The Newberry herald. [volume] (Newberry, S.C.) 1865-1884, 1872-05-08
Interesting Reading.
CHRIST WAS GOD,

Broadway Baptist Church was
crowded yesterday morning, many
strangers and visitors from other
denominations being present to
hear tho eloquent and ablo pastor,
Rov. $. b. Hawthorne, in his dis
course upon "Tho Divinity of
Chtist, or Three Questions forUni-
tarians.' The following is an ab-
stract Of his sermon:
! 'Who being in the form of God, thought it
not robbery to be equal with God, -
(Phil. 9 6.
There is, said the minister, a
class of :cligionists among us who
maintain that Jesus Christ was
not tho incarnation Of the invisi-
bic God, but only the wisest, bost
and greatest OF men: that his
death was not vicuriouS, but SIM
ply tho necessary and natural re-
suit of his innovations as q great
and wiso teacher. They hold at
same timo that the Bible is truo
and mono other than tho word of
God.
No Christian, no ono, who by
the Holy Ghost has been cnatlcd
to say that jesus Christ is tho Son
of God, could over seriously doubt
His divinity. But before Il man
has known Christ by tho Holy
Spirit-known him by an actual
experience of tho sonl--hc is liable
10 become tho victim either Of
Unitarianism or some other form
Of infdclity.
Thorc arc three questions which
l. wish you to consider this morn
ing:
First-Worc tho teachings and
conduct of Christ such as would
naturally mako the impression
upon the minds Of those who heard
and saw Him that Ilo claimed to
be God, and that He believed HIM
self to be God ?
L havo heard Unitarians indulge
in the most rapturous laudations
OF tho "Sermon on the Mount."-
They could SEQ divinity in every
limo Of it-"tho eternal hcraldry
and signature Of God Almighty
from first to last" But can any
rational man read that sermon
without porcoiving IL conscious
ness on tho part Of tho Speaker Of
an authority, u power and dig
nifty that belonged to no mere
creature ? Take rs an example
those words: "Many will say un-
to Mo in that day, Lord have wo
not prophesicd in thy namc, in
thy name cast out devils, and in
thy namo done many wonderful
works? And then will | profess
unto them l never knew you; de-
part from mo yc that work iniqui-
ty." Strange words for tho SON
of Mary and Of Joseph, tho car.
pcntcr. Strange words for ono so
poor and surrounded by those as
poor as himself, if he did not DO.
licvo that ho was divine and had
no intention of making this i'm
preston upon tho multitude.
Take his words on another oc.
casion: "Philip saith unto mo,
Lord, show us tho Father and it
sufliceth us. Jesus saith unto him,
Have [ been SO long time with
you, and hast thou not known me,
Philip? lie that hast seen mo
has seen the Father, and how say
est thou, show us tho Father?
Boliovcst thon not that | am in
tho Father and the Father in
mo ?"
No ono, not even an infidel of
tho school Of Voltairo and Of Tom
Paine, would say that JosusChrist
ever uttorod talschood, or u word
in lnsincerity.
Tho Unitarian believes that Jo-
sus comprehcndcd fully tho mean
ing Of all that he ever said, and
that in all OF his teachings ho
spoke only words Of sobernc css and
truth. And yet he has tho fnco to
say that tho being who uttered tho
language which / have quoted
tho being who declared himself
the final judge and arbitcr Of tho
destinics Of mcn-the boing who
said, 81 and my Father arc one"
he that hath seen mo hath seen
the Fathcr-that he did not claim
to DO divine and did not cndoavor
to mako tho multitudes boliovo
that ho was God.
Secondly---Did Jesus by his
teachings and works actually mako
tho impression both upon His one
mics and friends that Ho claimed
to bo God?
llo was stoned by His oncmics ;
and for what? On tho worry ground
that he called himself God. Whom
he said, I and my Father arc
ono" tho Jcws stoned Him, "Jo-
sus answered them: Many good
works have l showed you from
my Father; for which Of theso
works do 20 stone mo ? Tho Jews
answered Him, saying, Fora good
work VIC stono thoo no., but for BIAS
phomy, and because that thou bo-
ing a man makest thysclf God"