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yet further expect fome Predictions from him, that extend to the prefent Times, and are now visibly accomplished before your Eyes; has he not foretold, and do you not find it true, that Jerufalem Shall continue to be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the Time of the Gentiles be fulfilled?

Would you expect, that when this Meffiah, according to the Prophecies concerning him, was cut off, he should declare himself the Son of God with Power, by his Refurrection from the Dead? - And has it not appeared true, that no Precaution by fealing his Tomb, and fetting a Guard over it, could prevent his Triumph over the Grave, and his appearing to great Numbers of his Difciples, and frequently and familiarly converfing with fome of them for forty Days together; and finally afcending up to Heaven before their Eyes.

Would you expect, that his Difciples, who were Eye and Ear Witneffes of his Life, Death, Refurrection, and Afcenfion, and could not poffibly be deceived in Facts fo open to all their Senfes, fhould at their Peril preach this Saviour to the World; and continually undergo a Life of painful Travel and Fatigue, Poverty and Reproach, Opposition and Perfecution, to propagate his Gofpel; and that they would finally facrifice their Lives in the Caufe, and feal their Doctrine with their Blood?

This they have done, and it is impoffible that more could be done, to raise their Truth and Sincerity above all Sufpicion.

Would you expect, that thefe Difciples fhould be extraordinarily and peculiarly qualified for their great Work; and fent forth to the Nations with fufficient Credentials to confirm their Testimony, and make their Doctrines credible?-What greater Furniture can you poffibly fuppofe needful in fuch a Cafe, than for a Number of unlearned Men and Women,

Women, to be instantaneously endued with an intimate and familiar Acquaintance with all Sorts of Languages; and (not, as pretended by fome Energumens and the modern French Prophets, have their Organs of Speech improved by the Devil, in pronouncing Languages which they did not underftand, but) capable conftantly and familiarly to converfe with every Nation in their qwn proper Speech; and with greatest Propriety to write, and tranfmit to Pofterity the Hiftory and Religion of their Lord and Mafter, in a foreign Language which they had never learned.-Can you, Sir, poffibly imagine a greater and brighter Difplay of the immediate Agency and omnipotent Power of the glorious Author of our Beings, than thus at once to enlarge the Mind, and furnish it with fuch an amazing Extent of Knowledge, while God himself has borne them Witness, with Signs and Wonders, and with divers Miracles, and Gifts of the Holy Ghoft, according to his own Will?

Suppofe you fhould fee fome unlearned Ruftics, with whom you are acquainted, pretending to a new Revelation, and confirming their Pretences, by fpeaking familiarly all the Languages of Europe, by healing the Sick and Decrepid with a Word, raifing the Dead to Life, and striking Men dead by a Word, revealing the Secrets of other Mens Hearts, communicating thefe and fuch like Powers to others, by the Impofition of their Hands; and declaring to you, that it was not by their own Power or Holiness that they performed thefe Works, fhould you find the ftrictest Holiness and Conformity to the divine Nature, joined with these miraculous Powers, -Would you not believe the Truth of their Pretenfions?-Would you not acknowledge, that God was in them of a Truth?

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Would you expect that thofe Men, who were fent out to preach and propagate a new Religion in the World, fhould themselves be inspired with a prophetic Spirit, and capable to foretel future Events? and is not this alfo vifibly Fact in the Cafe before us? Have they not diftinctly foretold the State and Fate of the Church in all its Periods, until the Confummation of all Things?-Don't we ourselves fee their Predictions exactly and circumftantially verified, with refpect to the Rife, Reign and Rage of Antichrift; and with refpect to the Jews ftill continuing a distinct People, and remaining in their Unbelief, until God fhall again graff them into the Olive-tree, from whence they have been cut off?

Would you expect, that the Meffiah fhould profper and fucceed thofe Difciples, whom he should fend out to propagate the Gospel among the Nations, by the Converfion of Multitudes to the Faith?

And do we not find in Fact, that he has affifted a few mean and unlearned Fishermen, without Riches or Power, Art or Eloquence, to triumph over all the Prejudices in Mens Minds, against the Doctrines of the Crofs, over all the bitter Oppofition of the Rulers of the World, all the riveted Prepoffeffions amongst both Jews and Gentiles to their ancient Religion, and all the Learning of Greece and Rome, and to bring fo great a Part of the World into a profeffed Subjection to the Cross of Chrift!

Would you expect, that the Religion of fuch a Saviour fhould be every Way worthy of God, agree able to all his glorious Perfections, and every Way fuitable for Man, perfective of his Nature, and adapted to his Welfare, in every Station, Relation, and Capacity that he fuftains in this World, as well as to his eternal Intereft in the World to come? -All

-All this (I think) is what the Deifts themselves are forced to allow.

Would you expect fome apparent Influence of this Religon upon the Hearts and Lives of those who fincerely profefs it, and who commit their Souls and eternal Interefts into the Hands of this Saviour? And don't you yourself fee this continually exemplified? Don't every body fee, that they who cordially receive the Lord Jefus Chrift for their Prince and Saviour are diftinguished from the rest of the World, by the Exercife of Love both to God and Man ?—Is not the Change wrought in the Hearts and Lives of fuch visible to every Obferver, in the bleffed Fruits of Holiness, Righteoufness, Charity and Beneficence?-This Change they themselves profefs to have experienced, by their Exercise of Faith in the Lord Jefus Chrift. This Experience they juftify to the World, by the fteady Conduct of their Lives.And thus the great Redeemer approves himself indeed the great Phyfi cian of Souls, by recovering all from their spiritual Maladies, who apply to him, and depend upon him for a Cure.

Would you expect a confiftent and harmonious Scheme of Religion through all the Parts of divine Revelation ?-And is it not wonderful to obferve, how the New Teftament every Way answers the Design of the Old; and how all the numerous Writers of these facred Books, notwithstanding their very different Manner of writing, the very diftant Ages in which they wrote, and the very different Circumstances of the Church, in their refpective Times of writing, have yet all taught the fame Doctrines, all described the fame Dangers, and all pointed out the fame Way to eternal Salvation!

Thus, Sir, I have fet before you, in the closest and most connected View, fome brief Hints of the Cre

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Credentials of Chriftianity.I know you are capable of extending your Demands yet further; and of propofing fome thing else that may ftill ferve to reflect new Light upon the Christian Revelation; and there is yet much more at your Service, when you'll be pleafed to make your Demands. You must, however, in the mean Time allow me the Freedom to fay, that the Evidence now in View is fufficient to fill the Mind of every unprejudiced Perfon, with a neceffary and infallible Certainty of the Truth we are inquiring after. Deliberately confider each of these Arguments feparately and particularly; confider them all in their Connection and Relation to each other, and then try whether you can refufe your Affent to the

Gospel of Chrift.

There is (I'm fenfible) one Objection ready to offer itself to your Mind against all this; and that is, how do I know, that the great and principal Facts, upon which Christianity is especially built, may be depended upon as certainly true?-How do I know the Congruity of the Prophecies with the Event? -How do I know the miraculous Conception of the Lord Jefus Chrift, the Atteftation of the Angels to his Birth; or that he wrought fuch Miracles in Confirmation of his divine Miffion; and that he rofe again from the Dead, and ascended up to Heaven? How do I know, that his Apoftles were infpired with fuch extraordinary and divine Gifts; or that they performed fuch miraculous Operations?

To this I answer, that fome of the Evidences which I have offered are what directly, upon the very first View, you may know, and cannot but know, to be certainly and infallibly true, if you will but open your Eyes to obferve them. You do certainly know, that human Nature is dreadfully Corrupted and vitiated; that it is oppofite to the Ho

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