they became Socinians, they would become Unitarians, and after they became Unitarians, they would become Infidels. There is no place to stop between Arianism and Deism. The denial of the divinity of Christ, directly tends, in its genuine consequences, to subvert the whole gospel.

5. If God be the only proper object of religious worship; then moral depravity has had a very blinding and fatal influence upon the minds of men in all ages. It has blinded the whole heathen world in respect to the being and perfections of the only living and true God, and plunged them in the grossest idolatry. They have paid religious worship to the hosts of heaven, to demons, to departed spirits, to four footed beasts and creeping things. It has blinded the minds of the great majority of the christian world, and led the Pope and his votaries to worship the Virgin Mary, and deified saints and dumb idols. It has led the whole body of Arians to pay divine honours to one whom they believe to be destitute of every divine perfection, and to blend the worship of a creature with the worship of his creator. Such great and general blindness of mankind cannot be owing to any defect in their understandings, but must flow from the moral corruption of their hearts. The light of nature and the light of the gospel has shone in darkness, and the darkness has not comprehended it. The apostle ascribes the idolatry of the world 'to this criminal cause. It was because "they became vain in their imagination, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools: And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and four-footed beasts, and creeping things."

6. If God be the only proper object of religious worship on account of his supremely great and amiable perfections; then those are extremely criminal, who never worship him at all. There are a vast many of the human race, who never pay religious worship to any being in the universe. This is more common among those who call themselves christians, than among

the most savage and ignorant pagans. They almost universally pay religious worship to some being or objects which they deem divine. But how many are there in a christian land, who cast off fear and restrain prayer before God. Though they know the only living and true God, yet they glorify him not as God, either in secret, private, or publick. They live without God, without Christ, and without hope in the world. Such persons are more vile than the brutes that perish. "The ox knows his owner and the ass his master's crib;" but such christian pagans know not their Creator, Preserver, and Benefactor, and treat him with the highest neglect and contempt. They despise his favour and defy his frowns. Hear the admonition of the prophet. "Understand, ye brutish among the people; and ye fools, when will ye be wise? He that planted the ear, shall he not hear? He that formed the eye, shall he not see? He that chastiseth the heathen, shall not he correct?" "Will he not pour out his fury upon those, that call not upon his name?" "Can their hands be strong, or their hearts endure, in the day that he shall deal with them ?"

Finally, this subject exhorts all to renounce the idols which they have set up in their hearts. How many are setting up idols in their hearts? All who love the world, or the things of the world supremely, are idolators in the sight of God. And these idols are as fatal as graven images-and must be removed, in order to glorify and enjoy God.

20

SERMON X.

THE HUMANITY OF JESUS CHRIST.

LUKE ii. 52.

And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man.

THESE Words are intimately connected with the whole of the preceding chapter, which contains a large and particular account of the time, place, and circumstances of Christ's birth; of the angels who proclaimed the great and joyful event; of the peculiar ceremonies of his dedication to God; of his early attendance on the passover; and of his uncommon growth in wisdom and stature, as well as in favour with God and man. The text, taken in connection with all these things, naturally leads us to conclude,

That Jesus Christ was really man.

It is certain, however, that the humanity, as well as divinity of Christ, has been called in question. This was one of the first heresies that sprang up in the christian church. A sect called the Docetæ denied, that Christ had a true body and reasonable soul, or that he literally hungered, thirsted, suffered and died. To this heresy, it is supposed, the apostle John alludes in his first epistle, where he says, "Hereby know ye the spirit of God: every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh, is of God. And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh, is not of God. And this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come, and even now is already in the world." Though few, if any at this day, deny that Christ had a human body, yet some noted divines deny that he had a human soul,

which is virtually denying his proper and essential humanity. It is, therefore, a point worthy of serious consideration, whether Jesus of Nazareth, who appeared in the character of mediator, and died without the gates of Jerusalem, was really man. If we search the New-Testament, we shall find, that the inspired writers have said a great many things, which clearly prove the real humanity of Christ. He is there called man, and the son of man, more than forty times by himself and others. He appeared in fashion as a man, and was taken to be such, by all who beheld him and conversed with him. Though some thought he was John the Baptist risen from the dead; others that he was Elias; others that he was Jeremias, or one of the prophets; yet none doubted whether he was really man and one of the descendants of Adam. Accordingly, Josephus and all profane historians, who have mentioned Jesus of Nazareth, have always spoken of him as really man, and generally nothing more than man. This is such evidence of Christ's humanity as might well be considered as full and satisfactory. But since I propose to treat this subject distinctly and largely, I shall enter into a more particular consideration of the evidence of Christ's being really man.

Here it may be observed,

1. That he was really man, because he had a human body. It was formed and fashioned in his mother's womb, by the great parent of all flesh. "So it was," says the inspired writer, that while his mother was at Bethlem, "the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. And she brought forth her first born son, and wrapt him in swaddling clothes" This representation plainly supposes, that Christ's body was truly human and derived in an ordinary way from human nature. And this is further corroborated by the account given of his corporal increase in stature and magnitude through the several stages of infancy, childhood, youth, to complete manhood, by the same means of nourishment, by which other children come to maturity. Christ's body appears to have been, in

every respect, similar to that of other men. It was subject to heat and cold, pleasure and pain, hunger and thirst, strength and weakness, and to every corporeal infirmity which does not arise from human depravity. His having such a human body is a strong presumptive evidence, that he had a human soul, which was neces sary to constitute him a real man.

2. He was really man, because he had a human soul as well as a human body. This is necessarily implied in what is said of him in the text. "He increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man." Here both his wisdom and piety is as serted; and we know, that these are properties of the soul, and not of the body. He possessed every intellectual power and faculty, which was necessary to constitute him a free, voluntary, moral agent, and capable of that wisdom and piety, which rendered him per fectly amiable in the sight of God and man. And his growing in wisdom and holiness is a conclusive evidence, that he possessed the same kind of intellectual powers and faculties, which are peculiar to a human soul, which gradually comes to maturity. Though his mind strengthened and expanded gradually; yet it strengthened and expanded rapidly, and made greater progress in knowledge and virtue, than other children of the same age, and under similar advantages. There is no doubt but that his pious parents instruct ed him as early and as well as they were capable. It is to be presumed, that they taught him to speak and to read, and improved every opportunity of pouring useful instruction into his attentive and docile mind. He heard them from day to day read the word of God, and call upon his name. He was soon capable of reading the scriptures himself, and of understanding what the prophets had said concerning his character, his office, and mediatorial conduct. He early knew much more concerning these great things than his parents. This appears from his extraordinary conversation with the Jewish teachers in the temple, who more astonished at his understanding and answers, and from