'I he Harmony .~f. the Vivine Attributes ~-~~~fn~~~; ~~t~~~~s ~~~l~"h'~~:~~dan~~~ee~~~~s; a~t, ~:~:~, ~~:~~sre~~~it~~n h~~~~~ ~ Praife excited them, fince they attributed the Doctrine of the Gofpel, that lhould give them Reputation in the World, to the Holy Spirit, and afcribed the Glory of their miraculous Actions entirely to the Divine Power. When the People of Lyjlra would have given Divine Honour to Sr. Paul, Act. 3· 12, 13. he difclaimed it with abhorrency: And prefenrly after, rhofe who would have adored him as a God, £ toned him as a Malefactor Aa. 4· 1 o. he chofe rather to be their Sacrifice than their Idol. BeGdes , how could they expell: to be great or rich by declaring, that One who came to fu ch a Tragical End in the face of the World was raifed to Life, when the hands of the JewJ were frill bloody with the Wounds of their Mafrer, and their Hearts fo enraged again it all that honoured his Name, as tO excommunicate them for execrable Perfons. It h ad been as extravagant to ~~;eto~~r;g~:ti~}:lr"~~~r~n~a~fngR:~~~~~~~ t~rb~~:~db~n~e~~ffe~~~~ingAnds t~~; Pleafure c'i'uld not be their Aim is manife([: For they met with nothing but Poverty and Perfecurion, with Derifion and Difgrace, with Hardlhips and all the etfell:s of Fury which they willingly endured rather than ceafe from preaching, or deny what they had preached. Their unheard-of Refolution to forfake their Nativ e Country, and travel ro all the known parrs of the Earth, to convey the Doctrine of Jefus Chrifl, isa)lrong De. monflrarion that they believedittobetrue, and of infinite moment, mofr worrhy of all the dangers to which they voluntarily expofed themfelves. Ne ver did Ambition or Avarice, the mofi active Pailions, cau[e Men to be more diligent, than t hey were to communicate rhe Knowledge of our Saviour to all Nations. Now what greater alfurance can we poflibly receive that they were fincere in their Report? SecondfJ, The nature of the Tefrimony makes it very credible. Th~;:,tab~~~J:d~:~~r;:r~~~~nJ~~vh:~he~~~nf~~~e~f~es~:~~!:~io~e~; ~r~t;;rt! fame pretence to objell:, That the Difciples, unexercifed in Science;, were deceived by the Subtilty of their Mafrer: But 'tis a fingular Thing, of whic h the Senfes are the mofr faithful Informers, and competent Judges. - It was an ocular Tefrimony, which as it makes the frrongefr impreflion upon the Spell:ator, fo upon the Belief of others. Thus St. John, ( 1 Job. 1. 1. )_That which we h<ve feen with Oltr E.yu, which we have lookJd on, declare we unto .JOlt. And that they were not deceived, we have great certain ty; for Jefiu had converfed a long time with them before his Death, and their Refpell: and Love to Him, and after their Compaflion had deeply engraved the lineaments of his Vifage in their Memories; and He prefented himfelf not ma- . nyYears, but three Days after his Abfence, fo that it was impoflible they lhould have forgot his Countenance. He appeared to them not once or twice, but many times, and not fuddenly as a flalh of Lightning that prefently vanifheth, b ut converfr with them familiarly for forty days. And 'tisobfervable, the Apof/les themfelves were noteafily wrought on to believe this Truth. When the Tefrimony of the Angelsa lfured them that He was rifen, they received it with doubting, wonder, and troub led joy, and were fufpended between Hopes and Fears: And at his firfl Appearance they were vehemently furpriz'd. They faw Him die on the Crofs three days before, (Luke ·~· 37, 39 , 43 ·) and their Memories were frill filled with t he frightful Images ~:d ~~e 8r~:~~~~~~~ra~c~ ~f~h;;e:~e~a~;dn~:~n~t~~e~e~~~f~~J~~~~~~~~ ~:u;hn~f hisRefurrellion to all theirSenfes. Hedifcourfed with them, madethemfeelhisWounds ( 1 Joh. 1. 1. ) eat and drink with them, fo that 'twas impoflible they lhould be deceived unl efs willingly. Thus by the wife difpenfation of God, their doubting bath confirmed our Faith. ThirdfJ, Th" Uniformity of the Tefrimony makes it valuable upon a do uble account. Firjl, as it fecures us, there was no corruption in the Witnelfes. SecondlJ, That it was no Illufion. r. That there was no Corruption in the Witnelfes. The mofr prudent way to difco• ver rhe falfity of • Tefrimony, is to interrogate the Witnefi'es fe verally, to fee if there be any contradill:ion between them. But if they concur not onl y as to the Subitance but Circumfrances, their Depofition is very credible. Now the Apofrles exall:ly agreed in their Tefrimony, as appem by the feveral Gofpels, in which, altho' wrote in divers rimes and places, yet there is an admirable H.rmonJ not only as to the FaQ it felf, but the lea([ Particularities. . c 2, The
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