9842 Published by the request of the "Second Religious Society" in Waltham. DISTRICT OF MASSACHUSETTS, to wit: District Clerk's Office. BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the ninth day of August, A. D. 1827, in the fifty-second year of the Independence of the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Bowles & Dearborn of the said district, have deposited in this office the title of a book, the right whereof they claim as proprietors, in the words following, to wit: "A Discourse on Denying the Lord Jesus. By Bernard Whitman, of Waltham." In conformity to the act of the Congress of the United States, entitled "An Act for the encouragement of learning, by securing the copies of maps, charts, and books, to the authors and proprietors of such copies, during the times therein mentioned;" and also to an act entitled "An act supplementary to an act, entitled, an act for the encouragement of learning, by securing the copies of maps, charts and books to the authors and proprietors of such copies during the times therein mentioned; and extending the benefits thereof to the arts of designing, engraving and etching historical and other prints." JNO. W. DAVIS,} Clerk of the District of Massachusetts. 3660 25 DISCOURSE. MATTHEW x. 33. Whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven. Is there a sincere christian on earth, who would knowingly deny the Lord Jesus? No. I cannot think there is a true believer, in any denomination, who would designedly be guilty of such exceeding sinfulness. But, my friends, are we in no danger of ignorantly denying him? I fear we are. When I observe the weakness, and ignorance, and depravity of mankind; when I witness the mighty influence of prejudice, and interest, and party spirit; when I feel in myself the powerful effects of early instruction, and early impressions, and early associations, I am compelled to fear we are in great danger of unintentionally denying the Lord Jesus. Fearing this; and also realizing the value of christian truth; knowing my accountableness to my heavenly Father; and solemnly impressed with the worth of immortal souls, I have selected this infinitely important subject for our present consideration. My inquries will be guided by the sacred scriptures. And I trust you will honestly compare my statements and conclusions with this unerring standard of truth and duty; if they do not coincide with the plain and uniform declarations of inspiration, you are bound to reject them as erroneous; nay, if you receive them as true, you do it on your peril; but if they are in perfect accordance with the instructions of Moses and the Prophets, Jesus and his Apostles, you are bound to receive them as true; nay, if you reject them as erroneous, you do it on your peril. You may deny the Lord Jesus in two different ways, either in word, or in deed. If you contradict his declarations, you deny him in word. If you disobey his commands, you deny him in deed. Let us now refer to some of those examples of denial which are recorded for our admonition and warning. I. An instance of the first kind of denial is found in the tenth chapter of John's Gospel. The Jews accused Jesus of making himself God! In so doing they contradicted his declarations; and consequently denied the Lord Jesus. 1. The circumstances were these. Jesus was walking in Solomon's porch. The Jews assembled around him; and wished to know if he was indeed the Christ. He replied that he had already answered their inquiry; and that the works, which he performed in his Father's name, were also sufficient proof of his Messiahship. He then accused them of unbelief, because they were not of his fold. And added, that his sheep should never perish. Why? Because 66 my Father which gave them me is greater than all; and none is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. I and my Father are one." Because he uttered these words, the Jews immediately accused him of making himself God. He instantly denied the truth of their charge, in his usual mild and reasoning manner. "Is it not written in your law, I said ye are Gods.' If he called them Gods unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken, say ye of him whom the Fa ther hath sanctified, and sent into the world, thou blasphemest, because I said I am the son of God? If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not." In this refutation of their accusation, you notice three things. First, he denied calling himself God. He had merely called God his Father, and asserted that his Father was greater than all, and then added, I and my Father are one; not one person, for he had uniformly spoken of himself and his Father as two distinct persons; not one God, for he had spoken of receiving sheep from the Father; and not one equal being with God, for he had declared that his Father was greater than all; but simply one in affection, and design, and operation. Secondly, he denied being God. He asserted that he was sanctified and sent into the world by the Father; and if he was dependent on his Father for his commission and ability to execute it, he could not be the almighty God. And thirdly, he refuted the charge of blasphemy, from the scriptures. He had called himself the son of God. The scriptures had called men gods, merely because they received the word of God; while his miraculous works were sufficient proof of his being sent by the Father. Because the Jews perverted the natural meaning of his words, and contradicted his declarations, they denied the Lord Jesus. John x. 23, 37. 2. If you say that Jesus is God, you contradict the declarations of Moses and the Prophets. They speak of one infinite God; and one Messiah, whom the infinite God would bring into existence, and qualify to be the Saviour of the world. Of his origin and office, a clear intimation is given by Moses. "The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren like unto me; unto him shall ye hearken. And he shall speak unto them all that I command him.” In Jesus, this prophecy was literally fulfilled. And if he was a Prophet, made like his brethren, and spoke not his own words, but the commands of his Father, he could not be the infinite God. A still clearer description of him is given by Isaiah. "The spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he has sent me to bind up the broken hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord." All this proved true. Jesus received the spirit of the Lord at his baptism; and immediately proclaimed the glad tidings of salvation. To these two prophecies our Saviour referred; as peculiarly descriptive of his person and office. They fairly prove that he was not God; but wholly dependent on his Father for all things. All the prophecies concerning Christ are of a similar character. In all, he is spoken of as a created, dependent being; and not once as the supreme Jehovah. Jesus came not to destroy the law and prophets; but to fulfil them. If therefore, you say that Jesus is God, you contradict the uniform declarations of Moses and the Prophets; and consequently, you deny the Lord Jesus. Deut. xviii. 15, 18. Isaiah lxi. 12. 3. If you say Jesus is God, you contradict his own declarations. Speaking of God, he said-"The Lord our God is one Lord." Did he declare himself to be this one Lord? Let us attend to his teachings. Speaking of himself and his Father, he said "It is also written in your law, that the testimony of two men is true. I |