Christs eternal existence, and the dignity of his person asserted and proved in opposition…

1. This serveth for the confutation of those Atheists that say, Christ took upon him the appellation of a God to make his Doctrine more authentic and effectual; they confess the morals of Christianity are most excellent for the establishment of Piety and Honesty, but mens inclination carrying them more powerfully to vice then virtue, this doctrine would not be received with any reverence if it came recommended to them by a mere man, and therefore Christ assumed the glorious appellation of the Son of God, or pretended to be God: A blasphemy very derogatory both to the honour of Christ and Christianity: and quite contrary to the drift of the Scriptures, both of the Old and New Testament. The Messiah promised in the Old Testament was to be God all the Prophets agree, in that Jesus Christ proved himself to be God both by his Word and Works: and the Apostles still assert it: Could they that lived in so ⟨p. 88⟩many several Ages, as the Prophets and Apostles did, lay their heads together and have intelligence one with another, to convey this Imposture to the World? Surely if Christ be the Messiah promised in the Old Testament as clearly he is, then he is God, for that describeth him to be such: and if Christ usurped this honour, how did God so highly favour him with such extraordinary Graces, by inspiring him with the knowledge of the best Religion in the World, to authorise him with miracles, to raise him from the dead. And must this Religion that condemneth all frauds, and doing evil that good may come of it be supported by a lye? or cannot God govern the World without countenancing such a deceit? or is it possible that such Holy persons as our Lord Jesus and his Apostles were, could be guilty of such an Imposture? Did they do this by command of God? No surely, for God which is the God of Truth would not command them to teach a lye, or to make use of one: He hath power enough to cause the Truth to be embraced by some other means; and a greater injury cannot be done him, then to go about to gratify him with what he hateth, much less would God have commanded a mere man to call himself his Eternal Son, and God equal to him, which is a