of the Conception When we say such a Woman is with Child of a Boy we mean her Child is a Man Child not that a Boy impregnated her Now what is there inconceivable or mystical in all this I admire that any Man should make it a difficulty to believe that God whom they acknowledge to be the Creator as he hath made Seeds to grow in Plants and fall off and increase in the Earth to the due size of Plants as he hath caused Seeds to grow in Man which ejected into their proper place for Nourishment the Matrix of the Woman are informed with a Mind and grow to perfect or due sized Animals fit to be nourish'd another way and so come to be born and act of themselves in the common order of the Creation could not as well if he pleas'd go for once on a special occasion out of his common way in Nature and work a Miracle in the First Production of a Humane Seed or Small Organical Body in a Woman and give it to a Soul of his immediate Producing without the Will of Man Or that this Mind and Organical Body of God's particular making should not be thought to be an Innocent Man free as Adam that he might obey God in overcoming the greatest Temprations That such a Person so produced was really given amongst Men besides the Prophesies of him in the Old Testament for instance that the Seed of the Woman shall bruise the Serpents Head Gen. 3.15 The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee of thy Brethren like unto me unto him shall ye bearken According to all thou desired'st of the Lord thy God in Horeb in the day of the Assembly saying Let me not hear again the Voice of the Lord my God neither let me see this great Fire any more that I die not And the Lord said unto me they have well spoken that which they have spoken I will raise them up a Prophet from among their Brethren like unto thee and will put my Words in his Mouth and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him c. Deut. 18.15 16 17 18 c. and a Virgin shall be with Child and bring forth a Son c. Isa 7.16 See Chap. 11.1 c. Dan. 9.25 26. and Gen. 49.10 Which Texts all deserve to be well considered tho' I omit to recite them at length Besides these Prophesies I say and many more agreeing with his Character Circumstances and Time of Manifestation we have the sufficient Testimony of his Disciples not absurd and contradictory but such as we have endeavoured to shew might well be conceived to be true All which I think is enough to challenge the Belief of any that will give themselves leave to consider Besides the Consideration of Christ's Person as an Innocent Perfectly Obedient Man thus produced and related it was necessary that God should be with him in an extraordinary manner inspiring him with Wisdom enduing him with Authority inflaming him with Love Luk. 2.40 47 42. acting in him who yet acted freely with God as it were his Organ whereby he made known his Will and manifested himself most clearly to Sinners and was as it were conversing amongst them working Miracles by him to convince Men of his special Sonship and Mission which Christ frequently asserted from that Argument of the mighty Works of God wrought by him Which Wonders of Christ were also necessary to perswade the Truth of his Doctrine as received from God especially in that part of it where he taught the Insufficiency of the Levitical External Worship which the Jews were so unapt to believe other than the Will of God or ever to be abolished But tho' Christ taught that which to them seem'd a new way they were inexcusable in not believing him when God concurr'd with real Signs and Wonders which he cannot be thought to do to perswade Falshood so much against his pure Will These Miracles wrought by his means and by his Disciples from his Authority were not only testified by his Disciples but seen and confess'd by many the Opposers of his Doctrine It was necessary I say God should be with him in so extraordinary a Manner who was to be the most Extraordinary Embassadour or Instrument of God And that God was so with him cannot with any reason be doubted if his Friends Testimony and his Enemies Confession of his other Miracles be not enough his Prophesies of so many things exactly fulfilled in relation to himself his Disciples the City of Jerusalem c. methinks are convincing Arguments that he was the Prophet that God had promised a Prophet being to be known to be sent of God by the things coming to pass The Anointed with whom God was in a most special manner and never left him unless so far as to shew that the most Perfect Creature is insufficient in it self and cannot be satisfied or pleased in the withdrawing of the Chearing Presence of God To let it appear that an Innocent Man may be grieved at the Disobedience and Misery of Sinners and not only sympathize with them in their Unhappiness but be afflicted by them not only be greived at their unjust and wicked Doings but suffer from them that Sorrow that in the common course of Nature is occasioned by what may be done to the Body And tho' God left him so far to the Will of the Wicked as that they prevailed to put him to Death whereby we may have occasion to believe that Adam was not invulnerable or naturally immortal before the Fall but by the Grace of God in the Gift of the Tree of Life and his special Providence which on his Obedience would have prevented external Hurts and Death thereby tho' I say God suffered the Wicked to put him to Death on a false Accusation as a Malefactor and he patiently suffered to give us an Example that nothing should deter us from Obedience it was necessary that God should raise him from the dead That as he had chose Death rather than omit his Duty God should crown his Sufferings with a Resurrection to Immortality as a Token that he had regarded his Obedience as perfect that he deserved not Death but Men unjustly laid hands on him and slew him and that their so doing was disapproved of God Which Resurrection of his being the Confirmation of his being the Christ and of his having done his Work so far exactly and that he would in due time finish it wholly his Disciples constantly witnessed as having seen him and convers'd with him Forty days after his Suffering and the Jews and Romans having heard it said he would rise again after three days taking strict care to watch the Sepulchre least there should be any cheat in the matter so that there can be no rational doubt of it It is very easie to be sure a Man is put to Death and as easie to know he is alive if many Persons see and hear him
when but deliver'd were accompanied with Circumstances making them at least credible that they might be but when fulfilled they were seen beyond dispute to have been Revelations of God The most principal and full of which Old Testament Predictions related to Christ and his Ministry and were found exactly fulfilled in him and consequently to be of God Which Consideration brings me to the New Testament or the Writings of the Apostles and Disciples of Jesus Christ the Master and Teacher of the Christian Religion which is the main thing I would perswade him that already believes Natural Religion not to be offended at The Doctrinal and Preceptive Part contain'd in these Books I 'm sure none that considers it can in reason dislike it is so rational and natural And tho' the whole Bible teaches in its Precepts principally Natural Religion or Exact Morality yet the Doctrine of Christ as deliver'd down to us by his Apostles and Disciples seems to out-shine whatever was taught before in Clearness and also to out-do all former Manifestations in the Fulness thereof What has he taught or what has he commanded but what is clearly evident and strongly reasonable to any that without Prejudice will use their Reason and consider it and what can be desired to a most perfect Rule of Life more than he hath given in his short yet comprehensive Precepts As to the Historical Part of the New Testament I think I may boldly say it hath in divers Respects the advantage of any other History As the Notableness of the Matters of Fact The Number and Character of the Witnesses Their sufficient Agreement and Harmony in their Testimony The Time and Place of the things done The Reception of this History and Doctrine by succeeding Ages The Change wrought in the World thereby The Succession and Continuation of the Professors of Christianity All which things cannot be suppos'd so to concur in opposition to the Carnal Interest and sinful Inclinations of the World to give credit to a mere Romance or feigned Story He would be as unreasonable that should deny that there was such a Person as Jesus Christ and that he taught so and so and did such and such Miracles with the Consequences thereof as he that should deny that there was such a Person as Charles the First King of England and that there was a Civil War between him and the Parliament But I leave these things having just named them to the Consideration of thinking Readers who if they have any desire to be more fully satisfied in these matters may consult several learned and well known Authors who have handled this matter largely But I shall come to consider as soon as I can some particular things at which the Naturalist seems more justly offended relating to Jesus Christ's Person or Office that so if possible all things may be made clear that the Deist at length may see Christianity most rational and no longer refuse to embrace it But 37. Of Jesus Christ we shall first lay down this Proposition That the greatest most adequate and suitable Means God has given among Men towards their Recovery from Disobedience and the clearest Arguments he hath offered them to perswade them to will as he wills in order to their Happiness he hath given in and by the Man Christ Which I think will appear by the time we have a little consider'd his Work and his Person And concerning the Work of Christ which I think most proper to speak of first I shall lay down this Proposition That the Sum and Substance End and Design of all Christ has done does or will do in relation to Fallen Man's Recovery is to convince Man that he hath done Evil in willing contrary to God's Will and to perswade him to change his Mind and will as God wills for the future to the Manifestation of God's Perfections and Man's Happiness The Ways and Methods Christ took to perform this Work if we consider will appear very rational and suitable to the Nature of Man and the End of his Being First Man is to be fully inform'd of the Truth of things relating to his Disobedience or Obedience Unhappiness or Happiness But Christ hath given the fullest Discovery of the Mind and Will of God in relation to his Creatures He hath given the most fair Edition and Interpretation of God's Laws rectifying the inveterate Mistakes of Mankind He hath discovered the false Glosses and Interpretations sinful Men had put upon the foregoing Revelations of God's Will and reconciled Revelation to the Natural Light in such a manner that those that heard him were forced to confess he spake as never Man spake before And we who have but a short account of what he said have yet enough to shew us that he was as it were the Oracle of Moral Wisdom Such an Excellency appears in his comprehensive Account of the whole Law of God Such an admirable Method in his Directory of the Order of our Desires To be short such a Pre-eminence in all those Sayings we have as coming from his own Mouth that me-thinks an ordinary Considerer may see a Wisdom distinguishable from that of all his Servants tho' some of them at least equall'd him in the Greatness of Miraculous Works He hath both represented God far more clearly than he was before represented what he is and will be found to be to his Creatures and his Creatures what they ought to be to him and one another And particularly Goodness was never so unvailed and made to shine forth before the Goodness of God what it is and will be and the Goodness of Man what it must or should be The Goodness of God was never before seen to be so much greater than the Sin of Man as by this Messenger who comes declaring God most ready to forgive and communicate his Benefits to sinful Men as he would have done had they never sinned if they are but willing to be forgiven and repent That God wills not our Unhappiness as we are inclinable to will Evil to those that cross our Wills He hath taught us to come to God as to a Father expecting infinitely more Goodness beyond our measuring than we can from our Natural Fathers And that we ought to imitate him in Goodness Love Mercy Forgiveness even in that which some have counted a Paradox Loving our Enemies blessing them that curse us and doing Good to those that persecute us and despitefully use us The Men of old were apt to pray against or curse their Enemies and Men now are too much of that Spirit in whom the Love of God does not prevail being ready to think it unreasonable or impossible to love their Enemies But that it is both reasonable and more easie to love our very Enemies than to hate them we may be perswaded by divers Considerations If it be an Excellency to be like God the most perfect and happy Being Christ tells us that he makes his Sun to shine upon the Good and the Bad
depends on its Capacity of Knowledge and Circumstances it is then naturally in or how far it is liable to be mistaken in it self or impos'd upon by such Agents as will certainly as much as they can deceive it and when and where and how far God will permit or interpose by his special Acts of Information and Perswasion But that God should decree absolutely or will any Evil is an Opinion so full of Absurdities yea and in its tendency so apt to over-throw all Religion that no single probability or other difficulty can perswade a considerate Man to believe it therefore I think I need say no more in this matter 51. And now after all these Considerations I cannot but reflect and consider with Grief the miserable State of Christianity and the Professors thereof as well as of the rest of Mankind of the generality of those that call themselves the Reformed and Protestants as well as of the Papists between whom I can see but very little difference they agree so much still in many the same Unreasonable Doctrines as the Fundamentals of Religion as well as consent in the like wicked Practices as the Upholders and Effects of those Doctrines How much is the World and many the highest Pretenders to Religion in it alienated and changed from True Religion and the Scope and Design thereof in its Primitive Purity and Plainness How much more busie and concern'd are Men in contriving and contending for idle and uncertain Speculations and Niceties than in doing the plain undoubted and necessary Duties of the Gospel Natural Religion or the Practice of Love Goodness Mercy Brotherly Kindness Patience Meekness Humility Truth c They seem much more intent in considering according as every ones Fancy and Education leads him how Men are or may be saved or not saved than in working out their own or in furthering other Mens Salvation Whilst they place the main business in hitting the right notion how Salvation is wrought and in this they are also commonly mistaken they labour very little in conforming to the easily known Will of God according to the Precepts and Pattern he hath given us in the Man Christ Jesus whose pure holy Life seems hard and uneasie to the Rebellious Will but to be saved in the Theory is look'd upon now as more pleasant and desireable And how apt are Men now a-days to judge and condemn one another and that merely on the account of their Differences even in their idle Speculations in which Censures some are so ridged that they will hardly allow any but themselves and a few whose Noses are just of the same length and fashion to have smell'd out the way of Happiness or to be fit for Christian Brotherly Communion with them But we will not be afraid to affirm That whosoever truely loves God and his Neighbour shall certainly be saved or happy nay is pass'd from Death to Life Whosoever does not cannot be happy till he does tho' he may have the finest yea the best System of Divinity in his Head Tho' he have all Faith even to remove a Mountain of Contradictions to believe the greatest Mysteries Absurdities or Nonsense imaginable That one pure simple Act and Habit of Child-like Love to God is really more influencing to persevering Obedience and pleasing to God than the most Catholick Orthodoxy in the World He more truely knows God even by experience that loves him tho' but a Child than the most eloquent and subtile Teacher in the World that does not love But I am afraid nay I think I need not question it that the life of Religion is very much eat out and weakned by those many unreasonable Doctrines Whilst we have it taught either implicitly or expresly That God is the Author of Evil. One that made the greatest part of the Creation for that very end to be inevitably miserable for ever and consequently that they must needs be and continue Sinners to make them so That he is one that loves the Miseries of his Creatures and takes such pleasure in their Pains that he will bear with their Rebellion for ever rather than not have them unhappy That he made the most of them on purpose to shew his Power and Sovereignty in their everlasting Disorders Yea that that little number that he is said to be dearly hired and hardly perswaded to spare are continually afflicted with one Mischief or other from his hand tho' they are seeking him and crying after him continually he is not so ready to hear but often hides himself from them And yet that tho' this little number is sohardly saved they are infallibly sure of Salvation do or not do what they will Who would not rather be astonished and confounded and render'd inactive than influenced to love and obey God by these Doctrines When farther I am told that I cannot keep God's Commandments but that Christ hath keept them for me consequently my keeping them is not so necessary if suppos'd possible and God reckons Christ's Perfect Righteousness to be mine and I am perfect in him tho' I am not like minded all is done for me without me if I can but believe that is fancy so Ah but my Heart misgives me may one that considers say I fear that if Christ hath done all for me without me he will be happy also for me without me and I shall go to Heaven but by Proxy Who will be humbled before God and thankful for his free Beneficence and Forgiveness when we are perswaded that Christ hath purchased it at a full rate of him by his Doings yea and Sufferings for us and we may demand Happiness of God as our due But I fear many such Confidents will be put off with I know you not Nay how do we acknowledge God just and good and ready to forgive when we are perswaded that tho' he does not satisfie himself in punishing us for our Sins yet he will have them punished somewhere or other and rather than any where in the most Innocent Man Jesus on whom they say he laid all the Punishment or Misery due for the Sins of all Men and yet nevertheless most of them are damn'd and all of them die and that he reckon'd him guilty of others Sins tho' he were not so O Justice how unjustly hath the Malice of the Adversary represented the Fountain of Goodness and Justice But what shall the Generality of Mankind do What Encouragement shall they have to their Duty How shall they be stir'd up to seek Life and Happy Immortality especially the poor Convinced Souls that cannot get up so high as to read their Names in the Eternal Decree of Life or see yet much of the Effects thereof in themselves When they are told unless they are of that little number Christ has made Satisfaction for and ten thousand to one whether they be or no all their Repentance is in vain and their best Works are Sins in the sight of God tho' perhaps splendid Ones When they are taught that greater Goodness Justice Mercy Truth c. in one Man is less acceptible to God than much less in another and so God a Respecter of Persons Supposing I cannot perswade my self as I think all Predestinarians do that I am one of the Elect or do not believe that God has absolutely decreed either to save or damn any I am nevertheless convinced of my Sin and Duty as the way of Unhappiness or Happiness and would fain be happy Shall not I do my Duty on a Fancy that God has not decreed the Event or must I despair in it the former were but Madness the latter a miserable Condition But I must leave these things to the Thoughts of the Considerate and to them I would propose this Question What has been the reason that no more of Mankind have embraced Christianity and where has the fault been I think surely Original Goodness has not hinder'd nor has the fault been in the Christian Religion it self or in the want of the Love of Happiness in Mankind I believe you must confess that the generality of its Professors have discredited Christianity and given the World a false Draught or Picture thereof Till which is mended what hopes can we have of the Conversion to Christianity of those who have not from their inconsiderate years its Deformed Doctrines impos'd upon them and the disagreeing Lives of its Professors recommended to them What Expectations can we have of convincing Jews Turks and Pagans when not only the above-named Doctrines and an hundred more perhaps have represented Christianity as full of Contradictions and Absurdities and unsuitable to the Condition and Nature of Man But we even seem to differ in our Notions whether there be One or More Objects of Divine Worship insomuch that if those that have not yet embraced Christianity were to hear our Discourses and Forms of Worship they could not I believe but think that a great part of Christians believe and worship more Gods than One and even enjoin such a Faith and Practice upon pain of Damnation yea some of them having no better Arguments urge it by the Rack of Persecution while their Lives also are as different from Unity in pure Christian Morality Which now adays is distinguish'd from Religion O Times and a Moral Man is spoken of with Contempt in comparison with the Religious as a different Person But I must confess I look upon nothing as a Doctrine of Christianity or think can reasonably be represented as such or proved so to be by Scripture which does not naturally tend to promote Morality or Influence to those Good Manners which become our relation to God and which are convenient and profitable towards the true Interest of Mankind I would that Men would once come to try Doctrines by their natural Inferences and Tendencies then I should hope Truth would more appear But I must here conclude tho' I have been very short on every Particular I have been discoursing as unable now to write all I could wish to say of the Natural of the True Christian and of our Laodicean Religion promising my Reader an Answer to what he shall rationally object against whatever has been said in this Discourse and therewith a fuller Demonstration of things if God give me Life and Opportunity supposing that my whole Life must be spent in labouring against our common Errors if the Appearance of Christ don't bring on their Period sooner FINIS