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SECT. IV. What Evidence they gave of believing his true Deity.

THE fourth thing I propofed was to fhew what Indications the Difciples may be fuppofed to give tending towards a Belief of his Godhead.

1. Upon fome fpecial Occafions they worShipped him. The Leper that was cleanfed worshipped Chrift, Matth. 8. 2. The Ruler that fought the Life of his Daughter, wor Shipped him, Matth. 9. 18. The Woman of Canaan worshipped him, faying, Lord, help me, Matth 15. 25. But all this was before he wrought the Miracle in their favour; and probably it fignifies no more than a great degree of Humility in the manner of their Petition, perhaps a bowing the Knee, or falling on the Face at his Feet.

The blind Man, who was healed, worship ped him alfo, when he profeft himfelf to be the Son of God, John 9. 38. and his Difciples that were in the Ship worshipped him, when he walk'd on the Water and fuppreft the Storm, Matth. 14. 32, 33.

But it may be doubted whether all this arifes to the Notion of Religious and Divine WorShip, fince this Word is fometimes used in Scripture, referring to moral or civil Honours paid to our Fellow-Creatures, 1 Chron. 29. 20. They bawed their Heads and worshipped the Lord

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and the King, Matth. 18. 26. The Servant fell down and worshipped his Lord. Rev. 3. 9. where Chrift himself fays to the Church at Sardis, I will make them to come and worShip before thy Feet. And perhaps fome that knew not that Chrift was God, might pay this fort of Worship to him here on Earth, i. e. a meer high degree of Reverence and Obeifance under the furprizing Influence of the Miracles which they heard of, or which they faw.

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When one of the ten Lepers which were healed, came back, Luke 17. 15. it is faid, with a loud Voice be glorify'd God, and fell down on his Face at the Feet of Chrift, giving him Thanks, and he was a Samaritan. Now it may be obferved here, that the cleanfed Leper first glorify'd God, as the great Author and first Caufe of his healing, and then fell down on his Face in a worshipping Pofture at the Feet of Chrift to give him Thanks, as the glorious Means and miraculous Inftrument of his Deliverance, not knowing that Chrift who healed him, was himself the true God.

Thus thefe Perfons did not feem to worfhip our Lord as the true and eternal God with proper divine Worship. divine Worship. Yet it feems probable that he would have fcarce accepted of any. fuch Imitation of divine Worship, or indulged any thing that had the Appearance of it, if he had not been true God. Many Perfons might pay Chrift this high Degree of

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Honour and Proftration without Belief of his Deity, tho' perhaps he would have refused it, had he been a meer Creature; even as Cornelius worshipped Peter, Acts 10. 25. when we have no reason to believe that he thought Peter was the true God: Yet Peter forbid it, left it fhould have any Appearance of afluming divine Dignity to himself.

2. Simon Peter was greatly furprized at the multitude of Fishes taken at once, when he let down his Net at the direction of Chrift, Luk. 5. 4, &c. When he faw it, He fell down at Jefus Knees, faying, Depart from me, for I am a finful Man, O Lord. Which Exprefion may feem to import, "Thou art fo ho

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ly and pure, O Lord, and haft fomething "fo divine in thee, and fo much like God, "who hates all Sin, that fuch a poor finful "Wretch as I am, have too much Defile<c ment in me to come fo near thee, and may have juft reafon to dread thy Pre"fence." Whether he might at this Scafon have an overwhelming Glimpse of his Divinity, it is not easy to say: But it may be cafily faid, that this Miracle alone was not fufficient to give a juft convincing Proof of his Godhead.

3. The Apostles feem to make a Petition to Chrift for fpiritual Mercies in a way of divine Worship, Luke 17. 5. and the Apostles faid to the Lord, Increase our Faith; which Addrefs feems to have more of the Appearance

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of Religious Worship paid to him by them, than any other Expreffion I know of before the Refurrection of Chrift.

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Yet fome would question whether this Petition did evidence their firm Belief of his Godhead For when they had seen him put forth his miraculous Power on the Bodies of Men in fuch a glorious manner, when they found that he knew the Thoughts of their Hearts, and had an inward acquaintance with their Souls, which appeared in several Inftances, and when they had feen and heard him forgive Sins, Matt. 9. 2. and Luke 5. 20. perhaps they might imagine that God had given him this fpiritual Power over their Souls, and that he was commiflioned to exercife this Power (even as he commiffioned his Disciples to beal the Sick, to raise the Dead, &c. Matt. 10. 8. and to forgive Sins, John 20. 23.) tho' he were not in his own Nature the true and eternal God. For it is remarkable, that when he forgave the Sins of the Man whom he healed

• The meer Knowledge of their Thoughts was not fufficient to prove the Divinity of Chrift, finee God has been pleased in former times to communicate this Knowledge to his Prophets; fo Abijab knew the Thoughts of Jeroboam's Wife, for God had told him. 1 King 14. 5, 6. The Lord faid to Abijab, Behold the Wife of Jeroboam cometh to ask a thing of thee, . And much lefs can we fuppofe the Difciples in that day of Darkness and Ignorance did from thence infer his Deity. Yet I think that Expreffion of Chrift, Rev. 2. 23 Ye shall know that I am be which fearcheth the Reins and the Hearts, compared with Jer. 11. 20. & 17. 10. gives us a good Argument for his Deity, or that he is one with that God who fearches the Heart, as his peculiar Prerogative; but this was long after his Afcent to Heaven.

healed of the Palfy, tho the Scribes and Pharifees faid, Who can forgive Sins but God? and fo charged him with Blafphemy; yet the Multitude only marvelled and glorified God who had given fuch Power unto Men, Matt. 9.8. Now the Multitude spoke honeftly the Senfe of their Hearts, but the Scribes ftretched his Conduct to an Accufation of Blafphemy.

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There is a parallel Cafe in Mark 9. 22. where the Man brought his Son who was pof Seft with the Devil, to our bleffed Lord Mafter, fays he, if thou canft do any thing, have compaffion on us and help us. Here it is evident that the Man had not fo much as a firm Belief whether Chrift could work this Miracle or no, much lefs can he be fuppofed to believe that Chrift was the true and eternal God: then presently afterwards he cryed out, Lord, I believe, help thou mine Unbelief. Now the utmost that we can reasonably imagine his fudden Faith arrived ar, was a Belief that Chrift was able to cast out the Devil and cure his Son; yet he defires Chrift to help his Unbelief. Now the meer fudden Expression of this Requeft will hardly prove the poor Man was convinced of the Godhead of Chrift; for tis poffible he might mean only, Shewthy power, and give fume further Teftimony to affift my Faith. But if he did believe Chrift's Deity, then we must suppose him tranfported by a fudden divine Impulse

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