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law of our natures, and thwarting the SERM. true ends of life, it would be in vain to urge arguments for the truth and divine authority of it. What is evidently falfe, can never be proved to be true; what is evidently wrong, can never be proved to be right.

But when it appeareth, that this religion is not unworthy of God, as the author of it, and that it is admirably fitted to anfwer the declared defign of all religion; though we cannot from this immediately infer, that it is of divine authority, yet we have a ftrong prefumption in its favour, and the way is happily cleared for presenting to the mind the arguments taken from prophecies and miracles, which are direct proof, that it is from God; and indeed all the direct proof, which can be given.

My meaning is not to infift upon these arguments, nor yet upon the excellency and usefulness of the Chriftian religion in. general; but to lead your thoughts to fome internal characters of the truth of it, which have not been fo much enlarged upon by Chriftian writers. And if there fhall not appear to be direct proofs, yet I hope they will appear to be ftrong prefumptions.

SERM. fumptions. They are taken from the lives I. of its founder and his firft miffionaries, and from their writings.

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At first fight it appeareth, that the character of Jefus Chrift is very extraordinary; indeed, quite above nature in its prefent ftate for it is abfolutely perfect in all moral refpects, and fuch as we do not at all meet with in this world. But not only have the writers of the New Teftament introduced a perfect character in life; but they have, from the accounts they give of our Saviour, as the only begotten of the father, raised the expectation of the reader to the utmost. This aftonishing character they are to fupport, with refpect to the defign, upon which he came into the world; the manner, in which this design was executed; and through a vast variety of incidents, and difcourfes with fuch as attended him. Let us confider these things particularly, with fairnefs and candour, and fee, whether there is the leaft probability, that this character fhould be fictitious.

The facred hiftorians evidently fet out the foundation of the Old Teftament prophefies concerning the Meffiah, the long expected Saviour and King of the Jews. Whether

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Whether these prophefies appear to be ful- SERM filled in Jefus Chrift or not, I am not now to inquire; or what notions the Jews in general, or fome particular perfons, might have concerning the perfon, who was to be their Meffiah. But the reader, from the first accounts of him, is surprised with his being called Emmanuel, God with us, a denomination taken plainly from the Prophet Ifaiah, vii. 14. Here is then a divine perfon brought upon the stage, and the descriptive characters of him, throughout the New Teftament, are fuitable to fuch a beginning. He is the fon of God, the only begotten of the Father; standing, therefore, in a relation to him, in which no other person stood or poffibly could ftand. He is reprefented as the brightnefs of the Father's glory, and the exprefs image of his perfon; the name of God is given to him; creating power is ascribed to him, for † by him all things were created, whether visible or invisible; and by him God

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made the worlds; an authority is given to him, to which all things are fubjected,. he only excepted, who did put all things under

* Heb. i. 3. + Col. i. 16.

Heb. i. 2.

SERM. him. Such are the ftrains, in which he is 1. fpoken of by the New Testament writers.

This divine perfon is to appear in our world in the form of a man, and his gene ration as a man is miraculous ; conceived and born of a virgin: his conception and birth predicted by an angel, and his nati vity celebrated by a multitude of the hea venly hoft; fome perfons directed to him by the prophetic fpirit, as the fon of David, and the promised founder of an everlasting kingdom. Here is indeed an astonishing combination of moft extraordinary circumftances, to raise the reader's expectation concerning him.

And it will be immediately fuggefted, for what end did this divine perfon come into the world? Surely, it must be fome thing very great and important, fomething worthy of fuch an aftonishing interpofition. This great defign, the facred writers plainly intimate, they did at firft miftake. They looked for a temporal prince, who should make the Jewish state great and flourishing, and fubdue the nations to it; making the feed of Abraham chief among them, and every way great and happy. But when the counfel of heaven came to unfold itfelf,

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felf, we fee quite another thing, but un- SERM. speakably greater, intended. The Son of I. God cometh for the redemption and fal-→→→ vation of mankind; to raise them from the ruins of nature, in which, through the prevalence of vice and fuperftition, they lay; to reftore them from a state of guilt and condemnation to the favour of God; to establish a kingdom of truth and righteoufnefs in the world, a kingdom worthy of the Son of God, into whose hands all authority was committed by the Father; and to collect, as the fubjects of this kingdom, all the good and worthy of every nation and age into one body, to whom this great Prince giveth, according to the counfels of divine wisdom and grace, eternal life. This is a defign, which will be acknowledged to be the worthieft and greateft, that could be formed, in which the world above, as well as this, is deeply concerned. The dominion of our Saviour is not over any nation upon earth, or all the earth only, but over principalities and powers, over all the holy angels; and, no doubt, ferveth purposes, with refpect to them, worthy of fuch a conftitution, tho not particularly known to us. What we F I s

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