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SEAM.

III.1

INWARD

WTTNESS TO

CHRISTIANITY.

39

ed

by

a

parcel

of

fishermen,

and invented

by

a

carpen-

ter, and

his

followers

that

published it had

no more

learning than

he

?

blow

is

it

possible such

a religion

should

be

from

God,

that

bath

so

much of unlearned

simplicity in

it

But the

christian

can tell them,

that

all the wisdom

and learning

of

the philosophers could

never

do

such

miracles

as

this gospel has done,

could

never work such

a

divine

life

and temper

in

my

heart.

When

the

Jews

shall

say,

How can this

be

the Mes-

siah

?

For

the Messiah, the

Son

of

God, must

be

a

great

King,

the

Governor of

the

earth, must deliver the

Jews

from

their

slavery,

must

have power over all

the

nations;

how

could this

be

the Messiah,

that

was

cruci-

fied

among

his

countrymen, and

we,

with

our

fellow

-

citizens,

joined

together

to

put

him

to death, and

he lay

like a mere

mortal

in

his

grave

?

How can this

be

the

Saviour, or can

his

religion be

true

?"

The

christian,

that

is

called

of

Clod,

4nd has

found the

witness in him-

self,

makes answer,

he

that

was

fòolishness

to

the

Greeks,

and

a scandal

to

the Jews,

is

the

wisdom

of

God,

and

the power

of

God

to

me,

I

have seen

my

sins

nailed

to

the

cross

of

this

Redeemer

;

I

have

found

a

way

for the

pardon

of

all

my

iniquities, and the satis-

faction

of

my

conscience (which

was

before

full

of an-

guish)

in

and

from the cross

of

this Messiah

;

I

have

found

holiness wrought in

my

soul

by

the belief

of

this

gospel

;

I

have felt

such

virtue proceeding

from this

Saviour,

that

I,

who was

before

all

over unclean,

and

defiled,

am,

in

some

degree,

made

holy

:

This

gospel,

therefore must

be from

God, and

this

is

the Messiah

his

Son.

When the

deists

of our

age shall

object and

say,

"

How

can

ye

believe

such

a religion

to be divine,

that

is

delivered in

so

poor and

mean a

way,

as

the story

of

Christ, and

all

the strange

doctrines

of

your

gospel

?

How

can

the bible

be

the word

of God

?

Not

only be-

cause

there are

so

many

obscurities and

mystical speeches

in

it,

that a

learned

man in

our

day would

be

ashamed

to write

it?

How can this gospel be

the revelation

of

God,

that

wants

so

much

of

the beauty

of oratory

and

strong reasoning,

which

the

wisdom

of

man

pretends

to,

and

daily

performs

?"

But the christian answers;

"

The

gospel

that

is

contained

here, must

be

from

God

:

For

D4