expreffion of the evangelift, Matth xiii. 58. where it is faid, that when Jefus was in his own country, he did not many mighty works there, because of their unbelief; which faying is perverfly abufed by fome, as if it fignified, that the credulity, and strong imagination of the people, was a great ingredient into his miracles.

First, That he wrought them by the power of the Devil. This was the objection which the Jews of of old made against our Saviour: Matth. xii. 24. That he caft out Devils by Beelzebub the Prince of the Devils, who had power and authority over the reft, and confequently to caft out thofe that were fubject to him; and the Jews at this day make the fame objection against all his miracles. Celfus, did the fame.

To this I cannot render a better anfwer than our Saviour himself did, when this objection was first ftarted, which was twofold:

1. That it was very unlikely that the Devil should contribute to the ruin and overthrow of his own kingdom. Matth. xii. 25, 26. Every kingdom divided against itself, is brought to defolation and every city or house divided against itself, fhall not ftand. And if Satan caft out Satan, he is divided against himself: how shall then his kingdom ftand? The force of which argument is this, that it cannot be imagined, that he who preacheth a doctrine fo contrary to the defign which the Devil carried on in the world, and fo deftructive to his kingdom, as our Saviour did, fhould be affifted by him to confirm the doctrine by any miraculous effects; efpecially fuch as did fo directly tend to the overthrow of his own kingdom, and to difpoffefs him of the advantage of tryrannizing over men, which he was fo defirous to get and hold.

But, 2. He tells them, that by the fame reason that they attributed thofe miracles of his to the Devil, all miracles that ever were wrought in the world, might be attributed to him. Did it appear by the tendency of his doctrine, or the courfe and defign of his life and actions, or by any magical rites that

he

he used, that he had any familiarity with the Devil'; or carried on any design for him? What colour of reafon then was there to afcribe the miracles that he wrought to the Devil, any more than the miracles that Mofes, had wrought; or any more than thofe difpoffeffions which were wrought by the children of their own nation, in the name of the God of Abraham, and Ifaac, and Jacob? ver. 27. If I by Beetzebub caft out Devils, by whom do your children caft them out? therefore they shall be your judges. Several among your felves do, or at leaft pretend to caft out Devils, by the power of God, and you believe they do fo; why fhould you not think that I do it by the fame power? what reafon have you to fufpect me of correfpondence with the Devil more than them? No answer could have been more fatisfactory in itself, and more appofite to thofe that made the objection.

The Second objection is grounded upon a fpite ful and malicious perverting of thofe words of the Evangelift, Matth. xiii. 58. where it is faid, that Jefus, when he was in his own country, did not many mighty works there, because of their unbelief. From whence fome atheistical perfons, as Cæfar Vaninus, and a wretched man of our own nation, who, I fuppofe, stole it out of him, have collected, that credulity and strong imagination in the people, were the principal ingredients into our Saviour's miracles; and where he did not meet with perfons fo difpofed, he could do no great matter.

This objection deferves rather to be abhorred and detefted, as a groundlefs and malicious infinuation, than to be answered; but because it seems to have fome colour as well as fpite in it, I fhall briefly return an answer to it, and that by giving a plain account of this paffage in the Evangelift; and that is this: Our Saviour comes to Nazareth, the place where he had been born, and he began to inftruct them in his doctrine, and, as he used to do wherever he came, he wrought fome miracles for the confirmation of his doctrine; but they upon an unreasonable prejudice taken up against him, because they had

known

known the meannefs of his parents, and of his education, defpifed both his doctrine and his miracles. Our Saviour perceiving that upon this prejudice they rejected the evidence of his miracles, the highest atteftation that God can give, faw that there was no good to be done upon them; and therefore leaving them to their own obftinacy and unreasonable unbelief, he forbore to do any more great works among them: For the text doth not fay that he did no mighty works among them, because of their unbelief; but that he did not many mighty works among them; that is, finding them poffeffed with this unreasonable prejudice against him, he found they were not to be convinced by any miracle that he could work; and therefore, though he had done fome mighty works among them, yet he forbore to do any more, as a juft judgment upon them for their obstinacy and unbelief. And that this is the plain meaning of it, there needs no more to convince any man, but to read over this paflage of the Evangelift, Mat. xiii. 54, 55, 56, 57, 58. And when he was come into his own country, he taught them in their fynagogue, infomuch that they were aftonished, and faid, Whence hath this man this wisdom, and thefe mighty works? Is not this the carpenter's fon? Is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren, James, and Jofes, and Simon, and Judas? And his fifters, are they not all with us? Whence then bath this man all these things? and they were offended in him. But Jesus faid unto them, A Prophet is not without honour, fave in his own country, and in his own house. And he did not many mighty works there, because of their unbelief. And now judge how little reafon there is from these words, for any fuch foolish and malicious objection.

I might add further, if it were neceffary, that many of his miracles were fuch, as no credulity or ftrength of imagination could affift in the working of them; as I could make evident from very many inftances, particularly that of raising Lazarus, after he had lain four days in the grave. But enough. of this.

Now

Now to reflect upon this evidence of Chrift's divine authority from the miracles which he did, and which were wrought to give teftimony to him. What greater fatisfaction can any one be imagined to have concerning any perfon, that he is fent from God, than the Apostles had, and the reft of those who converfed with our Saviour, and faw the miracles that were wrought by him, and on his behalf? Suppofe we had lived in our Saviour's time, and had converfed with him, what greater evidence could we have defired of his divine authority, than to have feen with our eyes fo many ftrange things done by him, exceeding any natural power that we know of, and things fo beneficial to mankind; and all thefe wrought fo frequently, and fo openly? To have feen this perfon put to death, and at that instant the whole frame of nature difordered and put out of its courfe? To have feen this perfon, after he had lain three days in the grave, raifed to life again; and to have the greatest affurance of this that our fenfes can give us of any thing; by frequent and familiar converfation; by difcourfing with him; by eating and drinking with him; by touching and handling of his body; and afterwards to have feen this fame perfon vifibly taken up into heaven; and, according as he had promifed before he left the world, to have found ourfelves afterward endowed with a miraculous power of fpeaking all on a fudden all forts of languages; of healing difeafes; of foretelling things to come; of cafting out devils; of raifing the dead; had we feen all this with our eyes, and experienced this ftrange power in ourfelves, could there have remained any doubt in us, but that this perfon was fent from God, and fpecially commiffioned from heaven, to declare the mind of God to the world?

If after all this, any man will fay, that fo many perfons as were eye-witneffes of these things, might be deceived in a plain fenfible matter; I would defire that man to prove to me that he is waking, or to evidence to me by better arguments any thing elfe that he thinks himself most certain of.

IV. The

IV. The fourth evidence which thofe who lived in our Saviour's time had of his divine authority, was the fpirit of prophecy proved to be in him, and made good by the accomplishment of his own predictions. This alfo was a clear teftimony that he was from God; for God challengeth this as peculiar to the Deity, to foretel future contingents, Ifa. xli. 23. Shew the things that are to come hereafter, that we may know that ye are gods. The oracles of the Heathen did give out fome dark and doubtful conjectures about future things; but a clear and certain prediction of things was always looked upon as an argument that the perfon that could do it, was in fpired from God; and therefore the fpirit of prophecy which was in our Saviour, and by him conferred upon the Apoftles afterward, hath always been justly looked upon as a good teftimony that he was from God. So the Angel tells St. John, Rev. xix. 10. that the teftimony of Jefus is the spirit of prophecy.

Now the predictions of our Saviour were many; and thofe very plain, punctual and particular; and fuch as all or most of them had their accomplishment in that age. That we may take a more diftin&t view of them, I fhall reduce them to these five heads:

1. Those that foretold his death, and the circumftances of it.

2. His refurrection, and the particular circumftances of that.

3. The defcent of the Holy Ghost upon the Apoftles, with the circumftances belonging to that. 4. The deftruction of Jerufalem before the end of that age, with the figns foregoing it, and the concomitant circumftances of that.

5. Those that foretold the fate of the gofpel in the world, the oppofition it fhould meet with, and yet the admirable fuccefs it should have, notwithtanding that oppofition.

1. Those that foretel his death, and the circumftances of it. This he did very particularly, and at feveral times, Matth. xvi. 21, he told his difciples, That he must go unto Jerufalem, and there fuffer many