Serm. LXIII. Proving7efus to be the Meilìas. 449 hear; the blind receive their fight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleanfed, and the deaf hear, the dead are railed up, and the poor have the Goffiel preached into them ; and bled is he, whofoever ¡hall not be Offended in me. So that thefe words contain, Firfi, the Evidence which our Saviour gives of his being the true Meflas. Secondly, an Intimation that notwithftanding all this Evidence which he gaveof himfelf, yet many would be offended at him, and reje&him ; bled is he whofoever is not offendedin me. Firfi, The Evidence which our Saviour gives of his being the true Mellas: And toprove this, there were but two things neceffary. t. To thew that he wasPent by God,-and had a particularCommiffion from him. 2. That he was the very Perlon of whom the Prophets foretold that he fhould be the Meffras. The fifth of thefe he proves by the Miracles which he wrought; and the fe- cond, by the correfpondency of the things he did, with what was foretold by the Prophets concerning the Meffias; the Prophefies concerningthe Meffìas were ac- complith'd in him. Firfi, By the Miracles which he wrought; the blind receive their fight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleanfed, and the deaf hear, and the dead are raild up. Here is a brief enumeration of the feveral forts of Miracles Which our Saviour wrought, and thefe were a tefimony to him that he came from God, and was fent and Commiflioned by him to declare his Will to the World. So he himfelf tells us, john 5. 39 I have a greater witnefs than that of John, for the works which the Father bath given me to finifh, the fame works that I do, bear witnefs of me, that the Father hath fen[ me. Upon the Evidence of thefe Miracles, Nicodemur, a Ruler among the Jews, was convinced that he was fent by God, John 3. 2. We know that thon art a teacher come from God, for no man can do thefe miracles that thou doff, except God be with him. Nay his greateft Enemies were afraid of his Miracles, knowing how proper an argument they are to convince men, 59hn r I. 47. when the chief Priefis and Pharifees were met together in Council againft him, they concluded, that if he were permitted to go on and work Miracles, he would draw all men after him. What do we? (fay they) for this man doth many Miracles ; if we let him thus alone, all men will believe on him. This theyPaid, upon occafion of the great Miracle of railing Lazarus from the Dead. And in Region, Miraclesare the higheft Atteflation that can be given to the Truth and Divinity of any Doflrine; and fuppofing a Doctrine not to be plain- ly unworthy of God, and contrary to thofe natural Notions which Men have of God and Religion, we can have no greater Evidence of the truth of it, than Miracles ; they are fuch an argument, as in its own nature is apt to perfuade and induce belief. All Truths do not need Miracles; fouie are of eafy belief, and are fo clear by their own light, that they needneither Miracle nor Demonftration to prove them. Such are thole felf evident Principles which Mankind do generally agree in others which are not fo evident by their own light, we are content to receive upon clear demonftration of them, or very probable Arguments for them, with- out a Miracle. And there are force Truths, which however they may be fuffi- ciently obfcureand uncertain to molt Men, yet are they fo inconfiderable, and of fo fmall confequence, as not todeferve the atteftation of Miracles; fo that there is no reafon toexpel that God thould interpole by a Miracle, to convince Men of them. Nec Deus interfit, nifidignusvindice nodes Incident. But for fuch Truths asare neceffary to be known by us, but are not fuflciently evident of themfelves, nor capable of cogent Evidence, efpecially to prejudiced and interefted Perfons, God is pleafed in this Cafe many times to work Miracles for our Convidion ; and they are a proper Argument to convince us of a thing that is either in it felf obfcure and hard to bebelieved, or which we are pre- judiced ágainft, and hardly brought to believe ; for they are an Argument à Majori ad Minus, they prove a thing which is obfcure and hard to be be- Mm m lieved,
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