Saying? without fo much as Sir, or Mafter to preface it. Whereby it is plain, they either at that time doubted whether he knew what Offenge the Pharifees took, or elfe they gave him a Reproof for fpeaking fuch things as fhould offend the Pharifees, and a Caution left he did it again. But either of thefe Suppofitions fufficiently manifeft they did not believe him to be the true God.

So when he fpake of his Death and Refurrection, Matth. 16. 22. it is faid, Peter took him and began to rebuke him, faying, This fhall not be unto thee, Lord. Now we can hardly fuppofe that Peter would have been fo free as to take up fuch Language to his great Creator, and to give fuch a rebuke to his God.

I might add also, that tho' the Virgin Mary under the Influence of Rapture and Infpiration expreffes herself thus, Luke 1. 47. My Spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour, yet if he had firmly believed her Son to be her God, fhe would not have chid him fo feverely when he was twelve Years old, Luke 2. 48. Son, why haft thou dealt thus with us? because he stay'd in the Temple, and was left behind, when they travelled homeward.

4. If they had thought Jefus Christ was the true God, they would never have tryed to entertain the Curiofity of their Mafter, by showing him how magnificent the Buildings of the Temple were, Matth. 24. 1. His

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Difciples

Difciples came unto him for to show him the Buildings of the Temple; and one of them faid to him, Mafter, fee what manner of Stones and Buildings are here, Mark. 13. 1. and as St. Luke expreffes it, How it was adorned with goodly Stones. They must needs know this was but a poor Entertainment to pleafe that glorious Being, who had formed and built this Earth, and had spread abroad the ftarry Canopy of the Heavens.

5. They had frequent Opportunity of ob ferving that Christ knew their Thoughts, and on this occafion they once took notice, John 16. 30. and faid, Now we are fure that thou knoweft all things. Now if they had been convinced that he was the true God, they would certainly have declar'd their Senfe and Faith of his Godhead, and not have contented themfelves with this poor Inference; By this we believe that thou cameft forth from God, i. c. Thou hadft a Being, or didft dwell with the Father, and art come from him. And even when they arose to this degree of Belief, our Lord takes notice, that their Faith had not been very long advanced fo far as this, or at leaft, it had not been long establish'd and firmly rooted in this Point: For . 31. Jefus anfcered them, Do ye now believe?

After all, I might observe this also concerning Martha and Mary, who were well acquainted with Jefus, and for whom he had a peculiar and fpecial Affection (as well as for

Lazarus

Lazarus their Brother) John 11. 6. and he had fo far acquainted them with his Perfon and Office, that they believed him to be the Chrift, or Meffiah, the Son of God which should come into the World, . 27. Yet neither of them ¥. speak of any Faith they had, that he had Power in himself to raise the Dead, tho' Jefus feems to have urged them to it, . 25. The utmost Faith which they exprefs is this, Lord, if thou hadft been here, my Brother had not died. *. 21, and 32. and .22. Iknow that even now what foever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee.

Upon the whole Survey of things it appears that the Disciples during the Life of Chrift had not arrived to any firm Belief of his Godhead : And if at any time they had a Glimpse of his Deity, it feems rather to be under the Influence of a Surprize and Rapture, beyond the level of that imperfe? Difpenfation, and beyond the common Exercife of their Faith in that day.

And indeed Thomas feems to be under the Power of fuch a divine Rapture, when even after the Refurrection of Chrift he was favoured with fo fenfible a Conviction, and he cried out, My Lord and my God; which is the first plain and certain Indication of any of the Apostles believing the Deity of Christ.

Thefe things will give occafion to three or four more Questions, (viz.)

Queft. I. Did the Difciples believe him then to be a mere common Man?

Anfw. 1. No, I think not: For tis very probable that they were informed of his extraordinary Conception, and his Birth of the Virgin Mary his Mother, fo that he came into the World in a diviner way, and superior to other Men, having God himfelf for the Father even of his Flesh: And thus the Holy thing that was born of the Virgin was call'd the Son of God, Luke 1. 35.

'Tis probable alio that they believed that fublime and near Relation in which his Soul ftood to God, being the Son of God in a fuperior Senfe to all other Men, even before his Incarnation; and that he had a pre-existent State, where he dwelt with God, and whence he came forth from God when he came into this World: Thus he was eminently the Son of God, as to his Body and his Soul.

They alfo believed him to be the Meffiah, their anointed King, and the higheft and greatcft of all the Prophets, the Redeemer of Ifrael, and their Saviour, and that in this Senfe alfo he was the Son of God.

They knew him alfo to be indued with the Spirit of God in a moft glorious and eminent degree; or as John the Baptift expreflès it, to have the Spirit given him without measure, John 3. 34.

And they knew the peculiar and intimate Prefence of the Father was with him, which he fo often taught them in exprefs Words, that the Father was in him and He in the Father;

and

and that He and the Father were one: yet they did scarce arrive at the Belief of a perfonal Union of the Human Nature with the Divine.

All these things joined together exalted his Character in their Efteem, far above the common Level of Mankind.

Queft. II. If they did not believe'the Godhead of Chrift who had fuch fpecial Advantages above other Men, may it not well be doubted whether there were fufficient Proofs of his Divinity ever given to Mankind before his Death?

Anfo. 1. By feveral Scriptures of the Old Teftament, I think the Godhead of the Meffiah might have been proved, and when they had compared thefe Prophecies with the Actions and Life of Chrift, they had plain Evidences that he was this Meffiah: The Difciples therefore might have had reasonable ground to have inferred this Doctrine of his Deity. But fo ignorant was that Generation, so overrun with national Miftakes, fo unacquainted with Scripture, and the true Meaning of it, that the Apoffles in that Day did not believe many other things concerning Chrift, which were written in the Old Teftament in as plain and exprefs Language as his Godhead. Such were the Predictions of his Sorrows and Sufferings, his Death and his Rifing again, and his final Exaltation: But we have Chrift's own Word for it, even after he rofe again, that they were Fools

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