〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the daughter of the Voice In his Baptism Lo a voice from heaven Saying This is my beloved Son At his Transfiguration a Voice came out of a cloud which said This is my beloved Son hear him A little before his death as he was Praying Father glorifie thy Name There came a voice from heaven Saying I have both glorified it and will glorify it again 3. For mission of Angels by the Father We find them still ready upon all occasions from before his Coming down to the time of his Ascension into Heaven Before his Conception the Angel Gabriel appeared to Zachary and to Mary before his Nativity to Joseph saying fear not Joseph At the time of his Nativity a whole Chorus appeared to the Sheapheards In his Infancy an Angel appeared twice to Joseph admonishnig him of his going to Egypt and his return from thence In his Adult age they ministred to him in his hunger Before his death they strengthned him in his Agony After it they rolled away the stone from his Sepulcher They declared his resurrection And in his Ascension they stood by and foretold his coming again to Judgement Ye men of Galalie why stand ye gazing This same Jesus 4. The Father cooperated with him according to that of our Saviour the father worketh hitherto and I work c. These are some of the Attestations of the Father 2. Christ bore witness of himself And this he did by proveing himself to be the Messiah viz. by fulfilling all the Prophesies relating to the Person or Offices The Life and the Death of the Messiah His Generation was such as cannot be declared he was born at Bethlem of the tribe of Juda of the Family of David about 490. years after the return from Captivity When the Scepter was just now departed from Juda. He performed not only the Substance of the Prophesies but all the Circumstances foretold Concerning the Life and Death of the Messiah He was to be a Prophet and So he was The Spirit of the Lord anointed him to preach and he spake as never man spake He foretold many things to come they all bare him witness 2. He was to be a King and so he was His Name was Wonderful his Power was shewen througout the vniversal System of the World the Angels good and evil the Heavens Elements Plants Fishes Brutes Health and Sickness Life and Death were all obedient unto his Word 3. He was to be a Priest and so he was He made an Attonement by his Obedience and by his sufferings to the least punctilio to the taking of a little Vinegar and when all things were fulfilled He cryed with a loud voice 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it is finished and he bowed his head and gave up the Ghost Moreover for the Justification of his Gospel and that he might leave no place for Infidelity he rose again from the dead appeared to many Convinced them by all their senses They saw him They heard him they felt his hands and his side They Eat and Drank with him They Conversed with him 40. dayes He was seen by more then 500. at once and lastly in the sight of Many of them he Ascended Visibly into Heaven These were some of the Testimonies which our Lord Christ bore to himself 3. The time would fail me if I should speak of all the Testimonies given by the Holy Spirit In his Conception to Mary fulfilling the Promise of Gabriel Before his Nativity to Zachary and Elizabeth in his Infancy to Simeon and Hanna In his Baptism to John I knew him not saith John but he that sent me to baptize said unto me upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending and resting on him that is he and I saw the Spirit descending Throughout his whole Ministry till his Death the Spirit gave witness to him Moreover In his Resurrection he was declared the Son of God with power by the Holy Ghost After his Ascention the Holy Ghost fulfilled all his undertakings In that Grand Manifestation at Pentecost at the time and place which Christ had undertaken for A manifestation made to all the Senses and to men of every nation under heaven Parthians besides a Multitude of other Instances Such were the Attestations given to Christ the Author and finisher of our faith 2. And for the Apostles the Promulgers of it Besides the Change of their Spirits from darkness to light Whereby they were led out of Ignorance and Infidelity into all Truth And from torpid and pusillanimous persons during the life of their Master they became when he was dead the most active and magnanimous in the world I say besides this Change They had bestowed upon them All things necessary either for their 1. Own Assurance Or for the 2. Conviction of the World Concerning the truth of the Gospel which they delivered I. As for themselves Besides the Conversation with their Master before and after his Resurrection they had 1. Apparitions of Angels And to one of them Christ himself appeared after he was ascended to his father 2. They had the Bath Kol Voices from Heaven In the 9 of the Acts We finde a Voice from Heaven maintaining a Dialogue with Paul and at another time a voice saying to Peter Arise Peter Kill and Eat 3. They had extatical Visions Peter was in a trance Act. 10.10 19. Paul rapt up to the third heaven 4. They had monitory Dreames Paul saw a man in a Dream saying unto him Come into Macedonia and help us 5. They had Impulses of the Spirit So Paul was forbid by the Spirit to preach the Word in Asia II. And for the Conviction of the unbelieving World They had diversities of gifts and Different Administrations To one was given the Word of Wisdom to another the Word of Knowledg to another Faith to another the gift of Healing to another Miracles Prophesies Discerning of Spirits The gift of Tongues As it is in the words which I quoted God bare them witness with gifts of the Holy Ghost and with Signes and Wonders and that he did so far that I shall be justified by Christ himself if I shall affirm that the Apostles after his death did greater miracles then he himself did in his life Of the same kind with our Saviours some they performed by means having an appearance of greater strangeness Christ healed by his touch his word his spittle Peter by his shadow Paul by Handkerchiefs taken from his body But one great thing there was wherein they exceeded The Great and Manifest and frequent Effusions of the Spirit The Reception of it upon themselves the communication of it to others by Prayer Preaching Laying on of Hands By these it was that the unbelieving world was convâ—nced and even Simon Magus himself It is by the power and Vertue of those effusions that we are here met together at this time that the World continues Christian at this day And
Testament was given by inspiration of God for on the day of his Resurrection falling into company of two of his Disciples going to Emmaus He began at Moses and all the Prophets and expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself And afterward when the Eleven were come together as a recapitulation of this his method and that he might instruct his Disciples in it he said unto them These were the words which I spake unto you while I was yet with you that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and in the Prophets and in the Psalms in the Volume of Old Testament concerning me He opened their understandings and said thus it is written and thus it behoved And as a short Idea of whâ—t they were to do he tells them and ye are Witnesses of these things 2. In pursuance of this method we find the Evangelists very curious and very frequent in observing the accomplishment of the Prescriptions of the Old Testament reciting sometimes the speeches of Christ saying that he did such or such a thing to the end that the Scriptures might be fulfilled I will not eat of the fruit of the Vine till all things be fulfilled Sometimes in their own Persons observing the accomplishment of particulars and noting either particular portions of Scriptures which were fulfilled or the fulfilling of the Scriptures cited at large without any particular Quotation Thus the Evangelists writing of the Conception Nativity Name of Christ of his coming out of Egypt dwelling at Nazareth migration to Capernaum riding to Jerusalem Say that these things were done that the Scriptures or the saying of the Prophet at large might be fulfilled So likewise for the circumstances of his Passion the flight of his Disciples casting lots upon his Garments Vinegar given him to drink piercing his side bones remaining unbroken c. Other times they note the particular Prophet Christ healed Diseases spoke in Parables and that the saying of Isaiah the Prophet might be fulfilled When Herod slew the Children then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the Prophet Rachel weeping for her Children c. and once we find a quotation of the second Psalm and the like This for the Evangelists 3. Lastly the Divine Authority of the Old Testament is asserted by the Apostles Whom we find every where in their Writings citing the Testimonies of the Law and the Prophets and the Psalms appealing to them what saith the Scripture the Scripture hath concluded so or so Aâ—guing out of them oft times directly thus not only the Apostles but Apollos mightily convinced the Jews sometimes ab absurdo do ye think the Scripture speaks in vain In a word the Apostles followed the way and method which their Master taught them they asserted that the Gospel was promised by the Prophets witnessed by the Law and the Prophets by all the Prophets Affirming of themselves that they believed all things written in the Law and in the Prophets and that they continued testifying and saying no other things than the Prophets and Moses did say should come Finally lest any place should be left for doubting concerning any part of the Old Testament the Apostles have expresly asserted concerning the Law that it is holy just and good that the Prophets are holy and the Scriptures holy that they are the Oracles of God lively Oracles that God spake by the Prophets that holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost Lastly in the Text that the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 wherein Timothy had been instituted by his Mother were given by inspiration of God This is the sense of the New Testament concerning the Old Testament supposing therefore the Truth of the New Testament the Divine Authority of the Old Testament is to be acknowledged contrary to the first Opinion of the Anti-scripturists II. The Second Anti-scriptural Opinion is of those who pretend to believe the Truth but they deny or doubt the Divine Authority of the New Testament either of the whole body of the New Testament or at least of that part which delivers the Speeches and Writings of the Apostles Of this sort there are said to be many who by the power and influence of their Education are restrained from denying or dis-believing the Truth of the New Testament and yet through the infelicity of corrupt conversation are fallen from that Veneration which is due to writings supposed to be of Divine Authority For the History of the New Testament they have the same respect which they have for Tacitus or Salust or some such other History for the Mystery of the Gospel the same which they have for some parts of Plato or remnants of Pythagoras For the practical parts the same which they have for some parts of Cicero or Seneca or Epictetus All which writings they believe to be true but no man believes them to be Divine And some there are who pretend a great veneration for the speeches of Christ but have a meaner esteem for the words and writings of the Apostles In opposition to these Opinions I shall shew that supposing the words of Christ and the Apostles to be True it will follow that they are to be esteemed to be of Divine Authority Because Christ and the Apostles did profess and declare that what they delivered to the world was of Divine Authority And because our Lord Christ did undertake not only for himself but for the Inspiration of his Apostles also 1. In the examination of the next Opinion I shall be obliged to lay before you some of the evidences of Divine Authority in Christ and his Apostles here it is sufficient to produce their assertions of it The time of our Lord Christs ministration betwixt three and four years was spent in preaching and working and his Authority was often questioned In Luke 20.1 and in the parallel places While he was in the Temple teaching the People and preaching the Gospel the Chief Priests and the Scribes and the Elders came upon him saying tell us by what Authority thou dost these things preachest to the people and who gave thee that Authority Knowing the perversness of their minds he was not pleased to gratifie them at that time with a direct answer but confounded them with a question concerning the Baptism of John But at Other times upon Other occasions we find the Divine Authority of his teaching abundantly declared and asserted by him I am the way the truth and the life The words which I speak unto you they are spirit and they are life The words which I speak I speak not of my self but of the Father which dwelleth in me My Doctrine is not mine but his that sent me I do nothing of my self but as my
may not yet be so very considerable Behold then even Abraham the Darling of the almighty who conversed with God as a man converseth with his Friend to whom God communicated his presence in Dreams in Visions in Apparitions 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He was imbued with the Habit of Faith he exerted it in the noblest exercise he manifested it in the heroical degree so that he became the Father of the Faithful Yet once we find him offending tripping at this stone of stumbling Aequivocating through unbelief 6. But all these instances were during the Ancient Dispensation when the Communication of the presence of God was more Obscure before the fulness of time was come when the word was made flesh and dwelt amongst men and they saw his glory as the glory of the only begotten Son of God Besides we do not find that they were particularly and distinctly warned of their danger which may lessen the Wonder of the fall Consider then the Case of Peter the first of the Apostles He had been closely conversant with Christ during all the time of his Ministry Was a witness of his miracles saw his Transfiguration Heard the Voice which came to him from the Excellent glory saying this is my beloved Son As for his faith he it was that made that Confession upon which the the Christian Church is founded And Christ had prayed for him that his faith should not fail He was a Valiant man and he Undertook that though he died he would neither forsake nor deny his Master When Christ forewarns him plainly and punctually that his faith would fail him That very night before a certain hour So that it was impossible he should be surprised You know his Undertakings and of his Failings it is unnecessary to speak 7. I know nothing now that can be alledged against the general propensity of all men to Unbeleif but this that Peter was now single and alone that he failed onely this time when he was environd with Bills and Staves and in Danger of his Life Wherefore let us call to mind the Case of all the Apostles in the great Foundation of our Faith the Article of Christs Resurrection When these temptations were away The resurrection of the dead was in those times so commonly believed that it was conceived of Christ that he was one of the Old Prophets risen from the Dead and Herod said he was John the Baptist risen from the dead Of the resurrection the Apostles had seen Experiments in Lazarus and in the bodies of the Saints which arose Concerning Christs resurrectio◠how plainly and often were they forewarned After he was risen how often were they told of it Yet how grosely and often did they fail In the 8 of Mark 31 Christ tells his Disciples that he should be killed and the 3 day he would rise again He spake this saying Openly So Openly that the Jews took notice of it this deceiver said that the third day he would rise again moreover he promised them plainly that after he was risen he would go before them into Galelie and appointed them a certain Mountain where they should see him Yet after he was risen Mary Magdalen told them that he had appeared to her But they believed not Mary Magd. Joanna and Mary the Mother of James told them the same But their Speech seemed to them as Idle tales The 2 Disciples told the rest that he had appeared to them going to Emmaus but they believed them not He appeared in the midst of ten of them at once shewed them his hands and his side But they believed not for joy Christ when appeared to the Women bade them tell the Disciples and Peter that according to his promise they should see him in Galilie And the 11. Disciples went into Galilie to a mountain which Jesus had appointed them And when they saw him they Worshiped But some doubted So that Christ almost in his last words Upbraided them with their Unbelief because they believed not them who had seen him after he was risen So prone are even the best of men after their highest atteinments under the best advantages to fall sometime into Infidelity So great is the danger of Unbelief It is true indeed that all these might say with the Prophet Rejoyce not against me O mine enemy for though I fall I shall arise again Yet all these things are written for our learning that he that thinketh he standeth may take heed least he fall If these things have been done to the green tree what may be done to the dry If the worthies and the mighty have fallen how have the mighty fallen ought not the feeble to take care Yes certainly they ought And to use all means to prevent their falling which is the third thing supposed in the Caveat and expressed in the words following Take heed brethren least c. Exhort one another daily Now the Meanes to prevent the falling into Infidelity are the Arguments evincing the truth of the Gospel which are very numerous Whereof I cannot now speak particularly The Apostle in this Epistle makes use of 2. sorts viz. 1. From Scriptures of the Old Testament 2. From Common Reason whereof I shall speak a little The Argument from Reason is delivered in the 2. Chap. v. 3.4 The Gospel was delivered by the Lord and confirmed to us by them that heard him God also bearing them Witness with Signs and wonders and divers miracles and gifts of the Holy Ghost God bare witness to Christ the Author of the Gospel And to the Apostles the Promulgers of the Gospel Wherefore it is to be believed The Antecedent of this Enthymem is the sum of what I shall deliver When the Pharisees said unto Christ thy Record is not true because thou bearest record of thy self I am one saith Christ that bear record of my self and the Father that sent me beareth witness of me Moreover he tells the Disciples that the Comforter should testify of him And ye also shall bear witness because ye have been with me from the beginning So that beside the Witness of the Apostles the Gospel had the Attestation of all the persons of the Trinity viz. 1. Of the Father 2. Of the Son 3. Of the Holy Ghost 1. God the Father bore witness to his Son and that he did by 1. Visible Signes and 2. Audible Voices 3. by Mission of Angels 4. by Cooperating in his Miracles c. 1. At his Nativity a new Star appeared At his Baptism they saw the heaven opened and the Spirit sent from the Father in the visible shape of a Dove and lighting upon him Before his Passion he was transfigured in their sight And At it the Sunne was eclipsed when the Moon was full the Vail the Rocks rent So that the Centurion said Surely this man was the Son of God Bodies of Saints were seen of many all these were visible signes 2. As for the 〈◊〉