in Contriving Man's Redemption. it in the whole Co!lll'ars of Nature. For Natural Union fuppofcs the Parts .incompleat, ~ and capable of Perll:Etion by their joyning together: But that a Being inlinttcly pcrfeEl: Chap. 7· fliould a!fume by pcr~onal Union a nature inlerior to it fclf, the Heathens Iool~r on Jt .as ~ a Fable, forg'd accordmg to. the mode! cf tl~e FiEt.ions concerning Dttnae and .A_ntzope. Ong. (ont. Celf. And the DoS:nne of our S~v10ur7s Death on the Crofs rhey _reJeEted, as an Impiety contumelious to God. They judged it inconri ltcnt with the Majelty and Hap· pinefs of the !~city, w afcnbc to lum that whtch JS the Pum01menr of the t~oit gtll!ty and miferable. In the account of carnal Reofon, they thought more worthily of God by dc.nying that of I;Iim, which is o~ly due to r.he worfl: of Men. r;elfm, ( Urig. contra Cel(. hb. 1. J. who~ w1~h as much .Subn!rr as Maltcc, urges all, that With any Appearance, could beobje£\ed agamit our SavJOur, pnncipally inliits on his Poverty and Sufferings, the Mcannefs and M1fcry of his Cond_1tion in rh~ World. '!was fir,_fa1rh he, _That the Son of God jb011ld "ppear as the Sun, whuh renders rt felf confpJCrtOfi.S by tt.s orvn Ltght: But the Gofpel having declared the Word to be the Son ofGo<l, relates, that he was a Man of Sorrows, that had no power to defend himfelf, and was deferted by his Father and . ~~~~:~~s,t~~~~~g;l~atw;:~~l~o~i~e~I1~d i2:::;~~~!Ze_ ~x~~u~~~c~·li·~lt/-r:n~0~~ry~~d~~c~~~~ ~=~£(:~~ ccnce and Puniftment, the loweCr of human Mtfenes, Death, wnh the h1gheft of Dt· mi-3!~, u, .P~~ vine Honours Adoration. Briefly, nothing was more contrary to Flefh and Blood, than B..,: 11:x' 11 .~ to believe rh;t Pcrfon to be the Redeemer of the World, who did not refcue himfelf ;:n ;:tg.~n" from his Enemies ; and to expt:Cl lrnmorrality from hitn that was overcome by Death. £-un~ PQ~~· 1:\'ow the caufcs of this lnfiddity 2re, 171U. 1. The Darkncfs of the Mind, which is fo corrupted by Original Pravity, that it cannot behold Heavenly Myfienes rn their proper Light, fo as to acquiefce m the Truth of ~;rsmf~ z;e; L~=~i~;l !,~O;e~~:;J /h:~,thbe:::;f.S/l/7r;5'};/:j:ta/~O~if!:::e;:J; ~~!"~~~,~~ Tire Apoitle takes notice of the DifaffeEl:ion of the Heart, and the Incapacity of the Mind, not prepared and illuitrared by Grace, to embrace and difcern fpiritual things in their Verity and Beauty. There is a great Difproportion between the natural Underfiandmg, though elevated and enlarged by Secular Learning, and fupcrnatural Truth; For though the rational Soul is a Sprrit, as 'tis diitingui01'it from corporeal Beings; yet t1ll 'tis purged from Error, and 'vic1ous Affeaions, it can never difcover the Divinity of things Spiritual, fo as tO embrace them with certainty and delight. As there mu it be a Spirit of Revelation to unvarl the Object, fo of Wifdom to enlighten the Eye, that it may be prepared for the Reception of it. .As Heaven is only feen by its own Light, fo Chrift is by his own Spint. Divine ObjeEl:s, and Faith that difcerns them, are of the fame Original, and of the fame quality. The natural Underitand ing, as the Effects dec\are, is like the Funeral Lamps, which! by the Ancients, were put into Sepulchres, to guard the An1es of their dead Friends, whrch fhine fo long as they are kept clofe, a thick motl1 Vapour feeding them, and repairing what was confum'd: but, in opening the Se-- pulchres, and expoGng them to the free Air, they prcfently faint and expire. Thus na. tllral Re<1fon, whil!l converfant in things below, and watching with the Dead; tint is 7 in the Phro(i of the Ancients, itudying the Books of Men who have left the World, it ~1fcovcrs fomething, although 'tis rather a Twilight than clear; but when 'tis brought: Jrom the narrow Sphere of things fenrible, to contemplate the hnmenrity of things Spintual and Supernatural, its Light decltnes, and is turned into Darknefs. 2. The Pride of the hrtma?. Uncleritanding, which difdains to fioop to thofe great and Hearenly Myftenes ( r ). '1rs obfervablc, that thofe who moft excell'd in natural Wif- . (r) P"pbJ· d~m , were the grearefl: defpifers of E'V~nt:,elicAl Truths ( f} The proud Wits of the~:::. M~;~~~~, \o\orld cbo~e rather to be Mafters ?f then· own, than Scholars to another. They made f!i(ro:Jes_. SoRcafon then· fupremc Rule, and Pht!o(ophy their highdl: Principle, and would not believe IL :atJOm cewhat they could not comprehend ( t ) . They reprefented Chrilhans under fcornful Ti- do( r) ·•,.; ties, as Captives of a bhnd J.lehef, and derided their Faith as the Ejfirf of Folly· and Re- n•;T,g- .~";;" JC8:cd Revclat~on, the only_ means to com·ey the Kn_owledge of D1vine Myfl:erie~ to the~. ~~"4~~~;~ Th~~ prefum? hy the Ltght a_nd Strength of then· own Rcafo1~ and V1rtue to acqu1re ~~ .. ~~~- ~~~:~~~~d ~~i~:~~~~c~~~,.~~~~~~~c~~~tr~a~~ei!~~~~e~~~{t· t\~e~.fco:;r,e~er~~-~\~e'~ ~~~ ~i'~. ~>tflle, by_way of upbraidmg., enquires, 1 Cor. 1. rg, 20. Hl/)('re i.s the wi'i Man? H'here U -""]' '-c· the ~crtbe? l1'bere i.s the Vifjuter of thU J!Vorld? God hatb made the 11'i{v1om of the !1'orld ~~';;J't·}~ F_oolifhne[J. As thofc who are really poor, and would appear rich in the Pomp of rhen· Ha· fMI, '-~~~···~ i· b~ts and Attendan~s, arc made poor by that E~pcnce ; fO the PhrloJOpiJer.s who wer~ 9e- vc:5-tv n•@-". fiaute ?f true \V1fdom, and wo~ld appear w_lfe in making Rcafon. the judge of _I?IvJnc :;:~u~:;~ft Revclat•on, and the Ialt Refolunon of all thm,;s, by that falfe At:e<Ration of Wr!dom , became
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