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to pass but Ten days after, on the Feast of Pentecoft. Origen acquaints us, that Phlegon, tho' he was not fo well inform'd, as to distinguish what was foretold by St. Peter, from the predictions of our Saviour himfelf, yet acknowledg'd that Chrift had prophecy'd of things to come, and that his Prophecies were fulfill'd by the event.

Our Saviour's Miracles verified the Prophecies, which had been concerning the Meffias; for the Jews expected, that the Meffias fhould manifeft himself by Miracles to the World, as they concluded from the ancient Prophets: and therefore St. John Baptift did no Miracles, that he might not be mistaken for the Meffias, of whom Miracles were a principal Token to know him by. His Miracles were wrought in the midft of his Enemies, and extorted a confeffion from the Devils themselves of his Divine Power; they were of that nature, that it was impoffible for those before whom they were wrought, to be impofed upon by them, and as impoffible for them to be performed but by the immediate Power of God. The Miracle of the Loaves and Fishes was twice done, and the Perfons who were witneffes to it, were at one time five thousand men, befides women and children, Matt. xiv. 21. and the other time four thousand men, befides women and children, Matt. xv. 38. a Miracle wrought at two several times, and obvious to all the fenfes of fo many thousand Men, befides Women and Children, who being hungry, found themselves filled and satiffied with this miraculous Food in the barren Wildernefs, where it was impoffible for them to be fupplied by natural means, was impoffible to be miftaken. The Miracles of our Saviour were fo many, and fo publick and undeniable, that St. Peter appeals to the Jews themselves, declaring that Jefus of Nazareth was a man approved of God among them, by miracles, and

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wonders, and figns, which God did by him in the midst of them, as they themselves alfo knew, A&s ii. 22. The Nobleman's Son was cured at a distance, and the multitude were witnesses to the requeft he made to our Saviour, and to our Saviour's Anfwer upon it, and the Nobleman's Family were witnesses that the cure was effected at that very time. He caft Devils out of one known to have been a long time poffefs'd, and then fuffered them to go into the Swine, to make it appear, that they were indeed evil Spirits, which had poffefs'd the Man, contrary to the Doctrine of the Sadducees, who believed no fuch thing as Spirits. He cured the Leprofie, and fent the cured to the Prieft, as the Law required, that he by infpection might examine, whether it were a perfect cure or no. He gave fight to one born Blind, and this was upon examination attested to the Pharifees themselves. Sometimes he made the Blind to fee, only by touching their Eyes; at other times, he did but command them to receive their Sight, Luke xviii. 43. The Cure was always performed without any Operation, or Application of Remedies; and it was inftantly perfected: So that their Eyes could immediately endure the Light, which no Eye can do, that is cured otherwise than by Miracle. Lazarus was raised to life again, after he had been dead four days, before fo many witnesses, that the Scribes and Pharifees were not able to contradict the Truth of it, but were mightily enraged against him for it, and confulted to put Lazarus to death, because many were enduced to believe on Christ, by reafon of fo great and manifeft a Miracle. For Bethany was but about Two Miles diftant from Jerufalem, and this Miracle was the Cause of his Reception there with the Hofanna's and Acclamations of the People: And when the Pharifees, and the ChiefPriests were inform'd of it, they affembled in Council, to advise, what was to be done: What do we? for

this man doth many miracles, (Joh. xi. 18, 47. xii. 17, 18.) They acknowledg'd, that he had wrought many Miracles, and when they afcribed them to Belzebub, this was a Confeffion, that Miracles were perform'd by him, tho' they blafphemed the Power, by which they were effected. And not only the Jews of that Age, but their Pofterity, have not deny'd, that Chrift wrought Miracles, which was alfo confefs'd by hJulian the Apoftate. Some who had been cured, and others who had been raised from the dead, by our Saviour, were living for many years after, i as Quadratus teftified of his own time, in his Apology to Adrian the Emperor.

The Circumftances of these, and the reft of our Saviour's Miracles, fhew'd that they were really perform'd, and they were wrought with this Intent and Defign, to prove him to be the Chrift. The Nature therefore and End of them fhews, that nothing lefs than a Divine Power could have effected them: For God would never have fuffer'd them to be wrought to vouch an Imposture to the World under his own Name and Authority. A learned Physician has written a Treatise to fhew, that according to the Principles and Axioms of the best Physicians, all the Diseafes, which our Saviour cur'd, were incurable by natural means, and it is evident to every Man, that many of them were fo. He manifefted his miraculous, divine Power upon his Enemies, in curing the

Η Εργασάμθρο (ὁ Ἰησοῦς) παρ' ὃν ἔζῃ χρόνον οὐδὲν ἀκοῆς ἄξιον, εἰ μὴ τις οίε τοὺς κυλλοὺς, καὶ τυφλοὺς ἰάσας, καὶ δαιμονῶντας ἐξορ κίζειν ἐν Βηθσαιδα, καὶ ἐν Βηθανία, ταῖς κώμαις ἢ μεγίσων ἔργων εἶναι. Julian. apud Cyrill. 1. 6. p. 19Ι. Ἰησοῦς δε, ὁ τοῖς πνεῦμα σιν ἐπιτάτζων, καὶ βαδίζων ἐπὶ τ θαλάσσης, καὶ τὰ δαιμόνια ἐξελαύνων. Ib. p. 213. Edit. Lipf.

i Eufeb. Hift. 1. iv. c. 13. Hieron. Catalog.

* Guil. Ader Medici enarrationes de ægrotis & morbis in Evangelio.

Ear of Malchus; (Luke xxii. 51.) in caufing those who were fent to apprehend him, to fall to the Ground, ftruck down only by the Word of his Mouth; and in procuring the Difmiffion of his Difciples upon demand, in order to fulfil one of his own Prophecies,. (Joh. xviii. 6, 8.) But I fhall infift more particularly upon the Refurrection of our Saviour, this being the most wonderful, and a Confirmation of all his other Miracles, and of the whole Gospel to us.

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CHAP. XIV.

Of the Refurrection and Afcenfion of our Bleed Saviour.

TH

THE Refurrection of our Bleffed Saviour was prophefied of by David, Pfal. xvi. 8. Acts ii. 27. And it was prefigur'd by the Type of Ifaac's Deliverance, when he had been offer'd up by Abraham, who both believed that God was able to raise him up even from the dead, and received him alfo from thence in a figure, Heb. xi. 19. And it was alfo prefigured by the Type of Jonas's Deliverance, after he had been three Days and three Nights in the Whale's Belly, Mat.xii. 40. Our Saviour rofe, as he foretold he would do, on the third day, including the Day of his Burial, Matth. xvi. 21. xvii. 23. xx. 19. Acts x. 40. He was three Days and three Nights in the Grave, that is, three Noxus, according to the Account of the Jews, who reckon'd the Evening and the Morning, or the beginning of the Night and the beginning of the Day, as one Day, or one Revolution of the Sun; and computed from Evening to Evening, Lev. xxiii. 32. And in the Computation of the eight Days

for the Circumcifion of their Children, they computed inclusively any part of the Day in which the Child was born, for the whole: Thus the a Romans computed their Nundina and their Calends, &c. And the b Olympiads among the Greeks contain'd five Years inclufively; and thus we call that a Tertian Ague, which has but one Day's intermiffion.

But the Resurrection of Chrift, which was the Accomplishment of these Types and Prophecies, being Matter of Fact, must be prov'd, as all other Matters of Fact are, by Witnesses: And the Apostles in a body' offer'd themselves as Witneffes to teftifie this great Article of our Faith: This Jefus hath God raifed up, whereof we all are witnesses, Acts ii. 32. The thing therefore to be confider'd, is, Whether they were effe&tually qualified to be Witneffes in this Matter. And to prove that they had all the Qualifications which can be required in any Witneffes, I fhall fhew, 1. That they had certain knowledge of the thing which they were Witneffes of, and could not be deceived themfelves in it. 2. That they would not deceive others, having no Temptation to it, but acting against all the Interefts and Advantages of this World. 3. That they alledge fuch Circumftances, as made it impoffible for them to deceive thofe to whom they teftified the Truth of Chrift's Refurrection,tho' they had had never so much mind to do it. And when Men teftifie things, which they have fuch means and opportunities of knowing, as make it impoffible for them to be mistaken in them; when they can have no advantage but by telling the Truth, and can expect nothing but Sufferings from it

a Annum ita diviferunt, ut nonis modò diebus urbanas res ufurparent, reliquis feptem ut rura colerent. Var. de Re Ruft. lib. ii. Præf. Tas μelagò & dɣoçâv iπla μéges. Dionyf. Halicarn. Ane tiquit. Rom. 1. 7.

b Sed horum omnium wevralneidas maximè notandis Temporibus Graci obfervant, i. e. quaternum annorum circuitus, quas vocant Olympiadas. Cenforin. de Die Natali, c. 18.

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