494 Of the 1Vliracle.r wrouzbt in vol H. to the Peace and Welfare of the World ; .Pld the Prcmifes and Tereatnings of the Gofpel, which are the great Motives to nerfwecie Men to tine Obedience of thofe Laws, to be fo agreeable to the natural hopes and fears which Mankind were always poffe1t withal ; that upon this Confideration, it might juftly be ex- pet:ed, that the Doctrine of Chriftianity, upon the fiat publication of ir, iitou!d have been enterrain'd with a readinefs of Mind proportionable to the reafonablenefs of it. Or if the bare Reafonableneeof it be nor thought inducement enough, we may cafily imagine, how God, if he bad pleated, could upon the firft appearance of this Religion hi the World, have given it fucla Advantages, as would mightily have contributed to the more eafie reception and entertainment of it. He could have ordered things fci, that our blefled Saviour, the Author of this D0,9fine, fhould have been, as theyews expecbcd, a great Temporal Monarch; he could have rais'd him to that Dignity, and have armed himwith that Authority, as mull have given him a mighty Power and influence over Mankind, and would have gained the Great, and the Wife, and the Learned, to have been alive tnftruments in the propagating of this Religion, and in perfwadine Men to the embracing of it. But he, whcfe ways are above cur ways, and wLfe th uyghts are aleveour thoughts,, as the heavens are above theearth, did not think ht to have it promoted and carried on this way ; nay, he feeins.on l.urpofe to have firip'd it of ail féeular Advanta- ges, that it might be perfe£tly free from all Sufpicionof a Worldly inter ,:t and Defign, and that-it might be evident to all the World, that it was a pant which his coin right hand had planted ; and that it did not owe its Eflablilhmcnnt to the Au- thority, and Wildom, and Contrivance of Men, but to the Power of God, and to the immediate.Favour and Contrivance of Heaven. And now ,being, thus deflitute of all Worldly Adiftattce, tho' never fn reafonable in it fell, it was not likely that it fhould be able with fucceA tograpple with the Lufis and Corruptions of Men, to whichit was fo directly oppetite g nor with the thong Prejudices of theirEducation ina contrary Religion, which are always hard, to be overcome ; nor with the. Temporal lnterefts ofMen, whichwere all at that time to be renounced and quitted for its fake g unlefs it had f®me other Advan- rages ro make way for it, and to recommend it to the minds of Men. For having no fecular Baits and Allurements ro tempt Mete to the profeffion of ir, no earthly contrivance and all-fiance to fupport it and bear it out ; but on the contrary, the molt violent and powerful t ppofitiora railed againft it 7 it was neceífery that thofe who diced it to the World, fhould be able to give Credit to it fame other way, and to produce very fenfible and convincing Arguments of another kind : other- wife they might havedefpaired of ever conquering the Prejudices of Men againft itt, and of perfwading them to. embrace that Religion, which was fo apparently con- traï y both to,their inclinations and lnterefte. So that in they Circumfìances, in order to the full Conviaion of Men, that thofe who publìib'd this Hearin to them came fromGod, and were commiffioned and fcnt tit him. to. wade r:he Warfel', it was-very- fitting, that God himrfelf {beta give ionic remarkable Teflimony to the firft Preachers of it : and this the Text telis,us he, did, by bearing witnefs ta. them, withfigns and wonders, and with divers mira- cles, andgilts of the Holy Gholf. For the better underftanding of thefe words, we 'hall dó well to reflex' upon the defión of this Epiftle, which was to ef'ablilh the yews, who had but newly embrac'r Chriftianity, in the ftedfaft beliefand profeffion of it, notwithltanding the Teaubles, andPe k:cutioas. which. wended, it ; and re-thisend' the- Aloftle- Tepee-- ferns to them that theGofpel was deliver'd with snore Authority, and had a greater confirmation given ro ir, than the Law. The Lawwas delivered by Angels ; but the Gófeel by-the-Son of God : and if the conrempt of the Lawwas fo feverely pue nifh'd,, what; might they expea would be the fate of thofe who Ihould flight and reje& the Gofpel ? If the word fpohen by Angels was fedfall, and every tranfgrefort and defabedience received a jufl recompense cf reward ; H w mall we efcape, if we neglea fo great Salvation, which at firjl began. to be fpnken by the Lord, andwas coo- _ftrrned unto us by them that heardhim I God afó bearing them witnefs, withAirs and wonders
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