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you into heaven, fhall fo come, in like manner, as ye have feen him go into heaven."

After his refurrection, Jefus appeared more than once to Paul, and must have conversed with him at fome length; fince he was by this means qualified to be an apostle, or witness of his refurrection, and alfo fufficiently enabled to preach the Gofpel, without any inftruction from the other apostles. Thefe appearances to Paul alfo fhew that Jefus entertained no enmity towards those who did not believe his divine miffion, and even perfecuted his followers, provided they were honeft men, only blinded by prejudice; which is true greatnefs of mind, and a proof of his juft difcerument of characters. And hence we may conclude, that fuch will be his justice and impartiality, as judge of all men at the last day, and may be led to expect that many enemies of the Gospel will be received with more favour than fome of its profeffed advocates; which agrees with his own repeated declarations to that purpose.

Thus have I given a sketch of the history of Jefus, from which we may form a just

idea of his real character; and let those who are beft acquainted with human nature say, whether it does not bear every mark of true greatness, even exceeding any that ever existed before or fince. Jefus appears to have been free from every human weakness, and to have been actuated by every fentiment that is justly entitled to the denomination of great; being remote from common attainments, arising from the greatest comprehenfion of mind, which is only acquired by just and enlarged views of things, refpecting alike God and man, this life and another,

To perfons of fufficient knowledge, and candid reflection, this confideration affords fatisfactory proof of the truth of christianity. The evangelists were not men who were capable of devifing such a character as this, or of inventing a series of actions and discourses indicating fuch a character. It is a great unique, of which they could not have formed any conception, And if fuch indeed was the character of Jefus, the question to the philofophical inquirer is, How could it have been formed? For fo remarkable an effect must have had an adequate caufe. The answer is oby ius.

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obvious. It could only have arisen from the firmest persuasion in the mind of Jefus of a divine mission, and confequently of a great future reward, which would abundantly overbalance all the fufferings of this life.

Such an uniform propriety of conduct, free from all inconfiftency and extravagance, equally excludes the ideas of enthusiasm, or a heated imagination. If any man was ever in his right mind, it was Jefus, No perfon, in his own right mind, can perufe his hiftory, with the leaft degree of attention, and think otherwife. The only conclufion, therefore, from thefe premifes, viz. that he actually had a divine miffion, must be adopted. On this fuppofition every thing in the history, extraordinary as it is, was perfectly natural. With fuch views and affurances as his hiftory afcribes to Jefus, many other men would have acted as he did. His conduct requires no peculiarity of constitution, They are fituations that chiefly make all men to be what they are; and the peculiar and extraordinary circumftances in which Jefus was placed, will account for his being that great and extraordinary character which the

evangelical

evangelical 'hiftory reprefents him to have been. No impoftor could have spoken and acted as Jefus did, and have preferved fuch an uniform dignity, joined with the truest fimplicity of character, through the whole of his public life, and the trying scenes of his fufferings and death. It is not one tranfaction, but a series of tranfactions, not one fpeech, but a series of fpeeches, intermixed with the events of which the history confifts, that are to be explained, and certainly the subject is deferving of the most serious confideration.

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III.

DISCOURSE

The Doctrine of Jefus refpecting Morals,

PART I.

The grace of God, which bringeth falvation, hath appeared unto all men; teaching us that, denying ungodliness, and worldly lufts, we should live foberly, righteously, and godly, in this prefent world; looking for that blessed hope, even the glorious appearing of the great God, and of our Saviour Jefus Chrift; who gave himself for us, that be might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify to himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. TITUS ii. 11-14.

I HAVE fhewn that the great object of the whole scheme of revelation, Jewish and Christian, was to inculcate good morals, or the due regulation of men's paffions and affections, with a view to their good conduct in life; that every thing of a positive or ceremonial nature, delivered by Mofes or by Chrift, was merely fubfervient to this great end, being always reprefented as in themselves of no value whatever in the fight of God; and that even the holding and pro

feffing

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