would give him the Heathen for his inheritance, and the utmoft parts of the earth for his poffefion;" which was punctually fulfilled by the wonderful fuccefs of the Gofpel, and its univerfal fpreading through the world. Lailly, many minuter circumstances were foretold of the Mefliah; that he fhould be of the tribe of Judah, and of the feed of David; that he should be born in the town of Bethlehem, Mic. v. 2; that he should “ride upon an afs" in humble triumph into the city of Jerufalem, Zech. ix. 9; that he fhould be "fold for thirty pieces of filver," Zech. xi. 12; that he fhould be "fcourged, buffeted, and fpit upon," Ifai. 1. 6; that "his hands and feet fhould be pierced," Pfal. xxii. 16; that he fhould be numbered among malefactors, Ifai. liii. 12; that he should have "gall and vinegar offered him to drink," Pfal. Ixix. 21; that they who faw him crucified, fhould mock at him, and at his "trufting in God to deliver him," Pfal. xxii. 8; that the foldiers fhould "caft lots for his garments," Pfal. xxii. 18; that he fhould "make his grave with the rich," Ifai. liii. 9; and that he fhould rife again without "fecing corruption," Pfal. xvi. 10. All which circumftances were fulfilled to the greateft poffible exactness in the perfon of Chrift: not to mention the numberless typical reprefentations, which had likewife evidently their complete accomplishment in him. And it is no lefs evident, that none of thefe prophecies can poffibly be applied to any other person that ever pretended to be the Meffiah.

OF THE PROPHECIES THAT CHRIST HIMSELF DELIVERED CONCERNING THINGS THAT WERE TO HAPPEN AFTER.

Further; the prophecies or predictions which Chrift delivered himself, concerning things that were to happen after, are no lefs ftrong proofs of the truth and divine authority of his doctrine than the prophecies were which went before concerning him. He did very particularly and at feveral times foretell his own death, and the circumftances of it, Matth. xvi. 21. that the "chief "priefts and Scribes fhould condemn him to death, and deliver him "to the Gentiles," that is, to Pilate and the Roman foldiers, to "mock and fcourge and crucify him," Matth. xx. 18 and 19; that he fhould be betrayed into their hands, Matth. xx. 18; that Judas Iscariot was the perfon who would" betray him," Matth. xxvi. 23; that all his difciples would "forsake him and "flec," Matth. xxvi. 31; that Peter, particularly, would "thrice "deny him in one night," Mark xiv. 30. He foretold further, that he would "rife again the third day," Matth. xvi. 21; that after his afcenfion he would fend down the Holy Ghoft upon his apoftles, John xv. 26. which should enable them to work many miracles, Mark xvi. 17. He foretold alfo the deftruction of Jerufalem with fuch very particular circumftances, in the whole 24th chapter of St. Matthew, and the 13th of St. Mark, and 2.ft of St. Luke, that no man who reads Jofephus's hiftory of that dreadful

*

Very remarkable alfo is the history recorded by a Heathen writer, of what happened upon Julian's attempting to rebuild the Temple. Imperii fui memoriam magnitudine * operam

dreadful and unparalleled calamity, can, without the greatest obftinacy imaginable, doubt of our Saviour's divine fore-knowledge. Laftly, he foretold likewife many particulars concerning the future fuccefs of the Gofpel, and what thould happen to feveral of his difciples he foretold what oppofition and perfecution they should meet withal in their preaching, Matth. x. 17: he foretold what particular kind of death St. Peter fhould die, John xxi. 18; and hinted, that St. John fhould live till after the deftruction of Jerufalem, John xxi. 22; and foretold, that, notwithstanding all oppofition and perfecutions, the Gofpel fhould yet have fuch fuccefs, as to spread itself over the world, Matt. xvi. 18. xxiv. 14. xxviii. 12: all and every one of which particulars were exactly accomplished without failing in any respect.

Some of these things are of permanent and vifible effects, even unto this day. Particularly the captivity and difperfion of the Jews, through all nations, for more than 1600 years; and yet their continuing a diftinct people, in order to the fulfilling the prophecies of things ftill future this (I fay) is particularly a permanent proof of the truth of the ancient prophecies. But the greatest part of the inftances abovementioned were fenfible and ocular demonstrations of the truth of our Lord's doctrine only to thofe perfons who lived at the time when they happened; the credibility of whofe teftimony, therefore, fhall be confidered prefently in its proper place..

But, before I proceed to this, it may not be improper in this place to take notice of fome objections, which have of late been revived and urged, against this whole notion both of the prophecies themfelves, and of the application of them to Christ. The fum and strength of which objections is briefly this:

That all the promises fuppofed to be made to the Jews before Chrift's time, of a Meffias or Deliverer, were understood and meant of fome "temporal deliverer" only, who fhould reftore to the Ifraelites a mere worldly kingdom, "without the leaft imagination of "a fpiritual deliverance," or of any fuch Saviour as is preached in the New Teftament.

That, confequently, "All the prophecies" in the Old Teftament, applied to Chrift by the apoftles in the New, are applied to him in a fenfe merely "typical, myftical, allegorical, or enigmatical ;” in a fenfe "different from the obvious and literal fenfe;" by "new in"terpretations put upon them, not agreeable to the obvious and "literal meaning of those books" from whence they are cited. That is to fay; that the prophecies were all of them intended concerning other perfons, and other perfons only; and therefore are

"operum geftiens propagare, ambitiofum quondam apud Hierofolymam templum, quod "poft multa & interneciva certamina obfidente Vefpafiano pofteaque Tito tegrè eft expugnatum, inftaurare fumptibus cogitabat immodicis; negatiumque maturandum Alynio "dederat Antiochenf, qui olim Britannias curaverat pro p efectis. Cum itaque rei idem "inftaret Alypus, juvaretque provinciæ rector; metuenti globi flammarum prope fundamenta crebris affultibus erumpentes fe ere locum exuftis aliquoties operantibus inacceffum; hocque modo, elemento deftinatiùs repellente, ceffavit incep.um." Ammian. Marcellum. lib. XXII. fub initio.

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falfely

falfely and groundlessly applied either to Chrift in particular, or in general to the expectation of any fuch Meffiah as thould introduce a fpiritual and eternal kingdom.

That there are feveral paffages, cited by the apostles out of the Old Teftament, which are either not found there at all, or elfe are very different in the text itself from the citations alledged, and confequently are by the apoftles either misunderstood or mifapplied. That even miracles themselves "can never render a foundation "valid, which is in itfelf invalid; can never make a falfe inference, true; can never make a prophecy fulfilled, which is not "fulfilled;" can never make thofe things to be fpoken concerning Chrift, which were not spoken concerning Chrift. And, confequently, that the miracles faid to have been worked by Chrift, could not poffibly have been really worked by him, but muft of neceffity, together with the whole system both of the Old and New Teftament, have been wholly the effect of imagination and enthufiafm, if not of impofture.

Now, in order to enable every careful and fincere reader to find a fatisfactory answer to these, and all other objections of the like nature, I would lay before him the following confiderations.

1. I fuppofe it to have been already proved in the foregoing part of this difcourfe, that there is a GOD; and that the nature and circumstances of men, and the neceffary perfections of God, do demonftrate the obligations and the motives of NATURAL RELIGION; that is, that God is a MORAL as well as natural governor of the world. Whoever denies either of thefe affertions is obliged to invalidate the arguments alledged for proof of them in the former part of this book, before he has any right to intermix Atheistical arguments and objections in the prefent queftion, it being evidently ridiculous, in all who believe not that God is, and that he is a moral judge as well as natural governor, to argue at all about a revelation concerning religion, or to make any inquiry whether it be from God or no.

2. As God has in fact made known even demonftrable truths, natural and moral truths *, not to all men equally; but in different degrees and proportions, to fuch as have a difpofition and defire to enquire after them; fo it is agreeable to reafon and to the analogy of God's proceedings, to believe, that he may poffibly, by revelation and tradition, have given fome further degrees of light, to fuch as are fincerely defirous to know and obey him; fo that they who will do his will may know of the doctrine whether it be of God. As our natural knowledge of moral and religious truths in fact is, fo Revelation poffibly may further be, as it were, a light shining in a dark place.

3. It appears in hiftory, that the great truths and obligations of natural religion have from the beginning been confirmed by a perpetual tradition in particular families. who, though in the midst of idolatrous nations, yet fteadfastly adhered to the worship of the God

of nature, the one God of the univerfe. And by the nation of the Jews (notwithstanding all their corruptions in practice, yet in the fyftem and conftitution of their religion) has the fame tradition been continually preferved; whereby they have been as it were a city upon a hill, a standing teftimony against an idolatrous world.

4. Among the writings of all, even the moft ancient and learned nations, there are none but the books of the Jews, which (agreeably to the above demonftrated truths concerning the God of nature, and the foundations of natural religion,) have, exclufive of chance and of neceffity, afcribed either the original of the universe in general (an univerfe full of infinite variety and choice) to the will and operation of an intelligent and free caufe; or given any tolerable account in particular of the formation of this our earth into its prefent habitable ftate.

5. But in thefe books, there is not only (in order to prevent idolatry) a full account (agreeable to the principles of natural reafon) how the heavens and the earth and all things therein contained are the creatures of God; but, moreover, an uniform series of hiftory, from the Infancy of mankind, confiftent with itself, and with the state of the Jewish and Chriftian church at this day, and with the poffibilities of the predicted feries for the future, for several thousands of years. Which confiftency, with the poffibilities of fuch predicted future events, could not be by chance (as I fhall fhew prefently), but is itfelf a great and standing miracle.

6. In these books, agreeably to the hopes and expectations naturally founded on the divine perfections, God did from the beginning make, and has all along continued to his church or true worshippers, a promise, that truth and virtue fhould finally prevail, fhould prevail over the fpirit of error and wickednefs, of delufion and disobedience. That the "feed of the woman, Gen. iii. 15. "should bruise the ferpent's head;" that among her pofterity should arife a deliverance from the delufion and power of fin, by which "Satan (Rom. xvi. 20.) fhould be bruised under their feet." That in particular from the feed of Abraham, and from the family of Ifaac, and from the pofterity of Jacob, and from the house of David, should arife the accomplishment of all God's promises to his church, and all the bleffings included in God's covenant with his true worshippers. That, at length, "the earth, Ifai. xi. 9. "fhould be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover "the fea;" that, Rev. xi. 15. Dan. vii. 27. "the kingdoms of "this world fhould become the kingdoms of the Lord;" that, "in the last days, Ifai. ii. 2. unto the mountain of the Lord's "houfe," the feat of his true worship, fhould "all nations flow." That God would, Ifai. lxv. 17. cc create new heavens, and a "new earth, 2 Pet. iii. 13. wherein dwelleth righteoufnefs;" wherein, Ifai. Ix. 21. lxv. 25. xi. 9. i. 26. “ the people thould "be all righteous, and inherit the land for ever;" thould be allholy, Ifai. iv. 3. even every one that is" or, "written unto life, non n. So Dan. xii. 1. "Every one that thall be VOL. IV. " found

S

"found written in the book," "written among the living." That God would, Dan. ii. 44. " fet up a kingdom, which should never "be deftroyed, but ftand for ever;" and that, Dan. vii. 18. 22. 27. Ifai. Ix. tot." the faints of the most high should take the kingdom, "and poflefs the kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever."

7. All the great promifes, therefore, which God has ever made to his CHURCH, to his PEOPLE, to the FAMILIES or NATIONS of his true worshippers, are evidently to be all along fo understood, as that wicked and unworthy perfons, of whatever family or nation or profeffion of religion they be, fhall be excluded from the benefit of thofe promises, fhall be cut off from God's people; and worthy perfons of all nations, from the Eaft and from the Weft, and from the North and from the South, fhall be accepted in their ftead. That is to fay, in like manner as the promife was made originally, not to all the children of Abraham, but to Ifaac only; and not to both the fons of Ifaac, but to Jacob only: and among the pofterity of Jacob, all were not Ifrael, which were of Ifrael; but, in Elijah's days, feven thousand only were the true Ifrael; and, in the time of Ifaiah," though the number of the children of Ifrael was as the "fand of the fea," If. x. 22. Rom. ix. 27; yet a remnant only was to be faved; and in Hofea God fays, "I will call them my people, which were not my people, and her beloved, which was "not beloved," Hof. ii. 23. Rom. ix. 25: fo it is all along evidently to be understood, that the children of the promife in the literal fenfe according to the flesh, the vifible church or profeffed worshippers of the true God, are but the type or reprefentative of the real invifible church of God, the true children of Abraham, Rom. ii. 28. iii. 7. and 9. iv. 12. in the fpiritual and religious fenfe," the "faints of the most high, Dan. vii. 18. who fhall poffefs the "kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever," even, If. iv. 3. every one that is written among the living."

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8. It being evident that God cannot be the God of the dead, but of the living; and that all promifes, made to fuch worshippers of the true God as at any time forfook all that they had and even life itself for the fake of that worship, could be nothing but mere mockery, if there was no life to come, and God had no power to restore them from the dead: this (1 fay) being felf-evident, it follows neceflarily, that when the time comes that the promifed kingdom fhall take place, the dead must be railed; and the faints, which had died in the intermediate time, muft live again, Dan. xii. 13. “stand in "their lot at the end of the days." When God ftyles himself, Exod. iii. 6. 16. "THE God of Abraham, Ifaac, and Jacob;" and aid to Abraham, Gen. xv. I. "I am THY exceeding great reward;" and Gen. xvii. 7. "I will be a God unto THEE, and to thy feed after thee;" and, Gen. xvii. 8. xiii. 15. 17. "I will give the land unto "THEE, and to thy feed after thee;" and repeated the very fame promifes to Ifaac, Gen. xxvi. 3. and to Jacob perfonally, Gen. xxviii. 13. as well as to their pofterity after them, Deut. i. 8; and yet, Acts vii. 5. " gave Abraham none inheritance in the land, though he pro