And fo likewife the Divinity of Sermon our Saviour and his Doctrine is IV. 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, Mat. 11. 2. 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 lame walk, the lepers are cleanfed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raifed up, and the poor have the GoSpel preached unto them. And blessed is he whofoever shall not be offended in me. So John 5. 36. But 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 sent me. Chap. 10. 25. Jefus answered them, I told you, and ye believed not: the works that I do in my Fathers Name, they bear witness

of

of me. Verf. 37, 38. If I do not the Volume works of my Father; believe me XII. not: but if I do; though ye

1

believe not me,

believe the works: that ye may know and believe that the Father is in me, and I in him. Chap. 14. 11. Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works fake. Chap. 20. 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 highest Evidence, Mat. 11. 20, 21, 22, 23, 24. Then began he to upbraid the cities wherein most of his mighty works were done, because they repented not. Woe unto thee Chorazin, woe unto thee Bethfaida. For iff the mighty works which were done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in fackcloth and afbes. But I fay unto you, it shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the

day

M

And

day of Judgment, than for you. 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 Sodome, it would have remained until this day. But I fay unto you, That it shall be more tolerable for the Land of Sodome in the day of Judgment, than for thee. John, 15. 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 Apostle 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. 2. 2, 3. For if the word Spoken by Angels was stedfaft, and every tranfgreffion and difobedience received a just rocompence of reward: How shall we escape, if we neglect 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

Sermon

IV.

of the Gofpel is laid upon the Miracle, Volume of Chrift's Refurrection from the XII. dead, which our Saviour mentions as the only fign that should be given to that generation, that is, the cleareft. And the Apoftle, Rom. 1. 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 Sermon to the Athenians, Acts 17. 30, 31, infifts upon this as the great Evidence; And the times of their ignorance God winked at; but now but now commandeth all men every where to repent: Because he hath appointed a day in the which he will judge the world in righteousness, by that man whom he hath ordain'd, whereof he hath given affurance anto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead. And this was the proper work of the Apoftles, to be Witneffes to the World of this great Miracle, Acts 1. 21, 22. Wherefore of these 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

up from us, must one be ordained to be a witness with us of his refurrection. Sermon So St. Peter in his Sermon, Acts 2. 32. IV. Him hath God raised up, whereof we all are witneffes. And to mention no more, Acts 10. 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 raifed up the third day, and fhewed him openly; not to all the people, but unto witnesses 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 perfwade men to believe the Revelation or Teftimony, for the confirmation of which they are wrought. Of this affurance 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 Senses for it, that is, if we fee them wrought. This Evidence the Difciples of our Lord had, and the Jews, and therefore their unbelief was H inex