viour's appearing in the Flefh, all Visibly Centring and Receiving their full Accomplishment in Him, was an Unexceptionable Proof of his being Sent from God. Efpecially, when in thofe Predictions were foretold, not only fuch Things, as Omniscience only could forefee, but fuch as Omnipotence only could bring to pafs: Thofe Mighty Works, I mean, which Our Bleffed Saviour did. For, the Truth of the Strange and Invisible Myfteries that he Taught, he confirm'd by as Strange, but Vilible Miracles that he wrought; and to give Authority to his Words, which were fuch as newer Man pake, he Perform'd Such Works as never Man did. Now either of thefe taken fingly, The Prophecies I mean that fpoke of Him, or the Miracles that were done by Him, were a very convincing Proof of his Miffion, and were therefore often feparately urg'd as Such, by Chrift Himfelf. The Works that do bear Witnefs of me, that the Father hath fent me. John 5.36. And a little after, Search the Scriptures, v. 39. meaning the Prophetical Writings, They are They which testify of me: For had ye believ'd Mofes, ye would have believ'd me, for he wrote of me. But if feverally propos'd, each of thefe was aftrong Argument; join'd together they amounted to an invincible Demonftration: And therefore our Saviour, when the Baptift fent

་་་

his Difciples to ask this Queftion, Luke 7. 20. Art thou He that should come, or look we for another? willing to give full Conviction to this his Great Fore runner, inftead of a direct Answer, refers him to a Notable Prediction of the Prophet Ifaiah, 35. 5. and 61. 1. and fulfills it in the fight of those that came to him on his Errand; Go, tell John, fays he, What things Te have seen and heard, How that the Blind See; the Lame Walk; and the Lepers are Cleanfed; the Deaf Hear; the Dead are Raifed; to the Poor the Gofpel is Preach'd. Luke 7. 21, 22. D

4

1

Where he at once appeals, both to Prophecy and Miracles, fhewing John's Difciples fuch Works, then, in their Sight, accomplish'd, but long before by the Prophet foretold, as None but a Divine Power could Effect, none but a Divine Wisdom could Foreknow.

Such were the Credentials, which our Saviour produc'd: abundantly fufficient to confirm the Divinity of his Miffion, and confequently the Truth of that Doctrine, he was fent to Preach.

But the Gofpel of Chrift was, not only by the concurrent Teftimony of Prophecies forerunning it, and Miracles attending it, thus Outwardly furnish'd with fufficient Motives, to Convince the Understanding; but fo recommended by the Intrinfic Worth

of the Holy Doctrines that it taught; as to be able to Attract the Will, and make itfelf as Affectionately Embrac'd out of Love to its Goodness, as Sted faftly Believ'd for the Evidence of its Truth. A Religion fo Spiritual, fo Holy, fo Pure; every way fo Worthy of God: fo Righteous, fo Charitable, fo Merciful; every way fo Beneficial to Man: fo Expreffive of the Divine Nature, and fo Perfective of the Human; (even without the affiftance of the Open and Senfible Demonftration of Prophecies Fulfill'd,and Miracles Perform'd, must needs carry along with it fuch an Inward, and Rational Conviction of its Own Excellence, as to make it appear, not only Worthy of all Men to be receiv'd, 1 Tim. 1. 15. but Such as by None other, than God himself, could have been reveal'd: Being not only a Copy of his Will, but his Nature; not the Arbitrary Declaration of his Uncontrollable Power, but the very Exprefs Image, and Reflection of his Effential Holinefs. So Infinitely did it exceed all, that ever pure Nature, or Reafon Unenlighten'd from above, could aspire to; all that the Wifest Philofophers, and Moralifts ever taught, or the heft Lawgivers, and Founders of Republicks ever Enjoin'd. It might reasonably have been expected, that fo Excellent a Religion as this, without fo prodigious a Manifestation

nifestation of Divine Power, as Visibly and Conftantly attended on it,and gave Witness to it; fhould upon the account of its Own Worth, (if not from Conviction, yet from Inclination,) have been with Open Arms Embrac'd; fhould have made an Easy and Gentle, but a Powerful and Effectual, Conqueft over the Hearts of Men. But the Effect was quite contrary: This Excellent Goodness of the Gospel, which ought to have recommended it, without the help of any Other Arguments; was the chief reafon, that all the Other Arguments, which else must needs have taken place, where they did not take place, prov'd Ineffectual. Indeed, wherever the Soil was in any ways agreeable to the Heavenly Seed,there it took Root downward, and bore Fruit upward; in fome Thirty, in fome Sixty,in fome anHundred Fold, as our Saviour in the Parable of the Sower fets forth; where he manifeftly refolves the Causes of the Reception of the Gospel into Honefty, and Goodness of Heart (Luke 8. 15.) The fame which after Him the Apostle likewife does, Rom. 10. 10. affirming, that 'tis with the Heart, that is, from the good Difpofitions of an Obedient Will, and wellorder'd Affections, that Man believeth unto Righteoufnefs. But on the contrary, where the Will and Affections were deprav'd, where Ambition, Pride, Avarice, Senfuality,

or

or any other commanding Lufts, had got Poffeffion and Dominion over the Heart, there all the Powerfulleft Demonftrations of Predictions fulfill'd, and wonderful Works wrought, were not able to gain Credit to the Word. How Can je Believe, fays Our Saviour to the Pharifees, poffefs'd with the Spirit of Ambition and Pride? The more Spiritual, and Meek, and Pure, and Holy, the Doctrine was, the more Averse were Carnal Minds to entertain it; and that One Heavenly Sermon on the Mount, which Our Saviour Preach'd, was enough, with Earthly-minded Men, to obftruct the Conviction of all the Miracles that he wrought. As Unwilling as any Man was to part with his Vices, fo Unwilling was he to receive the Law against them; All the Light of Truth could not convince thofe, who receiv'd not the Love of the Truth, as the Apostle Speaks, 2 Theff. 2. 10. who believ'd not the Truth, because they had Pleafure in Unrighteoufnefs. v. 12. Thus it far'd with the Gospel, at its first appearance in the World, and the fame Entertainment it has met with ever fince; even down to the Dregs of Time, into which we are fallen: Only with this difference, that What was in Them, to whom the Gospel was first Preach'd, bare Infidelity; in Us, who have been Born, where the Light of the Gospel has fo long fhin'd, is

down.