pious Mind, than to forego the efteem and reputation of being thought fo, when the Glory of God and Charity to the Souls of Men require it; he is not throughly humble, who in fuch a cafe would not be thought proud, but his very Humility is matter of Pride to him; and it is the last degree of Vanity, which an humble Man can part with, to be defirous not to be esteemed proud. The Truth is, if it were not for the pride of Men, there would be no need of greater caution and refervednefs, when we fpeak of our felves, than when we fpeak of others, but Men would fpeak the truth of themselves and others with the fame freedom and plainnefs. So that this was an infallible argument of the integrity and fincerity of the Apostles, that they spoke always what was pro per and seasonable to be fpoken, the praise or dif praise of themfelves, or others, was not their bufinefs, but the Glory of God and the Good of Men.. They write no Encomiums upon one another, nor upon their Mafter himself; and they write no Inve ctives upon their worft Enemies, Judas and Herod, and Pontius Pilate, but fet down plain Truth and Matter of Fact, whoever is concerned, with the fame Simplicity, with which they tell their own Faults. ang :..What Qualifications then can be defired in any Witnefs, which do not all concur in the Apostles and Evangelifts? The Apoftles fhew by their Writings, that they were Men of Understanding fufficient to ap prehend the things they atteft and write about; and: indeed, what Man of any Understanding is not capable of witneffing that to be true, which he fees and hears, and perceives with every fenfe? They had all the advantages and opportunities that ever any witneffes could have, to know what they said to be true; and they were plain Men without Art or Dif guife, bred up moft of them to mean and laborious Callings; and they had no expectations of any thing but Sufferings in this Life, and therefore were as far from from any Temptation as from any poffibility of impofing upon the World, and they fet down their own faults upon all occafions as particularly, as they do whatever elfe they relate, having no regard to any thing but Truth. IT CHA P. XVI. Of the Prophecies and Miracles of the Apo T poftles, &c. Here had been a long ceffation or intermiffion both of Prophecies and Miracles in the Jewish Church till the coming of Chrift, but by the Defcent of the Holy Ghoft upon the Apoftles, the Prophecy of Joel was fulfilled, and the Spirit of God was poured out in greater abundance, than ever it had been before, in beftowing the gifts of Miracles and of Prophecy in a more eminent manner, and to greater numbers of Men, and thofe of all Nations, than had ever been done at any time before: for thefe were the latter days, the laft diftinction of Time, or the laft period of the World, in which God had purposed to reveal himfelf; and this being the laft, was in all refpects the fulleft and moft perfect Revelation. 1. A Spirit of Prophecy was beftowed upon the Apostles and others, A Famine a taken notice of by Heathen Authors, which happen'd throughout all the World in the days of Claudius Cefar, was prophefied of by Agabus, Acts xi. 28, and the fame Prophet, both by Actions, and in exprefs Words, fignified, that St. Paul fhould be bound at Jerufalem, and delivered to the Gentiles, Acts xxi. II. which was a Sueton. & Dion. Caff. in Claudio. likewife I likewife foretold by others, even in every City where that Apostle came, Acts xx. 23. St. Paul himself foretold his own Afflictions, 1 Theff. iii. 4. He foretold to the Elders of the Church of Ephefus, that Men would foon arife even from among themselves, who would divide and difturb the Church, Acts xx. 29, 30. and he foretold the fame, 1 Tim. iv. 3. 2 Tim. iii. 1. In the midst of a Tempeft, and in imminent Danger of Death, he foretold, that tho' the Ship would be loft, yet all the Perfons in it, who were two hundred three fcore and fixteen, fhould efcape, but that they must be cast upon a certain Ifland. He had before, from the tempeftuous Weather, and the Season of the Year, (the Faft of Atonement being already paft) exprefs'd his Apprehenfions, that this Voyage would be with hurt and much damage, not only of the Lading and Ship, but also of their Lives; but when the Danger was most threatning, it was reveal'd. to him, that not an bair fhould fall from the head of any one of them, Acts xxvii. 9, 10, 23, 34. St. Peter declared, that in the laft days there would come fcoffers, walking after their own lufts, 2 Pet. iii. 3. which Prophecy St. Jude faw fulfilled in his time, Jude 18. and God knows, we fee it fulfill'd in ours. For the Scoffers at Religion would do well to confider, that all their Mockery and Affronts are fo far from doing any prejudice to Religion, that they by that very means fulfil a Prophecy, and add a Confirmation to it, when they think themfelves moft fuccefsful againft it. St. Paul forewarns the Theffalonians of the lying Wonders, and ftrong Delufions, and notorious Wickednefs, which would break in upon the Church at the coming of Antichrist, 2 Theff. ii. 3. And that this accordingly came to pafs, St John witneffeth, faying, that even then there were many Antichrifts, 1 John ii. 18. iv. 3. 2 John vii. And tho' it be variously disputed, who is the Antichrift, 1 John ii. 22. 2 John vii. fuppofed to be the Beaft, Rev. xiii. yet that the Prophecies concerning the the Delufions, and the Impieties and Cruelties of Antichrift, exprefs'd in the Texts now mentioned, and more fully described in the Revelation of St. John, have been in great measure already accomplished, will admit of no difpute; and the gradual and repeated Accomplishment of them in divers Ages, and in fo many Instances, is that which has caused fo much variety of Opinion in this Matter; learned Men eafily mistaking fome of thefe many Antichrifts for the Beast, or the great Antichrift. In the Revelation of St. John, we have the State of the Church, and the Events which were to befal it,"described; and many things contained in it we know to be come to: pass, as what concerns the Seven Churches of Afia, &c.) and the obfcurity of other places is elfewhere to be accounted for. Quadratus had this Gift of Prophecy, and it continued in the Church to the time of Juftin Martyr, of Irenæus, of Origen, and d Dionyfius Alexandrinus, and of St. Cyprianon C that II The Miracles wrought by the Apoftles, were according to an exprefs Promife of Chrift to them, That after his Afcenfion, they fhould do even greater: Works than he had done himself, John xiv is, they fhould do Works that would be more eminent and obfervable in the eyes of the World, though not more excellent and divine; for nothing could be greater in that fenfe, than to raife a Man from the Dead. Which Promife was fulfill'd to them at the Feaft of Pentecoft, when Men from all Parts of the World were made Witnefles to it. For they were commanded by our Saviour, not to depart from Jérufalem, but to wait for this promife; and he affured them, that they fhould be baptized with the Holy Ghoft not many days after his being taken up from them into b Eufeb. Eccl. Hift. lib. 3. c. Iren. lib. ii. c. 57. lib. v. c. 6. e Orig. contra Celf. 1.1. U 36. lib. 4. c. 18. lib. v. c. 7. Heaven; Heaven; and that they fhould receive powers after that the Holy Ghoft was come upon them, and should be witnesses nnto him, both in Jerufalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermoft part of the earth, A&s i. 4, 5, 8. And this miraculous Power was visibly beftowed, not only upon the Apostles themselves, but upon the hundred and twenty, mention'd Acts i. 15. e I have already fhewn, that the Apostles were effectually qualified to be Witneffes of what they delivered concerning Chrift, and that they could neither be deceived themselves in it, nor propose any Advantage to themselves by deceiving others; and that if they had defigned any Deceit, they alledged fuch Circumstances as made it impoffible for them to have pafs'd undifcover'd. All which will be exceedingly confirmed, by confidering the miraculous Gifts which the Apostles received by the defcent of the Holy Ghoft, according to this Promife of our Saviour. I fhall therefore fhew, how the Apostles were enabled, by the defcent of the Holy Ghoft upon them, to become Witnesses to Chrift. 1. By the Miracles, which they wrought themselves. 2. By that Power which was conveyed by them to others, of working Miracles. 3. By their fupernatural Refolution, Courage, and Patience under their Sufferings. 1. The Apostles were enabled to become Witnesses to Chrift, by the Miracles which they wrought themfelves. This power of Miracles qualified them moft effectually to be Witneffes of the Refurrection, and Afcenfion, and other Articles of our Faith: For they could neither deceive nor be deceived in these miraculous Gifts, which were bestowed upon them, to be an Affurance to themselves, and an Evidence to eMonftrabatur locus, ubi fuper centum viginti credentium animas Spiritus Sanitus defcendiffet. Hieron. Epitaph. Paulæ. Vid. Dr. Lightf. Exercit. on Acts ii. 1. p. 643. Aug. in Epift. Joan. Tract. 2. Chryfoft. Hom. in Act. ii. others, |