the moral administration of the Son of God. The curse of the law lay heavy on his grave. This mighty stone is rolled away; he is risen indeed, and declared to be the Son of God with power.

"Raised from the dead in awful state,

He opened heaven's eternal gate.

He entered as first begotten from the dead, the moral head and representa tive of a numerous seed; and in their name, took possession of a kingdom destined "to break in pieces all the kingdoms of the world, and stand itself for ever." What do we now see? This prophetic fact evidently fulfilling, all around us in the earth. Look at the current events of the moment. The east, and the west, the north, and the south. What light is this we now see breaking forth over all the dark places of the globe? It springs from the Sun of righteousness, who is rising over all the nations with healing in his wings,-from Him who is the true light of the world, who, of old, was destined to be the light of the Gentiles, and the glory of his people Israel. All the world will soon be seen in motion-crowds of people of all tongues-hosts flocking together as doves to their windowsmultitudes, in number as the sand by the sea, or as the dew from the womb of the morning. Such will be the case at the approach of the millenium: it will surely come, yea, it is now at our very doors. Whence then this mighty stir? How shall we account for it? "I, if I be lifted up, will draw all men unto me." No other satisfactory cause can ever be assigned. We mark the motions of the heavenly bodies, and we stand amazed at that power that manages all their movements. A more marvelous display of the omnipotence of Jesus is seen in raising souls from the death of sin, and imparting new life, sensibility and motion to human spirits towards himself, as a common centre. In creation, God stands identified in his works, so that all men, even pagan nations, are left wholly inexcusable. In redemption, Messiah stands clearly identified in his work; so that all men living under the light and laws of revelation are much more inexcusable. The management exercised over the chosen tribes, was the management of their own Messiah. It was mediatorial management, the moral administration of Jehovah, the Angel. To him the patriarchs directed their homage, (compare Gen. 32:24-30, with 33:20.) The present management of the church now among the Gentiles is mediatorial management. It is the moral administration of the same Angel," who was with the church

in the wilderness," who was adored by the enlightened founders and fathers of the Hebrew nation, who saw his day afar off. The very same, also, who was worshipped by the primitive fathers and founders of christianity. "They died calling upon the name of the Lord Jesus."

Invested with all the high attributes of Deity, his omniscience surveys with delight the whole habitable globe-all the abodes of men. "He still walks among the golden candlesticks." In the plenitude of his "all power" as mediator, holding in his hands the sovereign keys of heaven, death, and hell, his sceptre equally extends to worlds, visible and invisible, and his rule over angels, men and devils. It was he who sat enthroned over the amber wheels in the vision of Ezekiel, and directed all their movements: "above the firmament that was over their heads," says the prophet," was the likeness of a throne, and upon the likeness of the throne was the likeness of a man." Ezek. 1:26. It was the same who descended from heaven, in the visions of John, clothed with a cloud; a rainbow was upon his head, his face was, as it were, the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire. He set his right foot upon the sea, and his left foot upon the earth, in token of his sovereign authority, and lifted up his hand to heaven, and sware by him that liveth for ever and ever, that there should be time no longer. Rev. 10:1.5. These are striking emblems, the precise signification of which cannot well be mistaken. They exhibit the sovereignty and certainty of the moral administration of eternal Wisdom, now in his incarnate state, over all the kingdoms of men. "The Father hath given all things into his hand-he shall put down all rule, and all authority, and all powerhe must reign till he hath put all enemies under his feet." 1 Cor. 15:24. A jot of this shall not fail until all is accomplished.

4. Let us, in the last place, view the Son of God as Supreme Judge in the great day. The object of the Father, from eternity, was to glorify the Son in time and eternity. Therefore, on bringing his first begotten into the world, orders were issued for all the angels in heaven to worship him. The angels obeyed: "thousand thousands minister unto him." With a loud voice they continue to sing "blessing, and honor, and glory, and pow er, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever. But the last and highest mark of honor the Father will confer upon him, who lay in his bosom, will be seen in the general judgment, when He shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired ed in all them that believe. There is a moment fixed in the mind of the commander in chief of a great army, when the mighty conflict, in which he is engaged, will terminate, victory proclaimed throughout all the host, and when his rejoicings shall be complete. To this point, all the movements of the whole underta king from first to last, were especially directed; so all revelation rests upon the fact of the final triumph of christianity-the sounding of the last trum pet-and the second appearing of Jesus Christ-when all the operations Wisdom shall be wound up, and all the plans and counsels entered into be fore all worlds-the whole machinery of Providence and redemption openly displayed in the full view of the assembled universe. "And I saw a great

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white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them, and the books were opened; and they were judged, every man according to his works.” this hour of final retribution, conscience directs all her appeals. thought of this made Felix and Belshazzar tremble, and devils cry, "torment us not before the time." This awful day forces upon the attention of

A fore

the common observer of Providence: "I saw under the sun the place of judgment, that wickedness was there, and the place of righteousness, that iniquity was there, I said in mine heart God shall judge the righteous and the wicked." It is engraved upon all the volumes of violated law: yea, the whole creation of God travails in pain, nature sighs in all her works for such an event.

But who among all the sons of God is capable of occupying the seat of supreme judge in this grand and terrible assize, where thoughts and motives, as well as words and actions, demand the attention of the judge? Who among all the sons of the mighty has power sufficient to collect so great an assembly, to roll up these heavens as a scroll, to break the slumber of ages, and raise the dead incorruptible? Can it be the man who stood pale before Pilate? who hung upon the cross uttering lamentations, and breathing out his last breath in agony and despair? Yes, the same, who says in the context, "I have strength"-who claims omnipotence and om niscience the very same who says, "I search the hearts"-who says, "the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear the voice of the Son of man, and come forth,"-who says, "all power in heaven and earth is mine." To him is committed all the proceedings of the great day; "for the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son, that all men should honor the Son, even as they honor the Father." "This same Jesus," as "the mighty God, shall be revealed from heaven in flaming fire," suddenly "with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and the trump of God." Every amenable being, million of millions, in the twinkling of an eye, are laid under the most powerful ar rest-it is the judgment of the great day. Every eye shall see him, every ear shall hear the sound of that voice that cried upon the cross-then the voice of a lamb, now the voice of a lion-then the voice of compassion, now the voice of vengeance,- —“ Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels." The sentence is just; every mouth is stopped, and the whole world at once becomes guilty before God. There is no appeal-hell trembles-but heaven rejoiceth at the last sentence of the Supreme Judge: "Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world." The mighty work is now done-the covenant is closed-the bridegroom rejoiceth over his bride, and are conducted in triumph into the palace of the great King, to an eternal banquet where all things are ready-where all the rejoicings of the Godhead in eternity, and all the rejoicings in the habitable parts of the earth, over repenting sinners in distant times, and distant ages, meet and unite, and all redeemed nature join together with them. "And I heard, as

it were, the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor to him; for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready." Rev. 19:6,7. Such, we believe, shall be the closing scene of that redemption, planned in eternity, and accomplished in time, by the personal ministry and death of eternal WISDOM.

ONE inference from the whole, viz: That our Savior Jesus Christ is co-equal, co-essential, and co-eternal, with Jehovah the Father, in the same Godhead.

1. If not, the Bible is stripped of its meaning. Its inspiration rests upon the fact of a supernatural communication. It is the substance of a correspondence that passed between eternal Wisdom, and his own intelligent

ereatures, between the angel Jehovah, and the sons of men in the habitable parts of the earth: a correspondence as far above that conducted by the genius of carnal reason, as mind is above matter, or the heavens above the earth. On this correspondence Wisdom has stamped his own image; his divinity enlivens-every page, it is the soul of the system; strike it out, and every text relating to his character becomes unintelligible; strike it out, and the Bible at once becomes the most uninteresting, and self-contradictory of any volume that ever had claims on the attention of mankind,-like a system without a sun, it would remain destitute of heat and animation, of light and life.

2. If not, he could not have fulfilled that distinct work assigned him in the covenant of redemption. To make a plenary satisfaction to eternal justice for a multitude which no man can number-to magnify the divine law and make it honorable, and make a priest and a king of the criminal that broke it to strip a miserable creature of all its crimes, and of all its miseries, and clothe it with an exceeding and eternal weight of glory-to bruise the serpent's head, expose his plots, and break the snare into which he had seduced the whole race of man-to redeem from bondage, restore to order, and reunite in one, a host of penitents far surpassing the power of numbers, out of every kindred, and nation, and tongue, and people to raise a world, fallen under the displeasure of Jehovah to life and immortality-to make a new creation-who can do all this? but the Almighty. Rev. 1:8.

3. Finally: If Jesus be not God, in the strict sense of the word, his cross is stripped of all its glory, his atonement of all its merit and efficacy, and we, who believe, are of all men the most miserable. Sin is an offence against an infinite God, a violation of his royal and righteous law, a public revolt from under the moral order of duty, at which the heavens stand as tonished. Jer. 2:12.

What will atone for a deed that merits death, temporal and eternal? Will ten thousand rams, or ten thousand rivers of oil? No. All this is finite; the guilt of mankind is infinite. Will a creature alone upon a cross? At this my hope dies, my soul sickens, my heart and flesh languish in despair.

"Jesus, my God, thy blood alone

Has power sufficient to atone."

Only admit this couplet in its full meaning, and all is safe: hope rises within me, the cross rises before me in grandeur, and I am made to gaze upon the greatest WONDER in the universe. "O, the depth of its riches! O, the wonderful WISDOM of God." Amen,

THE NATURE AND EXTENT OF MAN'S ABILITY TO OBEY THE LAW OF GOD.

MATTHEW 25:15. And unto one, he gave five talents; to another two, to another one; to every man according to his several ability.

This parable is intended to illustrate the manner in which God deals with men; to show our relation to him, and to vindicate his conduct towards us. For this purpose, a man is introduced, having servants under him; the proceeds of the labor of these servants, was evidently the property, or right of the master. Before setting out, he divides his goods among his servants; he gave to each a particular portion in order that each one might know precisely what he had to do; what care and labor would devolve on him. If he had left his goods among them, in mass, the idle might have neglected their duty, at the expense of the diligent; their contduct would not be so clearly seen; and their default would have been less obvious. Having thus distributed to each his share, he enjoins on them to employ this property, so that it should yield an increase; he charges them, "Occupy till I come.' In this distribution he seems to have regarded the various capacities of the servants, that no one should be perplexed with more than he was able to manage. To those of larger powers he gave more, to those of inferior attainments he gave less so that they all had alike power to improve their several shares, and were thus without excuse, for neglect of duty. Of these servants, two were faithful to their master; they, diligently apply themselves to business, and consequently, double the goods left in their hands; the other, hides his lord's money, and, no doubt, spends his time in idleness. When the master returns, he rewards the faithful, and punishes the idle.

In the application of this parable, we may recognize God as represented by the master, and mankind by the servants. The journey taken, alludes to the withdrawment of God's visible presence, and our state of probation. The talents, include all the privileges and blessings which we receive at the hand of God during our probation. The different amounts given, shows that God requires of us according to the privileges he bestows. These requirements seem also to have a relation to our various capacities. The rewards and punishment of the servants, exhibit the manner in which God will finally display his justice and grace, in punishing the wicked and in rewarding the righteous with crowns of everlasting life.

The passage selected as the text, has been often used as evidence that man is able to render all that God requires of him. This appears, however, to be proving quite too much by the passage, and consequently fails to prove any thing. The ability of the servants seems evidently to allude to the original capacities of man, or his ability when he was first placed on