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SERM. Chrift, the Wisdom, as well as the Power, XII. of God. By the Gospel, All the Great Truths of Natural Religion, discoverable by Reafon and Argumentation; the Being and Attributes, the Government and Providence of God, the Unalterableness of Moral Obligations, the Immortality of the Soul, and the Expectation of future Rewards and Punishments; all these Great Truths (I fay) discoverable in good meafure by Argumentation and Reason, were by the Gospel more plainly and expressly revealed, more diftinctly and clearly explained, more strongly and powerfully inforced. And the additional Revelation, of Chrift's being appointed an Intercessor for penitent Sinners, and the Judge of the World; was an advantageous confirmation of all the fame Truths, and a moft wife and proper incouragement to the practice of Virtue. By This means, a well-attested interpofition of Divine Authority, became unto All men a just ground of Affent to thofe Truths, which to make out by the Help of Reafon only, was a work of Difficulty, Time, and Study.

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Study. By This means, Inftruction in SER M. matters of Religion became very short XII. and easy, even to the Meanest Capacities. And whereas the Beft and Greatest Philofophers were in continual Difputes, and in many degrees of Uncertainty, concerning the very fundamental and most important Doctrines of Truth and Reafon; Among thofe, on the contrary, who have embraced the Gofpel of Christ, there never was the leaft room for Difpute about Any Fundamental; All Christians, at all Times, and in all Places, having ever been baptized into the Profeffion of the Same Faith, and into an Obligation to obey the Same Commandments. And it being notorious, that all the Contentions that ever arofe in the Chriftian World, have been merely about the feveral Additions, which every Sect or Party, in direct contradiction to the exprefs Command of their Mafter, have endeavoured prefumptuoufly to annex, by their Own Authority, to His Doctrines, and to His Laws. How much therefore, and how just ground foever, has been given VOL. V.

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SERM. by thofe who Call themselves Chriftians, to the Reproach of Them which are without; yet Chrift himself, that is, the Gofpel in its native Simplicity as delivered by Him, has abundantly, to all Reasonable perfons among the Gentiles, manifested itself to be the Wisdom of God; as well as it appeared to be the Power of God, in Signs and Wonders unto the Jews. Unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Chrift the Power of God, and the Wisdom of God.

II. THE Words and Doctrine of the Text being thus largely explained, it remains that I conclude with drawing two > or three useful Inferences from what has been faid.

AND I, From hence it appears, how Foolish it is to endeavour, as fome have done, to oppofe Reafon and Revelation to each other. For both of them, are the glorious Gifts of God; and Each of them establishes and confirms the Other. The Quibbling indeed, and vain Methods of Difputing, among the greater part of the Heathen Philofophers; were only Sha

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dows of Reasoning, falfely fo called. But SER M. True Reafon, is the Great Glory of Hu- XII. mane Nature: And upon account of the Gofpel's agreeableness to This, it is, that the Apostle in the Text gives it that High Character, of being the Wisdom as well as the Power of God. To imagine Reafon and Revelation at variance with each other, is the like abfurdity, as fuppofing the Eye to fee contrary to what the Ear hears, or that God should make One Sense, or Faculty, to contradict another. Vain men may poorly and weakly fancy, that they can fometimes promote One Truth at the Expence of Another: But the Works of God, are uniform and confiftent, of a piece from One end to the other: And what our Saviour fays concerning Perfons, acting wifely and usefully in different ways; that Wisdom is juAtified of All her Children; may equally be applied to Things likewife, that Wif dom is juftified in All her Difpenfa-.

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2dly, Ir the Power and Authority, as XII. well as the Wisdom of God; that is, if Di

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vine Revelation, as well as argumentative Proof; be a juft Ground of Affent, or Evidence of Truth: Then ought we always to take great heed, leaft at any time we weaken the Strength of that Authority, by blending things of Humane invention with those whofe Inftitution is Divine. For whereas weak men think, by means of fuch confufion, to ftrengthen their Own Authority with the mixture of Divine; the Real Effect, on the contrary, always is, that the things of Divine Authority are infenfibly weakned, by being made lefs diftinguishable from what is merely Humane,

3dly and lastly, FROM the manner in which Chrift is here called The Wisdom and The Power of God, we may learn rightly to understand Other the like figurative expreffions frequently found in Scripture. For as Chrift is here stiled the Wisdom of God, because his Gospel is agreeable to True Reason; and the Power

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