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SERM.dently fhew its divine original, and prove

XVI.

the truth of our holy religion? This
then is a mark by which we defire our
faith to be tried, and upon this may we
place the stress of our caufe, that the
teftimony of Jefus is the spirit of prophecy.

We may, from what has been faid,
make the following reflections. And

1. Let us all be confirmed in the be lief of our holy religion. For those prophecies contained in the scriptures, which are accomplished, are like fo many miracles performed to our fenfes. They do not depend upon testimony; for we can, by our own enquiry, be fully fatisfied of the truth of them. We need only fee whether fuch events have ever come to pass, and whether they be really foretold in the fcriptures. And if the accomplishment of those prophecies be clear and certain, we may reft fatisfied that our foundation standeth fure, and that God is the author of a religion which is thus fupported. And there is no evading the force of this argument, but by fhewing that those prophecies have never been fulfilled; which can only be done by contradicting our fenfes, or destroying all the monuments of history.

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2. We may fee a manifeft difference SER M. between the chriftian religion, and feveral impostures that have prevailed in the world. Those false religions have never pretended to prophecy concerning distant events, for that might one day or other put an end to their claim, and therefore it was a dangerous experiment. Zoroafter and Mahomet, the grand deceivers of mankind, never attempted it, nor any of their followers. But on the contrary, the christian religion propofes prophecy as one of the marks of its truth, and the accomplishment of it in diftant ages confirms it, and fupplies any supposed decrease of its evidence from human teftimony. Every prophecy fulfilled clearly by an event, gives a new confirmation of it. The evidence of our holy religion is not leffened by time, but continues nearly the fame; or if altered, altered only by receiving new force, from events still to happen till the end of the world.

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SERMON XVII.

GOD the Governor of the World.

PSALM XXII. 28.

The kingdom is the Lord's, and he is the governor among the nations.

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XVII.

F we were to judge from fome fingle S ER M. things which we obferve frequently, among men, we might eafily be led to think, that either there is no difference between good and evil, or that the fupreme Being does not at all regard the moral actions of men. Things come frequently alike unto all; there is often one event to the righteous, and to the wicked; as is the good, fo is the finner; fo that it is difficult to know either love or hatred by all that is before us. What fhall we fay then? has God no regard for the concerns of men, and does he leave them to devour one another? Far be it from the Almighty that he fhould do unjustly; that he should not regard the difference between good and evil. To affirm this

of

SER M. of him, is to deny his existence, or at XVII. leaft to deftroy his perfections. Surely whatever the appearance of things may be, there is an all-wife and fecret-governing providence, which rules over the actions of men, and is particularly concerned for the religious and virtuous, for those who fear God and endeavour to please him. The infinitely good God does certainly govern the world; and whatever difficulties we may have about fome things we obferve, the most strict and fair reafoning will ever conclude with the Pfalmift in the text, that the kingdom is the Lord's, and he is the governor among the nations.

As the words may contain a diftin&t propofition by themfelves, I fhall not confider their connection with the rest of the pfalm. Their fenfe feems to be very plain, as they evidently mean, that whatever direction or power a prince may be faid to have in ruling the affairs of his kingdom, or a governor over those who are under him, the fame hath God, though in an higher degree, and more effectual way, over the actions of men in general; that not only all the great events and tranfactions of the world, but

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