Lege etiam Athena are for it, may be proved by his Promifes: Shall that which goran de Refurrecti- is beyond the power of Man, be therefore objected as a difficulty to God? 2. Yea, it is congruous to the Wisdom and Governing Juftice of God, that the fame Body which was partaker with the Soul in fin and duty, fhould be partaker with it in fufbis Theophraftus, ftering or felicity? Read Garbut of the Read En. Gazrus a where is bundfome 3. The Lord Jefus Chrift did purpofly die and rise again difcourfe of the Re- in his humane body, to put the Refurrection out of doubt, Surrection. by undenyable ocular demonftration, and by the certainty of belief. 4. There is fome Natural Reafon for the Refurrection in the Souls inclination to its Body. As it is unwilling to lay it down, it will be willing to reaffume it, when God fhall fay, The time is come. As we may conclude at night when they are going to bed, that the people of City and Countrey will rife the next morning, and put on their Cloaths, and not go naked about the streets, because there is in them a Natural inclination to rifing and to cloaths, and a natural averfness to lie still or to go uncloathed; fo may we conclude from the fouls natural inclination to its body, that it will reaffume it as foon as God confenteth. 5. And all our Objections which reafon from fuppofed contradictions vanifh; becaufe none of us all have fo much skill in Phyficks as to know what it is which individuateth this Numerical Body, and fo what it is which is to be reftored: But we all confefs, that it is not the prefent mass of flesh and humours, which being in a continual flux, is not the fame this year which it was the last, and may vanish long before we die. Obj. X. If Christ be indeed the Saviour of the World, why came be not into the World til it was 4000 years old? And why was he before revealed to fo few? and to them fo darkly? Did God care for none on earth, but a few Jews? or did be not care for the Worlds recovery till the later age, when it drew towards its end? Anfw. It is hard for the Governour of the World, by odinary means, to fatistie all felf-concerted perfons of the wildom and equity of his dealings. Bet 1. it belongeth not to us, but to our free Benefactor, to determine of the mea fure, fure, and feafon of his benefits: May he not do with his own as he lift? And thall we deny or question a proved truth, because the reafon of the ci.cun.ftances is unrevealed to us? If our Physician come to cure us of a mortal disease, would we reject him because he came not fooner? and because he cured not all others that were fick as well as us? 2. The Eternal Wisdom and Word of God, the second Perfon in the Trinity, was the Saviour of the World before he was incarnate. He did not only by his Undertaking, make his future performances valid, as to the merit and fatisfaction. neceffary to our deliverance; but he instructed Mankinde in If Philofophy be mrdicinal to the foolish order to their recovery, and Ruled them upon terms of grace, and fo did the work of a Redeemer or Mediator, even as les, Pythagoras, Soworld, why were ThaProphet, Pricft and King, before his Incarnation. He enacted erates, Plato, Ariftothe Covenant of Grace, that whoever repenteth and believeth tle, and Zeno born no fhall be faved; and fo gave men a conditional pardon of their Sooner? but the world. fuffered to lie fo long. in ignorance? An3. And though Repentance and the Love of God, was fwer this your felves, neceffary to all that would be faved, even as a conftitutive and you are answered.. cause of their falvation; yet that Faith in the Mediator, which fins. is but the means to the Love of God, and to fanctification, Arnobius answereth was not alwayes, nor in all places, in the fame particular this Objection, partly Articles neceffary as it is now, where the Gofpel is preached. norance of what God by alledging mans igBefore Chrifts coming, a more general belief might terve the did to former ages, turn, for mens falvation; without believing, that [This and partly by afforting, Jefus is the Chrift; that he was conceived by the Holy Ghott, Gods mercy to them.. adv. Gentes li. 2. born of the Virgin Mary, fuff red under Pontius Pilate; was crucified, dead, and buryed, and defcended to Hades, and rofe again the third day, and afcended into Heaven, &c.] And as more is necessary to be believed, fince Chrifts incarnation and refurrection than before; fo more was before neceffary to the fewes, who had the Oracles of God, and had more revealed to them than to other Nations who had lefs revealed: And now more is neceffary where the Gofpel cometh, than where it doth not. 4. So that the Gentiles had a Saviour before Chrifts Incarnation, and not only the Jewes. They were reprieved from Legal Juttice, and not dealt with by God upon the proper terms of the Covenant of Works, or meer Nature: They had all of them much of that mercy which they had Eee 3: for Obj. Quid vifum eft forfeited; which came to them by the Grace of the Redeemer. ut ante horas paucu- They had time and helps to turn to God, and a course of las fofpitator Chriftus cœli ex arcibus means appointed them to ufe, in order to their recovery and mitteretur? Refp. falvation: According to the ufe of which they fhall be judgQue caufa eft quod ed: They were not with the Devils left remediless, and ferius hyems, æftas, fhut out of all hope, under final defperation: No one ever Non minus inficias perifhed in any Age or Nation of the World, who by benec lieving in a mercifull, pardoning, holy God, was recovered to promptum eft cul- love God above all. And if they did not this, they were all quam Dei mentem without a juft excufe. autumnus fiant ? nefcire nos : modis ordinaverit res videre, aut quibus 5. The courfe of Grace as that of Nature, doth wifely fuas, homo animal proceed from low degrees to higher, and bringeth not things coecum & ipfum fe to perfection at the firft: The Sun was not made the firft nefciens ullis poteft day of the Creation; nor was Man made, till all things were rationibus confequi- prepared for him. The Churches Infancy was to go before tur ut infecta fiant its Maturity. We have fome light of the Sun, before it rife; quæ facta funt, & much more before it come to the height: As Christ now amittat res fidem,quæ teacheth his Church more plainly, when he is himself gone poteftatibus eft mon- into Glory, even by his Paftors whom he fitteth for that ftratum, Id. ib. Nec continuo fequi. work, and by his Spirit; fo did he (though more obfcurely yet fufficiently) teach it before he came in the flesh, by Prophets and Priefts: His work of Salvation confifteth in bringing men to live in Love and Obedience: And his way of Teaching them his faving doctrine is by his Minifters Nam quod nobis ob Without, and by his Spirit within: And thus he did before jectare confueftis,no. his coming in flefh, and thus he doth fince: we that are born vellam effe Religio- fince his coming, fee not his Perfon, any more than they nem noftram, & ante who were born before. But we have his Word, Minifters, dies propemodum and Spirit, and fo had they: His reconciling facrifice was vos potuiffe antiquam effectual morally in effe cognito & volito before the perfor & patriam linquere, mance of it: And the means of reconciling our minds to c. ratione iftad in God, were fufficient in their kind before, though more full renditur nulla: Quid enim fi hoc modo and excellent fince his coming. paucos natam, neq; 2 culpam velimus infligere, prioribus illis & antiquiffimis feculis, quod inventis frugibus glandes fpreverint, quod corticibus contegi, & aniciri defierint pellibus, poftquam veltis excogitate eft textili, Commune eft omnibus & ab ipfis pene incunabulis traditum, bona malis anteferre, inutilibus utilia præponere Convenit ut infpiciatis non factum, nec quid reliquerimus opponere, fed fecuti quid fimus potiffimum contueri. Arnob. ib. l. 2. And he next instanceth, what abundance of things they had then innovated at Rome. Et poftea-fed novellum nomen eft noftrum, & ante dies paucos Religio eft nata quam fequimur: Ref. Ut intérim concedimQuid eft in negotiis hominum, quod vel opere corporis & manibus fiat, vel folius animæ difciplina & cognitione teneatur, quod non ex aliquo cœperit tempore? Philofophia, Mufica, Aftronomia, &c. Id. ib. p. 24. If If you would not be deluded into Infidelity by this objection (which indeed is one of the greateft difficulties of Faith) you must not further one error by another. 1. Think not that God is hired or perfwaded by Chrift as againft his will to forgive mens fins and fave their fouls, or to do them any good. Underftand, that no good cometh to man, or any Creature, but totally from Gods will and Love, who is the Original and Eternal Goodness. All the queftion is butof the modus conferendi, the way of his Conveyance: And then it will not feem incredible, that he fhould give out his mercy by degrees, and with fome diverfity. 2. Think not that Chriftianity doth teach men, that all thofe who were not of the Jewish Nation or Church then, or that are not now of the Chriftian Church, were fo caft off and forfaken by God as the Devils are, to be left as utterly hopeless or remedilefs: nor that they were upon no other terms for falvation, than man in innocency was under; which was [Obey perfectly and live; or if thou fin, thou shalt die ]: For this had been to leave them as hopeless as the Devils, when once they had finned. 3. And think not that Chrift can fhew no mercy, nor do any thing towards the falvation of a finner, before he is known himself to the finner; efpecially before he is known as an incarnate Mediator, or one that is to be incarnate. He ftruck down Paul, and fpike to him from Heaven, before Paul knew him: He fent Philip to the Eunuch, before he knew him, and Peter to Cornelius, and fendeth the Gospel to Heathen Nations, before they know him. If the Apostles themselves, even after that they had lived long with Christ, and heard his preaching, and feen his Miracles, yea and preached and wrought Miracles themselves, did not yet underftand that he must suffer, and die, and rise again, and fend down the Spirit, &c. you may conjecture by this what the common Faith of those before Chrifts coming was, who were faved. 4. Think not therefore that Chrift hath no way or degree of effectual Teaching, but by the exprefs doctrine of his Incarnation, Death and Refurrection, which is now. THE GOSPEL. 5. And think not that all the mercies which Pagan Na tions have from God, are no acts of Grace, nor have any tendency to their converfion and falvation. Doubtlefs, it is the fame Redeemer, even the eternal Wisdom and Word of God, who before his Incarnation gave greater mercy to the Religionis autoritas Jews, and leffer to the Gentiles: He doth by thefe mercies non eft tempore efti- oblige or lead men to Repentance and Gratitude, and reveal manda fed numine. God as mercifull and ready to forgive all capable finners: Id. ib. Yet next be As even under the Law, Exod 34. he revealed himself fulfaith, Our Relig on is the old it, because God lyer to Mofes, The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and grais fo, though cb ft cicus, long-f ffering and abundant in goodness and truth came but lately to teach keeping mercy for thon funds, forgiving iniquity, tranfgrefion it us better. and fin, &c.] though he will by no means (no not by Christ) clear the guilty, that is, either fay to the wicked, thou art juft, or pardon any uncapable fubje&t. Doub lefs, mercy bindeth Heathens to know God as me ciful, and to love him, and to improve that mercy to their attainment of more, and to feek after further knowledge, and to be better than they are; and they are fet under a certain course of Means, and appointed Duty, in order to their recovery and filvation: Elfe it might be faid, that they have nothing to do for their own recovery, and confquently fin not by omitting it. By all this you may perceive, that Chrift did much by Mercies and Teaching before his Incarnation, and fince for all the World, which hath a tendency to their converfion, recovery and falvation. Obj. XI. The conception of a Virgin, without man, is improbaile; and must all depend upon the credit of her own word: "And the meanness of his Parentage, breeding and condition, doth more increase the difficulty. Anfw. 1. It was meet that the birth of Chrift should begin -in a Miracle, when his life was to be fpent and finished ir Miracles. 2. It is no more than was promised before by the Prophet, If. 7. 14. A Virein shall conceive and bear a Son, &c. And why fhould the fulfilling of a Prophcfie by miracle be incredible? 3. It is neither above nor against the Power, Wisdom or Love of God, and therefore it fhould not feet incredible. There is no contradiction or impoflibility in its nor any thing contrary to Senfe or Reafon. Realon faith indeed, that it is above the power of man, and above the common course of Nature; but not that it is above the Power of |