270 . A RATfONAL DE:rFENCE OP TFiE GOSPEL. DERM. XVr pel of Christ, is, that they are not sufficiently attested, that.there is not,ground enough given to credit the di- vinity of them in our age. 'They are ready to say, "These things were done, ac- cording as ourselves profess, above sixteen hundred years ago, and we have not sufficient credentials to ven- ture our faithupon at this.day." it would be too long here to repeat over to you half thegrounds we have for faith in this gospel. That there was such a man as Jesus Christ ; that he lived at such a time at Jeri alern ; that he wrought wondrous works in his own country; is not at all disbelieved by those that ,profess any reasonable faith in human history. The Jews themselves, who were his greatest enemies, do not deny that he wrought those miracles, which others could not work ; but they pretend, that he did it by some magic art, by diabolical charms : and wrought, miracles not by The power of God, but by virtue 'derived from spells and evil spirits. So that the miracles he wrought were not disbelieved and denied, but the heavenly spring ofthem is impiously perverted and turned downward, as though Christ borrowed his power fromhell to transact these affairs. But the holiness and the heavenly temper of the gospel of Christ refutes this accusation.' Satan was never knòwn to demolish his own kingdom of un- godliness in such a manner as this. The gospel of Christ in every part of it has a most singular and sublime ten- dency to advance the name, the attributes, and the ho- nour of God, whom Satan hates with a perfect hatred:: He would never lend his assisting hand to support a scheme ofreligion so divine and holy. Never was any body of loctrines and of duties -so composed and calculated to promote the glory of God; nor the good of man, as this gospel does.: Our peace and happiness would be secured by it on . earth, if all 'men would complywith it, and our felicity after death is the great and indefeasible proposal and design of it : Now Satan is a restless enemy to.men, his fellow-crea- tures, as well as to God, his Maker; and he would never exert the remains of his angelic power to encou- rage and defend.such a pious and beneficent religion. But the most amazing progress and success of the gos- pel is another argument that preves it to be divine, even
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