200 $AXTER'S DYING THOUGHTS. the nature of man ; but the almighty, most wise, and most holy God needs not, and will not rule the world by mere deceit. V. The gospel of Christ hath brought life and immortality into a clearer light than that ofnature ; and it must be bybelieving in Christ that we must have our full satisfaction. O, what hath God done in the wonders of redemption to makeus sure ! And against the doubts that are apt to rise from some hard particular text of Scripture, it must be considered, 1. That Christ and his apostles did put the ascertaining seal of the many uncontrolled miracles to the gospel doctrine, primarily ; which doctrine, (1.) Was deliver- ed and sealed eight years before -any of the New Testament was written, and almost seventy before the last. (2.) And Christ did not speak in the language in which the gospel is written to us; so that, being but a translation as to his own words, the matter is the thing first sealed. 2. And that it.was the two legislative mediators, Moses and Christ, who came with the great stream of uncontrolled miracles; it being necessary that men should have full proof that a law or doctrine is of God, before they believe it ; but the priests and prophets after Moses, and the preachersand pastors of the Chris- tian church, who were not commissioned to bring men any new laws or gospel, but to proclaim and teach that which they re- ceived, needed no such testimony of miracles. 3. The belief of every particular priest or prophet after Moses, or every pastor after Christ and his apostles, was not ofthe same degree of necessity to salvation as the belief of the law and gospel itself. Therefore, though all the Holy Scripture be true, the law and the gospel must be much differenced from the rest. 4. The history of the law and gospel have full, ascertaining, his- torical evidence; or else there is none such in the world. There- fore the doctrine must be true. 5., The prophecies fulfilled prove the gospel true- 6. And the divine impress on the whole. 7. And the sanctifying work of the Spirit wrought by it, in all nations and ages, on serious believers, is a constant, divine at- testation. VI. And as my faith bath so sure a foundation, it confirmeth my faith and hope, that it bath been so long and great a workof God, by his Word and Spirit on my soul, to raise it to believe, and love, and desire, that holy state of perfection and fruitionwhich I hope for. That which bath made me so much better than I else had been. and turnbd my heart and life (though imperfectly) to things above the pleasures of the flesh, must needs be of God ; and God would never send his grace to work my heart to deceit and lies,,
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