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CHAP. V.

V. 20. And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son, JESUS CHRIST. This is the true GoD and eternal life.

Here we see that St. John has openly confessed his belief in the Divinity of CHRIST; and, indeed, the whole chapter is so engrossed with the subject, that it is difficult to select what is most to the point where all is so excellent.

SECOND EPISTLE OF ST. JOHN.

V. 9.-Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of CHRIST, hath not GOD. He that abideth in the doctrine of CHRIST, he hath both the Father and the Son.

The doctrine which St. John thought to be orthodox may be learned by reading the fifth chapter of the preceding Epistle; and, indeed, we may trace the same consistent declarations through all the inspired writers, concerning the Divinity of CHRIST.

THE GENERAL EPISTLE OF JUDE.

V. 21. Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our LORD JESUS CHRIST unto eternal life.

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Here is a reference to CHRIST, as to the merciful judge, to whom we are taught to look, for eternal life and moreover a second person is distinctly spoken of, for we are commanded to preserve the love of GOD.

V. 25.-To the only Wise GoD, our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever.

With this magnificent declaration of the Divine Majesty of CHRIST does the series of Epistles end.

THE REVELATION OF ST. JOHN THE DIVINE.

CHAP. I.

V. 8.-I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the LORD, which is, and which was, and which is to come, The ALMIGHTY.

ISA. Ch. xliv. V. 6.-Thus saith JEHOVAH, King of Israel, and his Redeemer, JEHOVAH of hosts, I am the first and I am the last, and beside me there is no ELOHIM.

In the above we are distinctly taught that CHRIST is the ALMIGHTY; and in Isaiah, that the Redeemer is ELOHIM, for I believe every one will allow that the "Son of Man" and "Lord" are terms used for CHRIST JESUS throughout the New Testament.

CHAP. XVII.

V. 14.-These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them, For He is LORD of lords and KING of kings.

DEUT. Ch. x. V. 17.-For JEHOVAH your GOD is GOD ELOHIM, the LORD of lords, a Great GoD, a Mighty and a Terrible.

How perfectly do these two texts agree and confirm the identity of our Blessed Saviour, the Lamb of God, with the JEHOVAH of the Old Testament.

CHAP. XXII.

V. 16.—I, JEsus, have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star. 18. For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, GoD shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book; 19. And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, GOD shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city.

CONCLUSION.

We have already seen that the later writers of the Jewish Scriptures referred to the Books of Moses as to a common centre; and we have seen, in the foregoing pages, that the Evangelists refer to these Jewish writers for the confirmation of what they assert was fulfilling in their times, and was to be fulfilled hereafter; and the authors of the Epistles also cement, as it were, together the whole body of inspired writings into one mass, for they refer to, and largely quote both from the Old Testament and the Gospels; thus obeying in the fullest extent the command of their risen Redeemer-" Search the Scriptures, for they it is which testify of me." The result of this research was an implicit belief in the Divinity of CHRIST.

St. John the Evangelist says, ch. i. v. 1., " In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with GOD, and the Word was GOD.

St. Matthew, ch. iii. v. 3., records that St. John the Baptist quotes this prophecy of Isaiah as relating to our Saviour, viz.

This is HE that was spoken of by Esaias, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of JEHOVAH, make his paths straight.

St. Stephen, while being stoned, Acts, ch. vii. v. 38, speaking of CHRIST, says—

This is HE that was in the church in the wilderness with the angel, which spoke to him in Mount Sinai.

Look at the corresponding paragraph in Exodus, ch. xix. v. 3, and it will be seen that it is Jehovah who speaks to Moses.

St. Luke confirms St. Matthew's account, that St. John is appointed to make ready the people prepared for the LORD (JEHOVAH).

St. Peter in his Epistle, ch. i. v. 1, says—

David, speaking concerning Jesus, saith, I foresaw the LORD (JEHOVAH) always before my face, for he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved,

St. Paul, writing to the Colossians, says, ch. ii.—

For in Him (CHRIST) dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.

These few clear and very decisive instances will, I hope, show that the Apostles and Evangelists fully believed in the Divinity of our Blessed Redeemer, and that this is the creed they take so much pains to inculcate. This faith they derived from the law and the prophets, their intercourse with JESUS CHRIST, and the inspiration of the HOLY GHOST.

The stability and sincerity of this faith they proved by enduring torments, and even death itself, in confirmation of it. Surely, then, men must read the law and the prophets, and the writings of these divinelyinspired Christians, with strangely-perverted minds, who deduce from them opinions totally at variance with those which these authors so openly and anxiously declared; and if they contrive to extract deadly poisons from these sources that have supplied holy men since the creation of the world with abundant streams of living water.

It is not the evidences of Revelation that are defective and unsatisfactory, for, as our Saviour said in the parable, "If men believe not Moses and the pro

phets, neither will they believe though one rose from the dead." Is not this undeniably proved by the misgivings and murmurings of the Jews, when conducted by JEHOVAH himself through the wilderness.

The accession which the inspired evidences require is, a teachable and humble mind in him who searches into the records of eternal life. Let us, then, with heart and soul implore ALMIGHTY GOD, who has caused these holy Scriptures to be written for our learning, that he will bestow upon us his influential spirit, that we may in such wise read-mark-learnand inwardly digest them-that, by patience and the comfort of his holy word, we may thankfully embrace, and for ever hold fast, the blessed hope of everlasting life, which he has given us in our LORD and SAVIOUR, JESUS CHRIST.-Amen and Amen.

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