but choosing to enter upon the sphere of humanity in the regular manner by birth and growth: and this, as before observed, for wise reasons, connected with the great purpose of effecting man's redemption. The Being thus born was called, indeed, the Son of God,—but the Son of God is God. For, whatever is directly from the Divine is Divine; whatever flows immediately from any source must be of the same nature with that source: the water in the stream is the same with the water in the fountain,—the form only in which the water appears is modified, the essential character is the same. This we find plainly declared in another passage of the prophet before quoted: "Unto us a child is born; unto us a son is given; and the government shall be upon His shoulder: and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, the mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace."[1] Here the son that is born is declared to be himself "the mighty God, the everlasting Father." If we receive these declarations as the Divine utterance, as God speaking, can we do other than assent to the truth that Jesus Christ was the embodied God,—God appearing?
But turn we now to the declarations of that wondrous Being Himself, Jesus Christ, as He stood in the streets of Jerasalem, and declared to men who He was. He said to the Jews, "Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day, and he saw it and was glad."—"Then said the Jews to him. Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham? Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, before Abraham was, 1 am."[2] Now this striking passage is pregnant with meaning. Consider the circumstances. One, to ap-
