PART Y. MERMON XV. 223 Never was any body of doctrines and of duties so composed and calculated to promote thegloryof 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 comply with 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-creatures, as well as to God, his Maker ; and he would never exert the remains of his angelic power to encourage and defend such a pious and beneficent religion. But the most amazing progress and success of the gospel is another argument that proves it to be divine, even when devils and magicians opposed it as well as princes and philosophers. That the gospel itself, without the force of arms, that a naked gospel, that seems so incredible as this did, should spread itself throughout the world in so 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 andpolicies of men and hell : That it should make its way in opposition to the wisdom of philoso- phers, and the will of princes, and all the temptations and ter- rors of this world : This is another miracle, which perhaps is as divine and convincing 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 miracles. The wondrous and exact accomplishment of many prophecies since our Lord Jesus Christ dwelt onearth in the daysdinsflesh, confirm his gospel. The prophecies that hehimself gave forth from God, is another testimony of this gospel, which is uncon- trolable. 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 may say Christ did foretel it indeed. I might here subjoin the predictions of the apostles, parti- cularly that of St. Paul, and St. John, concerning the rise and spirit of antichrist, wherein the churchof Rome so clearlyanswers 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 ofall the predictions of theOld Testament, in the life and death, the re- surrection and glory of Jesús 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 Voa. t. Q
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