assistances from God for the future, in struggling with the difficulties that attend the practice of virtue ?

The intercession of so compassionate and powerful a friend with God, as Jesus Christ is represented to be, is a very firm ground of support, and inspires considerate minds with a cheerful hope of having their persons and services accepted, and of receiving all the necessary supports and blessings of life, whatever opposition they may meet with from the enemies of true religion, and even though they should be exposed to the severest persecutions upon account of their adherence to it. The prospect and full assurance of his coming to raise the dead, and judge the world, and give eternal life, to reward his faithful followers with everlasting happiness, and to punish the wicked with an everlasting destruction, is an argument abundantly sufficient to persuade men immediately to enter upon the ways of holiness and virtue, and to engage them to persevere in them with cheerfulness to the last. Especially considering, that good men are assured that all the inconveniences of life shall be made tolerable and useful to them, and death, the dread of nature, shall be their introduction into rest, and the commencement of their felicity. In a word, the gospel sets before men every consideration to encourage virtue, and deter from vice, and gives them particularly such assurances of retributions in the other world, as that no stronger motives whatsoever can be desired or needed to make them wise, and good, and happy, if they will but suffer them to have their proper and natural influence upon their minds.

VIII. As the gospel precepts of religion and virtue, and the motives set before men to engage them to the love and practice of it, are worthy of God, and suitable to their circumstances and desires, so the peculiar doctrines of Christianity relating to Jesus Christ, the great author and dispenser of it, are such as demand the highest regard; such as no founder of any other religion could pretend to, and yet such as are entirely consistent with the principles of natural religion, and all the certain discoveries of reason; such as are sublime and grand in themselves, uniform and consistent with each other, plain and intelligible in the main and essential points; and such as add great strength and force to natural religion, as they have an entire and absolute tendency to promote godliness and virtue.

Thus it is declared of him, that he was before the formation of the world; the Word that was with God, and God; the brightness of his Father's glory, and the express image of his person; that the Father by him created all things; that by him all things consist; that he came down from a state of heavenly

glory to be made flesh, and dwell amongst us; that he came from the very bosom of his Father, and had that perfect and complete knowledge of his Father's will that no other messenger from him ever had or could have; that to enable him the better to reveal it to mankind, he had a body miraculously prepared for him, which was conceived, and born without sin; but in all sinless infirmities like unto his brethren, in the present suffering, afflicted state of the human nature; that in this body he chose such a condition of life as gave him an opportunity of conversing most familiarly with all sorts of persons; became an example of the most perfect purity and goodness, by his own lowliness and meekness disgracing the pride and passions of the world, and teaching men to place all real excellency and greatness in honouring the great God and Father of all, and doing good to their fellowcreatures, even to the worst and meanest of mankind.

That so much greatness should condescend to put on such a veil, and so glorious a being give such amazing proofs of goodness, is beyond all parallel. It is indeed peculiar to the character of Jesus Christ to be possessed of the glories of Deity, and yet to stoop to the lowest state of human nature; to be Lore of lords, and yet the meekest, humblest man that ever dwelt on earth; to appear amongst men under the form of a servant, and to be made of no reputation, and yet at the same time to be honoured by a voice from heaven. declaring, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."

However, notwithstanding this amazing condescension, great humility, and meanness of outward form, he is represented as assuming an authority worthy the Son of God; an authority and right to settle the terms o men's acceptance with God, according as he had received power from his Father; an authority to forgive sins on earth, so as that they should be forgiven in heaven; and so to retain sins, as that they should remain unpardonable in a future state; and authority and power to send the Spirit of his Father, and constitute him the prime minister of his kingdom amongst men; that by his extraordinary and miraculous gifts he might confirm the gospel, and make it successful upon its first publication; and afterwards, in every age, continually accompany it with such impressions on the hearts of men, as, in the efficacy and design of them, should correspond to those more extraordinary gifts, which were poured out on Christians in common at their first embracing the gospel. And finally, an authority to raise the dead, and judge them when restored to life; to send all the workers of iniquity into everlasting punishment, and to reward all who sincerely believe in him and obey him, with eternal happiness.

But notwithstanding these high pretensions, it is farther declared of him, that he died the ignominious and accursed death of the cross; that he died a sacrifice for the sins of the world; that by his death he drew all men to himself, and brought to pass that great mystery of calling in the Gentiles, taking away the difference between them and the Jews, making them one household and family; thus founding his kingdom upon his own blood, and not on the blood of his enemies and opposers.

But though he died to answer these ends, yet the same records testify, that in spite of all the malice and opposition of his enemies, he rose again the third day, effectually to remove the offence and scandal of his own cross, and to give an exemplar and sure proof of the resurrection of others by his power at the end of the world; that after his resurrection he abode forty days on earth, to settle the affairs of his kingdom with his disciples, commanding them to preach his gospel, sending them forth in such a style of majesty as could never be equalled by any earthly monarch, or author of any other revelation, "all power is given me in heaven and in earth" and assuring them that the terms upon which they should declare men acquitted or condemned, partakers of eternal life or death, under the infallible conduct of his Spirit, should be ratified and confirmed in heaven in this sense intrusting them with, not only the erection and ordering his kingdom upon earth, but also with the keys of heaven and hell.

After this commission granted to his apostles, it is declared of him, that in their presence he ascended into the heavens, a cloud receiving him out of their sight, leading captivity captive, triumphing over those powers of darkness whose works he came into the world to destroy-spoiling those principalities and powers, those spiritual wickednesses in high places; that he was seated on his Father's right hand, angels being made subject to him, and the god of this world, the spirit that works in the children of disobedience, being put under his feet, and reserved by him to be finally bruised at the judgment of the great day.

And lastly, the same records that give an account of his investiture with this high dignity and office, do, with great consistency and propriety, declare, that the Father hath committed all judgment to him; that all shall appear before his judgment seat; that when he shall come to execute this important trust, he shall appear in his own glory, | and in his original form of God, all the holy angels attending him, and solemnly waiting round his tribunal. That then he shall be seated on the throne of his glory; that all nations shall be gathered before him; that he

shall separate them one from another on his right hand, and on his left, pass sentence on them, and thereby determine their everlasting state; that the wicked shall go away into everlasting punishment, and the righteous be adjudged to life eternal; that he shall present them blameless before his Father's glory; and that, as the conclusion of all, he himself shall lay down all rule, and all authority and power, deliver up the kingdom to God, even the Father, become subject unto him who put all things under him, that God may be all in all.

A scheme so sublime and grand, so consistent with the prerogatives of the great God, so suitable to the high dignity and infinite merits of the Son of God, so calculated to awaken men to virtue and piety, carries in it all the characters of probability and truth, and highly deserves the most attentive consideration and regard.

IX. As these peculiar doctrines of Christianity carry their own recommendation along with them, and appear worthy to be received for their intrinsic excellency, so they come to us attended with many clear and convincing demonstrations, that it is the will of God we should regard them as truths coming from him, and as revealed to us by his special order and appointment, for our recovery, improvement, and perfection.

Jesus of Nazareth, the person from whom these doctrines receive their general name, and are called Christian, was called the Christ, because he made pretensions to a divine mission, and always thought and spoke of himself as anointed and empowered by God to make these discoveries of his will to men, declaring himself the Son of God, and that person whom the Jews, with whom he lived and conversed, had been all along trained up and taught to look for. And of the truth of these pretensions he gave sufficient evidence to every unprejudiced and attentive observer.

It was very wisely ordered, that just before his appearance in the world, there should arise one who should prepare men for his coming, and give notice of his approach. This John the Baptist did, preaching in the spirit and power of Elias, and saying, "Prepare ye the way of the Lord;" and though he did no miracle, yet by his virtuous and strict deportment, his self-denial, his pathetic exhortations, his bold and impartial admonitions and reproofs, he obtained the character of a great prophet. This man bare witness concerning Jesus, and the things he said of him could not but attract the eyes of men toward him, and raise great expectations from him; and the gradual accomplishment of several things which John had foretold of him was at least some evidence that Jesus was a very extraordinary person, and was suited to keep every honest and impartial mind open to any

farther proofs that Jesus might produce of his pretensions and mission from God.

And of these he gave many during his life and ministry that were beyond all reasonable exception. He wrought many great miracles, -that is, did many things evidently and confessedly above all human power and skill to effect. He healed the sick, and cured all manner of diseases, such as by all the art and efficacy of medicine had been found incurable, -inveterate palsies, and lunacies. He opened the ears of the deaf, loosed the tongues of the dumb, made the lame to walk, rendered the maimed perfect, opened the eyes of those that had been born blind, and raised the dead. These amazing works he performed in an instant, even by the speaking of a word, in the cities and towns of the country where he lived, in places of the most public resort, before multitudes of his enemies as well as friends, and at such seasons, and such particular places, on the Sabbath, and in the synagogues, as he well knew would occasion the most critical and narrow inquiry into all the circumstances of the facts. All these things he performed without any ostentation or vain-glory. In all his most public miracles there was always some circumstance or other, which plainly shewed that they were intended for the conviction of those who saw them, and not to gain applause to himself.

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But besides these extraordinary works, he answered all those characters which the prophets of former ages had given of the Messiah. As he was promised under the character of "a prophet like unto Moses," but whose office was to be more general and extensive than that of Moses; as one who was to be "a light to lighten the Gentiles as well as the glory of his people Israel" he accordingly came furnished and commissioned to instruct all mankind, Jew and Gentile, in every important truth that they were concerned to know, in order to their obtaining the divine acceptance, and the happiness of a future state; commanding all nations to be discipled, taught, and proselyted, that "all men might come to the knowledge of the truth, and be

saved."

As he was foretold under the character of a king, as “the Son of man," to whom should

be given a kingdom, dominion, and power;" so Jesus came asserting his right to a kingdom, setting up the kingdom of God amongst men, and claiming and exercising a rightful authority over their hearts and consciences.

He appeared just at that time when a person of such a character was generally and reasonably expected; just as the sceptre was departing from Judah, and at the period fixed and determined by the prophecy of Daniel.

He came of the nation, tribe, and particular family, from which it was prophesied he

should descend, being of the seed of Abraham, the tribe of Judah, and house of David; and, by a wonderful interposition of Providence, born at Bethlehem, the place from whence was to "come forth he who was to be ruler in Israel."

When he appeared and conversed amongst men, his disposition and behaviour were suited both to the character he sustained, and to the prophecies that had been given out concerning him. He was meek and lowly in heart, holy, and without blame, so that his most inveterate and malicious enemies could not convince him of sin.

His circumstances in life were exactly such as they were foretold they should be. He was "despised and rejected, a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief." He lived in want of many of the conveniences, and sometimes of the very necessaries of life, and was subject to reproach, and the most ungrateful and inhuman usage. At last he was "led as a lamb to the slaughter," suffered death as a malefactor, and was "cut off for the transgressions of the people," All this he endured without murmuring, complaining, reviling again, or threatening. His enemies and accusers, his judges, executioners, and guards, his friends and relations, and a numberless multitude of curious and inquisitive spectators, judged, saw, and knew him to be dead. He was taken from the cross, buried in his sepulchre, and yet rose again from the dead, and by this resurrection he was "declared to be the Son of God with power," beyond all possible contradiction.

During his life and ministry he had often mentioned this great event as what should certainly come to pass, resting and laying the stress of his pretensions upon it; sometimes in plain words; at other times in figurative expressions, declaring how long he should continue in the grave, and in the state of the dead, namely, three days and three nights, that is, part of three days and three nights. Accordingly, on the third day he rose, and shewed himself alive to his disciples, whom he had chosen to be his stated companions with this particular view, that they might be qualified to testify the most remarkable facts which occurred in his life; and that they might be proper and unexceptionable witnesses of his resurrection from the dead.

And as they have unanimously declared this to the world, there is no just reason to object to their testimony. For in asserting this, they assert what they so knew themselves, as that they could not be deceived in. They knew the person, features, manner, and speech of Jesus. They were allowed to handle him, that they might be sure they were not imposed on by an airy phantasm, and delusive appearance only. They had free and familiar converse with him, and that

repeatedly in the space of forty days. He discoursed to them largely on subjects, of which he had before his death given them more general hints, and renewed the great promise he had made them in his former life, of pouring out his Spirit on them; with this additional circumstance, that it should be made good to them not many days from the time of his speaking to them.

Upon these accounts, it cannot be supposed that these witnesses could be deceived themselves in what they relate; nor is there any reason to think that they attempted to deceive others, by bearing witness to the truth of a known imposture. For as to what appears, they were persons of honest minds, not crafty, covetous, ambitious, and designing: they had no temptation to invent such a story, or publish it if they had not known it to be true. They had no prospect of gain or worldly grandeur, however successful they might prove in propagating the story. The doctrine they taught enjoins the strictest regard to veracity, and the greatest abhorrence of fraud and guile, under the most solemn and awful sanctions. Their testimony was uniform and consistent in all the parts of it. If the story had been forged, those who opposed and endeavoured to stifle it, might easily have detected the forgery: the surest, nearest, and plainest way to expose the authors, abettors, and believers of it, and to prevent its spreading in the world. instead of this, they loaded the witnesses with hardships of every kind. Reproach, shame, poverty, bonds, imprisonments, scourgings, &c. were the arguments made use of by their enemies to stop their mouths. Nothing of this kind silenced them, or made any one of them to retract. They cheerfully underwent the severest persecutions, and submitted to death itself, rather than they would deny or conceal what they knew to be a truth of the last importance to mankind.

But

In short, a testimony so circumstanced as this is, in any other case, never did, nor ever can be disputed or disbelieved; but in any age and place would, and in any time or country still will meet with a general credit and reception from all reasonable and fair men, without any cavil, hesitation, or demur.

As Jesus Christ did in his lifetime, and after his resurrection, promise his disciples, that they should receive his Spirit, or power from on high; he accordingly poured it down upon them in all its extraordinary and miraculous gifts; and thereby manifestly proved his ascension to the right hand of power and glory.

Besides this, the divine mission and authority of Jesus Christ is farther established by the actual and exact accomplishment of those important events, which he expressly and

clearly foretold many years before they canie to pass.

He publicly declared before multitudes that heard him as well as his own disciples, that the city of Jerusalem, and its glory the temple, should, in a few years, be utterly laid waste and destroyed; and that the gospel, which was at first offered to the Jews and rejected by them, should be taken away from amongst them, and be tendered to the Gentiles; and that persons of all nations and languages under heaven should receive and become proselytes to his religion, and that the gates of hell should not prevail against his Church, but that he would be with it to the end of the world.

These remarkable events, though at the time when he foretold them they were far from being probable, though there appeared no signs or tokens that should lead to such a conjecture, did nevertheless come to pass exactly according to his prediction. Before the generation of men, to whom he addressed himself, had passed away, Jerusalem became desolate, and the nation was destroyed; and the history of that dreadful calamity, as it is related by Josephus, doth remarkably agree with the prophetic account given by Jesus concerning it, as it is very circumstantially recorded by the evangelists.

And after the apostles had in vain attempted to persuade the Jewish nation and people to receive the Christian religion, they turned themselves to the Gentiles, who, in almost every place where the gospel was preached to them, shewed a better disposition, and minds more open to evidence and conviction; multitudes of the Gentiles receiving the word with gladness and all readiness of mind.

And notwithstanding the tares that have been sown the strifes and divisions which have been excited and fomented-the declensions and degeneracy of many Christian professors

the persecutions with which the avowed enemies of the Christian Church have frequently worried it,-and the antichristian spirit that for many ages hath shewn itself amongst the greater part of those who have borne the Christian name; notwithstanding Christianity hath been often moved from one place to another, and in many nations entirely suppressed; notwithstanding the objections that have been urged against the doctrines of Christianity, and the contempt, ridicule, and insolence with which the person and miracles of Jesus have been treated, yet still the religion of Christ continues unto this day, in its external profession and internal efficacy,

not by might nor power, but by the Spirit, and favour, and blessing of God, and its own native excellency and intrinsic worth.

From these considerations I am even forced to acknowledge and reverence the divine character and inission of the Son of God, and

to receive his religion in all the parts and branches of it as a revelation immediately from God.

X. As Jesus Christ himself, the great founder of the Christian religion, had this full evidence and substantial proof of his own authority and commission from God; and that he was a man approved of God, by wonders, signs, and miracles, which God did by him; and as he was sent to publish a new institution of religion, not only for one nation and people, but for all nations and people of the earth so the same books which shew this, farther shew, that he took care to propagate and confirm the religion he taught by choosing the most proper means and instruments to carry on and perfect it, and persuade men to receive it.

And therefore, before he left the world himself, and ended his own personal ministry, he chose several persons to be his apostles and messengers, who should afterwards publish his religion to the world, with sufficient authority and qualifications for so great a work as the delivering a new revelation and rule of religion to mankind.

By a near acquaintance and constant conversation with him, they were proper persons to be credible witnesses of all his miracles, and in particular of his resurrection, that great evidence that he was approved of God! and farther, to acquaint the world what were the truths he taught, and what were the rules of worship he appointed, having had such opportunity to know them by his personal and private instructions.

To give the greater weight to what they should teach the world as his religion, he gave them authority, by a solemn commission, in virtue of that full power that was given him in heaven and earth, to teach all nations, and make them his disciples, and to enter them as such by baptism, in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, requiring them to observe all things whatsoever he had commanded them. And such authority and commission from one already approved a teacher sent from God, justly gave credit to what they should teach in his name, or declare concerning him, either as to what they had seen themselves, or received in command from him to deliver unto others.

But besides this, their authority and qualifications to publish this religion to all nations are evidenced by many other plain and convincing proofs. For they had not only the benefit of his personal instructions and directions all the time of their conversation with him, but he had promised to send to them the Spirit of truth after his removal from them, and that this Spirit, when he came, should guide them into all truths, farther necessary to perfect his institution of religion. This promise was again solemnly repeated,

after his resurrection, to his apostles, whom, being assembled together with them, he com manded, that they should not depart from Jerusalem, "but wait for the promise of the Father, which," says he, "ye have heard of me; for John truly baptized you with water, but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence; and ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you, and ye shall be witnesses unto me, both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria and unto the uttermost parts of the earth."

This remarkable promise was soon after accomplished; for whilst they were together upon the day of Pentecost, there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them, and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance, though before they had been utterly unacquainted with them. Their minds were in an instant illuminated, and filled with a clear and distinct knowledge of those important truths, which to that time had been absolutely, or in a great measure unknown to them. They had at the same time conveyed to them a power of healing all manner of diseases, of doing miracles, even of raising the dead to life, of prophecy, or predicting future events, and of conferring these extraordinary gifts and powers of the Holy Ghost upon others, which was so commonly done, and so well known, that Simon, who by his sorceries had deceived many to account of him as the great power of God, offered money to the apostles, that he like them might have the power to give the Holy Ghost by laying on of hands.

These gifts of the Spirit of God were such in their nature, as no human power or wisdom could confer; such as none of the exorcists or sorcerers of those times, with all their cunning and art, management and reputation amongst the people, could counterfeit. They were so many and public, as gave the most clear and undeniable evidence of the apostles' mission from God and Christ, greatly animated them in the work they were called to, and contributed much to their success. effusion of the Spirit was a public affirmance of their private testimony concerning Christ, and added the weight of prophecy and miracles to the credibility of true and faithful witnesses.

This

But besides all this, the manner of their instruction greatly recommended the testimony they gave, and the doctrines they taught. This was in all respects such as it became the best of men, and the wisest of religions to use. Never did men give greater instances of honesty and sincerity, and a firm persuasion of the truth of what they taught. Never did men appear more disinterested and