made into living men: for to raise a dead man, and to make a new man, are much the fame thing. Any matter may be formed even by human art into the shape of a man; but it is adding life that makes the man. If we believe we received our fenfes, our reafon, our natural ftrength and vigour, from the true God at first; look into the Gofpel, and you will find the miracles of Chrift are from the fame hand: for to the blind he gave fight, to the deaf hearing, to the lame and fick ftrength and foundness, to demoniacs and lunatics he gave reafon and a right mind. Or, if you choose rather to look into the material world for the proof of a God; if you think the beauty, order, and regularity of the world speak God to be both author and governor of nature; search the Gospel, and you will find the miracles of Chrift derive themselves from the Governor of the world, and speak the fame language with the works of nature for at his word the ftormy winds were laid; the fea obeyed his voice: when he suffered, all nature trembled; the earth shook, the vail of the temple was rent, the fun and the moon were darkened : which drew from the centurion attending at his execution the confeffion, Truly this was the Son of God. If you appeal to the natural fenfe and notions of mankind for the idea of the true God, and thence collect his effential attributes, justice, righteousness, holiness and goodness; let the voice of nature be ftill; and the Gospel shall speak more plainly, how juft, how righteous, how holy and good God is, who is author of the falvation and redemption which is by Chrift Jefus. Take what way you will to prove the being or the attributes of God, and in the fame

way with equal advantage we will prove the God of the world, that is, the only true God, to be the author of Christianity; which all who believe the being of a God are bound to admit for a proof of the truth of Christianity: for either the works of nature are not a good proof of the being of a God; or the works of the Gofpel, being of the fame kind, and effects of equal power, must be allowed to prove God the author of the Gofpel. And, when our Saviour styled the wonders that he performed, the works that the Father had given him to finish, he plainly appealed to the power of the Creator as manifested in the works that bore witness to him: for, if any one else could have done the fame works, there would have been no reason for calling them the works of the Father, nor would there have been any room for the inference which our Saviour draws from it, The Father himself, which hath fent me, hath borne witness of me, John v. 37.

There is a queftion commonly afked upon this occafion, to which it may be proper to give an anfwer: that is, How we know that these miracles did not proceed from an evil power, fince we have inftances, as fome think, of miracles fo wrought? The answer is, We know this the fame way that any man knows the works of nature to proceed from a good being: for how do you know that the Creator of the world was a good being? If you answer, that the Maker of mankind, the Author of nature, muft of neceffity be a good and holy being, because he has woven into the nature of man the love of virtue and hatred of vice, and given him diftinct notions of good and evil, by which reafon unerringly con

cludes the Author of this nature and these principles to be himself good and holy; I answer the same for the Gofpel of Chrift : the love of virtue, and hatred of vice, is as infeparable from the Gospel of Christ, as from the reason of man; and the Gospel of Chrift more diftinctly teaches to know and acknowledge the holiness and goodness of God, than reafon, or the works of nature, can do : and therefore those who acknowledge the Author of nature to be a good being, have much more reason to acknowledge the Author of the Chriftian miracles to be a good being. But then we are told this is arguing in a circle; proving the doctrines firft by miracles, and then the miracles again by the doctrines. But this is a great mistake, and it lies in this; that men do not distinguish between the doctrines we prove by miracles, and the doctrines by which we try miracles; for they are not the fame doctrines. God never wrought miracles to prove the difference between good and evil: and I fuppofe, if any man were afked how he proves tempe rance or chastity to be duties, murder or adultery to be fins, he would not recur to miracles for an argument. These and the like duties are enforced in the Gospel, but were always truths and duties before our Saviour's coming: and we are in poffeffion of them without the help of miracles or revelation. And these are the doctrines by which we try the miracles.

But the doctrines which are to be proved by miracles are the new revealed doctrines of Chriftianity, which were neither known or knowable to the reafon of man: fuch are the doctrines of falvation

and redemption by Chrift, of fanctification and regeneration by the Spirit of God: and who ever yet brought these doctrines to prove the truth or divine original of the miracles?

I fhall only add, that what has been faid it concerns those chiefly to confider, who hold faft and admire the principles of natural religion, but defpife or overlook the proofs of Chriftianity. If they will but confider the tendency of their own principles, they are not far from the kingdom of God: for the fame reasons, that oblige them to believe in God, oblige them to believe in Chrift alfo. And, as we have one God the Father of all, fo fhould we have one faith, and one Lord, even Jesus Christ, the Saviour and Redeemer of us all. And let them take heed, that, having been made partakers of fo much grace, to the acknowledgement of the one true God, they fall not the more irrecoverably under condemnation by obftinately refufing to acknowledge his only and eternal Son, Jefus Chrift the righteous.

DISCOURSE XI.

PSALM viii. 4.

What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the fon of man, that thou vifiteft him?

WHEN we confider the care of Providence over

the children of men, as it is manifefted either in the works of nature or of grace, we naturally fall into the reflection of the text, and wonder to see so much done for men, who seem to have no merit or defert equal to the concern fhewed for them. If we look up to the heavens, and view the fun, moon, and ftars, and confider the power by which these mighty bodies were formed, the wisdom and contrivance by which their motions are regulated and adjusted; we fee plainly, by the benefit we receive from them, that they were intended for our service: and yet I what are we, that we fhould be fo ferved? If we look round this earth, the place of our habitation, we find it filled with many kinds of creatures, and adorned by the bountiful hand of nature, as if it were meant to be a feat of pleasure and happiness; and we are fure that this part of the world, at least, was made for the benefit of man: here he is lord, and has dominion over the works of God; for on