CHRIST A W I T N E S S. Book II. METAPHO~ PARALLEL Record that he is called to bear tween God am! Mankind ; he hath td[ified that wimefs unto. God loved the World, and fent him to be'a Sa- . . vior; and that there is Forg ivenefs of Sin, and eternal L1fe through hts Name; and that God will condemn all thofe that believe not: He that believetb, and is baptized, jhall be Javed; but he that believeth not, }hall be damned, Mark xvi. 16. VI. A good and credible WitVI. Jefus Chri£1: however accounted a falfe nefs makes a Caufe valid to which Witnefs and Deceiver by the ]ews, yet hath by he gtves Tefhmony. bts excellent Doctrine, his holy Life, and ftupendous Miracles, given fnch a Teftimony to the Word of God's Grace, and Good·will in making a Covenanr, of hi" F aithfulnefs in performing and making good the fame, of the Reality of his Intentions, to make Men happy through believing, that he renders the Matter on God's fide valid againil: all Contenders whatfoever, fo as that God fltall be clear in Judgment, and none be able to anfwer him one Word of a Thoufand, ]ohn v. 10. VII. A Witnefs is fo necdfary VII. Jefus the faithful and true Witnefs, was in all Matters of Moment, efpecifo neceffary to the Determination of Matters re– ally that which relates to Judg-. latingto God and Man, that it could not be done ment, and to the Determination of without him, otherwife another might have ferved Things, that they are feldom done in his room; but none in Heaven nor Earth was without one. found worthy to open the Book, and loofe the done what no other ]ohn xv. 22, 24. Seals thereof, Rev. v. 4o If I had not come and did, you had not had Sin, but now you bave no Cloak for your Sin, VIII. A Wimefs is to fpeak the whole Truth, when no lefs will ferve to clear the Cafe. VIII. Chri£1:, as the chief Witnefs, bath fpoke the whole Truth, ltft nothing concealed that either concerns God's Glory, or Men's Good, either by himfelf before he went to Heaven, or by his Apo£l:les fince; he bath declared the whole Counfel of God, fo that the Re– cord of his Teftimony is able to make us perfect and complete in the whole 'Will of God; and if any add to, or take from his Word, he fh alllofe his Part in the Book of Life and heavenly ]erufalem, Re~·. xxii. 19 . ./J[/s xx. 27. IX. A good Witnefs is a juil: IX. Jefus is fo juf1, and impartial a Witnefs ; and impartial Man, that abhors yea, and fo great an Abhorrer of Falfhood, that Lying. he is called 'he 'I'ruth itfelf, yea, Grace and 'I'ruth came by him, ]ohn xiv. 6. and i. 17. He was holy, X. A good and credible Wit– nefs ends Controverfies upon Trial the right Way; and leaves thofe that are ea£1: without Excufe or Re– lief. harmlefs, fep•rate from Sinners X. As the Teftimony of Jefus will put an end to all Controverf1es the right Way, and leave the Wicked wholly without Excufe, and clear the J uftice of God : So it jha/1 be more tolerable for Sodom, in the Day of Judgment, than for that City, Rom. ii. 15, 16. Matt. x. 15. that refufes and r<jects the Word and Te£l:imony of Chrif1 in the Gofpel. Divine J uffice however will be cleared in the Eyes or View of Men, and Angels, in condemning them that had the Light, and would not be determined by it. See Chri£1: a Prophet. METAPHOR. I. T H E greate£1: vVitneffes amongil: Men, are but of a fhort £l:anding, they are but ofYef– terday ; know but in part, there– fore can tdl:ify but in part. JI. Earthly Witneffes .are but Servants, and in many Things re– turn the Matter of their Teflimo– ny by Information. D IS PAR IT Y. I. BUT J efus Chri£1: is an ancient Witnefs of long ftanding, was ".Vith the Father from the Beginning, ]ohn i. 1, 2. faw and heard all Things that he fpake and did: I was .b! him, as one brought up with him, &c.. Prov. vm. 24. Before Abraham was, I am, . I!. J <fus Chriil: is the Son of the great K1og and L aw-giver, and hath the whole Matter of Teflimony by Si~ht and perfonal Knowledge. 'Ihe Father hath }hewed the Son all 'Ihings that ht him[elf doeth, &c. ]olm v. 20. and viii. 38. And what he bath feen and heard tbat he te;1ifieth, Jolm iii. 32. INFERENCES.
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