PART III. SERMON Ill. 31 my thirst has been perpetuallyquenched by water, and I have often found and felt this wine refresh me. The quibblesof logic, against the sense and experience of a true christian, are but as darts of straw and stubble against the scalesof a leviathan. When the Greeks, who seek after learning, say to a christian, How can this gospel be true and divine, which is so plain and simple in itself, which was preached by a parcel of fishermen, and invented by acarpenter, and his followers that published it had no more learningthan he? How is it possible such a religion should be from God, that bath so much of unlearned simplicity in it ?" But thechristiancan tell them, that all the wisdom and learning of the philosopher could never do such miracles as this gospel has done, couldnever work such adivine lifeand temper in myheart. When the Jews shall say, " How can this be the Messiah ? 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 theMes- siah, that was crucified among hiscountrymen, and we, with our fellow-citizens, joined together to put him to death, and he lay like a mere mortal in his grave? Howcan this be the Saviour, or can his religion be true ?" The christian, that is called of God, and has found the witness in himself, makes answer, he that was foolishness 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 satisfactionof my conscience (which was before full of anguish) 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, whowas 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 bedivine, that is delivered in so poor andmean a way, as the story of Christ, andall the strange doc- trines of your gospel? How can the bible be the word of God ? Not only because 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 although it has so much human weakness in our eyes, I have felt a divine power attending it, it hath been to me the power of God unto salvation. Let it want therefore what human ornaments it will, if it has a divine efficacy in it, I am sure
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