Ifa. liii. 9. which was accomplished in that he was put into Jofeph of Arimathea's own tomb. His refurrection was foretold to be after three days, Hofea vi. 24. as feveral of the Rabbies understood that place; however, that he fhould rife again, may le plainly argued from thofe texts, where it is faid, that his kingdom fhall have no end; and Ifa. liii. To. where it is faid, that after his death, He shall fee his feed, and prolong his days; and that the pleafure of the Lord fhall profper in his hand. But moft exprefly, Pfal. xvi. 10. Thou wilt not leave my foul in hell, neither wilt thou fuffer thine holy one to fee corruption. And his fitting at the right-hand of God, which fuppofeth his afcenfion into heaven, Pfal. cx. 1. Sit thou at my right-hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool. The wonderful fuccefs of the gofpel, and the univerfal fpreading of it through the world, was foretold, Gen. xii. 3. In thee fall all the nations af the earth be blessed; which implies, that the bleffing of the gofpel, which the Meffias brought to the world, fhould be univerfally diffused. Gen. xlix. 10. To him hall the gathering of the people be. Pfalm ii. 8. God promifeth there, to give Chrift the Heathen for his inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for his poffeffion. Befides feveral other places of the Pfalms and Prophets, too many to be reckoned up. Now the accomplishment of all these prophecies happened in their days who faw our Saviour, and converf ed with him; fo that they were capable of receiving full fatisfaction concerning his divine authority, and that he was a perfon fent of God to teach the world, and affure them that he was the Meffias, foretold and prophefied of in the books of the Old Testament, which being by them received as of divine infpiration, did confequently affure them that he was from God. II. The fecond way whereby we may be fatisfied concerning the divine authority of a perfon, is by the teftimony of an immediate voice from heaven; and this teftimony Christ had twice given to him: the first publickly before a great affembly of people at John's baptifm, which was juft before he began his publick miniftry. Matth. iii. 16. 17. The Holy Ghoft defcending upon upon him like a dove, as he came out of the water; and there was a voice from heaven, which faid, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleafed. The fame voice was heard by Peter, James, and John, at his transfiguration on the mount, as you may fee, Luke ix. 35. And this St. Peter mentions, as a confiderable argument of Chrift's divine authority, 2 Pet. i. 16. 17. 18. For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we make known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jefus Chrift; but were eye-witnesses of his majefty. For he received from God the Father, honour and glory, when there came fuch a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleafed. And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with him in the holy mount. Indeed he makes this teftimony to be fuch an argument, as concurring with that which I mentioned before, is fufficient to perfuade one that Chrift was fent from God; but he does not make it to be equal to that, which he adds at the 19th verfe, We have also a more fure word of prophecy, whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that fhineth in a dark place, &c. Intimating the prophecies of the Old Teltament were greater confirmation than this fingle teftimony of a voice from heaven does amount to. III. I proceed to the next evidence, which those who lived in our Saviour's time had of his divine authority, viz. the power of working miracles, which he was endowed withal; and this is the higheft teftimony that can be given to any perfon that he is fent from God. And in this refpect chiefly is the gofpel called the light of the glorious gospel of Chrift, because of those glorious miracles whereby the gofpel was confirmed. This is, as it were, the broad feal of heaven, which is fufficient to give confirmation to any doctrine which does not evidently contradict the perfections of the divine nature and it is not credible, that the providence of God is fo little tender of the concernments of mankind, as to communicate this power to any person that will abuse it to the confirmation of a lie. I deny not but the devil may do many strange things, and fuch as we can cannot diftinguish from fome fort of miracles; and where men, by fome great precedent provocation, have made it juft for God to give them up to ftrong delufions to believe lies, because they would not believe the truth, but had pleafure in unrighteoufnefs; there God may permit the devil to work ftrange wonders, as it is foretold, 2 Theff. ii. 9. that the coming of Antichrift shall be after the working of Satan, with all power, and figns, and ly ing wonders, and all deceivableness of unrighteousness. But in this cafe there will remain two ways, whereby impartial and considerate men, and fuch as are not blinded by prejudice or their lufts, may fufficiently difcover, that this is not from God. : 1. By the abfurdity of the doctrine which those wonders are brought to confirm and fuch were the lewd, and filthy, and fenfeless doctrines of the Gnofticks, to which Simon Magus pretended to give a confirmation by the wonders that he wrought, and this very probably may be that which the Apostle refers to in this chapter. And fuch likewife are feveral of the doctrines of Popery fuch as the adoration of the virgin Mary, of faints and images, and the doctrine of tranfubftantiation; for the confirmation of which, they pretend a great many wonders have been wrought. : 2. By the contrariety of the doctrine to that which hath had the confirmation of far greater miracles. Therefore if we fhould grant to the Papifts, that sevéral of thofe miracles which they brag of, were really wrought, (which confidering the infinite cheats and impoftures which have been practifed by them in that kind, and have been difcovered, we have no reafon to grant;) yet because the doctrine, which they pretend to confirm, is abfurd, and unreasonable, and contrary to the doctrine which they themfelves own to have had a far greater confirmation, by miracles far greater, and more unquestionable, more publickly done, and in fuch a manner, and with fuch circumftances, as do free them from all fufpicion of impofture; I fay, for this reafon we cannot admit thofe doctrines to be of divine authority; becaufe the confirmation, which is given to them by thofe wonders, is over-powered by a great Of this fee more, Ser. 229.230.231. in this volume. er er and more divine teftimony; as the Magicians of Pharaoh, though they did many odd feats, yet were plainly mastered and conquered by the greater miracles which Mofes wrought. می The fum is this, that where-ever any perfon is endowed with an eminent power of working miracles, fuch as are of the firft rank, great and unquestionable, and many, and publickly wrought, that is one of the highest evidences we can have of the divine authority of any perfon or doctrine. Therefore Nicodemus does upon this ground very reafonably conclude, that our Saviour was fent from God, John iii. 2. We know that thou art a teacher come from God; for no man can do thofe miracles which thou doft, except God be with him. And our Saviour himfelf infifts upon this frequently as the great proof of his divine authority, Matth. xi. 3. 4. When John Baptist sent two of his difciples to him, to be fatisfied, whether he was the Meffias, he bids them report to John what the doctrine was which they heard him preach, and what miracles they faw him work for the confirmation of it; Go and fhew John thofe things which ye do fee and hear; the blind receive their fight, and the lame walk, and the lepers are cleanfed, and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached unto them. John v. 33. 36. our Saviour there tells the Jews, that John bare witness of him; and that might fatisfy them, because they looked upon John as a Prophet: but, faith he, I have greater witness than that of John; for the works which the Father hath given me to finish, the fame works that I do, bear witness of me, that the Father hath fent me. John xv. 24. If I had not done among them the works which none other man did, they had not had fin. This was the great aggravation of their unbelief, that they refifted the evidence of fo great miracles, fuch as no man in the world ever wrought *. I fhould now briefly run over the chief of thofe miracles of our Saviour, which we find recorded in the hiftory of the gofpel; and fhew that they have all the advantages that miracles can have, to give fatisfaction to men concerning. their reality. But this I reserve for my next discourse. *See more of this, Ser. 222. in this volume. SER CCXXXVI. SERMON The evidences of the truth of the Christian religion. 2 COR. iv. 3. 4. But if our gofpel be hid, it is hid to them that are loft: in whom the God of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, left the light of the glorious gofpel of Chrift, who is the image of God, should fhine unto them. The third fermon on this text. N my laft difcourfe, I was confidering the third evidence which thofe who lived in our Saviour's time working miracles, with which he was endowed. And in treating on this, I propofed briefly to run over the chief of those miracles of our Saviour, which we find recorded in the gospel, and to fhew that they have all the advantages that miracles can have, to give fatiffaction to men concerning their reality. And that I may proceed in fome kind of order and method, I fhall reduce the miracles that concern our Saviour to these three heads. First, The miracles of his life. Secondly, Thofe that were wrought at his death. Thirdly, The great miracles of his refurrection from the dead, and thofe two that were confequent upon it, his afcenfion into heaven, and his fending the Holy Ghost upon the Apostles and Chriftians in miraculous gifts and powers. I begin with the first, the miracles of his life. And in fpeaking of these, I fhall fhew that they had all the advantageous circumstances to convince men of the reality of them, and to free them from all fufpicion of im poiture. |