1$4 BAXTER'S DTINO THOUGHTS. either healing, tongues, prophecy, or some wonder, it was, sure, an infallible way of testifying. 16. When wrangling heretics quarreled with the apostles, and would draw away disciples to themselves, by disparaging them, they still appealed to the miracles wrought by these disciples them- selves, or in their sight ; as Gal. iii. 1, 2, 3. 5. And as Christ, when the Jews said he did all by Beelzebub, when he cast out devils, asked them, "By whom do your children cast them out which, had it been false, would have turned all the peoplefrom them. 17. Their adversaries were so far fromwriting any confutation of their testimony,.that they confessed the miracles, and had no shift, but either to blaspheme the Holy Ghost, and say that they were done by the devil, or else, by persecution and violence, to oppress them. As if the devil were master of the world, and could remedilessly deceive it against God's will ; or God himself would send or suffer afull course of miracles remedilessly to deceive the world, which is to make God like the devil ; or as if the devil were so good as, by miracles,- to promote so holy, and amiable, and just a doctrine,as that of Christianity, to make men wise, and good, and just, and kill their sin ; so that this blasphemy of the Holy Ghost makes Satan to be God, or God to be Satan. 18. All the cruelty, powers, learning, and policy of their ad- versaries was not able to stop the progress ofthis testimony, much less to prevail against it. III. It is then most certain, that the first witnesses welt not de- ceived by Christ, nor believers after deceived by them. The next question is, whether we be not deceived by a false historical tradition of these things. Had we seen them all ourselves, we must needs have believed ; but at this distance we know not what misreports may intervene. What eyesight and hearing was to them, that tradition is to us. Now the question is, Is it certainly the very same fact and doctrine which they received, and which we receive ? And here let it be premised, that there is no other way of assur- ance, than that which God bath afforded us, that the reason of man could have desired. 1. If we would see God, and heaven, and hell, this is not away suitable to the state of probationers that live in flesh on earth. Angels live by vision, and fruition of glory ; and brutes, by sense, on sensible beings ; but reasonable travelers must live by reason, and by believing certain revelation. 2. If God will send his Son from heaven to ascertain us, and we will believeno more than we see ourselves, then Christ must
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