SER M. be both more eafily and more innocently had

VII.

from among themselves; it being the Intention of God to raise them up from Time to Time a Succeffion of Prophets, whom they might repair to and confult as Occafion required. But whoever carefully attends to the Words, will obferve that they speak of one particular eminent Prophet; of one like unto Moses; which none of the other Prophets were; God making himself known unto them in Vifions, and fpeaking unto them in Dreams, Numb. xii. 6-8. which was but a low Degree of communicating himself to them: But Mofes was not fo WITH HIM, God fpake Mouth to Mouth, (or, as it is faid in another Place, Face to Face, as a Man Speaketh to his Friend, Exod. xxxiii. 11.) even apparently, (i. e. openly) and not in dark Speeches; and the Similitude of the Lord did he behold. And therefore it is added in the Clofe of his History, that there arose not a Prophet fince in Ifrael like unto Mofes (whom the Lord knew Face to Face) in all the Signs and the Wonders which the Lord fent him to do in the Land of Egypt, to Pharaoh, and to all his Servants, and to all his Land; and in all that mighty Hand, and in all the great Terror which Mofes fbewed in the Sight of all Ifrael. And yet

the

VII.

the Prophet, he foretels in my Text, was to SER M. be like unto himself; and the fame Attention and Obedience was to be paid to the one as to the other. The Prophecy therefore muft certainly be understood of fome one, great, and eminent Prophet, who was to arife in Time, and to perfect what Mofes had left unfinished.

And the very Occafion, upon which this Prophecy was given, ties it down to this Sense. For it was given (as the Prophecy itself shews) at the Request of the People, upon their being frightned at the giving of the Law upon Mount Horeb. For when the Lord defcended to give the People the ten Commandments, it came to pass that there were Thunders and Lightnings, and a thick Cloud upon the Mount; and the Voice of the Trumpet exceeding loud; fo that all the People that was in the Camp trembled.--And Mount Sinai was altogether on a Smoke, because the Lord defcended upon it in Fire, and the Smoke thereof afcended as the Smoke of a Furnace, and the whole Mount quaked greatly, Exod. xix. 16, 18. All which when the People faw, they. removed, and flood afar off; and they faid unto Mofes, Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God fpeak with us, left we die, Ch. xx. 18, 19. And upon this Request was the VOL. II.

.

K

Pro

SERM. Prophecy given them, as appears plainly from VII. the Prophecy itself, if we turn to the Place,

and read the whole of it. You will find it in the 18th of Deuteronomy where it runs thus. The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet, from the midst of thee, of thy Brethren, like unto me, unto him shall ye bearken: According unto all that thou defiredft of the Lord thy God in Horeb, in the Day of the Affembly, faying, Let me not hear again the Voice of the Lord my God; neither let me fee the great Fire any more, that I die not. And the Lord faid unto me, They have well spoken that which they have spoken. I will raise them up a Prophet from among their Brethren, like unto thee, and will put my Words into HIS Mouth, and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him, Deut. xviii. 15-18.

This new Prophet therefore was to do that in a familiar, gentle Way; which God himself had done in the Mount furrounded with Majefty and Terror. He was to refemble Mofes in his ordinary Way of prophefying, and to deliver God's Will to them in the fame easy Manner, as Mofes had delivered his former Commands. And yet he was to accomplish as high Defigns, and atchieve as wonderful Works as Mofes did: i. e. He fhould

VII.

should conduct and deliver the People of God S ER M from their Enemies; fhould reveal God's Mind to them; fhould promulge a new Law, and establish a new Covenant. And all this the later Prophets, and even the whole Body of the Jews themfelves, affirm, belongs to the Meffiab to do, whenever it is that he shall appear amongst them: They affert that when he comes, he will eminently discharge all Parts of the Prophetic Function; that he will reveal and disclose new Truths to Men; that he will proclaim a new Law, and establish a new Covenant with the House of Ifrael, and with all People; that he will propagate the Knowledge and Worship of God, enlighten ing the Gentiles and converting them to the Faith; inftructing the ignorant; ftrengthen ing the faint; comforting the afflicted; and confirming all he does and fays by mighty Miracles and Signs. And therefore it was, that when Jefus appeared doing these Things, and confirming what he did by working fuch Miracles as no Man had ever done before him; and fo, in all Refpects, filling up the Character which Mofes gives of the Prophet they were to expect; we find the People fo ready to receive him. We have found the Meffias, John i. 41. faith Andrew; We have K 2 found

SERM. found him of whom Mofes, in the Law, and VII. the Prophets did write, ver. 45. faith Philip;

and-This is of a Truth that Prophet that fhould come into the World, Chap. vi. 14. See alfo Luke vii. 16-24. 19. fay the Multitude that followed him. And that they were none of them mistaken in their Judgment and Application, it is my Design to fhew under my

III. THIRD Head, whereon I am to prove that our Jesus was that very Prophet whom Mofes means, that he did every Thing that Prophet was to do; and so far answered the Character of the CHRIST. But this will fupply Matter fufficient for an entire Discourse. I shall therefore stop where I am at present, and only guard what I have already said against a late vile and impious Suggestion, that there can be no fuch Thing as a Prophet in Nature; that no Man can declare to us any Revelation from God; becaufe no Man can have what we mean by Revelation imparted to himself. We have been told that "we

are fo framed, that there can be no intel"lectual Communication between God and "Man; that God cannot ascertain us of any "Truth, but by fhewing its Agreement