But a farther account of the nature and difference of miracles, I reserve to fome particular difcourfes on that fubject. At prefent, for the fuller opening of this matter, it will be proper to fhew, 1. That the divine authority both of the doctrine of Mofes and Chrift is refolved into miracles. 2. What affurance of miracles is fufficient to perfuade men to believe that teltimony, for the confirmation of which they are wrought. 3. What affurance they give us, that the fcriptures are a divine revelation. But the confideration of thefe I refer to the next opportunity. SERMON CCXXII. Of the faith or perfuafion of a divine revelation. I HEB. xi. 6. But without faith it is impoffible to please God. The fourth fermon on this text. N difcourfing of the faith or perfuafion of a divine I. What we understand by a divine revelation. III. Whether a perfuafion concerning a divine reve lation be properly faith. IV. How we may come to be affured of a divine revelation; or by what arguments a faith or perfuafion of a divine revelation is wrought in us. V. The degrees of this perfuafion or affurance. VI. The effects of it. VII. In what sense it may be faid to be a divine faith. I was upon the IVth of thefe, viz. confidering by what arguments faith or perfuafion of a divine revela tion is wrought in us; which led me to confider the evidence of miracles; and I propofed to fhew particularly these three things. 1. That the divine authority both of the doctrine of Mofes and Chrift is refolved into miracles. 2. What affurance of miracles is fufficient to perfuade men to believe that teftimony, for the confirmation of which they are wrought. 3. What affurance they give us, that the fcriptures are a divine revelation. I proceed to treat of thefe in their order. 1. I fhall fhew that the divine authority both of the doctrine of Mofes and of Chrift is refolved into, miracles. ans. We find the fcripture lays the whole weight of the divine authority both of the law and gospel, of the revelation of the Old and New Teftament, upon this evidence. Exod. iv. 1. 2. 3. When God fends Mofes, he objects, That they will not believe him, nor hearken to him, but will fay, The Lord hath not appeared unto him. Thereupon God gives him a power of miracles, that they may believe that the Lord God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, Ifaac, and Jacob, hath appeared unto them; and by the evidence of thofe miracles which he wrought, he prevailed over the Magici And generally throughout the ftory of the Old Teftament, we find all perfons yielding to the evidence of miracles, as a fufficient atteftation to a Prophet and his meffage. When Elijah had prevailed with God in a miraculous manner to confirm his own worship, and confute the worship of Baal, by fending fire from heaven to confume the facrifice, the people yield to this evidence, and cry out, The Lord he is God, the Lord he is God, 1 Kings xviii. 39. When Elijah raised the woman's fon, then the owned him for a Prophet, 1 Kings xvii. 24. Now by this I know that thou art à man of God, and that the word of the Lord in thy mouth is true. So likewife Naaman was convinced by the mi ra raculous cure, which the Prophet Elifha wrought on him, 2 Kings v. 15. Behold! now I know that there is no God in all the earth but in Ifrael. And fo likewife the divinity of our Saviour and his doctrines is refolved into the evidence of his miracles. This is the evidence Chrift gives of himself, when John fent his difciples to enquire whether he was the Meffias, Matth. xi. 2. &c. Now when John had heard in the prifon the works of Chrift, he fent two of his difciples, and faid unto him, Art thou he that should come; or do we look for another? Jefus answered and faid unto them, Go and fhew John again thofe things which ye do hear, and fee. The blind receive their fight, and the Lane walk, the lepers are cleanfed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raifed up, and the poor have the gospel preach ed unto them. And blessed is he whofoever shall not be offended in me. So John v. 36. But I have greater. witness than that of John: for the works which the Father bath given me to finifb, the fame works that I do, bear witness of me, that the Father hath fent me. Chap. x. 25. Jefus answered them, I told you, and ye believed it not: the works that I do in my Father's name, they bear witness of me. Verle 37. 38. If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not: but if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works; that ye may know and believe the Father is in me, and I in him. Chap. xiv. 11. Be lieve me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me; or elfe believe me for the very works fake. Chap. xx. 30. 31. And many other figns truly did Jefus in the prefence of his difciples, which are not written in this book. But thefe are written, that ye might believe that Jefus is the Chrift, the Son of God, and that believing, ye might have life through his name. And from hence our Saviour aggravates the unbelief and impenitency of the Jews, because they refifted this higheft evidence, Mat. xi. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. Then began he to upbraid the cities wherein moff of his mighty works were done, becanje they repented not: wo unto thee, Chorazin, wo unto thee, Bethfaida: for if the mighty works which were done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in fackcloth and afhes. But I fay unto you, it fhall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon, at the day of U 2 judg judgment, than for you. And thou Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, fhalt be brought down to hell. For if the mighty works which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I fay unto you, that it fhall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for thee. John xv. 24. If I had not done among them the works which none other man did, they had not had fin; but now have they both feen, and hated both me and my Father. And fo the Apoftle tells us, that miracles are the great confirmation of the gofpel, and are fo clear an evidence of the truth of it, that they render all unbelievers inexcufable, Heb. ii. 2. 3. For if the word spoken by angels was stedfaft, and every tranfgreffion and difobedience received a just recompence of reward; how fall we efcape, if we negleft fo great falvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him? In particular, the great weight of the gofpel is laid upon the miracle of Chrift's refurrection from the dead, which our Saviour mentions as the only fign that fhould be given to that generation, that is, the cleareft. And the Apoftle, Rom. i. 4. faith, That he was declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the Spirit of holiness, by the refurrection from the dead. This put it out of all queftion. And St. Paul, in his fermon to the Athenians, Acts xvii. 30. 31. infifts upon this as the great evidence; And the times of their ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent: because he hath appointed a day in which he will judge the world in righteoufnefs, by that man whom he hath ordained, whereof he hath given affurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead. And this was the proper work of the Apostles, to be witnesses to the world of this great miracle, Acts i. 21. 22. Wherefore of thefe men which have companied with us all the time that the Lord Jefus went in and out among us, beginning from the baptifm of John, unto that fame day that he was taken up from us, muft one be ordained to be a witnefs with us of his refurrection. So St. Peter, in his fermon, Acts ii. 32. Him hath God raised up, whereof we all are witneffes. And to mention no more, Acts x. 38. 39. 40. 41. God anointed Jefus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghoft, and with power, who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppreffed of the devil: for God was with him. And we are witnesses of all things which he did both in the land of the Jews, and in Hierufalem; whom they flew and hanged on a tree. Him God raised up the third day, and fhewed him openly; not to all the people, but unto witnefes chofen before of God, even to us who did eat and drink with him after he rose from the dead. 2. What affurance of miracles is fufficient to perfuade men to believe the revelation or teftimony, for the confirmation of which they are wrought. of this afsurance there are three degrees, all which do oblige, men to believe the divine revelation for which they are wrought. (1.) If we have the evidence of our own fenfes for it, that is, if we see them wrought. This evidence the difciples of our Lord had, and the Jews, and therefore their unbelief was inexcufable; and the blafpheming the Spirit whereby they faw fuch miracles to be wrought, was the fin against the Holy Ghoft. (2.) If we have the credible report of eye-witneffes of thofe miracles, who are credible perfons, and we have no reason to doubt of their teftimony; that is, if we have the reports of them immediately from the mouth of those who were eye-witnesses of them. That this lays likewife an obligation on men to believe, ap-. pears by our Saviour's reproof of Thomas, who would not believe except he himself faw: but moft exprefly from that text, Mark xvi. 14. He upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had feen him after he was rifen. (3.) If the credible report of eye-witneffes concerning fuch miracles be conveyed to us in fuch a manner, and with fo much evidence, as we have no reafon to doubt of it. For why fhould we not believe a credible report conveyed to us in fuch a manner, as we have no reafon to question, but that it hath been faithfully conveyed and tranfmitted to us? St. John thought this to be affurance fufficient to induce belief, John xx. 31. But these things were written that ye might believe, &c., And this is that affurance which we, who live at this |