The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1878-02-14

and o%mnipotcnt God, who is the author
OF the universe and our being
"Oh, yes"
Every we'll. Now with that for a
starting point you cannot philosophically
hold that the Incarnation Is an impossi,
bility that it could not be?'"
A verv little talk ended In his admit.
ting the possibility of the Incarnation,
but denying the probability CT II. And
then he went On 10 say with the quick>
ness of thought, and the c%learest percep-
ton Of the whole matter:
But think Jesus was himself
deceived. / grant that he may have, in
moments of enthusiasm, thought he was
the son of God, and, that he did at times
make this claim, there is no doubt; but,
at other times he certainly made such
statements az forbid US, OF his wi testi-
mony, TO believe that he was equal with
God indeed, he admits that he is an
inferior being. In fact, Chrlst's own
testimony concerning himself Is contra
dictory, and this leads me , question the
truth Of the gospels, and no to reject
Christ as the Son of God, and hence
Christianity itself; for Christianity is
nothing buta beautiful delusion If Christ
is not what He claims to be. Now, He
says in one place, { | and my Father are
one , and again, lie that hath seen Me,
hath seen the Father and as ! have
before said, when IN trial before the
high priest, he still claimed, and that in
the face of certain death, that He was
the Son of God. But he said, on another
occasion, that His Father was greater
than lie. Now He can't be n with
God, and at the same time inferior to
God. Again lie gays, 'All power is
given unto Me- Now that ID au admis-
sion that he did not have power himself,
but ii was given to him; and surely he
that receives power Ia inferior 10 him
that gives it. Now, are not these con-
tradictions in His own testimony ; and
do they not destroy the worth of it
entirely ut seems TO me that whatever
of truth there may be in the historical
existence of Jesus Christ, He only
imagined that lie was the Son of God,
and that in speaking of himself, He
spoke according to the mood lie was in,
sometimes believing Himself TO be the
Son of God"
Finally | said, after turning to the
passages he had referred to, and reading
them aloud
"Now suppose that you had been on
earth when Jesus was here, and had
heard Him make these contradictory ()
statements, and had asked Him, saying
{ ~ilaster, | do not quite understand you.
A little while ago you said, | and My
Father are one, and he that hath seen
Me hath seen the Father; and again
You say, My Father is greater than |,
and, All power is given Me. How can
You be one with the Father, and yet less
than the Father, and how can You be
equal with the Father if Your power is
given to You, and not Yours independ-
emily p Aud suppose He had said in
reply, MY child, what if, for the purpose
of your redemption from sin, and the
curse of the law, | voluntarily
laid aside My eternal glory, and
suffered Myself to be made of a
woman, and made under the law, thus
limiting My being to the conditions of
your nature, that | might, in that nature,
offer up to God such a sacrifice for sins
to the whole world? In such a case,
car you not conceive that there is no
contradiction in these sayings Of Mine ?
For indeed, | am n with the Father,
and he that hath seen Me hath seen the
Father, but for the purposes Of atone
ment, | have voluntarily assumed an
inferior position that / might thus take
your place and die, which | could not
have done unless | had thus taken a sub
ordinate place. THUS, | sometimes speak
of My eternal relation to God, and some
times of My relation to Him, as the
messenger Of the covenant sent to re-
deem.''
He listened attentively to this, and
then said, as if speaking to himself:
Yes, that might be. can see how
that might be. But (speaking to mel
did Christ ever make such an explana-
ton? Is that the theory of Christ's
subOrdinatiOn to the Father?
|, in answer, turned TO the second
chapter OF Philippians, and said, Ger
tainly this is the explanation of it. For
see Paul was trying to inculcate lessons
Of humanity, by exhorting the Philip
plans to voluntarily take a subordinate
place in relation to each other, though
they might, as matter of fact, and right,
stand on an equality, and enforced his
exhortation by this reference; Let
this mind be in you which was also in
Christ Jesus who, being in the form of
God, thought it not robbery to be equal
with God Thought not his equality with
God something to be contended for but
made himself of no reputation, and took
upon himself the form Of servant, and
was made in the Likeness of men, and
found in fashion as a man, he
humbled himself, and became obedient
unto death, even the death of the Cross"
-(Phil. ii,5, ST.
lie took my bible in his hand, and
read the passage owe and we himself,
and said, Wonderful! wonderful !"
And still holding the book in his hand,
with quivering chin and moistened eyes
he said
Yes. the Son of God made himself of
no reputation for me, and took my
and died on the cross for me-"
And then, looking up in my face,
,aid, What have | got to do about it ?"
TO which | replied, Accept him,
in him, and confess him as your
saviour"
MAY II"
| replied, opening my bible to Rom. x,
D: at thou shalt confess with thy
mouth the LOid Jesus, and shalt believe
thy heart that God hath raised him
from the dead, thou shalt be saved"
"Let me see that"
| handed him the book, and read it
aloud, and then said
do believe in my heart that God
raised him from the dead, and | do
acknowledge him as my Saviour"