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1. Jesus Christ declared himself to be a being distinct from God. Our text may be first stated in proof of this position.-"Jesus lifted up his eyes heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glori fy thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee. As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him. And this is eternal life, that they should know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent. I have glorified thee on the earth I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do. And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self, with the glory I had with thee before the world was." Is it possible that two beings should be more clearly distinguished from each other, than Christ here distinguishes himself from God? In the passage, he speaks of himself in his most exalted character, as the Messiah, executing a divine commission, and giving eternal life to man. What is its obvious meaning? There is only one true God-Jesus is the Christ, or the anointed of God, whom he sent into the world, to whom he gave power to confer eternal life on the children of God; a declaration that Jesus had accomplished the moral purpose, for which God sent him into the world, and thereby manifested the glory of the Being who thus sent him; and a devout prayer that he might be admitted to the divine presence, there to receive the honour and glory appointed as the reward of the faithful execution of the office of Mediator on earth. If any one doubt whether, in these passages, Christ speaks of himself as a distinct being from God-subordinate to him—

receiving a commission from him-invested with power for its execution-declaring the accomplishment of the high purposes of his embassy—and invoking the reward of obedience to a divine command,—let him try to put similar sentiments into plainer language. Under this head of our subject, it is not necessary to quote more passages. The same distinction will be apparent in every text produced on subsequent points. Though Trinitarians admit the Unity of God, they contend for three persons in the Godhead. While they object to the common meaning of the term person, in their reasonings they adopt it in its usual sense; and unless the general acceptation of the term be admitted, either their arguments are unintelligible or their conclusions do not follow from their premises. I can form no other conception of three persons as separate agents, than of three beings; nor of a Godhead of Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, than of three Gods.

The Jews of our Saviour's day accused him of blasphemy, and alleged that, being a man, he made himself God. Did Jesus on this occasion claim the attributes of Deity? Hear his own reply. "Jesus answered them-Is it not written in your law, I said ye are gods? If he called them gods unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken; say ye of him whom the Father hath sanctified and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am the Son of God?"

2. Jesus Christ disclaimed the essential attributes of Supreme Divinity, underived power, omniscience, and absolute goodness; and he proclaimed his inferiority to the Father.

Our Saviour claimed not for himself underived power." Verily, verily, I say unto you, the Son can do nothing of himself. Of myself I can do nothing." After his resurrection, and in his last address to his disciples, his language is-" All pówer is given unto me, in heaven and on earth." In these passages, Christ is speaking of the moral purposes of his mediatorial office. In one of them he affirms, that of himself he could do nothing; and in the other, that he was invested with power from God to carry to consummation the high purposes of his kingdom.

When one asked him-"Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life? Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is God." God alone possesses original, inexhaustible, infinite goodness. We have brought the clearest proof that Christ acknowledged himself a being distinct from God; and we here learn that he disclaimed the goodness which is an attribute of Deity.

Omniscience our Saviour also disclaimed. Predicting the heaviest judgments to his countrymen, and at the same time, in the opinion of many, directing the minds of his disciples to the day of final retribution, he declares-" Of that day and that hour knoweth no man, nor the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son; but the Father." In language which cannot be mistaken, Jesus here avers, that in respect to the precise period when the predicted judgments would be inflicted, he himself was ignorant, and that God only knew it. The manner in which an attempt is made to evade the

force of this and similar declarations of our Saviour, I shall notice in the close of the present discourse. An avowal of inferiority to God is implied in evéry text selected to support our several positions. I shall adduce one directly to this point.“ My Fa ther is greater than L." Our Saviour, in the place where this declaration is made, was addressing his disciples on the subject of his death, and opening sources of comfort to them, from the prospects which his resurrection would present to their view; and, as the greatest support to their minds, he states that the moral purposes of his reign would be consummated by the assistance of God. "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. If ye loved me, ye would rejoice because I said, I go unto the Father; for my Father is greater than I. I love the Father; and as the Father gave me commandment, even so I do." Christ evidently here speaks of himself in his most exalted character, and absolutely disclaims an equality with the Father.

3. Jesus Christ declares that he appeared in our world as the Messenger of God; and that he preached not his own doctrines, but those of his Father who sent him.

Numerous passages might be brought in support of this position. I must be satisfied with a few of the most select. "I am come in my Father's name. Then cried Jesus in the temple, I am not come of myself, but he that sent me is true. I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me. My doctrine is not

mine, but his that sent me. Then said Jesus unte them, When ye have lifted up the Son of Man, then shall ye know that I am he, and that I can do nothing of myself; but as my Father taught me, I speak these things. I have not spoken of myself; but the Father, who sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak." In a prayer addressed by our Saviour to God, we find the following expressions-"I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee; and they have believed that thou didst send me." All these texts have an immediate reference to the high moral purposes of the divine mission of Jesus Christ. Additional comments are not necessary; their meaning cannot be made more plain by any remarks of mine.

4. Jesus Christ prayed to God, as the great object of worship; and he directed his disciples to offer their prayers to God through him as the one Mediator.

Every Christian knows that our divine Lord has set us an example as respects the duty of prayer, as well as in all other instances of piety and virtue. He joined with his countrymen in the publick offices of their religion, and often retired for private devotion. But every Christian does not attend to the fair inference from these facts, that Christ must be a being subordinate to God, to whom his prayers are directed. Let us then hear the language of our Saviour in prayer.-" Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard