by William Beveridge
THE most glorious Sight questionless that was ever to be seen upon the face of the Earth, was to see the Son of God here, to see the supreme Being and Governour of the World here; to see the Creator of all things conversing here with his own Creatures; to see God himself with the nature, and in the shape of Man; walking about upon the surface of the Earth, and discoursing with silly Mortals here; and that with so much Majesty and Humility mixed together, that every expression might seem a demonstration that he was both God and Man. It is true, we were not so happy as to see this blessed Sight; howsoever, it is our Happiness that we have heard of it, and have it so exactly described to us, that we may as clearly apprehend it as if we had seen it: Yea, our Saviour himself hath pronounced those in a peculiar manner blessed, who have not seen, and yet have believed, (John 20:29.) that is, who never saw Christ in the Manger, nor in the Temple, who never saw him prostrate before his Father in the Garden, nor fastned by Men unto his Cross; who never saw him preaching the Gospel, nor working Miracles to confirm it; who never saw him before his Passion, nor after his Resurrection, and yet do as firmly believe whatsoever is recorded of him, as if they had seen it with their Eyes.
Such Persons our blessed Saviour himself asserts to be truly blessed, as having such a Faith as is the Substance of things hoped for, and the evidence of things not seen, Hebrews 11:1.
HENCE therefore, although we lived not in our Saviour's time, and therefore saw him not do as never Man did, nor heard him speak as never Man spake, we may notwithstanding be as blessed, or rather more blessed than they that did. If we do but give credit to what is asserted of him, and receive and believe what is represented to us in his holy Gospels, where by Faith we may still see him working Miracles, and hear him declaring his Will and Pleasure to his Disciples, as really as if we had then been by him. And therefore whatsoever we read in the Gospel that he spake, we are to hearken as diligently to it; as if we heard him speak it with our own Ears, and be as careful in the performance of it, as if we had received it from his own Mouth: for so we do, though not immediately, yet by the infallible Pen of them that did so. And seeing he never spake in vain, or to no purpose, nor sufferedan idle or superfluous word to proceed out of his sacred and divine Mouth; whatsoever he asserted, we are to look upon as necessary to be believed, because he asserted it. And whatsoever be commanded, we are to look upon as necessary to be observed, because he hath commanded it; for we must not think that his Assertions are so frivolous, or his Commands so impertinent, that it is no great matter whether we believe the one and obey the other or no: No, if we expect to be justified and saved by him, he expects to be believed and obeyed by us, without which he will not look upon us as his Disciples, nor by consequence as Christians, but Strangers and Actions to him, whatsoever our Professions and Pretences are.
Excerpt from "Private Thoughts Upon a Christian Life" originally published - 1816
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