290 Of the Codingof the Holy Ghojl, Vol. II. this World, by the calling out Satan out of that _Power and Authority which he had ufurped iri the Heathen World by his IdolatrousWorfhip : And therefore our Saviour foretels, that when he was lifted upfrom the earth, that, is, after he was crucified, and raifed from the Dead, and taken up into Heaven, he would draw all men to him ; that is; his Religion fhould prevail wonderfully in the World, and be entertained in all Nations. And this was moft remarkablyaccomplifhed, by the wonderful progrefs of the Gofpel, and fpeedy downfal of Idolatry in the World, not by might, nor by power, but by the Spirit of the Lord, The acknow- ledgment of Porphyry, that bitter Enemy of Chriftianity, as it is reported to us by Eufebius, is very remarkable, That fince one 7efus began tò be worJbipped, they foundnopublick benefit from their Gods; their .Miracles, and their Oracles ceafed. This our Saviour forefàw, and foretold, when he appointed and fent forth theSe- venty Difciples to preach the Gofpel, Luke io. iS. Ibeheld Satan, like Lightning to fallfromHeaven, to exprefs to us the fudden demolifhing of his Kingdom, and the quick and fpeedy overthrow of Idolatry in the World. And thus I have ex- plained, as briefly as I could, this difficult paffage, concerning the Holy Ghoft's convincing the world offin, andofrighteoufnefs, and ofjudgment. I íhall only draw two or three inferences from what hath been delivered, and fo conclude. I. We have great Reafon to adore the Wifdom and Goodnefs of God, in the difpenfationof the Gofpel ; that by the fending down of his Holy Spirit, to en- dow the firlf Publifhers of his Heavenly Doftrine, with fuck miraculous Power and Gifts, he hath given fuch abundant Teftimony to the Truth ofour Religion, and fuch firmGrounds for our Faith to rely upon. Had God left the Chriftian Religion to have been propagated only by its own rational force upon the Minds of Men, what a flow progrefs would it in all probability have made? How little beliefwould the Apoftles naked Teftimony of our Lord's Refurreftion from the Dead, without any other Demonfirationor Proof,have gained while they were alive, much lefs after their death ? How unable would their Doftrine, deftitute of di- vine Teftimony, as well as of all human Advantages, have been to have contefted with the Lifts and Interefts ofMen, the Wit of the Philofophers, and the Power of the Princes of this World, which all fee themfelves againft it ? How could it, with any hope ofSuccefs, have encountred the Malice of Men and Devils, which was fo aftive and bufie, by all poffible Violence, and by all imaginable Arts to .root it out of the World? Had the Apoftles ofour Lord only gone forth, in the flrength of their own Intereft and Eloquence, (which in poor and unlearned Men muff needs be very {Mall) how little could they have contributed to the carrying , on fo great and difficult a Work? Nay had they not been fupported, and born up in their Spirits bya mighty ftrength above their own, had not their Commiffion been fealed by the miraculous Power ofthe Holy Ghofi, which upon all occafrons lhew'd forth it felf in them, to the wonder and aftonifhment of Men, and was a Teftimony from Heaven to them, that they were the Ambaffadors of God to Men, fpecially impowred and commiffioned by him for that Work, they could not but have been difcourag'd by the Oppofition and Difficulties theymet withal, and they might with Mofes have declined the Service, and defired God to fend his Meffage by c hers, that were fitter and better qualified to deliver it; and after fome vain, and'unfuccefsful Attempts, to propagate the belief of their Doftrine, they would have given it over, and been afhamed of their rafh undertaking. So St. Paul inti- mates, that had not the mighty Power ofGod accompanied their Preaching, and made it effeftual to the Converfion and Salvation ofMen, they would have been tempted tohave been afhamed of the Gofpel of Chrifl. But then we mull remember, that it is the Doftrine of Chrift which is thus confirmed, and not the Doftrine and Traditions ofMen. For had the concealment of the Doftrine of Chrift, and the ferving ofGod in' an unknown Tongue, been any part of the Apoftles Doftrine, the gift of Tongues had not been a Confirma- tion of this Doftrine, but a Contradiftion to it ; had they preach'd Tranfubftan- tiation, and the renouncing of our Senfes, in order to the belief ofit, Miracles could have given no credit to it : for that"which depends upon the certainty of Senfe 5
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