could he have been qualified for those offices in which he was destined to excel; and by which he was eminently distinguished from every other prophet of God. It was for such important purposes, and it was in eonsequence of this perfection of character, that he was honoured with the intimate union with God, which is placed in so striking a point of view by the beloved disciple John; who delights in recording those sayings of Jesus which have a reference to it; "The Father loveth the Son, and has given all things into his hand. As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father. I am in the Father, and the Father in me. I and the Father are one," &c. &c. &c. This is, therefore, a miracle of a peculiar description; that he who was born of a woman, who uniformly styles himself the Son of Man, should be without sin. Whatever may be the opinions of Christians, respecting the physical nature of Christ, however they may interpret particular passages respecting personality, prior existence, or essential inferiority, they must all agree, that in him the fulness of the Godhead dwelled, in a peculiar and unrivalled manner; for in his moral character he was the brightness of his Father's glory, and the express image of his person, ὢν απαύγασμα της δόξης, και χαρακτηρ τῆς ὑποςάσεως αὐτε, being the effulgence of the glory, and character of the nature of him. Nor could the moral attributes of the invisible God, be more conspicuously displayed, and rendered visible to human eyes. Another characteristic excellence, respecting the mission of this divine messenger, is, that all his miracles were works of kindness and com passion. "He went about doing good." He healed all manner of diseases; he was feet to the lame, eyes to the blind. He raised the dead to life, and restored them to their joyful relatives. He miraculously healed the wound inflicted by the zealous Peter, on one of the band appointed to seize his person. He omitted to exert his divine power to procure personal advantage or accommodations to himself, although he had not at all times where to lay his head. Nor did he solicit the aid of the Almighty for his own liberation, although legions of angels were at his command. This striking peculiarity points out a characteristic difference between the miracles of Jesus, and the generality of those which were wrought by the prophets' of God, under the Jewish dispensation. The miracles wrought in Egypt were all of a tremendous nature. They were intended to strike terror and dismay into the unbelieving pagans, and to awe the children of Israel into an obedience to the divine commands. For the same reason was the law promulgated from mount Sinai, in the midst of terrors. Most of the miracles of Jehovah were performed to vindicate his superiority among the surrounding idolaters; and to deter the Israelites from imitating their example. Comparatively few were wrought for the sole purposes of general benevolence. This distinguishing characteristic was reserved for the miracles of Jesus. This new dispensation was preeminently a dispensation of Grace; and the complexion of the miracles, by which it was introduced and established, was ordained to be in perfect unison with its object. To these works he appealed to confirm the truth of his mission. Impostors have never been renowned for going about doing good. When the prophet John sent two of his disciples from his prison, to enquire of Jesus, art thou he who should come, or do we look for another? The answer was, "Go and shew John those things which ye do, hear, and see the blind receive their sight, and : the lame walk, and the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached unto them: and blessed is he whoever shall not be offended in me." His disciples, James and John, who were distinguished for the mildness of their dispositions, observing that their master was not received with due honour by the Samaritans, through a national prejudice, because his face was as though he would go to Jerusalem; under the united emotions of resentment, and of zeal for his honour, they were eager to become the ministers of vengeance, and solicited for power to command fire from heaven and consume them. At this period they were not Christians, in the strictest sense of the term. They were simply disciples, scholars who were learning his doctrines, and preparing for the promulgation of them. They still retained the harsh principles of resentment, and of vindictive justice, which it was not the object of the Jewish system to subdue. Their master rebuked them, saying, "Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of; for the Son of Man is not come to destroy men's lives but to save them." When these and the other disciples, even the zealous Saul, were fully initiated in the principles of the Christian religion, the disposition to persecute others was completely eradicated.. They had learned that it was more becoming the Christian character, to suffer persecution even unto death, for the cause of truth and righteousness, than to make proselytes by compulsion. As in the first introduction of Christianity miracles were necessary, thus were they also to its subsequent promulgation. After the resurrection of their Divine master, the Apostles being delegated to evangelize, or teach the doctrines of Christ's mission, his death, resurrection, forgiveness of sins, and a future judgment, they were also furnished with similar credentials. They were miraculously endowed with the gift of tongues, that they might propagate the gospel among the Gentile nations; and they were enabled to heal the sick, cure the maimed, raise the dead, and perform all those offices of benignity, which corresponded with the benig nant nature of the gospel they preached. The only instances of severity were in two extraordinary cases of absolute necessity. Blindness was inflicted upon the magician, who imagined that the power of working miracles might be purchased with money; and who intended to degrade these gifts of heaven to the most sordid purposes. Ananias and Sapphira were punished |