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it is reasonable to believe that it must have come to nought ; that it never could bave supported itself amidst the opposition vrith which it had to contend , and especially that it never could have produced the important and beneficial effects which have actually resulted from it . For , he it remembered , that it is not a religion
invented by philosophers to correct the opinions and manners of the world , but that it originated with a few illiterate Jews ; and that , if not divine , it is built upon the most impudent falsehoods , and
could be supported by nothing but knavery and imposture . Strange , indeed , that this combination of fraud and folly , should liave overthrown the religion of the Roman Empire ; and stranger still , that it should have been the means of
communicatingto mankind the purest system of morality , and the most exalted views of the Divine perfections and government . " II . 436—438 . The sermon "On the Example of Christ" is introduced with some interesting reflections upon his character , considered as an evidence of his Divine mission :
" It has heen frequently remarked , that the character of Jesus is absolutely spotless and perfect j and it has also heen ohserved , that this perfection of his character , is
some argument in favour of the justice of his pretensions , and the truth of his religion . To exhibit this presumptive testimony in its proper light , it is to be considered , that the New-Testament historians were , with the exception of Luke only , unlettered men , to whom it would probably
never have suggested itself to attempt the drawing a perfect character ; and in whose hands the attempt , suppose it te have been made , would have been by no means likely to succeed . To support a character with uniformity through a variety of incidents , has ever been considered as one of the
highest efforts of human genius m 7 and never "was a character conceived which it would liave been so difficult to support without a living pattern , as that of our Lord . Not only was the perfection of virtue to be exhibited , but this virtue was to be displayed in the person of one who was
expressly commissioned and instructed by God , to reform an idolatrous and sinful world . The dignity of a Divine teacher was to he superadded to the man of pure and perfect moral excellence . And how
is the task , in fact , executed ? The character of Jesus is not dressed up by the historian in the style of encomium and panegjyric ; it is not directly affirmed of him tfiat he possessed a si ogle excellence ; his virtues are all displayed in action ;
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they slrew themselves in various and trying situations , and the uniformity of design rs preserved through a great diversity of circumstance . His character is sustained from first to last without a single failure , and we every where recognise the man of
consummate virtue , in the person of the great moral instructor of the world . And there appears no labour or effort on the part of the writers to support this most extraordinary characte ' r ; no artful arrangement of circumstances contrived for the
more convenient display of bis virtues ; no seeming consciousness that they were presenting to their readers the most illustrious combination of excellences , in the most striking and engaging attitudes . Aud when we moreover consider , that the
sentiments attributed to Jesus are many of them too exalted for the Jewish conceptions of the gospel historians , we shall see abundant reason to believe that they copied from the life , and that they described the character of their Master as they found it , without addition or embellishment . I shall
dismiss these observations , with once more remarking * on the singular simplicity which nans through their narrative j so that , from the beginning of their story to the end , there is not a single observation made on
the excellences of the character which they are describing , nor is one virtue in form attributed to him who manifestly possessed them all . —A circumstance which perhaps distinguishes the history of Jesus from every other history in the world .
" But it being granted that Jesus was , in truth , the character which the gospel historians have exhibited , does there not arise hence a strong presumption of the justice of his pretensions , and the truth of his religion ? Can we fix on such a
character , on one whose virtue was without stain , the suspicion either of fraud or enthusiasm ? Or , can we suppose that a knave or a madman could have sustained , with such uniform consistency and dignity , tlie character of a teacher sent from God ?"—I . 222—225 .
There are no sermons in the series upon the natural attributes of the Supreme Being , but remarks upon the subject occur here and there , which manifest great readiness and ability in metaphysical reasoning . We confess , however , that we hesitate at
the observation ( Vol . I . p . S 12 J that " the power of God is a necessary consequence of his infinite wisdom and knowledge , " if by power be meant infinite power , as by the following remark appears to be intended : "He who is acquainted with every thing that is the object of knowledge , must
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26 0 Review . —CoganCs Sermons .
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Citation
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Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), April 2, 1819, page 260, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct1771/page/48/
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