of God, and the good of mankind.—Add to these prophetical predictions of things diftant, contingent, improbable, marvellous, punctually verified in the event.

And as fuch proofs cannot but be demonstrative of the truth of the Revelation they are brought to atteft, with all those who are eye-witneffes of the facts; provided their minds lie open to conviction: So are they no lefs capable of giving fufficient affurance to fucceeding generations, when fully and faithfully tranfmitted to them. For furely revealed truths, together with the miracles wrought in confirmation of them, may be delivered down to latest pofterity with the fame certainty as any other truths or facts whatsoever: And if the tradition itself be fo circumftanced as to give all reasonable, all poffible, affurance that fuch extraordinary works were really performed in atteftation of such excel

lent

lent doctrines; no argument can be offered against the credibility of them, but what must neceffarily invalidate all human teftimony, which is abfurd; and require fresh miracles in every age and country, for the fatisfaction of every fcrupulous perfon, which were a dishonouring God, and would in time too destroy the very force and efficacy of miracles themselves.

To apply then these particulars to the evidences we are actually poffeffed of in favour of the Gospel Revelation.

That Jefus the author and finisher of our faith was the Son of God, who came into the world not to do his own will, but the will of the Father which had fent him, was the record he bare of himself: But this we are told the Pharifees difallowed; and indeed they are his own words, "If I bear witnefs of myself, (i.e.

if I declare myself a Prophet without any atteftation from God) my witness is not true;" God never fending any Prophet to men, without fufficient teftimony that he was fent from Him. We therefore find our Bleffed Lord conftantly appealing to the miracles which He wrought, as undeniable credentials of his divine miffion, and of the truth and importance of his doctrines. "The works that I do, faid He, they bear witnefs of me, that the Father hath fent me." And again, "If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not; but if I do, though you believe not me, the teftimoof my words, yet believe the works."

ny

Such indeed was the intrinfick excellency of Chrift's doctrine, as might reafonably claim the attention of every confiderate perfon. Well did He ftile himfelf the Light of the World, who fo eminently opened the understandings, as well

well as the eyes, of the blind: The entire tendency of his preaching being to recover men from vice and error, to lead them to the knowledge and love of God, and to direct them by laws the most refined and heavenly. But ftill, the obligation they were under of embracing his doctrines, and fubmitting to his laws, how excellent foever, was from the miracles performed in confirmation of them. When they not only heard him speak as never man spake, but saw him also do the works which never man did, they were utterly inexcufeable in not honouring his person, and receiving his meffage; a meffage too fo worthy of all acceptation. To raise the dead to life again, give fight to one blind from his birth, cure all manner of sickness and disease amongst the people at a word's fpeaking, caft out devils, and the like, were operations evidently of a fupernatural kind; and must therefore be derived

from

from a Being more than human : But not from Evil Spirits; because, how great foever their power may be supposed to be, it is equally abfurd to imagine that they would exert it in attestation of doctrines abfolutely irreconcileable with their impious purposes; and that God, infinitely juft and good, should suffer them to give fuch glorious and irrefragable proofs in favour of an imposture. They must then proceed from the Father of light and truth.

Moreover, the predictions delivered by Jefus in relation to his own ignominious fufferings and death, to his triumphant refurrection from the dead on the third day, and ascension into Heaven; to the promised effufion of the Holy Ghost on the day of Pentecoft, whereby his Apoftles were enabled to preach the gospel to every creature; and to the final deftruction of Jerufalem; all exactly accom

plished