that he was a mere man like themselves, they would readily enough have believed that : but when he tells them again that he was " one with his Father," they go about to stone him for blasphemy. Nevertheless, instead of revoking his word, he vindicates his claim ; and establishes the justice of it by an appeal to the sacred writings. Magistrates, he tells them, were in the inspired volume frequently dignified with the name of godse: and he refers them to one passage in particular, well known to them all, " I have said, Ye are godsf." Now these were called gods partly, because they were Jehovah's representatives and vice-gerents upon earth ; and partly, because they were types of the Messiah, tvho was to be really and truly God, even " Emmanuel, God with usg." ' Now,' says our Lord, ' if these persons, in order to prepare you for the reception of your incarnate God, were honoured with the name and title of gods, and you readily acquiesced in it, with what reason can you, when your incarnate God appears, accuse him of blasphemy, because he assumes that title, or calls himself by a name which you justly consider as equivalent to it? You are looking for your Messiah; and that Messiah is expressly foretold under the character of " Jehovah's fellow h," who is " David's Lord, as well as David's Son1:" such therefore the Messiah must be; for " the Scrip- ture cannot be broken .•" why then do you not acknowledge the justice of my claim ? If indeed I do not give evidence enough that I am the Messiah, you may justly dispute my title to be regarded as God ; but if I do, then you are the blasphemers, who rob me of my proper honour. Know ye then, that I am the Person " whom the Father hath sanctified " and set apart from all eternity to the office, " and now hath sent into the world" to execute it: know also, that, instead of retracting any thing I have said, I repeat my assertions, and demand your acknowledgment of me in my true character.'
Thus our Lord confirms his assertion by an appeal to Scrip- ture. He next proceeds to confirm it by an appeal to his oivn works. ' I do not desire to be credited in such an assertion upon my bare unsupported word, without any cor- roborating evidence ;' says our Lord : ' " If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not: but, if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works ; that ye may know and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in himk." Con- sider my works, both the matter, and the manner of them, and see if they do not justify every assertion I have made. Did ever man perform such miracles as I have done, so many,
e Exod. vii. 1. and xxii. 28. ' Ps. lxxxii. (5.
8 Isai. vii. 14. Matt. i. 23. h Zech. xiii. 7.
' Ps. ex. 1. with Matt. xxii. 12 — 45. * ver. 37, 38.