LXXV. SERM. this undoubtedly is the queen, crowned by God's own hand with sovereign blessings; God hath avowed it to be the day of his peculiar making, and therefore of our special rejoicing; for thus of old the inspired Psalmist did teach and exhort us to keep Psal. cxviii. Christmas: This is the day which the Lord hath Matt. xxi. made; let us rejoice and be glad therein. 9. 42. 1 Pet. ii. 7. Acts iv. 11. SERMON LXXVI. THE SUFFERINGS OF CHRIST FORETOLD IN THE OLD TESTAMENT. ACTS iii. 18. But those things, which God before had shewed by the mouth of all his prophets, that Christ should suffer, he hath so fulfilled. LXXVI. MANY good arguments there are, different in SERM. kind, which conspire to persuade the truth of our religion; such as are the intrinsic reasonableness, excellency, and perfection of its doctrine; the miraculous works performed in attestation thereto; the special favour of Providence declared in the support and propagation thereof: but upon no other ground do the scriptures so much build its truth, and our obligation to embrace it, as upon the exact correspondence and conformity thereof to all the ancient scriptures, which did foreshew or foretell its revelation and introduction into the world; to those especially which described the personal characters, circumstances, and performances of our Lord: to this our Lord, in his discourses and disputes with incredulous people, referred them; Search the scrip- John v. 39. tures, said he, because in them ye expect to have eternal life; (that is, to find the true way of saving truth leading thereto;) and those are they which LXXVI. 27. xxii. 44. 24. xiii. 27. XV. SERM. testify of me: by this he instructed and convinced his disciples; beginning from Moses and from all Luke xxiv. the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the 37. i. 70. scriptures the things concerning himself: and, Luke xxiv. These (said he to them presently before his departure) are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses, and in the Prophets, and in the Psalms, concerning me: this the apostles, in all their preaching, (whereby they taught, proved, and persuaded the Christian docActs iii. 22, trine,) did chiefly insist upon; Moses, saith St. Peter, truly said unto the fathers, yea, and all the prophets from Samuel, and those that follow after, as many as have spoken, have likewise foreActs x. 43. told of these days; and, To him, saith he again, 15. xxiv. give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive reActs xviii. mission of sins. And of St. Paul it is said, that he 23. mightily convinced the Jews-shewing by the scriptures, that Jesus was the Christ; and he expounded, and testified the kingdom of God, persuading them concerning Jesus, both out of the Law of Moses, and out of the Prophets: thus the chief apostles and founders of our religion in their public discourses; and in their Epistles they observe the same method; as particularly asserting Christian doctrines and duties by the testimonies of prophetical scriptures, so generally affirming our reli1 Pet. i. 10. gion to be chiefly grounded on them; of which salvation (saith St. Peter, concerning the salvation exhibited by the gospel) the prophets did inquire, and search diligently, who prophesied of the grace to come unto you; and (in regard to the conviction of 14. John i. 45. 28. xxviii. LXXVI. others) he seems to prefer the attestation of this SERM. kind before the special revelation immediately made to the apostles; for having spoken of it, he subjoins, καὶ ἔχομεν βεβαιότερον τὸν προφητικόν λόγον We have 2 Pet. i. 19. also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye do take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day-star arise in your hearts. And St. Paul saith, that the mystery, which was kept secret Rom. xvi. since the world began, was then made manifest, 25, 26. i. 2. and by the prophetical scriptures, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations, to the obedience of faith; and, The 2 Tim. iii. holy writings, he telleth Timothy, were able to make him wise to the salvation which is by the faith of Jesus Christ; that is, they were able to shew and persuade to him the truth of Christianity, which promiseth salvation to all that heartily embrace it and observe its laws. Such a stress was laid upon this probation by the founders of our religion; and no wonder; for that it is not only extremely forcible in itself, but hath some particular uses, and some peculiar advantages beyond others. The foreknowledge of future contingent events, (such as were many of those concerning our Saviour, depending upon the freest acts of human will,) as it is for the manner of attaining it most incomprehensible to us, so it is most proper to God, and by all men so acknowledged; future contingencies being secrets which no man, no angel, no creature can dive into, they being not discernible in their causes, which are indeterminate; nor in themselves, who are finite. The prediction therefore of such events could not otherwise than proceed from 15. SERM. his pleasure; neither could he yield it in way of faLXXVI. vour and approbation to that which was not per fectly true and good: this way therefore doth absolutely confirm the truth and goodness of Christian doctrine; it withal manifests the great worth and weight thereof, as implying the particular regard and care God had of it, designing it so anciently, laying trains of providence toward it, and preparing such evidences for the confirmation thereof; it together into the bargain maintaineth the truth of the Jewish dispensation, the sincerity of the ancient patriarchs and prophets, and the vigilant care the divine goodness hath always had over the state of religion, and toward the welfare of mankind; never leaving it destitute of some immediate - revelations from himself. It had a peculiar aptitude to convert the Jews, who were possessed with a full persuasion concerning the veracity and sanctity of their ancient prophets; and could not therefore doubt concerning the truth of that, which appeared conformable to that which they had foretold should be declared and dispensed for their benefit. This probation also hath this advantage, that it singly taken doth suffice to convince; whereas others can hardly do it otherwise than in conjunction with one another, and especially with its aid for the goodness of the doctrine may be contested in some points; and however good it seem, it may be imputed to human invention : strange effects may be deemed producible by other causes beside divine power; and they may be suffered to be done for other ends than for confirmation of truth; they are also commonly transient, and thence most liable to doubt. Providence also is in many cases so mysterious and unsearchable, that the |