QUESTION II. 437 godhead, viz. his knowing their thoughts, his forgiveness of sins, &c. because we have a full account of these and many other transactions of Christ, and we know so much of his divinity and glory from other parts of the bible; yet whether the disciples in that day did infer his divinityfróm any Of these foregoing occur- rences, and applied them to him as to the true God, may bear á just doubt and enquiry. 5. They believed that he was theMessiah,. and the Messiah is spoken of in several places of the Old Testament under the character and title of- the,true God., But as we cannot find that the learned .Doctors of that age did generally understand those prophecies, or believe the true deify of the. Messiah, so neither do we find any hint in thehistory of the gospel that the apostles themselves before the death of Christ understood those prophe- cies, so far as to apply them to the Messiah iii that, sense ; but only thought him, to be the greatest of prophets, and to Be the appointed king of Israel and their Saviour. 6: They believed and confessed him to be the on of God ; but this titledoes not necessarily amount to any more than, a glo- rious likeness to God,, a nearer and more peculiar relation to God, a special office pf Messiahship, and a more eníinent"deri- vation of his human nature fromGod than any other creatures, either angels or men, who are called the son's of God, could ever pretend:,. This I think is made pretty evident in another d sser- tation. Titus I have mentioned the fairest and strongest eviden- ces that I can find of any degree of faith or belief that the dis- ciples had of the deity, of Christ during his lifé, and it is pessible they might sometimes have a glimpse of that glorious doctrine. Sul% V.What Evidence they gave of disbelieving his True Deity. V. The last thing I proposed, was to chew, " what indica- tions the disciples gave during the life -time of Christ of their disbelief of his godhead, or at least of the uncertainty of their faith in that matter. 1. If they had a firm and steady belief that he was the true God, surely we should . have found them. upon some occasion or another evidently expressing their faith in . this matter, both for their own and their master's interest and honour ;: since we never find that he forbid them to publish this to the, world, though he did forbid them to publish same of his miracles, his transfi- guration, his own prophecies of his death, resurrection, and ascension, &c. And if they had not thought proper to publish to the world, that their master was the true God, yet we have much reason to suppose that, if they had believed .. it, they would upon was a e 3
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