who preferred them, do not appear to have believed them : If they had, they would have made use of them, especially when challenged to accufe our Lord of fin. As to the latter part of them, I acknowledge, were I to embrace any fyftem of Christianity, which leaves out the proper Deity of Chrift, I fhould be unable to vindicate him. Either his words did mean what the Jews understood him to mean, or they did not. If they did, upon every hypothefis which excludes his proper Deity, he was a blafphemer; if they did not, he ought explicitly, and with abhorrence, to have rejected the idea of making himself God. But, if I admit that he really was God manifeft in the flesh, all these objections fall to the ground. It is worthy of notice that modern unbelievers are not very eager to attack the moral character of Chrift. Through all their writings, full of railing accufations on every other fubject, one cannot but remark a cautious referve upon this. Mr. Paine, who, in a talent of the highest importance to the cause of infidelity, I mean impudence, has had but few equals; even Mr. Paine declines this part of the business. Amidst all his rancour against revelation, he feems difpofed to follow the advice of Pilate's wife, to have nothing to do with that just man. "Nothing," he obferves in his Age of Reafon, "which is here said, can apply even with the most diftant difrefpect to the real character of Jefus Chrift. He was a virtuous and an amiable man. The morality that he preached and practifed was of the moft benevolent kind." Whether Mr. Paine can confiftently with thefe conceffions reject the evangelical hiftory, we fhall by-and-by inquire; fuffice it at prefent to obferve, that though he difowns Jefus to be the Son of God, yet he ranks among the witneffes in favour of his moral character. But can it be true, we may be tempted to afk, that Mr. Paine, that determined adverfary to Chriftianity, fhould have made fuch a conceffion in favour of Chrift? Is Saul alfo among the prophets? It is even fo; nor let it appear a matter of furprife: The father of lies himself was conftrained to unite in this truth: "I know thee who thou art-the Holy one of God." Thirdly, Chrift himself, who beft knew his own heart, and who never was known to boast, bore witness of himself that he was free from fin. Not only did he challenge his moft inveterate enemies, faying, which of you accufeth me of fin? but declared, what no other man did or could, that he "al * Luke, iv. 34. ways ways did those things which pleafed God+;" that there was "no unrighteoufnefs in him;" that when the prince of this world fhould come, he should " find nothing in him|| ;" and that he was meek and lowly in heart, a perfect model for his followers to imitate, and into whofe image they were predeftinated to be conformed." If it be objected in the words of the ancient Jews, He beareth record of himself, his record is not true; it might be answered in the words of Jefus, "Though he bore record of himfelf, yet his record is true; for he knew whence and what he was* ;" and as he was never known to deal in empty boafting, his testimony has great weight in it. Fourthly, The temptations that our Lord underwent, instead of drawing him afide, difplayed his character to greater advantage. Seafons of temptation in the lives of men, even of good men, are commonly dark feafons, and leave behind them fad evidences of their imperfection. It was not without reafon that our Lord cautioned us to pray, faying, lead us not into temptation. There are but few, if any inftances in which we enter the field of conteft, and come off without a wound. But to our Redeemer temptation was the pathway to glory. There was nothing in him on which it could faften: Its arrows, therefore, rebounded upon the head of the tempter. In all points he was tempted, like as we are, "yet without fins." He underwent the trials of poverty and want. He was often hungry and thirfty, and had not where to lay his head; yet he bore it without repining; he wrought miracles to fatisfy the wants, and alleviate the miferies of others; but for himself, ftrictly speaking, he wrought no miracles. It was upon this ground that Satan first accofted him: "If thou be the fon of God, command that these ftones be made bread ;"--q. d. Would I, having all creation at command, know the want of a piece of bread? But this temptation was repelled in a manner that difcovered his heart to be wholly devoted to the will of God. Our Lord had alfo temptations of another kind; he had worldly honours offered him. Not only did Satan prefent to him all the kingdoms of the world, but the Jewish populace would have made him a king, even by force, if he had not withdrawn himself. If Jefus had poffeffed the leaft degree of worldly ambition, there were arguments enow to have induced him to comply † John, viii. 29. John, vii. 18. Rom, viii. 29. * John, viii. John, xiv. 30. ¶ Matt.xi. 29. 13, 14. § Heb. iv. 15. with the popular defire. They had no king but Cæfar, and he was a tyrannic invader; who had just as much right in Judea, as the Emprefs of Ruffia and the King of Pruffia have in Poland. If the virtue of Jefus had resembled that of the great fages of Grecian and Roman antiquity, he would have embraced this opportunity, and his name might have been enrolled in the annals of fame. Their pride was to be patriots; but that which they called patriotism was abhorrent to the Spirit of Chrift. He poffeffed too much philanthropy to enter into national prejudices and antipathies; and though the delivery of his country from the Roman yoke might have been doing a great piece of national juftice, and, in this view, very lawful for fome perfons to have undertaken, yet he declined it; for it made no part of that all-important defign for which he came into the world. He was doing a great work, and therefore could not come down. As his laft fufferings drew on, his devotedness to God, and his difinterested love to men, appeared more and more confpicuous. He incurred the difpleafure of the Samaritans by fedfaftly fetting his face to go up to Jerufalem, even though he knew what would follow upon it*. Under the profpect of his fufferings, he prayed, faying, "Now is my foul troubled, and what shall I fay? Father, fave me froin this hour; but for this cause came I unto this hour. Father, glorify thy name+!" Never furely was fuch a flood of tendernefs poured forth as that which follows in his laft difcourfe to his difciples, and in his concluding prayer for them. Follow him to the Jewish and Roman tribunals, and witness his meeknefs and patience. "When he was reviled, he reviled not again; when he fuffered, he threatened not, but committed himself to him that judgeth righte oufly. He was led as a lamb to the flaughter; and, as a fheep before her fhearers is dumb, fo he opened not his mouth." There are two kinds of characters which are common among men-oppreffive tyrants, and cringing fycophants. The firft are lords, the last are flaves. But the character given of Chrift fhews that he was neither the one nor the other. "He did no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth." Though the Lord and Master of his difciples, he was amongst them as their fervant; and when brought before Herod and Pilate, he betrayed no figns of * Luke, ix. 53. † John, xii. 27, 28. John xiii. xiv. xv. xvi. xvii. fear; fear; but amidst their bluftering, imperious, and scornful treatment, maintained a dignified filence. “Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our forrows!" Throughout his fufferings he manifefted the tendereft concern for finners, and even for his murderers. The fame night in which he was betrayed, he was employed in providing for us, by inftituting the facred fupper; and as he hung upon the cross, and beheld his enemies, he prayed, "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do!" Let not faftidious infidelity object his want of fortitude in the garden; or rather, let it object, and make the most it can of the objection. It is true his foul was troubled; it is true be prayed, faying, "Father, if it be poffible, let this cup pafs from me!" That is, he difcovered what amongst men of the moft refined fenfe are always accounted, the amiable weaknesses of human nature. Is it an honour under affliction to carry it off, or affect to carry it off with a high hand? Rather, is it not an honour to feel the hand of God in it, and to acknowledge that we feel it? And if, amidst these feelings, we be in fubjection to the Father of Spirits; if, while we mourn, we do not murmur, this is the highest degree of perfection of which human nature is capable. Such was the fpirit of our Redeemer, and fuch the conclufion of his prayer in the garden, "Not my will, but thine be done." That our bleffed Lord was not deficient in real fortitude, is manifeft from his conduct during his trial and crucifixion. He feared God, and put up ftrong cries, and was heard in that he feared; but he feared not men. There his fpirit fhrunk under the weight; but here he is firm as a rock. The principal engines with which he was attacked from men, were pain and difgrace. By the first they deprived him of life, and by the laft they hoped to wound his reputation, and cover his name with eternal infamy. But neither the one nor the other could divert him from his course : He endured the cross, defpifing the fhame, and went and fat down at the right hand of the throne of God! By the mifgivings of Chrift's human nature in the garden, together with his firmnefs before men, we are furnished with very important inftructions. From thence we learn, that the moft dreadful part of his fufferings were not those which proceeded from men, but thofe which came immediately from the hand of God. This agrees with what is implied in that pathetical exclamation, "My God, my God! why haft thou forfaken me ?" He could have borne the the reft, but this was worse than death! How can this agree with any other idea of the death of Chrift, than that of his being a fubftitute for finners? Upon no other principle can his agony in the garden, or his exclamation upon the crofs, be fairly accounted for -From thence alfo we learn the abfolute neceffity of Chrift's death for our falvation. If it had been poffible for the great defigns of mercy to have been accomplished without his being made a propitiation for our fins, there is every reafon to fuppofe that his request for an exemption would have been granted. GAIUS. DR MONITION TO PROFESSORS. A RECENT FACT. R. Owen, in his ufual judicious manner, obferves, that "the fad and fcandalous failings of the faints are recorded in Scripture to inftruct us, that no perfons can promife themfelves fecurity from the prevalency and overcoming power of fin any other way than by keeping close conftantly to him who hath fupplies to give out that are above its reach. Thofe examples are set up as buoys to discover unto us the fands, the fhelves, the rocks whereupon they made their fhipwreck; to their hazard, danger, lofs, yea, and would have done to their ruin, had not God been pleafed, in his faithfulness, gracioufly to prevent it." The following relation may be useful, as fuch an example. If it fhall contribute to ftrengthen the faith of any, to excite a greater abhorrence of fin and watchfulness against it, or to exemplify the all-powerful grace of God our Redeemer, its defign will be answered. E. was educated by his pious parents with all the care of an earneft folicitude that Chrift might be formed in him. He eminently enjoyed the advantages of a liberal education, as well as the fuperior privileges of a powerful and ferious ministry, and conftant examples of the influence of the holy Gofpel. After a childhood spent in vanity and fin, it pleased the Lord, as we hope, to call him by his grace in his early youth. This happy circumftance, together with a natural vivacity of temper and his literary acquirements, rendered E. the delight of his godly parents, and the efteem of a numerous circle of religious friends. In due time he was admitted into the communion of a Chriftian church with geVOL. V. neral Ι |