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Favour, and that he will at laft present us before his Heavenly Father (as the Purchase of his Blood), and receive us into the heavenly Jerufalem, there to celebrate the Praises of our Bleffed Creator and Redeemer, there to enjoy that Reft which remains for the People of God.

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HE Doctrine of our Bleffed Saviour's Divinity being, now-a-days, fo much controverted, and by many abfolutely denied, I have thought it not improper to add fomething to illuftrate my former Affertion in my PREFACE, viz. That our bleffed Saviour is Co-effential, Co-eternal, and Coequal with the Father; and particularly, in that he was the Creator of all Things, and without him was not any thing made that was made, From which I obferve, that he was no Creature himfelf, because without him was not any thing made that was made; therefore he was not made himself, except he could make himself, which was impoffible: therefore he must be a neceffary Being; and if neceffary, he must be eternal; and if neceffary and eternal, he must be independent; and therefore co-effential, co-eternal, and co-equal with the Father; And as the Holy Ghoft is faid to be one with them, it can

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not remain doubtful from Revelation, that these Three conftitute the Unity of the Divine Nature and Perfections, which is a Myftery above our most exalted Comprehenfions, as being above our scanty and narrow Capacities in this State, as are many Secrets of his wonderful Works themselves; therefore no Wonder that the Author of these Works himself, in his moft exalted Nature, fhould remain myfterious to us, as to his Being and Exiftence: But what he has thought proper to reveal of himself, we ought to give our Affent and Belief to, as being a Matter to exercise our Faith upon; For if we believe nothing but what we can bring within the Compafs of our own Capacities, and make demonftrable, there is no room for the Exercise of Faith; for what is felf-evident, remains no longer the Object of Faith.

But thofe, whofe Notions have led them to a Difregard of the facred Writings, and will believe nothing but what may be demonftrated from the Nature and Reafon of Things, do hereby prevent themselves from being wrought upon by any Arguments drawn from the Scriptures; and even those who will allow Divine Revelation amongst fome of the Opponents of the Doctrine of our Bleffed Saviour's Divinity, if they be pinch'd with a Fear of Conviction there

from,

from, will call thofe Texts fpurious, which do evince what they do not chuse to believe: Thus the Denial of the Trinity leads fome Men to a Denial of the Authority of the facred Writings.

But if the Authority of the Texts above cited may be called in queftion (tho' I am verily perfuaded myself of the Truth of 'em) yet that Chrift was God as well as Man, will appear from other plain Texts, the Authority of which is equally granted by all who do allow of a Revelation for whatever may be alledged of his attributing his Works to the Power of his Father, will appear to be only on the account of his Manhood, to preferve that neceffary Diftinction between the Divine Being and Human Nature. Thus when he faid, My Father is greater than I, this is to be understood, that the Human Nature he was cloathed with, was inferior to the Divine Being; for being cloathed with Human Nature, he had taken upon him the form of a fervant; yet, with respect to his Divine Nature, he thought it no robbery to be equal with God.

Did he not, as God, forgive Sins, which the Jews judged blafphemous for a Man to offer? Did he not accept divine Adorations when paid him, which no good created Being ever would? For when St. John would have worshipped the Angel, he charg'd him

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he should not do it, with this Reason, I am thy fellow-fervant*. And tho' Christ took upon him the Form of a Servant as to his human Nature, and hereupon sometimes expreffes himself as a Man, yet we find again that at other times he expreffes himself according to his Divine Nature, which proves him to be both God and Man, even one Christ.

Thus when he was called Good Mafter, he answer'd, Why calleft thou me Good, there is none Good but one, that is, God? Now our Bleffed Saviour was strictly Good, as being without Sin, neither was guile found in bim: Therefore he was Gop, as well as MAN.

Now the Confequences of believing Chrift to be no more than a Creature feem to be very dangerous; for as it leads to the Denial of any Satisfaction made by his Death and Sufferings for the Offences of his Creatures, fo I fear that as a created Being was incapable to make any, that he will be to those who believe him to be no other than a created Being, no more than they believe him to be; and as no created Being could do any more than perform its own Duty to its Creator, and was therefore incapable to make Satisfaction (upon any Terms) for the Offences of any other Beings, fo thofe who will be

lieve

* Rev, xxii. 9.

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