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pofing, we should cultivate in ourselves that mind which was in Chrift Jefus, and humbly fubmit to his will, who has in part revealed, and in part referved for future revelation, the mystery of our redemption, for a mystery I must agree with St. Paul in calling it, rather than with any mere human authority in denying it to be fuch.

Mr. Lindley fays, That, in a multitude of paffages to which he refers, "Jefus Chrift formally profeffes his inferiority and dependence, that he received his being and all his powers from God." It is of no confequence whether the paffages referred to prove it or not, for I readily grant him this pofition, "There is one God, and one mediator between God and Men, the Man Chrift Jefus," 1 Tim. ii. 5. And when I have granted it, what will he infer more than I have already laid down, that, as Man, the man Jefus Chrift (evidently intended here to be diftinguished from God by that name only, and therefore in other refpects implied to be one with the Father, God) was inferior to God; that is, that having two natures, one was greater, and confequently one lefs than the other. Were I in the midft of an argument, proving the immortality of the foul of man, to declare, that I laboured under a lingering disease of which I feared that I fhould die, would even Mr. Lindsey fay, that I had confuted my own doctrine of the foul's immortality? Would he pronounce that I meant my foul fhould die? And yet he might as well, as in the cafe before us, declare, that when Jesus Christ speaks as Man he denies his God.head.

I do not mean to fay, that there exists any analogy between the union of spirit and fleth in man, and the union of God and Man in Chrift; for I do not at all understand

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understand how the union of foul and body exists, and confequently cannot compare it with that which I as little underftand, for I cannot fay that I understand it lefs; and how, if I am abfolutely unacquainted with an union, which not only fubfifts in every person I hourly converse with, but even in myself, how, I fay, am I to declare that an union between God and Man, of which but one inftance has ever offered itfelf to human obfervation, is impoffible? And I refer it to Mr. Lindley, or any of his difciples, to explain the nature of Spirit, and to fhew its compatibility with Flefh; or that of Flefh, and to fhew its compatibility with Spirit; and if my requeft be not complied with, from their abfolute and entire ignorance, I must then request farther that they will` defift from denying the compatibility of Natures, which they must allow they as little understand. They yield their affent in the one cafe, becaufe daily obfervation confirms the exiftence of an animal in which fpirit and fleth are conjoined, and they take their affent to be a conclufion from premifes fupplied by reafon; but becaufe Chrift is but one, they have not had an opportunity of analysing him, as they think they have done by their own nature, and fo deny what they could never have underflood, had there been as many Chrifts as Men. Would they defire fuch an intimacy? would they defire fuch a multiplication? See where the impious tenet ends, "Jesus Christ once crucified is not a sufficient atonement for the fins of mankind." I fhall make no farther comment than to declare, that whenfoever reafon withholds belief in that which it comprehends not, merely because it is beyond the reach and comprehenfion of reason, the union of the body and foul in man must be denied; for it never can be proved by reafon, which must understand the compatibility of both before the union can be declared to exist. I would then advise every man not determined to be a

fceptic,

fceptic, whom I will not hesitate to pronounce a fool, to look upon a revelation of one, the fufficiency of which precludes the neceffity, and confequently the exiftence of more, to be adequate to a fuller view of that which admits of a fuller view. In fhort, my recommendation amounts to no more, nor lefs, than the old eftablished maxim, that proofs, and confequently our credit, are to be deduced from the best evidence the nature of the cafe admits.

The best evidence then, which the nature of the cafe before us admits of, is the revelation of God, allowed to have been made by him, and admitted incontrovertibly true. Whatfoever is related therein, is advanced upon authority fufficient to warrant our affent; but as the revelation is not itfelf fupported by an equally ftrong evidence as that which, upon admittance, it affords to whatsoever it teftifies, we are not required to yield more than belief to the affertions contained in it; were it as certainly the word of God, as the word of God is certainly true, we should poffefs little less than certainty of the facts revealed therein; but being allowed, upon that evidence which is unquestionably fufficient to induce credit, it remains to be enquired into, whether it bear teftimony to the divinity of our bleffed Redeemer Jefus Chrift, or not?

As I have now reached the threshold, and am just entering into the proofs, and the nature of the proofs, which the fcriptures afford of the truth of this great myftery, once more let me warn, and deeply inculcate the warning, to beware of the delufions of natural religion, if fuch a religion there be, and if that which we conceive to have been derived from nature, be not rather a refiduum, after our pride has rejected whatsoever is revealed beyond its reach.

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The Chinese philofopher believes, that the earth ftands upon the back of an elephant, which stands upon the back of a tortoife, which ftands upon the back of, &c. &c. &c. Now, fuppofe this fame philofopher to be instructed in the Copernican fyftem, and that he had, upon full confideration, yielded his affent to the great probability of its truth; would it not rather feem abfurd in him, after a time, to recur to his old tenets, because the sufficiency of the fun's attractive power to fupport this world, was inconfiftent with the occupation of his old elephant and tortcife, and that he could not fee how it fhould be poffible for animals fo loaded, and of themselves none of the swifteft, to carry the earth, whirling through its orbit with fuch aftonishing velocity? Juft fo abfurd fhall we be, if, after our affent to the truth of God, and admiffion that he has revealed himself, we fuffer any one previous perfuafion to recur, and require that fcripture fhould be confonant to it, after we have admitted that the word of God is true, whether it be confonant to any previous perfuafion or not. The fenfible Chinese would furely reject his ancient tenets upon the admiffion of that to which he had affented, becaufe of the value of thofe arguments which had induced his affent; let us then, upon the admiffion of the fcriptures as the ultimate boundary of argument, reject whatsoever seems to make against their ceded truth; howfoever we may persuade ourselves that reafon had supplied it to us, we must have expatiated beyond her limits to feek for the tenet, for within her proper province it is not to be found.

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CHAP.

Of the Nature of the Evidence of our Saviour's Divinity afforded by the Scripture.

TH

HE full effulgence of the Gospel did not burft fuddenly upon mankind. That fun of righteoufnefs, by the light of which we are enabled to walk, did not at once reach its meridian height; fo exceedingly gradual was its progrefs, that, when firft it dawned upon the world, its rays were not difcernible; "it fhone in darkness, and the darkness comprehended it not;" it encreased in splendour, but was not fufficient to be the "light of thofe who come into the world; at length the day-star arofe, and a light fhone forth to lighten the Gentiles, and the day-fpring from on high hath vifited us, to give light to them that fit in darkness, and in the fhadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace."

To drop the metaphor. We find the prophecies of our bleffed Saviour, from great obfcurity, become more and more explicit as they approach the great event: At the first they were extremely indefinite, and fuch only. as were adapted to the purposes for which they were pronounced. The firft hope of redemption to mankind accompanied the fentence of condemnation, and was graciously conveyed by God himself, who comforted the forlorn state of our fallen parents with a promife conceived in general terms, that the feed of the woman should bruise the head of the serpent which had beguiled her.

Noah is afterwards taught by the Spirit to hope, and to exclaim," bleffed be the Lord God of Shem." To

fhew

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