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 Men are  ever  inclined  to  adore  as  gods  the  sources of great  benefits. Thus the  Pagans  adore  the  sun, the Egyptians  the  elephant,  and  the  Israelites  in  the desert, when  hungering  for  the  flesh-pots  of  Egypt, adored a  golden  calf. To empower  Christ  to  confer such incalculable  blessing  on  mankind  and  to  expect them, nevertheless,  to  abstain  from  idolatry,  would argue on  the  part  of  God  an  ignorance  as  well  of human  nature  as  of  future  events. In that  case,  too, Christ, whose  holiness  and  disinterestedness  are vouched for  even  by  Pilate  and  Judas — Christ  would have proved  false  to  His  mission  by  arrogating  to Himself  divine  worship,  and  society  to-day,  plunged as it  is  in  idolatry,  is  more  iniquitous  than  it  was  two thousand years  ago. Why, in  that  case  we  would have to  conclude  that  God's  providence  has  lost  its hold on  the  guidance  of  human  events,  and  that  the marvels Christ  and  His  followers  wrought,  and  the wondrous endurance  of  His  doctrines  and  institutions, have  been  effected  independent  of  and  in  opposition to  Almighty  God! If Christ  was  not  God,  He was  king  of  hypocrites,  something  even  His  worst enemies have  not  dared  to  assert. The Apostles,  who knew Him  as  brother  knows  brother,  testified  to  His sanctity with  their  love  and  their  lives. His enemies even, the  Jews,  declared  no  man  had  ever  spoken  as He,  and  admitted  He  went  around  doing  good. And are  we,  as  they,  to  believe  Him  in  all  things  but the assertion  of  His  divinity? Are we  to  revere  Him as everything  save  as  God? " I  am  the  Son  of  God," He declared;  and  though  the  rabble  stoned  Him  as