Soul in Hell, nor fuffer thy holy one to fee Corruption, for to this Purpose it is applied by St. Acts 2.27. Peter; the Time foretold by Hofea to be after Hof. 6. 2, two Days, as feveral of the Rabbies understood that Place, it was prefigured by the Type of Ifaac's Deliverance when he had been offered up; and by the Type of Jonas being three Mat. 12.4. Days and three Nights in the Whale's Belly. And his fitting at the Right-hand of God, which fuppofeth his Afcenfion into Heaven, was foretold by the royal Prophet, Sit thou at my Pf. 110.1. Right-hand till I make thine Enemies thy Foot-ftool. The Accomplishment of the fore-mentioned Prophecies was a fufficient Proof to the Jews, who saw them fulfilled, that our Saviour was a Perfon fent from God.

Q. How was Jefus proved to be fent from God by a Voice from Heaven?

A. Juft before he began his publick Miniftry; when he was baptized by John in the Prefence of the great Affembly of the People, the Holy Ghoft defcended upon him, with a Voice from Heaven, which faid, This is my be- Mat. 3.16, loved Son in whom I am well pleafed. And this 17. Voice was again repeated, though not fo publickly at his Transfiguration on the Mount; and 17. 5. is mentioned by St. Peter as a confiderable Argument of Chrift's divine Authority; For we 2 Pet. 1. have not followed cunningly devifed Fables, when 16, 17, we have made known unto you the Power and. Coming of the Lord Jefus Chrift, but were Eyewitnesses 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 Hea

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ven

ven we hear when we were with him in the holy John 12. Mount. And a third Time there came a Voice to him from Heaven in the Hearing of all the People.

28.

3, 4.

Joh, 5.36.

Q. What farther Evidence is there that Jefus was a Perfon fent from God?

A. The Power with which he was endowed of working Miracles, which when they are great and unquestionable, and frequently_wrought in publick, is one of the highest Evidences we can have of the divine Mission of any PerJohn 3. 2, fon. Upon this Ground it is that Nicodemus Mat. 11. concludes that our Saviour was fent from God: And our Saviour himself infifts upon this as the great Proof of his divine Authority; and the refifting the Evidence of his Miracles, he reckons as one of the greatest Aggravations ch. 15.24. of Unbelief; If I had not, faith our Saviour, done among them the Works which none other Man did, they had not had Sin. And that our Savi, our did many wonderful Things, is confeffed by his greatest Enemies, Celfus and Julian, though they attributed them to the Power of Magick.

Mat.4.23,

24.

Q. Of what Nature were our Saviour's Miracles, and how were they wrought?

A. He healed all Sorts of Diseases, and that in Multitudes of People, as they came accidentally without Distinction; and the Manner of curing them was fuch as was above the ordinary Course of Nature; for a Touch or a Word only produced the Cure, and that fometimes upon thofe at a Distance: The most inveterate John 9. 7. Difeafes fubmitted to his Power: He reftored Luke 13. Sight to the Man born blind: He made the Woman ftrait that had been crooked and bowed

13

together

together eighteen Years; and the Man that John 5. 1. had an Infirmity thirty eight Years he bids take up his Bed and walk. He multiplied a few Mat. 14. Loaves and Fishes for the Feeding of fome 21. Thousands; which Miracle was twice done, and at both Times many Thousands were Witneffes Ch. 15. of it: And, what all Men grant to be miracu-38. lous, he raised several from the Dead, particularly Lazarus, after he had been four Days John 11. in the Grave. All thefe Miracles he wrought publickly in the midst of his Enemies, and for a long Time together, during the whole Seafon of his publick Miniftry, which was about three Years and a half, and sometimes he extorted a Confeffion from the Devils themselves of his divine Power; and indeed they were fo publick and fo undeniable, that St. Peter applies to the Jews themselves, declaring, That Jefus Acts 2.22. of Nazareth was a Man approved of God among them by Miracles and Wonders, and Signs, which God did by him in the midst of them, as they themfelves alfo knew.

Q. What Objections were made against the Miracles of our Saviour?

A. His Miracles were fuch, and wrought in fuch a Manner, and did so plainly prove themfelves to be above the Power of Nature, that none of his Enemies attempted to folve them that Way; therefore they attributed them to the Power of the Devil, He cafteth out Devils by Mat. 17. Beelzebub the Prince of the Devils. This the 24Jews urged at first, and was afterwards made ufe of by others that oppofed Christianity. And fome later Atheift have made the Credulity and Imagination of the People to be a great Ingredient in his Miracles, because it is faid, when

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Mat. 13. when Jefus was in his own County, He could * 58. not do many mighty Works there, because of their Unbelief.

Q. How doth it appear that the Miracles of our Saviour were not wrought by the Power of the Devil?

A. Because the Doctrine of Chrift, which was confirmed by his Miracles, was contrary to that Defign which the Devil carried on in the World, and was deftructive of his Kingdom. It forbids the worshipping of evil Spirits, and draws Men off from fuch Wickedness as thofe evil Spirits were delighted with; and in fact it appeared wherever the Christian Religion was entertained, the Worship of Demons, and all Magical Arts were renounced and forfaken, and one God only worshipped. So that it is not to be imagined, that the Devil fhould affift in doing fuch Things, as not only brought no Profit nor Advantage to him, but were the fureft Inftruments of abating his Power, and deftroying his Interest among Mankind. And this is the Force of our SaMat. 12. viour's Anfwer to this Objection; Every King25, 26. dom divided against itself is brought to Defolation; and every City and Houfe divided against itself cannot stand; and if Satan caft out Satan, he is divided against himself, how shall then his Kingdom ftand?

Q. How doth it appear, that the Miracles of our Saviour were not owing to the Credulity and Imagination of the People?

A. Because they were often performed in the Prefence of his Enemies, who were not inclined to believe in him, and whofe Imaginations were ready to give a falfe Turn to every

Thing he did, and to pervert the End and Defign of them. And all that can be inferred Mat. 13. from our Saviour's not doing many mighty 54,55,56. Works in his own Country, because of their Unbelief, is, that though he did fome. Miracles among his own Country-men for the Confirmation of his Doctrine, yet finding them poffeft with unreasonable Prejudices against him, upon the Account of the Meannefs of his Parents, and the Obfcurity of his Education, he rightly judged that they were not likely to be convinced by any Miracle he could work, and that therefore though he had done fome mighty Works among them, he forbore to do any more, out of Concern for his own Country, foreseeing they would only ferve to aggravate their Guilt, and increase their Condemnation, till by his Refurrection he should give an undeniable Proof of his being the Son of God, and then should fend his Difciples among them, against whom as Strangers they would not have fuch unjust and foolish Prejudices.

Q. What was the great Miracle that gave the utmost Evidence of our Saviour's Divine Authority?

A. His raifing himself from the Dead the third Day; a Matter of Fact which was proved in the Chapter upon Easter Day, the annual Commemoration of his Refurrection; which all Christians have not only believed, but embraIced as the chief Article of their Faith. The Rom. 10. Witneffes produced for this Matter of Fact, 9. were Eye-witneffes of it, and were capable of giving their Teftimony in a Matter where nothing but common Senfe and Understanding were required: The Action, and all the Circum

ftances