Chap. t. Sect. 4· 1/..-roltillg uttto 'jjefu.s. Book IV. 179 Cafile· without whom none can open or iltut; no more can any man open the·heart or break in upon the fpirit, but Chrilt; he only .is able to .open the eyes of the mind by the fecret, kindly, and powerful ~orkmgof hts·own Spmt. · . .. . 4 . Other Prophets preached wrfdom unto men, but only Chnfl: pre.c~eth men ~tfe; other Prophets warned men by telling them of their fins, and denouncmg .the_ JU~gmems of God, but Chrilt reclaimd them and turned.them from fin ; hence It IS fatd, · that herti~ght ,uon~ having authority, _and not'" the Scribes; it came dail¥ and coldly John>· 2 !'' from them, b~t it came from htmas bemg fulLof conv.Jcbon and reproof, full ofthe evt- 1 Cor, a. 4• dmtdemonftration'of the Spirit,a.nd of power: ·· . . . . ... . 5: Other Prophets might n_ot preacb themfelves ; the Apofl:le mvetg!ts agam(l:.felf- . commenders, We dare not ( farth .~e) malz; our {elves of the number , or compare our • eor. to;,,; fdvenvith 'fomethatcomm~ndthemfelvcs. · Yoa, Chrift himfdf..Nlatingto himfel_f, as a , meer man, [Jith, that hurMmjst_snot true if he bearwtoncfsof htmfolf. Bot manO· John)· J'· ther phce relating to himCdf as Mediator, he fpeaks clean contrary, 'I'ho~tg b I do bear John g, 14• record of 'my felf, yet my record u true. .Here then is.a wide difference betwixt other Prophets in refpetl: of thm office and Chnfls; they mrght not preach themfelves, but he bears wirnefs of himfelf,becaufe he bath not a greater in the.point of our juftification, fanetificati0n, and falvation, to bear witnefs of then him(elf.. And hence are ihofe felfpredicJtions of his which we find in Scriptures, as, L ..k.,unto me, and be ye (aved a/£ !fa. 4)· a, th<e:~d;of the earth. Come unto me all yc-rhat labour, and arc heavy laden. And cpnfer- M~ch. 11.28; ring with the two Difciples, it is faid,that beginning at Mofes ~nd all the Prophus, heex- Lu c >4. ,,, pounded;m!o them in ~11 the Scriptures the rhings concerninK himfelf• Surely it comm nds tO us <he prophdie of Chrit1, that he might preach and commend himfelf without any blot of ar rogancy, oi taking too much upon him. 6, Other Prophets had their Commiffion and Authority from him,. The w•~dt of tht l!cclcf, "· 1 , . wife arc ;u ~oads llnd M nt!IIs faftened by the M.jfers of the .Aj{embltet, wbtch ""gwenfrom on• Shepherd, ( i.) the words of the wife are divine and heavealy inflrudions; the M:~- fters of Affen1blie; are Gofpel-Minifl:ers, and Chrill is thit one Shepherd fr.orn whom thefe words are given, and from whom thefe Mafters ~ave their authority; are they 2 Cor. : 20 : not called EmbaJJadourt for_ Chrift? _and doth n_ot Ez.•~el tell us, that he-muft drop his Ezek.•~. 4 d. words towardJthe South ? l'<ow what IS the meanrng of that droppmg ? It 1s a.phrafe bor- · rowed from rain; as the clouds, from whence the rain d(fcends, have not theirwarer originally and natively in themfelves, bur from the fea ; fohave not the Prophets a fpirit of prophefie of themft!ves, but all·is drawn up out of Chrilt, as out of a full fea of' all excellent wifdom and knowledge." ~rn him art all the tr-ea{uret, a fea, an ocean 4 k._nowledge, and from him all rhe Prophe~S'derived whatfoever they had, SECT. IV. Of Chrijls ·Miraclu. 2 . THeMir~cles of Chrift this year were many; nowwh:it were thefe Mincles, but a purfuance of the Do<'lrines delivered in Chcifis Sermons I One-calls them .A ve– rification of Chrijls Doffrine, a jignal of Chrifts Sermons; if we obferve, we fhall find htm _to work moll ~f his Miracles in actions of mercy ; indeed once he turnedw~ter in– ro wme, and fomettmes he walked upon the waters, but all the refl: were actions of re– hef accordmg to rhe delign of God, who would have him manifell:his power, 'in lhew– ing mercy and relief to men. Among~all his Miracles done this year, how was it that at Can~~, where he wrought tlte firft Mtracle, he does a fecond ; a cmain Noble-man, or Courtier, or little King . (as fome would have it) came to [efm, and befought him to·come down to his hou(t, and John 4· 47• to he~lhu fon, who w.u at rh, point of dMth. We do not find Chrill: often attend~d with Nobthty, but here he is; Not many wife men after the fte(h, not many mighty, n•t many 1 Cor. 1.26; noble art c_alld , _yet God forbid but that fom'e are, and may be;· this noble Ruler lifleng after Clmlt 111 h!S neceffity; happy was it for him that his fon was fick, for elfe be had not been fo well acquainted with his Saviour • o' we are loth to come to Chrift till we fee a need, a neceflity for it and hence it i·s ~hat Chrift fends weaknefs l'itkneffes inlinnities, oppolicion;, and :Uany afflictions, that he may be fought. un;o: Come ;hen, •re weatH1ded? whtther lhould we go but toCana.to feck Chri!H whither il10uld we go
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