CHAPTER THE SIXTH.

H

AVING now obferved upon those parts of the feveral Gofpels which feemed to me neceffary, as prefatory to my general defign, I fhall proceed to the object with which I originally fet out; namely, the confideration of the Gospel as recorded by St. John, chapter the first.

ST. JOHN, CHAP. I.

"1. In the beginning was the word, and "the word was with God, and the word "was God,

2. The fame was in the beginning " with God:

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"3. All

"3. All things were made by him, and "without him was not any thing made "that was made.

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"4. In him was life, and the life was "the light of men."

Here we fee that God the Son is fo entirely, though in a myfterious manner which we cannot understand, united to God the Father (and we are informed in other parts of scriptures the same of the Holy Ghoft) that we are led to pay equal reverence to one as to the other.

St. John could not poffibly have found ftronger expreffions to prove the divinity of Jesus Christ, than those with which he introduces his gofpel; but indeed the whole tenor of fcripture tends to inculcate this doctrine.

That they who profefs Christianity, I mean who upon reflection have adopted the religion of Jefus Chrift, fhould difpute his divinity, appears to me a contradiction in terms. I would ask, upon what, then, is their faith founded? If it is anfwered,

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fwered, upon the fcriptures; do not the fcriptures exprefsly declare him "the Son " of God?" Does he not when questioned declare himself to be fo? Does he not say, “ before Abraham was, I am ;" and again, "Ye shall see the son of man fitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the "clouds of heaven."

Shall we then profefs our belief in him as the Author of our falvation, and yet doubt his veracity in the most material. points? For if we can fuppofe him to have been capable of deceiving us, in the most trifling particular, how can we rely upon him in those on which our eternal happinefs depends. That he admitted of worfhip, allowed to be due only to the Deity, the holy fcriptures give us many inftances; whereas his difciples, and all his followers, fhrunk from it with the utmost abhorrence; nay, the angel is reprefented in the Revelation by St. John as equally difcouraging fuch profanation of divine honors, (chap. xIx. 10.)

"And I fell at his feet to worfhip him,

"and

" and he said unto me, fee thou do it not, "I am thy fellow-fervant," &c.

How any one who pretends to Chrif tianity, and has attentively confidered the history of the life and death of Jesus Christ, can doubt his divinity, is to me unaccountable. In my opinion, we have but one alternative either he is, as he declares himself to be, the Son of God, exifting from all eternity, or our dependence upon him for falvation is vain; for if we have been deceived in one cafe, we may be equally fo in the other.

Our doubts on this article have their origin in an abfurd pride, which will not admit the belief of any matter our reafon cannot comprehend. I am ready to allow, that the mystery of our redemption is in its nature fo wonderful, as infinitely to exceed our powers of conception. That the Son of God fhould voluntarily quit his ftate of perfect happiness, take upon himself our nature, and fubmit to all the hardships of it in the lowest station of life, and at last give himself up to a

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most painful and ignominious death, to fave an ungrateful race who were rebels to his authority, and themselves the actors in all the cruelties inflicted upon him, is a sketch of love fo much beyond our beft feelings, that we may naturally confider it with amazement; but need we therefore disbelieve it? ought we not rather to break forth in rapturous praises, and exclaim in the words of our great poet―

"Love no where to be found less than divine.

"Hail, Son of God! Saviour of Men!

"Thy name shall be the copious matter of my song,

henceforth;

"And never fhall my harp forget thy praise, "Nor from thy Father's praise disjoin."

MILTON, Vol. 1. book 111.

If we are to believe only what we can comprehend, how are our fouls fo united to our bodies that they have a mutual operation upon each other, and yet form but one perfon? The most intelligent man would be puzzled to explain this: but shall we therefore give up our rank in

the