Chap. XVIII. 36, 37. My Kingdom is not of this World, &c. Pilate therefore faid unto him, art thou a King then? Jefus answered, thou fayeft that I am a King: And for this caufe came I into the World, that I should bear witnefs unto the Truth. Every one that is of the Truth heareth my Voice. Jefus plainly declared that his Kingdom was not of this World Yet he called himfelt King. Had he been an Impoftor, he would have pretended to have reigned somewhere, or at leaft fhewed fome Ambition of it. Chap. XX. 25, 26. The other Difciples therefore said unto him, we have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, except I fhall fee in his hands the Print of the Nails, and thrust my hand into his Side, I will not believe, &c. Jefus faith unto him, Thomas, because thou haft feen me, thou haft believed: Blessed are they that have not feen, and yet have believed. Could any one have made Thomas believe that he had been more incredulous than the rest of the Disciples, and that he would not be perfuaded till he had feen and felt the Body of his Mafter? Chap. XXI. 3. Simon Peter faith unto them, I go a fishing: They fay unto him, we also go with thee. They went forth, and entred into a Ship immediately; and that Night they caught nothing. But when the Morning was now come, Jefus ftood on the fhore, &c. Chrift being Dead, the Difciples betook themselves again to their former employment, for they could not. fubfift without doing fomething to get a Lively hood. And Jefus after his appeared fometimes to here they were a fishing. about, ich unto him, if I will that be tarry till I come, what is that to thee? Follow thou me. Then went this saying abroad among the brethren, that that Difciple should not die: yer Fefus faid not unto him, he shall not die; but if I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? This is the Difciple which teftifies of these things, and wrote these things, &c. Can we imagin that the Evangelift himself invented this Report, which he pretends went about concerning his Immortality? And do fuch Thoughts come into a Man's Head? However do but observe how all the particulars of this matter hang fo one upon another, that whofoever grants one of them, muft grant alfo the rest. For the Report spread abroad that John fhould not die, was grounded upon the Answer which Chrift returned to Peter; and he returned not that Answer to Peter, till after his Refurrection, and after having foretold Peter himself, with what kind of Death he fhould glorifie God. This connexion therefore plainly fhews us what we ought to believe upon this ac count. CHAP. VIII. Wherein we shall further produce from the Acts of the Apoftles, feveral Places very proper to make us truly fenfible of the Divinity of the Christan Religion. Hap. I. 8. But ye shall receive Power after that the Holy Ghoft is come upon you: and ye shall be witneffes unto me, both in Jerufalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, &c. unto the uttermost part of the Earth. Let these Witneffes be ftrictly examined, let their Patience be tryed with all kinds of fevere punishments and and it will then appear whether it be possible ever to force them to recant their Opinion, Verf. 26. And the Lot fell upon Matthias, and he was numbred with the eleven Apoftles. In this election there appears neither Bribe, Preeminence or arbitrary Partiality; fo different was that Society from thefe now established in the World. Chap. II. 13: Others mocking, faid thefe Men are full of new Wine. Thefe fort of Circumftances are of excellent ufe to fhew the Exactness and Sincerity of the Historian, Verf. 22. Jefus of Nazareth, a Man approved of God among you by Miracles, and Wonders, and Signs, as ve your felves alfo know. How came they to know it had Christ wrought no Miracles among them? And what a strange piece of Confidence must it have been in the Apostles to speak thus ? Verf. 41. And the fame Day were added unto them about three thoufand Souls. What but the wonderful Power of the Holy Ghost given to the Apostles, could make so many Profelytes? Verf. 44, 45. And all that believed were together, and had all things common, and fold their poffeffions and goods, and parted them to all Men as every Man had need. A holy Society indeed confisting of none but fuch as had given up all their Interest in this World, and glorified God by offering up themselves, and what was dearest to them, as a facrifice to him. What could they hope for, who abfolutely renounced every thing for the fake of Chrift? Let a Man reafon never so much upon the manner of uniting Men in a Body together, 'tis certain there was never a more effectual method to form a Society than Charity. For it makes thofe things equal which humane Paffions had before diftinguished; it fubverts all competition, deftroys all intereft, banishes the defigns of Pride and Ambition, and all the little diftinctions Vanit T 2 creat creates. In a word, it unites Men in a State wherein they all equally enjoy the fame Revelation, the fame fpiritual Worfhip, and the fame Faith, Hope, and Charity. All which represents as it were on Earth the Joys we may partake hereafter, and gives us a lively Image and Idea of Heaven. And what greater Miracle than this can be brought to prove the Divinity of a Religion? Verf. 46. And they continuing daily with one accord in the Temple, and breaking Bread from Houfe to Houfe, did eat their Meat with gladness and fingleness of Heart. What Perfeverance, what Joy, nay what Simplicity of Heart did the Apoftles here fhew, fuppofing them to have been Deceivers? For we must either acknowledge them to be fuch, or elfe allow the Gofpel they preached, to be most certainly true and Divine, Chap. III. 8, 9. And he entred with them into the Temple, walking and leaping, and praising God. And all the People Jaw him walking and praifing God. Is it an eafy matter to make other men believe fuch matters of fact as thefe, fuppofing they were altogether falfe? Verf. 12. And when Peter faw it, he answered unto the People Ye Men of Ifrael, why marvel ye at this? Or why look ye fo earnestly on us, as though by our own Power, or Holinefs we had made this Man to walk? Had Simon Magus performed fuch a Miracle, he would certainly have took all the Honour of it to himself, and now more confidently than ever affirm, that he was the great Power of God. Obferve I pray here a Character of Ingenuity, Humility and Sincerity, which can't be fufficiently expressed. Verf, 16. And his name through faith in his name, hath made this Man strong, whom ye fee and know: yea, the faith which is by him, hath given him this perfect foundness in the prefence of you all. This multiplying expreflions of the fame thing may not fo well please fome fome Men, and feems to be an empty flourish of words, or a putting fome good words finely together to fignifie little; a thing not agreeable to the true Eloquence Men ought to use. But here it is not really fo. The Apostles here regarded not Politnefs in the leaft, but rather were afraid they could not use expressions strong enough, to let them know that it was not in their own Names, but in the name of Jefus Chrift, that all these things were done. Tis no matter then whether the Ear was offended at it or not, provided the Understanding humbled itself in the prefence of God, and afcribed that extraordinary Miracle to none but Christ himself. Verf. 14. But ye denied the holy one and the just, and defired a murderer to be granted unto you. Obferve how little he knew what it was to flatter those Men he spoke to! Chap. IV. 4. Howbeit, many of them which heard the word, believed, and the number of the Men were about Five thousand. How could S. Luke, who wrote in a time when the Church of Jerufalem confifting of fo many Profelytes flourished, I fay how could he have made fo many believe fuch miraculous matters of fact, as had they been real they must have seen them with their own Eyes? Chap. V. 15. Infomuch that they brought forth the Sick into the Streets, and laid them on Beds and Couches, that at the least the fhad of Peter paffing by, might overShadow some of them. the completion of that Prophefy of Chrift, old that his Difciples fhould do far greater w Verf. 32. And we are Holy Ghos and foi th b со part aily co Wo Gifts the |