566 ? he bvidences of the Ti°úeh n1;. from thence beftow miraculous Gifts upon Men, and this Ihould accordingly come to país ; it were impoflìble not ro think this Man a Prophet. 3. Our Saviour's Prediction concerning the fatal Deftrudion of 7erufalem, and the senijh Nation, was very unlikely. But this I fpake to at large, when I explained the Prophecy. 4. The fate which our Saviour foretold the Gofpel thould have in the World, ; was a thing very improbable. That it Ihould meet with great oppofition anct perfecution, was not ftrange ; nothing being more likely than that a Religion which was new CO the World, fo contrary to the Principles of thole who had been educated in another Religion, and fo oppofite to the interefts ofmen, fhould be oppofed and refitted ro the utmoft : but then there are there three things vervflrange, which our Saviour foretold Ihould attend the publication of the Gofpel. (r.) Thatan aâion of no greater con(deration than that was, pf lilary's a- nointing of our Lord'shead, and done privately, fhould be celebrated through the World in all Ages ; and the Memory of it fhould be as far, and as long propagated, as the moft famous actions of the greareft Prince that ever was in the World. (2.) 'This was ftrange and unlikely, which our Saviour likewife foretold that falfe Chrifts, and falfe Prophets and Teachers fhould arife after his Death ; and after the 5ems had been fo revere to our Saviour, for giving out himfelf to be the MefJias, tho' he gave fuch convincing Evidence of ir, this Ihould not deter counterfeits from a(fuming fo dangerous a Perron, and that when Chriftianity was perfecuted, there fhould arife falle Apoftles, and (alle Teachers, that fhould pretend to Chriftianity, when it was fo odious a Pro- feflion ; that any fhould be found that fhould diffemble in a matter fo full of hazard and danger ; this was very ftrange and unlikely. But becaufe this Prediétion of our Saviour's concerning falfe Chrifis and falle Prophets, is afperft by the Arheifts, and particularly by 7'a;ninztc, as one of the moft cunning and crafty AEtions that our Saviour did ; as if af- ter he had let himfelf into a Reputation and Efteem in the World, he had defigned by this Prediction to bolt the dcor againft all others; therefore it will be requifite that I (peak a little more particularly to this. a. It is acknowledged by the Atheifis themfèlves, particularly by Vaninas, that it does not appear that our Saviour carried on any worldly Defign. Why then fhould he be fufpeded of it in this Matter, which is capable of agood Interpretation ; when his wholeLife, rand all the Aflions of it, do 'clear himof any fuchSufpicion? But becaufe it is raid, that ciao' he carried on no Defign for Riches and Power, yet he had a deep Defign to gain Re- putation and Fame to himfelf in after Ages ; therefore I (hall add one or two Confiderations more, to chew how unrealonable, and how perfedtly malicious this Jealeufie is. z. Let us confider then, that this Prediction of his would either be accomplith'd or not : but whether it was, or was not, it can be no Argu- ment of any Defign of Vain - glory. If ir had nor come to pats (as I have (hewn it was very unlikely it fhould, efpecially within the compafs of the Time which he had prefxt for it) then he had been a falfe Pro- phet, and fo he had loft his Reputation, by the very means whereby he intended to have eflablifi'd it, which I do not underftand the Craft and Cunning of : for either he knew certainly that it would come to pats, or not ; if he. did, he was a true Prophet; if he did not, he did not do politickly, in putting his Reputation upon fuch a Hazard. 3. If we fuppofe him, as this Objeétion does, to have been an Im- poflor, and confèqucntly not to have believed bis own Dodtrine of the immortality of the Soul, and another life after this ; what an apparent Mad-
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