divine Providence in the government of the work: but in the christian revelation we find all thefe duly accounted for.

Natural Religion, which is altogether founded upon Reafon or the light of nature, can't find out a way to ease the confcience of a convinced finner, nor can it affure us that there is Forgiveness with God for criminal creatures: it cannot fhew us how God may exercise Mercy to them without the violation of his Juftice; nor point out any thing that can be a proper propitiation to God's juftice when injured and provoked by men: nature's light cannot tell how to make the pardon of fin confift with the wisdom of his government, the honour of his laws, and his hatred of fin. But we fee how all this can be done by the Chriftian inftitution.

Again, it is but dark and uncertain views which Natural Religion gives us of the immortality of the foul, and of a future life. Senfe and reafon bring us to the grave, but cannot penetrate into the regions beyond it. But the Gospel revelation discovers to us the eternal manfions prepared in the heavens for the fpirits of just men made perfect, and alfo the way leading to them.

In the Bible, which contains this revelation, we fee the defects of natural religion nobly made up: we have a great' Mediator fet forth, that fatisfies offended juftice, removes the guilt and power of fin, and brings finners into favour with God, and to eternal felicity; and in him all men are called to believe and truft for obtaining these bleffed ends. And this is the LORD JESUS CHRIST. In the Old Teftament he is foretold and promised as the Meffiah that was to come; in the New Teftament he is revealed as come, and the time and manner of his coming narrated. He came in due time, according to the Old Teftament predictions, exactly anfwering all its types, prophecies, and promifes, in his divinity and humanity; in his threefold office of Prophet, Priest, and King; and in his twofold state of humiliation and exaltation. So that, if Jefus Chrift were not the true Meffiah and Saviour of men, the glorious promifes of the Old Teftament, concerning the Meffiah, must be all delufion, feeing their fulfilment was limited within periods of time which are long fince paft.

Our Meffiah came not in the grandeur of an earthly monarch, as the carnal Jews expected, but as King of Zion, intending a spiritual monarchy in the world; and, to inftruct

his fovereignty and power in the kingdom of grace, he fhewed his dominion in the kingdom of nature, (which earthly kings can't do) by opening the eyes of the blind, the ears of the deaf, and the mouth of the dumb; by railing the dead, cafting out devils, and miraculoufly healing all forts of difeafes: yea, he gave power to his difciples to do the like, and to speak all languages of a fudden, without learning them; and to preach in them with fuch promptness and convincing energy, that their words pierced the confcience, and changed the minds and lives of men. Their doctrine did not favour the lufts and corruptions of men, nor had the force of human laws or arms to promote it, like the Mahometan religion; but, on the contrary, chriftianity had all these against it: yet, in oppofition to all thefe, it spread with aftonishing fuccefs and rapidity through the world, fo that, before the death of the apoftles, there was not a corner of the Roman empire, but had ftore of its profeffors. And tho' all the powers of earth and hell contended with fire and fword against the christian religion, yet within lefs than three hundred years the whole known world was conquered by it. And feeing this triumphant fuccefs was not owing to the might, art, or eloquence of man, we must conclude it was brought about by the extraordinary power of that mighty God, who is the author of this holy religion.

Such was the evidence of the apostles teftimony and their fucceffors in the primitive times, that not only the vulgar, but many of the best fenfe, wisdom and learning, were overcome by it, and heartily embraced their doctrine, even when they had no profpect but of the greatest fufferings for fo doing: fuch were Dionyfius, Polycarp, Juftine Martyr, Athenagoras, Tertullian, Origen, Clemens Alexandrinus, and many others. Surely nothing but the power of truth, which they evidently faw was countenanced by heaven, and confirmed by miracles, could have prevailed with fuch learned and curious inquirers to hazard the lofs of all things dear to them, by embracing christianity.

But, that I may come more clofely to that proof which is moft convincing of all, let it be confidered, that the truth and verity of the chriftian religion (of which our Catechifm is a compend) doth depend on the truth of a matter of fact, which (bleffed be God) is better vouched and attefted to us, than any fact in the world, that we have not feen with our eyes. Wherefore if the fact be true and certain, that fuch

a perfon as Jefus Chrift was born at Bethlehem in the reign of Auguftus the Roman emperor, when the fceptre of power was departing from Judah; and that about thirty years afterwards, in the reign of the emperor Tiberius, this perfon Jefus Chrift began to preach in Judea, where he travelled fome years, lived a most holy life, wrought great miracles, foretold many events, and amongst others his own death and refurrection; and, according as he faid, fo he died, and rofe - again upon the third day: I fay, If all this be certain fact, what reafon have we to question but this perfon had a divine miffion, and was the very perfon he gave out himself to be, and that the doctrine he taught, and inftructed his difciples to teach, was the very truth?

That the facts above related are certain, we have the best evidence: for they are attefted by many perfons of great probity and candour, who were eye-witneffes to what they affert; and these witneffes all agree in the fame teftimony, and continued adhering thereto unto their laft breath, notwithstanding of the fufferings and cruel deaths they were expofed to for owning thefe things. And not only they, but also several Jewish and Pagan writers, who lived in or near these times, do confirm the truth of the principal facts concerning Jefus Chrift which we have recorded in the New Teftament: nay, the fierceft enemies of Chrift in the ancient ages never prefumed to deny the facts. So that for any perfon to call in queftion the truth of facts fo well attefted, would be to destroy the truth and credibility of all hiftory.

As the facts contained in the. New Teftament have the fulleft teftimony that any ancient history can have, fo it is very confirming to us, that all the eight writers of the New Teftament do agree so exactly in their teftimony without variation or contradiction. Tho' thefe of them who write the historical part do relate different circumftances of facts and of miracles not mentioned by others (which only fhews they did not write by concert) yet they all agree in the matter: they give all the fame account of Chrift's birth, life, death, refurrection and afcenfion: they agree with all the reft in their accounts of Chrift's doctrine, and of the way of finners falvation by faith in Chrift's righteoufnefs, and by the virtue of his blood.

To confirm this doctrine, many miracles were wrought by Chrift and his apoftles; and, that there might be no fufpicion

of fraud, these were done openly in fight of all the people, and in prefence of learned men, Chrift's enemies: and thefe miracles were oft repeated, and that for many years, and had lafting effects on thefe upon whom they were wrought. And as for that great confirming miracle which Chrift frequently referred to in his life for proof of his Meffiahfhip, to wit, his rifing from the dead; it was well attefted by his many appearances after it to his disciples affembled together, yea, to five hundred of them at once, to whom the apoftle Paul in his t writings appealed for the truth of it, whilft most of them were alive. Yea, he not only appeared to them, but alfo taught them after his refurrection; and, for their fuller fatisfaction, he ate and drank with them; nay, he fhew'd them the print of his wounds, and caused them to touch and handle his body. It is to be obferved, that Chrift's difciples began openly to preach his refurrection, within a few weeks thereafter, in that very city where it happened, and even in face of those who put him to death; and no man attempted to disprove what they faid, which his violent enemies wanted not will to do if they could. Nay, the truth of Christ's refurrection was fo notour in that country, that many thousands presently believed the difciples teftimony, embraced their doctrine, and became chriftians. And as the difciples proclaimed Chrift's refurrection every where, fo they confirmed the truth of it with miracles wherever they came, and kept always the first day of the week in remembrance of it. These things, being certain facts, do clearly demonftrate to me, not only the truth of chriftianity, but alfo the amazing unreasonableness of infidelity; and that inftead of free or juft thinking, it doth argue the greateft thoughtlefnefs in thefe who give place to it.

Object. We in this age never faw Chrift or his apoftles, nor any of their miracles; no man now hath the gift of tongues; we have none of these miracles now repeated for our confirmation.

Anfw. 1. The only wife God thought Chrift's bodily prefence and these miracles to be neceffary at the first planting of christianity, when its doctrines were new to the world, and things oppofite to it were to be abolished; but doth not think fit to continue them now, when no new doctrine or way of worship is propofed, but only the very fame inculcated which Chrift and his apostles had taught.

2. If Miracles were ordinarily repeated, they would lofe

the use and force of miracles, which lies in their being extraordinary; for, if they were frequently repeated, they would become God's ordinary works, and not be much regarded by us.

3. Tho' Chrift at his afcenfion left the earth, and his apostles are gone, fo that we fee them not, nor the miracles they wrought for the confirmation of our faith; yet, by the evidences which remain, we may be as well affured of them as if we had feen them: and, in regard we are fo much attached to things vifible, our afcended Jefus, in his gracious condefcenfion to the weakness of our faith, hath left us seven or eight visible teftimonies or ocular demonstrations of the truth and certainty of these doctrines and facts which are the foundations of our faith; as, Chrift's Incarnation, his Living and Teaching in this world, with his Crucifixion and Refurrection. And, to confirm us the more in the belief of these bleffed truths, God in his mercy continues ftill before our eyes several standing witneffes of them, namely, 1. The writings of the apostles and evangelifts, who were eye and ear witneffes of what they testify- -2. The honourable name which we bear of chriftians, being that which the followers of Christ foon got after his leaving the world, 3. The beginning of the christian æra, or computation of years from the incarnation of our Lord Jefus Chrift, is directed by wife Providence to put us in mind, every time we write, read or mention the present year 1744, or any other year, that it is just fo many years fince our glorious Redeemer came in the flesh to fave loft finners. 4. The continuance of a gospel-ministry, according to Chrift's inftitution, to declare the forefaid truths and facts to the world.-5. The frequent difpenfing of baptifm, for the initiation of his difciples, as Chrift hath appointed.-6. The administration. of the Lord's fupper, in commemoration of his death and fufferings.- -7. The weekly obfervation of the Lord's day, in remembrance of his refurrection.- -These feven lafting monuments, being as old as the profeffion of christianity, have continued by the providence of God, defcending thro' all ages for these seventeen hundred years past, as visible witneffes of the truth of it, that all men, having them daily before their eyes, may confider them as fo many pledges of the facts, doctrines, and inftitutions of the New Testament.

To all which I may add an Eight visible witnefs; wiz. the