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We know that thou art a teacher come from re GoD, for no man can do these miracles that thou " doft, except God be with him." Nay his greatest enemies were afraid of his miracles, knowing how proper an argument they are to convince men, John xi. 47. when the chief priests and pharifees were met together in council against him, they concluded, that if he were permitted to go on and work miracles, he would draw all men after him. "What "do we? (fay they) for this man doth many mi"racles; if we let him thus alone, all men will "believe on him." This they faid, upon occafion of the great miracle of raifing Lazarus from the

dead.

And in reafon miracles are the highest atteftation that can be given to the truth and divinity of any doctrine; and fuppofing a doctrine not to be plainly unworthy of GoD, and contrary to thofe natural notions which men have of GoD and religion, we can have no greater evidence of the truth of it, than miracles; they are fuch an argument, as in its own nature is apt to perfuade and induce belief.

All truths do not need miracles; fome are of easy belief, and are fo clear by their own light, that they need neither miracle nor demonstration to prove them. Such are thofe felf-evident principles which mankind do generally agree in; others which are not fo evident by their own light, we are content to receive upon clear demonftration of them, or very probable arguments for them, without a miracle. And there are fome truths, which however they may be fufficiently obfcure and uncertain to most men, yet are they fo inconfiderable, and of fo finall confequence, as not to deferve the atteftation of

miracles;

miracles; fo that there is no reason to expect that S ERM. GOD fhould interpofe by a miracle, to convince men CXVII.

of them.

Nec Deus interfit, nifi dignus vindice nodus

Inciderit.

But for fuch truths as are neceffary to be known by us, but are not fufficiently evident of themselves, nor capable of cogent evidence, especially to prejudiced and interested perfons, GoD is pleafed in this cafe many times to work miracles for our conviction; and they are a proper argument to convince us of a thing that is either in it felf obfcure and hard to be believed, or which we are prejudiced againft, and hardly brought to believe; for they are an argument à majori ad minus, they prove a thing which is obfcure and hard to be believed, by something that is more incredible, which yet they cannot deny because they fee it done. Thus Our SAVIOUR proves himself to be an extraordinary perfon, by "doing fuch things as never man did;” he convinceth them, that they ought to believe what he faid, because they faw him do thofe things, which were harder to be believed (if one had not feen them) than what he faid.

Miracles are indeed the greateft external confirmation and evidence that can be given to the truth of any doctrine, and where they are wrought with all the advantages they are capable of, they are an unquestionable demonftration of the truth of it; and fuch were our SAVIOUR'S miracles here in the text, to prove that he was the true MESSIAS; here are miracles of all kinds," the blind receive their fight, and the "lame walk, the lepers are cleanfed, and the deaf hear, and the dead are raifed up."

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For the na

ture

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SERM ture of them, they are fuch as are most likely to be divine and to come from GoD, for they were healing and beneficial to mankind. Our SAVIOUR here in-ftanceth in those things which are of greatest benefit and advantage, and which free men from the greatest miferies and inconveniences; the reftoring of fight to the blind, and hearing to the deaf; foundness and health to the lame and the leprous, and life to the dead. And then for the number of them, they were many; not one inftance of a kind, but feveral of every kind, and great multitudes of moft of them; and for the manner of their operation, they were publick, in the fight and view of great multitudes of people; to free them from all fufpicion of fraud and impofture, they were not wrought privately and in corners, and given out and noised abroad, but before all the people, fo that every one might fee them, and judge of them; not only among his own difciples and followers, as the church of Rome pretends to work theirs, but among his enemies, "to convince "thofe that did not believe;" and this not done once, and in one place, but at feveral times, and in all places where he came, and for a long time, for three years and a half, and after his death, he endowed his difciples and followers with the fame power, which lafted for fome ages. And then for the quality of them, they were miracles of the greatest magnitude; thofe of them, which in themfelves might have been performed by natural means, as healing the lame and the leprous, and the deaf, he did in a miraculous manner, by a word or a touch, yea, and many times at a great diftance. But others were not only in the manner of their operation, but in the nature of the thing, unquestionably miraculous,

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lous, as giving of fight to thofe that had been born SER M. blind, and raifing up the dead to life, as Lazarus, after he had lain in the grave four days; and himfelf afterwards, the third day after he had been buried; which, if there ever was or can be any unquestiona-' ble miracles in the world, ought certainly to be reputed fuch. So that our bleffed SAVIOUR had all the atteftation that miracles can give, that he came from God. And this is the firft evidence of his being the MESSIAS.

The Jews acknowledge that the MESSIAS when he comes fhall work great miracles; their own talmud confeffeth, that " JESUS the fon of Joseph and "Mary did work great miracles;" and the history of the gospel does particularly relate more and greater miracles wrought by him, than by Mofes and all the prophets that had been fince the world began; fo that we may still put the fame question to the Jews, which they did in our SAVIOUR's time to one another; "when CHRIST cometh," when the MESSIAS whom ye expect comes, "will he do more "miracles than these which this man hath done?"

But, fecondly, this will yet more clearly appear by the correspondency of the things here mentioned, with what was foretold by the prophets concerning the MESSIAS.

Not to mention innumerable circumstances of his birth, and life, and death, and refurrection, and afcenfion into heaven, together with the fuccefs and prevalency of his doctrine in the world, all which are punctually foretold by fome or other of the prophets: I fhall confine myself to the particulars here in the text.

First, it was foretold of the MESSIAS, that he fhould work miraculous cures. Ifa. xxxv. 4, 5, 6. fpeaking of the MESSIAS," he will come and fave

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you; then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, " and the ears of the deaf fhall be unstopped; then "fhall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue "of the dumb fing;" this you fee was fulfilled here in the text. 'Tis true indeed the text mentions another miracle which is not in the prophet, that "he raised the dead;" but if GOD did more than he promised and foretold, this is no prejudice to the argument, if all that he foretold was accomplish'd in him. Besides, the Jews have a proverb, that God is not content to perform barely what he promiseth, but "he ufually doth fomething over and above his "promife." That the MESSIAS fhould" heal the

blind, and the deaf, and the lame," Ifaiah pro phefied; and GOD makes good this promise and prediction to the full; the MESSIAS did not only do thefe, but, which is more and greater than any of thefe, "he raised the dead to life."

Secondly, it was likewise foretold of the MESSIAS, that he "fhould preach the gospel to the poor," Ifa. lxi. I." The SPIRIT of the LORD GOD is upon "me, because he hath anointed me to preach good

tidings unto the meek, ευαγγελίζεσθαι πτωχοίς, το "preach the gospel or good tidings to the poor;" fo the LXXII render the words; and they are the very words used by our SAVIOUR here in the text. ?Tis true indeed, this was no miracle, but it was the -punctual accomplishment of a prophefy concerning -the MESSIAS, and confequently an evidence that he was the MESSIAS. But befides it had fomething in it which was very ftrange to the Jews, and very different

3.