National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1882-01-10
CHRIST'S DIVINITY.
SERMON OF REV. c. II. RICHARDSON.
The Subject Considered from an Evangelical Stand.
pOint-Jesus' Own Testimony, and the Con.
current Evidence or the Apostles
DIR. Shipper Replied To.

Rev G. Herbert Richardson, Of McKcndree
Church, preached Sunday morning on the Di-
vinity Of Christ" in reply to the sermon of DIR.
Shippcn, of All Souls Unitarian Church. The text
was Matt, xvi, IS, l6. But whom say ye that l
am? And Simon Peter answered: Thou art the
Christ, the Son the Living God" Men have diff.
icred in their estimate Of the person of Christ.
Some have said lie was prophet OF high and holy
character, Gods messenger Representative They
admit His divine character, but not His onternal
power and Godhead. His enemies when on earth
said Thou hast devil and art a blasphemer."
Napoleon said "Jesus Christ was more than man."
Peter speaking for the A ostles, said " Thou art
The CHRIST, the Son of the Living God" This an
swer, which, our Lord said was revealed to Peter
10y My Father which Is in Heaven" is that state
mcnt Of the doctrine Of the person of Christ re-
Geived by Evangelical Christianity. What says it2
That Christ Is human and Divine; that I'M His
person the Infinite, Eternal, Almighty God is
united to the finite, created, and dependant man !;
that He Is very God and very man. Any other
Interpretation is contradictory,
IRRATIONAL, AND MANIFEsTLY ABSURD.
First-Becauso implying that Peter needed
revelation from God TO teach him either the
humanity or Mcssiohship OF Christ, whose Apostle
he was, whose miracles he had seen, and who had
before this confessed his divine mission, notably
as In John, viz 60, where he said: ave believe and
art sure that Thou art the Christ, the Son Of the
Living God" Sccond-rhis confession comes of n
knowledge impaired by God, and is of so import
ant Il character that Christ charged His Apostles
TO tel no man that lie was the Chrlstthat is Dl-
vine. Christ snid to Peter thus conieSsing Him :
"On this rock ! will build My church, and
the gates Of hell shall not prevail against It," Here
lies the error Of Unitnranism. 1tncccpts, "What
mon say about Jesus of Nazareth rather than God
speaking through the inspired APOSTLE Two
statements are made by Dr. shippen IN hissernon,
TO which propose to reply: First-That 1t was n
departure from the simplicity OF Jesus own teach
ing TO declare Him COD. The Deity Of Christ can
not be found in the. New Testament. Second
gVaHUN IaNtN glNs
Eternal God who made Heaven and earth.
THE FIRST MENTIoN or CHRIST
In the New Testament is in Matt l., %: Behold,
virgin shall bring forth n Son, and they shall
pretod Is, God with u.s." Isaiah, from whose
prophecy this passage wns quoted, also said For
unto us child Is born unto us Saviour is given.
And His name shall be called Wonderful,
Counselor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting
Father, The Prince of Peace" In Xiv, 6, of the
King of Israel, and Ills Rcdcemer the Lord of
Hosts am the first and the last, and besides Me
there is no God" In Rey" xii 10, Jesus says! /
am Alphn and Omega, the beginning aud the end,
the first and the last" John says, Epistle ", 20
" And we know that the Son Of God is come and
hath given us. an understanding that we may
know Him that is true: and we. are in Him
that Is true even IN His Son Jesus Christ.
his is The true God and eternal life
lHh,2mns, most doubling Of al the APOSTLES said
ginning was the Word, and the Word was with
Cod, and the Word was God. All things were
llilue Dl HIM, ana without Him not ANYTHING
made that was made. And the Word was made
flesh. and dwelt among us, aud we bched His
g!ory, the ,Glory as of the only hegoten Of the
wards: The word who was made flesh and dtccit
among us whose glory we saw was in the begin
ming; was with God was God; all things were
made by Him, &c.
BUT WHAT Is HIS TESTIMONY
concerning himself? His spotless character His
entire truthfilness, His purity aud integrity arc
admitted; Let us see then who lie is by His own
IIA had tlNa.E EtNal N.
had had an iniirmity thirty eight years. For this
the Jews sought to sluy Him. He answered, "My
Father workcth hitherto aud work. Therefore
the Jews sought the more to kill Him, because lie
not only had broken the Sabbath, but said also
that God was His Father making Himself equal
with Cod Here is what they understood Him to
mean. Did lie correct them or repudiatc the idea
OF equality with God? Hear him. "The Son car
do nothing of Himself but what He seeth the
Father do, for what things soever He dOcth these
also doeth the Son likewise. For the Father
loyeth the Son. aud showeth Him all things that
Himself doGth;" Wondrous claim! He sees al
that the Father does. He does what the
Father does; In John, xvi, 10, He says: "Al
things that the Father hath mine" lii knOwl-
edge aud power then lie has what the Father has
assembled up to Heaven, but He that came dowr
| from Heaven, even the Son of man, which is IL
Heaven John, ill.,, l3. In Matt, xviii, 90 Hesaid
For where two or three arc, gathered in NJ!
name, there am in the midst of them" Ii
xviii, 20: "Lo am with you always, even to th'
omnprcsence III o In joRn v g. S. seStsfG Ws read M
Then said the Jews unto Him: Thou art not We
| iitly dears old aud hast Thou seen Abraham
Jesus said unto them; Verify verify, i say unit
BEFORE ABRAHAM WAS, | AM"
In Exodus, ILL.,, a, we read" God said unto Moses
| Am that | AM" This is the name claimed b
Jesus Of Nazareth when lie was told lie was nc m
| fifty years old, the ! Am, the Eternal UnCreate
one" In John, vi, 90, He said: What. and If y
where 'is he y was S9 bcoe % In 'Ss Sv
Father gloriy Thou Me with Thyself with the glor
l had with Thee before the world was2' Thes
passages teach His PERSISTENCE ana Etcrnit!
Take now his conversation with Philip. Phili
saith unto him, Lord, show us the Father, and
sutceth us Jesus saith unto him: Have bee
so longtime with you, and yet hast thou not know
Me, Philip He that hath seen Me hath seen tn
Father, and how saycst thou then, show us tn
CI%in CLAIR ebppSR bppen sSSS 81 ms o MS not IN
through her representative. The AmbassadC
speaks IN the name OF the King. Apply this ide
to Chrsts language, aud let us see what meanin
we have: Have | been so longtime Wit
you, and yet hast thou not know
Me rs the Ambassador of the Father
" He that hath seen Me hath seen the AmbassadC
OF the Father and how sayeSt thou then show I
the Father All this Philip. knew long befor,
for at the beginning of Chrisrs ministry he said
I'VE have found Him of whom Moses, in the La
and the Prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, til
son of Joseph How weak and erroneous thu
Him now, at the close Of lis ministry, assert
Philip, solemnly AMI calmly, that He was exact
what Philip thought Him to be ut the very bcgii
=
been performed by Him. But the Ambassador
not tle King, and Philip, who had fully recognize
Christ aS the Ambassador and Son OF the Fathe
who had heard Him say; "No man knoweth I'll
Father but the Son and He TO whom the Son sha
reveal Him. askedi to see the Father. Christ
answeris: He that hath seen Me hath seen Il
Father"
THE NEW TESTAMENT WRITER'S AscRIDE
to Him divine attributes, First. omnisCionce-A
l., -. The prayer of the apostolic church. "Al
Thou Lord, which knowest the hearts of all me
| gllt xNn IAuG shn ,N
Second, Eternity and lminutabity.-Heb. xiii
, "Jcsus Christ the same yesterday, to-day III
} forever" Paul stricken down on the road to Dan
a,cus cries out; "Who art Thou, Lord2" and
answered: +" am Jesus whom thou persecutest
r stephen dying prayed Lord Jesus, reGei'
phemcr In John, ", 80, lie said 81 and n
/ Father are One,' wherenpon they began to stoi
Him Jesus said: Many good works have
works do ye stone Me2" They replied: "For
, good work we stone Thee not but.
6IgsPhemy and SGS.t because rbGat,, that Tho
/. In Heb, 10, we read, "And let all the angels
God worship Him." lie lorgaye sins which MOI
! the sabbath which none but God could have
declared His power over death, Destroy this ter
pie Ills body and in three days will raise 1t up
, John, H., 49," No man taketh my life from me.
, have power to lay il down, and have power
I take Il ugnln"-John X,lS To Martha lie sal
8 81 am The resurrection and the life" This is 4
testimony of Himself, of the Apostles. and write
/ of the New Testament IT is the testimony
. many of
a TIIE SOBLEsT AND GRANDEsT OF EARTH;
a | IIcisgrenterthnn David, who called Him Lord
. greater than John the Baptist, who said, " The
. | comes one mightiCr than / aller me, the latcl
: of Whose shoes am not worthy to stoop down a
! unOOse;' greater than Peter, who said, " Depi
from me- for am sinful man, o Lord" grea
than Paul, who said, This is faithful sayi
. and worthy of all UcCeptutOn that Christ Jes
= came into The world to save sinners, of whom
. chief" greater than all on earth and adored
y angels in Heaven, who Is Jesus of Nazareth
y "the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and
y ending, saith the Lord which Is, aud which W