LXXXVIII.

And immediately he received his fight.—Mark, x. 52.

THE primary defign of our Saviour's miracles, was to authenticate his divine commiffion. His fecondary defign was, to inftru&t 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 beft a fanciful mode of interpretation, and ought with great caution to be indulged; yet the miracle before us of healing the blind man, refolves itself so happily into allegorical instruction, that it is hardly poffible to take the eye from viewing it in this light,

We are all blind by nature. We are people, who fat in darkness, till we faw a great light. If we have faith in Chrift, and believe him to be our enlightener, and Saviour, we eagerly come to him for affiftance. We acknowledge him to be the

only mean, through which we can be restored to our spiritual fight. And tho' we may still feel we have not yet attained those 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.

LXXXIX.

For as in Adam all die, even fo in Christ shall all be made alive.-1 Cor. xv. 22.

THESE are two of the most wonderful propofitions, that ever were offered to the confideration of mankind.

That God fhould create a favoured being-place 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 son of God fhould be born of a human parent-should be clothed with flesh-should be fubject to the infirmities of humanity-and at laft fuffer death for the fins of mankind—are a chain of facts, in furveying which we are loft in astonishment. How are we to receive fuch wonderful events?

Difcredit them certainly, fays the deift.

But is that fafe? Do we not fee, that these two propofitions are plainly the parts of one plan? Do

they not depend upon each other? And may not various other parts of the universe depend upon them, for any thing we know to the contrary ?But in whatever light we view these doctrines, are they not expressly contained in books, which are handed down to us with every mark of authenticity? We ought then furely not to hazard the danger of withholding our affent, till we have fairly, on found argument, difcredited the books-the paffagesand all the arguments, on which our belief of thefe doctrines, wonderful as they are, depends. It would be candid in the deist also to confider whether his reason 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 answers to the objections, on which the deift difcredits them.

XC.

Comparing Spiritual things with fpiritual. 1 Cor. ii. 13.

THE comparison I mean here to make is between the Trinitarian and Unitarian doctrines.

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 scripture, as are generally received.

If the Unitarian clofes with this condition, the Trinitarian begins the debate by defiring him to examine those numerous paffages, which relate to Chrift's atonement *.

* As it would take up too much room to quote all these paffages at length, they are referred to in Table I.