The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1872-03-08

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finite how could he describe himsel
as infinite and allow others to ad
dress him as such? For though b
were equal to the whole ceiestis
hierarchy, yet if he be not God es
sentially he is infinitely below God
has nothing in common with Co
only a moral affinity. For such
being to tell the world that hi
Father was God, and that his Fathe
was the greater of the tw0l is be
meath the dignity Of any respecta
BILE intellect. How much more 81
Is this the case on the Unitarian
| hypothesis of our time. A mer'
man telling his disciples and tn
void through them that the grea
God is greater than he is!
Some have commended that Will,
divine attributes do not inhere il
Christ they have been delegated tt
him. They seek to solve the prob
lem in this way. But this canno
be. Can omnipotence, omnipres
ence, immutability, creative power
be delegated? Any being who hal
these Is God. How could GOD del
egate these attributes and not defy
the being receiving them? But an
otherquestion. How could a finite
being take on the attributes and
qualities of the Infinite? That is
TO say, how can the limited contain
the unlimited AS well say one
might pack the whole universe OF
God within this chapel.
We conclude then that as the at
tributes of God are ascribed to
Christ he is God. The argument
thrown into a syllogistic form
stands thus:
That which has the attributes OF
God is God.
Jesus has the attributes of God.
Therefore Jesus is God.
Deny it who can, and make good
the denial.
It now remains to consider soma
of the topics of remark which the
discussion suggests:
l. We see why divine names are
applied to Christ. It is because he
has divine nature. We are war
ranted in calling every one by his
right name. If Jesus was from
eternity with God and was God,
then it was right to say SO, if not
then it was dishonest.
But the word of God is very
Uniform in applying to Jesus names
and titles which can properly be re-
ferred to Deity only. He is called
the mighty God, the everlasting
Father, the Jehovah, our right
eousness, the only begotten son of
the Father, who had glory with him
before the world was. He is-called
InanaanueL-God with us-the word
who was with God was God, God
manifest in the flesh, God over all,
the express image of Gods per-
son, the brightness of his glory, he
in whom dwells the fnlness of the
Godhead bodily, the king of kings,
the Lord Of Lords. He is said to
have been in the form of God and
to have thought it no robbery to be
equal with God, the trxe God, and
the image of the invisible God.
Now it does not satisfy q mind
who regards trutL and soberness in
the use of language to be told that
Jesus was nothing but man essen
tally. If the sacred writers did
not mean to teach that he was God
they have done the utmost violence
to language, and have succeeded
admirably in deceiving a majority
of the best scholars of all the Chris
tau centuries. If there was only
one passage it would demand seri-
GUS attention, but there is one uni
form strain. In their coolest mo-
ments, when teaching dogmatically,
they set our Lord forth as essential
ly divine. The thought crops out
everywhere in the epistles. If he
had only created nature the Word
of God has misled us.
2. We see also the propriety of
ascribing divine works to the Savior
and of claiming divine honors for
him. Having a divine nature he
has creative power, and hence has q
right to divine honors. And this
was the view of those men whom
God inspired to reveal his will.
Seeing that the Son was essentially
divine, that he had an uncreated ma
ture, they logically referred to him
the works Of nature as well as those
of grace. Paul was emphatic on
this point. Speaking of the Re-
deemer he says, "WhO is the image
of the invisible God; the first born
Of every creature, because by him
were all things created that are in
heaven, and that are in the earth,
visible and invisible, whether they
be thrones, or dominiOns, or princi-
palities, or powers, and he is before
all things, and by him all things
substst." Will any one dare say
that the work of creation is not at
tributed to him?
Divine honors are claimed for
and are accorded to him. "All men
should honor the Son even as they
honor the Father" What audacity
if he had only a man-nature to as.
sOciate himself with his Creator
as worry of the same honor! Their
look at the great commission in &C.
cordance with which men were tc
be introduced in to the kingdom Of
God. ago and teach all nations
baptizing them in the name of til,
Father and of the Son and of tn,
Holy Spirit" Here is a religious
service involving essentially wor
chip. The threefoldness that inhere
in the divine nature stands ont clear
ly and the personal distinctions o
Father, Son ana Holy Spirit ar
most obviously manifest. In tn
act of baptism we are consecrate,
to. God, who is one as to nature
three as to mode of existence an
: form of manifestation. Now un
derstspd the Father to be God, tn
Son nothing but q man, and th
Holy Spirit nothing but an infiu
ence, as Unitarians teach, and wins
an association you have! In tn
; most solemn act of religious VOL
ship, my hearers you dedicate your
Il self to God, q man and an influences