Satan fhould caft out Satan; which would be the dividing his kingdom, and confequently the destroying it. Whereas, by his cafting him out He plainly fhewed, that He was armed with a power, fuperior to what the Devil is poffeffed with; and that could be none other than the Finger of God.

And now it was that a certain woman of the company, fatisfied of the justness of his reafoning, lift up her voice and faid unto him, "Bleffed is the womb. that bare thee, and the paps which thou haft fucked :" To which our Lord took occafion to make anfwer as in the text,

Yea, rather bleffed are they that hear the Word of God, and keep it." Which as it was a fevere reproof in regard to thofe unbelieving Mafters of Ifrael, with whom He had been then arguing, and who attended to him only that they might cavil at his doctrine: So is it to

us likewife of universal fignificance; as it fets before us the exceeding value and power of that Divine Revelation, which entitles the obfervers of it to a bleffedness superior to every other confideration.

The farther ufe I would make of this remarkable faying of our Lord and Saviour, is,

First, To offer fome confiderations touching the Authority of that Word which is here fo forcibly recommended to our attention. From whence,

Secondly, will appear the peculiar Bleffedness derived upon thofe who hear this Word and keep it.

1. Now the Authority of the Word here recommended confifts primarily in this, that it is the Word, not of fallible

Men,

Men, but, of God; who can neither be deceived himself, nor deceive us: Confequently what He speaks must be true; and the Truths declared by Him most worthy our obfervation, and indifpenfably requiring it. It remains only to be confidered upon what teftimony we may be affured that the word spoken is indeed the Word of God; a Revelation of his Will, and therefore the Rule of our Faith: And, whether the testimony in favour of the Gofpel Revelation is fufficient to ascertain it's divine Authority.

It were needless to infift on the perfonal conviction of any Prophet or infpired Teacher, that He is himself really under a divine influence; because, the revelations made to him being for the ufe of others, he must be first enabled by fome infallible proof to fatisfy those whom it may concern to receive him, that he was in truth fent from God. Only

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Only thus much I obferve, it must needs argue extreme folly and prefumption to imagine that that Almighty Being who made the human mind, and gave us a faculty of communicating our thoughts to each other by means of certain bodily organs, should not himself be able to communicate his will to man, in some way at least as clear as indifputable, as at different times, and on different occafions may beft anfwer the ends of his Providence.

Taking it for granted therefore, that God can reveal his will to any person in such a manner, and with fuch irresistible evidence, as to produce an abfolute certainty in the mind of that person that the revelation is from Him: The queftion is, what reasonable grounds of affurance can be given, by One thus immediately commiffioned from Heaven, to induce, or rather oblige, others to accept

accept of, and submit to, his authority as divine? Since, how plaufible foever his pretenfions may be, certain proofs and evidences are requifite in this case, in order to secure men from the whims and fictions of enthusiasts and impoftors.

Now, befides the internal evidence arifing from the nature of the meffage or doctrine itself, that it is altogether worthy of God to deliver, and Man to receive; fome external marks and tokens are further neceffary; fuch as may fatisfy the senses of every unprejudiced person, and demonftrate the Author of them to be endued with power from on high. Of this kind are miracles, extraordinary and wonderful operations, not reducible to any natural caufes; far furpaffing the utmost efforts of men though affifted by the artifice of devils; in their tendency fubverfive of every thing that is evil, and ferving only to promote the honour