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THE , t 
 
 DIVINITY / 
 
 O F O U R. 
 
 Lord Jefus Chrift 
 
 ASSERTED AND PROVED, 
 
 AND THE 
 
 CONNEXION OF THIS DOCTRINE 
 
 ir iTH 
 
 PRACTICAL RELIGION, 
 POINTED OUT, 
 
 IN FIFE SERMONS. 
 
 By SINCLARE KELBURN, A.B. 
 Of Belfaft, Ireland. 
 
 In the beginning ivas the Word, and the Word w<j ivith God and- 
 the Word ivas God, The same ivas in the beginning ivith GoD. All 
 things nvere made by Him ^ and "without Hl^i ivas not any thing made^ 
 that ivas made, John ift. C«a?. 
 
 And ivitbout Contr<iverJyy great is the myjiery of Godlinefs J GoD wa; 
 MANIFEST IN THE FLESH. TilTl. ui. 10. 
 
 P HI LADELPHI A: 
 
 Priatcd by and for W. W. Woodward, No. 36, Chcfaut-ftrcct, 
 
 foutli fidcp green fign Franklin's Head. 
 
 ^795' 
 
.;irili aJiS : *'10ui 
 
 1 ; 1 ■. 
 
 
 -V.'.yy \ivvi. j;/.lli v\ d.i.v.v vviu? z.-^^rAiV; 
 
 i^SgjjSErnarrs'.''-: 
 
 
 . .. .. u A _ 1 il 'I 
 
Philadelphia^ ^pril %% xy^S, 
 
 X HE difcourfes of the Rev. Mr. SinclAr^ 
 Kelburn, upon the Divinity of our Lord and Sa'viour Jefiis 
 ChriOi contain a clear flatement and judicious defence of 
 that efTential doctrine of Chriftianity. They are written 
 in a very good ftyle and engaging manner, and thsy are 
 contained within fo fmall a compafs as to be attainable by 
 the poor. It is with pleafure therefore, that I take this 
 opportunity to recommend them to the attention and peru- 
 fal of all my fellow Chriftians ; they may lerve as an ufeful 
 remedy againft the poifon of corrupt principles- contained 
 5n fome pamphlets lately publiflied in this city, which 
 though extremely fuperficial, are, however, dangerous to 
 thofe who have not read much upon the fubjefl. Perfons 
 •who have not leifure to read, or ability to purchafe Mr. 
 Gowan's maflerly, witty, and vidtorious refutation of Dr. 
 Prieflley; or Fuller's fifteen letters, filled with unanfwer- 
 able arguments againfl the Socinian herefy, may lind in 
 thefe difcourfes what will be fufficient to fatisfy every 
 candid and enquiring mind, that Jesus Christ is the eter- 
 nal Son of God J from whence we jullly infer, that his 
 atonement is an infinite fatisfaciion to divine juflice in the 
 forgivenefs of fin, and that moral evil therefore^ is infi- 
 nite in its malignity and demerit. 
 
 JOHN B. SMITH, A.M. 
 
 Minlfler of the 3d Preib)yterian Church, 
 Philadelphia. 
 
 N. B. It is hoped that the oppofers of the Divinity of 
 our Saviour will be candid enough to regard the argu- 
 ments contained ,in the books above mentioned, as thofe 
 on which judicious Chriilians rely for a defence of their 
 principles, rather than on the weak and obfcure, though 
 well-intended anfwer to Dr. Prieflley's appeal, which has 
 been lately publiflied here. J. B. S. 
 
:rifr)o8 'r 
 
 ■■71)1 Y^sfii 
 i ;"on 3v 
 
!:>;><;:<><>^r>s:>cvo<><;<><>«>'>^"'<>c>s>!r?<>5..;-«i-'->i/--.-;>^:3«-.>.r..j«; 
 
 SERMON FIRST. 
 
 John, 20th Chap. 28th Verfe. 
 
 And Thomas anfiuered and f aid unto him, my Lord and 
 my God. 
 
 'T^HE incredulity of this Difciple refpe^ling the 
 -^ Refurred:ion cf the Lord Jefus, may juftly be 
 confidered as a circuml'tance which rends to corro- 
 borate the evidence in favor of that rnoft important 
 and glorious event. The Apoftle's incredulity was 
 overcome by the moft inconteftible evidence, for he 
 was made an eye witnefs, and more than an eye wit- 
 nefs, that the Lord was rifen indeed ; and having all 
 his doubts removed, he acknowledged his rifen Sa- 
 viour, and made a confeflion of his faith in him as his 
 Lord, and his God. 
 
 My defign in the following difcourfes, is to afiert 
 
 and vindicate the important dodrine of Chrift^s divi- 
 
 B nity . 
 
nity ; and this I will endeavour to do in a plain and 
 familiar manner, and it is my prayer to the God of 
 truth, that his holy fpirit would guide and lead us 
 into all truth, and that the eyes of our underftandings 
 being opened, our prejudices removed, and our wills 
 renewed, we may be enabled to perceive the glory 
 of Jefus Chrifl, and chearfully to embrace the truth 
 as it is in him. 
 
 It will be ealily perc-eived, that as the doctrine 
 above mentioned is entirely a doctrine of revelation, 
 a dodlrine not to be difcovered by the light of Nature, 
 fo all the arguments in its favour are to be Scriptur- 
 al, and derived from that revelation in which this 
 dodrine is fuppofed to bealTerted ; in Ihort, the grand 
 queflion is this, is the dodtrine of Chrift's divinity 
 revealed in the word of God ; is it a Scripture doc- 
 trine ? And therefore it muft be obvious, that the 
 following difcourfes are addrelTed to thofe only who 
 believe or profefs to believe the holy Scriptures. 
 
 We fuppofe it will be granted that all the attri- 
 butes of God are, in the fenfe they are afcribed to 
 him, incommunicable ; that they are eflential to the 
 Divine nature, infeparable from it, and can neither 
 belong or be afcribed to any other nature • and there- 
 fore it would be blafphemy to afcribe the Divine at- 
 tributes and perfections to a finite being, to one who 
 is not really and truly God. If then it can be de- 
 monftratcd that the divine, infinite, and adorable 
 perfections are in Scripture afcribed to the fen of Chrift 
 
 Jefus, 
 
^^ 3 °C 
 
 Jefus, this ccnclufion muft necefiarily follow, that 
 if the Scriptures are the word of that God who can- 
 not lie, Jefus Chrift the fon of God, is our Lord and 
 our God, really and truly God. 
 
 It is propofed in the firft place, to iliew that the 
 Divine attributes are in Scripture afcribed to the fon 
 Chrift Jefus. 
 
 Secondly, we /hall fnew that the glorious and in- 
 communicable name 'of God, Jehovah, is afcrib- 
 ed to the fame perfon, and that he is called by this 
 name. 
 
 Thirdly, we will quote and illuftrate fome paf- 
 fages of Scripture in which Jefus Chrift is exprefsly 
 called God. 
 
 In the fourth place it will be proved, that Jefus 
 Chrift is the object of adoration and religious worfliip. 
 
 Laftly, we will give a general anfwer to objedlors, 
 and point out the pracflical ufe of the doctrine. 
 
 Firft then, let us fhew that the Divine perfections, 
 the effential attributes of God, and all his attri- 
 butes are effential, are afcribed to Jefus Chrift the 
 fon cf God. And to begin with the attribute, Eter- 
 nal, we find it afcribed unto the fon of God, not 
 merely becaufe . he ihall exift for ever, but becaufe 
 he really did, exift from all eternity. The Prophet 
 allerts the eternity of the Son, when he fays, his 
 goings forth have keen from of old, from everlafting *, 
 
 for 
 
 *f Micah v. 2. 
 
for^he that ads from everlafting, that is from all eter- 
 nity, exifts from all eternity, becaufe action fuppol'es 
 exiftence. But do thefe words of the Prophet relate 
 to the Son of God ? The evangeUft Matthew will 
 anfwer the queftion, and Ihew us that the words of 
 the Prophet relate to Chrift. 
 
 When Jefus was born in Beihlehem of Judea, in 
 the days of Herod the king, there came wife men 
 from the Eaft to Jerufaleni faying, where is he that 
 is born king of the Jews ? For we have feen his ftar 
 in the Eaft, and are come to worfhip him. Herod 
 made the fame inquiry but not with the fame view ; 
 he demanded of the chief priefts and elders where 
 Cbrift fhould be born, and they /aid unto him, in Beth- 
 lehem of Judea, for thus it ts written by the Prophet , 
 and thou Bethlehem in the land of Juda, art nst the 
 leaft among the princes of Juda, for out of thee Jh all 
 come a Governor that fh all rule my people Ifrael *. It is 
 evident that the Pi-ophet and the Evangelift fpeak of 
 one and the fame perfon who ihould be ruler in Ifrael, 
 even the great MefTiah, whoCe goings forth, fays 
 Micah, have been from everlafting ; therefore he that 
 came out of Bethlehem Ephratah, that is, Chrift, was 
 from everlafting. 
 
 This fame attribute is afcribed to the Son, by the 
 evangelift John, and he wrote his gofoel at a pe- 
 riod 
 
 * Matth. ii, I. d. 
 
^ 5 ^ 
 
 riod when the myftery of iniquity had begun to 
 work; for the divinity and the incarnation of the foil 
 of God was denied by foaie even in tlie d<<ys of the 
 Apoftles. We confider it as a wife ^uid well ordered 
 difpenfation of Providence, that many truths of the 
 everlafling gcfpel were controverted, at a time when 
 the enemies of the truth could be contradided, and 
 refuted by fome of the Apolfles in perfon, by which 
 means we have an a|5cftolical decifion in tavour of 
 thefe doctrines, which is as valid this day as ever 
 it was. St. John fets his face againO: the errors of the 
 times, and refutes them in his epiftles and in his gof- 
 pel, which he begins with an exprefs declaration of 
 Chrift^s eternity ; in the begimiing was the IVord, and 
 the Word was with God, and the word was God, the 
 Jame was in the beginning with God, ail things were made 
 by him, and without hi?n was not any thing made that 
 was made*- Let us exercife our reafon impartially 
 upon thefe words of the Evangehfl. If by the begin- 
 ning, we fhould underfland the commencement of 
 time, then it is plain that the Logos, or Word, did 
 not begin to exill when time began or com.menced ; 
 he exifted before, time, before creation, before any 
 thing VN'as created, and enjoyed glory with God be- 
 fore the world was. As the Evangelift alTerts that 
 the Logos made all things, fo of neceflity he muft 
 have had an exigence prior to the things that were by 
 him created and made; he mufl have exifted before 
 the creation of all things, and of courfe he is not a 
 
 created 
 
 * John, i. Chap, i, 2. Ver. 
 
created being ; the Creator of all things is uncreated 
 
 and eternal. We fhall have occafion hereafter to 
 
 fpeak of the Son as Creator of all things vifible and 
 
 invilible, and of his eternal -poiver and god-head, de- 
 
 mcnftrated by the works of creation, and therefore 
 
 I fliall at prefent only infift upon a few paflages of 
 
 Scripture which are fufficient to prove the eternity 
 
 of the Son of God, I think there can be no doubt 
 
 ' bur the eternity of God is clearly afTerted in thefe 
 
 word^ of tlie Prophet, thus faith the Lord the King 
 
 oflfrael, and his Redeemer the Lord of Hofts, I am 
 
 ihefirfl and I am the laf}, and hefides me there is no 
 
 God*» It is of no moment, as to the prefeint quef- 
 
 tion, whether thefe words are fpoken by the Father 
 
 or by the Sofi ; it is fufficient if thefe words, the firft 
 
 2nd the laft, are ^xprefTive of the attribute, Eternal, 
 
 and that they are fo need not be proved. Now the 
 
 fame v/ords are ufed by the infpired writers, when 
 
 they fpeak of the fon of God; Jefus is Jlpha and 
 
 Omega, the beginning and the end-f, Jefus is the firfl 
 
 ^andthe laflt, and therefore the attribute of eternity 
 
 belongs to him ; he claims it as his undoubted right. 
 
 Jefus allerted his eternity in a converfation with 
 the Jews, who were offended at him, becaufe he 
 faid that Abraham faw his day and rejoiced ; Jefus 
 fdid unto them, verily , verily, I fay unto you, before 
 Abraham, was, I aj??§ .♦ he dees not fay before Abra- 
 ham was I was, but, I am, and thus he claims the 
 attribute of eternity, and aflerts his eternity, in af- 
 
 fuming 
 
 ,*iralah5xliv6. IRev. ii 6-1.8. 1 Rev. i. iS. § Johnvili.jS. 
 
» 7 oC 
 
 fuming die name of the eternal God, the great I am* 
 This is the name of God, I am that I AM. Thuj 
 
 /halt thou fay unto the cFiidmi of Ifrael, I AxM hath 
 
 fent me unto you,"^^ 
 
 As God is eternal, fo alfo is he unchangeable; he 
 that exifts from all eternity, rauffc exift forever un- 
 changeably the fame; wherefore the Pfalmifl: iinging 
 the praifes of the true God, the eternal and unchange- 
 able God, addrefTes him in the following fublime and 
 beautiful language, Of old haft thou laid the foundations 
 tfthe Earthy and the Hea-uens are the works of thy hands. 
 They /hall perijhy but thou ft alt endure ; yea all of them 
 ft all wax old like a garment; as a vefture ftoalt thou 
 . change them and they ftmll he changed^ But thou art 
 the fame, and thy years fhall have no end f. The 
 Apoftle in his epiftle to the Hebrews, ihews us that 
 thefe words of the Pfalraift, relate to the fon of 
 God, and though in the mouth of the Prophet, they 
 may be confidered as praife addrelTed to the fon of 
 God, yet the Apoille fhews us that they are the 
 words of the Father addrelTed to the Son, as a full 
 declaration of his Godhead. The Pfalmift, in 
 fpirit, repeats the words of the Father to the Son, 
 and in thefe \yords fings the praifes of the eternal 
 and unchangeable Creator, who is the fame y eft er day , 
 nrJto day, and forever %* If Jefus is the fame yef- 
 terday and to day and forever, he is the unchange- 
 able 
 
 * Exod. 3. 14. t 102 Pfalm. % Heb. xlii. 8. 
 
^ 8 c^ 
 
 able God ; and that he is the fame yefterday, and to- 
 day, and forever, isaflerted by the Apoftle. 
 
 The next attribute of the Divine nature to be con- 
 fidered, is that of Omniprefence, and it belongs to 
 the true God and to him a^one. Am la God at hand, 
 faith the Lord, and not a God afar off? Can any hid: 
 himfelfln /ecret places that I fhall not fee him, f^ith 
 the Lord P Do not I fill Heaven aud Earth, faith th^ 
 Lord? Now Chrift afFerts his Omniprefence in his 
 difcourfe with Nicodemus, No man, faith Jefus, hath 
 afcended up to Heaven but he that.xame down from 
 Heaven, even the Son of Man which is in Heaven* The 
 body of Jefus could not be in Keaven and on Earth 
 atone and the fame time, and therefore we muft un- 
 derfland thefe words (which is in heaven) as relat- 
 ing to that Nature which fills Heaven and Earth, 
 and is every where prefent, and we conclude that 
 Tefus is poireflTed of this nature, and that he is really 
 and truly Omniprefent. The glorified body of Je- 
 fus, is in Heaven, his body is not Omniprefent, 
 yet Jefus is prefent with his church on Earth, and 
 with his church in Heaven ; the whole church is the 
 myaical body of Chrift, The fulnefs of him that filU 
 eth all in all*' : Here the Apoftle fays that Chrift, fill- 
 eth all in all, compare this expreflion with what 
 God fays of himfdf, by the mouth of the Prophet, 
 Do not I fill Heaven and Earthy faith the Lord? 
 
 It 
 
 * Eph. i. 23. 
 
It was the promife of God to Ifrael, that he would 
 be prefent with his people ; /;? all places -where I re- 
 cord my name J vj'ill I come unto thee and hlefs thee* And 
 if this be a good proof of God^s Omiiiprefence, as it 
 certainly is, then the promife of the fon of God to 
 the church, when he fays. Where two or three are 
 met together in my name, there am I in the midji of 
 them^, muft be as good a proof of his Omnipre- 
 fence. But thefe words of our Lord will be taken 
 by fome in a figurative fenfe ; as if Chrift meant no 
 more by his promife, than that he would counte- 
 nance and blefs his aflembled people, or that he is 
 prefent with them by his authority. Even in this 
 fenfe of the words we find an argument to prove his 
 Omnifcience ; and we grant that Chrift is prefent 
 with his people in this figurative fenfe ; but we con- 
 tend, that he is ac1:ually prefent with his people every 
 where, and that he is in the midft of them. Ke does 
 not fay, when two or three are met together in my 
 name, then I am with them ; but he fays, -where 
 ^nd there J and in the midfl : which words relate to 
 place, not time. But it may be afked, if Chrift is 
 thus in the midft of his people by virtue of his Omni- 
 prefence, is he not therefore neceflarily prefent ? And 
 then how can his words be confidered as a promife, 
 or his prefence a. privilege to his people? I anfwer 
 that the fame objedlion, if it has any weight, lies 
 againft the ' promife of God to his people> under 
 C ' the 
 
 * Matth. xviil, 20. 
 
the Old TeftaiTJent difpenfation ; yet there can be 
 no doubt but that promife was confidered as a very- 
 precious one, and that privilege as a very exalted 
 one. 
 
 But the above figurative interpretaiion involves 
 thofe that deny the Ubiquity of Chrift, in difficul- 
 ties iniurmountnble. For to be in the midfl of the 
 people, has fome meaning, and if it means no more 
 than the authority and bleffings of Chrift's kingdom, 
 if it only fignifies his favour and good-will, then 
 Chrift's authority over his church muft be granted ; 
 it muft be granted that his people are in the way of 
 their duty when they alTemble in his name; that 
 they receive fome peculiar advantage by doing fo : 
 and that Chrift, fome way or other, is employed in 
 obtaining for them a favourable anfwer to their 
 prayers : their requefts ihall be granted, becaufe 
 Chrift is in the midft of them. Why fo? Suppofe 
 we fliould anfwer, becaufe Chrift is their advocate 
 and interceflbr, and becaufe he offers up and pre- 
 fents the prayers of the faints with incenfe ; this 
 thoHah it is not all that our Saviour's vv^ords mean, 
 yet it is part of the truth, and fufficient to prove 
 that Jefus is entitled to the attribute of Omnifcience. 
 For if Jefus is concerned in obtaining for hrs people 
 a favourable anfwer to their prayers, then he muft 
 know when they pray, and what their prayers are ; 
 he muft know that his people are met in his name; 
 
 and 
 
^» 1 I o^ 
 
 and whatever good he may be rnppofed to do for his 
 people, whatever he means, by being in the midft 
 of them, he muft at leaft know who are his people, 
 and who are not ; the Lordknoweth thera that are 
 his, which is an argument that he is Omnifcient. 
 There is nothing gained therefore by evading the 
 proof of Chrifl^s Omniprefence, contained in the 
 above-mentioned pafTages of Scripture ; for if his 
 Omnifcience be either granted or proved, as fliall be 
 done in what follows, it is of no advantage to the 
 caufe, to deny his Omniprefence. 
 
 That the attribute, Omnifcient, belongs to Jefns 
 Chrift, is clearly alTerted by the Apoftle Peter, when 
 addreffing himfelf to Jefus, he ufes thefe remarkable 
 words : Lord thou kmvjefl all things j thou knovjej} 
 that I love thee* Was this a flattering compliment, 
 or the real truth \ Who v/ill venture to aflert the 
 former? If then the words of the Apoftle are true, 
 and that they are true we have this evidence, name- 
 ly, that Jefus did not reprove Peter, but on the 
 contrary approved of his declaration, by immediate- 
 ly giving him charge to feed his fheep ; I fay 'f the 
 words of Peter are true, as they certainly are, then 
 thej^ contain this true proportion, that Chrift know- 
 eth all things., Again, it is faid of Chrift, that he 
 needed not that any Jhould tejlify of man ; for he knew 
 vjhat was In man *• It is exprefsly faid that he 
 
 kne-m 
 
 * John ii. 24, 25. 
 
^o 12 c^ 
 
 knew all men ; he knew their hearts, and he was ao- 
 quainied with their fecret thoughts, reafonings, fur- 
 mifes, and murmurings ; J ejus knew from the begin- 
 ning who they were that believed not, and who flould 
 betray him *» 
 
 If any fliould make light of thefe teftimonies, 
 there is a declaration of the Lord Jefus, which 
 is not only perfeclly decifiv^e, but of a mofl awful 
 and alarming nature. Jll the Churches /hall know, 
 that 1 am he which fearcheth the reins and hearts ; and 
 I will give unto every one of you according to his 
 works f . Compare thefe words with what God fays 
 by the mouth of the Prophet, / the Lord fearch the 
 heart, I try the reins, even to give unto every man ac" 
 cording to his ways J. It is moft evident that the per- 
 fon who fpeaks thus, by the Prophet, is the all- wife 
 God ; it is his prerogative to fearch the hearts, and 
 try the reins of the children, of men : as Solomon 
 declares at the dedication of the Temple : Hear 
 thou In Heaven thy dwelling place, and forgive and do, 
 and give to every man according to his ways ; whoje 
 heart thou knowej}, for thou, even thou only, knqweji 
 the hearts of all the children of men ' J 
 
 As the Lord Jefus is the perfon who fliall judge 
 the world in rightcoufnefs ; he mud therefore be pof- 
 
 fefTed 
 
 v: John vi. 64, t Rev. ii. 23* t- JeJ*' xvii. ic, 
 § Kings viii. 39. 
 
» 13 ^ 
 
 fefled of infinite knowledge ; for how can he judge 
 righteoufly if he does not know the hearts of all the 
 children of men ? If he will render unto every one 
 according to the deeds done in the body ; if he will 
 give unto every one according to his ways ; he muft 
 know every individual that fliall ftand before his tri- 
 bunal : he muft know their works and their ways, 
 their actions, their words and their thoughts ; no- 
 thing muft be hid from him ; he muft be the fearch- 
 er of hearts indeed : and that he is fo, is alTerted by 
 himfelf, and by his Apoftle under the influence of 
 his holy fpirit. The Word of God is quick and power- 
 ful j and Jharpsr than any two edged fword, piercing, 
 even io the dividing ajunder of foul and fpirit y and of 
 the pints and marrow ^ and is a difcerner of the 
 thoughts and intents of the heart ; neither is there any 
 creature that is not manifeft in his fight ; hut all things 
 are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom 
 we have to do*. Another attribute of the Divine 
 nature is Omnipotence, or Almighty power ; he that 
 is Omnipotent is God ; our God is the might)'- God 
 of Jacob, the moft mighty, the Almighty. Now 
 if this attribute is afcribed to Jefus the Son of God, 
 it muft follow as a juft concluiion, that he is pofleired 
 of that nature to which this attribute is efTential ; 
 and that it is afcribed to the Son of God v/e have 
 abundant evidence. Thus faith the evangelical pro- 
 phet : Unto us a child is borny unto us a fon is given, 
 and the government flmll he upon his fnoulder ; and his 
 
 name 
 
 * Heb. iv. 12. 13. 
 
» 
 
 name /ball he called Wonderful, Councellor, the migh^ 
 iy God, the everlajVing Father, the Prince of Peace* 
 and the Pfalmift thus addrefles the Son of God, gird 
 thy fmrd upon thy thigh, moft Mighty^ with thy 
 glory and thy majefiy ; and in thy majefiy ride pro/per' 
 oufly, becaufe of truth and meeknefs, and righteouf- 
 nefs ; and thy right hand (loall teach thee terrible 
 things. f When the Apoftle fays, that Chrift is 
 able even to fuhdiie all things to him/elf, % he afcribes 
 unto him alaiighty power, for that alone is able to 
 fubdue all things ; and we may fafely conclude that 
 the Son of God is Almighty, for by him zuere all 
 things created that are in Heaven and thai are in 
 Earth, vifible and invifible, whether they he thrones, 
 or dominions, or principalities, or powers, all things 
 were created by him and for hhn, and he is before all 
 things, and by him all things confift.^ In thefe words 
 we have a full proof of Chrift's omnipotence, for 
 creation is the work of almighty power. The 
 Apoftle fays, that the invifible things of God, from 
 the creation of the world are clearly feen, being under^ 
 flood by the things that are made, even his eternal 
 power and godhead*\ The things that are made de- 
 monftrate the being and exiftence of the invifible 
 God ; they are a bright and glorious demonftration 
 of his eternal power and godhead. God is invifible, 
 
 * Ifaiah, ix. 6. t Pfalm, 45. % Phillppians, iii. 21. 
 § ColofT, i. 16. II Rom. i, 20. 
 
^ 15 c^ 
 
 andhispower is invifible in itfelf, it can only be feen 
 in its efFeds, the mighty works it has done. The 
 things that are made, are the mirrors in which we 
 behold the rays of divine and infinite power, they 
 prove that there is a God, becaufe they prove that 
 there is an eternal, creating power; and fhall they 
 prove the eternal power of God, and leave it doubt- 
 ful whether this power is infinite, or almighty ? No, 
 there can be no doubt in this cafe, the power that is 
 eternal is infinite, almighty ; there can be no fuch 
 thing as an eternal imperfedicn, whoever is eternal 
 is all perfeft. Thus the light of nature renders the 
 condud of the Heathens inexcufable, when profef- 
 fing themfelves to be wife, they became fools ; and 
 changed the glory of the incorruptible God, into 
 an image made like to corruptible man. How in- 
 excufable then are they that refufe to glorify the 
 Son of God, who is the Creator of all things vifible 
 and invifible 1 They rob him of the glory of his 
 works, and refufe to give him that praife which is 
 due to the Great Creator, even the God who made 
 them. But is there lefs power required to uphold 
 all things than to create all things? Surely not; 
 now Ghrift is faid to uphold all things by the word 
 of his power; he is not only before all things, but 
 by him all things confift, which is as much as to fay, 
 that in him ws live, and rnovcy and have our being. 
 It cannot be denied that the Son of God created all 
 things ; but fome will endeavour to evade the force 
 
 of 
 
^ 16 c^ 
 
 of this argument, by faying that the Son created 
 all things, only as an inflrument and by communi- 
 cated power. We anfwer, that the vifible creation, 
 the things that are made, are a clear demonftration 
 of eternal power and godhead : and can Eternal and 
 Almighty power, can infinity, be communicated 
 to a finite being* ? Can an inflrument exercife Al- 
 mighty power ? But farther, if the Son is an inftru- 
 mental creator, is this inftrument eternal or not ? 
 If he is eternal, I muft afcribe unto him abfolute per- 
 fection, and then he is poireiTed of infinite power : If 
 he is not eternal, then he is a created being; and 
 yet the Creator of all things viUble and invifible, 
 an inftrumental felf-creating Creator and creature; 
 but this is a moft palpable abfurdity. Is it not more 
 rational, feeing we muft acknowledge that Chrift is 
 the Creator of all things vifible and invifible, and 
 that he upholds all things by the word of his power, 
 and that all things were made by him and for him ; 
 I fay, is it not more rational to confefs that he is pof- 
 fefied of Eternal and Almighty power, and that this 
 power was exercifed by him in the work of creation, 
 than to have recourfe to fuch a lame hypothefis^^ But 
 that Chrift is polTejOTed of Almighty power we can- 
 not deny, unlefs we are difpofed to contradid the 
 Apoftle when he alTerts, that in Jefus divelleth all 
 the fullnefs of the Godhead bodily -}- . 
 
 * Note, Chrifl is a Creature if he is not God Almighty. 
 t Coloflians, ii. 9. 
 
^ 17 ^ 
 
 There are indeed, two texts of Scripture, which are 
 confidered by fome, as an argument in favour of the 
 above-mentioned hypothecs of inftrumental creation; 
 the firft, is the ninth verfe of the third chapter of 
 the epiftle to the Ephefians, viz. Jnd to 77iake all 
 men fee v)hat is the felUw/Ijip of the myftery^ vihich 
 from the beginning of the world hath been hid in Ged 
 whg created all things by Jefus Chrlft. The fccond 
 palTage is in the epiftle to the Hebrews, firft chapter 
 and fecond verfe, viz. by whom alfo he made the 
 Worlds, The firft of thefe texts relates, we pre- 
 fume, to the new birth, the new creation, the re- 
 novation of the hearts of men; in this fenfe the v/ord 
 create, is ufed in other places of this Epiftle, as is 
 fufHciently obvious; and the word created, may be 
 taken in this fenfe, in the Text above quoted. In 
 the divine economy of falvation, the Father is faid 
 to do feveral things by his Son, acling in the me- 
 diatorial capacity ; but this is no proof that the Son 
 is inferior to the Father ; nay, what the Son does 
 in this capacity is a proof of his almighty pow- 
 er. As to the other text, by who??i alfo he made 
 the worlds, fome have endeavoured to explain it in 
 the fame way; but I have no objedion to confider ic 
 as relating to the work of creation in a natural fenfe 
 though I do not pretend to fay that it is nccef- 
 fary fo to do ; but admitting that both thefe pafTa- 
 gcs relate to the work of creation in a natural fenfe, 
 D what 
 
^ i8 c^ 
 
 I what do they prove ? They do not prove that the 
 Son is a creature ; do they prove that the power by 
 him exercifed in creating all things, creating the 
 worlds, is not Almighty > Do they- prove that it is 
 not eternal, and that the things that are made, are 
 not a demonftration of his eternal power and God- 
 head ? It is fufficient to prove the Almighty power 
 of Jefus Chrift, that all things were created by him : 
 if he exercifes almighty power, then he is almighty. 
 
 Though we may not be able to afertain the pre- 
 cife meaning of the Apoftle in the above two texts, 
 yet we can plainly fee that they do not fupport an 
 abfurd hypothefis, and that they do not contradid, 
 becaufe they were not intended to contradi6t thofe 
 declarations of fcripture, in which the Son is di- 
 re£lly addrefied, and fpoken of, as the creator of 
 all things. 
 
 Can we think that the Apoftle meant to deny the 
 omnipotence of him that laid the foundations of 
 the earth ? Can we think that the Pfalmift did not 
 praife the Almighty Creator, when he fays, of old 
 hajl thou laid the foundations of the Earthy and the 
 Heavens are the -work of thy hands P Which words 
 are applied to Chrift by the Apoftle in the Epiftle 
 to the Hebrews ; yea, they are to be confidered as 
 addrefTed to the Son by the Father, faying. Thou 
 Lord in the beginning haft laid the foundation of the 
 Earth, and the Heavens are the -work of thine hands. 
 
 Farther, 
 
^ 19 0^ 
 
 Farther, he that made all things, made them for 
 himfelf. Creation gives him a complete property 
 in the creatures, they are his becaut'e he made 
 them ; the Heavens are thine, the earth alfo Is thine ; 
 as for the vjorld and the fiilnefs thereof thou hafl 
 founded them : Now all things were made by the 
 Son, and for him, and hy him all things conjift. All 
 things 'were made by him, and without him luas not 
 any thing made that was made* 
 
 The Refurredion of the Dead, at the coming, 
 and by the power of Chrift, will be a glorious de- 
 monftration of his almighty power ; and as the 
 fcripture aiTures us that the dead (hall be raifed, and 
 that Chrift is the perfon who will raife the dead, 
 change our vile bodies, and fafliion them like unto 
 his glorious body, according to the workirtg whereby 
 he is abtexven to fubdue all things to himfelf*' ; So 
 we have here full evidence of his almighty power. 
 
 Mofes, in his account of the creation, fays, that 
 the Elokim created the heaven and the earth ; this 
 word Elohim is in the plural number, and con- 
 flrued with a verb in the fmglar number ; and 
 this is no obfcure intimation that ihe work of crea- 
 tion was performed by more perfons than one ; and 
 that thefe are one God. The Elohim faid, let us 
 ipake man in our Image. There is only one God, 
 
 but 
 
 * Philip, iii. 2i. 
 
but in the Godhead there are three diftinft perfons ; 
 thefe perfons are called the Father, the Son, and 
 the Holy Ghoft. Thefe three are one God. For 
 there are three that hear record in Heaven, the Father ^ 
 the Word, and the Holy Ghofi, and thefe three are 
 one. Though the authenticity of this text has been 
 controverted, yet it has not been proved that it is 
 fpurious ; on the contrary, there are many evidences 
 of its authenticity ; but without it, there is Scripture 
 enough to prove the doctrine of the ever-blefled Tri- 
 nity. The Father is called Jehovah, the Son is called 
 Jehovah, and the Spirit is called Jehovah, yet Je- 
 hovah the living and true God, is one God. That 
 the Father is Creator, none will deny ; that the Son 
 is Creator, and that the Spirit is Creator, is not to 
 be denied without contraditHiing the holy Scriptures • 
 and though we do not pretend to know the fyftem 
 of order^ obferved by the Divine perfons in the God- 
 head, in the work of creation, for the ways and 
 works of God are unfearchable, yet we know that 
 creation is the v/ork of the Father, Son and Holy 
 Ghoft ; that the things that are made, are a demon- 
 flration of eternal power, almighty power and God- 
 head, and that, therefore, the power of the Son, 
 which we here particularly intend to prove, is eternal 
 and almighty. 
 
 If what has been faid concerning the power of 
 Chrift, as evidenced in the works of creation and pro- 
 vidence, if his having created all things, and his pre- 
 
^ 21 0^ 
 
 fent upholding all things by the word of his power 
 and his beirg able even to rubuae all things to him- 
 felf, fhculd leen precarious, ar^d infufficient to prove 
 that he is inritled to che attribute Almighty ; there 
 are inaiiy fxrs of Scnptur^j in which this attribute is 
 difedly afcribed to the Sen of God. 
 
 In the firft chapter of the Revelation of John, we 
 Hod thefe reRiarkable words : I am Jlpha and Omega 
 the beginning and 'he ending faith the Lord, -which is 
 and i^ioich wasy -^yid uuhicl} is to come, the Almighty. 
 In thefe words s"? contained the divine attributes 
 of eternity y;id oiixnipotence ; of this there can be no 
 doubt ; the only nusftlon is, who is the perfon^ 
 whofe words John repeals. I The r are the words of 
 Jefus* IVha is tit fai hjul -mitnejs. ihe prfi begotten 
 tf the iead) and ih:: prince of the kings of the earth : 
 they are thr words of that Saviour, whom John 
 worfhipj)€d, layicg, unto him that loved us, and 
 lijcifned us from our jin^ in his oiun blood, and hath 
 made us kings and prlefis unto God and his Father ; 
 to him be glory and domimon for ever and ever^ 
 amen* The comir.g of this glorious perfon is pro- 
 c]a^m^:d, and his dignity is aiTerted in the words 
 which here follow ; J am Alpha and Omega, the 
 beginning and, the ending, faith the Lord, which 
 is, and which was, and which is to come, the Al- 
 mighty. The Apoftle tells us the place and time, 
 where, and when, he faw iiis vi{ion, it was in the 
 
 lile 
 
'^^ 22 c^ 
 
 Ifle of Patmos, and on the Lord's day. / nvas in 
 the /pint on the Lord's day, and heard behind me a 
 great voice, as of a trumpet, faying, 1 am Alpha 
 and Omega^ the firft and the laft. And 1 turned 
 t<3 fee the voice that fpake with me, {that is, I turned 
 to fee the psrfon who uttered the voice) and being 
 turned, I faw feven golden candlejlicks, and in the 
 midft ©/ the candlefiicks, one like unto the Sort of 
 Man* Then follows a very particular defcription of 
 the perfcn who appeared, and of the elFedt which 
 the vifion had upon John, who when he faw him, 
 fell at his feet as dead ; and, fays the Apoftle, he 
 laid his right hand upon me, faying unto me, fear 
 not ; I am the firft and the laft ; \ 2im he that liveth, 
 and -was dead, and behold I am alive for ever more^ 
 amen, and have the keys of Death and Hell. It is 
 plain that it is the Son of God who fpeaks in the four 
 laft verfes of this chapter. And it is alfo plain that 
 he fpeaks in the eleventh verfe, and twice he calls 
 himfelf the firft and the laft ; why then may not the 
 words of the eighth verfe be fpoken of him, by the 
 Apoflle, as words he heard him fpeak ? It is one per- 
 fon who fpeaks to John from the beginning of the 
 eleventh verfe to the end of the chapter; and he 
 that calls himfelf Alpha and Omega, the firft and the 
 laft, is as much intitled to call himfelf the Alnaigh- 
 ty, as to claim the attribute of eternity, which he 
 actually doc5. 
 
 But the attribute Almighty is afcribed to Jefus 
 
 Chrift 
 
^ 23 c^ 
 
 Chrift, in the fongs of praife which are fung in Hea- 
 ven by his Church triumphant. The Saints of God 
 are reprefented as (landing upon a fea of glafs, having 
 in their hands the harps of God ; and they fiig the 
 fong of Mofes the fervant of God^ and the fong of the 
 Lamb, faying, great and marvellous are thy 'ivorks. 
 Lord God Almighty ; juft and true are thy ways thou 
 king of faints. Who fhall not fear thee Lord and 
 glorify thy name, for thou only art holy ; for all nations 
 fhall come and ivorfhlp before thee, for thy judgmeiits are 
 made manlfefl* * 
 
 This is a very fublime and heav^enly fong ; it con- 
 tains the high praifes of the Lord God Almighty, 
 whofe works are great and marvellous; and it will 
 be granted, that the faints of God knew perfedly well 
 that it ought not to be fung in praife of any one, but 
 the true and living God. Now it is very evident, 
 that this very fong of praife is addrelTed to the Lamb ; 
 the victorious Mefliah, the king of faints, and right- 
 eous Judge, whofe judgments were then made mani- 
 feft. This fong was not fung by the Lamb, but 
 was fung to his glory and his praife ; and even in 
 this fenfe it may with propriety be called the fong of 
 the Lamb ; as David calls the fong which he fang 
 in the watches of the night, in praife of his God, 
 the fong of God : The Lord will command his loving 
 
 klndneff^s 
 
 ^i Rev. XV. Chap. 
 
^ 24 <^ 
 
 ktndneffes in the day time, arid hy night his fong /hall be 
 with me, and my prayer unto the Cod dfmy life* 
 
 The words of this facred forg fhew that it is ad- 
 drefled to, and fung in praife o^ the Lamb, for who 
 is the king of faints, and whofe judgments are made 
 manifeft? thejudgrrents of the Melli^h, the Lamb ; 
 for in this book he is defcribed as the victoi iocs cap- 
 tain of our falvation, who has conquered his and our 
 enemies, avenged his faints, and made manifeft his 
 power and his judgments. His er;emies are repre- 
 fented as making war with the Lamb, but they are 
 defeated, confounded, and deftroyed ; thefe, fays 
 John, fhall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb 
 ihall overcome them, for he is Lord of Lords, and 
 King of Kings, and they that are with him are called, 
 and chofeny and faithfuU^ I fliall produce tv/o mor« 
 paflages of Scripture in which the attribute Almigh- 
 ty, is afcribe i unto the Son of God. And I heard 
 the Angel of the ivatcrs Jay, thou art righteous 
 Lord, which art, and waft, and art to come, hecaufe 
 thou haft judged thus : for they have floed the blood of 
 Saints and Prophets, and thou haft given them blood to 
 drink, for they are v)orthy» And I heard another out 
 of the Altar fay, even fo. Lord God Almighty, true 
 end righteous are thy judgments, j- 
 
 And again, in another place, JVe give thee thanks, 
 
 
 
 * Rev. xvii. 14, f Rev. xvi, 7. 
 
^ 25 ^ 
 
 Of Lord God Mrnlghty, which art, and luafi, and art 
 to come, becaufe thou haji taken unto thee thy great po^Jiet 
 and hafl reigned* And the nations were angry, and thy 
 wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they Jhould 
 he judged, and that thou Jhrnldjl give reward unto thy 
 fervants the prophets, cind to the faints, and them that 
 fear thy name, fmall and g^c<^t, andfhouldji deftroy them 
 that deftroy the Earth. '^ 
 
 That thefe words are addrelTed to Chrift, We may- 
 be convinced by the following confiderations : Fird, 
 Chrifl as King and head of his Church, governs and 
 defends it ; pours out his wrath and his judgments 
 on the nations, and fubdues his enemies by that 
 power which is able to fubdue all things. Secondly, 
 he that thus reigns as king of his Church, judges 
 the nations, and avenges his people, is the perfoa 
 who (hall finally judge the world in righteoufnefs* 
 He that reigns and judges, and manifefts his judg- 
 ments, antcedent to the laft judgment, is the fame 
 that (hall judge the quick and the dead at the laft 
 day ; when he fhall finally reward his fervants that 
 have been faithful unto death ; unto thefe he will 
 give a crown of life. Now it is the Son who (hall 
 judge the world in righteoufnefs ; he fhall /?/ upoft 
 -the throne of his glory, and before him Jh all he gathered all 
 nations. He that iliall come in a vifible manner, in 
 glory, and attended by the holy Angels, and fhall 
 
 fie 
 
 * Rev. xl. 17, 18, 
 E 
 
^ 26 c^ 
 
 fit Upon the throne of his glory, is the Son ; this 
 /hall be the glorious appearing of our great God and 
 Saviour Jefus Chriil, when he fhall come to take 
 vengeance on them that know not God, and that 
 obey not the gofpel of our Lord Jefus Chrift : thefe 
 fhali be punifhed with everlafting deflruclion, from 
 the prefence of the Lord, and from the glory of his 
 power, when he Ihall come to be glorified in his 
 Saints. We have therefore afcertained the Perfon 
 who is to be judge at the Great Day ; it is the fame 
 perfon who now reigns and judges, and has mani- 
 fefted his judgments, and fhall make them more and 
 more manifeft in the Earth : but this perfon who is 
 reprefented in the book of Revelations, as reigning, 
 judging, avenging and rewarding, is called the Al- 
 mighty God. 
 
 If it be faid that the Son exercifes judgment now, 
 and ihall judge at the Great Day, by a commiffion from 
 the Father ; we grant that all judgment is commit- 
 ted to him ; The Father hlmfelf judgeth no man, but 
 hath committed ail judgment unto the Son, becaufe he 
 is the fon ofjnaH' We believe this Scripture as well 
 as any other, and we believe, that God hath appointed 
 a day in -vshlch he will jugds the world in righteous^ 
 nefs, by that ynan whom he hath ordained* Thefe 
 words afcertain the perfon who is to judge, and are 
 no objedion to cur doctrine; they take away no at- 
 tribute from tlie Son of God ; they do not prove that 
 
 he 
 
^ 27 ^ 
 
 he Is not Almighty, Omnifcient, and the fearcher of 
 hearts; they only relate to him as fuftaining the me- 
 diatorial office and character, as fuch he is anointed 
 to .be king of his Church, as Inch, all judgment is 
 committed to him, and becaufe he is the Son of 
 man. But in vain is he anointed king, and the 
 Judge of all, if he is not God as well as man : if he 
 is not all-wife, almighty, the fearcher of hearts, he 
 is not able to execute the offices of King and Judge, 
 to him committed as mediator. We fhail have oc- 
 cafion to fpeak of Chrift as mediator, in a fubfe- 
 quent difcourfe, and will conclude this fermcn with 
 a fhort recapitulation. It is hoped that every unpre- 
 judiced reader, has received fatisfacT:ory evidence, 
 that the attributes of Eternity, Omniprefence, and 
 Omnipotence, are afcribed to the Ton of God. The 
 Scriptures alTure us that he is the Creator of all 
 things ; the upholder of all things ; and that he is 
 able even to fubdue all things to himfelf. We have 
 feen it revealed in the word of God, that he is the 
 Alpha and Omega, the firft and the laft ; that he is 
 the King of Kings and Lord< of Lords ; the victorious 
 Captain of our Salvation ; the Heart-fearching 
 Judge of the quick and of the dead, who will 
 give unto every one according to his works. may 
 lue he found of him in peace, without f pot, and blame- 
 lefs ; may we be looking for, and hajiing unto the 
 coming of the day of God^ Let us take hold of his 
 ftrength, and of his holy covenant ; let us fubmit to 
 his authority, and hifs the Son le/} he be angry ^ and we 
 
 we 
 
we penjh from the way, when his -wrath Is kindled 
 hut a liitle j hlejfed are all they that -put their trvji m 
 hlnu 
 

 SERMON SECOND. 
 
 John, ^oth Chap. 28th Verfe. 
 
 Jnd Thomas anfwered and /aid unto him, my Lord, and 
 
 my Cod*, 
 
 IN this difcourfe, it is propofed to fhew, that the 
 Divine attributes of Holinels, Juftice Mercy, 
 Truth, and Faithfulnefs, are afcribed to Jefus Chrift 
 the fon of God. 
 
 Secondly, we fhall Jhew that he is called by the 
 divine, adorable, and incommunicable name, Jeho» 
 vah. 
 
 Thirdly, we. will quote and illuftrate fome para- 
 ges of Scripture, in which Jefus Chrift is exprefsly 
 called God« ^' 
 
 The divine attribute of holinefs, that is, infinite 
 holinefs^ comes firft under our coniidcration. The 
 
 holinei's 
 
^ 3° ^ 
 
 holliiels of God is infinite, he only is holy ; he is the 
 Holy One ; the Holy One of Jacob ; the Holy One 
 of Ifrael. It cannot be denied, that thefe words are 
 ufed to fignify an infinite holinefs ; for God who is 
 infinitely holy., ufes thefe exprefiions to fignify his 
 own holinefs ; I am, fays he, the Lord your Holy 
 One, If, then, thefe words denote the holinefs of 
 the living and true God, even the God of Ifrael, and 
 if the Holy Spirit fpeaks of the holinefs of the Son 
 Chrifl Jefus, in the fame words, and in the fame 
 ftile, this conclufion, namely, that his holinefs h 
 infinite, muft evidently follow. 
 
 Firft, then, the Son of God is called, the Holy 
 One of Ifrael', and the Church is encouraged to truft 
 in him as her Creator, her Hufband, and her Re- 
 deemer : Thy Maker is thine Uujhand, the Lord of 
 Hofls is his name ; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of 
 Ifrael ; the God of the whole Earth /ball he be call- 
 ed*^^ It is very plain, that thefe words relate to the 
 Son of God ; for he is the hufband and the Redeem- 
 er of the Church ; he is the Bridegroom, and the 
 Church is his Bride, his beloved, his efpoufed. Je- 
 fus, who paid the price of our Redemption, re- 
 deemed us to God by his blood, and purchafed the 
 Church with his own blood, is the Redeemer, in 
 whom we have Redemption through his blood, even the 
 forgivenefs of fins, I know, faid holy Job, that 
 
 my 
 
 Ifaiah, liv* 5» 
 
» 31 •€ 
 
 my Redeemer liveth; and that he fl: all ft and at the 
 latter day ufon the Earth. But is it neceflary to 
 prove what has been acknowledged by the Church 
 of Chrift, in all ages of the world, and is teftified 
 by the Holy Spirit ? Is it neceflary to prove that 
 Jefus Chrift is the Redeemer ? and if it is true that 
 he is the Redeemer, then it is as true, that he is the 
 Holy One of Ifrael. We might reft the proof of 
 the Son's infinite holinefs upon thefe words alone ; 
 for the Holy One of Ifrael is infinitely holy, and 
 unto him the Church in Heaven, finging the Re- 
 deemer's praifes, fays, thou only art holy. * 
 
 But again, Jefus Chrift is called the Holy One of 
 Cod ; and the Pfalmift fpeaking of him, fays, thou 
 wilt not fuffer thine Holy One to fee corruption. 
 Jefus is holy as to his Human nature, the holy 
 child Jefus; holy in his miraculous conception, 
 holy in his birth, holy in his life, and holy in his 
 death ; but ther^ is an infinite holinefs afcribed to 
 him, in the following words of the infpired Prophet : 
 Seventy weeks, fays the Prophet Daniel, are de- 
 termined upon thy people, and upon the holy city, 
 to finiih the tranfgreflion, and to make an end of 
 fins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to 
 bring in everlafting righteoufnefs, and to feal up 
 the vifion, and prophecy, and to anoint the Mofi 
 Holy, f ' Now this title, the Moft Holy^ is not 
 
 afcribed 
 
 * Rer, zv. 4. t Daniel Ix, 24. 
 
afcribed to Chrift, in a relative or comparative fenfe^ 
 to fignify that he was more holy than any other man ; 
 or upon a comparifon, the moft holy of all men; 
 this would be too low a charader for the blefled Je- 
 fus, the Lamb of God, who was holy, harmlefs, 
 un defiled and feparate from fmners. To fay in a 
 relative or comparative fenfe, that Jefus furpalTed in 
 holinefs, the holieft faint that ever lived, is only to 
 'fay that Jefus was more holy than fmful dufl and 
 afhes; far be it from us to fay that this was the 
 meaning of the infpired Prophet. If then thefe 
 words, the moil holy, cannot be taken in the com- 
 parative fenfe above-inentioned ; if to fay that Je- 
 fus was the moft holy of all men, ufmg the fuper- 
 lative degree of comparifon, is not fufficient to ex- 
 prefs his fmlefs and untainted holinefs as man ; 
 then they muft be underftood in an abfolute or pofi- 
 tive fenfe, to fignify his perfed holineis as man, 
 without any relative view to the holinefs of other 
 men.* But in this fenfe they cannot be ufed ; be- 
 caufe, in this fenfe, they are too high to exprefs 
 the perfed holinefs of Jefus as man, as in the former 
 fenfe they are too low and infufficient ; for the ho- 
 linefs of which human nature in its perfection is ca- 
 pable, cannot entitle a man to the glorious charader 
 of, the moft holy. The Divine nature alone is moft 
 holy ; the holinefs of this nature is eternal, un- 
 derived, infinite. 
 
 In 
 
 -* If Jefus is no more than a man. 
 
^ 33 ^ 
 
 In the temple of God, there was an holy place 
 where the tribes of Ifrael worfhipped, and ciFercd 
 their facrifices : and there was another place, called 
 the Moft Holy ; here, the facred memorials of God's 
 fpecial favour and love to his people, were depofitcd 
 and preferved ; in this moll holy place was the 
 mercy feat, and above this feat, between the fpread- 
 ing wings of the Cherubim, there was a vifible 
 appearance of the glory of God, a fymbol of the 
 fpecial prefence of the Holy One df Ifrael, in his 
 holy place. One would think that there could not 
 be a more glorious Temple than that which was 
 built by king Solomon, at an immenfe expenfe, 
 ornamented and furnifhed with more than royal 
 magnificence ; and above all dedicated to the living 
 and true God, whofe glory at the dedication, filled 
 the houfe. Could any temple be more glorious 
 than this, in which the glory of God appeared, and 
 which he hallowed unto himfelf ; to put, fays he, m^' 
 name there for every and mine eyes aiid mine heart 
 fhall he there perpetually P Yes, after this Temple 
 was deftroyed as God declared it fhould be, in 
 cafe of IraePs apoftacy, I fay after the deflrudlion 
 of this houfe, God promifed to make the glory of 
 the latter houfe, greater than the glory of the for- 
 mer ; and he performed his promife. Thus faith the 
 Lord of Hoffs, yet once, it is a little -while , and I 
 li^lll fiyake the Heavens and the Earth, arJ the Sea a'^^d 
 
 the 
 F 
 
^ 34 ^ 
 
 the dry land ; and I will Jkake all nation f, and the 
 dejlreof all nations f!:all come, and I will Jill this houfe 
 •with glory, faith Lord of Bojis* The glory of th^^ 
 latter houfe fhall he greater than of the former y faith 
 the Lord of HoJIs ; and in this place will I give pf^ ace, 
 faith the Lord of Hofts.'^ And again, faith the Lord, 
 by the Prophet Malachi, the Lord whom ye feeky 
 fhall fuddenly come to his Temple, even the meffen« 
 ger of the covenant whom ye delight in* All thefe 
 things have been accompliihed, according to the 
 word of the Lord ; the Lord did terribly fhake the 
 Earih ; and when he had turned wars into peace, 
 the Prince of Peace was born : The defire of all 
 nations came in the fulnefs of time ; the Lord, the 
 Angel of the Covenant, whofe coming was anx- 
 ioufly expeded, more efpecially by thofe that were 
 looking for the falvation of God, came fuddenly td 
 his Temple, and there preached the glad tidings of 
 the Gofpel, proclaimed his peace, and gave unto 
 his difciples that peace which the world could not 
 give. The prefcnce of the MelTiah was the glory of 
 the latter houfe ; and the glory of the latter houfe 
 was greater than the glory of the former. And why 
 v/as it greater ? Becaule the glory of the former 
 houfe, was only a luminous fymbol of the fpecial 
 prefence of the Holy One of lirael ; but in the lat- 
 ter houfe, tiie glory of the Holy One was feen in 
 
 the 
 
 * Haggai 11. 5, 9. 
 
^ 35 «C 
 
 the perfon of the great Immanuel, which is, 
 being interpreted, God zvUh us» In the latter houfc 
 God appeared nianifeft: in the flefh ; Codwas mar.U 
 fejl in the fle/Jj, fays the Apoftle ; and, fays the 
 Evangelifts^ tkezuord was made fle/Jjj and dwelt among 
 us, and we beheld his glory, the glory ds of the only 
 begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. 
 
 It would not be difficult to fuew, were it wtce^- 
 fary at prefent, that he who manifefled himfelf to 
 the Church in the wildernefs, ard chofe a dwelJInnr- 
 place in the fanduary of the Tabernacle, and af- 
 terwards in the holy place of Solomon's Temple, 
 was the Son of God ; even the fame perfon who is 
 called the Angel of the Covenant, and who ap- 
 peared incarnate in the latter Temple. But upon 
 the fuppofition that it was the Father who appeared, 
 in a bright fymbol of his fpecial or extraordinary 
 prefence, between the wings of the Cherubim in the 
 fanduary of the tabernacle, and of Solomon's tem- 
 ple ; and that it was the Son who appeared in the 
 latter temple, and not in the fornjer ; yet it mufl; 
 follow as a juft conclufion, that the holinefs of the 
 Son is not interior to the hoUiiefs of the Father ; be- 
 caufe, the prefence of the Son of God, could not 
 have made the glory of the latter houfe greater than 
 the glory of the former, if his holinefs was inferior 
 to the holinefs of Him who was the glory of the for- 
 lier houfe. 
 
 The 
 
The evangelical Prophet faw in a vifion, the 
 glory of the Son of God ; and he heard the Sera- 
 phim afcribing to him the Divine attribute of holinefs* 
 The words of the Prophet are worthy of our moft 
 lerious confideration ; I f^w, fays Ifaiah, the Lord 
 fitting upon a throne high and lifted up, and his 
 train iilled the Temple. Above it iiood the Sera- 
 phim^ each one had fix wings, with twain he cover- 
 ed his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and 
 with twain he did fly. And one cried unto another 
 md Jaid, Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of Hofts, 
 the ivhde earth is full of his glory ^ And the pofts of 
 the door moiled at the voice of him that cried, and the 
 houfe was filed with fmake< Then /aid I, zioe is me 
 for I am undojie, hecaufe I am a man of unclean lips ', 
 far mine eyes have feen the King, the Lord of Hojfls,"^ 
 This glory which Ifaiah faw, was the glory of the 
 Son, he is called the Lord of Hofls^ in his prefence the 
 Seraphim cover their faces with their wings, and 
 unto him they afcribe the glory of his holinefs, fay- 
 ing, Holy, Hoiy» Holy, is the Lord of Hoils, the 
 \vhole earth is full of his glory. That thefe words 
 relate to the Son of God, and that the Prophet faw 
 iiis glory, is afferted by the Evangelift John, who 
 could not miftake the Prophet's meaning, nor mifap- 
 '^\y his words ; Thefe things, faid Efaias., -vjhen he T^w 
 hij glory and fpake of himf* 
 
 * Ifaiah vi. i, 5. John xii. 41.. 
 
^ 37 'm 
 
 We roay now proceed to Ihe.w, that the divine at- 
 tributes, Juftice, Mercy, Truth, and Faithfulnefs, are 
 afcribed to Jefus Chrift the Son of God. Thefe at- 
 tributes are afcribed to him in the higheft fenfe of the 
 v/ords, in the fame ftile and language that the in- 
 spired writers ufe to exprefs thefe attributes and per- 
 fections of the living and true God. The Pfalmift, 
 finging the high praifes of his God, ufes thefe remark- 
 able words ; Juftice and Judgment are the habitation 
 9fthy throne, mercy accompanied with truth /hail go 
 before thy face* This is a very fublime and beautiful 
 pafTage ; Juftice and Judgment are reprefented as a 
 facred temple where the chrone of God is fixed upon 
 immovable foundations ; and where, God who is in- 
 finitely righteous delights to dwell. And words of 
 the fame import, and exprelTive of equal dignify, 
 are addrefled to the Son; thus, for inftance, Thy 
 throne, God, is for ever and ever, afceptre of righ- 
 teoufnefs is the fceptre of thy kingdom. And, fays the 
 Prophet,, with right e oufnefs fh all he judge the poor, and 
 reprove with equity, for the meek of the earth; and 
 he fhall fmite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and 
 with the breath of his lips fhall he flay the wicked. 
 And righteoufnefs fhall be the girdle of his loins, and 
 faithfulnefs the girdle of his reins *. Jefus is called 
 the Juf} one, the fun of righteoufnefs, and evcrlafting 
 righteoufnefs, Jefus is the judge of all the earth ; 
 and fhall not the judge of all the earth do right > 
 
 Muft 
 
 * Ifaiah xi. 5, 6, 
 
» 3^ c^ 
 
 Mnft not his juftice be infinite? The judge of an- 
 ^eh and men, the judge of the quick and of the 
 dead, the hcart-fearching judge, who muft be om- 
 rsifcient becaufe he is the fecrcher of hearts ; muft 
 be inlinitely juft, to give unto every one according 
 to his ways. Jefus is called, The Lord, the righteous 
 Judg€ ; and before his tribunal we muft all appear ; 
 We/Ijall all ft and before the judgment feat of Chr'tfl ; 
 for as it is written^ faith the Lord, every knee fhall 
 bow to me, and every tongue fhall confefs to God- So 
 ihejt every one of us fhall give an account of himf elf to 
 God'^* Here, the Judge before whofe judgment ieat 
 we fhall all ftand, is called God ; and on the great 
 and terrible day of the Lord, his righteoufnefs fhall 
 be acknowledged to be infinite, both by his faints 
 and his enemies : Elements melting with fervent 
 heat ! the Heavens rolling together as a fcroll ! An- 
 gels applauding I Saints Triumphant ! Ihall declare 
 the righteoufnefs of the Almighty, all-wife, and in- 
 finitely righteous Judge. 
 
 As our God is juft and righteous, fo alfp is he 
 merciful ; his mercy is infinite ; his mercy is ever- 
 iafting ; his mercy endureth for ever ; his mercy is 
 great unto the Heavens. Who is a God like unto thee 
 that fardr^neth iniquity, and pajjeth by the iranfgreffi- 
 on of the refnnant of his heritage ? He retaineth not 
 his anger for ever, jbecaufe he delighteth in mercy' 
 
 Thus 
 
 *Rom, xlv, II, iz. 
 
^ 39 '^ 
 
 Thus th^ mercy of God is illuftrioufiy difplayed, in 
 the forgivenefs of fins, and in fendnig his own Son 
 to be the propitiation for our fins : And the mercy 
 of Jefus the Son of God, is illuftrioufiy manifeftcd 
 by his redeeming love, and his pity and compafTion 
 to poor finners. If Lot faid unto God, thou hall 
 magnified thy mercy in faving my life ; how has 
 the Son of God magnified his mercy, in faving our 
 fouls from everlafting death ! How has he magni- 
 fied his mercy, in his divine condefcenfion, in be- 
 coming poor for our fakes, that we through his po- 
 verty might he made rich! He hath glorified his 
 grace in dying for us, the juft for the unjuft, that he 
 might bring us to God. View the mercy of the 
 blefled Jefus, in his condefcenfion, in his humiliation, 
 in his life, fufFerings, agony and bitter pafiion, and 
 confefs that the love of Jefus pafleth knowledge, is 
 unfearchable and divine. Jefus is praifed in heaven, 
 for his mercy, and for the wonderful works of his 
 grace ; but he could not be praifed for his redeem- 
 ing grace and love, if his grace and love are not di- 
 vine perfedlions, that is, if his mercy is not infi- 
 nite ; becaule, he only whofe mercy is infinite, is to 
 be adored and praifed for the exercife of mercy. Far- 
 ther, the mercy .of the Redeemer is fpoken of as di- 
 vine mercy, even the mercy of God, when it is 
 faid ; for a- fmall mojnent have 1 forfaken thee^ but 
 ifjith great mercies 'will I gather thee ; in a little wrath 
 I hid my face from thee, but -with evcrlaJJing kind- 
 
 r.eCs 
 
nefs vjill I have mercy on thee, faith the Lord ih^ 
 j^edeemer. This everlafting kindnefs, with which 
 the Redeemer will have mercy on his Church, is the 
 Vm^ntk of that God, whofc niercy endureth for 
 ever. The Apoftle Paol fpeaks of the mercy of 
 Chrifi:, as the mercy of God, wheti he fays, / ob- 
 tatned mercy of the Lord to be fmthful ; and, as the 
 mercy of that God who is long-fufFering and flow 
 to anger, when he fays, / thank Jefus Chrifi our 
 Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me 
 faithful J putting me Into the miniftry ; -who -was bC' 
 fore, a blafphetner, and a psrfecutor, and Injurious ; hut 
 1 obtained mercy, becaufe I did it ignorantly, in 
 unbelief And the grace of our Lord Jefus was 
 exceeding abundant, with faith, and love which is 
 in Chrifi Jefus, This is a faithful faying, and 
 ivorthy of all acceptation, that Chrifi Jefus came 
 into the world to fave finners ; of whom I am chiefs 
 Howbeit, for this caufe I obtained mercy, that in me 
 firfir Jef^^ Chrifi might fJjew forth all long-fuffer- 
 ing, for a pattern to them which fhould hereafter be- 
 lieve on him to life everlafiing *. In thefe words, the 
 Apoftle acknowledges the pardoning mercy of Jefus ; 
 he acknowledges his long-fufFering patience ; he 
 calls it all long -fuffer ing ; now, that mercy which 
 pardoneth finners; that mercy which we are com- 
 manded to look for unto eternal lifc;\ that mercy 
 which is long-fuffering, and that long fuffecing 
 
 which 
 
 J4- J5j i^- »)- Jude 2ift vff. 
 
^ 41 °C 
 
 which is Salvation, muft be infinite. The truth 
 and faithfulnefs of Jefus, are i'poken of in the 
 Scriptures, in the moft exalted terms ; He is 
 the truth and the life; the true Cod and eternal 
 life ; his name is Faithful and True> The Difciples 
 encouraged each other by the truth and faithfulnefs 
 of Chrift, they believed in him, and trufted in him 
 for the accomplilhment of his promifes ; they looked 
 unto him for promifed prote6lion and dehverancc, 
 and they confided in his truth and faithfulnefs. The 
 Lord is faithful, fays the Apoftle, who fhall eftahlijlo 
 you and keep you from eviU Chriftians believe in Je- 
 fus, and depend upon his truth and fai^fulnefs, 
 with that divine faith and hope, with which the an- 
 cient worthies depended upon the God of truth and 
 faithfulnefs; nor have Chriltians any reafon to be 
 afliamed of their hope, it is an hope that maketh not 
 alhamed. The Apoftle rejoiced in hope, though in 
 bonds ; his chain fat light upon him, becaufe he 
 could fay, for the hope of Ifrael am I bound with 
 this chain* The Pfalmift, fpeaking of the Son of 
 God, pronounces a blefTing upon all thofe that hope 
 in him. It is unlawful to place religious hope and 
 confidence in onewhofe truth and faithfulnefs are not 
 divine, that is, infinite. It is our duty to truft in 
 God, and to hop'e in God, and in none but him ; 
 in thee, O Lord, do I hope, faith the Pfalmift, and 
 again, thou art my hope, Oy Lord God, thou art my 
 i^nft from my youth* God is called the Cod of hope, 
 
 G and 
 
^0 4^ *^ 
 
 and Jefus Chrift is called, the Hope of glory* He is 
 Our Hope, and we are faid to have hope in him, 
 not with regard to the things of this world only, 
 but eminently, with regard to rhe world to come, 
 even the hope of eternal life. Beloved, fays the 
 Apoftle, now are we the fons of God^ and it doth not 
 yet appear what we Jhall he ; hut we know that when 
 he, that is, God the Son, Jhall appear, we Jhall be 
 like him, for we JJjall fee him as he is* And every 
 one that hath this hope in him, purifieth himfelf, even 
 as he is pure' * The true and faithful God was the 
 hope of Ifrael, and Jefus Chrift is the hope of glory, 
 and our hope ; is he not therefore the true and faith- 
 ful God ? Is it lawful for Chriflians to hope in Jefus, 
 if he is not the true and faithful God ? 
 
 ' We are next to fliew that Jefus Chrift the Son of 
 God, is called Jehovah. But before we do this,, 
 it may be ufeful to give fome account of this name, 
 and its fignification. It is the adorable and incom- 
 municable name of the living and true God, and is 
 never afcribed to any but him. It is an elTential 
 name, a name of eflence, and fignifies the Eternal, 
 necefTary, underived exiftence of that Being who is 
 felf-exiftent ; and which is, and was, and is to 
 come. The name, Jehovah, fays a judicious 
 critic, f *' fets out God's eternity, in that it con- 
 tains all times, future, prefent, and paft; '' thus, 
 
 fays 
 
 * I. John iii. 2, 4. ']r Leigh's Critca Sacra. 
 
^o 43 ^ 
 
 fays he, ^' this title given to Chrift, which is, and 
 which was, and which is to come, is an exprefs in- 
 terpretation of J E H o V A H.'' This name is derived 
 from a verb which fignifies to be, and denotes the 
 eternal exiftence of that God, from whom all other 
 beings have received their exiftence, and in whom 
 we live, and move, and have our being. This name 
 is of the fame fignification with I am, and I am 
 THAT I AM; as we may learn from what God faid 
 to Mofes, when he fent him to the children of If'rael 
 in Egypt. On this occalion the Lord proclaimed 
 his great and glorious name ; and God faid unto Mo' 
 Jes, I AM THAT I AM ; and he /aid, thus Jlmlt thou 
 fay unto the children of Ifrael, I AM hath fent me 
 unto you* And God faid moreover unto Mofes, thus 
 /halt thou fay unto the children of Ifrael, the Lord 
 God of your fathers (the word here tranflated Lord, 
 is Jehovah) the God of Abraham, the God of Ifaacy 
 and the God of Jacob hath fent me unto you ; this is 
 my name for ever, and this is ray memorial unto all 
 generations, * To fhew that this name is peculiar 
 to God, that it is his name, and that it is incom- 
 municable ; we fliall quote tv/o paifages of Scrip- 
 ture which are clear and decifive : / am the Lord, 
 that is my name, and my glory will I not give unto ano- 
 ther, neither my praife unto graven Images* f The 
 word, Lord, is in the original, Jehovah. And 
 
 fa^s 
 
 * Exod. iii. 14, i^, t Ifaiah xlii, 8, 
 
^ 44 <^ 
 
 fays the Pfalmift, Thm whofe name alone is Jekovah, 
 art the moft high over all the earth* * 
 
 Now to fhew that Jefus Chrift the fon of God, 
 is called by this divine, adorable, and incommuni- 
 cable name of God ; it will be fufficient to quote a 
 few texts of fcripture, fuch as moft clearly and di- 
 rectly prove the point in queftion. We fhall firft 
 confider that remarkable prophecy of Ifaiah, re- 
 fpecling John the Baptil'l, the fore-runner of the 
 MefTiah, and the perfon who prepared his way be- 
 fore him. The Prophet calls the Baptift, the voices 
 of him that crieth in the wildernefs, prepare ye the 
 ixjay of the Lord, Jehovah, make Jlraight in the dc' 
 ferti a way for our Cod* There can be no doubt 
 in this matter ; for John the Baptift is conftantly 
 fpoken of in the Gofpels, as this voice, and as the 
 fore-runner of the Meffiah. John confelTed that he 
 v/as not the Meffiah ; nor that light, nor that Pro- 
 phet; he knew his office and his place, and fpoke 
 of himfelf and his baptifm, as nothing in comparifon 
 of Chrift and his baptifm : / indeed, fays John, bap' 
 tize you with water, unto repentance, but he that co- 
 meth after me is mightier than I, ivhofefhoes I am not 
 'worthy to bear ; he /hall baptize you with the Holy Ghofi 
 and with fire* Whofe fan is in his hand, and he will 
 throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat info 
 his garner ; but he will burn the chaff with unquench^ 
 
 able 
 
 ♦ Ixxxiii. Pfaim. 
 
^ 45 ^ 
 
 able fire* * Let us hear John's record ar.d confefTi- 
 on, and this is the record of John, when the Jews 
 fent priefts and Le vices from Jerufalem to aik him, 
 who art thou i and he cjnfeffed and denied not, but 
 confejjedj I am not the Chrift* And after anfwering 
 feveral queftions in the negative, he told them who 
 he was, he fatd I am the voice of one crying in the wiU 
 dernefSf make ftraight the way of the Lord, as /aid 
 ■the prophet Ejaias. f Let us alfo hear what Zach- 
 arias faid of his fon when he was born ; thou chiid, 
 /halt be called the prophet of the Highefi, for thou 
 /halt gn before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways. 
 And fays the Evangelifl, the fame came for a witnefs 
 to bear vjitne/s of the light, that all men through him 
 might believe* The only thing here necefTary to be 
 afcertained, is, that John the Baptift prepared the 
 way of Ciirift, as his fore-runner ; and this is fuffi- 
 ciently done by what has been faid, and by the 
 Evangehft Mark, at the beginning of his Gofpel, 
 where fpeaking of the Baptift, he fays, as it is 
 written in the Prophets, behold I fend my me/fenger 
 before thy faee, which fhall prepare thy way before 
 thee* The voice of one crying in the wildernefs, pre- 
 pare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths ftraight* 
 
 Again, the prophet Jeremiah calls the Son of God, 
 Jehovah, in the following words : Behold the days 
 come, faith the Lord, that I will raife unto David 
 
 a righteous 
 
 ♦ Matth* iii. ii, 12- ^ t John i. 23. 
 
^ 4^ °^ 
 
 a righteous l^ranch ; and a King Ihall reign and 
 profper, and fliall execute judgment and juftice in 
 the earth. In his days Judah iliall be faved, and 
 Ifrael ihall dwell fafely ; and this is his name, 
 whereby he fhall be called, The Lord our 
 Righteousness; that is, Jehovah our Righ- 
 teousness.* Another Prophet, under the in- 
 fluence of the fame fpirit, calls the Saviour, 
 Jehovah, in thefe words ; furely JJmll one fay, in 
 the Lord, that is, Jehovah, have I righteoufnefs 
 andjhength ; even to him Jh all men come, and all that 
 are incenfed againfl him, Jhall he ajhamed : In the 
 Lord /hall all the feed of Ifrael he juflified and fhall 
 glory. It is very evident that thefe prophecies re- 
 late to the MefTiah ; he is our righteoufnefs, it is 
 he "who of God is made unto us, imfdom, and righteouf- 
 nefs, and fan^ificatiQn, and redemption ; that ac- 
 cording as it is written, he that glorieth, let him glory 
 in the Lord* f It is by the Lord Jefus Chrift that 
 we are juftified, for, fays the Apoflle, be it known 
 unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through 
 this man, is preached unto you the forgivenefs of fms ; 
 and by him, all that believe are juflified from all things, 
 from which ye could not be jufiified by the law of 
 Mofes* Beware therefore, left that come upon you 
 which is fpoken of in the prophets, behold ye defpifers. 
 And wonder, and perifh ; for I work a work in your 
 
 days^ 
 
 * Jer. xxiii, 5, 6. \ Cor. i. 30, 31. 
 
»> 47 c^ 
 
 ^aySy a work which you /hall in no wife believe, 
 though a man declare it unto you* * In that re- 
 markable palTage of Ifaiah's prophecy, formerly 
 quoted, and which the Evangelift applies to the 
 Son of God, he is called Jehovah Tsebaoth; 
 Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of Hojls, the whole 
 earth is full of his glory » Wo is me, faid the Prophet, 
 for I am undone, becaufe I am a man of unclean lips, 
 for mine eyes have feen the King, the Lord of He/is, 
 
 There is another prediflion of the fame Prophet, 
 which evidently relates to the Meffiah, and in which 
 he is called Jehovah ; the words are thefe ; fan<5ii' 
 fy the Lord of Hofts himfelf, and let him he your fear, 
 and let him he your dread ; and he fhall be for a 
 fan6luary ; hut for aflone of Jlumbling, and for a rock 
 of offence to both houfes of Ifrael, for a gin and a fnare 
 to the inhabitants of Jerufalem* Jndmany among them 
 Jhall /tumble and fall and be broken, and be fnared and 
 taken* f How exadly was this predidion fulfilled ; 
 at the coming of the MefTiah ! He was a fancluary to 
 them that fandlified him in their hearts ; he was a 
 city of refuge to all that believed in him ; but he 
 was a ftone of {tumbling and a rock of offence to the 
 unbelieving Jews ; and in their miferable deftruclion, 
 was the latter part of this prophecy moft awfully ac- 
 complilhed. I iliall conclude this head of difcourfe 
 with one quotation more; the prophet Zechariah, 
 
 after 
 
 * Acts xili. 38, 40. t Ifaiah viii. 13, 14. 
 
^ 4^ ^C 
 
 after having denounced the judgments of God, upon 
 the inhabitants of the land of Judea, mentions the 
 very price for which the MeiTiah fhould be fold and 
 betrayed : But he that was fold and betrayed into 
 the hands of Hiiners, is that very Lord who fpake by 
 the mouth of his Prophet, faying, if ye think goody 
 give me my -price ; and if not ^ forbear : fo they weigh' 
 ed for my price thirty pieces of fdver^ And the Lord, 
 Jehovah, faid unto me, cafl it unto the potter ^ a 
 goodly price that I was prifed at of them* * 
 
 We prefume it has been proved, that the Lord 
 Jefus Chrift, is called by the divine, and incommu- 
 r.icable name, Jehovah, this is the name of God, 
 his name alone is Jehovah ; the Lord he is Cod, 
 there is none elfe» Who is God fave the Lord? Hear 
 0, Ifrael, the Lord our God is one Lord* That the 
 Father is Jehovah, will not be denied ; that the 
 Son is Jehovah, has been proved ; and that the Ho- 
 ly Ghoft is Jehovah, can be proved by the fame 
 kind of arguments, namely, exprefs declarations 
 of the holy Scriptures : f Thefe Three, therefore, 
 are one Jehovah, one, in a divine and incompre- 
 henfible unity of an incomprehenfible elTence. 
 
 We 
 
 f:- Zach. xi, 12, 13. 
 
 ^ That the Holy Ghoft is J e h o v A h, is plain from a 
 pafTage in the prophecy of Ezekiel, where the Prophet fays, 
 the Spirit lifted me up and took me away, and I went in bitter- 
 
 ncfs 
 
^ 49 c^ 
 
 We come now to the third and lad head of this dif. 
 courfe ; and iliall conclude this Sermon with fome 
 quotations of Scripture, in which, Jefus Chrift is 
 exprefsly called God. 
 
 Let us then begin with the words of the evange- 
 lical Prophet^ whd, fpeaking of the MefTiah, exprelTes 
 himfelf in the following words ; behold^ your God 
 will come vAth verigeancCf even God with a recompencc, 
 he will come and fave you- But fome might afk, 
 when will our God come? we have been long 
 looking for his appearance, and waiting for his 
 
 falvation ; 
 
 jiefs in the heat of my fpirit ; but the hand of the Lord, In 
 the original, Jehovah, was ftrong upon me. The Holy 
 Ghofl is called the Eternal Spirit^ the Oraniprcfent Spirit ; 
 where fhall I go from thy fpirit ? or whither fhall I fly frovi 
 thy prefence T The Spirit fearcheth all things ; yea the deep 
 things of God. He is the Spirit of wifdom. He is the Cre- 
 ator, for Job fays, th^ Spirit of God hath made vie; and 
 again, it is written. Thou fendefl forth thy fpirit and they 
 are created. The Holy Ghofl is called God, for fays the 
 Apoftle to Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie 
 unto the Holy Ghofl ? thou hafl not lied unto man^ but untu 
 God. And again, how is it that ye have agreed together to 
 tempt the fpirit of the' Lord? There is a fni, more immedi- 
 ately committed againft this Holy one, which ii called the 
 unpardonable fin ; whofoever fpeaketh againfl the Holy Qhojl^ 
 it fiall not he forgiven him^ neither in this world, nor in that 
 which is to come. I have juft mentioned thefe particulars, 
 rcfpecting the divinity of the Holy Ghoft, and refer the 
 reader to the Holy Scriptures for further information. 
 
 H 
 
^ 5° °€ 
 
 ialvation ; when will he come to avenge and fave 
 his people? The Prophet indeed does not tell the 
 precife time, but he fliews the figns of his coming ; 
 and he gives certain tokens whereby the people 
 might know their God, when he ihould come : And 
 thefe, fays the Prophet, are the figns of his coming, 
 the eyes of the blind fiall be opened, and the cars of 
 the deaf Jhfill be unjlopped, then fhall the lame msn 
 leap *as an Hart, and the tongue of the dumb fing. 
 Tor in the -wildernefs fhall waters break out, and 
 flreams in the defert. * Thefe predictions were 
 accomplifhcd when the Meffiah came, and entered 
 upon his public miniftry ; he opened the eyes of the 
 blind, unftopped the ears of the deaf, made the 
 lame to walk, and the tongue of the dumb to fing ; 
 Jefus applied this prophecy to himfelf, and appeal- 
 ed to thefe ligns, even his own wonderful works, 
 as infallible evidences that he was the true Mefliah. 
 When John the Baptift fent two of his difciples unto 
 Jefus, with this queftion, art thou he that fliould 
 come, or do we look for another ? our Lord anfu^er- 
 ed, by applying the wprds of the Prophet to him- 
 felf, and /hewing that in him they were, fulfilled ; 
 go, fays he, and Jhew John again thofe things which 
 ye do hear and fee ,\ the blind receive their fight, and the 
 lame walk, the lepers are clean fed and the deaf hear, the 
 dead are raifed up, and the poor have the Gifpel preach* 
 
 ed 
 
 iit Ifalah xxxr. 4, 5, <?. 
 
» 51 
 
 ed unto thfrn, and bleffed is he whofocvcr JJoall not he 
 offended in me* * 
 
 The prophet Ifaiah, calls Jefus the mighty God ; 
 and one would think that this is fofncient to prove 
 the Divinity of Jefus Chrifi. ; if he is the mighty God, 
 then furely he is really and truly God. It has been 
 proved, in a former difcourfe, that he is Almighty, 
 the Creator of all things, and able even to fubdue 
 all things tohimfelf ; is it not, therefore, irrational to 
 fay that Jefus is God, but not equal to the Almigh- 
 ty Creator of all things? Is it not abfurd to fay that 
 he is God, and yet to deny that he is all-perfect? 
 In God there is not, there cannot be any imperfecr 
 tion ; there is not a fuperior and an inferior God. 
 
 When Jefus is called Immanuel, he is called God, 
 even God with us; the Word was made flefli and 
 dwelt among us ; and we know that he who is call- 
 ed the Word, is the Son of God. This is he who 
 took upon him the form of a fervant ; this is he that 
 took on him the feed of Abraham ; this is he that 
 defcended from the Fathers of the Jewifli nation, as 
 concerning the flefli, u'/;9 is 6ver all God bleffed for 
 ever. In Jefus . dwclleth all the fulnefs of the God" 
 head bodily; the' beloved Difciple calls him the true 
 God and eternal life ; and, the Apofllc Paul, 
 fpeaking of the Incarnation of the Son of God, fays, 
 
 and 
 
 * Matthew xi. 4, 6. 
 
» 52 c^ 
 
 .^iid without controverfy, great is the myftery of 
 C/odlir.efs ; Cod was manifefi in the fle/h. The 
 Apoftle, exhorting the Elders of the Church at 
 Ephefus, ofes thefe emphatical words, feed the 
 Church of God, which he hath pnrchafed with his 
 own blood: But thefe words mufl be fomething 
 more than myfterious, if he who fhed his blood for 
 the redemption of his , Church, was not God and 
 man in one perfon ; but of this more hereafter. 
 Again, Chriftians are exhorted to adorn the dodrine 
 of God our Saviour in all things ; for the grace of 
 God that bringeth falvation hath appeared unto all 
 men, teaching us, that denying ungodlinefs and 
 worldly lufVs, we fhould live foberly, righteoufly, 
 and godly in this prefent world ; Looking for that 
 bleffed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God, 
 and our Saviour Jefus Chrijl ; * who gave himfelf for 
 us, that he might redeem Us from all iniquity, and 
 purify unto him/elf a peculiar people zealous of good 
 works. Here, the Lord Jefus Chrift is called God, 
 yea, the great God and Saviour, as will clearly 
 appear from the following confiderations. Firft, 
 the conftruftion of the words in the original, fliews 
 us, that the Apoftle fpeaks only of one perfon, 
 namely, the Redeemer who gave himfelf for us, who 
 is afcended up into Heaven, and who will appear 
 the fecond time, without fm unto falvation ; and 
 whofe glorious appearing, Chriftians look for 
 
 with 
 
 * Titus ii. TQ. 
 
»^ 53 <^ 
 
 with hope and expe(5lation. The word, s'ai(p<x*EiJij 
 which is tranflated, appearing, in all other paflages 
 where it occurs, relates lo Jefus Chrifl ; once, it 
 relates to his firfl coming, in every other inftance, 
 it relates to his fecond coming, when he ihall appear 
 in a very glorious manner, to judge the world in 
 righteoufnefs. He faall come, and fliall be feen 
 coming in the clouds of Heaven, with power and 
 great glory : Behold he comet h ivith clouddj and 
 every eye Jhall fee him, and they alfo which pierced 
 him* And if this is the fenfe in which the word is 
 ufed, except where it relates to the firfl coming of 
 Chrifl, why fhould we not underfland it in this fenfe 
 here ? Chrift fliall come in his own glory, and in 
 his Father's, and of the Holy Angels ; and let this 
 glory be what it may, it is plain that it is the Son, 
 and not the Father, who fhall come, appear, and 
 be feen by every eye. But a literal tranflation of the 
 whole text, will fet the matter in a clear light ; 
 and the following tranflation is not only literal, but 
 the exad order of the words in the original is 
 preferved, viz. ^^ Looking for tlie blefTed hope, and 
 the illuf]:rious appearing of the glory of the great 
 God and Saviour of us, Jefus Chrift." The 
 words may be tranllated with a fufficient degree of 
 literal cxadnefs', and more conformable to the idiom 
 of our language, as follows : *^ Locking for the 
 blelTed hope, and the illuftrious appearance of the 
 
 glory 
 
glory of our great God and Saviour Jefus Chrift*'/ 
 Some are of opinion that the word, andj fhould be 
 taken exegetically, and tranflated, even, fo that 
 the text would be read thus, *' Looking for that 
 blefTed hope and the glorious appearing of the great 
 God, even, our Saviour Jefus Chrift.'' But the 
 fccond tranflation which I have offered, is, fufRcient 
 to prove our point ; and for the juftnefs of it, I 
 appeal to the marginal tranflation of the firfi: verfe 
 of the fecond epiftle of Peter ; the words are, Simon 
 Peter, a fervant and an Apoftle of Jefus Chrift, to 
 them that have obtained like precious faith with 
 us, through the right eoufnefs * 9f God, and our 
 Saviour Jejus Chr'ijl : This latter claufe fiiould be 
 tranflated, "through the righteoufnefs of our God 
 and Saviour Jefus Chrifl:;'' which our excellent 
 tranflators have accordingly done in the margin. 
 Now this paflage, and that in the epiflle to Titus, 
 are of the fame grammatical conftrudtion, except, 
 the order of one word, '^!fj,ijv, that is our fliould be 
 confidered as making a difference of grammatical 
 confirudion, which I think it cannot ; but if it 
 makes any difference, it appears to be in favour 
 of our doflrine. I think it unneceffary to fhew 
 the juft:nefs of the marginal tranflation, of the 
 firft vcrfe of the fecond epiftle of Peter, it is only 
 
 a matter 
 
 * Through the Righteoufnefs^ would be better tranflated ''I* 
 
 the Righttoufnefs,'^ 
 
^ 55 "^ 
 
 2 matter of furprife, that the Tranflators did not 
 put it in the text ; if the laft verfe of this epiftle is 
 jiiftly tranflated, viz. Crirjj in gracs, and in ibs 
 knowledge of cur Lord, and Saviour Jefus Chrifly then 
 the marginal tranflation of the firft verfe is juft, 
 becaufe the grammatical conftrudion of both is 
 the fame. 
 
 It cannot be denied that Jefus Chrirt is called God ; 
 I have quoted feveral texts of Scripture in which he 
 is fo called ; and many more might be mentioned, 
 were it necelTary. The words of my text arc clear 
 and decifive, for there the Apoftle calls Jefus his 
 Lord and his God; but it is of great importance to 
 afcertain in what fenfe, Jefus Chriil is fo called. 
 He is called God, in the drift and proper fenfe of 
 the word ; and this we will now endeavour to prove. 
 Firft, we are always to underfland every word 
 and every fentence, both in the facred fcriptures, 
 and in all other writings, in a literal, ftricl:, and 
 proper fenfe, exctfpt neccflity obliges us to take 
 them figuratively ; tkat is, except the words ap- 
 pear to be figurative, or cannot be taken in a 
 ftrid: literal fenfe without abfurdity. When Idols 
 are called Gods, it is eafy to fee in what fenfe they 
 are fo called : tjiey were fo called by their deluded 
 worfliippers ; but the infpired writers declare that 
 they ar€ lying vanities, dumb idols and an abo- 
 mination ; and fometimes, they are called gods, 
 
 in 
 
^ 5^ ^ 
 
 in derlfion. They are entirely out of the queftion. 
 But are not men iometirnes called Gods ? we grant 
 that they are ; but when they are fo called, there 
 is always fome mark, by which we may perceive 
 in what fenfe ; there is always fomething faid to 
 fhew that the word niufl be taken figuratively. 
 Thus when the Lord fays unto Mofes, I have made 
 thee a God to Pharaoh, we muft underftand thefe 
 words, as relating to the milTion which Mofes 
 received from God, the authority he was invefled 
 with, or in other words, that he was in God's (lead, 
 the minifler of God ; no one can believe that Mofes 
 was really and truly God. When perfons in high 
 office, and exercifing high power are called Gods, 
 it is from fome faint refemblance of the power and 
 authority of God over his fubjeds; but it i» faid. 
 Cod judgeth among the gods^ and ^^^^m^ I have faid 
 ye are gods J and all of you are children of the Mofi High^ 
 but ye/hall die like men. There is nothing eafier than 
 to diflinguifli the true God, from thofe who are only 
 called gods in a figurative fenfe ; but in what fenfe is 
 he called God, unto whom the divine attributes are 
 afcribed I there is no abfurdity in calling him God, 
 in the flrid and proper fenfe ©f the word, who is 
 pofieded of the divine perfections, and confequently, 
 of that nature to which thefe perfe(^ions belong. If 
 it has been proved that any one divine attribute is 
 afcribed to Jcfua Chrift, if it has been proved that 
 
 he 
 
^ 57 "^ 
 
 he is Jehovah, if it has been proved that he is our 
 Cod and Saviour, then he is really and truly God; 
 for the true God, and, lie only, can be called Qur 
 Cod* In what fenfe is he called God, who is 
 eternal, unchangeable, omniprefent, omnifcient, 
 and almighty ? in what fenfe is he called God, 
 "who is moft holy, whofe mercy we look for unto 
 eternal life, whofe long.fufFering is falvation, whofe 
 grace is fufficient for his people, whofe ftrength is 
 perfected in their weaknefs, who is able to fave 
 even to the uttermoft, and who is himfelf, the 
 Lord of hods, and the Lord our righteoufnefs ? hi 
 what fenfe is he called God, who is our great God 
 and Saviour, the Prince of life, the Lord of glory, 
 the Lord of Lords and King of Kings ? He that is 
 the Lord of Lords, is the Lord of glory ; he that is 
 the King of Kings, is the King of glory ; and who 
 is the King of glory? The L^rd Jlrong and mighty y 
 The Lord flrong and mighty in battle* Lift up your 
 heads, ye gates, even lift them up ye everla/iing doors, 
 and the King Qf glory fiall come in* Who is this 
 King of glory ? the Lord of hofts, he is the King of 
 glory. In what fenfe is he called God, who is the 
 heart fearching judge of the quick and of the dead* 
 who Ihall judge the world in righteoufnefs, and 
 give unto every one according to his ways ? Laftly, 
 in what fenfe is he called God, in whom dwelleth 
 ^11 the fulnefs of the God-head bodily, who is in the 
 Father, and the Father in hi«i, and who fays ? 
 
 and 
 I 
 
^ 5^ "^ 
 
 and my Father are one. Philip faid unto Jefus fhew 
 us the Father ; let the anfvver of our Lord be for- 
 ever recorded : have I been Jo long time 'ujith you, and 
 yet thou haft not kmvm me, Philip P he that hath feen 
 me hath feen the Father ; and how fay eft thou then, 
 fhew us the Father P helievefi thou not that I am in the 
 Father and the Father in me P Jefus is the bright- 
 nefs of the Father's glory, and the exprefs image 
 of his perfon* And the everlafting Father declares 
 that his Son is his equal, faying,' awake, fivord^ 
 againft my fhepherd, and fmite the man that is my fellow 
 faith the Lord of Htfts. God hath commanded the 
 Angels to worfhip the Son ; and men are com- 
 manded to honour the Son even as they honmr the 
 Father* Let us neither coniradid the word, nor 
 difobey the commandment of our God ; but let us 
 afcribe glory, and honour, and blefhng, and praife, 
 unto the Father, Son, and Holy Ghoft, now, and 
 forever. Amen* 
 
><><><>C>C^><>^ri<>&<><T.<<>C'><><^><r>< _ -. 
 
 SERMON THIRD. 
 
 John, 2oth Chap. 28th Verfc. 
 
 Jnd 7'homas an/were d and f aid unto him, my Lord and 
 my God, 
 
 TN the following dircourfe, we will endeavour to 
 -■-prove that Jefus Chrift is the objed of adoration 
 and religious worfliip. 
 
 It is recorded in the old Teftament, that the Patri- 
 arch Jacob addreiTed his prayer to the Son of God ; 
 and that he implored his bleffing upon his children, 
 faying, the Angel vih'ich redeemed me from all evily 
 hlefs the lads *. Who is this redeeming Angel, 
 this Angel who can redeem from all evil? the 
 
 anfwer 
 
 * Gcnefis xlrlli. ij, i5. 
 
anfwer is obvious; this Angel is the Angel of the 
 covenant, the great Redeemer, v/ho can redeem 
 the fouls of his people, and -Oiho gave himfelf for tis, 
 that he might redeem us from all iniquity. He that 
 redeems us from all evil^ muft redeem from fm, 
 muft be able to fave to the uttermoft, muft be able 
 not only to grant temporal deliverances to his 
 people, but alfo to grant deliverance from the 
 guilt -and dominion of fin, which in its nature and 
 confequences, is the greateft of all evils. This 
 redeeming Angel is not a created Angel, he is the 
 creator of Angels, the creator of all things, vifible, 
 and invifible. The Angel unto vi'hom Jacob prayed, 
 is called the God of Abraham, Ifaac, and Jacob, 
 the God before whom Abraham and Ifaac did walk, 
 the God who fed Jacob all his life long, unto that 
 very day on which Jacob addreffed thir prayer 
 untoiiim. This Angel is the hearer of prayer, is 
 able to confer blefTings, and is praifed in Heaven for 
 his redeeming love ; ivorthy art thou to take the book, 
 and to open the feals thereof ; for thou waft flain, and 
 hajl redee7ne^ us unto God by thy blood* Worthy is the 
 Lamb that -was flain^ to receive -power y and riches, 
 and wifdom, andftrength, and honour ^ and glory, and 
 hleffing *. The Patriarchs were not ignorant of the 
 Redeemer, nor of that redemption that is in him. 
 Abraham faw his day, and rejoiced ; and he beheved 
 the promife, that in his feed, all nations oi" the 
 
 earth 
 
 * Rev. V. 9, I a. 
 
» 6i 0^ 
 
 earth fhould be blefled. This redeemer was pro- 
 niifed to our firft parents, when it was faid, thac 
 the feed of the woman iliould bruife the head of the 
 ferpent. Job knew his redeea^er ; / kmvj. Jays he, 
 that my redeemer liveth ; and that he Jh all J} and at the 
 latter day upon the earth* Arid though after myfk'in 
 vjorms dejiroy this body^ yet in my flejh Jhall I fee God ; 
 whom I fh all fee fir myfelfy and mine eyes fhall behold 
 and not another ; though my reins be cdnfumed •with- 
 in me^* 
 
 The fame perfon, even the Son of God, was 
 worfhipped by Jofhua, when he appeared unto him 
 as the Captain of the Lord's hoft, in the likeneis of 
 a man, having a drawn fword in his hand ; Jofhua 
 fell on his face to the earth, and didworfhip ; and faid 
 unto him, what faith my Lord unto his fervant P and 
 the Captain of the Lord^s h oft faid unto Jofhua, loofe thy 
 fhoe from off thy foot : for the place where thouftandeft 
 is holy f . That Jefus Chrift our Saviour is the Cap- 
 tain of the Lord^s hoft, we have very convincing 
 evidence ; he it called the Captain of our falvation, 
 and in the book of the revelation, he is fpoken of, 
 as the Captain, the leader of the heavenly armies, 
 John faw the Heavens opened, and he faw the great 
 Mefliah ; he law his Vefture dipt in blood, and he 
 knew him to be the Word of God : He faw him at 
 the head of the Heavenly armies, for he informs us 
 
 thac 
 % Job. xix. 25. 27. t Jolhua v. 14. 15. 
 
^^ 62 c^ 
 
 that the armUs which were in He<tuen followed him* 
 If the Son of God is the Captain of the Lord's hoft, 
 then he is the perfon whom Jolhua vvorfhipped, fall- 
 ing down on his face to the earth, before the prefence 
 of divine Majefty. When God forbids the wor- 
 fhipping of idols, he fays, thou ihalt not bow down 
 thyfelf to them nor ferve them ; and it is as un- 
 lawful to bow down to Angels, and to ferve them • 
 God alone is the objed of religious worfhip and 
 fervice. But Jofliua fell down on his face, before 
 the Captain of the Lord's boil, worfhipped him, 
 called him his Lord, acknowledged himfelf his fer- 
 vant, and at his command, loofed his ihoe from 
 off his foot. The captain of the Lord's hoft appear- 
 ed to Jofhua, to give him his orders for the conduct- 
 ing of a particular expedition i and after having 
 claimed divine honours, proceeds to tells him, that he 
 had delivered Jericho, and the king thereof, and a]! 
 the mighty men of valour, into his hand. This 
 Captain of the Lord's hoft is, in the fixth chapter of 
 the book of Jofliua, called the Lord, that is, 
 Jehovah. But is it worthy of particular notice, that 
 the Captain of the Lord's hoft claims divine wor- 
 Ihip, in commanding Jofluia to loofe his fhoe from 
 oft his foot, and in giving him this reafon why- 
 he iliould do fo, namely, the -place where thou 
 fiandeft is holy* This cannot be confidered, but as a 
 declaration on the one part, and an acknowledg- 
 ment on the other, of the fpecial prefence of the 
 
 holy 
 
holy one of Ifrael ; for when the angel of the Lord 
 appeared to Mofes, in thebufli, he command-ed him 
 to do the very fanre thing, and for the very fame 
 rcafon, that the Captain of the Lord's heft command- 
 ed Jofhua to do. There is good ground to believe 
 that the perfon who appeared to Mofes, and who 
 is called Jehovah, and the God of Abraham*, is the 
 very fame perfon who appeared to Jolhua ; but 
 granting that thefe were diftin'ri: perfons, they claim- 
 ed and received the fame divine honours. 
 
 The Pfalmifl: afTerts that the Son of God is to be 
 "worihipped when he fays, all kings Ihall fall down 
 before him ; all nations fhallferve him : For he fhall 
 deliver the needy when he crieth ; the poor alfo, 
 and him that hath no helper. He fhall fpare the 
 poor and needy, and fhall fave the fouls of the needy. 
 He ihall redeem their foul from deceit and violence, 
 and precious fhall their blood be in his fight. And 
 he fhall live, and to him fliall be given of the gold 
 of Sheba ; prayer alfo p^ali he made for him continually 
 and daily fhall he be praifed\. His name fhall endure 
 forever ; his name fliall be continued as long as 
 the fun ; and men flail he bleffed in him ; all nations 
 Jhall call him hie [fed. _ It is the conftant prayer of 
 the Church, that the kingdom of Chrifl may flourifh 
 andprofper ; and in this fenfe, prayer may be faid 
 
 to 
 
 * ExoduSj iii. chap. f Pfalm, Ixxii. 
 
to be made for him. But if he fhall be praifed daily 
 if he is the obje(5l of daily praife, we may alfo ad- 
 drefs our prayers unto him, for praife is a noble part 
 of prayer. We muft not praife one whom it is 
 unlawful to pray to, nor pray unto one, whom it is 
 unlawful to addrcfs in praife. The Pfalmift fays un- 
 to the church, Hearken^ daughter^ and conjider^ 
 and incline thine ear ; forget alfo thine own people, and 
 thy father's houfe- Sojhall the King greatly defire thy 
 •beauty ; for he is thy Lord, and worfhip thou him» 
 
 When Jefus was born, the wife men came from 
 the eaft to worfiiip him ; the people worfliipped him, 
 when they cried, Hofanna to the Son of David, 
 blelfed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord. 
 And the children praifed him, faying Hofaana 
 to the Son of David. Thefe acclamations gave 
 great offence to the chief priefts andfcribes; they 
 v/ere fore difpleafed with the children, as they were 
 before, with the multitude ; and they faid unto 
 Jefus, heareft thou what thefe fay ? but Jefus faid 
 unto them, yea, have ye never read, out of the 
 mouths of babes and fuckUngs thou haft perfeSied 
 praife? Praife, therefore, even fuch praife as God 
 by his grace kindles in the hearts of his children, 
 and teaches their lips to utter, was by babes and 
 fucklings addreffed to Jefus Chrift : And, ihall our 
 lips be filent ? Shall children praife the God of falva- 
 tion ; and Hiall we refufe him the tribute of our praife ? 
 Shall we refnfe our Kofannas to the author and 
 
 finifher 
 
^ 6, 
 
 finifhsr of our faith ? The word, liofannah, figni- 
 iies, fave now I bcfcech ; and fhall we not ac- 
 kr;0^j£dge Chrift's power to fave ? Ihall we not 
 praife him who is mighty to fave, and who is the 
 author of eternal falvation ? The glory of falvation 
 is afcribed to the Son of God, by his ranfomed and 
 redeemed ; they ftand before the throne, and be- 
 fore the Lamb, faying falvation to our God uuhich 
 Jittsth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb* But the 
 Son is rcprefented as fitting upon the throne , Jit ting 
 on the right hand of power ; and it is faid that 
 he fitteth on the right hand of God. Now if Jefus 
 fitteth on the throne, on his Father's throne, on the 
 right hand of God, and if he faid unto the high Priefl 
 and the council, hereafter (hall ye fee the Son of man 
 fitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the 
 clouds ; then, thefe words are frequently ufed to 
 fignify the glory, dignity, and bright appearance, 
 of Chrift in his exalted ftate, and in his glorified 
 body. We may therefore in many places conllder 
 thefe words, fitteth upon the throne, and, the Lamb, 
 as relating to one perfon. It cannot be denied, 
 that Ifaiah law the Son of God fitting upon the 
 throne, it cannot be denied, that he is the Lamb 
 that was flain, who after he had offered one /acrifice for 
 fins for ever, fat, down on the right hand of God ; from 
 henceforth expe6iing till his enemies be madt hisfootflooU 
 Thefe words, fitteth upon the throne, and fitting 
 upoa the throne, are applicable to the Son of God, 
 
 X and 
 
^' 66 c^ 
 
 snd why may not the praiie which is accrefTed t* 
 him that Gtteth upon the throre, be ccrldered sj 
 addreiled to the Son, even to the Lomb, for ever and 
 ever? Ent at ail events, and admitting, thit the 
 praife which is addrelTed to bicn that fiiteth upcn the 
 throre, is adcrelTed to the Father, yet the Larcb 
 is alio the object ot his praife ; and vhen falvaiicn 
 is afcrlbed to him, is sdorcd as the Gcd cf falva- 
 lion. Salvation belongs to Gcd alone; and the 
 glory of falvaiion' to him cnly ; but this glory is 
 afcrlbed to the Father, and to the Son Cbrlft Jefos. 
 
 Again, 7 beheld, fays the Apcftle, £nd lecri the 
 voice of many yingels round about the ihrcre, and the 
 beafis and the elders, and the number cf thern laas ten 
 ihoufand times ten thoufandy and thoufands of ibou' 
 pinds ; fc\ tng vnth a hud voice, -aitrihy is the Lamb 
 thai 'jjasflJn, to receive fo'jjer, ard riches , and-jjifdom 
 and firengih, and honzur, icnd gkry, and hlef:r.g^ 
 And every creature which is in Heaven, end en the earth 
 and under the earth, and fuch as are in the fea, heard 
 
 he unto him that fiiteth upzn the throne, and unto the 
 Lamb ftr ever and ever. And the four heafts faid. 
 Amen, And the fzur and t-jiznty elders fell down cr.d 
 TizrC:tppfd lim ilat liveth for ever and ever** And 
 doth not Chrift live for ever and ever ? Is he not 
 tternal > Is it not one cf his glcricus titles, that 
 
 he 
 
 • RcT.v. i;, 13? "4- 
 
^ 67 c^ 
 
 he liveth for evermore? Do not the Ang.els and 
 Elders fay, glory be nnto the Lamb, for ever and 
 ever? Thus the Lamb is worJhipped in Heaven by 
 his ranfo:ned and redeemed ; and by the Angels of 
 God. The holy Angels delight to do the will of 
 God, and chearfully obey his commandments; and 
 they are commanded to worfliip the Son ; but our 
 God is a jealous God and will nat give his glory unto 
 anot'ier, and therefore would not have faid, let all 
 the Angels of God worfiiip him, that is, t!ie J.on» 
 if he was not juftly entitled to this worlhip. It is not 
 an object of pov/er, to command Angels or men to 
 worfiiip ons who is not pciTciired of the divine per- 
 fections. 
 
 But fome will fay, where is the ufe of this com- 
 mandment given to the Angels ? if the Son is God, 
 and confequently, judly entitled to divine worfhip, 
 would not the Angels have known their duty and 
 have acted accordingly ? It is fufncient for us to 
 Vnow, that the infinitely wife God hath commanded 
 the Angels to worfhip the Son ; it is fufficient for us 
 to know, that the giving of this commandment is 
 recorded in the holy fcriprures for our inflruction. 
 If it is the duty of Angels to worfhip the Son of God, 
 it is alfo our duty to do fo; it is our duty to honour ' 
 the Son, even as we honour the Father. Do Angels 
 worfhip the Son, apd fhall fuch creatures as we are, 
 rsfufc to worfljip him, at whole name every knee 
 
 /hall 
 
^ 68 c^ 
 
 fiiall bow, before wliofe jncigment Test we muft all 
 appear, unto whom we nvjft ail give an account, 
 and receive from him, according to the deeds done 
 in the body ? 
 
 It is recorded, that Jefus wp.i worH^ipped by his 
 difciples, and that they prayed to hini: and of this 
 we have Cevcral inlrances. It is very piuii), '(' he 
 difciples confidered him as the Learcr of ,;rayer; 
 this fays the Apoftie, is the confidence ilu-t wc hi-.ve in 
 him, that if iJJg afk' any thing iiccording to hs ivilL he 
 heareth us^ and if we know that hz h?-ar vj, -nhatlQevr 
 lue a/]c, we knoiu that ive have the petite. ns trat we 
 defired of hl/n» * The Apoiile Paul prayed to the 
 Lord Jefus, to be de'ivt^red from forrc veiyievere 
 trial or temptation : hecills't a lijorn in ti.e fieih, 
 the meiFenger of Satan t.> b,:fFet hnn, leil h ihould 
 be exalted above meafare. A'- '^.^tever this ten>p- 
 tation was, the Apoftie had rr:r\^y'(^ to prayer; 
 and lie addrelfed his prayer i.nvo the Lord Jetus; 
 /, fays Paul, bef ought the Lord ihtice, that it might 
 depart from me. Jnd he /aid nrJo me^ v^v g^race is 
 fufficient for thee ; for my ftrevgth is rm^.i fr>je^ in 
 weaknefs. Mo ft gLudy therefore will 7 r,:ihtr glory 
 in mine infirmities, that the povjer of Chrljr may rtft 
 vpm me. f There are fevcrr)! inlhnces of prayer 
 lieing addrefled to Jefus, v.hle on earth; the 
 difciples prayed to him for increafe of faith, the 
 
 ApoOlfs 
 
 * J. John V. T4, 15. -j- 2. Cor. xii. 8, 9,, 
 
ApOitles faid unto the Lord, increcip our faith ; and 
 that Jefus was able to do fo, was by them acknow- 
 ledged. But this is the work of God., the work 
 of him who is the head of his Chu:ch, and from 
 which head, all the body, by joints and bands, 
 having no'urijQjinent mlnifteredy and knit together^ 
 increafeth with the Increafs of Cod.^ Can Jefus 
 increafe the faith of his difciples ? then he mull be 
 that God who has an abHilute cmimand of the 
 hu'iian heart, and who giveth grace to tlie children 
 of men. It is to be obferved that Jefus never 
 rebuked any one for praying to him, which, as a 
 teacher fent from God, he would certainly have 
 done, if thofe that prayed to him, acled contrary 
 to their duty. The difciples prayed to their Lord 
 and Mafter, when they were expofed to imminent 
 danger in a ftorm, faying, Lord fave uSj ijjs peri/Jy, 
 Let his anfwer be imprefled upon our fouls ; he lalth 
 unto thenif why are ye fearful^ 0, ys of little faith ? 
 Then he arofe and rebuked the winds and thefea, and 
 there was a great calm' Well might the men in the 
 fhip marvel ; well might they fay, what manner of 
 man is this, that even the "winds and the ffa cbey him P 
 To rebuke the Vv'inds, to make the florm a calmy 
 to ftill the waves of the fea, is the work of him 
 only, who hath laid the foundations of the earth, 
 Y/ho hith fet bounds to the fea, and reftraineth 
 
 the 
 
 ♦ CololSanE, ii, 19. 
 
the rage of the great deep : Unto him the diflTeffed 
 marhiers cry in their trouble, and he brlngeih tkem 
 out of their dijlrejfes. He maketh the Jionn a calm, 
 
 fo that the -waves thereof are fait Oh, that men 
 ■would praife the Lord for his goodnefs^ and for his 
 *d)mderfid works to the children of men I * 
 
 The ace of praying to God, is very frequently in 
 the fcriptures,'- termed, calling upon God, and 
 upon the name of God : Thus fays the Pfalmift, / 
 wi// call upon the Lord who is worthy to he prai/ed ; 
 jo floall 1 be faved from mine enemies. In my cijirefs 
 I called upin the Lord, and cried unto my Cod ; he 
 heard my voice out of his temple , and my cry came 
 before him, even into his ears. Job fpedking of 
 the hypocrite, fays, will God hear his cry when 
 trouble coineth upon him ? will he delight himfelf 
 in the Alrjiighty \ will he always call upon God ? 
 Call upon me, faith the Lord, in the day of trouble, 
 I will deliver thee, and thou fhalt glorify me. And, 
 faith the Prophet, whofoever fhall call on the nafne 
 of the Lord fhall be favecl. Hear how the Apoftle 
 applies thefe words of the Prophet ; fpeaking of 
 JefusChritl:, he lays, Whojoever believeth on himfJoall 
 not he afhamed. For there is no difference between the 
 Jew and toe Greek ; for the fame Lord over all, is 
 rich unto all that call upon him.-f It is very obvious 
 that to call upon God, to call upon the name of 
 
 God, 
 
 * Pialm cril. f Rom. x. ii. 
 
^ 71 <^ 
 
 God, is to worfliiphim in prayer. Let us now fee if 
 the difciples called upon the name of Jcfus. And 
 here we have a very fufEcient evidence, befides tlie 
 palTage laft quoted. Indeed it appears, that to 
 call upon the name of the Lord Jefus Chrill, was 
 • the conllant practice of the difciples ; and that they 
 received a particular denomination from this practice, 
 whethfr given to them by their enemies, in con- 
 tempt, or adopted by themfelves ;' but it is certain, 
 they were not afhamed to acknowledge that they 
 :alled upon his name. Ananias faid unto the Lorci^ 
 who appeared unto him in a vldon, Lord, I have 
 heard by many of this man, how much evil he 
 hath done to ihy faints at Jerufalem ; and here he 
 hath authority from the chief priefts, to bind all that 
 call on thy name* But after Ananias was convinced 
 of Paul's converfion, and that he was a chofen fervant 
 of the Lord, he faid unto him, arife, and be 
 baptized, and waOi away thy fms, calling upon the 
 name of the Lord, Hear the Apoflle's faUitation to 
 the Church of God at Corinth ; Paul, called to be 
 an Apoftle of Jefus Chrift through the will of God, 
 and Softhenes our brother, unto the Church of God, 
 which is at Corinth, to them that are fanctified 
 in Chrift Jefus, called to be faints, "jjith all that 
 in every place calj upon the nc^me of Jefus ChriJ} our 
 Lord both theirs and ours* Grace he unto you, and 
 peace from God our Father^ and from the Lord Jefus 
 Chrift. 
 
 The 
 
^i 
 
 The mamier in which the ApoHles begin and 
 conclude their epiftles, their affedionate falutations, 
 and the divine doxologies which we find fo fre- 
 quently in their writings, are convincing proofs 
 that Chrift is the cbjed of religious worlhip : For 
 we cannot but perceive, that in thefe falutations, 
 prayer is addrelTed to Jefus Chrift ; and that in the 
 doxologies, divine glory is af^iribed unto him. 
 Thus for example, The Lord of Peace h'lmfelf give 
 you peace (ilwciysy by all means. — The Lord be with 
 you alU — The grace of the Lord Jefus Chrifi he ivith 
 you ally Amen — The grace of the Lord Jefus Chrifi 
 »nd the love of God, and the rommunion ef the Holy 
 Ghofi, be with ydu al', Jmen. — Thefe are pray» 
 crs, addreffed to the Divine perfons whofe bleffingj 
 are implored ; chey arc blefTmgs pronounced in the 
 name of the Lord Jefus^ and of the Father, and 
 of the Holy Ghoft. It is an ad of religious worfhip, 
 to blefs the people in the name of God ; and it is 
 unlawful to blefs the people, or pronouncq a bleffing, 
 but, in the name of him that can confer blefTmgs, 
 and is, himfelf, the fountain of bleffednefs. And 
 as to -the doxologies ufcd by the Apoflles, in them 
 we find divine glory aferibed to Jefus Chrifi : To 
 him be glory both novj and forever, Amen — Unto him 
 that loved us, and wafoed us from our fins in his oiow 
 blood and hath made us kings and priefts unis Cod, 
 und his Father, to him be glory for ever, Amen. ^ 
 
 We 
 
 * Rev. I, C, 
 
^ 73 °C 
 
 We have already quoted feveral paiTages of Scrip- 
 ture, wherein divine glory is afcribed, and divine 
 praife oiFered to the Son, co-ordinately, with the 
 Father; and fhall proceed to fliew that the Difciples 
 exercifed, and that it is the duty of Chriflians to 
 exercife, fuch affecTiions of the foul towards the 
 Son of God, as prove him to be the objed of 
 religious wor/hip. To believe in God, to truft in 
 him, to hope in him, and to love him, are true 
 and genuine acts of religious worihip. This mlgiu 
 be eafily proved, but it will not be denied ; Let 
 us then enquire, whether we are bound to believe, 
 to truft, to hope in Jefus, and to love him as our 
 God. And iirft, with regard to faith, it is our 
 duty to believe in Chriil ; which fignifies more than 
 to believe him. It is cur duty to believe the 
 Prophets, Evangelifts, and Apoftles, but we are 
 not faid tobeheve in them. It is our duty to believe 
 Jefus, the great Prophet, and moreover, it is our 
 duty to believe in him ; ys believe in God, fays 
 Chrift, believe alfo in me» Here the difciples are 
 commanded to believe in the Son of God ; which 
 they would not have been commanded to do if ha 
 was not the objeift of divine faith. This expreiTion, 
 to believe in, is nfed in the Old Teftament, tq 
 fignify that faith, which the fervants of God 
 exercifed towards him, and in him ; that faith 
 which the fervants of God had in their Redeemer, 
 and that faith which believers, in future ages, 
 
 Oiouia 
 L 
 
^ 74 ^ 
 
 Ihould have m him : Hear me, O Judah, fays Jehofha. 
 phat, and ye inhabitants of JeruUlem, believe in th^ 
 Lor J your God,Jo Jhall ye be ejtahlijhed* The prophet 
 was delivered from the lion's den, and no manner of 
 hurt was found upon him, becaufe he heVieved in his 
 Cod.* And thus faith the Lord, beliold I lay in 
 Sion a Itumblirig (lone, and a rock of offence, and 
 ivho/oever believeth on him fhall not be ojhamed* "We 
 are commanded to believe in Jefus, to believe on 
 liim, and to believe on his name. Eternal life is 
 promifed, yea, Chrifl himfelf promifed it to them 
 that believe in him ; He that believeth on the Son of 
 Cod hath everlajling life ; and again, whofoever 
 liveth and believeth in me, fhall never die. God hath 
 commanded us to believe on the name of his Son, 
 and he gave liis only begotten Son, /to whofoever 
 Believeth in himfhould not perifh, but have everlajling 
 life. But the nature of this faith in Chrifl, ihews 
 us that it is divine, and has a divine perfon, even 
 God, for its' objecl:. 'It is a juflifying faith, a 
 iaving faith, a faith by which Chriftians overcome 
 the world, and a faith by which they live: The 
 life which I live in the flefh, fays the Apoftle, / 
 live by the faith of the Son of God. ' Without this 
 faith we cannot be favcd, without this faith we 
 cannot plcafe God, we cannot approach unto him 
 as a reconciled God, wc cannot glorify him. 
 
 Without 
 
 vK Daniel vi. 23. 
 
^ 75 ^ 
 
 Without this faith, we can do nothing; for without 
 it we do not abide in Chrift ; and he hath aflured us 
 that we cannot bring forth the fruits of hohnels, 
 unlefs we abide in him ; without me, fays he, ye 
 can do nothing. By this faith) Believers reft upon 
 the Lord Jefus for falvation, they believe in him, 
 as the Lord their rigbteoufnefs, their all fufficient 
 Saviour, who is the end of the law for righteou Giiefs, 
 to every one that believeth. In the exercife of 
 faith. Believers trult in the Lord Jcfus, and comrai^ 
 their deareft and moft importart concerns to his 
 care; I know, fays the Apoftle, whom I havs 
 believed J ami that he is able to keep that luhich I have 
 committed unto him againfi that day* T he martyr 
 Stephen was ftoned, calling upon Cod, and faying. 
 Lord Jefus receive my Ipirit : * And David com. 
 mitted his foul, and keeping of it, to his God; 
 into thine hand, I commit my fpirit, jor thou haft 
 redeemed me, Lord Cod of truth. And the blelTed 
 Jefus himfelf, confidered as man, committed his 
 foul to God ; Father, into thy hands, I commend my 
 fpirit* What fhall we fay then to thefe things? 
 Did not the Martyr, and the Apoftle, commit their 
 fouls to the Lord Jefus Chrift? Did not David 
 commit his foul to his Redeemer ? and does he not 
 call him the Lord God of truth ? Is it not finful, 
 
 to 
 
 * In this text, the word, God, is not in the Original ; 
 but the palTage is as ftrong a proof of Chrift's divinity with- 
 out the word. Acts vii, 60. 
 
^ 76 e^ 
 
 to truft in any creature whatever ? Can we lawfully 
 ttuft, and commit our fouls to the care and keeping 
 of any creature? It is the divine prerogative, to 
 keep the foal. He that trufteth in man, and 
 maketh the arm of flefh his confidence, is pronounced 
 accUrfed ; but it is a duty to truft in God for ever, 
 for in the Lord Jehovah is everlafting ftrength. Let 
 fhem that fuffer according to the will of Cod, commit 
 the keeping of their fouls to him in well doing, as untd 
 a faithful Creator* It is a fad upon record, that th^ 
 Apoftle and the Martyr committed the care and 
 keeping of their fouls to the Lord Jefus Chrift % 
 was it their duty to do fo ? Is it our duty to 
 imitate their example? If it is, then, we muft 
 acknowledge him to be the object of religiou* 
 worfhip. Why is Jefus called the Shepherd and 
 the Bifhop of our fouls? Why was it foretold, 
 that the root of JefTe fhould be for an enfign to the 
 people, that the Gentiles fhould feek to it, -and 
 that his reft fhould be Glorious ? and what is the 
 meaning of this predidion ? the Apoftle inform^ 
 lis, that to feek to Chrift, is to truft in him ; in him 
 fljall the Gentiles truft- Can there be any reafon 
 given, why we Ihould not truft in him? He is the 
 Author and finifher of our faith ; he is able to fave^ 
 tven to the uttermoft ; he is the Author of eternal faU 
 vation unto all them that obey him* It is our duty to 
 keep ourfelves in the love of God, looking for the 
 mercy of »iir Lord Jefus Chrift unto eternal life \ 
 
 And 
 
^ 77 ^ 
 
 And what kind of truft, are Believers to cxercifc 
 towards him, by whofe mercy they are to obtain 
 eternal Ufe, and by whofe grace they are faved > 
 How are we to truft in and reft upon that Lord and 
 Saviour, whofe grace is fufficient for us, whofe 
 ftrength is perfected in weaknefs, who giveth unto 
 his fheep everlafting life, and aifures them, that 
 they fhall never perifh ? It is a divine, holy, and 
 religious truft, that is to be repofed in him, unto 
 whom we commit our precious and immortal fouls ; 
 and in whom we truft for falvation through his 
 mercy. The Apoftle trufted in Chrift, that he 
 would providentially order and over-rule events 
 relative to the edification of the Church ; / trufi in 
 the Lord Jefus Chr'tfi, io fend Timoiheus fhorily urtto 
 you* I truft in the Lord, that I alfo my f elf /hall come 
 Jhortly. This is an acknowledgment of his provi. 
 dential Government. 
 
 I have had occafion, in the former difcourfe, to 
 fay fomething concerning our hope in Chrift. I 
 refer you to what has been there faid concerning the 
 C(^d of Hope, the. Hope of Ifrael, the Hepe of glory, 
 and the hope that we have in Chrift, who is called. 
 Our Hope* We proceed to fhew, that to love the 
 Lord Jefus, as we are commanded to do, is an a*^ 
 of religious worihip. It will not be denied, that 
 it is our duty to love the Lord Jefus Chrift ; the 
 Only queftion is this^ how are we to love him ? I 
 
 anfv/er, 
 
^ 7^ ^ 
 
 anfwer, we are to love hiai more than we love our 
 neighbour, more than we love our neareft and 
 deareft relations, more than we love ourfelves^ 
 more than we love our lives. To fhew the great- 
 nefs of this love to Chrift, it is even called an hating 
 of all our neareft relatives, and of our own lives. 
 The words are figurative indeed, but they are very 
 ftrong, and cxprcflivc of the intenfity of that love, 
 with which we fhould love our Lord and Saviour t 
 If any man come to me, faith Chrift, and hate not his 
 father, and mother, and ivife, and children, and 
 brethren^ and jifterSy yea, and his Qwn life alfo, he 
 cannot he my difciple** What manner of love is 
 this ? If a difciple muft thus love Chrift, if he muft 
 love him more than all his neareft and deareft rela- 
 tions, then he muft love him with all his heart, 
 with all his foul, and with all his mind. But this 
 is that love which is required, in the firft and great 
 commandment ; Thou fhalt hve the Lord thy God 
 with all thine heart ; and with all thy foul, and with 
 all thy mind. Thus it is that we are to love God ; 
 and we are to love our neighbour as ourfelves. The 
 diftinclion between our love to God, and our love 
 to our neighbour, is very obvious : It is not our 
 duty to love any Being but our God, more than we 
 love ourneighbour, our neareft and deareft relations^ 
 and even our own lives ; but, thus, it is our duty to 
 
 love 
 
 * Luke xiT. 26* 
 
^ 79 <^ 
 
 love the Lord Jefus. For his fake, it Is our duty 
 
 to lay down our lives, if in the courfe of divine 
 
 providence, we fhould be called to fuffer for him and 
 
 his caufe, rather than deny him. Be thou faithful 
 
 unto death, faith the Lord Jefus, and I will give 
 
 unto thee a crown of life » And again, whofoever will 
 
 fave his lije, /Jjall lofe it ; and whofoever will lofe 
 
 his life for my fake, [hall find it. Who fhall feparate 
 
 us from the love of Chrift? Shall tribulation, or 
 
 diftrefs, or perfecution, or famine, or nakednefs, or 
 
 peril, or fword ? Thefe calamities, were no proof that 
 
 Chrift did not love his fuffering difciples, did 
 
 not feparate them from his grace and love ; nor 
 
 could thefe dreadful afflidions force the difciples to 
 
 deny Jefus. Their love, through grace, was proof 
 
 againft thefe attacks ; as it is written j for thy fake 
 
 we are killed all the da) long ; -we are accounted as fJ:eep 
 
 for the flaughter ;* nay, in all thefe things we are 
 
 more than conquerors through him that loved us. And 
 
 again in the book of the Revelations, it is fnid, 
 
 that they overcame their enemy, the evil one, hy the 
 
 blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their tefiimony ; 
 
 find they loved not their own lives unto the death, -^ 
 
 What manner of love is this ? It is our love to that 
 
 Saviour, who died for us, and whofe love to us 
 
 paflTeth knowledge. How are we to teftify our 
 
 Jove to God ? By keeping his commandments ; 
 
 This, 
 ♦ Rom. viii. 36, t Rev. xii, 11. 
 
^ 8o 0^ 
 
 This is the love of God that we keep his commandments* 
 How are we to teftify our love to Chrift ? by keep- 
 ing his commandments ; // ye love me, fays Chrift, 
 keep my commandments. He that fayeth I know him, 
 andkeepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the 
 truth is not in him. But who/o keepeth his word, in 
 him verily is the love of Cod perfeeied. 
 
 I fhall conclude this difcourfe, with fome obferva- 
 tions upon the ordinances of baptifm and the 
 Lord's Supper ; for in thefe ordinances the Lord 
 Jefus is religioufly worihipped. They prove that 
 he is the objed of religious worfhip; and this proves 
 that he is oar Lord, and our God. And what is 
 baptifm ? Is it a civil inftitution ? or is it a holy 
 ordinance, a religious rite, a Sacrament of the New 
 Teftamcnt, a fign and feal of the new covenant? 
 For our prefent purpofe it is fufficient to confider 
 Baptifm, as a religious ordinance inftituted by 
 the Lord Jefus Chrift : Indeed, as to the prefent 
 argument, it is fufficient that it is a rehgious infti- 
 tution, the obfervance of which, is enjoined in the 
 word of God ; and that in the celebration of this 
 ordinance, God is obeyed, honoured, and worihip. 
 ped. If the Father is worihipped in this ordinance, 
 how is he worihipped ? The perfon who adminifters 
 Baptifm, and the perfon baptifed, if adult, and the 
 believing parent dedicating his child to God the 
 Father, in the bonds of his holy covenant, acknow- 
 ledge 
 
^ 8x 0^ 
 
 ledge him to be their God, and profefs their faith 
 and hopein him. If to baptize, or to receive bap- 
 lifm in the name of God the Father, is an act of 
 rehgious worlhip ; what is it, to baptize, or to be 
 baptized in the name of tl)e Son, and in the name 
 of the Holy Ghoft, are there three diftind bap- 
 tiOns, one, in the name of the Father, who is 
 acknowledged to be the true God, a^d is to be 
 worfnipped ; and two other baptifms, in the nams 
 of two perfons, not divine, and therefore not to be 
 worfliipped ? The ChriHian baptifm, is one ; and 
 is adminificred in the name of the Father, and of 
 the Son and of the Holy Ghofl. In this ordinance, 
 accoriing to the words of Inftitution, thefe names 
 are ufed conjointly, and co-ordinately; it is not 
 lawful to omit the name of the Father, or the name 
 of the Son, or the name of the Holy Ghoft : and if. 
 thefe names muft be ufed conjointly, they muft be 
 ufed co-ordinately. The queftion, at prefent, is 
 this; is there any a£l of religious woifjiip exercifcd 
 towards the Son ? is he worfliipped in this ordinance > 
 I anfwer that he is ; becaufe it is unlawful to 
 baptize in the name of one who is not the objeft of 
 religious worfhip. The Apoftle abhorred the idea 
 of baptizing in his own name ; ivas Paul cruel fied 
 for y 014 ? or where yc baptized in the nu?7ie cf Pcid P I 
 thank God, that I baptized none of you, hat Cr'i^pus 
 andGaius, left any fkould fay, that I held bi\ptized in 
 
If it ihould be obje£led, that the 
 children of Ifrael were biiptized unto Mofes, In the 
 cloud and in the jea ; let it be obferved, that Mofes 
 was a type of Chrift, and that this baptifm in the 
 cloud and in the fea, was typical. The word, 
 Baptifm, does not always (ignify a religious infti- 
 tution to be obferved by the Church ; it fometimes 
 fignifies a particular difpenfation of divine provi- 
 dence. The children of Ifi-ael were all under the 
 cloud, and all palled through the fea, and were all 
 baptized unto Mofes, in the cloud, and in the fea. 
 By this difpenfation of divine providence, Ifrael 
 was taught to confider Mofes as the perfon that God 
 had raifed up and appointed to be their leader ; and 
 were encouraged to follow him, as on« having a 
 divine conimiflion to bring them out of the land of 
 their captivity. But will any one fay, that the 
 children of Ifrael were baptized unto Mofes, as we 
 are baptized into Chrift? where they baptized in the 
 name of Mofes ? did they put on Mofes, as Chriftians 
 put on Chrift ? were they baptized into his death p 
 was Mofes crucified for then* ? or was he the author 
 and finifher of their faith ? Mofes was not that 
 fpintual meat, of which all Ifrael eat ; nor was he 
 that fpi^ituai rock, of which all Ifrael drank ; but 
 Chrift was. The Lord Jcfus Chrift is the bread of 
 life ; and that fpi ritual rock of which ifrael drank ; 
 thai rock was Chrift* f But, to bring this matter to 
 -ig a fhore 
 
 leather.' 
 
 * i. Cor. I, 14. Cor. x. 3, 4, 
 
» S3 c^ 
 
 a fliort ilTue ; we are eitiier bound to wor/liip Chr'ft 
 in this ordinance, or we are not; if not, why is his 
 name ufed obje6iively in a religious ordinance? and 
 why did Ananias exhort Paul to be baptized, and to 
 wa fn away his fins, calling upon the name of the Lordl 
 If Chrift is to be worfhipped in this ord nance ; is it 
 an inferior worHiip that he is iniitled to ? It is not. 
 This is evident, from the nature of religious worfhip 5 
 and made level to every capacity, by an exprels 
 revelation of the Divine will ; namely, that all men 
 Jh^u Id honour the Son, even as they honour the Father, 
 Religious worfliip, in a certain fenfe, admits of 
 degrees, fome are by grace enabled to worfiiip more 
 fervently, and with more exalted afFedions, than 
 others are ; but as the objedl of religious worfhip is, 
 infinitely perfect, infinitely glorious, and infinitely 
 v/orthy to be worfhipped ; there cannot be any 
 worfiiip to which he is not intitled. 
 
 With regard to the Sacrament of the Lord's Sup- 
 per, let it be confidered as a religious commemo- 
 rative inftifution, and this is the very leafl that can 
 be faid of it, unlefs we take it to be a luiman in- 
 vention, or a flate Tefl to be ufcd in qualifying 
 for civil offices. I do not mean to inquire, by uhat 
 authority the Lord Jefus Chrifl inflitured this 
 ordinance ; nor to argue from his being the Inft'tu- 
 tpr, in favour of his divinity ; all that is necefTary 
 for our prefent purpofe, is^ that the Lord's Supper 
 
^^ 84 «^ 
 
 is a religious ccmmemcrative ordinance. And who 
 will ueny that it is? That it is a very Idemn 
 ordinance of our holy relig'on, will not be denied by 
 ?.ny one that pays due reg . d to thefe words of the 
 Apoftle : Js often as ye ea^ tuis bread, and drink this 
 cup, ye dofljew the Lord^s death till he come^ Where- 
 fore^ whofoever fball eat this bread, and drink this cup 
 of the Lord, unworthily Jball be guilty of the body and 
 blood of the Lord* But let a man examine himjdfj and 
 fo lei him eat of that bread and drink of that cup. 
 For he that eateih and drinketh unworthily, eateih and 
 drinketh damnation, or, as the word may be rendered, 
 Judgment to him/elf, not difctming the Lord's 
 hod\\ For this cau/e many are -weak andjickly among 
 you, and many fleep.^ This ordinance of our holy 
 relif^ion, is commemorative; do this, faith Chrift, 
 in refnembrance ofme* The perfon who is commemo- 
 rated in a religious ordinance, is rehgicufly com- 
 ineaioraied. And what is religious commemoration ? 
 It is religious worlhip, a duty which we owe to - 
 God alone. The end of religious commemoration, 
 is thankfgiving ; fmg unto the Lord, ye faints of 
 his, and give thanks at the remembrance of his hoUne/s. 
 Return, Lord, deliver my J^ul, Oh I Jave me for 
 thy mercies fake* For in death there is no remembrance 
 of thee: In the grave, who fn all give thee thanks I 
 If thankfgiving is the chief end of religious comme- 
 moration, 
 * I. Cor. >:1. 2.6, • - 
 
^0 85 e^ 
 
 moration, then, the Lord Jef'us Chrift, who is rtii- 
 gioufly commemorated in the Lord's Supper, is to be 
 praifed with thankfgiving, for his redeeming love. 
 To what purpofe do we fliew forth his death? to 
 what purpofe do we remember him ? to what purpofe 
 do we commemorate his dying love, over the Sym- 
 bols of his body broken, and his blood flied for the 
 reniiiTion of fins, if we do not acknowledge him to be 
 our redeeming Saviour, and if we do not praife him 
 with thankfgiving ? Is it not our duty to praife the 
 Lord Jefus, at his table, and to give thanks at the 
 remembrance of his loving kindnefs and his tender 
 mercies ? unto him that loved us and iva/hed us from 
 our fins in his own hkod, and hath made us kings and 
 -priejh unto God and his father y to him be glory and 
 dominion for ever, Amen-> 
 

 SERMON FOURTH. 
 
 John ioth Chap. 28th Verfe. 
 
 ^fid 7'homai anfwered and fat d unto him, my Lord and 
 my God, 
 
 I 
 
 N this difcouiTe, I will endeavour to give a gene- 
 ral anfwcr to objedlors. 
 
 The objedions to the dod^.'-ine of the Divinity of 
 our Lord and Saviour, are neither fo numerous, nor 
 fo various, as fome are apt to imagine ; they are all 
 reducible to two clalTes, and are derived from two 
 fources, Reafon, and Revelation : We do not 
 mean that either Reafon or Revelation affords any 
 folid foundation for thefe objedlions ; but objeftors 
 appeal to Reafon, or to Revelation, and moft gene- 
 rally to both, and confider thefe as the foundation of 
 their objections and arguments. 
 
 As 
 
^ 8; 0^ 
 
 As to objeflions of the former clafs, before wc 
 yield to their force, we fliould he aflured that we 
 have carefully and impartially coniidered the fubje<^ ; 
 and that thefe objedions are^ either, felf evident 
 propofitions, or juft conclulions, drawn from clear, 
 evident, and rational premifes, and not oppofitions 
 Qf fcicnce, falfely fo called, luhichfome profeffwg, havs 
 erred concerning the faith* But above all, we fhould 
 remember that the light of nature, or human reafon, 
 is not competent to decide againll the truth of any 
 doctrine, which it could not difcover, and v/hich 
 when revealed, it cannot comprehend; provided, 
 this dodrine contains in it nothing ablurd or con- 
 tradidory to reafon- The human mind is not 
 omnifcient ; our knowledge, at beft, is limited, and 
 the entrance of {in into the heart has impaired our 
 faculties, at leaft with regard to things fpiritual and 
 divine : but granting that this is not the cafe, and 
 that the human mind is in as high a ftate of perfec- 
 tion as ever it was, yet certainly there may be many- 
 things which human reafon cannot find out unto 
 perfedion. 
 
 If any perfon fhould advance a myfterious dodrine, 
 and acknowledge that it is not revealed in the word 
 of God; if it does not contradidl my reafon, nor the 
 word of God, i-t may be true, for any thing I know 5 
 but the queftion is, have I fufiicient evider.ce that it 
 is true. If another perfon fiiould advance a myfteri- 
 
 ous 
 
^ 88 c^ 
 
 ous doctrine, and aflert that it is contained in the 
 holy fcriptures ; then it is reafonable that I ihould 
 confult the facred records, with a view to find out 
 the truth or falfehood of this aiTertion ; and if this 
 dodrine is not contained in the fcriptures, my ^airh is 
 no way concerned in it, even though the doctrine 
 fliculd not be contradictory to reafon. 
 
 Again, if a certain dodrine fhould be advanced, 
 as a myfterious dddrine contained in the word of 
 God, and if I could perceive that this dodrine, in- 
 flead of being a divine myftery, was a palpable 
 abfurdity, I might fafely conclude that it had no 
 foundation in the word of God. But if fome perfon 
 fhould advance a myfterious dodrine, and if upon 
 fearching the fcriptures, I find this doctrine clearly 
 revealed; I may fafely prefume that it is neither 
 contradiftory to reafon, nor to that general revela- 
 tion; of which it is a part.. If upon the ftrideft ex- 
 amination, I cannot find in this dodtrine, any thing 
 contrary to reafon ; and as the do£trine may there- 
 fore be true, fo, being revealed in the word of God, 
 it mufl: he true : and as to pafi'ages of the fame gene- 
 ral revelation, which may feem to be in oppofition to 
 the doctrine, it is my duty to endeavour to reconcile 
 them to the doctrine, in fuch a manner as flrall pro- 
 duce a perfeft harmony ; which can be efFeded, with 
 regard to the dodrine of Chrift's divinity iand with 
 great facility. A dodrine which is clearly revealed 
 
 in 
 
in the word of God, is not to be denied, given up, 
 or explaiwed away, on account of fome paffages of 
 fcripiure, which may feem to militate againft it ; for 
 the oppofition may be only apparent, not real. 
 
 I prefume it will not be denied, that Jefus Chrifl, 
 the Son of the Virgin Mary, was really and truly 
 a Man. This is a truth frequently alTerted in the 
 facred fcriptures, and cannot be denied. Neverthe- 
 lefs, this fame Jefus has divine attributes afcribed 
 unto him ; is called Jehovah; is called God; is 
 called King of Kings and Lord of Lords ; and is the 
 objed of religious worHiip. Shall we therefore deny 
 that Jefus Chriil: is rsally and truly a man? This 
 we cannot do without contradicting the fcriptures, 
 and without denying an eftabliihcd and indubitable 
 fact : If then, divine attributes, divine names and 
 titles afcribed, and divine worihip paid unto Jefus 
 are not (uffirient to warrant us to deny his humanitv ; 
 why Ihould the attributes of finlefs humanity, war- 
 rant us to deny his divinity? Are thefe two propo- 
 fitions, viz. Chrift is God, and Chrift is man, 
 contradictory ? If we admit the fir ft, muft we rejedt 
 the latter? or if we admit the latter, mud we 
 reject the former ? By no means ; we are under no 
 fuch neceffity. - It is not contradictory to reafon, lo 
 fay that Chri^lt is both God and man ; but unlefs we 
 admit this propofition to be true, we are under the 
 Heceflity of charging the Icriptures with felf-contra- 
 
 N diaion 
 
^ 90 c^ 
 
 dit^ion 3ild miift give up either one or other of th^fe 
 dodrines : We muftgive up the ("criptures, as records 
 that cannot be depended upon* 
 
 This dodrine of the hypoftatic union, namely, 
 that the Lord Jefus Chriil is bcth God and luan, 
 and yet but one perion, one Cbrift, is not contradie- 
 tory to reafon- It is indeed a great myltery ; it is 
 the great myftery of Godhnefs. It is not contradic- 
 tory to reafon, to afTert that a man is a bemg 
 ccnililing of foul and body j but this alfo is a great 
 fnyftery* 
 
 But ibme may fay, what have we to lIo with 
 jmyfteries ? I anfwer, much more than many are 
 willing to acknowledge. There are myfteries in the 
 Chriftlan rehgion, which are revealed, declared and 
 made known unto us m the facred ictiptures; and 
 if we acknowledge the fcripture to be the word of 
 that God who does nothing in vain, we muft confefs 
 that thefe myfteries were revealed to anfwer fome 
 important purpofe, with regard to the glory of God, 
 and the interefc of our immortal fouls. 
 
 Are there no myfteries in the natural world? yes, 
 there are fads, there are many things which we 
 cannot fully underftand nor find out unto perfedion : 
 There arc many things too high for us, and which 
 fay unto our underftandings, thus far and no farther* 
 And this we experience in our fcarch after the know- 
 ledge 
 
ledge of natural things, when we stte npt to invcf- 
 tigate the caufes of things, the connexion between 
 caufc and effect, and the manner how the caufe acls 
 in producing its proper efFed. There are natural 
 myfteries ; and the Philofopher is not alhamed to 
 pay particular attention to thefe things, nor to 
 write his thoughts and pubhfh his diftoveries to the 
 world ; thefe writings are read with pleafnre, and 
 they contribute to increafe our knowledge, while at 
 the fame time they teach us this humiiia'-ing Icffbn, 
 that, comparatively, we know nothing, or that the 
 things which we know are very difproportionate to 
 the things that we do not know. What man can 
 explain the nature of his (ouPs connexion with his 
 body ; or the manner how the foul acts upon his 
 body, and is adled upon ? How does fpirit a6t upon 
 matter? It is a myftery to me at this moment, 
 how an a<5l of my will moves the mufcles of my hand 
 in writing ; and it muft be a myftery to 'he reader* 
 how, by means of the eye, his n'ind is made ac- 
 quainted with my thoughts : for though words are 
 marks or figns of ideas, and are agreed upon as 
 fuch, yet thefe queftions remain unanfwered, name- 
 ly, what is the connexion between a vilible mark 
 and a thought of the mind, or how does an Image 
 of the mark upon the retina, produce thonghv ? 
 What is the connexion between thought and the 
 expanfion of the optic nerve? There are myfteri s 
 innumerable, in the natural world j and there are 
 
 Hiyileries 
 
fnyfterJcs in the moral world : We find them in 
 natural religion, in God's moral Government, and 
 in the difpenTations of Provideiice. It may therefore 
 be prefiimeJ, that in revealed religion, and in the 
 difpenfations of grace, there are myfleries which, if 
 revealed religion is of high importance, are highly 
 important. If natural religion cannot be without 
 myfieries, becaufe God is Infinite and cannot be 
 found out unto perfeclion, revealed religion mull 
 contain myfteries^ for the fame reafon. 
 
 As Revelation contains fevcral dodrines which the 
 light of nature could never have difcovered ; fo it 
 is highly reafonablc to conclude, that in thefe doc- 
 trines there may be fomething myi^erious ; and that 
 reafon, which could not make the difcovery, may 
 not be able to comprehend the whole of thefe reve- 
 lations or revealed do6lrines. May there not be 
 fome dodrirco which we cannot comprehend when 
 revealed, as well as doctrines which we could net 
 find out without revelation ? 
 
 As God is infinite and therefore, incomprehen- 
 fible ; as his judgments are unlearchahlcy and his 
 'w^ys pa/} finding out ; a revelation from God, rela- 
 tive to Himfeif and his unfearchable judgments, 
 muft contain myfleries. But to fliew clearly, that 
 there arc myfleries in the Chrillian religion, I fhall 
 produce feveral inflances. Firft, the refurrcdion of 
 the body, is a dodrine of revelation, and it is a 
 
 myflerious 
 
» 93 ^ 
 
 myfterious dodrine. No man v/ill venture to Cay 
 that he is able to comprehend how God raifes the 
 dead body, any more than he comprehends how God 
 caufed him to be conceived in the womb ; but God 
 has dechired that the dead body fli^ll be r<iifed 
 immortal ; this mortal muft put on immortality, 
 and this corruptible mud pur on incorruption. 
 
 There is certainly Ibmething myfterious in the 
 doi^trine of the refurreftion ; for fays the Apoftle, 
 heholdy I Jkc-u) ynu a myflery ; the dead Jloall he raifed 
 incarruptikle, and wc Jjjall be chau^ed^ Here are 
 many chings we canuo': Hnd ou': unto perfection : we 
 cannot tell the nature of thar change which thofe who 
 fiiall not fleep, ihall undergo at the coming of the 
 Lord Jefus ; but God knows it, and it ftiould not 
 be thought an incredible thing that God fliouid raife 
 the dead body or change the living. 
 
 The relation of Chrift to his Church, is a myftery, 
 a great myflery ; yet i: is aflsrted that he and his 
 Ckurch are one body. Have we nothing to do with 
 this myftery ? Or are we not to believe it, unlefs 
 we are able to underftand or explain the precife 
 nature of this connexion > We know fome reafons 
 why Chrift and.his Church are called one body myfti- 
 cal ; there rriay be other reafons which none but 
 omnifcience knows; but if divine wifdom had given 
 us no reafon in this matter, the declaration cf the 
 Apoftle is fufficient to afcertain the facl, namely, 
 
 tl^at 
 
» 94 ^ 
 
 diat Chriil and his Church are, in a certain fenfe, 
 one body. 
 
 In the difpenfations of grace, revealed religiot^ 
 i]le^^^8. us myfleries, as natural religion Ihews us niy- 
 ileries in the rourfe of divine Providence. The 
 Apoftle afTeris that blindnefs in part, happened untQ 
 lirael, until the fulnefs of the Gentiles be come in ; 
 and that this was a wife dirpenfation ot God ; I am 
 certain it was a myfterioias one, and that it is one of 
 thole ways of God vv^hich are pail finding out. 1 
 would net brethren, fays the Apoltle, that yejhould 
 he ignorant of this myfiery^ lej} ye foould he wife in your 
 pixfn conceits, thai hl'indne/s in part is happened unto 
 Jjrael, until the julnefs of the Gentiles he come in^- 
 Here is a myftery of which the Apoftle would not 
 have his brethren ignorant, therefore fomething 
 may be known concerning myfteries ; he would not 
 have them ignorant of the fact, though the divine 
 procedure in this matter is infcrutable 5 as appears 
 in the conclufion of this chapter, where the Apoftle; 
 refolves the whole of this difpenfation, into the 
 ■wifdom, the knowledge, and fovereignty of God; 
 the depth of the riches both of the wijdom and know- 
 ledge of Cod ! hovj unfearchable are his judgments, 
 and his ways paf} finding out J For who hath known 
 the mind of the Loi'd, or who hath been his Counfelior .^, 
 Or who hathfirfl given him, and it. fhall he recompcH' 
 fed unto him again P For of him, and through him, 
 
^ 95 ^ 
 
 arid to htm are all things ; to -whom he glory for ever^ 
 
 Amen*^ 
 
 This myftery was not declared or made known 
 IQ the church merely for fpeculation, but to jfbew 
 the vanity of human wifdom, to prevent the dif- 
 ciples from being wife in .their own conceits, and m 
 teach them humility. This fame Apoftle fpeaks of 
 his knowledge in the myftery of Chr'ift ; and in the clole 
 of his epiftle to the Romans he ufes thefe remarka- 
 ble words, now to him that is of power to ftablijh 
 youy according to my gofpel, and the preaching of Jelus 
 Chrlft, according to the revtlation of the myfttry, wRch 
 was kept fecretf nee the world began ; hut Is now rnade 
 rnanifedy and hy the fcrlptures of the Prophet s^ accf^i. 
 ding to the commandment of the everlafting God^ mad: 
 known to all nations for the obedience of falth^-\ Who- 
 ever ferioufly attends to thefe words of the infplred 
 Apoftle, will fcarccly venture to affert that we have 
 nothing to do with myfteries in religion ; feeing a 
 myftery has been revealed by the commandment of 
 the everlafting God> for the obedience of faith* 
 
 In thefacredfcriptures, there are dotlrines revealed 
 which the light of nature could never have difcovereil ; 
 but when revealed or made known, they appear 
 perfectly agreeable to the dictates of found reafon, 
 admirably luited to our fituation and neceflities, and 
 
 every 
 
 * Romans xi. chap. f Romans xvi. 2^, 26. 
 
 i 
 
evfcry way worthy of a Wife, Holy, Jufl and 
 Merciful God. Thele doflrines may be called 
 myileries, becaiife the light of reafon could never 
 have difcovered them ; they may be called the hidden 
 things which revelation huth difcovered, Hiore ob- 
 fcurely or inyfienGuriy in the days of the Fathers, 
 and of the Prophets, but v ith clearer and ftronger 
 light in thegofpel oiChrifl: ; and they may ftill with 
 propriety be called myileries, becaufe in thefe doc- 
 trines which reafon approves, and faith rejoices to 
 believe, there is an height, to which our molt ele- 
 vated thoughts cannot foar, a length and breadth 
 we cannot meafure, and a depth which is unfathoma- 
 ble. 
 
 The fame fcriptures contain fome dodrines which 
 are more highly myfterious than others ; there are 
 lefTer and greater myftcries in the chriflian revelation ; 
 ■we can fee farther into fome than we can into others, 
 and thefe are the greatefl myfteries, in which reafon 
 is leaft concerned, and faith molt. With regard to 
 dodtrines above reafon, divine faith, which is the 
 fubftance of things hoped for, and the evidence of 
 things not feeri, refts upon the teftimony of God, 
 and believes upon the authority of the holy fcrip* 
 ture>, dodrines which reafon cannot comprehend. 
 
 But it will be afked what are we to believe ? Can 
 we believe any dodrine or propofition evidently 
 above our comprehenUon ? or can we allert or deny 
 
 any 
 
^ 97 c^ 
 
 any propofitidn concerning fiich matters? Yes^ 
 we can fay that God is Eternal and Infinite, yet, 
 God, Eternity, and Infinity, are incomDrehenfible- 
 We can fay that we have louls, and that they ac't 
 upon our bodily organs, and are aiFedled by thefe 
 organs, but we cannot comprehend how. We 
 know that there is a God, but that he is unfearch- 
 able ; we know that he has exiited from all eternity 
 and never began to exift ; here our faculties are lofl: 
 in an unfathomable abyfs. We may believe more 
 than we can know, or there can be no fuch thing as 
 faith ; all things that can be known by us^ are the 
 objeds of the underftanding ; things that cannot be 
 fully known, or are above our comprehenfion, are, 
 when revealed, the proper objeds of faith. In every 
 fcripture myftery, there is fomething of which we 
 can form clear and diflincl ideas; there is always 
 fomething clear, plain, and intelligible, while at the 
 fame time there are other things not fo clear, and 
 others that are perfedly incomprehenlible by us. 
 We will endeavour to illuftrate this in a particular 
 cafe, and by an inftance which is diretlly in point* 
 The Apoftle, writing to Timothy, fays, without 
 controver/y great is the myjhry of Godlinefs ; God 10 as 
 mantfej} in the fl<JJ?, juftified in the Jpirii, Jeen of 
 Angels J preached unto the Gentiles, helitved on in the 
 ivorldy received lip into glory **' In the firft place, 
 
 it 
 
 ■:^ I. Timothy, iii. i6» 
 
 o 
 
5>o p8 0^ 
 
 it is very obvious, that there is one great myflery in 
 the Chriftian revelation ; without controverfy, fayS 
 the Apoftle, gr^at is the inyftery of Godliriefs. 
 Secondly, the Apoftle alTerts certain fads, and it is 
 plain that he had foine ideas of thefe fads, fom6 
 ideas annexed to the words whjch he ufed in his 
 cpiftle, and thdt Tiiiotliy, to whom he wrote, 
 niio-ht have tome ideas of the Apoftle's words ; and 
 conlequencly, that we who have this epiftle to read, 
 may alfo have fome ideas of the fads recorded. 
 God was manifelt in the flefh ; God was juflified in 
 the fpiril ; God was feen of Angels ; God was 
 preached unto the Gentiles; God was believed on in 
 the world ; and God was received up into glory : 
 All thefe proportions are contained in the text ; 
 and they are true, if the word of God is true. I 
 fhall confine myfclf to the firft propofition, namely^ 
 God was manifeft in the flefh; and whatever this 
 may mean, it is evident that God was manifeft in 
 the flelh, either in a way and manner that we can 
 comprehend, or in a way and manner that we cannot 
 comprehend ; bat, that he was manifeft in the flefh, 
 cannot be denied. 
 
 We have fome clear and diftind ideas of God, 
 though none that are adequate to his nature and 
 perfedions; and we have fome clear and diftind 
 ideas of the word, fieOi ; and thus we may form 
 this propofition : viz. God appeared in the flefh, 
 
 that 
 
^ 99 *€ 
 
 that is, in onr nature. The Apoftle Paul fays, that 
 he was feen of Angels ; and the Apoftle Jt)hn fays, 
 he was feen of men. This per Ton who appeared and 
 was feen in our nature, is God the Son ; for he is 
 the peifon who was juitified in the fpirit, preached 
 unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received 
 up into glory. 
 
 Farther, the Apoftle John fays, the F/ord was 
 mads flefljy and dwelt among us ; and ive behsld his 
 glory , the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, 
 full nf grace and truth* Hence it follows, that he 
 who was manifeft in the flelh, was made flelh ; now as 
 it is abfurd to fuppofe that the divine nature could 
 be changed into the human, therefore, we mult 
 have recGurfe to other pafTages of fcripture, rel.umg 
 to the fame fiibjeJl, for more light and informaticn 
 in this matter ; for thefe words, made flefh ; cannot 
 poflibly fignify, that the divine nature was made 
 the human nature, or changed into it. Upon 
 further inquiry, we find, that the fcriptures fpeak 
 more fully and clearly upon this fubjed ; and we are 
 informed, that the Son of God rook upon him the 
 form of j^ fervant, that he was pofteflVd of the divine 
 nature, that he was in the form of God, and 
 thought it not robbery to be equal with God ; that 
 he made himfeJf of no reputation, took upon him 
 the form of a fervant, and was made in the likenefs 
 of men. I fhall quote the whole pafTage, as it will 
 afcertain foine very important fads which will help 
 
 to 
 
lOO 
 
 to determine what meaning we are to annex to the 
 words above n)entioned. Let this mind be in you, 
 which 'ujas alio in Chrifi Jefus : Who being in the form 
 of God f thought it not robbery to be equal with God ; hut 
 made himlelf of no reputation^ and took upon him the 
 form of a fervant, and was made in the Ukenels of men : 
 and being found in fafJnon as a man, he humbled imjelf 
 (und became obedient unto death ^ even the death of the 
 crofs. * Here, the form of a fervant fignifies the 
 nature of a fervant, the human nature, for this 
 was the nature Chrift took upon him, if he took any 
 nature upon him : We knovi' that he did not take 
 upon him the nature of Angels, but we know, that 
 fora/much then as the children are partakers offefh mtd 
 blood, he aljo himf elf likewife took part of the fame. 
 We know, that he took on him the feed of Mr ah am ; 
 we know that he was made like unto his brethren ; we 
 are affured that he was really and truly man, the 
 Son of Mary, and defcended from the fathers of the 
 Jewifli nation, and made of the feed of David accord- 
 ing to the flefJj* Here, 'the word, fleih, fignifies the 
 human nature ; and this is the nature which Chrifi 
 took upon him, when he took upon him the form of 
 a fervant. The form of a fervant^ therefore, fignifies 
 the nature of a fervant, in the pafTage above 
 mentioned ; for Chrift was not the femblance of a 
 man, he v/as really and truly man ; and whoever 
 
 denies 
 
 * Philippians ii. chap. 
 
^ lOI <^ 
 
 (Jenles that Chrift is come in the flefh, that is, in our 
 nature, is an anti-chrift, as faith the Apoftle. If 
 then, the form of a fervent dgrufies the nature of a 
 fervant, and this nature is the human nature, uhich, 
 and which alonC; Chrift toolc on him, why muft the 
 word, form,, in the firft claule of the verfe fignify 
 any thing lefs than nature ? the form of God is 
 evidently the nature of Gfid ; and this expknation 
 of the word, which is abfolutely necefTary, with 
 regard to the iorni of a fervant, is as neceflary with 
 regard to the form of God. It is clear therefore, 
 that Jefus Chrift the Son of God, was in the form 
 of God, before he took upon him the form, the 
 nature of a fervant, the human nature ; and as he 
 v/ho IS pofreffed of the divine nature, can never be 
 difpoflefled ot it, never can change this nature ; fo, 
 by taking upon him the form of a fervant, he di4 
 not ceafe to be a divine perfon, that is, God ; But 
 as we cannot comprehend, how he has taken the 
 human nature into perfonal union, and as we cannot 
 conceive the manner and nature of this union, we 
 confefs, that the incarnation of the Son of God is an 
 infcrutible myftery, one of thofe things that omni- 
 fcience alone can perfecftly know; and we join with 
 the Apoftle in acknowledging, that tvithcut con' 
 iroverjy, great is the myftery of Codlint/s ; God was 
 man'ifeft in the flefh* But vv-ould it not be impious, 
 and irrational to fay, there is no fuch thing as tne 
 
 myftery of Godlinefs, or that it is not a great ray- 
 '' .^ ftcry, 
 
^J 102 c^ 
 
 ftery, or that G^d was not manifeft in the flelb, 
 becaufe we cannot comprehend ihe j rtcle nature of 
 this manifeltation ? God can do many tiiiiigs ihat 
 we cannot cor.prehend ; he has done nuiny'uiingS; in 
 the works of nature, providtnce,- and grace^ that 
 are truly myiterious ; his wo. ks- are wonderful, 
 his judgments are unfearchabie, and hy- \^ .-^y ..j(l 
 finding out. The words which the i. jU ivr.kt to 
 his lervant Job, out of rhe whirlwind niay ^t ^durtC^ 
 fed to every one who rejects the nvyiterie.oT Cod^, 
 bee iufe he cannot uuderitand " theiu perlectly ■ ^ird 
 up n(rv thy loins lik^ a man, for I will demcmd vj thee 
 and anfvjtr thou me* Where waJJ thou when I laid the 
 foundations of the earth <' declare if thou hcji under" 
 Jianding. Who hath laid the mea/ures thtreof if ti cu 
 kno-ujeft ; or vjho hath ft retched the line upon it where* 
 upon are the foundations thereof faflened^ or who luidtht 
 corner fi-nne thereof P And again, haft thou entered 
 into the Springs of the fe a ? or haft thou walked in the 
 fearch of the depth ? have the gates of death heen opened 
 unto thee : or haft thou feen the doors rf the fhadow of 
 death P hafi thou perceived the breadth of the earth P 
 declare if thou knowefi it alU Where is the place where 
 light divelleth P and as for the darknefs, where is th'e 
 place thereof ; that thou fhouldft take it to the bounds 
 thereof y and that thou ftmuldft know the paths to the 
 houfe thereof P Knowefl thou it becaufe thou waft then 
 born, or becaufe the number of thy days is great P haft 
 thou entered into the trea/ures ofthejnow f or haft thou 
 
 feen 
 
^ 103 c^ 
 
 /een the ireaCures of the hail^ which I have refcrved 
 againfl the time of trouble^ aga'inft the day 9/ battle and 
 ivar P By what way is the light parted, which feat' 
 tereth the eaft lutnd Upon the earth P IVho hath divided 
 n water courfefor the overflowhig ofwat rs P or a way 
 for the lightning of thunder, to caufe it to rain on th. 
 earth wh^ re man is ; on the wildernefs wherein there 
 is no man ; to Jalisfy the defolate and wafle ground, 
 4ind to caufe the bud of the tender h^rb to fpring forth p 
 Hath the rain a father P or who hath begotten the drops 
 9ft hf dew P Knovfeft thou the ordinxinces cf Heaven P 
 Canfh thou let the dominions iherefifin the earth P 
 
 But farther, the great niyftery of Godlinefs is 
 aflTerted by;the Apolfie, in the following wcrds : viz. 
 whofe are the fathers, 'and of whom, as concerning the 
 flefh, Chrift came, iDbo is over all God bl (fed for ever^ 
 Here, Ghrif! is faid, in a certain fenfe ;to be defcend- 
 ed from the Patriarchs ; this fenfe is a reftricled 
 and particular one ; he defcended from the fathers 
 of'the Jewifli nation, as corjcerning the fif/h, as to 
 bis fle(h, or his human nature, and that nature only. 
 He theretore had another nature, according to which 
 as has been already obferved, he £\d not defcend 
 from them ; =nd this is that nature in virtue of 
 which, he is called the ever-blefled God.* 
 
 Here, 
 
 ♦ It has been fliewed in a former difcoiirfe, in what fenfe 
 Chrift iscalled God. If it ihoiild be conildered as an objec- 
 tion tothe dodrine then delivered, that thearticle before the 
 
^ 104 e^ 
 
 Here, we may give a fatisfa£lory anfwer to fdme 
 important queftions which our Lord alked the 
 Pharifees^ but which they could not anfwer ; while 
 the Pharifees were gathered together, Jefus afked them, 
 frying, what think ye of Chrift ^ whofe fon is he ? 
 They fay unto him the Son of David* This anfwer, 
 in a certain ienfe, was true : But Jefus faid unto 
 them, how then doth David, in fpirit call him Lord ? 
 And again, if David then call him Lord, how is he 
 his Son? And no man was able to anfwer him a wcrd^ 
 neither durfl any mtin, from that day forth, afk him any 
 more quejiions* But^a believer, though' only a babe 
 in Chrift, can ealily anfwer thefe qneft'ons which 
 were too hard for the Pharifees, who were wife in 
 their own eyes, and thought that wifdom would die 
 with them. A Chriftian can fay, that Chrift was the 
 Son of David, that is, deicendcd from him, as 
 
 concerning 
 
 word God, in the original language, is not always ufedwheii 
 the Son js called God ; I anfwer, that. it is fgveral times; 
 ufed, and this is fuiricient ; for if it is a diflinguifliing 
 mark of true and proper Deity, then it llioiild never have 
 been prefixed to the word, God, when it relates tO' the Son, 
 if he is not really and truly God. As to fupreme and. fu- 
 bordinate Deity, found reafon, as well as fcripture,rejeds 
 the Idea. But it is perfeftly unaccountable, why men of 
 learning (houldlay fiich ftrefs upon thearticle,which,fromits 
 minuteuefs might be, and I doubt not, was fometimes forgot- 
 ten by tran for ibers. How can we cOnfider the article as 
 a irark of true Deity, when we find that the article is ufed 
 in that paffage, where the Devil is called the. God of this 
 world i 
 
» 105 c^ 
 
 concerning the flelli ; and that David under the 
 influence of the fpirit, called Chrift his Lord, and 
 thereby acknowledged him as his God. The root of 
 Davidy that is, the Creator of David, was in a 
 certain fenfc the offspring of Davld» After v/hat has 
 been faid concerning inyftcries, and the great myf- 
 tery qf godlinefs, in particular, I prefume it cannot 
 be denied that there are two diftinct natures in the 
 Perfonof Jefus Chrift. In fa£l, though this dodrine 
 is mylrerious, yet it is clearly revealed in the word of 
 God ; and we are obliged by neceflity to admit of its 
 truth. What neceflity •* The neceflity of recon- 
 cilhig one part of Scripture to another, which^ 
 without this dodrine, cannot be done : But thi? 
 dodrine, in conjunction with another, nanjely, thac 
 the Lcrd Jefus Chrift is Mediator between God and 
 man, reconciles one portion of Scripture to another ^ 
 and efFedually harmonizes the language of infpira* 
 tion. 
 
 To fay that man is imnicrtal, and that man is 
 
 mortal, is no contradiction ; we ufe this mode of 
 
 fpeaking, and do not conlider ourfelves guilty of any 
 
 abfurdity, or, even in^propriety of fpecch* Why 
 
 io r becaufc, the foul of man is immortal, and Irs 
 
 body is mortal ; and therefore, very different things 
 
 maybe afHrmed'of one man, yea, things that would 
 
 be palpable contradictions, if man did not ^confift 
 
 of foul and body. It is eafy to perceive, that the 
 
 irft propofition aiTer.ts that man j.^^ immorta], ,ss to 
 
 hi?-, 
 P 
 
^ io6 o^ 
 
 his foul, and the fccond, that man is mortal as 
 to his body. In like manner, there are many things 
 faid of our Lord Jefus Chrift, which muft be con- 
 fidered as diredly contradidory to each other, if 
 we do not admit both his Divinity and his humani- 
 ty ; but admitting this dodrine, and that ot his 
 Mediatorial Charadler and office, it is eafy to re- 
 concile all the terms of inferiority and of fubordina- 
 tion, in which he is fpoken of with thofe which 
 alTert his Divinity, and of courfe^ his equality with 
 the Father. 
 
 But it will be faid, that the names. Father, and 
 Son, are fufficient to fhew that the Son is inferior 
 to the Father ; we anfwer, that before this Objec- 
 tion can have any weight, it muft be proved that 
 thefe names have the fame fignification when appli- 
 ed to God and his only begotten Son, that they 
 l^ave when applied to men. But this cannot be 
 done, except in one inftance, namely, that the 
 Son has the fame nature his Father has ; and to 
 aflert this we are warranted, nay, obliged by 
 Scripture. It has been proved that the Son is 
 pofTelTed of the Divine perfedlions, and, confe- 
 quenily, of the Divine nature; in this nature there 
 cannot be any imperfection, and therefore the Son 
 cannot be inferior to him that is all-perfed. As 
 far as we can reafon upon this fubjed from analog)^ 
 and that is no farther than the Scripture allows 
 osp the argument is in our favour. 
 
 If 
 
^ 107 c^ 
 
 If the Son's ohligation to ohediencCf is not found- 
 ed in his being the eternal and only begotten of 
 the Father ; if from his Sonfliip, we cannot infer 
 his obligation to obedience, then why ihould we 
 infer his inferiority, from his being called the Son? 
 Chrift's obligation to obey, arofe trom another fource, 
 as it is plain from the following Scripture ; riz. 
 Though he were a Sort, yet learned he obedience by the 
 things that he fuffered. Thefe words might be 
 better tranflated, though he -was Son. Now, if 
 his obligation to obedjence was founded in his Son- 
 ihip, the above words would, I preiume, be abfurd ; 
 for inflead of the adverfatives though, and yet, 
 the words, becaufe, and therefore, would have 
 been proper. Let it be remembered, that the Jews 
 underftood thefc names. Father, and Son, to fig- 
 nify the equality of the perlons fo denominated ; 
 for when Chrift called God his Father, the Jews 
 faid that he made himlelf e^jual "with Cod. And 
 when he faid, 7 and my Father are one, they again 
 took up ftones to ftone him for Blafphemy, becaufe 
 faid they, that thou, being a man. makeft thyfelf 
 God. Jcfus was fo far from retracting what he 
 had faid, or explaining himlelf to I'.e (stisfsdioFi 
 of the Jews, that his laft words, on ti.is ccraiion 
 viz. I am in the Father, and the Father ii, me, 
 were as ofFenfive as the former ; thertjore they ae^ain 
 fought to take him, but he ejcaped out of their hands. The 
 Sonlhip of Chrift is a great myftery; his gei.era- 
 
 tioR 
 
^ lo8 0^ 
 
 tion is eternal, and incomprehenfible^ therefore 
 ineffable ; but this we know, that Jefus is the Only 
 begotten of the Father ; that he is the brightnefs 
 of his glory, and the exprefs Image of his perfon ; 
 and that he and his Father are one. 
 

 SERMON FIFTH. 
 
 John 20th Chap. 28th Verfe. 
 
 ^nd 7'homas anfvjered and /aid unto hhr,, fny Lord and 
 my Cod, 
 
 THE facrec] Scriptures were written for our inilruc- 
 tion, and to make us wife unto Salvation' 
 The doctrines of the everlalting Goipel, are f icred, 
 fubliire, and faving truths, every Avay worthy to 
 be received and believed ; they are faithful fay- 
 ings and worthy of all acceptation, and under 
 the Influence of Divine Grace, will make us v/ife, 
 religious, and happy. 
 
 Among thefe dodlrines, the great myftery of 
 godlinefs appears with peculiar glory ; and from 
 its high importance, and its connexion with other 
 
 do'flrines 
 
^ no <^ 
 
 dodlrines of revelation, and with true pradical 
 religion, may be juftly confidered as the main 
 pillar of our molt holy faith. 
 
 The do6lrine of Chrift's divinity is a praftical 
 do6lrine ; and to fhew its connexion with practical 
 religion, or its praftical ufe, is the defign of the fol- 
 lowing difcourfe. 
 
 FirfV, this dodrine is connected with practical 
 -religion, and is of practical ufe, becaufe it is con- 
 nected with the moft foleinn exercifes of devotion ; 
 at all events, it defer ves our moft ferious confidera- 
 tion, that if it be true, we may receive and em- 
 brace it as the truth of God, or if it be falfe, we 
 may rejeft it ; but it is of infinite importance to be 
 rii^rhtly informed in this matter ; for religious princi- 
 ples are of the higheft importance ; and to be mif- 
 taken, as to the object of our faith and worHiip is, 
 at leaft, awfully dangerous. The dodrine of 
 Chrift's divinity is either true or falfe ; if it be 
 true, as it certainly is, then we muft believe it 
 and exercife our faith and hope accordingly, that 
 is, we muft believe in Jefus, we muft truft in him, 
 and love and i'evve him, in the obedience of faith ; 
 ycci, v/e muft honour him as we honour the Father; 
 but if Chrift is not God, then we moft not believe 
 in him, nor truft in him, nor worfhip him, nor 
 pray to him, nor honour him as we honour the Fa- 
 ther. This makes a great diiference in pradical 
 
 reljo-ion 
 
 a 
 
^3 III «€ 
 
 religion, in faith and practice. Principles are in- 
 timately conne(n:ed with practice ; yea, religious 
 principle is religious practice, in feveral inftances, 
 where no outward acl of religion is exercifcd. The 
 feat of religion is in the heart, in the thoughts, 
 purpofes and afFedlions of the mind ; and the outward 
 a-fts of religion fpring from the afFeclions of the foul. 
 Thus for inftance, our religious principles are our re- 
 ligion, when, under the prefilire of great afBidions, 
 we confider them as coming from the hand of God, 
 as a fatherly chardfement ; from the hand, 1 fay, of 
 that God who loves and pities his children, docs not 
 afilid them wilhngly, and has promifed that all 
 things Ihall work together for good to them that 
 love God. Upon thefe principles, namely, cur firm 
 perfuafion and conviction that there is an over ruling 
 Providence, and that God doth always that which is 
 right, that he is good and gracious, and that he can 
 and will caufe all things to work together for good 
 to them that love hijii, our minds quietly fubmit and 
 refign to the difpenlations of God, hope in his mer- 
 cy, and confide in his promifes. Thefe aCts of re- 
 ligion, are all acts of the foul, and movements of the 
 heart towards God. 
 
 The doctrine we have been defending, is v.o fpecu- 
 lative do(5trine, it contains principles intimaiely con- 
 nected with the religion of the heart, which is prac- 
 tical religion, ^nd tb^fe principles are alfo connected 
 
 with 
 
^o 112 0^ 
 
 with the outward acts of religion, if inward reiigioJl 
 and the outward exercifes of devotion and worfhip 
 are, or ought to be connefted. If this do(5lrine be 
 falfe, they that believe it to be true and in confe- 
 quence of this perfuafion, addrefs one prayer to 
 Chrift, or (ing his praifes, or exercife towards him 
 any acl of rehgious worlhip, are idolaters ; and of 
 confeqaence the Apodles weri? idolaters, and the 
 Saints and the Angels are idolators, or the Scrip- 
 tares are net the word of God, nor given by the in- 
 fpiration of the holy fpirit. But if the dodrine be 
 true, what are they who rejcd it, and will notgive glo- 
 ry unto the Son of God, the glory due unto his ho- 
 ly name ? What are they who will not acknowledge 
 the Son of God, as their Lord and their God ? they 
 are unbelievers and Children of difobedience. Again, 
 to ihew the connedion of this dodrine with prac- 
 tical religion, we obferve, thit it is intimately con- 
 netted with an act of practical religion, namely, our 
 drawing nigh to God tlirough a Me^iiator, by whom 
 we have accefs, to a reconciled God and Father. 
 If the dodrine o^ Chrift's divinity is not true, then 
 there is no accefs to God, no way of drawing nigh 
 to God, no opportunity to exercife this reli- ^ 
 crioiis doty : For, if Chrili; is not the Redeemer, 
 the IMeliiator, the way, the truth, and the life 
 then there is no Redecincr, no Mediator, no 
 accefs to the Father, for no rcan, iaidr the 
 the Scripture, cometh to the Father but by him. 
 Nov,-, if there is !>o accefs by him, then there is no 
 
accefs at all. But if Chrift is not that Redeemer, 
 that Mediator which the Scripture declares him to be, 
 then he is not the M-ediator by whom we ihould have 
 accefs to the Father ; that is, if he does not anfwer 
 the exact account and defcription given of him, as the 
 Mediator by whom we are to havd accefs to God, 
 ihen the accefs to God, is not by him, but perhaps 
 by another ; however, we know that there is but 
 one Chrift, one Mediator, one Redeemer, and if 
 Jefus is not this Chrift, this Redeemer, then all our 
 hope in him is loft and periihed. Chrift Jefus is not 
 the Redeemer fpoken of in Scripture, if he is not 
 God manifeft in the fleih. He is not the Redeemer, 
 if he is not the maker, the hujhand of his Churchy the 
 Holy One of I/rael, the Lord of Hojls, the God of 
 the whole earth* He is both God and man, who 
 Mediates between God and man ; the Mediator 
 muft be able to lay his hand tipon both parties, and 
 reconcile them to each other. I mention this to 
 fhew that if we give np the dodrine of Clirift's 
 divinity, we give up our hope of falvation by Jefus 
 Chrift. The intercefTion of men and Angels is 
 
 utterly infufficient to fave us ; let none lean upon that 
 broken reed : the true intercelTor is he who can fave 
 to the uttermoft, whofe arm can bring falvation, 
 whofe interceflioji can never fail, and who is the Lord 
 our right eoufnefs. 
 
 Secondly, 
 
^ 1 14 <^ 
 
 SeconJlyj let us pradically improve this dodlrinc, 
 for the flrengthening of our faith in the Son of 
 God ; let us (ay with the Saints of God, we know 
 whom we have beheved ; We do not truft in an arm 
 of flefh for falvation^ but our truft, hope, and con- 
 fidence is in the living God. The mighty God of 
 Jacob is our refuge, our ftrong rock and fortrefs. 
 Let each of us fay, with David, The Lord is my 
 Shepherd I Jhall not want. He maheih me to Me down 
 in the green pajlures ; he leadeth me he fide the ftill 
 waters. He reJJoreth my foul ; He leadeth me in the 
 paths of right eoufnefs for his nanjesfake* Tea, though 
 I walk through the valley of the Jhadow of 
 death, I will fear no evil, for thou art with me, thy 
 rod and thy faff they comfort me» Is our Faith 
 weak? Qr are u^e of little faith? We may, if we 
 believe the doctrine of Chrift's divinity, apply to 
 Jefus for increafe of every grace ; we may fay unto 
 him as the difciples did. Lord increafe our faith / 
 we may fay untD him, Lord we believe ; help theti 
 our unbelief If we deny the divinity of the Son of 
 God, we cannot confiftently approach him in prayer : 
 we cannot fay with the x^poftle, this is the confidence 
 that we have in him, that if we afk any thing accord, 
 ing to his will he henreth us. Jnd if we know that 
 he hear us, whaifoever we afk, we know that we have 
 the petitions that we defiredofhim.* If we believe as the 
 Apoftles did, in Jefus, we may have the fame kind 
 
 of 
 1 Ep. John V. i4« ij' 
 
^ 115 "^ 
 
 of confidence that they had ; \vc may with thetn 
 pray to Jefus, and'truft in him as the hearer of 
 prayer. If we arebefet witli temptations, if thorns 
 in the flefh, meflengers of Satan, are fent to buffet 
 us, w^e may befeech the Lord, that they may de- 
 part from us ; and he chat heard the ApoflJe will 
 hear us, and either deliver us from the teniptations, 
 by removing them, or he will afford os fufficienc 
 ftrength to refift them. His grace is fuiEcient for us , 
 his ilrength is made perfect in weaknefs. Are we 
 weak in ourfelves? in Chrift we have ftrength and are 
 made ftrong, yea, able to do all things through his 
 ftrength ; / can do all things, fays the Jpoflle, throz^gb 
 Chrifl which ftrengtheneth me* In the belief of this doc- 
 rine of our holy faith, we have an holy confidence 
 towards God the Father, as a reconciled Father, 
 and a comfortable afTurance that he will hear andgra- 
 cioufly.anfwer the prayer of faith, addrelTed to him in 
 the name of Jefus ; he prefents the prayer of his 
 people, their fpiritual offerings and facrifices unto 
 the Father, perfumed with facred incenfe, being 
 our great high Prieft who ever liveth to make in- 
 terceflioB for us ; him the Father heareth aKvays, 
 and in him he is always well pleafed. But if we 
 deny the divinity of our Mediator, advocate, in- 
 terceffor, and high Prieft, we can have no reafon to 
 hope that the Father will hear our prayer, in facl, we 
 do not pray through the Mediator, and our prayers 
 are not the prayers of faith, if we do not depend 
 
 upon 
 
^^ ii6 0^ 
 
 upon the intercefTion of our great high Prieft ; and 
 how can we depend upon his intercefTion, if he he 
 but a man, or an Angel ? 
 
 Thirdly, let us improve this^ dodlrine of GUI' 
 holy faith, to the confirmation of our hope of eternal 
 life, that fo we may have good hope through grace, 
 as the anchor of our fouls both fure andfledfafl, and 
 ivhich enter eth into that within the vail, iv hither the 
 forerunner is for us entered, even Jefus, made an 
 high PrieJ} forever, after the order of Melchifedec^* 
 Eternal life is the higheft and mofl glorious objecft 
 of hope, and this eternal life is in the Son of God ; 
 it is the gift of God through Jefus Chrifl:- This, 
 fays the Apoflle, // the record that God hath given 
 to us eternal life, and this life is in his Jon, he that 
 hath the Son hath life, and he that hath not the Son of 
 God hath not life* Thefe things have I vtritten unto 
 you that believe on the name of the Son of Cod} 
 that ye may hnw that ye have eternal life, and that ye 
 may believe on the name of the Son of God* And 
 again, we know that the Son of God is come, and hath 
 given us an underftanding that "^'e may know him 
 that is true : and we are in' him that is true, 
 even in his Son Jefus Chrift, this is the true G&d 
 and eternal life»-\; If we cannot believe that the 
 Son of God is the true God, if the Apoflle erredy 
 in faying that he is the true God, may he not have 
 
 erred 
 
 ^i_ Heb. vi. ip-* t I John v. chap^ 
 
^o JIJ c^ 
 
 erred in faying that he is eternal life ? how can \v<? 
 depend upon the record above mentiejned, Cod 
 hath given us eternal I'lfe^ and this life is in his Son? 
 Ifthe Son is not the true God, what dependance 
 can we have upon the Scriptures ? And what hope 
 can we have in Chrift, as the giver of eternal life, 
 and the bread of life, if he is not the true God ? 
 
 TJie doctrine of Chrift^s divinity eftablif] es the 
 hope of believers, even their hope of eternal life, 
 upon a folid foundation ; they behold in Jelus the 
 Son of God, an all-fufficient, an Almighty Savi. 
 our ; they can fay with the Pfalmift, in God is our 
 falvation and our glory, the rock of our ftrength 
 and our refuge is in God* And as this doctrine 
 eftablilhes the hope of believers, fo it is the fource 
 and fpring of their fpiritual confolation ; they that 
 believe in the Son of God, as their God and Savi- 
 otir, as the Lord their righteo^fnefs, and as their 
 companionate Redeemer, may well be filled with 
 all joy in believing in the Son of God. The 
 great myflery of godhnefs pours the balm of confo- 
 lation into the \younded heart, and troubled foul, Cod 
 was manifeft in the flelh, and we know that he was 
 manifejled to take away our Jins^ and in him is no frii^ 
 was God manifefted in the flefh ? was he manifefled 
 to take away our fms ? and can the facrcd and 
 
 blefTed 
 
 * I. John iii. chap. 
 
^ il8 0^ 
 
 bleffed work fall in his hands ? Is the great Im* 
 nianuel the Redeeming Saviour ? did he die for 
 us ^ did he redeem his Church with his own blood? 
 Was he who knew no fin made fin for us, that we 
 might be made the righteoufnefs of God in him ? 
 who then fliall lay any thing to the charge of God's 
 eleel ? who fliall condemn us, if God juftifies us ? 
 who Jhall impute fin unto us, if Chrift has redeem- 
 -ed us from the curfe of the law, by being made a 
 curfe for us, andby having borne our fins in his Body 
 on the tree ? Who /hall lay any thing to the charge of 
 Cod*s ele6i P it is God that jujiifieth : who is he that 
 condemneth P It is Chrift that died, yea, rather y that 
 is rifen again, ivho is even at the right hand of Cod, 
 who alfo maheth inter cejjion for us. 
 
 Come then finner, come in faith, and adore the 
 mercy of thy glorious Saviour; come and lay 
 thy fins and guilt at the foot of hiscrofs ; come to 
 Jefus for falvation, , for pardon, for rrghteoufnefs, 
 and for fanftification ; He is the very Saviour you 
 want ; In him all fulnefs dwells; he is able to 
 fave even to the uttermoft, all that come to the 
 Father by him. Jefus will not refufe you his falva- 
 tion ; he will not caft out thofe that come to him : 
 he will not break the bruifed reed, nor quench the 
 fmoaking flax ; he will bind up the broken hearted 
 and comfort all the mourners in Zion : If any man 
 
 thirfi fays Chrift; /ef him come mto me and drink ; 
 
 he 
 
^o I ^9 c^ 
 
 he that believeth on me, as the Scripture hath fatd^ 
 tut of his belly Jhall floiu rivers of living luater ; 
 and elfe where, whofoever drinketh of the luater that 
 I Jhall give him, Jhall never thirji ; but the luater 
 that I Jhall give him, J/jall be in hbn a luell of water 
 fprlnging up into everlafting llfe."^ Jefus can pour 
 down upon his people the facred hifluehce of his 
 holy fpirit, and fill our fouls with divine coniolaticn^ 
 light, and love. 
 
 Fourthly, let us improve the dot^lrine pra6lically, 
 to the increafnig of our love to God the Father, and 
 to the Son Chrift Jefus. The love of the Father 
 appears mod confpicuoufly in his isnfpeakable gift ; 
 in this was manlfefied the love of God towards us, be^ 
 caufe that God Jent Ids only begotten Son into the world 
 that we might live through him* Herein is love, mt 
 that we loved God, but that he loved us, and fent his Son 
 to be the propitiation for our fins. \ The Father hath 
 given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son ; 
 He gave us his well beloved Son, the brightnefs of 
 his glory, and the exprefs image of his perfon ; he 
 gave us his Son in whoiii he delighted from all eterni- 
 ty, yea, for our fakes, he fpared not his own Son^ 
 but delivered hirn up to the death for us ail. 
 Though God confulted bis own honour and glory 
 in this ftupendous difpenfation, yet divine love and 
 compafTion fhine forth with tranfcendent luftre, 
 
 and 
 * John vii, chap, f ifl Ep. John iv, cha;t. 
 
^ 120 0^ 
 
 and brightiiefs ; isi this difpenfation, we fee that 
 God is love. Had God fent the higheft Angel in 
 Heaven, to fave us, (if falvation could be the work 
 of an Angel) this would have been great love ; 
 but, herein is luvCj and in this was manifefted the 
 Jove of God, becaufe that God fent his only be- 
 gotten Son, that we might live through him. When 
 Abraham by faith offered up his only Son Ifaac, the 
 .Aneel of the Lord faid unto him, now 1 know that 
 
 CD ' 
 
 thou feared God, feeing thou haft not withheld thy 
 Son, thine only Son, from ?ne ; the ftrefs is laid upoa 
 thofe words, thy Son, thine only Son ; as this was 
 the higheft act of Abraham's faith, fear, love, and 
 obedience, (o, God's giving his own Son, his only 
 beo-otten Son, his well-beloved Son, is the greateft 
 act and moft glorious manifeftation of divine love, 
 love unfpeakable and incomprehenfible. So great 
 is the love of God in giving us his own Son, that 
 upon this manifeftation of love, the Apoftle 
 builds his hops of receiving from the God of love, 
 every needful grace and bleffing. He that 
 
 Spared not his own Son, but delivered him up to the 
 death j^^r us all, how /hall he not with him alfo freely 
 ^ive us all things ? Every bleffing, every precious 
 ^ift of God to his Church, here, and hereafter 
 grace, glory, and eternal life, are all fummed up 
 JQ this one unfpeakable gift of God, his own Son 
 Chrill Jefus. If our love to God is to be excited by a 
 believing view of his love to u^/tfvje love him becaufe 
 
 he 
 
^ 121 c^- 
 
 he firft loved its, then that doclrine which gives us 
 the brighteft and mod glorious view of Jivine love 
 to Tinners, muft, as a practical doclrine, have the 
 ftrongeft tendency to excite and encreafe our love to 
 God ; and therefore muft be moft pradically ufeful; 
 tut no dodrine can fhew the love of God to llnners 
 in fuch a glorious point of view, as the do<n:rine of 
 the incarnation, life, fufFerings, and death of the 
 Son of God. 
 
 And for the encreafing of our love to Jcfus, our 
 
 companionate Saviour, let us confider, that he who 
 
 loved us and waflied us from our fins, in his blood 
 
 is the Son of God, the brightnefs of the Father's 
 
 glory, and the exprefs image of his perfon. The 
 
 true way to encreafe our love to Chrift Jefus, is to 
 
 dwell with facred delight and rapture upon his love 
 
 to us ; and the true way to eflimate his love if 
 
 love unfpeakable can be eftimated, is to view the 
 
 dignity, and glory of him who loved us, and mani- 
 
 fcfted his love in his divine condefcenfion, and in 
 
 his lowly humiliation. The love of Chrifl paJFeth 
 
 knowledge .• it is unfpeakable and incomprehenfible 
 
 becaufe it is the love of God manifeft in the flefh- 
 
 Hereby^ fays the beloved difciple, perceive we the 
 
 love of Cod,, becaufe he laid down his life for us -* that 
 
 is, hereby we perceive the love of God the Son, 
 
 becaufe he condefcended to be incarnate, to take 
 
 upon 
 * John ill. 1 6. 
 
 R 
 
^ 122 0^ 
 
 upon him our nature, to be made of the iced of 
 David according to the flelh, to be born of a Vir- 
 gin; and finally to give his life a ranfom for 
 nisny, to redeem them from the curfe of the law, 
 the wrath of an offended God, and eternal mifery. 
 In this view, the love of Jefus appears indeed to be' 
 that which paiTeth knowledge, and to be truly in- 
 effable and divine. The grace of our Lord Jefus is 
 the grace of him that was rich, and for our fake be- 
 came poor ; and this is the argument which the 
 Apoftle ufes when he exhorts the difciples to abound 
 in the grace of love ; ye know the grace of our 
 Lord Jefus Chrift^ that though he vjas rich, yet for 
 your fakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty 
 might be rich."^ 
 
 Behold then the Sonof God,rich in all theglories of 
 godhead and divinity, poffefled of the divine nature 
 and divine attributes ; behold him in the bofom of 
 the Father ; behold his divine condefcenfion, in his 
 becoming furety for fmners ; behold him in this 
 charader, and hear him utter thefe gracious words, 
 io ; / come, in the volume of the book it is written of 
 me, I delight to do thy will Cod ; By which will, 
 fays the Apoftle, we are fan6iified by the offering of 
 the body of Jefus once .for alU Behold the Son of 
 God, in his birth, life, fufferings and death ; remem- 
 ber who he is that endured fo much for fmners ; 
 
 remember 
 * 2. CorlntVi. viii, 9. 
 
^. 123 0^ 
 
 remember that he is the great Immanuel, God with 
 us, and admire with facred rapture and delight, the 
 wonders of redeeming love ! Unto him that loved 
 us and walhed us from our fiiis in his own blood, 
 and hath made us Kings and Priefts unto God and his 
 Father, to him be glory and dominion tor ever. 
 Amen. 
 
 Laflly, let us practically improve this doctrine, 
 the great myftery of Godlinefs, unto holinefs of life : 
 that fo we may adorn the do^rine of God our Saviour 
 in all things ; and if we would adorn the dodrine 
 of our Saviour, we muft believe that he is oiir God. 
 The practice of true holinefs, of pure and undetiled 
 religion, does not begin in unbelief; obedience does 
 not commence v/ith difobedience to the exprefs 
 command of God the Father, who hath commanded 
 us to believe in his Son : but how do they believe 
 in the Son who deny the Lord that bought them, 
 and bring upon themfehes f-jjift deftrudion,^ Can 
 Antichrift be religiousandholy ? can a liar love truth? 
 and lu/^o is a liar P faith the Apollie, hut he that dcnieih 
 that Jefus is the Chrift ? He is Antichrift that denleth 
 the Father and the Son ; -jjhofoever denieth the Son, 
 the fame hath not the Father^ He is Antichrift and 
 a Har who denieth that Jefus is the Chrift, that is, the 
 Mcffiah; but he that denies the divinity of Jefus, 
 ilenies that he is Chrift, the Anointed, the Melliah : 
 
 for 
 * z Peter, ii. 1. 
 
^ 124 0^ 
 
 for if he is not God, neither is he Mefliah, the Mefliah 
 is Immanuely God with us. He that hath the Son, 
 hath life^ and he that hath not the Son hath not Hfe ; 
 now he that denieth the Son; hath not the Son, nor 
 the Father, and has no life, but is dead in trefpaiTes 
 and fins. 
 
 Tri* believers experience a facred conftraining in- 
 fluence in the love of Jefus Chrift ; the love of Chr'ifl^ 
 fays the Apoftie, conjiraineth us becaufe we thus 
 judge that if one died for all, then were all dead ; and 
 that he died for all, that they which live Jhould 
 ■7iQt henceforth live unto thcmfelves, hut unto him which 
 died for thsm, and rofe again* Believing in this 
 Saviour as their God, they truly perceive his love, 
 and this is the language of their fouls, hereby per- 
 ceive we the love of Cod, in that he laid down his life 
 for us. . In this faith they, behold the glory and 
 riches of Redeeming love, and feel its peculiar con- 
 ftraining energy. In the great myftery of godlinefs, 
 the believer beholds net only the love of God to fin- 
 ners, in giving his Son to be •^hcir Saviour, but alfo 
 the holinefs of God, and his abhorrence and detefta- 
 tion of fin. In the death of the Son of God, as 
 the furety and reprefentative of iinners, the purityand 
 holinefs, the righteoufnefs and juftice of God, are 
 nioft glorioufiy illuftrated and difplayed, as well as 
 his grace and mercy. How infinitely merciful, 
 holy, juft, and righteous is oi,ir God, who in his in- 
 finite 
 
^ 125 0^ 
 
 finite love gave us his Son to be the propitiation for 
 our fins ! He would not pardon finners, without 
 vindicating the honour of his holy and righteous law; 
 he would not be reconciled to finners, but by the 
 death of his own Son, who hath magnified the divine 
 law and made it honourable. How inflexible is 
 divine juftice ! behold this attribute of God in the 
 fufFerings and death of Chrift ! behold, hovv' God 
 vifited his own Son, as the finners furety I in his 
 Pity and in his love he gave him to us, to be our 
 Saviour ; but the fword of his juftice is drawn againft 
 him ; awake Jwordy againft my Shepherd, and 
 againft the man that is my fellow, faith the Lord 
 ofHofts ; finite the Shepherd. God fpared not his own 
 Son, it pleafed the Lord to bruife him ; he hath put 
 him to grief* He was wounded for our tranfgrejfonSy 
 he was bruifed for our iniquities ; the chaftifement of 
 our peace was upon him, with his ft ripe s we are healed* 
 The L^rd hath laid on him the iniquity of us all* He 
 was oppreffed and he was affliSied, yet he opened not his 
 mouth; he is brought as a lamb to the flaughter. Be- 
 hold the Son of God, in his life, his fufferings, 
 particularly his laft fufFerings in the garden and on 
 the Crofs ! behold his agony and bloody fweat ! 
 hear him fay. Father fave me from this hour, but 
 for thiscaufe came I to this hour. O, my Father, if 
 this cup may not pafs away from me except J drink 
 it, thy will be done. Hear him crying out on the 
 
 Crofs, 
 
^ 126 0^ 
 
 Crofs, my God, my God, why hall thou forfakeii 
 me ? Behold thefe things, and be aftoni/hed at the 
 terrors of Divine juilice ; and admire the riches ot 
 redeeming love ! If God thus vifited his own dear 
 Son, coniidered as furety for iinners, ihall not Ged 
 vilit with evdrlalting dedraclion, all the impenitent 
 workers of iniquity ? if thefe things are done in a green 
 tree v/liat Ihali be done in a dry - Ihall not the divine 
 -wrath flame out again(t all who are not in Chrift; 
 agairift all who are not faved from wrath by him: 
 againft all who are not wafaedin the atoning blood ; 
 a^ainft all who are not cloathsd with his righteouf- 
 nefs? where fh:ill th^y fly for refuge, who would 
 not have Chrilt to be their Saviour, nor their Lord 
 to reign over them ? what will become of them ? 
 they Ihall go away into everlafting punifhment, and 
 be deflroyed with an everlailing deftruftion. la 
 the doctrine of Chrift's divinity, as connected with 
 the dodrine of the atonement, we behold as in a 
 mirror, the love and mercy, the truth and faithful- 
 nefs, the holinefs and juftice of God : we behold 
 the glory of his grace, and the awfulnefs of his 
 wrath ; we behold the dignity and honour of his laws, 
 and have every motive laid before us to fly to Chrift 
 for falvation, to believe in, and to reft upon him for 
 eternal life. The Son of God gave himfelf for us, 
 that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and puri- 
 fy us unto himfelf a peculiar people zealous of good 
 works : let us then live unto him who died for us, 
 
 and 
 
^ 127 0^ 
 
 and rofe again ; who died for our ofFences, and rofe 
 again for our juftification. Let us teftify our love 
 to him, by keeping his conimandments : they are 
 the commandments of our Lord and Saviour, who is 
 entitled to our fubmiffion and obedience, becauie he 
 is our God, our Redeemer and our King. Let us wor- 
 fhip and adore him ; Jet us praife and blefs his 
 holy name ; let his word dwell richly in us ; let his 
 law he our delight; and let all that love his falva- 
 tion fay continually the Lord be magnified. 
 
 F I N I S^