Oh, that I could prevail with you to love Chrift, and to have ftrong defires after him. Alas! firs, if you do not believe and part with all your iniquities, you must part with Chrift at laft! and what a fad parting will that be, to part with God, Chrift and heaven, when thou fhalt come to know what thou haft loft, by hugging thy darling corruptions? O what a fad condition will it be! and therefore, I beseech you think of it in time, and believe in your Saviour, that your fouls may be saved in the day of Christ.

SERMON V.

The MIGHTY GOD.

CANT. v. 16. He is altogether Lovely. Doctrine, Jefus Chrift is Infinitely and Superlatively Lovely.

FINISHED the fecond title, which is given to Chrift in fcripture, king of kings. I now proceed to a third, that is, Mighty God: One of Chrift's titles is, The Mighty God. You have it in Ifa. xix. 6. he is there called, The Mighty God.

Beloved, I have fhewed you from the fecond title, That Chrift is a great king, a king above all kings, a king over all kings, and the king of kings, and that his laws are

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moft equal, his fubjects most happy, having no other tax laid on them than love and fear. But now this title holdeth him forth, not only as a great king, but as a great God, before whom all kings and kingdoms are but as a luttle drop, or a small duft, ifa. xl. From this tile, The Mighty God, I fhall lay down this propofition, That Jefus Chrift is a true and perfe&t God.

That Jefus Christ is true and perfect God, that is the point which I fhall infift upon.

There are two forts of people in the world,, that deny my doctrine, and the Deity of Jefus Chrift, who fay the fecond perfon in the Trinity, is not God.

1. The unbelieving Jews. If Chrift had come as the Jews dreamed, as a great Monarch, treading upon nothing but crowns and fcepters, and the necks of kings, with all the Potentates of the earth to attend his train, I fay, had Chrift come in this worldly glory, pomp and power, then it may be the Jews would have believed on him, it may be then he should have been their God But now, beloved, becaufe Chrift came poorly and meanly, and made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a Servant, as the fcripture faith, Phil. ii. 7. He took none of this gallantry nor bravery upon him, but made himself of no reputation, and therefore the Jews flighted and difowned him. The Turks mock us at this day,

with our crucified God; and fome of the Heathens faid," They would not believe

in a hanged God!" Obleffed Jefus, thus art thou reproached and defpifed by the unbelieving world, because thou came poorly, and died fhamefully for our fins. They who defpife the death of the lamb, fhall furely feel the wrath of the lanib. They who turn away their ears from hearing Chrift's voice now, Chrift will turn away his ears from hearing

their cries then.

2. There are others who deny the Deity of Chrift, and fome feditious people in this nation, who fay that Chrift is but meerman, and that every faint is as much God as Chrift: And further, they fay, that to equal Chrift with God is high blafphemy. They that will not own Chrift at his firft coming, he. will not own them at his fecond coming; they that will not obey the truth of God revealed from heaven unto them, fhall fuffer the wrath of God revealed from heaven against them.

Oh! ye blafphemers, ye fay, the fon is not God, the father faith, he is God; now who fpeaks true, God or you? Let God be true, and every man a liar.

That it is fo, I fhall give you moft clear proof, exprefs fcriptures fpeak it forth, that Jefus Chrift is true and perfect God, Tit. ii. 13. fays the Apoftle there, Looking for the bleffed hope, and glorious appearance of the great God. Mark, Chrift is here not only called

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called God, but great God. O! faints, he that came from heaven to make us righteous, will also come from heaven to make us glorious: Looking for the bleffed hope, and glori ous appearance of Fefus Chrift. Not only fo, but Chrift is called mighty God, Ifa. vi. 9. Wonderful counsellor, the mighty GOD. Nay, not only mighty God, but again, Chrift is GOD bleed for ever, Rom. ix. 5. Not only God bleffed for ever, but the true GoD, John, v. 20. Jefus Chrift is here called the true God. Not only the true God, but a GOD for ever and ever, Heb. i. 8. Mark here, unto the Son he faid, Thy throne is for ever and ever. The father he calls the fon God himfelf, and therefore well may we: Unto the Son he faid, Thy throne O GOD is for ever and ever. Thus you fee the doctrine fully proved, that Jefus Chrift is true and perfect God.

But, beloved, because the deity of Chrift is fo much questioned at this day, and this being one of the serious and chiefeft points of divinity, therefore I fhall give you some confiderations, demonftrations or arguments, to fortify you against this great error beforemetioned.

Firf, That Jefus Chrift is true and perfect God, he is for time co-eternal, for nature co-effential, for dignity co-equal with the Father.

1. For time co-eternal, John, xvii. 5. O!

Father

Father glorify thou me with thyself, with that glory which I had with thee before the world was: You fee here, firs, Chrift was before the world was, Chrift was from everlasting, from the beginning, Prov. viii. 23. fpeaking concerning Chrift, I was fet from everlasting, from the beginning, before even the earth was.

And therefore Chrift is called the Everlasting Father, Ifa. ix. 6. So in Rev. i. 8. Chrift there fpeaking of himself, fays he, I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, which was, which is, and is to comethe Almighty. Mark, firs, Chrift is the fame before time, in time, and after time; which was, and is, and is to come. Now, beloved, none can be eternal but God, but Chrift is eternal, and therefore he is God, and coeternal with his Father.

2. He is for nature co-effential; I and my Father are one, faith Chrift, John, x. 30. So again, 1 John, v. 7. There are three bear record in heaven, the Father, word, and Spirit, thefe three are one. Mark, here they are one, John, xiv. 8. When Philip defired to fee the father, Shew us the father, and it is enough; fays Chrift in the 9th and 10th verfes, He that hath feen me, hath feen the Father: How fo? For I am in the Father, and the Father in me. So that you fee Chrift is more than mere man, he is one with the Father. Oh firs, he is the Theanthropos, the God-man; if you make the