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of Person is this, who requires so much at our Hands. If he is indeed the Son of God; if all Power in Heaven and Earth is given him by the Father; if he is constituted by God Judge of all Men, there is a clear Reason to justify's Demand, and our Obedience: But if he was only a mere Teacher of Morality and Religion, how is he to be juftified in pretending to be the only Son of God, in pretending to have all Power given him in Heaven and Earth, and to be appointed Judge of all Men? You must either own him under these Characters, or you must condemn him as an Impoftor for claiming them. How far those who are willing to admit Chrift to be a good Teacher, but refuse to acknowledge him in any other Character, are chargeable with seeing this Confequence, I know not; nor can I see, if they confider it, how they can avoid it.

When therefore we read that our Lord requires of us to confefs him before Men, the true Way to know what we are to confefs, is to reflect what he confeffed himself; for it cannot be supposed that he thought it reasonable for himself to make one Confeffion, and for his Disciples and Servants to make another. Look then into the Gospel,

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and fee his own Confeffion: He confeffed himself to be the only Son of God; to come from the Bofom of the Father to die for the Sins of the World; to have all Power given to him in Heaven and Earth; to be the Judge of the World. When you have weighed these Things, read his Words, and judge what your Duty is: Whofoever shall be afhamed of me, and of my Words, in this adulterous and finful Generation, of him alfo fhall the Son of Man be ashamed, when he cometh in the Glory of his Father, with the holy Angels.

DISCOURSE

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DISCOURSE XVII.

2 CORINTHIANS V. 10, II.

We must all appear before the Judgment-feat of Chrift, that every one may receive the Things done in his Body, according to that be hath done, whether it be good or bad. Knowing therefore the Terrors of the Lord, we perfuade Men.

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T is the Privilege and distinguishing Character of a rational Being to be able to look forward into Futurity, and to confider

his Actions, not only with re

fpect to the prefent Advantage or Difadvantage arifing from them, but to view them in their Confequences through all the Parts of Time in which himself may poffibly exist. If therefore we value the Privilege of being reasonable

reasonable Creatures, the only Way to preferve it, is to make use of it; and by extending our Views into all the Scenes of Futurity, in which we ourselves must bear a Part, to lay the Foundation of solid and durable Happinefs.

By the Exercise of this Power of Reason, the Wisest among the Heathens discovered, that there was Ground for Men to have Expectations beyond this Life. They faw plainly that themselves, and all Things that fell under their Obfervation, were dependent Beings on the Will and Power of him who formed them; and when they fought to find him, they were led by a neceffary Chain of Reasoning to the Acknowledgment of a fupreme,independent,intelligentBeing. They faw in every Part of the Creation evident Marks of his Power, Wisdom, and Goodnefs: They difcerned that all the inanimate Parts of the World acted perpetually in Submiffion to the Law of their Creation; the Sun and all the Hoft of Heaven were conftant to their Courses; and, in every other Part, the Powers of Nature were duly and regularly exerted for the Preservation of the fent System: Among Men only they found Disorder and Confufion. That they had Reason,

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Reason, was plain; that they were intended to live according to Reafon, could not be doubted; and yet they faw Virtue often diftreffed and abandoned to all the Evils of Life, Vice triumphant, and the World everywhere fubject to the Violence of Pride and Ambition. How to account for this they knew not: This only they could obferve, that Man was endowed with a Freedom in acting, which the other Beings of the lower World wanted; and to this they rightly afcribed the Disorders to be found in this Part of the Creation. But though this accounted for the Growth of Evil, yet it rendered no Account of the Juftice or Goodness of God in permitting Vice oftentimes to reign here in Glory, whilst Virtue fuffered in Diftrefs. Upon these Confiderations they concluded, that there must be another State after this, in which all the present Inequalities in the Administration of Providence fhould be fet right, and every Man receive according to his Works.

This was,

this is the Ground of our natural Expectation of a Life after this. But upon this Ground of Truth many Fables and Stories were raised, by Fear and Superstition, and by the Power of Imagination: So that VOL. III.

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