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9ERM

Xv.1

A

RATIONAL DEFENCE

OF THÉ

G05

°LL.

7l

when

devils

and.tnagicians opposed

it,as

well as

princes

and

philosophers.

That

the

gospel

itself,

without

the

force

of

arms,

that a

naked

gospel,

that

seems

so

incre-

dible

as this

did, should

spread itself throughout

the

world

ipso

short

a

space

of

time,

that

by

the

preaching

of

a

few

despised persons, and several

of

them fisher-

men

that

were

utterly unlearned

:

That

this

,gospel

should

triumph

over all the

powers

and

policies

of

men

and hell:

That

it

should make

its

way

in

opposition

to

the

wisdom

of

philosophers,

and

the

will

of

princes,

and

all

the

temptations and

terrors of

this world

:

This

is.an-

other

miracle,

which

perhaps

is

as divine

and convinc-

ing

as :any

of

the

preceding

wonders,

that attested

this

gospel,

when

it

was

first

preached.

I

add

also

the testimony

of

prophecy

to

that

of

mira-

cles.

The

wondrous

and exact accomplishment

of

many

prophecies since

our

Lord

Jesus

Christ

dwelt

on earth.

in

the

days

of

his

flesh,

confirm his gospel. The.

pro-

phecies

that

he

himself

gave

forth

from

God,

is

another

testimony

of

this gospel, which

is

uncontrolable.

The

destruction of Jerusalem,

the time

and methods

of

its

destruction, and

the

terrors of

it,

may be

read

in

Mat.

xxiv. And

if

you

read

the

history

of

Josephus,

a

Jew,

you

find so

many parallels,

that

you

must

say

Christ

did

foretel

it

indeed.

I

might here subjoin the predictions

of

the apostles,

particularly that

of

St.

Paul, and

St.

John,

concerning

the

rise

and

spirit

of

antichrist, wherein the church

of

Rome

so

clearly answers the language

of

the visions

and

prophecies.

But

the

brightest

and

most

uncontrolable

witness

of

prophecy

to

the truth

of

the gospel,

is

the most

exact

and punctual

accomplishments

of

all

the predictions

of

the Old Testament,

in the

life.

and death,

the

resurrec-

tion and glory

of Jesus

Christ our Lord.

from

the first

promise

given to

Adam in the garden, down

to

the words

of

Malachi, the

last

of

the prophets,

you

find

every

thing

that

was

said

of

him fulfilled

in his

history.

And thus

the

books

of

the Jews, wherein

they

Placed

all

their

hopes, confirm

the

gospel

of

Christ,

and

refute and

con

-

found their

own infidelity

:

So

that if

ever

I

had been

a

Jew,

and did

believe

Moses and the prophets,

I

think