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of men, there would be no need of greater caution and refervednefs, when we fpeak of our felves, than when we speak of others, but men would speak the truth of themselves and others with the fame freedom and plainnefs. So that this was an infallible argument of the integrity and fincerity of the Apoftles, that they spoke always what was proper and fealonable to be fpoken, the praife or difpraife of them felves, or others was not their bufinefs, but the Glory of God and the good of Men.

They write ano Encomiums upon one another, nor upon their Master himself, and they write no invectives upon their worst Enemies, Judas and Herod, and Pontins Pilate, but fet down plain Truth and Matter of Fact, whoever is concerned with the fame fimplicity, with which they tell their own faults.

What qualifications then can be defired in any witnefs, which do not all concur in the Apostles and Evangelifts? The Apofles fhew by their Writings, that they were men of understanding fufficient to apprehend the things they atteft and write about, and indeed, what man of any understanding is not capable of witneffing that to be true, which he fees and hears, and perceives with every fenfe? They had all the advantages and opportunities that ever any witneffes could have, to know what

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what they faid to be true; and they were plain men without Art or Difguife, bred up most of them to mean and laborious Callings, and they had no expectations of any thing but fufferings in this Life, and therefore were as far from any Temptation as from any poffibility of impofing upon the World, and they fet down their own faults upon all occafions as particularly, as they do whatever elfe they relate, having no regard to any thing but Truth.

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Of the Prophecies and Miracles
of the Apostles, &c.

T

"Here had been a long ceffation or intermiffion both of Prophecies and Miracles in the Jewish Church till the coming of Chrift, but by the Defcent of the Holy Ghost upon the Apostles, the Prophecy of Joel was fulfilled, and the Spirit of God was out in greater abun dance, than ever it had been before, in beftowing the gifts of Miracles and of Prophecy in a more eminent manner, and to greater numbers of men, and thofe of all Nations, than had ever been done at any time before: for thefe were the latter. Y4 days,

ju Claudio

& Dion. Caff.

days, the laft diftinction of Time, or the laft period of the World, in which God had purposed to reveal himself; and this being the laft was in all refpects the fullest and most perfect Revelation.

I. A Spirit of Prophecy was bestowed upon the Apostles and others. A Famine (4) taken notice of by Heathen Authors, (a) Sueton which happened throughout all the world in the days of Claudius Cæfar was prophefied of by Agabus, Acts xi. 28. and the fame Prophet, both by Actions, and in express Words fignified, that St. Paul should be bound at Jerufalem, and delivered to the Gentiles, Acts xxi. 11. which was likewise foretold by others, even in every City where that Apostle came, Acts xx. 23. St. Paul himself foretold his own afflictions, I Thef.iii. 4.He foretold to the Elders of the Church of Ephefus, that men would foon arife even from among themselves, who would divide and difturb the Church Acts xx, 29, 30. and he foretold the fame, 1 Tim. iv. 3.2 Tim iii. 1. St. Peter de clared

Scoffer at in the last days there would come

walking own lufts, 2 Pet. iii. 3 which prophecy St Jude faw fulfilled in his time, Jude 18. and God knows, we fee it fulfilled in ours. For the Scoffers at Religion would do well to confider, that all their mockery and affronts are fo far from doing any prejudice to Religion,

that

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that they by that very means fulfil a Prophecy, and add a confirmation to it, when they think themselves most fuccessful against it. St. Paul forewarns the Theffaloni ans of the lying wonders and strong delufions and notorious wickedness, which would break in upon the Church at the coming of Antichrift, 2 Thef. ii. 3. and that this accordingly came to pafs St John witneffeth, faying, that even then there were many Antichrifts, 1 John ii. 18. iv. 3. 2 John 7. And though it be variously dif puted, who is the Antichrift, 1 John ii. 3 22.2 John 7. fuppofed to be the Beast, Rev. xiii. Yet that the Prophecies concerning the Delufions, and the impieties and cruelties of Antichrift express'd in the Texts now mentioned, and more fully described in the Revelation of St. John, have been in great measure already accomplished, will admit of no difpute; and the gradual and repeated accomplishment of e them in divers Ages, and in fo many in. stances, is that which has caufed fo much variety of opinion in this matter. Learned men eafily mistaking fome of these many Antichrifts for the Beaft, or the great Antichrift. In the Revelation of St. John we have the state and events in the Churchdefcribed, and many things contained in it we know to be come to pass, as what concerns the feven Churches of Afia, &c.

i

and

and the obfcurity of other places is elfe(b)Eufeb where to be accounted for. (b) Quadrafib. iii. c. tus had this gift of Prophecy, and it con36. tinued in the Church to the time of Justin lib. iv. c. Martyr, and of Irenæus.futa

Eccl. Hift.

18,

lib. v. c. 7. II. The Miracles wrought by the Apo

ftles were according to an exprefs promise
of Chrift to them, that after his Ascension
they should do even greater Works than
he had done himself, John xiv. 12. that
is, they fhould do works that would be
more eminent and obfervable in the eyes
of the World, though not more excellent
and divine; for nothing could be greater
in that fenfe than to raise a man from the
dead. Which promife was fulfilled to
them at the Feast of Pentecoft, when men
from all parts of the world were made
witneffes to it. For they were command-
ed by our Saviour not to depart from Je-
rufalem, but to wait for this promife, and he
affured them, that they fhould be baptized
with the Holy Ghost not many days after his
being taken up from them into Heaven,
and that they should receive power after
that the

should be wie come upon them, and

him both in Jerufalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the Earth, Acts i, 4, 5, 8. And this miraculous power was viably bestowed not only upon the Apoftles themselves, but

upon the
(c) hun-

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