Chriftian Religion prove'd by Re~fin. 73 Prefcience of things to come, and independent on the fetled courfe and order of Natural ~ Caufes, is an incommunicable Prerogative of <!od· His Eye only ~an pierce the thick Chap. 4• vail of Futuri ty. He has an open unconfin d profpell: of all thmgs that were, are, ~ and !hall be. Such perfeCtion of knowl: dge tranfcends Angdica! Minds. 'Tis more eaGe for the Devil by an adventurous lf11Jtatlon to counterfCJt Mlfacles, than to gtve a clear and dif\inet Predill:ion of things to come that depend on Free Agents. From hence it was that he gave refponfalsambiguoufly, to conceal his ignorance of Future Events, and· Jefi:thofe who confulted his Oracles dubious and hovering in what fenfc to underthud them. God alone could inflrull: the Prophets to foretel things at fuch a diftance, efpecially conGdering fome of them are fupernatural, a~d orhers contingent from the wavering of Second Caufes. Now rhe feveral Propl1ec1Cs of ) efus Chnft 1f un11ed together make fuch an entire defcription of him, that they feem rather Htftoncal Narratives ~f what is paf\:, thap. ~re~iaions of what was to come. . Acc_or?ing t~ the Prophecies, he was Born of a Vlfgm, a Branch of the almoft extmgutfb d Fam1ly of David, Born in BethleheiJI, Ufher'd in by a forerunner, meek, low~ y, j~~, and a wor~er of Miracles. Therefore when John the Baptift fent fome of hts D1forles to enqu1~e whether be was the Meffiah that fhould come, Our Sav10ur ga~e no dtreCt A~[wer_ m Words, but referred them to his Works, that gave a full and real Tdhmony concermng hm1, Go · teU John the tbings 'TI"kich ye do hear and fee 5 the Blind receive their Sight, tl-c Lame JiVall{, the LeperJ' "re Cleanjed, the Deaf Hear, the Dead ttre Rnifed 1tp, and the Poor have the Gofpel i>reached to thC!JZ: That comparing his Mi~·aculous Operations for the ~~~;~j{e~f ~~dab~~o~~~~~~:~~l~efr~~op~~~~\~~;r~i~1;~t; Jh;[e~ea~g;~~m~~:,~~ Charalter acknowl edge him to be the ~romifed Meffiah. . :Tjs a~ Obferva~on of ~t. Pr~vidms Do· Axfli11 , That the ~n of God forefeemg the. per~erfe Inte 1 pretatto~s that lns Enemtes ~nin~u ItftH would make ufe o~ to darken the Luf\:re of hts Mlfacl es, accufing bun as a folemn Magi- rmp1os fJiio(da"! cian that wrought by the force of In~hantn:ent, . that fuch a falfe PerfwaGon might not ~';~~;·tJ: ;;: prevail, fent the Proph.ets .before h1s c.ornmg m to rh: World. Fr?m hence the Saint lumn_i~t~~r •. argues to reprefs thofe nnp10Us Calummes: If by MagtCal Arts he d1d fuch Wonders as t::';'!% ~~ to conciliate Divine Honour to him even fince his Dearh, was he a Magician before he Pro;h;,:~n~~ was Born ? And did he know the Succeffion of all things in his Life before he Lived, ~"'';f,'· N"mthat by an impoffible Miracle he preditl:ed them to M.fes, D avid, Efay, Daniel, and ;:~,, ~"',~;;,_ others? Havin~ thus argued, the Saint turns himfelfto thofe Infidels, as Chrift to the '~'"'"''"!~ Pharifees, lookmg r01md about on them with Anger, bei!zg grieved for the Hardnefs of their &'!,;:f:;rt~« Heartt, and fa id, 0 dearl wretch, hear the Prophets. ilf~ur tral An· But above all, His Death and Paffion ( the fubftance of the Gofpel) is moft exquifite- ~~;: ';;;~":!. ly drawn "with the Lines of his own Blood. Daniel fore rels the time; Zachary as if & ~mif«mh prefent at the execrable contract between JudtU and the High-Priefts, tells us exaCtly c;/llmnn/;~rrotheprice oftheTreafon, and then as if tranfported to Ca/vary, he faw his Side open'd 'r::;t~~:lrgr. with the Spear, and notes it in thefe Words, the.Jfhallloo4 on him whom tb.ey htroe pier- g-Jft.m Joan. ced. D<tVid, as if he had flood at the Foot of the Crofsin the Hour ofh1s Suffering, z~'b.;/ 6;,. relates the manner of them in the Perfon of our Crucified Redeemer; They pierced f;IJ PfaL. 22. Handsand my Feet: Then the disjoynting of his Parts by the Torture, I may tell all my Bones, they loolvmd flare upon me: His Hanging Naked on the Ci·ofs, they part "'J Guments among them, and cafl Lots upon my Veflure: The Bitter Draught they offer'd him, they gttVe me alfo GaUfor my Meat, and in m; Thirjl they .~ ave me Vi11egar to Drink..: TheBlafphemous DeriGon of the Priefts and People the Spell:ators of his Death, All that fee me, laugh me to fcorn, they fh•ot out the Lip, theyj/Jak§theHead, foyilzg, Helrl•fled 'in the Lord tbat he wo1tfd deliver him 5 let him deliver him, Jeeing he delighted in him: f~n:':~s t~e~r~p~~: ~~~Zt~e~~e~j~~~~~ef:gn~(,li~;d;ndry?:r7~e~7o~'i(i,t;:~~~ !fa. <bq.s>, I g""e np, Back._to the Smilers, and my Cheikf to them th•t plucked off the Hair ; I hid ll· :r:/en ~~;t?T~i~~:': "it ~~~~~~e1"~,~r ~r:,~~~~; .. hi~~j"~ ~r;rf~~~t~~i~c;~~~ Affell:ionate Dying Prayer for his Enemies, Father, forgive them, they kpow not what they do; obferve, that he made interceffion for Trttnfgrejfors. Thus as feveral Painters that would draw divers Copies from the fame excellent Original, are intent to view its various Afpell:s, fome direCtly, fome on this and the other fide : So the Prophets, as if they had been the Spell:ato~s of his cruel Sufferings, copied from the Life, every one that part that the Holy Spmt affigned to them. Now how was it poflible, if not inftrull:ed by Omnifciwce, that being fo diftant in Time and Place, and fo long before the Accomphfbment, they fbould concur in fuch an exall: defcription of what fbould befal the Meffiah? Men are not Prophets by the Light ofR.eafon: As Nature is not fubjeCl:ed to L their
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