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should be above all suspicion. Neither did it ever happen, that any thing affirmed by so many, and such worthy persons, was ever suspected, much less found to be false. It is the most unreasonable stiffness not to yield an entire assent to it. For there would be no secure foundation of determining innumerable weighty cases, if we should doubt of things reported by the most credible circumspect persons, since we can be certified by our senses but of a few objects.

I shall only add, that the apostles did many and great miracles in the name of Christ, which was the strongest demonstration that he was raised to a glorious life. They were invested by the Spirit with the habits of various tongues. This kind of miracle was necessary for the universal preaching of the gospel : for how difficult and obstructive had it been to their work, if they must have returned to their infant-state, to learn the signification of foreign languages, to pronounce the words in their original sound, and the accents proper to their country? Therefore the Holy Spirit, according to the promise of Christ, descended upon them, and became their master, and in a moment impressed on their memories the forms of discoursing, and on their tongues the manner of expressing them. Wherever the doctrine of Jesus was preached, “ God bare them witness both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will.” When St. Peter passed through the streets, filled with persons diseased and half dead, he caused an universal resurreetion, by touching them with his reviving shadow. They tamed serpents, and quenched the malignity of their poison; they commanded death to leave its prey, and life to return to its mansion that was not habitable for it. And that miraculous power continued in their successors so long as was requisite for the conviction of the world. Justin Martyr, Irenæus, Tertullian, Origen, Cyprian, mention divers miracles performed by christians in those times. Tertullian offers to the emperor, to whom he addressed his admirable apology, to compel the devils that possessed human bodies to confess themselves to be evil spirits, and thereby constrain the prince of darkness to enlighten his own slaves. And Cyprian assures the governor of Africa that he would force the devils to come out of the bodies they tormented, lamenting their ejection. Now we cannot imagine they would so far discredit their doctrine and reputation, as

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to pretend to such a power without they had it. In short, to deny the miracles wrought by the primitive christians, were as great rashness, as to deny that Cæsar conquered Pompey, or that Titus succeeded Vespasian. For we have the concurrent testimony of the gravest and best men, of understanding and conscience, who were eye-witnesses, and which was not contradicted by those of the same age. Briefly, there are such clear characters of the divine hand to render the gospel authentic, that to deny it to be true, is to make God a liar.

The conclusion is this, we see how reasonable it is to give an entire assent to the truth of christianity. The nature of the doctrine that is perfectly divine, declares its original. It is confirmed by supernatural testimonies. The doctrine distinguishes the miracles from all false wonders, the illusions of satan, and the miracles confirm the doctrine. What doubt can there be after the full deposition of the Spirit in raising Christ from the grave; in qualifying the apostles, who were rude and ignorant, with knowledge, zeal, courage, charity, and all the graces requisite for their great enterprise, and in converting the world by their ministry and miracles ? If we believe not so clear a revelation, our infidelity is desperate. When our Saviour was upon the earth, the meanness and poverty of his appearance lessened their crime, who did not acknowledge and honour him in the disguise of a servant: therefore they were capable of favour. Many of his bloody persecutors were converted and saved by the preaching of the apostles. But since the Holy Ghost hath convinced the world by so strong a light of sin, righteousness and judgment, viz. that Jesus, whom the Jews most unworthily crucified, was the Son of God; that in dying, he purchased the pardon of sin ; since he is risen and received to glory, “ that all power in heaven and earth is given to him," the effect of which is most visible: for spiritual wickednesses trembled at his name, were expelled from their dominions, and sent to their old prison to suffer the chains and flames due to them : to refuse his testimony, is a degree of obstinacy not far distant from the malice of the devils, and puts men without the reserves of pardoning mercy. And it is not a slight, superficial belief of this great truth that is sufficient, but that which is powerful in making us universally obedient to our glorified Redeemer, who will distribute crowns to all his faithful servants. We cannot truly believe

his resurrection without believing his doctrine, nor believe his doctrine without unfeigned desires after the eternal felicity it promises, nor desire that felicity without a sincere compliance to his commands in order to the obtaining it. In short, it is infidelity approaching madness, not to believe the truth of the gospel; but it is madness of an higher kind and more prodigious, to pretend to believe it, and yet to live in disobedience to its precepts, in contempt of its promises and threatenings, as if it were a mere fable.

CHAP. XXIII.

The honour of God's truth with respect to the legal threatening, was pre

served in the death of Christ. The divine truth with respect to the promises and types of Christ under the law, was justified in his coming, and the accomplishment of our redemption by him.' Some special predictions considered that respect the time of his coming. The particular circumstances that respect the Messiah, are verified in Jesus Christ. The consequences of the Messiah's coming, foretold by the prophets, are all come to pass. The types of the law are complete in Christ. A particular consis deration of manna, the rock, and the brazen serpent, as they referred to him. The paschal lamb considered. ' A short parallel between Melchizedec and Christ. The divinity of the gospel proved, by comparing the ancient figures with the present truth, and predictions with the events. The happiness of christians above the Jews, in the clear revelation of our Saviour to them. From the accomplishment of prophecies concerning the first coming of Christ, our faith should be confirmed in the promise of his second.

THE

The original law given to '

man in paradise had a severe pe

' nalty annexed, that .upon the first breach of it he should die. The end of the threatening was to preserve in him a constant rêverence of the command. After his disobedience, the honour of the divine truth was concerned as to the inflicting the punish

ment. For although the supreme Lawgiver hath power over the law to relax the punishment as to particular persons; yet having declared that according to that rule he would proceed in judgment with man, the perfection of his truth required, that sin should be punished in such a manner, that his righteousness and holiness might eminently appear, and the reasonable creature for ever fear to offend him. Now the God of truth hath by the death of his only Son so completely answered the ends of the legal threatening, that the glory of that attribute is broke forth like the sun through all the clouds that seemed to obscure it. “ Mercy and truth meet together, righteousness and peace kiss each other.”. Of this I have so largely treated before, that I shall add nothing more concerning it. There is a secondary respect wherein the truth of God is concerned, as to the accomplishing our redemption by Jesus Christ, which I will briefly explicate. God having decreed the sending of his Son in the quality of Mediator to purchase our salvation, was pleased by several promises to declare his merciful purpose, and by various types to show the design of that glorious work, before the exhibition of it. This was the effect of his supreme wisdom and goodness.

To comply with the weakness of the church, when it was newly separated from the world, For, as a sudden strong light overpowers the eye that hath been long in the dark, so the full bright revelation of the gospel had been above the capacity of the church, when it was first freed from a state of ignorance : light mixed with shadows was proportionable to their sight. Therefore he was pleased by several representations and predictions to exercise the faith, entertain the hope, and excite the desires of his people before the accomplishment of our salvation by his Son.

To render the belief of it easy and certain afterwards. Now for the honour of his truth, he was engaged to make good his word : for although pure love and mercy is the original of all God's promises to man, yet his truth and fidelity are the reasons of his fulfilling them. Not that God is under the obligation of a law, but his own righteous name is the inviolable rule of his actions. Accordingly the apostle lays it as the foundation of our hopes, Tit. 1. 2. that “ God who cannot lie, hath promised eternal life.” The divine decree alone concerning our salvation by Christ, is a sure foundation : for God is as unchangeable in

Z

person, and

his will, as his nature. “ In him there is no variableness, nor shadow of turning." Jam. 1. 17. But the promise determines the will of God to perform it upon another account: for it is not single inconstancy but falsehood, not to perform what is promised, from both which he is infinitely distant. St. Paul alleges this for the reason why the covenant of grace is unchangeable and of everlasting efficacy, in that the counsel of God was by his promise and oath confirmed, Heb. 6. 17, 18. “That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation.” For the promise gives a rightful claim to the creature, and the fulfilling of it is the justification of God's fidelity. In this sense it is said, John 1. 17. “ the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ," i. e. the grace of the gospel is the substantial and complete accomplishment of the types and promises under the law. I will not enter into the discussion of all the prophecies concerning the Messiah in the Old Testament, to show how they are verified in Jesus Christ; but briefly consider some special predictions that concern the time of the Messiah's coming, his offices. 1. The prophecy of dying Jacob, “ The sceptre shall not de

“ part from Judah, nor a Lawgiver from between his feet, till Shiloh come.” Gen. 49. 1. By the sceptre and lawgiver are meant divers forms of government: the first being the mark of regal power, the other title respects those whose power succeeded that of their kings, in the person of Zerobbabel and his successors. Jacob prophetically declares two things, their establishment in Judah, and their continuance till the eoming of Shiloh. This oracle doth not precisely respect the person of Judah, for he never ascended the throne, nor possessed the empire over his brethren ; nor sold his posterity as a tribe distinguished from the rest, although it had special advantage from that time: for the banner of Judah led the camp in their march through the wilderness, Numb. 2. 3. That tribe had the first possession of the land of Canaan ; these were the beginnings of its future glory.

1 And from David to the captivity, that tribe possessed the kingdom; but the glory of his sceptre was lost in the person of Zedekiah : therefore the full meaning of the prophecy regards the people of Israel, in the relation they had to the tribe of Judah : for that tribe alone returned entire from the captivity with some