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SER M. being a Prophet and knowing that God had fworn with an Oath to him, that of the Fruit of his Loins he would raise up Chrift in the Flesh (i.e. he would raise him up again from the Dead) to fit on his Throne; he feeing this before, pake of the Refurrection of Christ, that HIS Soul was not left in Hell, neither did his Fleh fee Corruption. The very Time of whofe Refurrection was not only typified by Jonah's being three Days and three Nights in the Whale's Belly; Jonah i. 17. Mat. xii. 40. but also foretold in Words by Hofeah, After two Days he will revive us; in the third Day he will raife us up. And therefore our Belief of that Article is in the Nicene Creed properly expreffed in the Words of St. Paul, The third Day be rofe again according to the Scriptures.

Nor is the Afcenfion of our Bleffed Lord lefs clearly foretold than his Refurrection : Thou haft afcended on high, thou hast led Captivity captive, thou haft received Gifts for Men, Pfal, lxviii, 18. is by St. Paul fhewn to be spoken of the Afcenfion of Jefus Chrift. And thofe other Words of the Pfalmift, The Lord faid to my Lord, fit thou on my Right Hand, until I make thine Enemies thy Footftool, Pfal. cx. 1. at once prove his Afcenfion *For the rendering and Interpretation, see Knatchbull.

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into Heaven, and his Enthronement there in SER M. regal Glory.

I might now further, had I Time for it, proceed to fhew that all the Confequences that were to attend the coming of the Meffiah, came exactly to pass after the coming of Jefus; fuch as were the overthrowing of Idols, and the calling in of the Gentiles to the Faith; the disowning of him by the Jews, and the Judgments that should come upon them, because of their rejecting him; such as the Destruction of their City and Temple, and the Difperfion of their Nation amongst all People. But the Time not permitting me to branch out into any more Particulars, I shall make one Observation, which must serve for all; and that is this, viz.

That it appears evidently from what I have faid in this and fome preceding Difcourses, that all the Prophecies, all the Types, all the Marks, by which the Meffiah was to be known when he came, exactly concur in our Jefus. His Lineage and Family, the Place of his Nativity, the Time of his Appearance, the Manner of his Birth; in a Word, every fingle Paffage relating to his Life, Death, Burial, Refurrection, and Afcenfion of the Christ were all compleated in Jefus of Nazareth:

I

SERM. reth: How is it poffible therefore ever to

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difcover or find out the Chrift, if Jefus of Nazareth be not he? For find out any other Perfon, if you can, excepting Jefus, that ever laid any Claim to the fulfilling them. They therefore who will not be fatisfied by what has been offered, have no Mind, I fear, to be convinced by any Arguments whatever. Thinking it needless therefore to add any more, I fhall only draw an Inference or two from the Whole, with which I fhall conclude.

And, in the firft Place, I think we have Reafon to adore the remarkable Providence and Goodness of God, in making thofe unhappy People, the Jews themselves, an Evidence of the Truth, which they would endeavour to destroy. For the great Numbers of this People which are ftill remaining; the Difperfion of them in almost every Nation of the Universe; and yet their firm and uniform Adherence to the Rites and Customs of the Mofaick Law, have furnished every Age and Country in the World, with the strongest Arguments for the Chriftian Faith. For their Numbers, in the firft Place, furnish us with an unexceptionable CLOUD of Witnesses, that atteft the Truth of the Old Teftament.

For

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For they are the Remainders of a People, SER M. who had exifted as a Nation for Thousands of Years before Jefus was born; and who have ever fince ftood out against Jefus being the Chrift; and yet they have been the Prefervers of our Archives, the Keepers of thofe Holy Books and Prophecies, to which we as well as they appeal, to try the Point in Queftion between us. The Law and the Teftimony are what God himself refers us to, Ifai. viii. 20. And by thefe, we Chriftians are willing to be decided.And as thus the Numbers, fo the Difperfion of the Jews adds Strength to our Evidence; fince by that Means, they bear their Teftimony to the Credit of the Writings we appeal to, through all the Parts of the known World; which Teftimony, in the last Place, their Adherence to their own Religion, and the Averfion to ours, make the more unquestionable. Whereas had the whole Body of the Jews been converted to Christianity, we fhould havé been apt to have used the Books of the Old Teftament, like the Books of the Sibylls, and, because they foretel Jefus fo clearly, have condemn'd them as forged after the Events are faid to have happened. An Attempt not obliquely aimed at, by the impious Oppofers

of

SER M. of the Chriftian Faith. But very weak fure,

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A

however malicious, must all Attempts of that Nature prove, if we reflect in the fecond, Place on the ftrong and irrefragable Confirmation, which this comparing of the Prophecies of the Old Teftament, with the Completions of them in the New Testament, affords us, not only for the Truth and Veracity, but also for the Divine Inspiration of the Holy Scriptures. For to what else, than to fuch Divine Infpiration, can it poffibly be afcribed, that Writings, compiled in fuch diftant Ages and Periods of the World, should relate Matters fo exactly correfponding, and fo beautifully agreeing and tallying with one another in the minuteft Circumftances, in Circumftances which it is very probable, that those who wrote and tranfmitted them to us, did not themselves fo clearly understand. For fo Daniel is reprefented as inquiring of the Angel into the Meaning of the Prophecies delivered by himself: And St. Peter affures us of the Prophets in general, (who prophefied of the Grace that was to come unto us,) that they enquired and fearched diligently, what it was that the Spirit of Chrift, which was in them, did fignify; and that it was not unto themselves, but unto us, that they miniftred the