Chrijlian Religion proved by Reafon. ' ~ that God cannot deceive us, th:J.n that our Underftandings are not deceived. Now Chap- 5· what is the main fubjdt of the Golpel ? It in{hufts .us that the Word wa< God, and the ~ Word rr>M made Flcjh. Can there be a more plain Declaration who Jelns Chrift.is, that we may conceive arightof his Natures, his Vermes, hisPrerogatives andMerits? Itis not poffible without viol ence to interpret the words otherwife than they plainly fignifie, that a Divine Being affum'd the Humane Nature, and was God-Man. This wasalfo declar'd by Jefus Corifl. For when the .Jews, fnppofing him to be a meer Man, taxt bun for the Violation of tli e Sabbath, 10 his domg a miraculous Cure on that Day, He replied to their exception, My Father Work!. hitherto, and I Work: That is, as God is nottubjeftrothe Law of the Sabbath, but uninterruptedly does the Works of his merciful Providence; fo I his Son Work in all tunes without limitation. Thisexpreffion the Jews truly underflood to import no lefs than an equality with God, a Son being ofthe fame Nature with his Father, and therefore charg'd him with Blafphemy. Our Saviour allows their Interpretation, but vindicates it from Impiety by a further declaring his Communion with God in his Will and Power, that he perform'd Divine Works; that !~~iS~~gr~~~~t~!~)ifw ~t;~~g~:SOI~f~i~re~~at~::t th~t~d:~\~V~ n~~d~:~:~d the meaning of his own Expreffions? Could Truth deceive? Was it pofiible for Wifdom to fpeak improperly? Was Power d~f~hve and un~ble to declare ~hat it would have us to undcdl:and? How _u~rea [onable_ IS Jt then to obJ~ll: how can th!s be t What pride is it to rebel againft: the D1vme ~evdat~on? What ob(bn~cy to r~mam tmC1tisfied ~ unlefs we difcovtr how terms [o d 1~ant m them[elves, the h1ghefl: Bemg, G 0 D, and the loweft in the Sphere of Rational Beings, Man, fhould be fo ftriftly united? How they n10uJd be fo iatimately joyn'd without confufion of Natures in one Perfon, that 'tis truly laid, God was humbled to the form of a Servant, and Man is rais'd to the Right Hand of God. . Here 'tis our Duty to fubjeftour noble~ Faculty,. the Underllanding, to Divine Revelation. In the Doftnnes of Fa tth as well as m the Dtfpofures ofProvidence 'tis fufficient to check prefumptuous Curioftty, that God is the Author. ' I fltall add one Conftderation more: lf'jefm Chriftwas not what he declar'd himfelf to be, the Son of God, he was a moll Impio~s Man.. For 'tisimpietyin the fupreme degree, for any in the pure order ofCreatures toallume Dtvme Honour: Butthe quality of his DoCtrine, and [anll:ity ofhis Life, infinitely c\ear;him from fuch a vile Charge. For is it conceivable that a Perfon guilty of the Highefl even Sacrilegious Pride, fbould be an InftruCI:er ofthe m_oft perfell: Humility to th<; V,:orld? 'Ti: the fJ?Ccial Char~fter of hi s Religion that diltmgutfbes tt from all ~ther Infl:rtut.tons, that tt prelerves the Dtvme Glory entire; that jc m~kes theprofmm_deft: 1mpreffions m the h~ar~ of. Me1~ of theu meannefs and vanity, and mfpires them wtth an humble fenfe of thetr mfimte dtflance from God. And for the holinefs of his Life, I fh~ll produce a Teflimony that can be.liable to no e>eeption; 'tis of Porphiry a Platonic!{ Phtlofopher, who excelled as tn Learnmg and Eloquence, [o in Malignity, the moft furious Enemies of ChrifliMtifJ ;1 yet he was by irrefifHble Evidence compell'd to acknowledge, That 'je[ln Chrifl was a moft Pio"' and ExceUent Perfon, mzd that after hi< Death he. afcended into Hett1JC1t: And is it credible that the fame Perfon, whofe Life was a Glonous Example of Holmefs and Rtghteoufnefs, fhould be guilty of the moll tranfcendent Wickednefs? Tts not poffible for an unprejudic'd Mind to entertain fuch a fufpicion. 4· That the Son of God was here below in a mean Uate, that he was expos'd to the moU cruel and ignominious Death, if we confider the great end of his condefending Goodnefs, it wtll appear to be moll worthy of him; and that there is no contradiCtion in the things themfelves, but in the perverfe Minds oflnfidels: For, Firfl, He was to redeem the World not in the way of Maj efty, but by humble Obedience, and Sulferhgs. Thus it was ordered by Divine Wifdomfor the Honour of God's Attributes and Government. Now if he had appear'din fenfible Glory, the defign of his coming haci b•en frufrrated : Who would have dared to condemn him to the infamous Death of the Crofs ? Who would have fhed his Blood, the price of our Redemption ? And 'tis very obfervable thato~r SaviOur made no ufe of hts Supernatural Power, when the doing a Miracle before Herod would have !truck him with the Reverence of him as a Divine Man, and might have prefe~v· d him from Death. Nay, when the glittering Hall of Heaven, all the Orders of Angels were in Arms ready upon his leafl Call to have come fwiftcr than Lightning for his refcue, yet he meekly yielded himfelf up a Bloody Sacrifice to God, and an Ignominious Spell:acle to Men. For thus it became him to fulfil a11 Righteoufnefs. Secondly, Another great end ofhis Coming was to found a Spiritual Eternal Kingdom; He was conUituted a new Ad""• to regenerate Men to an Holy Bleffed Life, that were condemned
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