wonderful Actions affords no Proof, nor even the fmalleft Intimation, of his having any Divine Nature at all. And confequently the Difciples could not infer from thence, that he was any thing more than a mere Man conducted and affifted by God's Spirit.

'Twas prophefy'd of the Meffiah, that God's Spi rit fhould be poured on him. Thus, when our Lord concealed himself, the Evangelift obferves, That it might be fulfilled which was Spoken by Efaias the Prophet, faying, Behold, my fervant whom I have chofen, my beloved in whom my foul is well pleased: I will put my Spirit upon him, and he shall fhew judgment to the Gentiles. He shall not ftrive, nor cry, neither shall any man bear his voice in the streets. A bruifed reed fhall be not break, and Smoaking flax fhall be not quench; till be fend forth judg ment unto victory. And in his name fhall the Gentiles truft, Matt. 12. 17, 18, 19, 20, 21. St. Luke alfo gives us the following Relation, And he came to Na zareth, where he had been brought up, and as bis custom was, he went into the Synagogue on the Sabbath day, and ftood up for to read. And there was delivered unto him the book of the Prophet Efaias, and when he had opened the book, be found the place where it was written, The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the Gofpel to the poor, he hath sent me to heal the broken hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of fight to the blind, to fet at liberty them that are bruifed, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord. And be clofed the book, and he gave it again to the Minister, and Sat down: and the eyes of all them that were in the Synagogue, were faftened on him. And he began to say unto them, This day is this Scripture fulfilled in your ears, Luke 4. 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21. And accordingly St. Peter declares, that God anointed Jefus Christ of Nazareth with the Holy Ghoft, and with Power, Acts 10. 38.

This

This folemn Unction by the Spirit was perform'd immediatly after his Baptifm. For theEvangelift tells us, that Jefus, when he was baptiz'd, went up straightway out of the water and lo, the heavens were open'd unto him, and be faw the Spirit of God defcending like a dove, and lighting upon him. And lo, a voice from beaven, faying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleafed, Matt. 3. 17. And accordingly St. John Baptift, who adminiftred Baptifm to him, bare record, faying, I faw the Spirit defcending from heaven, like a dove, and it abode upon him. And I knew him not: but he that fent me to baptize with water, the fame faid unto me, Upon whom thou shalt fee the Spirit defcending and remaining on him, the fame is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost. And I faw, and bare record that this is the Son of God, John 1. 32, 33, 34.

Now we are told, that God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto the bleffed Jefus, John 3. 34. that is, God poured the Spirit upon him in a most plentiful and abundant Manner. But then, it must be remembred, that our Lord Jefus Chrift is the Head of his Body the Church, and we receive divine Communications from and by him. Accordingly, as in the natural Body, when Oyl is plentifully poured upon the Head, it must run down to the inferior Parts (thus the Pfalmift fays, It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down unto the beard, even unto Aaron's beard, and went down to the skirts of bis clothing, Pfal. 133. 2.) So when our Lord Jefus Chrift was plentifully anointed with the Holy Spirit, his Difciples, the Members of his Body, receiv'd a Share of thofe Spiritual Gifts, which that anointing conferr'd on him. For whatever Gifts of the Spirit our Lord exercis'd during his Miniftry, his Difciples exercis'd the very fame, partly during his Abode with them, but efpecially after his Afcen

fion, when the Baptifm of the Holy Ghoft was by our Lord's Miffion of the Spirit conferr'd on them. For let us defcend to Particulars.

Our Lord knew the Thoughts of Mens Hearts. Of this we have a general Declaration in thefe Words; Now when he was in Jerufalem at the paffover, in the feast day, many believed in his name, when they faw the miracles which he did. But Jefus did not com mit himself unto them, because he knew all men, and needed not that any should teftifie of man: for he knew what was in man, John 2. 23, 24, 25. But he gave many particular Inftances of this Knowledge. JeSus knowing their thoughts, Matt. 9. 4. Jesus knew their thoughts, Matt. 12. 25. Jefus perceiv'd in his Spirit, that they fo reafoned within themselves, Mark 2. 8. Jefus perceiving the thought of their beart, Luke 9. 47. Jefus knew in himself, that his difciples murmur'd at it, John 6. 61. Jesus knew, that they were defirous to ask him, John 16. 19. Jesus knew from the begin ning, who they were that believed not, and who fhould betray him, John 6. 64. For he knew, who should betray bim, John 13. 11. Nay, he knew Things diftant. Nathanael faith unto him, Whence knowest thou me ? Jefus answered and faid unto him, Before that Philip called thee, when thou waft under the fig-tree, I saw thee, John 1. 48. He knew alfo, that the Samaritan Woman had had five Husbands, and that he whom the had at the Time of his talking with her, was not Her Husband, John 4. 18. Nay, he probably was acquainted with the Course of her Life, at least with the principal Paffages of it. For the Woman faid to thofe of her City, Come, fee a man which told me all things that ever I did, ver. 29. Our Lord alfo foretold Things to come, of which many Inftances are recorded in Holy Scripture.

And his Difciples were evidently endued with the fame wonderful Knowledge. One of the Gifts of the Spirit was that of difcerning Spirits, 1 Cor. 12. 10. that is, a Knowledge of the Hearts and Inclinations of others; which Knowledge they demonftrated in several particular Inftances recordedin Scripture (not to mention fuch Facts as the Primitive Writers have recorded) viz. in the Cafe of Ananias and Sapphira, Acts 5. 3, 4, 9. that of Simon the Sorcerer, Acts 8. 21. that of Elymas the Sorcerer, Alts 13. 9, 10. to which I may add that of the lame Man, Acts 14. 9. And as for their Prophefies, the Inftances are fo notorious, that I forbear to mention Particulars. Thus alfo the ancient Prophets, not only foretold Things to come, but also knew the Secrets of Mens Hearts. Abijab understood the Intentions and Errand of the Queen of Ifrael, notwithstanding her Disguise, 1 Kings 14. 6. And Elifha difcover'd to the King of Ifrael, what the King of Syria fpake in his Bedchamber, 2 Kings 6. 12. Now as this Knowledge does not prove, that the Prophets and the Apoftles had any Divine Nature; but only that they were conducted and affifted by the Spirit of God: fo neither did the fame Knowledge, tho' in a greater Degree, fhew to the Difciples, that our Lord Jefus Chrift was more than a Man conducted and affifted by God's Spirit, or that he had any Divine Nature at all.

Nay, 'tis very obfervable, that when a Woman that was a Sinner, ftood at his feet behind him weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and killed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment, Luke 7. 38. the Pharifee which had bidden him to the Entertainment, at which this was done, fpake within himself, faying, This man, if he were a Prophet, would have known, who,

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and what manner of woman this is, that toucheth him : for She is a finner, ver. 39. So that as the Bleffed Jefus, who was the greatest of Prophets, knew the Thoughts of the Pharifee, even tho he spake (or, as the Word may well be rendred, according to the Ufe of the Hebrew, he thought) within hima felf; as appears by what he faid immediatly to St. Peter: fo the Jews were of Opinion, that this Knowledge might ordinarily be expected and found in Prophets, whom notwithstanding they never fuppos'd to have a Divine Nature, but only to enjoy the Spirit's extraordinary Affiftance.

It may be objected perhaps, that none of the Apoftles knew Things diftant, as our Bleffed Savior fo certainly did. And I confefs, I do not remember, that any Inftance of it is recorded. How ever, 1. Tho' the Object is different; yet the Knowledge of Things diftant is of the fame Kind, and is communicated the very fame Way, with the Knowledge of Things future, and the Secrets of Mens Hearts. For the Spirit of God reveles them all. And confequently, if the Knowledge of the Secrets of Mens Hearts, and of Things future, does not; then neither does the Knowledge of Things diftant, discover the Perfon to be more than Man affifted and conducted by the Spirit. 2. Elisha knew what Gebazi did at a diftance, and upon his Return faid to him, Went not mine heart with thee, when the man turned again from his chariot to meet thee? 2 Kings 5.26. And he feveral times inform'd the King of Ifrael, that the Syrians were actually come down to certain Places at a distance from him, 2 Kings 6. 9, 10. These Inftances are parallel to what our Savior faid to Nathanael and the Samaritan Woman; and fhew, that the Knowledge of Things diftant is no Proof of the Perfon's having a Divine Nature, or