Bleffed Jefus's following him to his Retirements, and being intimate to his Privacies, was a Demonftration of fuperior Excellency, not to be refifted: Nathaniel faith unto Him, Rabbi, Thou art the Son of God, thou art the King of Ifrael. The Luftre of this glorious Truth might have been too large to have fallen directly upon him; it therefore opened, it encreased, it put on its Fulness by degrees.

HERE then we fee the Ufe and Advantage of fincere Doubtings; Doubtings put us upon Enquiry; Sincerity crowns our Enquiries with Succefs: Should the Dayfpring from on High fhine upon us all at once, it might perhaps confound our Faculties; but we should not be fo deeply confcious of its Benefit and Glory; the uncertain Gleams of Twilight which come before, prepare us for a more grateful Reception, and qualify us for a more blissful Enjoyment of it.

THE Circumftances of this piece of Sacred History have been more particularly remark'd to fhew, that impartial Deliberation is no Enemy, but leads directly to Christian Truth: Nathaniel, a Man of 2 greater

greater Sincerity than any of our Advo cates for Reafon can pretend to, became a Chriftian upon this Foot; and from the Sincerity of Doubting grew up into the Sincerity of a found Faith; because his Doubts were thofe of Ignorance, not of Obftinacy; Doubts, which laboured to be refolved; not ftruggled for Confirmation.

Now what Tranfports of devout Bliss must these glorious Streams of Light be fuppofed to kindle in Nathaniel's Breaft? And ought not the fame glad Tydings of Salvation to be Matter of equal Joy to us? Yes, affuredly; for unto us was the Promise of this Redemption given, as well as unto the firft Chriftians; unto us likewife hath it been greatly accom, plifh'd, thro' our Saviour Jefus Chrift,

BUT it is our Misfortune to live at a Time, wherein we are called upon to prove what we ought to commemorate; and to evince the Truth of that, of which we ought to declare and enjoy the Benefits; as tho' it was neceffary to argue Mankind into their Happinefs, and nothing less than Demonftration could recommend

A 3

commend the Glories of God's Kingdom to our Acceptance.

ALMIGHTY God foreseeing the Fall of Man, did, before the Worlds were made, provide for our Recovery; immediately after the Fall that Recovery was confirm'd to Mankind by a Promise of Redemption; but the Redemption was not actually compleated 'till the Fulness of Time was come: Many and wife were the Reasons which delay'd its Execution; but whatever preceeded the Gofpel-Age was fubordinate and preparative only to that vaft Tranfaction: Here whatever Divine Goodness had intended for the Salvation of Mankind, was largely accomplifhed; but infinite Goodness did not act alone; infinite Knowledge and Power were made its Attendants, and gave the ampleft Teftimony to the Truth and Efficacy of its Operations: Infinite Knowledge was in one refpect difplayed by the many Predictions contain'd in the Old Teftament, which met with their Completion under the New: Infinite Power was concern'd in the many Miracles, which

our

our Blessed Saviour wrought in the Confirmation of his Miffion

THE Words of the Text point out the firft of thefe Articles, and will accordingly furnish out Matter for the Subject of our farther Difcourfe, by proving that Jefus of Nazareth, the Son of Joseph, was He, of whom Mofes in the Law, and the Prophets did write; did write with fuch Clearness, that every Eye, but the Eye of deliberate Atheism, must see; every Heart, but the Heart of wilful Infidelity, muft adore in Him the Glories of the Promised Meffiah. It fhall be our Bufinefs therefore to collect fome of those literal Prophecies concerning the Meffiah, which were fully compleated in the Perfon of the Holy Jefus. But here it will be proper to premise that the true Notion of a Prophecy is a Declaration of fome future Event, which has no neceffary or immediate Connection with the prefent Order of Things. Now a Prophecy of itself can be no fort of Proof of the Things predicted; the Completion of the Prophecy can alone evince the Truth of it: Prophecies therefore with refpect to those to

whom they are declared muft answer other Turposes; with refpect to thofe who fee the Completion of them, they are Proofs that the Events fo declared and accomplished must be defigned and conducted by fuperior Wisdom. When thofe who declare future Events bear the Marks of Divine Miflion, they will engage the Faith of thofe to whom they declare them; but when the Events anfwer their Predictions; then their Predictions are an Argument that thofe Events are of the Almighty's difpofing.

IMMEDIATELY after the Fall of Man it was declared by God himself that the Seed of the Woman should bruise the Serpent's Head. This Prophecy was receiv'd by our First Parents and their Defcendants, as a Promise of the Recovery of fall'n Man by the Means of One, who was to derive his Being from the Woman; and that this Recovery was to be accomplifh'd by fome fort of Victory over the Serpent, by whofe Subtilty the Fall of Man had been effected. Upon this Prophecy, thus understood, the Religion of Mankind in the first Ages of the World

entirely