ral and harmonious evidence of the whole Gospel, the Unitarian arrays a few selected and mutilated passages, which, if taken singly, may bear a sound which shall seem to concur with his favourite opinions; and he rests his whole system on them, without taking into the account the tenor of our Saviour's doctrine in general, as delivered by himself and his Apostles. Those single passages, like all others, are best explained in that sense which the context, and general tenor of the Scripture in which they are placed, manifestly points out. But the doctrine which contradicts the unbeliever's construction of them, cannot be so overthrown; for it is the uniform doctrine of the Christian revelation. Every thing in Scripture points to the same evidence: “If these," as said our Saviour to the Pharisees, who were, like the Unitarians, unbelievers in his Godhead, "If these should "hold their peace, the stones would im mediately cry out." The Socinians must know, that their method of torturing the words of Scripture, in order to force a particular interpretation upon them, would not be endured, if they were so to treat the common writings of men. And they shew more respect for their own conceits, than for God's revelations, when they force and misconstrue his holy word, that they may represent it as utterly inconsistent with itself, rather than bend their pride to bow to a doctrine which they cannot comprehend, though it be plainly revealed, and expressly sanctioned by the word of the Most High'. 66 1 Bishop Pearson observes, on the question of the nature of Christ our Judge, "There is an original, supreme, autocratorical, judiciary power. There is a "judiciary power derived, delegated, given by commis. "sion. Christ, as God, hath the first, together with the "Father and the Holy Ghost. Christ, as man, hath "the second, from the Father expressly, from the Holy "Ghost concomitantly; for the Father hath given him 66 authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son "of man.' ." Pearson on the Creed, Art. vii. Chrysostom, on a question of the punctuation of John v. 27. shews what the Church then held on this point: yap δια τετο ελαβε κρισιν ότι ανθρωπος εςι, (επι τι εκωλυε παντας ανθρώπους είναι κριτας;) αλλ' επειδη της αρρητου εσίας εκείνης εςιν υἱος, δια τουτο εςι κριτης, &c. Ου Theophylact says the same: Την γαρ κρισιν δεδωκε τω Υίῳ ὁ Πατήρ, ουκ ότι Υίος ανθρωπου εςι, αλλ' ότι Θεός, &c. Potestatem dedit ei et judicium facere quoniam filius hominis est. Puto nihil esse manifestius. Nam quia Filius Dei est æqualis Patri, non accipit hanc potestatem judicii faciendi, sed habet illam cum Patre in occulto. Accipit autem illam, ut boni et mali eum videant judicantem, quia filius hominis est. Augustin. de Trin. lib. i. c. 13. SERMON VI. ON THE INSPIRATION OF SCRIPTURE. 2 TIM. iii, 16, All Scripture is given by inspiration of God. WHATEVER be the errors or heresies which have at any time intruded themselves into the Church of Christ, and how far soever they may have gone astray from its genuine faith, yet all have been contented to shelter themselves under the authority of holy Scripture. Others, whoever they be, who have set forth strange doctrines, have been satisfied with bringing, by art and contrivance, certain insulated and detached passages in support of their theories; and though this was done in violation of its uniform tenor and gene, ral precept, yet they seldom ventured to M do more. But the modern Unitarian has taken, as we shall see, a bolder step. He has made more daring inroads upon sacred truth; and, with his eyes open-for the utmost stretch of charity cannot suppose the contrary, seeing that the system of his party is irreconcileable with the word of God, as it stands delivered by him—has endeavoured to bend that holy word to an accommodation to his own system. The charge is indeed one of the heaviest description. But it admits of indubitable proof, in spite of his general profession of respect for the word of Divine revelation. The faith which the Unitarians now profess to hold concerning the Holy Scriptures is this: That they "a contain a reve"lation from God, and that they are the "only authentic repositories of his re"vealed will." But they declare, that they "discover no evidence of plenary in❝spiration of the Scriptures of the Old "and New Testament." And again, they admit that "the Bible, the New Testa a Belsham, p. 7. |