LORD and SAVIOUR, JESUS CHRIST. 83 their inveterate prejudices blinded their byes, fo that every manifeflation of divine power was loft on them : for, inflead of reverencing the Redeemer of Ifrael, and rejoicing. that God had remembered his people, they tumultuoufly attacked him in the temple, and, probably, carried him before the Sanhedrim, with an intention to take away his life, becaufe he had done good on the Sabbath-day. Our great Redeemer, in anfwer to their ca- lumny, obferved, that by doing good on the Sabbath-day, he ailed cònfiftent with the conduit of his heavenly Father, who, as Supreme Governor of the univerfe, car- ried on the order of nature, and fupplied the wants of his numerous creatures, with- out diltinétion of days ; and whofe pro- vidence is conflantly employed in doing good to the fons of men without inter- miffion, or regard to times and feafons. But the Jews were not to be convinced by argument, they cherifhed in their minds a growing rancour, and an implacable hatred to the Son of God; fo that what he had obferved, inftead of compofing their minds, only tended to irritate and inflame them : and they attacked him with mortal hatred, and all the virulence of abufe, and flood determined to take away his life, becaufe he not only had broken the Sabbath, but had Paid, that God was his Father; snaking himfelf equal with God. Had the Jews been wrong in this con- clufion, that CHRIST, in the account which he gave of himfelf, made himfelf equal with God, no doubt that divine perfon, in whom dwelt eternal truth, would have fet them to rights in a matter of fuch high importance, which fo nearly concerned himfelf, and which he was the only pro- per perfon to explain. But we find, that the following difcourfe of our great Re- deemer, did not tend to difcredit fuch a conclufion, but to eftablifh and enforce it. He begins with obferving, that fo clofe is the connexion, and fuch the equality 3 between himfelf and the Father, that the fame works which are afcribed to one, may be properly afcribed to the other. Verily, verily, I fay unto you, faid our great Redeemer, the Son can do no nothing himfelf, but what he Teeth the Father do ; for what things foever he doeth, thefe alfo doeth the Son likezoife : for the Father loveth the Son; and fheweth him all things that himfelf doeth; and he will Skew him greater works than thefe, that ye may mar- vel. From this teftimony which the Son of God bears to his own divinity, it is evident that all men Should honour the Son as they honour the Father, and that the ftupendous works of creation, pro- vidence, and grace, may be juflly afcribed to our dear Immanuel ; and him we may adore, as the Great Maker, the All -wife and All-potent Preferver, the Great Supreme Governor, and Judge of the univerfe. The -Saviour of the world then pro- ceeded to refer to thole particular works which manifefled him to be the Son of God, and, of confequence, by their own conclufion, equal with the Father ; and in this view, he mentions the manifeflation of his divine power in raifing the dead : Verily, verily, I fay unto you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead flail hear the voice of the Son of God; and they that hear Jhall live. For as the Father hath life in himfelf, fo he hath given to the Son to have life in himfelf; and hath given him authority to execute judgment alfo, becaufe he is the Son of man. The evidence of the divinity of the Saviour of the world, arifes not only from the divine power which he manifefled in raifing the natural dead, but was alfo abundantly manifefl by his divine power, exerted in railing dead finners ; which is a work which can be affeited by nothing lefs than the mighty power of God ; and to which thefe remarkable words feem to allude. But
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