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steps of his exaltation. Thirdly, Characters relating to uncontested facts, or facts of such public notoriety that unbelievers do not call them in question.

Of this last sort are various facts and events, relating partly to Chrift's life and death, and partly to his church, and partly to his enemies.

As to the first, Unbelievers own the facts relating to the time and place of Christ's birth, the nation and family of which he descended, the low station in which he lived, and the fufferings of his life and death. Also the second they own; and they cannot but own several important facts relating to the amazing fuccess of Christ's doctrine; particularly its producing the greatest revolution that ever happened in the world, in its most important concerns, namely, those of religion, by enlightening fo many of the Gentile nations in the knowledge of the true God, dispelling Heathen darkness, abolishing Heathen idolatry, and establishing in its room the worship of the one Supreme Being, the Creator of the world. As to the third point, namely, facts relating to Chrift's enemies, it is owned on all hands, that after the unbelieving Jews had crucified Christ himself, and yet had his gofpel for feveral years preached to them, and continued obstinate in rejecting it, their temple and metropolis were destroyed, their civil polity diffolved, their nation dispersed through the world; and that they have been wanderers among the nations ever from that time to this day: for however people differ about the true causes of these calamities, the reality of them, the extraordinary nature of them, and the period of time at which they began, are beyond all controverfy.

Unbelievers own the truth of these, and the like facts: they only deny that they were foretold.

The obvious differences betwixt the three forts of characters that have been mentioned, point out the

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the different uses to be made of them in the reasonings in view. Seeing it is an evident rule of juft reasoning, that people should avoid begging the question, or taking for granted the conclufion that is to be proved; therefore as a Christian, in arguing with an unbeliever, must not take it for granted that the doctrines or miracles that have been mentioned are true, so neither must an unbeliever take it for granted that they are false. The true way is, to begin with the facts that are uncontested. If it can be proved, that these uncontested facts were foretold, and that the prophecies concerning them make up, as it were, a historical defcription of Chrift, diftinguishing him from all others; and that the facts themsolves are of that nature that they could not be foretold but by divine inspiration; all these things will make up a convincing proof, at once of the divinity of the prophecies, and of the divine miffion of Chrift, and confequently of the truth of the doctrines and miracles in question.

If it be asked, whether the prophecies containing thefe doctrines and miracles be of ufe in convincing unbelievers? in answer to this, it is fufficient at prefent to observe, that these prophecies may be faid to contain uncontested facts, in fo far as they foretell the faith and worship of the gofpelchurch, or of the worshippers of God among the Gentile nations. Thus it is evidently a foretelling of uncontefted facts, if the prophets foretell, that the Gentile nations, in worshipping the true God, would feek falvation and happiness from him, through a Mediator, clothed with fuch offices as the gospel afcribes to Chrift, as the univerfal Prophet, Prieft, and King, of the people of God of all nations. Though unbelievers do not own the truth of these and the like peculiar doctrines of the gospel, yet they must own it as a fact of public notoriety, that these doctrines are believed and profeffed by the Christian nations and if it can be proved, that the prophets not only affert the truth of these doctrines, but also foretell the actual belief and profeffion of them among the nations; it will follow, that the prophecies containing gospel-doctrines contain evident proofs from uncontested facts.

The above-mentioned rule, of beginning with uncontested facts, shows the reasonableness of fome diversity in the method of arguing from the prophecies in different ages; because the facts that are uncontested in one age, may not be so in another. In the days of the apostles, at the first preaching of the gospel, the prophecies concerning the enlightening of the Gentiles, could not be confidered, as they may and ought to be now, as containing uncontested facts; because that great revolution was not yet accomplished. The actual accomplishment of it gives us some advantage above the first Christians, as they had the advantage of us in various other respects. The miracles of the apostles, believed to be acknowledged as uncontested facts among the multitudes of diverse nations who were eyewitnesses of them; by these miracles they proved Christ's divine mission, his refurrection, and the other fupernatural facts and doctrines which conftitute the peculiarities of the gospel. It was a strong corroboration of the argument from miracles, that the peculiar doctrines and facts contained in the gospel were also contained in the writings of the prophets: and in a matter of so great importance, no one proof, however evident, could make additional confirmations superfluous.

The fecond general principle which it is needful to have frequently in view in the following reafonings, is, That the prophecies applied to Chrift are applicable to him only, especially when they are taken complexly. There are some of the hiftorical characters of Chrift which are peculiar to him, even when they are taken separately; such as the characters relating to the enlightening of the Gentile nations: but there are others, which, when taken feparately, are common to many other perfons; fuch as, to be born at fuch a time and place, and of fuch a family; to live in such a station; to fuffer a violent death, and the like.

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Concerning these two different forts of characters, it is proper to observe the following things: First, That even those characters, which, taken separately, are common to many different perfons; when joined to characters that are of a fingular and diftinguishing nature, add much to the evidence. Thus, whereas it is an evident proof, that the prophecies in view are meant of Chrift, if they speak of one extraordinary person who was to bring about fuch an enlightening of the Gentiles, as is known to have been the effect of the gospel; it is still a great addition to the evidence, if they foretell the time and place of that extraordinary person's birth, the family of which he was to defcend, and the other circumstances formerly hinted at: for though these things, taken separately, are common to Jesus Chrift with many others; yet they diftinguish him from many more who were not born at such a time or place, or of fuch a family. And though it should be fuppofed, that, without inspiration, men might have foretold the enlightening of the Gentiles by one eminent person, it is evidently impoffible, that, without inspiration, men should foretell when, or where, or of what nation or family, that particular perfon should be born.

Another thing needful to be observed is, That oft-times, where there are no hiftorical characters or events, which, taken separately, are of fuch a peculiar and fingular nature as to diftinguish one particular perfon from all others; a combination or Series of things, which of themselves are of a common, and not of an extraordinary kind, may make up a clear hiftorical defcription of one person, sufficiently characterising, and diftinguishing him from

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all others whatsoever. There is many a true description or hiftory of a particular perfon, or event, or series of events, in which, if it be taken into pieces, it will be hard to find any one thing, of which there are not various resemblances in defcriptions of quite different perfons or events *; just as in the truest pictures, done to the greatest perfection, it will be hard to find any one feature, of which there are not resemblances in the pictures of feveral other persons, who, upon the whole, may be very unlike one another. As it is not one particular feature, but the whole complexion, or complication of features, that infallibly diftinguishes one face from all others; so it is not, generally speaking, one particular quality or event, but a complication of fuch things, that diftinguishes one particular character or hiftory from all others. These things show, on the one hand, that it is a particular advantage in the prophetical defcription of Chrift, that it contains feveral characters, which, even taken feparately, are peculiar to him; and, on the other hand, that those characters which, taken feparately, are common to him with others, are, when taken complexly, or when joined with the more extraordinary and fingular characters, of manifold use in the argument in view.

The third general principle needful to be proved is, That the things contained in the prophecies in View, are things that could not be forefeen by human fagacity, or fulfilled, as it were, by chance. Human fagacity can foresee events that happen according to the uniform course of nature, or events of which there are probable causes exifting at the time when they are foretold. Thus, for instance, in the days of Seneca, the knowledge that learned men had of geography, and the state of navigation even at that time, were probable caufes of new dif

* Sec Ecclef. i. 9. 10.

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