I 50 Ìbe general and EfëClual Publication Vol. I. Divinely Infpired ; the Miraculous Powers of Healing Difeafes, of Railing the Dead, and of Calling out Devils ; a Power of infit-ting Corporal Difeafes, and Punifhments, upon fcandalous and obftinate Chriftians, who would not fubmit to the Apoftles Authority and Government; which is in Scripture call'd;,a deliver- ing up to Satan, for the deflruFíion or tormenting of the Body, that the Soul may be faved ; nay, in fome cafes, this Power extended to the infliEling of Death it fell, as in the cafe of Ananias and Saphira. Not that all thefe Miraculous Powers, were given toevery one of the Apoftles, or that they could exercife them at all times ; fome were beftowed upon one, and fome upon another, according to God's good pleafure, and as was moft ex- pedient for the Ufe and Benefit of the Church, and moft fubfervient to thofe Ends for whichGod gave them ; only we find that all the Apoilles had the Gift of Tongues; and that the Power of 0z/ling out Devils, in the name ofaril', was common to every Chriftian, and continued in the Church for a long time af- ter the other Gifts were ceafed ; as Tertul. Arnob. and Min. Felix do teftifie, even oftheir own times. But II. I (hall briefly Phew how the Gofpel was Confirmed by thefe Miracu- lous Gifts. Now betides the particular Ufes and Ends of thofe Miraculous Gifts (as the Gift of Tongues, did evidently ferve for the more fpeedy Planting and Propa- gating of the Chriftian Religion in the World and the Power of inflitling Cor- poral Punifhments, in a Miraculous manner, upon Scandalous and Difobedient Chriftians did maintain the Power and Authority of theApoftles, and was inftead of an ordinaryMagiftratical Power, which Chriftians were deftitute of, whilit the Roman Empire continued Heathen ; ) I fay, betides the particular Ends and Ufes of all thefe Miraculous Gifts, they did all in general, as they were Miracles, ferve for the Confirmation of the Gofpel. The Apoftles delivered the Dodrine of Chrift, and were Witneffes of his Re- furre&ion from the dead, as the great Miracle, whereby his Dodrine was con- firmed ; now there was all the Reafon in the World to believe them, to whom God was pleafed to give fuch a Teftimony from Heaven ; for who could make any doubt of the Truth of Their Teftimony, concerning the Refurrefion of Chrift who were enabled to reife others from the dead, and by many other wonderful things which they did, gave fuch clear Teftimony, that God was with them? Never had any Religion fewer worldly Advantages to recommend it, and fo little temporal Countenance and Affiftance to carry it ou ; but what it wanted from Men, it had from God; for he gave witnefs to it with figns andwonders, and diversMiracles, andGifts of the Holy Ghofl. God feems on purpofe to have ftript it of all Secular Advantages, that the Chriftian Religion might be perfe&ly free from all fufpicion of Worldly Intereft and Defign, and that it might not owe its Eftablifhment in the World, to the Wifdom and Contrivance of Men, but to the Arm and Power of God. The Inferences I (hall at prefent make from this Dfcourfe fhall be thefe. I. To give us Satisfy&ion of the Truth and Divinity of the Dodrine of the Chriftian Religion, which hath had fo eminent a Confirmation given to it from Heaven, and did at its firft fetting out fo ftrangely prevail in the World, againft all Humane Probability ; not by might, nor by power ; but by the fpirit of the Lord. No Man can well fuppofe a Religion in Circumftançes of greater Difadvantage, and, upon all Humane Accounts, more unlikely to fuftain and bear up it felt, than the Chriftian Religion was. The firft Appearance of it was 'fo mean, and its Beginnings fo finall, that no Manbut would have thought it would prefently have come to nothing ; and no other account can be given of the ftrange Suc- cefs and Prevalency of it, but that it was of God, and therefore it could not 4 overthrown. II> This Difcourfe may likewife fatisfie us of the Reafon why this Miracu- lous Power, which accompanied the Gofpel at firft, is now ceafed ; becaufe there is not the like Reafon and Necefiity for it, which there was at lint It
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