Vol. I. tion, the Fountains of Life and Truth. This being clear, what remains to be prov'd is, the Apoftles and Evangelists were commiffion'd, impower'd, and qualified by God to publifh this Gofpel, and this is very evident from the Arguments I have mention'd. Let us confider the Character of the Doctrine, and the Men who taught it; How could ignorant and unletter'd Men devife fuch Myfteries as fhould be worthy of the Majefty of God, and fuitable to the great Ends and Interest of Mankind, and establish them upon fuch Grounds, that all fober and impartial Men fhould fee abundant Reason to embrace them, and none of the learned of the World fhould yet be able to baffle or confute them? How fhould these be able to contrive a Scheme of Religion fo exactly confonant in Reality, both to the Old Teftament and the Reason of Mankind; tho' fo opposite in appearance to both, as Judaifm and Philofophy then stood, that the Gospel was a ftumbling block to the few, and folly to the Gentiles? How should they clothe the Myfteries they taught in fuch intelligible and proper Language, and this even at

first thought, that neither time nor Vol. II. Learning has ever been able to Improve it, or discover any thing in it that needs to be Reformed or Corrected. Nay, when Men of Parts and Learning have, in the Explanation of these Mysteries, deviated from the Phrase of Scripture, they have rather embroiled and perplext themselves and others, than ‍added either Strength or Light to the Truths of the Gofpel. In a word How should a handful of poor ignorant People start up on a sudden, in a World full of Darkness and Wickedness, and carry humane Reason to such a height, that all the Measures of Right or Wrong, of Good and Evil, fhould for ever after be decided by their Writings and Wisdom and Folly, Truth and Falhood eftimated by a Conformity to them,or Deviation from them. Never was any Writing so apt to enlighten, move, and affect the Mind of Man, and Man when he is thorowly influenced by it, becomes as like God as he is capable of being while he is in the Body.

From the Consideration of the Dodrine it felf, let us pafs on to Preditions and Miracles by which it was confirm'd:

Vol II confirm❜d: It would be a great Work to run through the Correspondency of the New Testament with the Old in this one particular of Prophefies;I will only tell you, that the Incarnation and Birth, the Preaching and Works, the Sufferings and Refurrection, together with the Afcenfion and Glory of our Lord, the Descent of the Holy Spirit, and the Succefs of all together, were foretold in the Old Teftament, and accomplished in the New. And these were Things of that Nature, that none but God could foretel, none but God could accomplish.

As to Miracles, they are Works which infinitely transcend the Wit or Force of Man, 'tis very plain that he could not; and without debating the Power of Hell, I have before prov'd, that the Devil would not work any fuch thing for the Confirmation of the Gospel. Now that Miracles were frequently and openly wrought for this purpose by Chrift and his Apostles, is a Fact that has in it all the Notoriety imaginable, the Enemies of the Cross, the Jew and Gentile, never denied it; the Devil himself confeft it, by confronting true Miracles with false ones,

and

and hereby labouring to defeat and Vol. II. elude the force of them. Nay, the very Success of the Gospel abundantly proves this: When did ever the Dif course of any Philosopher, like St. Peter's convert Three thousand at a time? No strength of Reason, no force of Eloquence, could have fo triumph'd over the Reason of Mankind, and fo eafily difpoffeft them by whole fhoals, at a time of their Prejudices and Errours, of their Lufts and Paffions, as the Gospel did,unless it had been backt and inforc'd,as that was,by the Demonstration of the Spirit and of Power.

To conclude this Argument, If that one fingle Miracle, the Refurrection of Jefus from the Dead, on which the whole Gospel turns, be plain and indifputable, we can doubt of nothing elfe. And what can be better attefted than this: And we, fays St. Peter, Acts 5. 32. are Witneffes of these things, and fo is the Holy Ghost whom God hath given them that obey him. Is not the Testimony of the Spirit fufficient? or can any honest or impartial Man doubt whether the Spirit did thus bear witness to the Refurrection of Christ ? Was the Effusion of the Holy Ghost

at

Vol. II. at Pentecoft a thing done in a Cor

ner? Does not St. Paul in all his Epiftles fent to be publish'd and read in all the Churches, treat frequently of the Use and End of miraculous Gifts, and prescribe Rules for the Exercise of them in their Affemblies? Does he not Appeal to the miraculous Power of the Spirit in himself, as to the Seal of his Commission, and in them all, as the Proof of the Divinity of the Gospel Dispensation? With what Senfe, with what Front could any Man have done this, had there been then in the Churches no fuch thing as Miraculous Gifts ?

Having faid thus much of the Testimony of the Holy Spirit, I need fay the less of the Teftimony of Man; I will only put you in mind, that when the Apostles bore witness to the Refurrection, they Attefted nothing but what they had seen with their Eyes, and handled with their Hands: They were Men who were bright Examples of the Doctrine they taught, living Proofs of its Divine Power and Energy: Their Lives fhew'd plainly, that they neither had, nor could have any defign but to advance the Glory of

God,