"thee, and I will give thee rest. And he (that is "Moses) said, I beseech thee show me thy glory," Deut. xxxiii. 12. 14. and 18. Briefly noticing this I pass on 2dly, to observe the testimony of the holy prophets :-of whom the prophiets did write, and this also was of Jesus of Nazareth the Son of Joseph. David as quoted by the apostle Paul, David the man after God's own heart, was not ashamed to ascribe to the Lord Jesus, the tokens of essential divinity. " And thou Lord, in the beginning hast " laid the foundation of the earth; and the Hea"vens are the works of thine hands; they shall pe“ rish, but thou remainest; and they shall all wax " old as doth a garment; and as a vesture shalt " thou fold them up, and they shall be changed; " but thou art the same, and thy years shall not "fail," Psm. cii. 24 to 27, with Heb. i. 10 to 13. Holy Job of old also though no prophet, could not forbear to add his testimony, to the just claims of the Lord Jesus to divinity as represented by the personification of wisdom. "I wisdom dwell with " prudence, I love them that love me I lead in "the way of righteousness; I was set up from "everlasting-before the mountains were settled, "before the hills was I brought forth," Prov. viii. Further, the express voice of the prophets, " thou Bethlehem Ephrateh, though thou be little 66 "But among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee " shall he come forth unto me, that is to be ruler " in Israel, whose goings forth have been of old, "from everlasting," Micah. "Yet I am the Lord "thy God from the land of Egypt, and thou shali " know no God but me; for there is no Saviour "beside me." Hosea xiii. 4. "Seventy weeks are " determined upon thy people, and upon thy holy "city, to finish the transgression, and to make an " end of sins-and to bring in everlasting righte" ousness-from the going forth of the command"ment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the "Messiah the prince shall be seven weeks, and "threescore and two weeks. And after threescore " and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not "for himself. Daniel ix. 24 to 27. " I had pity " for my holy name which the house of Israel had "profaned, therefore say unto the house of Israel, "thus saith the Lord God, I do not this for your "sakes-but for my holy name's sake, and I will "sanctify my great name, then will I sprinkle " clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean; "from all your filthiness and from all your idols, " will I cleanse you. A new heart also will I "give you, and I will put my Spirit within you" and ye shall be my people and I will be your "God. Not for your sakes do I this saith the " Lord God, be it known unto you." Ezek. xxxvi. 21 to 32. " Behold I will send my messenger and " he shall prepare the way before me; and the Lord “ whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, "even the messenger of the covenant whom ye delight "in. But who may abide in the day of his coming? "But unto you that fear my name, shall the Son " of Righteousness arise with healing in his wings," Mal. iii. 1, 2. iv. 2. And further, still we see all these proofs summed up as it were, and joined together in one great and glorious head: expressly styled by the titles of Jehovah the Lord of Hosts. "For unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is "given: and the government shall be upon his " shoulders: and his name shall be called Wonder"ful, Counsellor, the mighty God, the everlasting "Father, the prince of Peace." Isa. ix. 6. But to proceed in Christ's claim to essential divinity as asserted by himself. "Nathaniel said unto "him (i. e. to Philip) Can any good thing Come " out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, come " and see. Jesus saw Nathaniel coming to him, " and saith of him, Behold an Israelite indeed in "whom is no guile." "Nathaniel," as if doubting his divinity, yet surprised at his seeming acquaintance with his character, "saith unto him, "Whence knowest thou me. Jesus answered and " said unto him, Before that Philip called thee, " when thou wast under the fig-tree I saw thee." And now "Nathaniel," as if convinced of the divinity of Christ, " answered and saith unto him, "Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the "king of Israel. Jesus answered and said unto “him, Because I said unto thee, I saw thee under "the fig-tree believest thou? thou shalt see greater "things than these; and he said unto him, (in the " words on which we found this first remark) Verily, "verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see "Heaven open, and the angels of God ascending " and descending upon the Son of Man." Second, Verily, verily, I say unto you, before Abraham was I Am. John viii. 58. Though from this passage, a proof of the pre-existence of Christ before he came to suffer for us, might be argued, yet as this has just been spoken of under the foregoing head, under the personification of wisdom; the present head, will be appropriated to some little proof of the proper application of the divine title I Am to Christ. And here it may be noted, Ist. That I Am, is the title of the great and incomprehensible God. When Moses was sent unto Pharaoh, that he might bring forth the people out of the land of Egypt, "Moses said unto God, Behold, when I " come unto the children of Israel, and shall say " unto them, the God of your fathers hath sent “me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is "his name? What shall I say unto them? And "God said unto Moses, I Am that I Am; and he " said thus shalt thou say unto the children of Is"rael, I Am, hath sent me unto you." And then as if Jehovah determined still more to apply this glorious title to himself, "God said moreover unto "Moses; Thus shalt thou say unto the children of " Israel, the Lord God of your fathers, the God " of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of " Jacob hath sent me unto you; this is my name "for ever, and this is my memorial to all genera"tions," Exod. iii. 13 to 15. But, 2nd, I Am, is the title of the glorious Son of God, in that essential divinity which he claims with the Father and Holy Spirit from all eternity. And this might be gathered from the passage which has led to the present remark, viz. " Before Abra"ham was I Am." But we cannot pass by without a further remark on the passage just quoted from Exodus, whence it may be observed that this glorious I Am was sent of the Father to Moses and the people of Israel. If we consult the structure of the 13th chap. 14 and 15 verses, we may see one person speaking as God, and another spoken of as God. The person speaking seems to be Jehovah Jesus in his character of the sent of the Father, sending Moses to the people of Israel. Moses had considered himself as sent of God when he says, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you. " And God, " (Jehovah Jesus) said unto Moses, I Am that I " Am: thus shalt thou say unto the children of “ Israel, I Am hath sent me unto you." But this person speaking as God, speaks also of another as God, " And God said unto Moses, Thus shall "thou say unto the children of Israel, the Lord "God of your fathers, &c. hath sent me unto "you." Yet though the Lord Jesus thus maintained his essential Divinity in the Old Testament, |