"tion and every city and houfe divided against SER M.
"itself fhall not ftand. And if Satan caft out Sa-
"tan, he is divided against himself: how fhall then
"his kingdom ftand?" The force of which ar-
gument is this, that it cannot be imagined that he
who preacheth a doctrine fo contrary to the defign
which the devil carried on in the world, and fo de-
ftructive to his kingdóm, as our SAVIOUR did,
fhould be affifted by him to confirm the doctrine
by any miraculous effects; especially fuch as did
fo directly tend to the overthrow of his own king-
dom, and to difpoffes him of the advantage of ty-
rannizing over men, which he was so defirous to get
and hold.

But, 2. he tells them, that by the fame reafon
that they attributed thofe miracles of his to the
devil, all miracles that ever were wrought in the
world might be attributed to him. Did it appear
by the tendency of his doctrine, or the courfe and
defign of his life and actions, or by any magical
rites that he used, that he had any familiarity with
the devil, or carried on any defign for him? What
colour of reason then was there to afcribe the mira-
cles that he wrought to the devil, any more than
the miracles that Mofes had wrought; or any more
than those difpoffeffions which were wrought by the
children of their own nation, in the name of the
GOD of Abraham, and Ifaac, and Jacob? ver. 27.
"If I by Beelzebub caft out devils, by whom do

your children caft them out? Therefore they "fhall be your judges." Several among yourfelves do, or at leaft pretend to caft out devils by the power of GoD, and you believe they do fo; why should you not think that I do it by the fante power?

Gg 2

CCXXXVII.

SER M. power? what reafon have you to suspect me of correfpondence with the devil, more than them? No anfwer could have been more fatisfactory in itfelf, and more oppofite to thofe that made the objection.

"did

The fecond objection is grounded upon a spiteful and malicious perverting of those words of the evangelift, Matt. xiii. 58. where it is faid, that JESUS, when he was in his own country, "not many mighty works there, because of their "unbelief." From whence fome atheistical perfons, as Cæfar Vaninus, and a wretched man of our own nation, who, I fuppofe, ftole it out of him, have collected, that credulity and strong imagination in the people were the principal ingredients into our SAVIOUR'S miracles; and where he did not meet with perfons fo difpofed, he could do no great matter.

This objection deferves rather to be abhorred and detefted as a groundless and malicious infinuation, than to be answered: but, because it seems to have fome colour as well as fpite in it, I fhall briefly return an answer to it, and that by giving a plain account of this paffage of the evangelift; and that is this; our SAVIOUR Comes to Nazareth, the place where he had been born, and he began to instruct them in his doctrine, and, as he used to do wherever he came, he wrought fome miracles for the confirmation of his doctrine; but they, upon an unreasonable prejudice taken up against him, because they had known the meanness of his parents and of his education, defpised both his doctrine and his miracles. Our SAVIOUR perceiving that upon this prejudice they rejected the evidence

of

CCXXXVIL

of his miracles, the highest atteftation that GODSER M. can give, faw that there was no good to be done, upon them; and therefore leaving them to their own obftinacy and unreasonable unbelief, he forbore to do any more great works among them: for the text doth not fay that he did no mighty works among them, because of their unbelief; but that he did not many mighty works among them; that is, finding them poffeffed with this unreafonable prejudice against him, he found they were not to be convinced by any miracle that he could work, and therefore, though he had done fome mighty works among them, yet he forbore to do any more, as a juft judgment upon them for their obftinacy and unbelief. And that this is the plain meaning of it, there needs no more to convince äny man, but to read over this paffage of the evangelift, Matt. xiii. 54, 55, 56, 57, 58. "And when "he was come into his own country, he taught

them in their fynagogue, infomuch that they "were astonished, and said, Whence hath this "man this wisdom, and thefe mighty works? Is "not this the carpenter's fon? Is not his mo"ther called Mary? and his brethren, James, and

..

Jofes, and Simon and Judas? And his fifters, "are they not all with us? Whence then hath "this man all these things? And they were of"fended in him. But JESUS faid unto them, A "prophet is not without honour, fave in his own.

country, and in his own houfe. And he did "not many mighty works there, because of their "unbelief." And now judge how little reafon there is from thefe words, for and fuch foolish and malicious objection.

Gg 3

I might

CCXXXVII.

SERM. I might add farther, if it were neceffary, that many of his miracles were fuch as no credulity or ftrength of imagination could aflift in the working of them; as I could make evident from very many inftances, particularly that of raising Lazarus after he had lain four days in the grave, But enough of this.

Now to reflect upon this evidence of CHRIST'S divine authority from the miracles which he did, and which were wrought to give teftimony to him. What greater fatisfaction can any one be imagined to have concerning any perfon, that he is fent from GoD, than the apoftles had, and the rest of those who converfed with our SAVIOUR, and faw the miracles that were wrought by him, and on his behalf? Suppofe we had lived in our SAVIOUR'S time, and had converfed with him, what greater evidence could we have desired of his divine authority, than to have feen with our eyes so many strange things done by him, exceeding any natural power that we know of, and things fo beneficial to mankind; and all these wrought fo frequently, and fo openly? To have feen this perfon put to death, and at that inftant the whole frame of nature difordered and put out of it's courfe? To have seen this perfon after he had lain three days in the grave, ra fed to life again; and to have the greatest affurance of this that our fenfes can give us of any thing? by frequent and familiar converfation; by difcourf ing with him; by eating and drinking with him; by touching and handling of his body? and afterwards to have feen this fame perfon visibly taken up into heaven; and, according as he had promifed before he left the world, to have found ourfelyes afterward endued

CCXXXVIP

endued with a miraculous power of fpeaking, all on SERM the fudden, all forts of languages, of healing difeafes, of foretelling things to come, of cafting out devils, of raising the dead? Had we feen all this with cur eyes, and experienced this ftrange power in ourselves, could there have remained any doubt in us, but that this person was fent from GOD, and fpecially commiffioned from heaven to declare the mind of GoD to the world?

If, after all this, any man will fay, that fo many perfons, as were eye-witneffes of these things, might be deceived in a plain fenfible matter; I would defire that man to prove to me that he is waking, or to evidence to me by better arguments, any thing elfe that he thinks himself most certain of.

IV. The fourth evidence which those who lived in our SAVIOUR's time had of his divine authority, was the spirit of prophecy proved to be in him, and made good by the accomplishment of his own predictions. This alfo was a clear teftimony that he was from GOD: for GOD challengeth this as peculiar to the Deity, to foretel future contingents, Ifai. xli. 23. "Shew the things that are to come hereafter, that we may know that ye are gods." The oracles of the heathen did give out fome dark and doubtful conjectures about future things: but a clear and certain prediction of things was always looked upon as an argument, that the perfon that could do it was infpired from GoD; and therefore the fpirit of prophecy which was in our SAVIOUR, and by him conferred upon the apoftles afterward, hath always been justly looked upon as a good teftimony that he was from GOD. So the angel tells St John, Rev. xix. 10. that "the teftimony of JESUS is the "spirit of prophecy."