" God with usf;" even " God manifest in the flesh*," yea, " God over all blessed for ever11." Nothing can be more clear than this fundamental point. Indeed the very name, " Son of God," so far from militating against his equality with the Father, was in the apprehension of the Jews themselves an assertion of that equality'.]
2. His official character —
[Christ, as God, has life in himself essentially k : but he is also " the Author of eternal salvation" to all his followers1. As there is no other God but he, so is there no other Saviour"1. It was he who purchased eternal life for us : none can claim any part of his glory in this respect : " his life was the ransom paid for us ;" and by his obedience unto death we obtain righteousness and life. Moreover it is he who imparts eternal life to us : we receive it from him, who " is exalted to give it," and from " whose fulness alone it can be received." As we cannot merit it, so neither can we obtain it, by any efforts of our own: it is purely the gift of God through Christ11: and Christ, as " Head over all things to the Church," bestows it on whomsoever he will0. We know from Christ's own express assertion (and stronger evidence than that we cannot have), that he is " the way, the truth, and the life p ;" and to all eternity shall we ascribe our salvation " to him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood q."]
But it is yet further the privilege of all Christ's followers to know,
III. Their interest in him —
The knowledge which his people have of him is not a mere speculative acquaintance with his history, but an intimate connexion, or rather, a oneness with himr. They are " in Christ,"
1. By a federal relation —
[As Adam was a head and representative to all his descendants, so is Christ to all his spiritual seeds. They have communion with him in all his transactions upon earth, and in heaven : they are circumcised in him, baptized in him, dead with him, quickened with him, risen with him, seated in heaven with him1. We cannot indeed be said to have done or suffered the same things as Christ, (for to assert that we had fulfilled the
' Matt. i. 23. « 1 Tim. hi. 16. & Rom. ix. 5.
' John v. 18. k Johni. 4. and v. 2(3. ' Heb. v. 9.
m Acts iv. 12. n Rom. vi. 23. ° John v. 21. andx.28.
p John xiv. 6. <J Rev. i. 5, 6. * John xvii. 21.
s 1 Cor. xv. 22. « Rom. vi. 4, 8. Col. ii. 12, 13. Eph. ii. 5, G.