Men believed not even our Lord himself — [He spoke to more advantage than any other person ever did : he spoke with more wisdom : his very enemies were con- strained to say, " Never man spake like this man3." He spoke with more authority : in this respect he differed widely from the Scribes and Phariseesb, yea, and from Prophets and Apostles too : " Verily, verily, i" say unto you," was with him a common mode of uttering his instructions. He spoke with more grace, so that his adversaries themselves wondered at the oracious words that proceeded from his lipsc. He confirmed his word with more miracles: for he alone, in the short space of three years, wrought more miracles than ever were wrought, either before or since, from the foundation of the world to the present moment. Moreover, in confirmation of all that he said, he appealed to Moses, whom the Jews themselves professed to venerate, and of whose inspiration they had no doubt. Yet the people would not believe him: though they could not con- trovert one word that he uttered, yet would they not receive his declarations. The tidings which he brought to them were such as one might have supposed they should receive with all readiness of mind : yet would they not believe him. He declared himself sent from God to be their deliverer from sin and Satan : and he assured them, that if they would believe in him, he would make them "free indeed"1;" free from the guilt of all their sins ; free from the condemnation due to them ; free also from the power and dominion of sin ; and free to serve their God in newness of heart and life. But still it was all in vain: for they would not believe his testimony in any respect.]
Nor are his servants believed at this day —
[Every faithful servant of Christ bears the same testimony that Christ himself did ; and his one object is, to commend Christ to men as the Redeemer of the world. We declare, that men are in a state of bondage ; that no man can deliver himself; that Christ is sent of God to be the Saviour of the world ; and that " all who believe in him shall be justified from all things." We cannot work miracles in confirmation of this doctrine : but we can appeal to the miracles by which it was confirmed in the days of Christ and his Apostles. And not only to the Scriptures do we refer, in proof of our declarations, but to the authorized standard of truth contained in the Ar- ticles and Homilies of the Established Church. We bring also the very prayers which every member of the Established Church uses from time to time ; and we do not hesitate to say, that every doctrine not contained in those formularies is
a John vii. 46. b Matt. vii. 29.
c Luke iv. 22. d ver. 36.