But there are farther some things infallibly signifying a divine virtue, peculiar to God, and (either by their nature or from the decree of God) incommunicable to any creature, otherwise than as acted by God, or immediately depending on him: such are, the knowlege of future contingent events declared by predicting or presignifying them, according to that of the prophet; 'Show,' said he, in way of challenge and conviction to the objects of heathen worship, the things to come, that we may know ye are gods' such is the discerning men's secret thoughts and intentions, the which God assumeth as proper to himself: 'I the Lord search the heart, I try the reins;' so that Kapdioyvworns is a characteristical attribute or title proper to him. Such is the restitution of men from a state of death to life; a work not only in itself most difficult, in respect to the ordinary rule of nature which it transgresseth, but impossible to any mere creature without God's aid; for that the souls of men when they die return into God's hand, and enter into a state determined by his high sentence; whence no creature can fetch them down, or raise them up; most impossible also because God by especial decree hath reserved the power of doing it appropriate to himself; the power of life and death being his prerogative, who saith, I am he, and there is no God beside me; I kill, and I make alive' of whom again it is said, The Lord killeth, and maketh alive; he bringeth down to the grave, and bringeth up.' He it is that in his hand doth 'hold the keys of hell and of death.' The performing things also by mere word and will, without application of other force, or any preparation of the subject matter, (being equivalent to the work of creation,) is peculiar unto God, the author of all being, or to such as act by the immediate help of his infinite power.

We may add that there also seem to be some things, which infernal spirits (who continue under restraint and command, within a great awe and dread of their Judge,) dare not so much as pretend to or counterfeit; knowing that as presently they shall be checked in their attempt, so they shall be grievously chastised for their presumptions; such may be the assuming to themselves the special names of God, the directly withstanding the extraordinary messengers of God, and the like.

So even considering the very nature of strange works may enable us to distinguish them; but the end and design of such works, together with the influences and effects of them, will farther ascertain us of their original: if they are done to abet any gross error, or to promote any mischievous purpose; if they manifestly do seduce to apostasy from God or goodness; if they naturally tend to the production of impiety, iniquity, or impurity; if they do necessarily produce any great disorder or disturbance in the world, assuredly hell is the source of them; they derive from him whose kingdom and interest they advance; by their fruits we may know the tree from which they grow. If also they discover ostentation and vanity in the actors, or serve only to gratify idle humor and curiosity in the spectators of them, tending otherwise to no good purpose; it is easy to collect whence they spring; that they come from the father both of mischiefs and vanities, who not only delights to abuse us with villanies, but to amuse us also with trifles and fond superstitions.

'As,' saith Origen, the power of those enchantments in Egypt was not, in itself, like to that admirable power by God's grace vouchsafed to Moses; so the end did convince those Egyptian feats to be jugglings, those of Moses to be divine."* The portentous things done by the energy of Satan' are, as St. Paul calleth them, répara eúdovs, either false prodigies, or prodigies abetting falsehood and vanity.

But the works of the most wise and good God, as they are commonly works of wonderful majesty and grandeur, incomparable and inimitable for difficulty; so they always are holy, always useful; they ever aim at good ends, and produce wholesome fruits: hence we may discern them, and hence we are obliged to acknowlege them; they afford us ground to say with the psalmist; Unto thee, O Lord, we do give thanks; for that thy name is near thy wondrous works declare.' Such works, as they can only be effects of God's power, so they are arguments of his truth; for that he cannot lend his hand, for that he will not prostitute his assistance to the maintenance of any thing, which is not perfectly true and good; he will

* Orig. in Cels. 2.

not so tempt any man' into error. If I by the finger of God cast out devils, then indeed is the kingdom of God come unto you,' (that is, if I perform works by the divine power, then assuredly is my doctrine true,) was an irrefragable argu

ment.

We may also observe that those wicked spirits are themselves apprehensive how easily their feats are distinguished from the works of God; for hence, it seems, they chose to utter them clancularly, in obscure corners, in blind times, among barbarous and silly people; judging that persons of any wisdom or goodness will be soon able to detect them, and ready to explode them: a little light dazzles the powers of darkness, and scares away these spectres; a little goodness mates their force, enfeebleth and dishearteneth them.

We may also add that the Messias's works by a peculiar character should be manifestly distinguishable from such as proceeded from infernal powers; for that it should be his business to impugn, defeat, and overthrow the Devil's kingdom; all the falsehoods and superstitions, all the immoralities and impieties, which it consisted in, or which supported it: to this end all his doctrine, practice, and performances would conspiringly tend, that Satan like lightning should be thrown down from heaven;' which most evidently would evince that what he should do should only come from heaven.

Having thus showed reasons why, and signified to what purposes, the Messias was to receive special testimonies from God; let us now survey those, which were indeed by him exhibited to Jesus our Lord. There is indeed no kind or degree of attestation needful or proper, which hath not been largely from heaven afforded to him. God (so our Lord argueth) is in his own nature invisible and indiscernible to any sense of ours; neither could we endure the lustre of his immediate presence. (No man ever saw God, or can see him ; there shall no man see him and live.') It must be therefore by mediation of signs and works supernatural; the causing of which can only be imputed to him, as beyond the power of any creature to effect or counterfeit; that he can assuredly signify his mind unto us; such only in approbation of any person, law, or doctrine, can be expected from him; and such, in divers

kinds and in great measures, God hath, we say, 'furnished for the authorising Jesus.'

1. God did attest to him long before his coming into the world, by presignifying and predicting concerning him, at several times, in several ways, by several persons, (even by all the prophets and eminent persons among his people of old,) many things, even all things considerable about him; in exact congruity to the circumstances of his coming into the world, (the time when, the place where, the family whence, the man ner how, the condition in which he was born,) to the qualities of his person, to the doctrine and law which he published, to all his undertakings and performances and sufferings, and to the successes consequent on what he did. (This is a matter of very large consideration; which otherwhile we have insisted largely on, and therefore shall now waive enlargement -on it.)

2. God did in attestation to him immediately send before his face, as his herald and harbinger, a prophet, or one for his admirable wisdom and sanctity of life somewhat more than à prophet;' who indeed without doing any miracle, by the prodi gious integrity and strictness of his life, by the wonderful efficacy of his doctrine and discourse, procured unto himself a reputation equalling or exceeding that of any former prophet; (whom even Josephus, an indifferent historian, reporteth a man of singular goodness and great authority,) to predispose the minds of men to receive him; by converting men to a serious reflection on their lives and amendment of their manners, to prepare his way; as also to point him out, to foretell of him as presently coming, to testify of him as being come. This was he, to whom it well agreed, and who plainly did assume to himself that which was written by Malachi; Behold, I send my angel before thy face, who shall prepare thy way before thee;" of whom Isaiah (John himself being the avoucher and inter-preter) said, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight;' who was, as Malachi did again signify, to come in the spirit and power of Elias, to convert the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.' This most extraordinary

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and excellent person did at several times and occasions attest unto Jesus, not only that he was incomparably, for the dignity of his person and worth of his performances, to be preferred before himself, and consequently before all other prophets, but that he was the very Christ, the Lamb of God, the Son of God, the Saviour of the world: they sent to John,' saith the text, and he bare witness of the truth.' God by him also foretold divers things concerning our Lord, which did really come to pass; as those words, uttered occasionally by many persons, do imply; John indeed did no miracle; but all things which John spake of this man were

true.'

3. God attested unto our Lord by visible apparitions from heaven, at several times, in fit seasons, made in the sight and presence of very good witnesses: angels appearing warned his good father and blessed mother concerning the time and manner of his coming into the world; angels again appearing uttered tidings of his birth, joined with acclamations of praise to God, and gratulations of joy to men; angels were vigilant for his safety, ministered unto him in his temptations and needs, assisted and comforted him in the agonies of his passion, waited on him at his resurrection; an extraordinary star (like that of the morning before the sun) officiously did usher him into the world; at his baptism the Holy Ghost (in the symbolical figure of a dove) appeared descending and resting on him, in the presence of St. John the Baptist, (that most just and holy person, so taken and acknowledged by all men, even by his enemies and murderers; and a most competent witness, as who dared with utmost peril before the greatest persons to assert the truth;) He testified thereof, and said, I saw the Spirit of God descending from heaven as a dove, and resting on him.' Moses and Elias also (those most eminent instruments of God, and illustrious representatives of the Messias) did from heaven in a most glorious and splendid manner attend on him, in the presence of three most credible witnesses, Peter, James, and John, the Apostles; one of whom doth himself thus, with the due confidence of an eye-witness, report the fact; For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and presence of our Lord Jesus Christ, but