But as to the Proof that he himself was the Meffiah, he did not labour this Point fo much by any long or direct Difcourfes on this Subject, as by his preaching Grace and Duty, fo as never Man fpake before; by his Miracles and his Appearance upon all occafions, with the Marks and Characters of the Meffiah upon him. To prove this, I fhall give but one Inftance inftead of many: When John the Baptift fent his Disciples to ask him whether he was the Meffiah or no, Matth. 11.3. Art thou be that should come, or do we look for another? our Lord answered them only, by bidding them tell John their Master, that the Blind received Sight, the Lame walk, the Dead are raifed, and to the Poor the Gospel is preached; and let John and his Followers judge by thefe Characters whether I am the Meffiah or no. Tho' I confefs there are two or three Occafions alfo which he took to profefs himself the Meffiah in direct and plain Words, John 4. 29. and 9. 37.

3. He often takes occafion to declare, that he had a Being before he came into this World. John 3. 13. No Man hath afcended up to Heaven, but he that came down from Heaven, even the Son of Man, &c. John 5.38. I came down from Heaven not to do mine own Will, but the Will of him that fent me. . 51. I am the living Bread which came down from Heaven. John 8. 14. I know whence I came and whither I go.

John

Qu. II. John 16. 28. I came forth from the Father, and am come into the World; again, I leave the World, and go to the Father. And his Difciples understood him in the plain literal Senfe, . 29. for immediately his Difciples faid unto him, Lo, now thou fpeakeft plainly, and fpeakeft no Parable. John 8. 58. Verily I fay unto you, Before Abraham was, I am. And in his Prayer to his Father, John 17. 5. Now, O Father, glorify me with thine own felf with the Glory which I had with thee before the World was. . 24. My Glory which thou hast given me, for thou lovedft me before the Foundation of the World.

4. He affumes to himself the Character of the Son of God, and that in a more eminent and fuperior way than Men or Angels are the Sons of God; for he calls himself the only begotten Son of God, John 13. 16, 18. The beloved Son of God, John 5. 20. which he alfo took care that his Difciples should know, twice by a Voice from Heaven; Luke 3. 22. at his Baptism, and Luke 9. 35. at his Tranffiguration. He told them alfo that he was fuch a Son of God as knew the Father fo as none befides knew him, Luke 10. 22. fuch a Son as that the Father fhow'd him all things that himself did, John 5. 20. and that whatfoever things the Father doth, thefe doth the Son likewife, . 19. that the Father has committed all Judgment to him, that all Men fhould honour the Son as they honour

the

the Father, . 22, 23. and that the Dead Should hear the Voice of the Son of God and live; and as the Father hath Life in himfelf, fo hath be given to the Son to have Life in himself: which things cannot be fuppofed to be spoken of any meer Creature, and therefore by this fort of Language, he gave fome Intimations of his Union with Godhead, or his Divinity, tho' the meer Name Son of God be not conftrued to fo divine a Senfe.

5. He fometimes takes opportunity to acquaint them with his most intimate Union or Oneness with the Father, and his peculiar Communion with him. For when he fays, John 10. 29. My Father, who gave me my Sheep, is greater than all; yet he adds in the next Verfe, I and my Father are one: which I think are Intimations of a fuperior and inferior Nature, and that the divine Nature of the Father was in him. This alfo he discovers in fome other places. John 10. 38. Believe the Works that I do, that ye may know and believe that the Father is in me and I in him. John 14. 7---11. If ye had known me, ye would have known my Father alfo: and from henceforth ye know him, and have feen him. Philip faith unto him, Lord, fhew us the Father, and it fufficeth us. Jefus faith unto him, Have I been fo long time with you, and yet haft thou not known me, Phitip? He that hath feen me, hath feen the

Father;

Father; and how fayft thou, Shew us the Father? Believeft thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? The Words that I speak unto you, I fpeak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doth the Works. Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me; or elfe believe me for the very Works fake.

6. There are alfo feveral other Intimations that our Lord gave of his Divinity, tho' it was not the Doctrine that he thought fit at that time to teach in plain and exprefs Language.

When he tells them, that where two or three are gathered together in my Name, there am I in the midst of them. Matt. 18. 20. the Greek words are in, which feem to denote a divine Omniprefence. When he fays to Peter, I will give unto thee the Keys of the Kingdom of Heaven, Matt. 16. 14. it founds God-like. When he promises the Difciples, I will give you a Mouth and Wifdom, which all your Adverfaries fall not be able to gain-fay, Luk. 21. 15. When John 2. 19. Destroy this Temple and I will raife it up in three days; he imitates divine Language fo much, that it might have led the Difciples onward to the Belief of his Deity.

His active Behaviour and Conduct in feveral Inftances was fuch, as there is fome rea fon to think he would fcarce have practifed, had he not been true God; fuch as his taking

frequent

frequent occafion to fhew that he knew their Hearts and their fecret Thoughts; his Godlike way in working fome of his Miracles, which feems to be the very fame which a God incarnare would have used : his Sovereign and Godlike manner in cafting out Devils, and his conveying miraculous Gifts, in the fame Way that God himself would probably have done; and his giving the Holy Spirit to his Difciples, in fuch a manner, John 20. 21, 22. my Father bath fent me, fo fend I you s and when he had thus faid, he breathed on them, and faith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghoft, which feems to be an Imitation of God creating the human Soul of Adam, Gen. 2. 7. He breathed into his Noftrils the Breath of Life, and Man became a living Soul. Tho' it must be noted indeed that this was after his Refurrection, and fo comes not within the reach of my present Enquiry.

As

His Paffive Behaviour alfo was fuch as we can hardly fuppofe he would have practifed, had he not been God; for he admitted Perfons on feveral occafions to worship him, which we find both Angels and Apoitles always forbid, left they should feem to affume the divine Prerogative and Honour: He did not deny his Godhead when the Jews charged him with affuming Equality with God, &c. feveral of which Circumftances, both of the active and paflive Conduct of our Lord Jefus Christ, are fet in the fairest and ftrongG

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