Serro. CLXXVI. Confirmation o, Chri/fianity. 50; What then (hail become of us, if the belt inftitution in the World, the Blared Gof- pol of the Son ofGod, have lefs Effe&upon us than, the Do&vine of Pythagoras, and the Law of Mofes had upon them ? How 'hall we efcape, if we neglefl fogear falvation, which at )frß began to be fpoken by the Lord, andwas confirmed unto us by them that heardhim ! Godalfo bearing them witnefs with Signs andWonders, andwith divers Miracles, andGifts of the Holy Ghoß, according to his own will. Ìo which bleffed and glorious Trinity, be all Honour and Glory, now andfor ever. SERMON CLXXVÌ: Of the Miracles wrought in Confirmation of Chriftianity. ^ The Hai . T' Sermonon this Text: God alto bearing them witnefs, both with Signs and Wonders, and with di- Yers Miracles, and Gifts of the Holy Ghoft, according to his own will T Have begun ro difcourfe upon thefe words, from which 1 told you Threethings 1 offer themfelves to our Confideration. Firß, That Miracles are a Divine Teflimony to a Perfon or Do`ltrine. God is bere faid to bear witnef to the Apollles, by Signs, andWonders, andMiracles. Secondly, That God gave this Teftimony to the Apoftles, and firft Publifhers of the Gofpel, in a very eminent manner ; for fo the Phrafe lignifies. God bearing them reitnefs with Signs, and Wonders, and Miracles ; fo many words to the fame Senfe, being purpofely ufed to lignifie the greatnefs of the thing. Thirdly, The Reafons, why Miracles are now ceafed in the Church, and have been for feveral Ages; fo that therehave been no footfteps of this Miraculous Power for feveral Ages paft. The Fir/i i have fpoken to, and proceed now to the Second Thing which I propofed to confider, viz. That God gave Teftimony to the Apoftles, and firft Publilhers of Chriltianity, in a very eminent manner; for fo the expreftion in the Text lignifies, where fo many feveral words are ufed for the fame thing, to exprefs according to the manner of the Hebrew Phrafe, the great- nefs of the thing, Godbearing themwitnefs both with Signs, and Wonders, and divers Miracles, andGifts of the Holy Gha/i, that is, with many and great Miracles, Kai paecotwis, andd'ifiributions of the Holy Ghofl, according to his own will ; that is, God dittributed thefe feveral miraculous Powers and Gifts amongthe Apoftles and firft Preachers of the Gofpel ; nor all to every one of them, but fotne toone, and fame to another, as to him feemed belt, and was molt for the Benefit and Edification of the Church. The Hiftory of it in Ilion is this. When our Eddied Saviour afcended into Heaven, he promifed to fend down his Spirit in miraculous Gifts upon his Apo- ftles, to give Credit to his Do&rine, and to qualifie them for the more fpeedy planting and propagating of it in the World; and accordingly, not many days af- . ter he was Afcended into Heaven, as an Evidence of the Power andGlory he was invefted withal, he, according to his promife immediately before his Afcenfion, lent down the Holy Ghoft upon the Apoftles in a vifible manner, that is, in the form of fiery cloven Tongues, as an Emblem of one of the principal Gifts they were endowed withal, viz. the knowledge and ability of (peaking feveral Langua- ges, which they had never learned. And this happened upon the day of Pentecoß, that fo the Gofpel might exa&ly correfpond to the Difpenfation of the Law, which was the Typeand Figure of it. And therefore as our Saviour dyed at the timeof the Jewith Paffover, which was the Type of his Sufferings; fo the Gofpel, which was
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