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I. IN THE SUBLIMITY OF HIS ORIGIN. All others came into existence in the natural order of generation, received a bias to wrong from their parents, and never in the case of the best quite lost their earthliness. On the contrary, Christ came down from the pure heavens of God. He had a pre-incarnate existence (Proverbs 8.; John 1:1-2). He was in the bosom of the Father, and while there was morally over all.

II. IN THE CHARACTER OF HIS DOCTRINES. These were —

1. Realities of which He Himself was conscious. They were not matters of speculation. All the forms and voices of eternal truth were matters of consciousness to Him.

2. Moral in their influence. They are so congruous with man's sense of right, consciousness of need, feeling of God, desire for immortality, that the believing soul sees them as Divine reality.

3. Pre-eminently Divine. They concerned God Himself, His words, thoughts, feelings, purposes. Christ does not teach what men call sciences; but God Himself, the root, centre and circumference of all truth.

III. IN THE AFFECTION OF THE FATHER.

1. No one shared the Divine love so much as He. God loves all. He is love. But Christ is His "well-beloved," and as such He loves Him with infinite complacency.

2. None ever deserved it as Christ did. He never offended the Father in His conduct, or misrepresented Him in His teaching. He always did those things which pleased Him.

3. None ever had such demonstrations of it. "All power is given unto Me."

IV. IN THE EXTENT OF HIS ENDOWMENT. "God giveth not His Spirit by measure unto Him." "It pleased the Father that in Him should all fulness dwell."

V. IN THE NECESSITY OF HIS MISSION. Faith in Him is essential to man's eternal well-being.

(D. Thomas, D.D.)

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KJV: Who are Israelites; to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises;

WEB: who are Israelites; whose is the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the service, and the promises;