phecies, and the prophecies by the Scriptures, nothing more is requisite than to prove the Scriptures of both Testaments as old as they represent themselves to be, by arguments independent not only of the prophecies, but of the Scriptures. Now the Jews are competent vouchers for the antiquity of the Old, and the Christians for that of the New, as I have already made appear; and these are parties too opposite to be suspected of an intention to vouch for each other. Besides, were there occasion for it, the antiquity of these writings might be established as clearly as that of any other writings, on the credit of ancient authors, whose works are not comprehended in the Scriptures, and who could have had no intention to attest any such thing, either because they had no reason to think it needed their attestation, or because they would rather, if they could, have recorded the very contrary. But the point by no means stands in need of borrowed proofs. It is not to be supposed the Jews should forge a set of writings that give their adversaries so great advantages. Nor can credulity itself be so very blind, as to believe the Christians could have been all along quoting the writings of the New Testament against one another, in their continual controversies, had not these writings been extant before the first quotations of that sort.

If then there had been at first any doubt concerning the divinity of the prophecies in the Old Testament, which foretell the coming of the Messiah, together with the rise, progress, and period, of the Persian, Grecian, and Roman empires, there could be none, after all these prophecies had been exactly fulfilled. It was impossible for Isaiah or Daniel, as mere men, to foretell events so very remote, and so absolutely depending on the freedom of persons who were not to be born for some hundreds of years after the death of those prophets. Nay, it was equally impossible for any angel, or superior creature, to communicate intimations of this kind from the strength of his own faculties. That the prophets should be enabled to foretell the coming of the Messiah, carries reason with it at first sight; but that they should have the history of the three empires mentioned revealed to them, and, through them, to the Jews, seems not so pertinent or accountable. It is, however, equally an argument of the Divine foreknowledge wherewith they were

inspired. Nor is it a less proof of God's wisdom, considering how greatly his people were in after-times to interfere with these empires; and what an immense advantage it was to the Messiah, and his dispensation, to have the most important affairs of the world, for so long a course of years, foretold by the same prophets that foretold the time of his own coming, the place of his birth, his miracles, his character, his death, his resurrection, his success as a teacher, and, in short, all the chief transactions of his life. As, in the eye of the world, the character he intended to assume was low and despicable, something was necessary to aggrandize the expectation of him, and give the world reason to look on him with veneration, although unaccompanied with outward pomp and power. Nothing could so effectually answer this end (I mean nothing previous to his own miracles), as the prophetically intermixing his birth and history with those of the greatest empires the world was ever to see; and, what was more, the prognosticating to his kingdom an absolute conquest over the last and greatest of these, together with a dominion without bounds or end, as we see in the second and seventh of Daniel.

As to the prophecies relating to Christ, it is sufficient to convince us of their divinity, that Christ and his apostles quoted them to the Jews as extant in their ancient books, and as literally and exactly fulfilled in the new dispensation of religion. And as to the new prophecies which he and his disciples uttered concerning the apostacy and blindness of the Jews; the destruction of Jerusalem; the long and dreadful persecutions wherewith Christianity was to be op posed; the amazing success and triumph wherewith it was, nevertheless, to be crowned; the rise, progress, and power, of antichrist; with many other important events, all arising from the uncompelled schemes, and voluntary actions, of men in after-ages; we must grant they have had a full and clear completion, if we are not determined to give the lie to all history during a period of more than 1700 years, and even to our own experience and observation.

Now we ought to observe, in respect to almost all the prophecies in both Testaments, that, while they promised benefits and blessings to some, they threatened others with disgrace, destruction, and curses; that, therefore, if there

were some who had reason to wish for their completion, there were others no less interested to oppose, and, if possible, prevent it; and that, in most instances, the opposers had all the advantages worldly power and policy could give them; while they, who wished well to the completion, were wholly destitute of both. This was seen remarkably in the case of Christ's resurrection. He was dead; his disciples were the simplest, the weakest, the most fearful, of mankind. They wished, indeed, to see him alive again; but the stealing away of his dead body was a thing they neither could have desired, for to what end? nor have effected, because they had a military force to oppose, and, either by day or night, must have carried it away through crowds of Jews, attentive to the tomb, and watchful over an event the most awakening that had ever been foretold or promised to mankind. But that, notwithstanding all this, the prophecies were fulfilled by his actually coming to life again, these men, so fearful before, have fully proved to the whole world, by a testimony which all the severities of a sanguinary persecation could not frighten them from giving. The same thing is as remarkably evident in the history of the three succeeding centuries. Christ foretold great and terrible persecutions, and also universal success, to his followers. Now did not the refutation of his prophecy, as to the persecutions, lie in the hands of the Jews and Romans? Had they any thing more to do, in order to prove him a false prophet, and consequently an impostor, than only not to persecute? Yet they did persecute, and that most cruelly at times, for the space of three hundred years; and, by that very means, not only verified this prophecy, but also thereby did more towards verifying the other, concerning the successful preaching of Christianity, than they could have done by any other possible expedient; for the wounds of the martyrs were infinitely more eloquent than their mouths.

The compass of a discourse like this will not suffer me to descend into a minute discussion of every thing the subject may seem to require; but I speak as to wise men,' who may easily see, by what hath been said of miracles in general, and prophecies in particular, that God hath owned the Scriptures for his word and work; that he hath furnished reason with abundant proofs of this; and that, therefore, to

believe rationally in religious matters, and to be a Christian, is one and the same thing.

. I know there are men who will find the way to make light of all this; and I know there were also men who firmly believed in the prophecies relating to the Messiah, and, at the very time prefixed by those prophecies for his appearance, saw Christ work the very miracles which it was foretold he should work, and yet considered, or would have had others consider him, as no better than the instrument of the devil. This their sin against reason, and the highest possible cause of conviction, Christ pronounced unpardonable. They, who in these times follow them in their infidel presumption, no doubt partake of their guilt; for, although they do not see the miracles of Christ, as they did, who ascribed them to the devil, yet there is no one thing in the world they have more reason to believe, especially as they have had all the other proofs afforded in favour of Christianity, since the first committal of the unpardonable crime, whether by miracles, by martyrdoms, or by prophecies fulfilled, from that day to this. Even the false prophets, the false teachers, the false miracles, the heresies, dissensions, schisms, among Christians, although seen through the telescope of infidel malice, as so many dark spots on the bright face of Christianity, do high honour, nevertheless, to its Author, who foretold them all, and, by that means, converted these instruments and efforts of his enemy into so many proofs of his own infinite wisdom and truth, for the full satisfaction of such as shall candidly inquire into the merits of his religion.

Let a rational man now consider, first, the rapid propagation of Christianity, which, in less than half a century, had spread itself through all parts of the Roman empire; had penetrated into the East Indies, Ethiopia, Italy, Spain, Gaul, and Scythia; and, in the space of two hundred years, had converted such numbers in all ranks and conditions of men, that its apologists could boldly tell the emperors, they could not suppress Christianity without subverting their own power. Secondly, Let him consider, that, as fast as this religion advanced, so fast superstition, idolatry, and wickedness, declined, particularly in the Roman empire, at that time remarkably prone, through infinite wealth, and

insolence of power, to universal corruption. And then let him reflect a little, by what instruments it made this prodigious progress, and wrought these glorious effects. Were its preachers all profound philosophers? No, there were few among them who knew more than barely how to read and write, Were they all eloquent orators? No; except St. Paul, there were none of them, for a long time, who understood more of elocution than the plainest tradesman who heard them. Were they all profound politicians? No; of all men they were the simplest, the most artless, the most destitute of address and skill in managing worldly affairs. What then? Did they proselyte the world, like Mahomet, by the sword, by power, and by the expectation of spoil and plunder? No; they were among the very lowest and weakest of the people. The sword was so far from being with them, that, for three hundred years, it was almost continually employed against them; while they opposed it with nothing but patience and resignation. The empire found itself Christian, almost as soon as it ceased to persecute Christianity. And as to the hope of wealth, it was so far from being a temptation to any man to turn Christian, that every one who received baptism, foresaw he must surrender the little wealth he had, either to an imperial, or a voluntary confiscation. How then? Did the ignorant convince and teach the learned? Did the uneloquent persuade the orator? Did the simple circumvent the artful? Did the weak subdue the strong? No; to suppose this, is to suppose a thing in itself absurd and impossible. It was God, who, by the wisdom of his word, convinced and persuaded. It was God, who by the power of his miracles, caught and conquered. That all the world might know it was he alone, he chose men for preachers who had nothing to contribute to the work but a tongue; and, lest they should have any farther share in it, forbad them to study or prepare what they had to say he chose them, in short, that he might, 'by the foolish things of the world, confound the wise; that he might, by the weak things of the world, confound the things which are mighty; and by the base things of the world, and things that are despised, yea, and by things that are not, bring to nought things that are. Out of the mouths of babes and sucklings he ordained strength,' suffi