"Jehovah) our Righteousness." Zechariah: "Sing "and rejoice, O daughter of Sion: for, lo, I come, "and I will dwell in the midst of thee, saith the "Lord." And Malachi, "The Lord, whom ye seek, "shall suddenly come to His temple, even the "Messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in; "behold He shall come, saith the Lord of hosts."

There are many other passages in which the Messiah (as learned Jews themselves acknowledge) is named "Jehovah," or is in various ways represented by the Prophets as God, as the Lord, as Immanuel, "God with us." Such texts as have been cited are obvious and direct, of a nature forcibly to arrest the attention of the devout enquirer. Further, in the Gospels he will observe the Saviour not simply speaking, but acting as Divine; familiarly displaying, even during His sojourn in the flesh, the attributes of God. The nature of some of our Lord's miracles have always been considered as remarkable corroborations of His own expressions, and those of Holy Writ concerning Him. Was it believed that God alone could forgive sins? Was the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of the Most High? Was it emphatically written of God, that He createth the wind, stilleth the noise of the seas, treadeth on the waves of the sea, declareth unto man what is in his thoughts, revealeth secrets? The Son of Man also walks upon the seas, controls the waves, communicates miraculous powers, inspires the Holy Spirit, knows all thoughts, and discovers that He knows them. Why, one such instance happening to us as to Nathaniel, would have doubtless forced from us, as from him, the instant confession, "Rabbi, thou art the Son of

"God; thou art the King of Israel." And it was but the natural effect of other miracles upon the minds of men who knew the Scriptures which prompted those expressions of wonder and awe, "Who is this that forgiveth sins also?" "What "manner of man is this, that even the winds and "the sea obey him?" "What a word is this! for "with authority and power He commandeth the "unclean spirits, and they come out; " or which threw His disciples at His feet, exclaiming, “Of a "truth thou art the Son of God." Yet this was not all to heighten this impression, and to justify it, He confirmed by express miracles His most remarkable assertions of Divine authority. He causes the sick of the palsy to take up his bed and walk, to this end, that they might "Know that the "Son of Man had power on earth to forgive sins." He not only asserts that He "has power to lay "down His life, and has power to take it up "again," but thereupon He is "declared to be the "Son of God, with power by the resurrection from "the dead." He not only breathes upon the disciples, and saith, "Receive ye the Holy Ghost," promises that He will come to them, and be ever with them; promises that when He is departed He will send the Holy Spirit from the Father, but after His departure He fulfils these glorious promises, and visibly sheds forth those manifest gifts of the Spirit which are an earnest of His unseen presence in the Church "even unto the end of the world."

Now, the effect of these considerations is twofold. They go far to establish the truth of that mysterious confession of the Church, "that our "Lord, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is God and

66 man." But they do more. They prepare the mind for the teaching of the Apostles, which appears to be the natural expansion and application of what had been taught before. Do the Apostles assert the doctrine in the most startling terms, or do they act upon it, worship Him, pray to Him, bless His people in His name, conjointly with those of the Father, and of the Holy Spirit? We can treat none of these things with suspicion or distrust. "In "the beginning was the Word, and the Word was "with God, and the Word was God; All things "were made by Him." And yet "the Word was "made flesh, and dwelt among us; " "by Him "were all things created that are in heaven, "and that are in earth, visible and invisible, "whether they be thrones, or dominions, or princi"palities, or powers; all things were created by "Him and for Him and He is before all things, "and by Him all things consist;" and yet "He "is the head of the body, the Church;" "being "in the form of God, He thought it not robbery to "be equal with God: "and yet "He made Himself "of no reputation, took upon Him the form of a "servant, and was made in the likeness of men: "He took not on Him the nature of angels; but He "took on Him the seed of Abraham: for as much as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, "He also Himself likewise took part of the same. Nevertheless He is "the first and the last; glory "and dominion are unto Him for ever and ever." The Baptist acknowledges, "He that cometh from "above is above all." Thomas addresses Him as his "Lord and his God; " Stephen, "full of the Holy "Ghost," breathes his last prayer to Him and to

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Him commends his spirit; even to Christ, "who is "over all," says St. Paul, "God blessed for ever. "Amen." None of these things, however mysterious, can we receive with distrust, when we also are full of the language of the Holy Spirit, speaking not only by Evangelists and Apostles, but by the Prophets of old, and in our Lord Himself, for we feel that the structure of our faith is strong and sure, built upon the foundation of the Scriptures, New and Old, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief corner-stone.

After this manner, then, by comparison of Scripture with Scripture, and of the New Testament with the Old; weighing well the force and design, not of mere words, but of passages taken together with their context, and illustrated by others, all equally proceeding from the same Inspiration, may we hope by the Divine blessing to attain the Truth.

Few and simple as are the Christian Rites and Institutions as they proceeded from our Saviour and His Apostles, and striking as is the contrast in this respect between the Gospel and the Law; still the Gospel is not, and never was devoid of appropriate and very important outward Ordinances. Nor are the Christian Institutions unconnected with Christian Truth, and therefore with our belief. We must now, therefore, endeavour to develop the office and uses of the Christian Church with regard to the Truths immediately connected with the Christian ordinances, or rather, as before, the uses of the Church, in this respect, "in conjunction with Holy "Scripture."

The office of the Church is obviously far more

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extensive in relation to Rites and Institutions than in the instance of Doctrines. Less is prescribed to her; more, consequently, committed to her charge and her discretion, "Let all things be done unto edifying;" "Let all things be done decently and "in order;" such are the directions addressed by St. Paul to the Church of Corinth; in the Church of Crete an individual is commissioned "to set in "order the things that are wanting." Our Lord Himself prescribes two Rites, and only two; but neither does He, nor do His Apostles, bequeath to the Church any instructions concerning the time or the details of their celebration.

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Most unreasonable, indeed, would it be to imagine that the Church was left at the close of the Apostles' ministry with no other than these general directions, no models for the edifying and orderly administration of her religious Ritual or Polity. Titus, of course, did "set in order," in the Church of Crete, "the things that were wanting." St. Paul having given to the Corinthians some of the most important precepts respecting the celebration of the Eucharist, and having promised besides that the rest he would set in order when he came," did no doubt prescribe such points of order and decorum as would tend to check in practice, as well as in principle, any future profanation of that holy ordinance. Nevertheless it remains true that a very large discretion was still allowed to the Churches as expressed in our Articles: "the Church hath "power to decree Rites or Ceremonies," and that the particular Forms of Divine worship, and the Rites and Ceremonies appointed to be used therein, are things in their own nature indifferent, and alterable, and so acknowledged.