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 fincerity above all fufpicion. Would you expect, that thefe difciples fhould be ex-. traordinarily and peculiarly qualified for their great work; and fent forth to the nations with fufficient credentials, to confirm their teftimony and make their doctrines credible? What greater furniture can you suppose needful in fuch a cafe, than for a number of unlearned men and women, to be inftantaneously endued with an intimate and familiar acquaintance with all forts of languages; and (not, as pretended by fome energuments and the modern French prophets, have their organs of speech improv'd by the devil, in pronouncing languages which they did not understand; but) capable conftantly and familiarly to converfe with every nation in their own proper fpeech; and with the greatest propriety to write, and tranfmit to posterity, the history and religion of their Lord and mafter in a foreign language which they had never learn'd. 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 born them witness, with figns and wonders ; and with diverfe miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will?

Suppose, you should fee fome unlearned rufticks 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 fick and decrepid with a word, railing the dead to life, and ftriking men dead by a word, revealing the fecrets of other men's hearts, communicating these 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 perform'd these works: fhould you find the strictest holiness and conformity to the divine nature, join'd with thefe miraculous powers: Would you not believe the truth of their pretenfions? Would you not acknowledge, that God was in them of a truth?

Would you expect that thofe men, who were fent out to preach and propagate a new religion in the world, fhould themselves be infpired with a prophetick 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 ftate 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 respect to the Jews ftill continuing a distinct people; and remaining in their unbelief, until God fhall again graff them into the o-. live tree, from whence they have been cut off?

Would you expect that the Meffiah fhould profper and fucceed thofe difciples, whom he fhould send out to propagate the Gofpel 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 men's minds against the doctrines of the crofs, over all the bitter oppetition 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 fubjection to the crofs of Chrift!

Would you expect, that the religion of fuch a Saviour fhould be every way worthy of God, agreeable to all his glorious perfections; and every way fuitable for man, perfective of his nature, and adapted to his welfare, in every ftation, relation, and capacity that he fuftains in this world, as well as to his eternal intereft in the world to come? "All this (I think), is what the Deifts themfelves are forced to allow.

Would you expect fome apparent influence of this religion upon the hearts and lives of thofe who fincerely profefs it; and who commit their fouls 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 distinguish'd C

from the reft 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, vifible to every obferver, in the blessed fruits of holiness, righteoufnefs, charity, and beneficence? This change they themselves profefs to have experienced, by their exercife of faith in the Lord Jefus Chrift. This experience they justify to the world, by the fteady conduct of their lives. And thus the great redeemer approves himself indeed the great physician of fouls, 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 fcheme of religion, through all the parts of divine revelation: And is it not wonderful to obferve, how the New-Teftament every way answers the defign of the Old; and how all the numerous writers of thefe 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 respective times of writing, have yet all taught the fame doctrines, all defcribed the fame dangers, and all pointed out the fame way to eternal falvation!

Thus, Sir, I have fet before you, in the closest and moft connected view, fome brief hints of the credentials of Christianity. I know, you are capable of extending your demands yet further; and of propofing fomething elfe, that may ftill ferve to reflect new light upon the Christian revelation: And there is yet much more at your fervice, when you'll be pleafed to make your de mands. You must however in the mean time allow ine 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 enquiring after. Deliberately confider each of thefe arguments feparately and particularly; confider them all in their connection and relation to each other; and then try whether you can refuse your affent to the Gospel of Chrift.

There is (I'm fenfible) one objection ready to offer itfelf 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 mifhon; and that he rofe again from the dead; and afcended up to heaven? How do I know that his apoftles were infpired with fuch extraordinary and divine gifts; or that they perform'd fuch miraculous operations?

To this I anfwer, that fome of the evidences which I have offered, are what directly, upon the very firft view, you may know, and cannot but know, to be certainly and infallibly true, if you will but open your eyes to observe them · You do certainly know, that human nature is dreadfully corrupted and vitiated, that it is oppofite to the holiness and purity of the divine being; and that there is therefore great neceffity of a Saviour, to bring us to God, and to rectify our depraved nature. You may certainly know, that there are a great variety of predictions of fuch a Saviour, difperfed through the whole Old Teftament; and that the whole nation of the Jews always did, and ftill do, from thence live in raised expectations of a Meffiah. You may certainly know, that there were a great number of rites and ceremonies religiously obferved and practised among the Jews; and that facrificing in particular, was not only enjoin'd upon them, but early and generally practifed among all nations. For none of which things can there be any manner of reason given or imagined, unless they were types and adumbrations of an expected Saviour. You may certainly know, that the time prefixed in the Jewish Prophecies for the manifeftation of the Mefliah, was the very time, in which by the concurring teflimo. ny both of the friends and enemies of Chriftianity, the Lord Jefus did appear. You may certainly know, that the Jewish prophets did foretel a fuffering Saviour, a Saviour that fhould be wounded for our tranfgreffions bruifed for our iniquities, that should make his foul an of fering for our fin; and that should be cut off, but not for himself: and you are equally certain from all other

hiftorians, as well as from the Evangelifts, that our Lord Jefus did undergo fuch opproby, mifery, and death, as was foretold of the Meffiah by the prophets. You may certainly know, that it was foretold in the prophets, that the fcepter fhould not depart from Judah, and a lawgiver from between his feet, until the coming of the Meffiah; But that after his death, the Jewifh facrifices fhould cease: and their holy city and fanctuary be deftroy'd and made defolate: and that the event does affure us, that the circumftances of the Jewish nation did exactly anfwer to these prophecies, both before and after the death of Jefus Chrift. You may certainly know, both by the Jewish and Chriftian prophecies, that under the Gofpel-difpenfation, the Jews were to be rejected of God: and to continué, despised and dispersed among all nations; but the Gentiles to come to the light of the Meffiah, and fee his righteoufnefs and glory and that the event is agreeable to the prediction. You may certainly know, that the rife of Antichrift was predicted to be af ter the fall of the Roman Empire, when that could no longer let or reftrain him; that he fhould appear under the guife of a minifter of religion, in the temple of God; that he should pretend to all power, and figns, and lying wonders that he fhould make war with the faints, and overcome them; that he should refide in the great city, that was then built upon feven mountains, and reigned over the kings of the earth, which was true of the city of Rome only. And you may alfo confider, whether all this is not true of the Pope and the Roman Papacy. You may certainly know the amazing progrefs of the Gofpel in the firft ages of Chriftianity, in the face of the most formidable and powerful oppofitions; and its continuing progrefs, against all the attempts of its heathen and Papal enemies. You may know the excellen. cy of its doctrines, and the glorious effects it hath upon the hearts and lives of true believers. You may know (as, bleffed be God, multitudes do know, by experience) how it conquers mens corruptions, changes their natures, pacifies their confciences, fills their fouls with light and joy, strengthens them against temptations, fweetens the afflictions of life; and fortifies them againft