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though in the room of it he should have SERM. gotten all that a misjudging World thinks defirable....

AND, Goodness being always communicative of itself, the holy Man was far from concealing what he had thus happily dif covered. Nay his Zeal for the Honour of God and the Good of Man, prompted him, in Spite of the bittereft Opposition, and at the Hazard of Life itself, to speak and declare the Wisdom of God in a Mystery, even the hidden Wisdom which God ordained before the World unto our Glory (e). So that he perfevered in preaching Chrift and him, crucified, notwithstanding there were many in those Days, as well as in thefe, that were offended at it We preach, fays he, Chrift crucified, to the Jews a Sumbling-block, and to the Greeks Foolishness; But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Chrift, the Power of God, and the Wisdom of God (f). To fuch as attended to the Apostles Doctrine and were converted by it, the Gospel appeared to be the Product of infinite Wisdom and Power, equally wife in the Contrivance, and powerful in the Execution and Effect.

BUT

B 3

(e) 1 Cor. ii. 7

(f) 1 Cor. i. 23, 24

SERM,

I.

BUT they, who pride themselves in their worldly Wisdom, fhall, as a Judgment upon them for their incorrigible Vanity, be left deftitute of that, which is from above. Thefe are they, who are refolved not to be faved by the Foolishness of Preaching. Yet it concerns them to take Notice, that the preaching of the Cross is to them only that perish Foolishnefs (g). and if our Gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are loft: In whom the God of this World bath blinded the Minds of them which believe not, left the Light of the glorious Gospel of Chrift, who is the Image of God, should fhine unto them (b). So that they, who defpife the Knowledge of Chrift Jefus, have no Reason to value themselves upon their fuperior Discernment; it being no other, than the most fignal Folly of Wretches, fitted to Destruction. St. Paul, we find, when inspired by the Spirit of God himself, was in a quite oppofite way of thinking: For he determined not to know or to make known any thing among thofe to whom he preached the Gospel, but Jefus Chrift, and him crucified.

AND

(g) 1 Cor. i. 18.

(b) 2 Cor. iv. 3, 4,

AND, having the Example of fo great an Apostle before me, I judge it a fufficient Authority for undertaking--- to entertain your Meditations with fome of the most confiderable Points which we ought to know concerning Chrift ·Jefus,-----and to convince your Minds, that this is in all Refpects the most excellent Knowledge.

SERM.

In general to know Chrift is to be well acquainted with that Religion, which he founded in all its Parts, and to have a clear Infight into thofe lively Oracles of Truth, in which the Whole of his Doctrine is contained : But more particularly it may fignify a right Apprehenfion of thofe Branches of his Revelation, which immediately relate to himself, and are to be looked upon as fuch fundamental Articles of it, that it is in vain to pretend to the Knowledge of him, without heartily and fully acknowledging them. And to this reftrained Senfe fhall I limit, what I beg Leave to lay before you on the Subject.

THAT there was fuch a Perfon as Jefus Chrift, who lived in the Time, Country and Manner specified in the Scriptures, we must

1.

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SERM. be at least as certain of, as we can be of the Existence of any Man whatsoever, whom we have not feen with our own Eyes.

AND we must also be affured, by reading the Account of him recorded in the Gospel with Care and without Prejudice, That there never was, nor ever can be fuch another Perfon in the World. Since it is there exprefsly revealed of him, that he was not barely Man, but even God likewise; that he as really partook of the Divine Nature by being Son of God, as he did of the Human by being Son of Man, and-----that he thus became both God and Man united in one and the fame Perfon. His Works declare him as powerfully to be God, as his Sufferings prove him fenfibly to be Man; and unless we are fatisfied, that he is God, we cannot believe him to be Jefus or a Saviour; nor unless we are fatisfied, that he is Man, can we believe that his Merits extend unto us; neither unless we are satisfied, that he is both God and Man, can we believe him to be the Mediator between God and Man. Surely then fo material a Point calls for the most serious Attention, and nothing can justify the treating that Doctrine either with Scorn, or with Indifference, upon

which are grounded all our Hopes and Ex- SERM. pectations; especially fince it is maintained, I. and has been abundantly proved by its Advocates to be a Truth fo evidently revealed (as far as fo high a Mystery can be made known unto us) in God's holy Word, that none, but fuch as wilfully shut their Eyes or harden their Hearts, can be either ignorant or doubtful of it.

THE Proofs in fupport of this Article are as weighty and numerous in the New Teftament, as the Importance of it is great and momentous in the Christian Dispensation. But these have been fo often and fo indifputably established by the Labours of the Learned; Difficulties have been fo fatisfactorily cleared up, and Evafions fo folidly refuted, that it were an Abuse of Time here to offer at more, than to remind Men of a few of thofe Texts of Scripture, without entering into any critical Difquifitions about them, by which this Doctrine is taught and supported. And among them I fhall confine myself to fuch, as afcribe the Divine Titles, and the incommunicable Attributes, Worship and Operations of God equally to the Son with the Father. Thus, he is pronounced to be

God