Imagens das páginas
PDF
ePub
[ocr errors]

bear witnefs of that light: That (mere man, Chrift) was the true light that lighteth every man, that cometh into the world! A ftrange affertion truly! He this mere man) was in the world, and the world was made by him, (was made by a mere man!) and the world knew him not: He came to his own, and his own received him not: but, as many as received him, to them gave he (mere man as he was !) power to become the fons of God, even to them that believe in his name. -And the Word (a mere man !) was made flesh.' I wifh Dr. Priestley would tell us what he was before he was made flesh, and dwelt amongst us, and we beheld his glory, the glory of the only · begotten of the Father, (that is, the glory of a < mere man!) full of grace and truth!' a mere man full of grace and truth! and of his fulness, (the •fulness of a mere man!) have all we received For the Law was given by grace for grace. Mofes, (a mere man) but grace and truth came by Jefus Chrift (a mere man alfo !')

[ocr errors]

I need proceed no further with the teftimony. of St. John. This remarkable paffage, placed in the front of his Gospel, like the Preamble to an Act of Parliament, manifeftly fhews the defign of the whole book, and is a key to all those discourses of our Lord, and of John the Baptift, recorded by this Apoftle, in which Jefus is reprefented as the Son, and the only begotten Son of God, and is, declared to have pre-exifted, and to have come down from heaven. It proves to a demonftration, that St. John confidered Chrift as being the Son of God, in a fenfe in which no other Being, man or Angel is his Son, and that he looked upon him, as pre-existing not as a creature, but as the creating Logos, or Word of the Father, who, in union with, the Father, is the Creator and Lord of all creas tures vifible and invifible. And as he produces T

the

the teftimony of John the Baptift, and of Chrift, in confirmation of his own teftimony, it cannot be doubted, but he understood them in the fame light, and methinks, in the fame light every one muft understand them who believes them to have been poffeffed of common fenfe, and impartially confiders their teftimony. Only let the following paffages be attended to without prejudice, and while the abfurdity of applying them to a mere man is noticed, let it be obferved alfo how clearly they defcribe, and how exactly they characterize that proper and only begotten Son of the Father, who is his very wifdom and word incarnate, and the Creator and Lord of men and Angels.

[ocr errors]

6

John bare witness of him and cried, This (mere man, fhall we fay ?) was he, of whom, I fpake. He that cometh after me, is preferred before me; for he, (though a mere man, and born after me!) was before me' This is the record of John; I am the voice of one crying in the wildernefs, Make ftraight the way of the Lord (that is, the way of a mere man!) as faid the Prophet Efaias.I baptize you with water, but there ftandeth one (mere man!) among you, whom ye know not:-he it is, who coming after me, is preferred before me, whofe fhoes latchet I am not worthy to unloofe.- -The next day John feeth Jefus coming and faith, Behold the Lamb of God, (that is, behold a mere man!) who taketh away the fin of the world.'-For, though a mere man, he taketh away, or makes atonement for the fins of all men!) This is he of whom I faid, after me cometh a man who is preferred before me, for (though a mere man !) he was before me! And I knew him not, but that he (a mere man) fhould be made manifeft to Ifrael, there•fore am I come baptizing with water. And I

6

knew

knew him not: but he that fent me, to baptize • with water, the fame faid unto me, Upon whom thou fhalt fee the Spirit defcending and remaining on him, the fame is he (viz. the mere man!) that baptizeth with the Holy Ghoft. And I faw, and bare record; that this is the Son of God:" (that is, fays Dr. Prieffley, a mere man !)

[ocr errors]

Again, Chap. iii. 28. I am not the Chrift, 'but I am fent before him.-He (the mere man!) ' that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom that standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly, because of the bridegroom's voice: this my joy, therefore, is fulfilled. He must increase, but I must decrease. -He, (the mere man!) that cometh from above, (though a mere man) is ABOVE ALL. He that is of the earth is earthly, and fpeaketh of the. earth. He (the fame mere man) that cometh from heaven is ABOVE ALL!' Will Dr. Priestley tell us how it could be faid Chrift came from heaven, any. more than John the Baptift, on his principles? The Father (addeth he) loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hands. He that 'believeth on the Son (that is on a mere man!) hath everlasting life, and he that believeth not the Son (viz. this mere man) fhall not fee life, 'but the wrath of God abideth on him.'

[ocr errors]

6

The other Evangelifts agree with St. John, refpecting the teftimony of the Baptift. Thus, Matth. iii. 11. I indeed baptize you with water, unto repentance: but he (a mere man, as fay the difciples of Socinus) that cometh after me is mightier than I, whofe fhoes I am not worthy to bear, he (though a mere man!) fhall baptize you with the Holy Ghoft and with fire. Whose 'fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner, ' but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable 'firc.'

[ocr errors]
[blocks in formation]

Such is the teftimony, which, according to the Evangelifts, John the Baptift bore of Chrift, a teftimony which they must have judged to be of deep importance, and therefore have recorded with great care, as being a full and perfect confirmation of the views they entertained themfelves, and laboured to give others, of Jefus of Nazareth. But, methinks, every reafonable and unprejudiced man muft allow that it is a teftimony which, if fuppofed to be born of a mere man, is moft ridiculous; nay, and abfolutely falfe. For, if Jefus Chrift be a mere man, of no higher origin than John, inasmuch as he was born fome months after him, it is not true that he was before him; much lefs is it true, that whereas John was from beneath, he was from above, that whereas John was of the earth, he was from heaven. According to Dr. Prifiley's hopothefis, they were equally from beneath, equally from the earth, and however Chrift might be preferred before John, yet the reafon of that preference could not be that which John affigns, viz. that Chrift was before him, for in reality he was before Chrift. As to the reit of of his teftimony, I make no remark upon it. It is obvious to the moft inattentive obferver, that it is impoffible it fhould agree with a mere man, who, how much foever he might be honoured or exalted, could never, with any propriety, be faid to be above all, to have all things delivered into his hands, or to be the bridegroom of the church, the owner and poffeffor of the bride, by believing in whom, fhe obtained everlasting life; and much lefs could he be able to baptize with the Holy Ghoft and with fire, to feparate, with infinite difcernment, between the precious and the vile, and burn up the chaff with unquenchable Sus,

I fhould

I fhould now proceed to the testimony borne by Chrift himself, but having already drawn this Letter out to a fufficient length, I break off here, and fubfcribe myself,

[blocks in formation]
« AnteriorContinuar »