of it fhall we poffefs in another world. And do Thou," Bleffed Lord, who hast caused all Holy

Scriptures to be written for our instruction, "grant that we may in fuch wife read, mark, learn, "and inwardly digeft them, that by patience and "comfort of thy holy word we may embrace and "ever hold faft the bleffed hope of everlasting "life, which thou haft given us in our Saviour " Jefus Chrift."

Bleed is he whofoever shall not be offended in me,

A

ND can any man then be offended in thee, bleffed Jefus! Who hast undertaken, and done, and fuffered, fo much for all men! Who willingly emptiedft thyfelf of all thy glory, leftest heaven and the bofom of thy Father, for our fakes; and when thou tookeft upon thee to deliver man, didft not (as at this time) abhor the Virgin's womb! Can a defign of fo much goodness ever miscarry by the folly of those, on whofe very account it was undertaken! Can fuch a meffage of love (of a love aftonishing and infinit) be rejected!-Canft thou thyfelf, the great meffenger,

meffenger, be received any otherwise, than with the open arms and hearts of all thy creatures, for whofe redemption thou wert thus made flesh, and dweltft among us Is it poffible for any one of them to be any ways offended in Thee!

Yet fo it is, Bleifed Lord! that from thy first coming in the flesh to this time, there have been unreasonable men all along, that have taken offence at Thee!-And there will not fail to be fuch within the pale of Chriftianity itfelf, even till thy fecond coming to judge the world.- Thy doctrines have been complained of, as laying too great a reftraint on human nature, as hard and unpracticable fayings !-Thy myfteries have been doubted of, difputed against, and rediculed, by men of perverfe and proud minds, who are refolved to believe nothing farther than they can thoroughly and clearly comprehend it !-Thy person itfelf, the circumstances and way of thy coming, have been an offence unto many ! "To the Jews a ftumbling-block, and to the Greeks foolishnefs ! 1 Cor. i. 23. A conftant occafion of falling to all Godlefs and finful men, whofe high minds are not brought into captivity to the obedience of faith, nor made fit for the reception of the truth, as it is in Fefs !-But bleffed are all they (have thy holy lips pronounced) who, in none of these ways, are offended in thee!

As to the two former ways of being offended in Chrift, on the account of the difficulty of practifing thofe duties he has enjoined, and be lieving thofe articles of faith he hath propofed, I fhall not at prefent enter into the confideration of them. The feftival we are now celebrating, determines

determines me rather to point my reflexions on the offence which has been taken at the person of Christ, the method and manner of his coming amongst us. The objections of which kind I fhall briefly propose, and anfwer: that fo having rooted and grounded ourselves in a firm belief of the doctrine, we may with the more affurance, make thofe feveral improvements of it, which will be profitable unto godliness.

It hath formerly by Porphyry, and Celfus, and ever fince by their fucceffors, the open or hidden enemies of Christianity, been thus argued:

That the doctrine of the incarnation of the Son of God is unreasonable and incredible; inconfift ent with the clear notions we have of the unlimited perfections of God, and the finite properties of man; between which there is fo wide and eternat a difference, as feems to render them incapable of being joined together in one and the fame perfon or fubject. For how can Wisdom, Perfection, and Happiness itself, be mixed with Folly, Infirmity and Mifery? what union can there be between what is finite, and that which is infinite?

But were it conceivable, how the divine and human nature could be united into one perfon; yet is it not (fay they) reasonable to believe that fuch a method was actually taken? For furely there were other ways, befides this, of restoring lapfed man to the favour of God, and that happiness which he had forfeited, and of taking away the fins of the world: The unlimited mercy of the divine Nature was of itfelf fufficient to compafs this end, and forgive this debt, without requiring any ranfom; and unlefs a God incarnate were absolutely