Christ? How came he to set up his own opinion against the express, the repeated, word of God himself? He could see little, surely, if he could not see the flat contradiction, in this most important case, between God and him. It is an old and just observation, that no man of sense can long continue to be an Arian. Revelation and the Bible must be given up, or the proper and true divinity of Christ must be believed. There is, there can be, no medium. There can be no medium between maintaining, that Christ, who asserts it, is really and truly God, and giving him up as a most impious impostor. Pardon me, blessed Jesu! for writing the horrible words, as I detest them from the depths of my soul. As to the dignity of our Redeemer, whereon depend all the essential principles of our holy religion, and the eternal salvation we hope for through him, we have authority to rest our faith on, infinitely superior to that of Newton, and all the philosophers and mathematicians, of all the Clarkes, Hoadlys, &c. that ever lived. If we must talk of infinites, we have the sole infinitely wise Author of truth to depend on for information concerning the respect we ought to pay to the Redeemer of mankind. When St. Stephen gave his life for Christ, whom he then saw at his Father's right hand, on the throne of heaven, he left this world on principles very different from those of fluxions and infinitesimals. Yet no man since hath thought or died on better reasons than he did. The true and real divinity of our blessed Saviour are so amply, so clearly set forth by the Fountain of Truth in his holy Scriptures, that there is no room left for the reason of him, who believes in those Scriptures, to doubt or balance on the important subject. But were this point less thoroughly enforced therein on reason and faith, a very short comparison of the difficulties on both sides, for some there seem to be, must result in a full and final decision. On the Arian side, reason, or somewhat which the vanity of a man takes for reason in himself, objects to a personal distinction in God, that infinite being, so perfectly one. Again, although there is not a single passage which denies the divinity of Christ throughout the whole Scriptures, there are some which indirectly, yet strongly, seem to militate against it. But is any man so perfectly acquainted with the infinitely incomprehensible Being, as to be sure there is no distinction in that Being analogous to the personal distinction of one man from another? And may not the passages of Scripture, which, at first sight, seem to favour the Arian opinion, be interpreted fairly of Christ, as a son, and a man? Nay, must they not be so interpreted, since, in the first place, those Scriptures every where absolutely deny the being of any God but one? Since those Scriptures so often affirm Christ to be God? since, although in those Scriptures Christ so often speaks of himself as Son and messenger of his Father, there is not to be found a single intimation that he is an inferior God, or a creature only, deputed by his Father to create, and then to redeem the world? It is easy to see on which of these sides right reason must decide, if the word of God is allowed to speak to reason, or if reason, so instructed, is permitted to speak to our faith. No, philosophy sets itself above faith; and, in this instance, the philosophy even of Newton is so far below reason, as to terminate in downright absurdity of contradiction, probably to teach us feebler thinkers, not any longer to idolize our wretched understanding. Let Newton, therefore, say what he will, I repeat, without controversy, great is the mystery of godliness, God was manifested in the flesh, justified in the spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory. By him (Christ) were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers, all things were created by him, and for him. And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.' Between these plain passages, and the assent of a plain man, who believes the Scriptures, is a ratio so easily demonstrated, that Newton and Clarke, both believing in the Scriptures, must have perceived it, had they not been more taken up with the ratio of a right line to a circle, as a matter of greater consequence to their mathematical characters; for, I cannot think, they intended directly to give the lie to God's word. Inquisitiveness, or a too ardent thirst of knowledge, was among the first faults of mankind; and though it is found by experience, that he who increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow,' at least in a thousand instances; yet our philosophers and mathematicians still go on to prove themselves the children of Eve. Ignorance is frequently better than knowledge. To consult with a soothsayer about futurity is double folly, both because the soothsayer knows nothing of the matter, and it were better for the consulter not to foresee either the good or evil he is to meet with. God, in his mercy, hides the latter, and in his wisdom the former, from us. If a man knows not how to square a circle, he may do well enough without it; nay, may do much better without the greater part of those refinements whereby foreign articles of luxury, the food of vanity and vice, are daily flowing in upon us, insomuch that we, by their means, are perpetually growing more effeminate, more feeble in mind and body, more incapable of bearing the unavoidable afflictions of life, and of resisting those impressions of heat and cold, which people less indulged can easily withstand, can even enjoy as amusements. In nothing was the wisdom of Lycurgus so manifest as in shutting out wealth and luxury from the people of Sparta. While they continued obedient to his laws, they had nothing to incite an invader, and in case of an attack made on their persons, one Spartan was a match for three enemies of other nations; and then, exclusive of these considerations, they lived more happily in plain clothes, and on their black broth, than any other people on earth. These things were easily had, and with these, health of body and tranquillity of mind came as inseparable companions. Happy ignorance of evil! At what an expense do we manufacture in our own country, and import from all the other countries in the world, the incitements to knavery, robbery, murder! The fuel of pride and anxiety! The materials of sickness, death, and wars! In the acquisition of these things, the fine arts are admired, philosophy applauded, and mathematics adored. So debauched are we, that we cannot so much as imagine, simplicity, ignorance, and what we call poverty, could possibly make us happier. It may soon please God, however, to disabuse us of our gross mistake, and, by destroying one half of a wicked people, and impoverishing the rest, teach them again to believe in his power, who were infidels to his indulgence. I am a false prophet if the period of this revolution is not making a hasty approach towards us. Sure I am, nothing but a speedy revolution in our principles and practices can prevent it. Bat 'the day and hour' of this visitation is hid from us by Him who perfectly knows both, that we may take heed that we may watch and pray,' as men 'who know not when the time is,' and not as those time-serving wretches do, by looking into an almanack find out when they are to be devout for a week, that they may go to the Lord's table on a great festival, having devoted the rest of the year to their pleasures and sins. Superstition and folly may content themselves with so base a kind of service; but Christ, who died for them, will not be so put off. Our watchfulness should be awakened by our ignorance, lest our master coming suddenly when we look not for him, should find us sleeping' in our sins, and in a stupid indifference to him and his religion. We know not the day or hour of our death, when our trial and book of account shall be shut up; but we know, we must all die, and perhaps in the space of one hour or moment. This is knowledge enough of futurity for Christian virtue, which to approve itself to an all-knowing Master, should be unforced, uniform, and ever on its guard. 11. The economist alone is, or can be, an honest man. 13. He is rich who saves a penny a year, and he poor who runs behind a penny in a year. 14. All men, more or less, and many, too much, are excited to laudable exertions by praise and esteem. The generous and ingenuous souls are most apt to be stimulated by this noble motive; and, what may seem surprising, instead of pride, derive humility from it. Their enterprises are often too arduous to succeed. Hence they are mortified with a sensibility of their own weakness, but not wholly discouraged. The active man, who climbs a mountain, is not more apt to find himself fatigued, than the lubbard in only going up stairs. The unaspiring fool hardly ever becomes sensible of his own inability, for he hardly ever puts himself to a trial; and besides, no fool ever knew himself to be a fool. He is a wise man indeed, or soon will be, who can sometimes find out that he himself is a fool. 15. The infidels say, if our religion is necessary, why hath the distribution of it been so partial? Why is it not found in all parts of the world, even to this day? We answer, It was given to all mankind from the beginning, namely, to our two common parents, Adam and Noah, but perverted by their posterity into gross idolatry, and the worship of stocks, stones, and devils. It hath been offered to all men, but not forced on any, and therefore no just cause of complaint lies either against the goodness of Providence, or the necessity of our religion, if so many have refused it. But we ask the infidel, to whom it is amply offered, why he persists to refuse it? Hath he not full proof of its truth and excellence? Hath he fairly examined that proof? Or does he perceive, that understanding, health, prosperity, with other gifts of Providence, which he values more than religion, are equally distributed to all men? In regard to these, he is still less satisfied with his portion, excepting in regard to the first, than he is with the pagan's portion of Christianity. His murmurs in this objection are but a pretence; for he would much rather wish there were no God than no devil. He is but the devil's blasphemous bully, who, when he had consumed his fortune in vanity, gaming, and other vices, cries out to God, Take back the rascally existence given me; and shoots himself. Existence! What then? Is he sure his existence is to end at the muzzle of the pistol, and not be prolonged to a future account? There is not among us a single infidel, but of this sort, though the greater number of them are not so desperate in regard to criminal pleasures, which they wish to protract a little longer. 16. Are all mankind of one species, and descended from a common parent? No, saith a Scotch lord, too proud to suffer a negro, or perhaps a poor Highlander, to claim any manner of kindred with him. Well, and if such are not of the same species with my lord, he might kill and eat them, only that the negro or Highlander is not fat enough to be good eating, as he does a sheep? It would not be going much farther, than oppressing, impoverishing, starving them, practices of a very lordly kind. A great lawyer, turned into a lord, is not the most likely person in the world to give Moses credit for any thing he reports, and least of all for any sort of equality between so elevated a personage and a poor dunghill-born mortal, crusted in scabs, and but half defended from the snow by a few rags. Yet most certain it is, that every animal knowing, or capable of knowing, its Maker; every animal morally free, and accountable for its actions, with a conscience; every animal who hath the use of reason, and speech, in arbitrary words; who walks upright on two legs, but unfledged, and can sometimes laugh; whether of a fair or dark complexion, like dyed wool or silk; whether a lord or a peasant, is a brother to, and of the same blood with, all other animals, distinguished by these peculiar characteristics. Struck with these, a Dane may ask a negro how he came to be so black? And the negro may as sensibly ask the Dane, how he came to be so white? If neither of them can tell, I can, though but of little learning or philosophy. The Dane, and his ancestors, having for many generations lived in a very cold country, came forth bleached and fair. The Germans, a little nearer the sun, are generally of a little darker cast. The French, a little more to the southward, darker than they. The Spaniards, inhabitants of a warmer climate, considerably darker than the French. The Moors, near the tropic, are only not black. The Æthiopians and negroes living between the tropics, under the perpendicular bask of the sun, from generation to generation, and shut in from a mixture with |