is

same person spoken of by the Angel. "Unto you born a Saviour who is Christ the Lord." The object of this discourse is to show that Jesus Christ is literally and truly MAN.

I.

All the information and propehcies concerning him, previous to his being born, naturally led the world to expect he would be a man. This would be inferred from the manner in which he is first mentioned in Scripture. "The seed of the woman, it shall bruise thy head." What could the seed of a woman be but a man? But a remarkable peculiarity is here observed. The father is not mentioned. As a man, he was to be exclusively the son or seed of the woman. The history of the event confirms this construction of the prophecy. In the fullness of time, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman. A son had been born but he was the child of a woman. The Lord appeared unto Abraham in the plain of Mamre; but what was his form, his appearance? It was the form of a man. "And he looked, and lo! three men stood before him. And he said, My Lord!" As far as he had any apprehension, any conception that this was his Saviour, must he not have considered him as a man. Does not this fact now indicate to us, that he who is our Deliverer, our Saviour, must be a man? He did appear as a man.

apppear to Jacob. until the breaking

In the same manner did he "There wrestled a man with him of the day." Though Jacob said that he had seen God, and though the angel implies the same,-" As a prince hast thou power with God," yet he is also called man. He appeared as a man, he was a man.

In the same form did he appear to Joshua at the siege of Jericho. "There stood a man over against him." By this event it was made known to Joshua, and to the world, that their Redeemer should be a man, that he should partake of flesh and blood, that he should be made flesh, and dwell among us. How dignified was this man! Though Joshua had fallen prostrate before him, as if this were not enough, he says to him, "Loose thy shoe from off thy foot, for the place where thou standest is holy." As if he had said, "You are in the presence of adorable majesty, therefore offer the highest kind of worship."

I might before have mentioned the prophecy of Balaam, which would lead Israel and the world to expect a human deliverer." I shall see him, but not now; I shall behold him, but not nigh." A long series of ages intervenes, of fifteen hundred years." "A star shall come out of Jacob, and a sceptre shall rise out of Israel." Star denotes a prince or illustrious man. Christ himself is called a star. This prophecy, indeed, is supposed to have an immediate reference to king David, and was fulfilled when he smote Moab, and "measured them with a line," so that the Moabites became David's servants. 2 Sam. 8. Yet the Saviour was doubtless the ultimate object. Perhaps this prophecy of Baalam, who was of the East, being preserved by tradition, in that country, might induce the wise men, on seeing some uncommon star over the land of Israel, to go and inquire for the child, born king of the Jews. The whole suggests the idea of an illustrious man. In Ezek. chap. 1

we read, that by the river Chcbar, the prophet saw

After

the likeness of a glorious throne, upon which was "the likeness, as the appearance of a man." wards the prophet informs us that this was the ance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord; but he was in the form of a man.

appear

The same doctrine is taught by Zechariah. "I saw by night, and beheld a man riding upon a red horse." This man in verse 11. is called the angel of the Lord.

Although, in the burning bush, no form of a man was visible to Moses, yet he heard a voice which he understood. Indeed, if we accede to the general opinion of the church universal, in every age, that the appearance of the Lord, and the angel of the Lord, at various times, before the advent of Christ, was the Messiah, the Saviour, it will greatly strengthen the idea, that he was to appear in human form, and to be a man.

Gen. i, 26. And God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness." In view of this passage, is it unnatural to suppose, and believe, that when God had created man, he appeared to him in the form of a man, in the same form, which he certainly did assume, in repeated instances, when he rendered himself visible to Joshua, Ezekiel, Zechariah, and others.

"And the Lord God brought every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air, to Adam, to see what he would call them." Does not this seem to be a transaction conducted in such a manner, as to render human language, and the appearance of a man highly probable?

"And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden, and Adam and his wife hid themselves. And the Lord called unto Adam. And he said, I heard thy voice, and hid myself." If this scene be candidly examined, I think we shall find that God manifested himself by a human voice, and in a human form. How could Adam and Eve think of hiding themselves from God, unless they actually saw his person, or had been used to see it, and now expected its appearance again? Could they be so stupid as to hide themselves from a mere voice, among the trees? Could they be ashamed of their nakedness before a mere voice, a noise in the air? Could they hear a voice walking in the garden? But if you suppose they saw a form, a man, walking in the garden, then all is probable and natural.

"And the Lord said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth, where is thy brother? And Cain said, I know not. And God said, What hast thou done?— And Cain said, My punishment is greater than I can bear, from thy face I shall be hid." When it is so often said that the Lord, that Jehovah, that the Lord God appeared, and sat, and stood, and walked, and spake, and talked, is it not very hard to suppose that nothing was manifest but a voice, a sound? Is it not much more natural to suppose that the voice, the articulate human voice, was accompanied by the form of a man? Is not this very much confirmed by the well known fact, that he often did assume the form of a man? From the whole we infer that the information and prophecies concerning Jesus Christ in the Old Testament, all go to prove that he was to be a real

man, that such must have been the expectation of the Jews.

We have omitted to mention the appearance of this mighty personage to Gideon, and to Manoah and his wife, and some others in the form of a man. Scripture declares he was a man. Phil. ii, 8. "He was found in fashion as a man." 1 Tim. ii, 5. "The man Christ Jesus." 1 Cor. xv, 47. "The first man

is from the earth, the second man is the Lord from heaven."

II. We proceed to show from matter of fact, that he was truly man. The history of his birth, and life, and death, proves that Jesus Christ was a man. He was born as other children arc, and wrapped in swaddling bands. In his infancy he was carried into Egypt. He increased in knowledge and favour with God and man. He had the appetites of a man; he ate, he drank. He had the weakness of a man; he slept, he was weary. He had the passions of a man ; he was grieved, he was angry, he rejoiced, he loved, he was pitiful. He was mortal as a man; he was wounded, he was bruised, his blood flowed, his bones were out of joint, his strength was exhausted, he bowed his head, he died-for-he was man!

Though we have not time to solve difficulties, or to answer objections, yet the supernatural conception of this wonderful man has met with so powerful opposition, that it may deserve a word of notice. This mystery has induced some of our Unitarian friends to erase from their Bibles those chapters in St. Matthew and Luke which relate the surprising fact. Our reply is very simple, and very short. Besides