of the One, and the dreadfulness of the Other; which certain and particular knowledge, fo far as it extends, without these fupernatural revelations we could not have acquired. The New Teftament reveals to us, that in the next life we shall have bodies; but that those bodies will not confift of flesh and blood, like what we now have; but will be incorruptible, glorious, celeftial, heavenly, fpiritual bodies Thefe are evidently fupernatural revelations in part only di rect and explicit, and partly figurative. That in the next life we fhall have bodies; and that those bodies will not confift of flesh and blood, like what we have at prefent, but be incorruptible; is what our own reafon could never have difcovered; but what we clearly comprehend the moment it is revealed. Of what kind of substance thofe bodies will confift, it is not here revealed; nor can we know from what is revealed, whether the nature of it is fuch as to be capable of being communicated to us by any of our prefent ideas; or confequently, of being expreffed in human language, or revealed in words. But to reveal to us fome general inadequate notions, fuch as all mankind are capable of receiving, of the very refined and more excellent nature of ouf future bodies, when compared with our prefent flesh and blood; they are here defcribed in fuch general and figurative terms, as are capable of conveying to all a certain, tho' inadequate knowledge of it; as well as of affuring us of what we could not otherwife have known, that we fhall have bodies in the next life, no less than in this. The New Teftament reveals to us, That Jefus Ckrift is the Son of God; and the only begotten Son of God; and that God fo loved the world, that be I Cor. xv. 43, 53, 43, 40, 49, 44. gate gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him fhould not perish, but have everlasting life And this is evidently a fupernatural revelation, of the fame mixed kind with the immediately foregoing. That God, out of love to mankind, fhould fend JESUS CHRIST into the world, and of his own free grace engage to give everlasting life, to all, who from an honeft and virtuous difpofition of mind, fhould come to believe in him, and obey his commands; is a fupernatural truth, which our own faculties could never have difcovered; but which, as foon as it is revealed to us, we clearly comprehend. Thus far this revelation is direct; the reft is figurative only. We know very well for what ideas the terms, Son, and only begotten Son, ftrictly and properly ftand. But we know affuredly, that these. terms, in which fome relation or connexion between GoD and JESUS CHRIST is here expressed; cannot be used, with refpect to God, in the fame literal fenfe, in which they are applied to ourfelves; and confequently that they must be made ufe of in fome figurative fenfe only. And agreeably to this, it is likewife explicitly revealed, that JESUS is called the Son of God, because he was conceived in the Virgin, by the power of the Holy Ghoft And JESUS himfelf has taught us, that he might juftly ftyle himself the Son of God; because the Father had fanctified him, and sent him into the world .This title therefore of the Son, and the only begotten Son of God, cannot convey to us an exact and proper, but only a figurative, inadequate knowledge of the particular connexjon fubfifting between GoD and JESUS CHRIST! But as we find this connexion thus figuratively revealed to us, by the nearest natural relation of John iii, 16, † Luke i. 35, John x. 36. which which we ourselves have any explicit idea; we cannot but understand from this figurative revelation; what we must have remained utterly ignorant of without this revelation; that there does fubfift some most peculiar relation and connexion between GOD and JESUS CHRIST, fitly expreffed by the abovementioned terms; whatever its compleat nature may be; extremely different from, and superior to, the mere relation between God and any creature, fimply as fuch. Befides the Father, and the Son, the New Teftament reveals to us the Holy Ghoft: enjoining that all Chriftians fhould be baptized not only in the name of the Father, and the Son, but likewife of the Holy Ghost-It styles the Holy Ghost the Spirit of God; and the Spirit of Truth, which proceedeth from the Father And the Comforter, fent by ‡ Jefus from the Father §;-It reveals to us, that the Holy Ghoft defcended in a bodily Shape upon Jesus || ; and likewife on the Apostles - and that all the miraculous powers which the New Teftament affirms the Apoftles not only to have exercifed themselves, but to have imparted even to others, were gifts of the Holy Ghoft, conferred on them by God *.-That we are fanctified by the Holy Ghost And that God will give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him .-These are all fupernatural revelations; for we could not poffibly have discovered by our own faculties the truths they contain; and they are moft, if not all of them, direct, explicit, and perfectly intelligible, as foon as revealed. But then from thefe, and feveral other paffages of fcripture, we have fufficient ground of conviction, that there are other truths relating to the Holy Ghost, not revealed; and particularly, that there is fome fingular connexion, and yet diftinction, between the Father, the Son, and the Spirit; fuch as exifts between Them only; and concerning which, we have at least reason to believe further, that the phrases of Holy Writ relating to it, however inadequate a knowledge they convey to us of it, do lead us as near to a clear and full apprehenfion of it, as we have here any occafion to be led. In fhort, not to heap more inftances together, every thing, how undiscoverable foever by our own faculties, and on that account fupernatural, of which we are now capable of conceiving explicit ideas; may be explicitly communicated to us in human language, or revealed in words :-Every thing, of which we can now in part only conceive explicit ideas, may just so far be explicitly. revealed to us in words:-And even of fuch things as our present abilities are wholly unable explicitly to comprehend, fome general, inadequate notions may be revealed to us in words; by likening them to fuch things as we do explicitly understand: and all the imperfect knowledge thus communicated to us is what, without. fuch revelations, we could not have acquired. And accordingly all the fupernatural declarations which the New Teftament contains, are either diret, explicit revelations of fuch things, or parts of things, as we can form ideas of, and explicitly comprehend; but which, without revelation, we could never have known: Or else, in direct, figurative representations; either of fuch things as, for want of ideas, we are at prefent unable explicitly to comprehend, and which therefore human language cannot explicitly exprefs; or at leaft fuch as, tho' capable of being directly re ́vealed, the wisdom of God has thought fit to E 4 impart impart to us in a figurative and imperfect man ner only. And all these fupernatural revelations, both of the one fort, and the other, communicate to us fome certain knowledge, which without fuch fupernatural revelations we could not poffibly have poffeffed. ་ viz. Hence therefore must be clearly seen the extra vagant falsehood, and felf-contradiction of the fundamental principle on which the Author contends for rejecting all the fupernatural revelations which the New Teftament contains; That whatever is in any fenfe fupernatural is therefore neceffarily unintelligible, and naturally incapable of being revealed; or, to ufe his own words, that " a Supernatural Revelation is a contradiction in terms;" and therefore that JESUS CHRIST could, not deliver, or authorise any fuch revelations. The repetitions of this ftrange and false affertion; which is the very pillar on which the Author refts his caufe; are, as might naturally be expected in his inaccurate and confused manner of throwing out his thoughts, almost innumerable. But as the principle itself is every where the fame, tho' the manner in which it is expreffed may be fomewhat varied; after having proved its falfehood, it would be as tedious, as it is unneceffary, to enter into a diftinct examination of the feveral paffages in which it is repeated. All that can be farther requifite is, to take notice of fome few of thofe many inftances in which he applies it to the point he has in view. He fays" The religion of CHRIST must be "understood and be proved to be confiftent and "rational, before it can be, or ought to be believed and therefore the fupernatural, or fu “perrational |