CCXXII. convinced by the miraculous cure which the prophet SER M. Elisha wrought on him, 2 Kings v. 15. "Behold! "now I know that there is no God in all the earth "but in Ifrael." And fo likewise the divinity of our SAVIOUR and his doctrines is refolved into the evidence of his miracles. This is the evidence CHRIST gives of himself, when John fent his difciples to enquire whether he was the Meffias, Matt. xi. 2. "Now when John had "heard in the prifon the works of CHRIST, he fent " two of his difciples, and faid unto him, art thou he' "that fhould come: or do we look for another? JESUS answered and said unto them, Go and fhew John again those things which you do hear, and "fee: the blind receive their fight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleanfed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel 66 preached unto them. And bleffed is he whofoe"ver fhall not be offended in me." So John v. 36. "But I have greater witnefs than that of John: "for the works which the Father hath given me to finish, the fame works that I do, bear witness of me, that the Father hath fent me." Chap. x. 25. "JESUS anfwered them, I told you, and ye believed "not: the works that I do in' my Father's name, ແ they bear witness of me." Ver. 37, 38. "If I do "not the works of my Father, believe me not: but if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the "works that ye may know and believe that the Father is in me, and I in him." Chap. xiv. 11. "Believe me that I am the Father, and the Father "in me or elfe believe me for the very works fake.” Chap. xx. 30, 31. "And many other figns truly did JESUS in the prefence of his difciples, which are "not written in this book. But thefe are written, that SERM." that ye might believe that JESUS is the CHRIST, CCXXII. "the Son of GOD, and that believing, ye might have "life through his name." And from hence our SAVIOUR aggravates the unbelief and impenitency of the Jews, because they refifted this highest evidence, Matt. xi. 20, 21, 22, 23, 24. "Then began " he to upbraid the cities wherein most of his mighty "works were done, because they repented not. Wo "unto thee Chorazin, wo unto thee Bethfaida: for "if the mighty works which were done in you, had "been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have "repented long ago in fackcloth and afhes. But I ་་ say unto you, it shall be more tolerable for Tyre "and Sidon at the day of judgment, than for you. "And thou Capernaum, which art exalted unto "heaven, fhall be brought down to hell. For if the "mighty works which have been done in thee, had "been done in Sodom, it would have remained un"til this day. But I fay unto you, that it shall be "more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day "of judgment, than for thee." John xv. 24. "IfI "had not done among them the works which none "other man did, they had not had fin: but now "have they both feen, and hated both me and my "Father." And fo the apostle tells us, that mirącles are the great confirmation of the gofpel, and are fo clear an evidence of the truth of it, that they ren, der all unbelievers inexcufable, Heb. ii. 2, 3. "for "if the word spoken by angels was ftedfaft, and e"very tranfgreffion and disobedience received a just <s recompence of reward: how fhall we escape, if we "neglect fo great falvation, which at the first began "to be spoken by the LORD, and was confirmed un"to us by them that heard him?" In particular, the great weight of the gospel is laid upon CCXXII. upon the miracle of CHRIST's refurrection from the SER M. dead, which our SAVIOUR mentions as the "only "fign that fhould be given to that generation," that is, the cleareft. And the apostle, Rom. i. 4. faith, that he was declared to be the Son of GOD with 66 power, according to the Spirit of holiness, by the "refurrection from the dead." This put it out of all question. And St. Paul, in his Sermon to the Athenians, Acts xvii. 30, 31. insists upon this as the great evidence; " and the times of their ignorance "GOD winked at; but now commandeth all men "every where to repent: because he hath appointed a day in which he will judge the world in righte"oufness by that man whom he hath ordained, " whereof he hath given affurance unto all men, in "that he hath raifed him from the dead." And this was the proper work of the apoftles, to be witneffes to the world of this great miracle, Acts i. 21, 22. "wherefore of these men which have companied with us all the time that the LORD JESUS went in and out among us, beginning from the baptifm of John "unto that fame day that he was taken up from us, "must one be ordained to be a witness with us of his "refurrection." So St. Peter in his fermon, Acts ii. 32. "him hath GOD raised up, whereof we all "are witneffes." And to mention no more, Acts' x. 38, 39, 40, 41. "GOD anointed JESUS of Na"zareth with the holy Ghoft and with power, who "went about doing good, and healing all that were "oppreffed of the devil: for GOD was with him. "And we are witneffes of all things which he did "both in the land of the Jews and in Hierufalem; "whom they flew and hanged on a tree: him GoD "raised up the third day, and fhewed him o"penly; not to all the people, but unto witneffes "chofen 'SER M." chofen before of GOD, even to us who did eat CCXXII. and drink with him after he rofe from the dead." 2. What affurance of miracles is fufficient to perfuade men to believe the revelation or teftimony, for the confirmation of which they are wrought, Of this affurance there are three degrees, all which. do oblige men to believe the divine revelation for which they are wrought. (1.) If we have the evidence of our own fenfes for it, that is, if we fee them wrought. This evidence the disciples of our LORD had, and the Jews, and therefore their unbelief was inexcufable; and the blafpheming the Spirit, whereby they faw fuch miracles to be wrought, was the fin against the holy Ghost. (2.) If we have the credible report of eye-wit neffes of those miracles, who are credible perfons, and we have no reason to doubt of their teftimony; that is, if we have the reports of them immediately from the mouth of those who were eye-witneffes of them. That this lays likewife an obligation on men to believe, appears by our SAVIOUR's reproof of Thomas, who would not believe except he himself faw but most expaefly from that text, Mark xvi. 14. "he upbraided them with their unbelief and "hardness of heart, because they believed not them "which had feen him after he was rifen." (3.) If the credible report of eye-witnesses concerning fuch miracles be conveyed to us in fuch a manner, and with fo much evidence, as we have no reason to doubt of it. For why fhould we not believe a credible report, conveyed to us in fuch a manner as we have no reason to queftion, but that it hath been faithfully conveyed and tranfmitted to us? St. John thought this to be affurance fufficient to induce be =s° CCXXII. lief, John xx. 31. 3. What affurance miracles give us, that the fcrip- 1. What affurance we have from hence, that the doctrine contained in the fcripture is from GOD? To which the answer is eafy; because these miracles were wrought for the confirmation of this doctrine. 2. The question is, what affurance the miracles if the queftion be, how then am I affured of this? |