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fteps of his exaltation. Thirdly, Characters relating to uncontefted facts, or facts of fuch public notoriety that unbelievers do not call them in question.

Of this laft fort are various facts and events, relating partly to Chrift's life and death, and partly to his church, and partly to his enemies.

As to the first, Unbelievers own the facts relating to the time and place of Chrift's birth, the nation and family of which he defcended, the low station in which he lived, and the fufferings of his life and death. Alfo the fecond they own; and they cannot but own feveral important facts relating to the amazing fuccefs of Christ's doctrine; particularly its producing the greatest revolution that ever happened in the world, in its moft important concerns, namely, thofe of religion, by enlightening fo many of the Gentile nations in the knowledge of the true God, difpelling Heathen darkness, abolishing Heathen idolatry, and establishing in its room the worship of the one Supreme Being, the Creator of the world. As to the third point, namely, facts relating to Chrift's enemies, it is owned on all hands, that after the unbelieving Jews had crucified Chrift himself, and yet had his gofpel for feveral years preached to them, and continued obftinate in rejecting it, their temple and metropolis were deftroyed, their civil polity diffolved, their nation difperfed through the world; and that they have been wanderers among the nations ever from that time to this day for however people differ about the true caufes of these calamities, the reality of them, the extraordinary nature of them, and the period of time at which they began, are beyond all controversy.

Unbelievers own the truth of thefe, and the like facts they only deny that they were foretold.

The obvious differences betwixt the three forts of characters that have been mentioned, point out

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the different uses to be made of them in the reafonings in view. Seeing it is an evident rule of just reafoning, that people fhould avoid begging the queftion, or taking for granted the conclufion that is to be proved; therefore as a Chriftian, in arguing with an unbeliever, muft not take it for granted that the doctrines or miracles that have been mentioned are true, fo neither muft an unbeliever take it for granted that they are falfe. The true way is, to begin with the facts that are uncontested. If it can be proved, that thefe uncontefted facts were foretold, and that the prophecies concerning them make up, as it were, a hiftorical defcription of Chrift, diftinguishing him from all others; and that the facts themselves are of that nature that they could not be foretold but by divine infpiration; all thefe things will make up a convincing proof, at once of the divinity of the prophecies, and of the divine miffion of Chrift, and confequently of the truth of the doctrines and miracles in queftion.

If it be afked, whether the prophecies containing thefe doctrines and miracles be of ufe in convincing unbelievers? in anfwer to this, it is fufficient at prefent to obferve, that these prophecies may be faid to contain uncontefted facts, in fo far as they foretell the faith and worship of the gofpelchurch, or of the worshippers of God among the Gentile nations. Thus it is evidently a foretelling of uncontested facts, if the prophets foretell, that, the Gentile nations, in worshipping the true God, would feek falvation and happiness from him, through a Mediator, clothed with fuch offices as the gofpel afcribes to Chrift, as the univerfal Prophet, Prieft, and King, of the people of God of all nations. Though unbelievers do not own the truth of thefe and the like peculiar doctrines of the gofpel, yet they muft own it as a fact of public notoriety, that thefe doctrines are believed and profelfed by the Chriftian nations: and if it can be pro

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ved, that the prophets not only affert the truth of thefe doctrines, but alfo foretell the actual belief and profeffion of them among the nations; it will follow, that the prophecies containing gofpel-doctrines contain evident proofs from uncontested facts.

The above-mentioned rule, of beginning with uncontested facts, fhows the reasonablenefs of fome diversity in the method of arguing from the prophecies in different ages; because the facts that are uncontested in one age, may not be so in another. In the days of the apoftles, at the first preaching of the gospel, the prophecies concerning the enlightening of the Gentiles, could not be confidered, as they may and ought to be now, as containing uncontefted facts; becaufe that great reyolution was not yet accomplished. The actual accomplishment of it gives us fome advantage above the firft Chriftians, as they had the advantage of us in various other refpects. The miracles of the apostles, believed to be acknowledged as uncontested facts among the multitudes of diverfe nations who were eyewitneffes of them; by thefe miracles they proved Christ's divine miffion, his refurrection, and the other fupernatural facts and doctrines which conftitute the peculiarities of the gofpel. It was a ftrong corroboration of the argument from miracles, that the peculiar doctrines and facts contained in the gofpel were alfo contained in the writings of the prophets and in a matter of fo great importance, no one proof, however evident, could make additional confirmations fuperfluous.

The fecond general principle which it is needful to have frequently in view in the following reafonings, is, That the prophecies applied to Chrift are applicable to him only, efpecially when they are taken complexly. There are fome of the hiftorical characters of Chrift which are peculiar to him, even when they are taken feparately; fuch as the charac

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ters relating to the enlightening of the Gentile nations: but there are others, which, when taken separately, are common to many other perfons; fuch as, to be born at fuch a time and place, and of fuch 2 family; to live in fuch a station; to fuffer a violent death, and the like.

Concerning these two different forts of characters, it is proper to obferve the following things a First, That even those characters, which, taken feparately, are common to many different perfons; when joined to characters that are of a fingular and diftinguishing nature, add much to the evidence. Thus, whereas it is an evident proof, that the prophecies in view are meant of Chrift, if they speak of one extraordinary perfon who was to bring about fuch an enlightening of the Gentiles, as is known to have been the effect of the gofpel; it is ftill a great addition to the evidence, if they foretell the time and place of that extraordinary perfon's birth, the family of which he was to defcend, and the other circumstances formerly hinted at: for though these things, taken feparately, are common to Jefus Chrift with many others; yet they diftinguifh him from many more who were not born at fuch a time or place, or of fuch a family. And though it fhould be fuppofed, that, without infpiration, men might have foretold the enlightening of the Gentiles by one eminent perfon, it is evidently impoffible, that, without infpiration, men fhould foretell when, or where, or of what nation or family, that particular perfon fhould be born.

Another thing needful to be obferved is, That oft-times, where there are no hiftorical characters or events, which, taken feparately, are of fuch a peculiar and fingular nature as to diftinguish one particular perfon from all others; a combination or feries of things, which of themfelves are of a common, and not of an extraordinary kind, may make up a clear hiftorical defcription of one perfon, fufficiently characterifing, and diftinguishing him from

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all others what foever. There is many a true defcription or history of a particular perfon, or event, or feries of events, in which, if it be taken into pieces, it will be hard to find any one thing, of which there are not various resemblances in defcriptions of quite different perfons or events; juft as in the trueft pictures, done to the greatest perfection, it will be hard to find any one feature, of which there are not resemblances in the pictures of feveral other perfons, who, upon the whole, may be very unlike one another. As it is not one particular feature, but the whole complexion, or complication of features, that infallibly diftinguishes one face from all others; fo it is not, generally fpeaking, one particular quality or event, but a complication of fuch things, that diftinguishes one particular character or history from all others. These things fhow, on the one hand, that it is a particular advantage in the prophetical defcription of Chrift, that it contains feveral characters, which, even taken feparately, are peculiar to him; and, on the other hand, that thofe characters which, taken feparately, are common to him with others, are, when taken complexly, or when joined with the more extraordinary and fingular characters, of manifold ufe in the argument in view.

The third general principle needful to be proved is, That the things contained in the prophecies in view, are things that could not be forefeen by human fagacity, or fulfilled, as it were, by chance. Human fagacity can forefee events that happen according to the uniform courfe of nature, or events of which there are probable caufes exifting at the time when they are foretold. Thus, for inftance, in the days of Seneca, the knowledge that learned men had of geography, and the ftate of navigation even at that time, were probable caufes of new dif

* See Ecclef. i, 9, 10,

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