LXXXVIII. And immediately he received his fight. Mark X. 52. HE primary defign of our Saviour's miracles, THE pl was to authenticate his divine commiffion. His fecondary defign was, to inftruct mankind-to reprove them to benefit them, and to encourage them in acts of beneficence by his example. On fome of these miracles of the inftructive kind interpreters have been fond of founding allegories. Tho this is at best a fanciful mode of interpretation, and ought with great caution to be indulged; yet the miracle before us of healing the blind man, refolves itfelf fo happily into allegorical instruction, that it is hardly poffible to take the eye from viewing it in this light. We are people, We are all blind by nature, who fat in darknefs, till we faw a great light.. If we have faith in Christ, and believe him to be our enlightener, and Saviour, we eagerly come to him for affiftance. We acknowledge him to be the on ly mean, through which we can be reftored to our fpiritual fight. And tho we may ftill feel we have not yet attained thofe holy difpofitions, which we aspire after; yet we continue our prayers to God with importunity; and there is no doubt, but in the end we shall be heard. For LXXXIX. For as in Adam all die, even fo in Chrift fhall all be made alive.-1 Cor. xv. 22. THE HESE are two of the most wonderful propo fitions, that ever were offered to the confideration of mankind. That God fhould create a favoured beingplace him in a fituation of perfect happiness-yet at the fame time, in a state of trial, with which, it appears from the event, he was fo ill-fitted to contend-that again, with a view to restore him, the fon of God fhould be born of a human parentfhould be clothed with flesh-fhould be fubject to the infirmities of humanity-and at last suffer death for the fins of mankind-are a chain of facts, in furveying which we are loft in aftonifhment. How are we to receive fuch wonderful events? Difcredit them certainly, fays the deift. But But is that fafe? Do we not fee, that thefe two propofitions are plainly the parts of one plan? Do they not depend upon each other? And are not these doctrines exprefsly contained in books, which are handed down to us with every mark of authenticity? We ought then furely not to hazard the danger of witholding our affent, till we have fairly, on found argument, difcredited the books-the paffages-and all the arguments, on which our belief of these doctrines, wonderful as they are, depend. It would be candid in the deift alfo to confider whether his reafon is not foiled by innumerable difficulties in the natural, and moral world, as well as in religion, N. B. This might be lengthened into a fermon, by adducing heads of argument, on which we believe thefe doctrines; and giving fhort anfwers to the objections, on which the deift difcredits them. Comparing XC. Comparing fpiritual things with spiritual.—1 Cor. ii. 13. THE HE comparifon I mean here to make is between the Trinitarian and Unitarian doc trines. In this dispute the first point to be settled, is, how far each fide receives the fcripture as a test of truth. By fome Unitarians the fcripture is acknowledged only in part. When this is the cafe, the debate ends at once: the Trinitarian infifts on the belief of the whole canonical body of fcripture. He does not prefs the Unitarian with difputed texts; particularly with that celebrated one of St. John (iv. 7): he only appeals to fuch. parts of fcripture, as are generally received. If the Unitarian clofes with this condition, the Trinitarian begins the debate by defiring him to examine thofe numerous paffages, which relate to Chrift's atonement.* When *As it would take much room to quote up too length, they are referred to in Table I. all these paffages at |