in Knowledge, or he could not have “known "what was in Man,” (see John ii. 25.) or per"ceived the Thoughts of the Heart," (fee Luke ix. 47.) but he did not exert either in his ordinary Course of living, and upon every Occafion that offered itself. In fhort, if Men would separate the Paffages relating to the Divine Nature of Christ from those that respect his human, instead of blending and confounding them together, their Faith would be more clearly ascertained, and innumerable Objections of this Sort effectually removed. But of this, more hereafter.-There can be no reasonable Doubt then of the Divinity of Jefus Chrift, nor, by Parity of Argument, of that of the Holy Ghost, provided we allow their just Weight to the Texts declarative of his Perfonality, many his Attributes, &c. &c. the Sense of which cannot be affected by Expreffions plainly figurative and metaphorical only, or relative to Chrift's human Character; I say, there can be no Doubt in either Cafe, if we can depend upon the Sincerity and Veracity of those who have given us fuch clear Accounts of the Life, Actions, and Doctrine of Jefus Chrift.

Now, not to enlarge upon the many Points that have been often urged upon this Head, as, the extreme Folly and Imprudence, the imminent Hazard and Danger, and the apparent Impoffibility of their fupporting an Imposture, and obtruding it E 2 upon

upon

the World; I shall beg Leave to take Notice of one Circumstance only, which I look upon to be equivalent to a Demonftration of the Integrity of their Hearts, and confequently of the Truth of what they have afferted: I mean, the Manner in which they generally relate feveral Particulars of the Life and Actions of their Master.

It had been natural for Men, who were chofen Inftruments of Imposture, to have magnified and extolled every thing that might derive Honour on their Leader, to have displayed to all poffible Advantage the Succefs of his Preaching, and the wonderful Propagation of his Gospel; and to have omitted, or, as much as in them lay, disguised every Circumstance of the least Reproach, or Difparagement to his Person and Authority; nor can it be denied that the Apostles were endued with Sagacity equal to fuch obvious Precautions as thefe; at least, that their Mafter was able to have given them Inftructions for fuch Purposes. We find them nevertheless relating in the most minute and exact Manner, and with that unaffected Simplicity which is always the Handmaid of Truth, the mean and humble Circumstances that distinguished his Life, and the ignominious ones that preceded his Death, together with several other Particulars which the ufual Cunning of Impoftors would have been industrious to conceal: Infomuch that by

faithfully

faithfully recording the many Difficulties and Obftructions the Gospel originally met with from the World, they themselves furnish Infidels at this very Day with Objections, fuch as they are, to the Chriftian Difpenfation. Thus, they tell us that our Saviour's own Countrymen, astonished as they were as well at his Doctrines as his Miracles, could not bring themselves to acknowledge the Force of them, or shake off the Prejudice they had conceived against the Meanness of his Family, and the Obfcurity of his worldly Station. Many bearing him were aftonished, faying, from whence bath this Man thefe Things? And what Wisdom is this which is given unto him, that even fuch mighty Works are wrought by his Hands? Is not this the Carpenter, the Son of Mary, the Brother of James, and Jofes, and of Juda, and Simon? And are not bis Sifters here with us? And they were offended at him."-In another Place we are informed, that his own Friends, upon obferving the great Multitudes that continually furrounded him, refolved the whole of his Conduct into the Warmth of a strong Imagination, and the Flights of a blind Enthufiafm: And the Multitude cometh together again, fo that they could not fo much as eat Bread: And when his Friends heard of it, they went out to lay hold on him; for they faid he is befide himself." I need not dwell here upon the still more ridicuf Mark iii. 20, 21.

• Mark vi. 2, 3.

lous and wicked Calumny of his Enemies, the Scribes and Pharifees, who, we know, ascribed the Power by which he caft out Devils to his Correspondence with evil Spirits, and a Commiffion from Satan himself.

Again, we are told that his Pretenfions to Divinity, notwithstanding the many Proofs he gave of it, were generally received by the Jews with the highest Resentment and Indignation; thus when he plainly and peremptorily declared the Reality of his Existence before Abraham, Before Abraham was, I am; they took up Stones to caft at him. And when, in Answer to the folemn Adjuration of the High Priest, he explicitly afferted his Power and Godhead, he was immediately confidered as a horrid Blafphemer by the whole infatuated Affembly. And lastly, to mention one Particular more, when he abundantly confirmed all he had faid and done by his Refurrection, the Chief Priefts, we are told, endeavoured to ftifle the Splendour of fo glorious a Truth, by encouraging a Report that his Difciples came by Night, and ftole him away, while the Soldiers flept.

h

To these Accounts we may add here those of the Miracles above taken Notice of; for if Jefus Chrift either curft the Fig-tree, or fent the Herd of Swine into the Sea, with any undue Views or

John viii. 58, &c.

h Matth. xxviii. 13.

Motives whatsoever, or to any injurious Effect, all Circumstances known and confidered; we may fairly prefume either that the Evangelists would have past over these Facts in Silence, or have given us more plaufible Narrations of them.— And lastly, with regard to that most important Article, the Refurrection of our Lord from the Dead, they must either wilfully endeavour to deceive the World, which, whether we confider the Number, the Simplicity, the Probity, the prefent or future Intereft of thefe Witneffes, it is scarce poffible to conceive: or elfe, (which are the only remaining Cafes to be fuppofed) they themselves, and five hundred Brethren at once, were deceived by the Phantoms of their own Imaginations, or by diabolical Delufion and En

chantment.

i

How far either of these Cases might be absolutely impoffible, I will not pretend to fay; but furely if our Belief is to be determined by the Strength of Evidence, and the Force of Reason and Argument, it is infinitely more probable that the Apostles upon this Occafion fpake forth the Words of Truth and Soberness, than that they were combined in the Publication of a Falfhood, or were themselves under the Influence of any Delufion whatsoever: especially if we confider, that

1 Cor. xv. 6.