The harmony of the divine attributes in the contrivance and accomplishment of man's redemption…

But the humane Nature in its corrupted state is contrary both to the Doctrine of the Gospel, that propounds Supernatural Verities hard to believe, and to the commands of it, that enjoin things hard to do: For this reason 'twas necessary that God by some external Operations, the undeniable effects of His Power, should discover to the World his approbation of it.

Now that Christ is the Son of God, and Redeemer of the World, was miraculously declared from Heaven by the whole Divinity, There are Three that bear Record in Heaven, the Father, and the Word, ¹and the Holy Ghost, and these three are One. The Father testified by a Voice as loud as Thunder at his Baptism, and Transfiguration, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. ²The Son by his glorious apparition to Paul, when He struck him to the earth with these words, Why persecutest thou me? The Light was so radiant, the Voice so strong,³ the impression it made so deep and sensible, that he knew it came from God. And He manifested Himself to St. John with that brightness, That he fell at his feet as dead, till in compassion He revived him, and said, ⟨p. 468⟩I am He that liveth and was dead, ⁴and behold I am alive for evermore. And the Holy Spirit by his miraculous descent in the shape of a Dove upon Him, and in fiery Tongues upon the Apostles, gave a visible testimony that Jesus Christ was sent from God to save the World. I will particularly consider one Effect of the Divine Power, the Resurrection of Christ, this being the most important Article of the Gospel, and the demonstration of all the rest. For 'tis not conceivable that God would by his Almighty Power have raised Him from the Grave to a glorious Life, (and it is impossible He should be otherwise) if He had taken the Name of the Son of God in vain, and arrogated to himself Divine Honour, and only pretended that he was sent from Him. By the Resurrection He was declared to be the Son of God with Power.