fectly free from a worldly Difpofition as Christ was; or as perfectly one, as Jefus Chrift and God the Father are; or that God loveth them as dearly as he loves his only Son; or that they can attain to that Perfection of Purity, of which Christ was a Pattern. Again, THESE Words of our Saviour, I and my Father are one, (Jo. x. 30.) have by many been understood to fignify, that Jefus Chrift and his Father are one Perfon. But the Context plainly diftinguishes our Lord from the Father, and naturally leads to another Interpretation. For thus our Lord difcourfes in the Verfes immediately foregoing; My Sheep hear my Voice, and I know them, and they follow me. And I give unto them eternal Life, and they shall never perish, neither fall any pluck them out of my Hand. My Father which gave them me is greater than all; and none is able to pluck them out of my Father's Hand. I and my Father are one. is, one by Consent and Agreement of Will, or one in Power, (the Father ha X 2 That ving SERM. X, XI. SERM. X, XI. ving communicated all Power to the Son) not one Perfon. For our Lord had juft before faid, that his Father gave him the Sheep; and He who giveth, is certainly a diftin&t Perfon from Him to whom he giveth. Two or more distinct Individuals are in Scripture frequently faid to be one, by an Unity of Love and Concord, or by a figurative and mystical Unity. Thus Gal. iii. 28. Ye are all one in Chrift Jefus. Rom. xii. 5. We being many, are one Body in Chrift. I Cor. iii. 6, 8. I have planted, Apollos watered. Now he that planteth, and he that watereth are one; Acts iv. 32. The Multitude of them that believed, were of one Heart and of one Soul. 1. Cor. vi. 17. He that is joyned unto the Lord, is one Spirit. And our Lord himfelf declares, (Mat. xix. 6.) That a Man and his Wife are no more Twain, but one Flefh. And fo. xvii. 22. He thus prays to his Father for Believers, That they may be one, even as we are one. It were eafy to multiply Inftances of this kind. This way of Speaking was com mon mon among the Jews, and well underftood by all. And the Jews charged our Bleffed Saviour with Blafphemy, not (as fome have imagined) for faying that He and the Father were one; but for calling God his Father; as is evident from our Lord's Answer before recited; in which he tells them, Not that He was the fame Individual with God the Father, but that the Father had fanctified Him, and fent Him into the World; upon which account He might without Blafphemy call Himself the Son of God, HAVING now done with the three Particulars which I at firft propos'd to fpeak to, I fhall only add this one neces fary Caution, That as it is our Duty to enquire diligently into thofe Things which God hath revealed to us: fo we must be careful not to carry our Enquiries beyond the Bounds of Divine Revelation. Every Word of God is pure; we may not add to his Words, left He reprove us, and we be found Liars. It is a high Degree of Folly to be Wife above X3 SERM. X, XI. SERM. X, XI. Deut. xxix. 29. Prov. iii. 18. above what is written. For Scripture being the only Light we have in Matters of Revelation, when we go beyond that, we wander in the Dark, and muft unavoidably fall into many Errors. And as it is very foolish, fo is it very prefumptuous in us to pry into thofe Things which God hath thought fit to conceal from us. Secret Things belong to God; but Things revealed, belong unto us and to our Children for ever. The Truths which God hath revealed to us in the Holy Scriptures are the proper Subjects of our Enquiries, because it is in our Power to know them; and the Knowledge of them nearly concerns us, and furpaffeth all Understanding. For it is a Tree of Life to them that lay hold upon it, and happy is every one that retaineth it. Now to Him that is of Power to ftablish us according to the Gospel, and the Preaching of Jefus Chrift, (according to the Revelation of the Mystery which was kept fecret fince the World began, But |