Abbildungen der Seite
PDF
EPUB

V.

Things which are now more clearly and diftinctly S ER M. reported among us. From whence it follows, that when Mofes penned the Law, the Holy Penmen the History, and the Prophets the Predictions of the Old Teftament; though they might all of them know that they wrote by the immediate Direction and Command, or at leaft under the Influence or Super-intendency of the Holy Spirit; yet none of them might be aware of the principal and final View of the Things which they indited. Nor might the Evangelifts and others that have recorded the History and Transactions of our Lord, either observe or know, that in every Circumstance, they have recorded of him, fome ancient Type or Prediction was fulfilled. At least we are fure that it was impoffible for them to have thought of or invented fuch a Scheme, as fhould fo exactly have tallied with another, that had been formed fo long before. Much lefs, fure, could Mofes, and the Prophets after him, have pronounced of their own'Heads fo many Prophecies, without any Design, without any View, except only the Hopes, that fome one or other, as romantick and enthufiaftical as themfelves, should many Hundreds of Years afterwards contrive a Story to fave their Credit, and ex

V.

SER M. plain their Meaning. No furely; fuch a Concurrence between the Law and the Gospel, between the Old Teftament and the New, muft undeniably prove that neither of them can be owing to the Invention of Men; but must both be inspired by that Holy, Divine, all-knowing Spirit, who comprizes the most diftant Times and Things in a fingle View, and orders all Things, when they be past, prefent, or to come, to bear the Part, and keep their Order in one universal, harmonious Scheme.

And what can give us greater Satisfaction and Comfort in our holy Religion than this? For hereby we see "that the Chriftian "Scheme was always in the Eye and Inten"tion of Providence; that the Substance of "it was revealed and taught from the Be

[ocr errors]

ginning, and all the fucceffive Revelations "of God were pointed and directed towards "it. This fhews us that we are in the fure "and proper Way of Acceptance; in that

Way which was always propofed in the "Divine Counfels, and in fome Meafure "difclosed, though in the Fulness of Time "it was more clearly revealed by him who was both the Author and the Finisher of "it.

Let what has been faid therefore by

all

V.

"all Means inftruct us to hold fast the Pro-SER M. feffion of our Faith without wavering * and fo long as the New Teftament and the Old tally fo exactly the one with the other, let us not be fhocked or ftartled with the Cavils of any fuperficial or impertinent Objector, who fhall fancy he can propofe Difficulties in fome Points of no Moment; but on the contrary, let us keep our Eyes fix'd firmly upon the beauteous Harmony and Analogy which the two Teftaments exhibit in the Illustration of one another; by which we are afcertained that, in depending on them, we reft our Confidence on no less than the Truth of God.

* Dr. Berriman's Boyle's Lect. Vol. 2. p. 332, 333.

[ocr errors][merged small]

SERM.
VI.

SERMON VI.

Jefus the CHRIST.

JOHN i. 41.

We have found the Meffias; (which is, being interpreted, the Chrift.)

WE

E are foon to enter (my good Christian Brethren) upon the Season of Advent, a Seafon appointed by Holy Church to prepare us for a due and religious Celebration of the Nativity or Birth of the Bleffed Jefus ; of JESUS the Foundation of our Confidence and Hope; the Author, Sustainer and Ground of our Faith; the Rock of Salvation in which we truft; our only Security for our Welfare and Happiness both in this World and the

next.

Where fo much Confidence and Truft is repofed, it certainly concerns us to be well affured that it is fafely placed: And to convince you that the Faith of Chriftians is fo, (I have formerly fhewed you) that Jesus on

which we depend is the Saviour, that was foretold by the Holy Scriptures that were given before-hand to distinguish and point him out when he came. I fhewed you at large in five feveral Difcourfes, that all the Prophecies, all the Types, all the Characters, which are recorded in the Old Teftament, as Marks of the Meffias, exactly concurred in our Jesus. His Lineage and Family, the Place of his Nativity, the Time of his Birth, in a Word, every fingle Paffage relating to the Life, Death, Burial, Refurrection, or Afcenfion of the Meffias were all completed in our Jefus, in Jefus of Nazareth, the Son of Joseph, ver. 45. as Philip calls him three or four Verfes below my Text, which Words I took for my Text at that Time.-How is it poffible therefore to know the Meffias, if Jefus of Nazareth be not He? It may perhaps have come to pass that fome of thefe Signs might have concurred in others: But there was ne ver any Person yet, excepting Jefus of Nazareth only, in whom they were every one fulfilled. It being then evident to a Demonftra→ tion that Jefus is He of whom Mofes in the Law and the Prophets did write; that He is the Meffias whom the Old Teftament foretold; I would now make Use of the Return of this Seafon,

VOL. II.

H

SERM.

VI.

« ZurückWeiter »