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ferent Exigences of the feveral Ages in which it was delivered, and the Measure of Support and Comfort that was neceffary to be imparted to them: But He obferves, that the fecond Purpose above-mentioned will be ftill farther affifted by taking in one entire View the whole Scheme of Prophecy, and that they who confider the Prophecies under the old Teftament, as fo many Predictions only, independent on each other, can never form a right Judgment of the Argument for the Truth of Christianity drawn from this Topic.

Now an entire View of the Prophecies may be taken in two different Lights: either fucceffively, as they lie in Order of Time; or collectively, as they All together make up one compleat Set of Predictions relating to the fame Perfon. Thefe Views are manifeftly diftinct: The first of them is, I apprehend, chiefly to be attended to, when we fpeak of fupporting the Faith of the Old World; as the latter of them is most fubfervient to the Proof of Chriftianity.

THAT the Prophecies of the Meffiah recorded in the Old Teftament are difpofed in a regular and dependent Order, cannot be doubted by any one who seriously confiders them: and that this Order was not fallen upon accidentally, and without Defign, I think will admit of as little Difpute. The Giving Teftimony to Chrift's Miffion could not be the Defign of Providence in dispofing them in this Order. For it will appear that a Set of Prophecies, if they only contained a full Defcription of the Meffiah, would have given as perfect

perfect an Evidence to the divine Miffion of Jefus, in whatever Order they had been delivered, or delivered even without any Regard to Order, as they do when ranged in that Regularity in which they now appear.

No other Conditions could be requifite for this End than that the Prophecies fhould be, 1. fo clear as to be easily applicable to the Meshah; 2. fo numerous and particular, as to comprehend a View of the most material Actions of his Life, and the Intention of his Coming; and, as to be neceffarily reftrained to him, and applicable to no one elje. Now these Conditions might be obtained, without any Regard to the Order in which the Prophecies were delivered: and therefore the giving a more perfect Teftimony to the Miffion of Jefus, could not be the Design of Providence in giving that regular Arrangement to thefe Prophecies in which they are difpofed. But then thefe Conditions could not both be obtained without a Regard to the fecond View of Prophecies which we have pointed out. For though the Prophecies might have been fo plain as to be eafily applicable to the Meffiah (as in Fact all the Prophecies applied to him are) yet unless they did all together make up one compleat Set of Predictions relating to the fame Perfon, they could not have been fo numerous and particular as to comprehend a View of the moft material of our Saviour's Actions, and the Intention of his Coming, nor as to be reftrained to him alone, and applicable to no one else.

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THESE Distinctions then, I apprehend, give a clear and easy Account how far Prophecies, diftinctly and independently confidered, can go towards producing a perfect Teftimony of the divine Miffion of Jefus, and how far they muft fail in doing this. We must easily fee, that Prophecies, fignly confidered, might be so plain as to be applicable to our Saviour: but then under this View only they could go no farther. They might still be of fuch a Nature, (and in Fact many of them are of that Nature,) as to be applicable to many more befides the Perfon of our Saviour. Thus that Prediction, which fays the Meffiah fhould make his Grave with the Rich, is plainly applicable to our Lord, because it undoubtedly happened to him; but it happened to many more befides our Saviour, and therefore, if we confider it no otherwise than fingly, the Evidence of this Prophecy is manifeftly loft. It can no more, by its own fingle Force, prove Jefus of Nazareth to be the Meffiah, than it can a Thousand others, to whom the fame Thing happened in common with him. It only fets his Claim to that Title upon a Level with that of all those on whofe Corpfes, fince the giving out of the Prophecy, the fame diftinguished Interment has been bestowed. But when we give it a Place amongst a Collection of Prophecies that were all given out concerning the fame Meffiah, then we see how, under this collected View, it is at once restrained, and affifts in restraining others, to the Perfon of our Saviour; fince it can

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then only be applicable to him in whom all the other Circumstances concurred, nor can the reft be applied, but where this is alfo due. 'Tis true there are some of the Prophecies by their Nature more restrained. There are perhaps fome of them which no one could, in strict Justice, pretend to have fulfilled but our Saviour alone. These are however far the smallest Number.

Nay there are scarce any of them, which a cavilling Age would have allowed him a peaceable and incontested Right to: and, in by far the greatest Number, He would have had many Competitors. But if they fail here, much lefs can fcattered, disjointed Predictions answer the other Part of the second Condition. For it is a Contradiction, that a Prophecy of a fingle Event should comprehend a View of the most material Actions of the Meffiah, and the Intention of his Coming. We see how fmall a Part of that Evidence for the Truth of our Saviour's Miffion, which Reafon teaches us to expect from Prophecy, is obtainable from Prophecies fingly and independently confidered: and therefore how neceffary it is, in Order to draw a conclufive Argument for the Truth of Christianity from this Topic, to take an entire View of the Prophecies of the Old Teftament in the fecond Light, as they all together make up one compleat Set of Predictions relating to the fame Person.

If we should attend only to one fingle Operation of Nature, or to one fingle Act of God's Dealings with his Creatures, we might perhaps

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be tempted to deny a Providence. But if we take in at one comprehenfive View the whole System of Nature, and run through the whole Scheme of God's Difpenfations, then the Proofs of Power and Wisdom fhine in fo ftrongly upon Us, that We cannot help acknowledging the great and good Creator and Governour of the Universe. So here, when we attend only to one fingle Prophecy, fo narrow and partial a View will at best leave the Mind clogged with great Uncertainties: but when We enlarge our View, and admit at once the whole System of Prophecies; then the Evidence for our Saviour's divine Miffion breaks in with a Force fo irrefiftible as carries all Doubts before it, and pours ftrong Conviction and full Affurance over all the Mind.

I do not deny, but that the first View of Prophecy may contribute fomething towards ftrengthening, or at least beautifying, the Argument drawn from thence for the Truth of Chriftianity. For 'tis certain that the System of Prophecies cannot be ranged in a more beautiful Order than that wherein they stand. And befides; having an Eye to the Occafions for which they were given, the Place they poffefs in the Series of Prophecies, and the Circumstances that attended their Delivery, cannot fail of giving Light to feveral particular Prophecies. There is fome Reason to imagine, that our Saviour and his Difciples looked upon this as the most commodious Order, in which to draw out thefe Prophecies, to give their Evidence to the Truth of his Miffion.

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