Sermons (pages 315–356) – Part 3 (pages 355–356)
hi the
SsR.XV.
Way of
Salvation.
contrived n way how he should fufrer,when he was God, imcG the divine nature cannot fuffcr Who ould have thought of any such thing as Gods !
These tho't human of way things are exceedingly out of the
becomii.gman ; two natures and but one pcrfon and contrivance. the world,
It is mofl unreasonable to think that
who till' the gospel enlightned them, were :q
blind about the nature of God, and divine things, should contrive such a w.iy that fliould prove thus to answer all
every way to suit with what the cafe required ; ends every way mod glorious to God; every way anfwerawherein every thing is so ble to all man's necelTities fully provided for, and noabfurdiiy to be found in the whole affair, but all f peaking forth the mofl perfea ;
wisdom.
That there should' be no infringement upon
the holiness of God, or on the justice of God ; nothing no encouragedifhonourable to the majesty of God ;
all ment to sin, all poftible motives to holiness latan so confounded manner of happiness provided :
and entirely overthrown.
And if we suppose that all this noiwithftacding was the invention of men, whose invention should it.be !
Who should be pitched upon as the
most likely to in-
It was not the invention of the jews ; for they wife men athe m.ofl bitter enemies to it.
vent it.
were
mong them,when they first
heard of it,they conceived a
and persecuted all that held And so they do to this day entertain a
virulent malice againfl it, this doclrine
great hatred of
the whole do lrine of the contrivance
of our salvation by Jesus Christ. for the It was not the invention of the heathen heathen knew nothing about it, till theapoflles preached and apit to them. It was a new duci-rine to them ;
peared a very foolifii doftrine to the wife men among them. Ihe dnarine of Chrirt crucified wns to the Jtws aflumblingbloci:, ' nd r,> t iO Greeks fuoliomcfs, I
Cor,
Wijdom of God difplajd
And besides,it u*as contrary to all their notions about a deity, they knew nothing about the true God, the fall of man, and the likc.till the gofpcl rcvea.'d it to them. It was not the invention of the apostles for the apofljes of themselves, were noway capable of any such Jcarned contrivance. They were nothing but a parcel ;
of poor fishermen and publicans, an bbfcure
and illite-
rate sort of men, 'till they were extraordinarily taught.
And besides
could not be their invention ; for ihey
were all furpriz'd when they firfl: heard of it.
When
they heard that Chrifl must die for (inners, they were offended at it It looked flrange to them And it was a long while before ihcy were brought fully to receive :
It could not b* the iRVcntion of any other chriflians;
for there were no other chriflians, but
only thofe that
were converted by the preaching and the writings of the spofues, and other disciples of Chrifl that were under them.
There is but one Way left, and that is, to suppose. That Chiill: was a mere man, and a very fubtil crafty But this is as unreamaP!, and that he invented it all :
fbnable as the reft
for if Chrifl had been a meer man,
would have been all againfl himfclf, to invent a way of salvation, by his own crucifixion, which he knew he could get nothing by, but a mofl tormenting and ignoit
minious death.