truth of the facts having been done as a reason why they should apprehend and punish HIM; neither have they fince, nor indeed can any reasonable person, because the Gospel has those (a) marks of the truth which no imposture can poffibly have; though fome, forgetting the Pfalmift's confeffion, The [SHeM] NAME of THEE is [ QueR UB, nigh or intimately] counited, and that do thy wonders or miracles declare, lxxv. 1, have blafphemously imputed them to the word Jeнovaн pronounced or wrote on a staff, (b) &c. instead of owning He did them, as Robertfon fays, " by the reality, that "is, by the Divine nature as the true and ef"fential GOD, Jeнovaн." 2. The works were like His other works, the creation, flood, redemption from EGYPT, &c. extraordinary, and as contrary to the courfe of nature as it is for the light to ftand ftill, or rivers to run upwards to their springs, and fo miracles or works producing marvelling and aftonishment in them that faw or heard of them. Which cannot in reafon be ascribed to any but this SENT PERSON Jeноνан, Ex. xv. 11. Jud. xiii. 19, to this [EL] GOD that alone doeth wonders, Job ix. 10, P. lxxii. 18. lxxvii. 14. cxxxvi. 4. in heaven and earth, Don. vi. 27, and of old

(a) See Lefley's Short method with the Deift.

brought

(b) An evafion Luther has detected the weakness of in his treatife ftyled Schembammephorasch, &c.

I.

brought them forth with wonders, Jer. xxxii. 21, whose name was to be the wONDERFUL One, I. ix. 6, as JE is c. xxviii. 29, and who foretold like wonders should be wrought in His day, If. xi. 16. So that we should fay of HIM, this [ELOE] GOD or perfon INTERPOSED (fo as to be made a curfe for us, Gal. iii. 13.) the KING, I will speak of Thy wondrous works, Pf cxlv. 1. For that He was to be manifeft has been proved. What then was to be expected from this GOD of wonders but wonderful works? But when JESUS came HE wrought the things predicted, I. xxxv. 3, &c.; and was in His incarnation, birth, life, paffion, refurrection, and ascension, as He will be at His fecond coming, all a wonder, Pf. lxxi. 7. a man, like the types, wondered at, Zec. iii. 8, even by them that perish, A&t. xiii. 14. For it is constantly faid JESUS did them, i. e. as the ESSENCE THE SAVIOR, according to Joh. x. 38. And therefore by these wonders (which His history is found with the utmost propriety full of, and which the want of convicts the Pfeudo-meffiah's, Mohammed, &c. of falfhood) HE fulfilled the predictions, and fhewed HIMSELF the GOD who did "the noble works of old time" we own in our Litany, the WONDERFUL JE, whom the name fpeaks HIM; as fignified by the names of the types, [PHALLU] THE WONDERFUL ONE, [PELAIAH or JE] THE WONBb 2

DERFUL

DERFUL ONE THE ESSENCE. Then, 3dly, His works were fuitable for GOD to dɔ, and fo many emanations of His antient office of SAVIOR of this the multitudes healed and fed by HIM, and delivered from their greater adverfaries the devils are fufficient witneffes. We fee in them the victories of His almighty love, though not the fame as, yet like to the Jon of NUN's, over flesh and blood, over principalities and powers; the rest and comfort HE gave their bodies from affaulting maladies and foes, and own they spoke to man the amazing condefcenfion and mercy, the rich compaffion and philanthropy, as well as the boundless power of GoD, fhedding, as a more enlivening fun, His restoring influence on all around HIM. Two miracles indeed wear to fome a different face, the curfing of the fig-tree, Mat. xxi. 19, Mar. xi. 13, and the perishing of the fwine, Mat. viii. 3, Mar. v. 11, Luk. viii. 32. But the attentive mind will confider the office of a SAVIOR implies an overthrower of adverfaries executing judgment, as that of light naturally does that of an expeller of darknefs, Deut. xxxiii. 29, that therefore the character of JESUS, the true LIGHT, as delineated in thofe of the fons of NUN and JeнoseDeCH, presents both the deliverer and judge (CH. V. and VI.) as included in, and perfective of it; and it will remember this son of DAVID is ac

cordingly

cordingly described under this name as faving His flock, but taking vengeance on them whe know not GOD, and obey not His Gospel, but delight in all uncleanness with greediness. Which being seriously weighed, it will not be surprizing to find HIM by His figns and wonders fhewing HIMSELF as a favior, fo the destroyer of the fruitless foul, that under all the feafons of the divine love ftill remains barren of good to His. people, and of gratitude to CHRIST, difappointing His holy hunger after it's falvation, and throwing itself beyond the reach of confiftent mercy. It will not be offended at feeing HIM fet before us these interesting truths, 1. that as He only could difpoffefs the enemies of our fouls as the fon of NUN did the CANAANITES, fo they fucceeded against none but by His permiffion; 2. that they, as ISRAEL's foes on their defection, entered into thofe who, like the fow that was washed, returned to wallow in the mire of fin, 2 P. ii. 20; and, 3, that such run headlong glorying in their shame to perish in the depths of fatan, Rev. ii. 24. On the contrary, the difpaffionate mind will adore the goodness of JESUS, who, whilft HE perfected His character and fignified the judgments to be inflicted on the unfruitful and unclean, did not execute them on the perfons of them who were fuch, (which must have ended in the destruction of the lives He came to fave,) but on His irra

tional creatures, which He had the fole right of giving or taking away from His tenants at will, on a fruitless fig-tree, that cumbered the ground and, as we may learn from His dealings Luk. xiii. 8, 9, would not be mended, and on fwine, the known emblems of impure spirits then forbidden to have place in man, and of course inftruments of unrighteousness to their owners. Because this was mercifully displaying in figurative acts, for our admonition and the prevention of offence, that juftice and vengeance, which He always promised in His office of SAVIOR to execute on His and our enemies, however captious men, not fearing to provoke His wrath, have in their fhort-fight poured forth their groundless exceptions: these works being the refult of this office, amiable to His people, but terrible to His foes, and as much the neceffary constituents of the character of the true JESUS as the over throw of the enemies in order to the people's welfare was the characteriftic of the JESUS of the law, as much as the deftruction of the body of fin, confeffed upon the typic facrifice and flain and burnt, like the cities of CaNAAN in order to the people's falvation, was that of the JESUS of the prophets; in a word, as effential on His firft as they will be found on His fecond advent, when perfons unreformed under these admonitions, barren of good works and wallowing in the mire

of