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SUNDAY III.

I. Of divine revelation, and its difficulties, evidences, and excellency. II. Of faith in one GOD. III. The Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth. IV. Of God's providence, and of chance, fortune, necessity, and fate. V. Of the Trinity, or three Persons in the Godhead, and why difficult to be believed. VI. Of faith in Jesus Christ, our Lord; an objection against this faith answered. VII. The angel's message to the virgin Mary; and VIII. Of the incarnation and birth of Christ.

I. CONCERNING a divine revelation, the proofs are three: first, they may relate to the person inspired; secondly, to those that received the matter revealed from the persons inspired; thirdly, to those that live remote from the age of the inspired persons; as is the case of all christians since the time of Christ, and the apostles his successors. For, if the Almighty vouchsafes to make a revelation, or manifest and discover any truth or thing to a man, of which he was before ignorant; it is very reasonable to think, that he will satisfy the person concerning the reality of it; for it cannot signify any thing, or have any effect upon the man, unless he be satisfied it is such. And

The assurance of a divine revelation, as to the person himself, is most probably wrought by the great evidence. it carries of its divine original. In God's manifesting himself to the prophets, there was such a powerful representation on the part of the messenger of God's will, and that clearness of perception on the part of the person inspired, or to whom he was sent, as did abundantly make good those phrases of vision and voice, by which it is described in scripture and sometimes there was added some sign of supernatural proof; as in the case of Gideon and Moses+. By these examples we may perceive, why a good man has that certainty, which the deluded person wants; because a good man, when he is inspired, and reflects upon it, and

* Judges vi. 21. and vii. 13, 14, 15. + Exodus iv. 3, 6, 7.

diligently considers the assurance, which he finds in his mind, can give a rational account of it to himself, which the deluded person cannot have; whose positiveness often arises from pride and self-conceit, which have no small inAuence; but more especially from a disordered imagination or fancy, which interrupts the operations of the mind; whereas a real inspiration will bear the test of the prophet's reason, and the people's examination.

Again; the truth of such a revelation may be judged of from the reasons why we ought to believe the persons pretending to inspiration, whose known probity and approved integrity clear them from all suspicion of imposture; and whose prudence and understanding set them above being deceived: also from the extraordinary evidence and testimony of miracles; the prediction of future events; and, above all, from the matter of the revelation; which, when it concerns mankind in general, must be worthy of God, as proceeding from him, and must tend to the advantage, the satisfaction, and happiness of mankind, to whom the revelation is made. For justice, holiness, and goodness, are as necessary and essential to our thoughts of God, as power; and, consequently, a revelation that contradicts those attributes, cannot come from the Father of truth.

And the necessity and reasonableness of this evidence shows it to be a proof of the highest nature: for it being such as every man, who is master of sense and reason, can judge of; so it is what every man ought to be determined by. For, as in all other things, which have been done at a great distance of time; so the evidence necessary to satisfy us of the truth, and to oblige us to believe that revelation to be sent from God by divers persons, and in divers manners, is the credible report of eye and ear witnesses concerning the miracles that have been wrought, and the predictions that have been foretold, to prove persons inspired, conveyed down to us in such a manner, and with such evidence, as that we have no reason to doubt of the truth of them: besides, the inward evidence of the christian revelation confirms the outward evidence that was given to it: for, as it excels all other forms of

religion, that ever appeared in the world; so it is every way worthy of God, entirely beneficial to his creatures, and agreeable to the best reason and sense of human nature.

The scripture, though deep, is clear in every doctrine that tends to the glory of God, the good of mankind, and the benefit of our own souls. So far God has gone; and further than this he needed not go, to answer the end of a revelation. Whatever things there are in it hard to be understood, and a moderate application cannot clear up, they may exercise the abilities of the curious, but are not necessary to edify the bulk of mankind. Any man, who diligently and impartially searches the scriptures, comparing place with place, interpreting the darker passages by the clearer, and attending to the scope and design of the author, may furnish himself with an intelligible, consistent, and determinate rule of faith and practice; may derive thence hopes full of a blessed immortality; and find there that beautiful assemblage of moral truths, clear and unmixed, which lie scattered through the writings of all the philosophers, and are in them blended with pernicious errors. Whereas other writers took things in too high a key, and were proud to soar above the level of common apprehensions; but the inspired writers stoop to the lowest capacities, at the same time that they enlighten the highest. Whatever precept is briefly and in general terms delivered in one place, is more clearly and distinctly unfolded in another: and where there is the addition of any doctrine, which natural reason could not discover, it is so far from contradicting the plain and evident sense of mankind, that upon consideration it appears highly useful to us in the state in which we now are. For the great fears and doubts of mankind, concerning the way of appeasing the offended justice of God, are removed, and the dishonour that was done to his justice and holiness satisfied by the death of Christ. A man may look into his Bible, and see plainly there what will become of him, when the present scene is shifted, as to his most important, I had almost said, his only concern, a future state, who if he were left to himself, the more he considered the point on every side, the

more he would find himself bewildered in doubts, without coming to any determination. Happy Happy are we, if we know our happiness, who have a revelation, like its great author, full of grace and truth.

The christian religion proposes a reward, excellent in itself and lasting in its duration; and clearly and plainly revealed. The precepts laid down for the direction of our lives comprehend all sorts of virtue, that relate either to GOD, or to our neighbour, or to ourselves; they have cleared what was doubtful by the light of nature, and have made the improvements of it necessary parts of our duty. It supplies us with powerful assistance for the performance of our obedience; light for our dark minds; strength for our weak resolutions; and courage under all our difficulties; and, above all, sets before us an exact and perfect pattern for our instruction and encouragement. So that the christian revelation in itself, as well as the external evidence, proves its original to be from God. Hence consider the great guilt of those who reject the christian revelation ; for they resist the utmost evidence, that any religion is capable of receiving, both from its inward value, and from the outward attestation that God has been pleased to give it, by miracles and prophecies; and consequently, by this act of theirs, they condemn themselves, because they reject the only means of their salvation, though it is supported by all the faith of history, and uninterrupted records; which is all the evidence in such circumstances, that can be pre-. sumed necessary, or can possibly be had. This, therefore, is sufficient to inspire us with the knowledge of God, and of his son Jesus Christ our Lord: and with a thankful remembrance of all things they have done and promised to us, and an abhorrence of all that should from scripture appear to be displeasing to the Almighty. For,

II. When we in the first ARTICLE of our Creed profess a belief in one God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, we not only declare that we acknowledge him to be the Lord, and that he has revealed his will to guide us in the way of truth; but that he has reserved some things to himself, of which, as they regard not the creature, he

hath made no revelation, as namely, the manner how there can be three persons in one God; how the divine and human nature could be united in one person, Christ Jesus ; or how a virgin could conceive and bear a son without the knowledge of a man. Therefore, when we say, I believe in one God, let it not be such a belief only as the heathens, or those who only follow the dictates of nature, have, who collect from the things that are seen the eternal power and godhead; but it must be that christian faith, which believes there are three distinct persons in one God, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, who is the one only living and true God; existing of himself, by the necessity of his own nature; absolutely independent, eternal, omnipresent, unchangeable, incorruptible, without body, parts, or passions; of infinite power, knowledge, and wisdom; of perfect liberty and freedom of will; of infinite goodness, justice, and truth, and all other possible perfections, so as to be absolutely self-sufficient to his own infinite and unalterable happiness. And if so, it will certainly follow, that this same supreme self-existent cause and Father of all things did, before all ages, in an incomprehensible manner, by his almighty power and will, beget or produce a divine person, styled the Word, or Wisdom, or Son of God; begotten, not made; God of God, in whom dwells the fulness of divine perfections; the image of the invisible God; the brightness of his Father's glory, and the express image of his person; having been in the beginning with God, partaker with him of his glory before the world was; the upholder of all things by the word of his power; and himself over all, God blessed for ever. In like manner, what has been said of the Son may with little variation be, very agreeably to right reason, understood concerning the original procession, or manner of derivation, of the Holy Ghost, from the Father and the Son.

As we believe God to be one, so we believe him to be in such a manner one, that there cannot possibly be another; for all other things must derive their being from him, and whatever being has its existence from another, cannot be God, but must be a creature And this unity of God is

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