bring forth your strong reasons, faith the king of Jacob. Let them bring them forth, and fhew what shall happen. -Shew the things that are to come hereafter, that we may know that ye are gods." "I, even I am the Lord, and befide me there is no Saviour. I have declared, and have faved, and I have fhewed, when there was no strange god among you: Therefore, ye are my witneffes, faith the Lord, that I am God." When Jehovah brought Krael out of Egypt, he demonftrated that he was the only true God, and they renounced all other gods; then He foretold what would befall them, both in promifes and threatenings, and a great number of predictions, which had actually come to pass in their fight: Therefore they were his witnesses, as they were. witneffes of this fact, which was fufficient to fupport his character, as the only true God, in oppofition to all other pretended gods. Jehovah tells them that one end of his thus foretelling events, and then bringing them to pafs, was to give them an undeniable proof that he was the true God, who poke to them by Mofes, &c. and leave them inexcufa ble, if they fhould acknowledge any other God. "I have declared the former things from the beginning; and they went forth out of my mouth, and I fhewed them; I did them fuddenly, and they came to pafs. Because I knew that thou art obftinate, and thy neck is an iron finew, and thy brow brafs; I have even from the beginning declared it to thee: Before it came to pass, I thewed it thee, left thou fhouldest say mine idol hath done them, and my graven image, and my molten image, hath commanded them."'*

Though they had in many other ways good evidence that he was the true God, in whofe name Mofes fpake and acted; yet God, knowing their evil difpofition, and how prone they were to unbelief, and to turn away from him to other gods, in his great condefcenfion and goodnefs,

C

• Ifai. xlviii. 3, 4, 5.

ness, took care to give and heap up more abundant ftanding evidence that they had indeed the oracles of the true God, who was the God of Ifrael, by foretelling innumerable events, and then bringing them to pafs before their eyes. When Mofes wrought the numerous figns and wonders in Egypt, he foretold these events before they took place: And fo moft of the miracles wrought by the hand of Mofes at the Red Sea, and in the wilderness, were foretold immediately before they took place: And also many things of which we have an account in the books of Joshua, Judges, and the two books of Samuel, &c. To fuch predictions as thefe, which were brought to pass immediately, the above cited words feem to have particular reference: God fays, They went forth out of my mouth, and I fhewed them; I did them fuddenly, and they came to pafs." In this way they had not only the evidence which the miracles themselves gave of the truth, in favour of which they were wrought; but the prediction and the immediate accomplishment, was a yet farther evidence that he who wrought the miracle spoke and acted under the influence, and according to the dictates of the omnifcient God. In this way were most of the miracles wrought by Chrift and his Apoftles.

But there are almost innumerable prophecies in the Bible which foretell things to come, that were not to take place immediately; but a long time, and numbers of them many ages after the predictions were published. Many predictions of this kind are contained in the writings of Mofes, which foretell a multitude of events respecting that nation, which have been exactly fulfilled. And indeed great part of the religious inftitutions and worship enjoined in the Mofaic ritual, are so many prophecies of what should take place in the person, character, and kingdom of Christ, as they are appointed types and shadows of these things, and have been exactly fulfilled in them. This is particularly attended to and illustrated in the Epiftle

Epiftle to the Hebrews. This is a strong argument that' these institutions and laws, were made by the only true God, who knows what is to come, even all his own de figns, and works that are future.

A great part of the writings of Mofes and the Pro-' phets, are prophecies that refpe&t Chrift, his incarnation, his fufferings, and the glory that fhould follow in the fal vation of men, and his kingdom. In these writings it is foretold that he fhould be the feed of Abraham by Ifaac, that he fhould be of the tribe of Judah, and the family of David: Should be born of a virgin, in the' town of Bethlehem; that he should be poor and def piled, rejected, hated and put to death by the Jews and Gentiles, joining together to perpetrate this horrid deed." The particular time of his appearance and death is pointed out; and a great number of particulars relating to his life, death and refurrection are foretold; all which have been exactly fulfilled. They alfo foretell the rejection of the Jews, and calling of the Gentiles to be the people: of God, and fhare in the bleffings of Chrift's kingdom;" and speak much of the extent and glory of his kingdom," and particularly foretell that it fhould rife, prevail, and Ell the world after the ruin of the Roman monarchy, and fhall continue forever! Chrift and his Apoftles did conftantly appeal to thefe prophecies, as moft plainly, and with the greateft exactnefs predicting what took place in Jefus of Nazareth. Chrift himself, after his death and refurrection, addreffes thofe who were wholly at a lofs what to think of thefe things, in the following words,

O, fools, and flow of heart, to believe all that the Prophets have spoken! Ought not Chrift to have fuffered thefe things, and to enter into his glory ?" "And beginning at Mofes and all the Prophets, he expounded unto them, in all the fcriptures, the things concerning himself." The Apostle Peter publicly appeals to them, and fays, "God hath spoken of thefe things by the mouth

of all the Prophets, fince the world began. For Mofes truly faid unto the fathers, a Prophet-shall the Lord your God raise up unto you, of your brethren, like unto me. -And it fhall come to pass, that every foul which will not hear that Prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people. Yea, and all the Prophets from Samuel, and thofe that follow after, as many as have spoken, have likewise foretold of those days." And St. Paul declares, that in bearing teftimony to the truth of christianity, and preaching the gospel, he afferted "no other things than those which the Prophets and Mofes did fay fhould come." And with this argument, taken from the fulfilment of prophecies in Jefus of Nazareth, the first preachers of the gospel often put to filence, and confounded the oppofing Jews, and convinced many, that Jefus was the Chrift.

The writings of the New Testament contain many predictions. Chrift particularly foretold his death, and his refurrection on the third day after-Who fhould betray him, and who should deny him-The gift of the Spirit to the Apostles in his miraculous powersWhat treatment they should receive from the Jews-What support they should have; and what should be their fuccels. He in a very particular manner foretold the calamities that should come on the nation of the Jews, and the deftruction of Jerufalem and the temple; and faid this should come to pafs before all that generation did go off the stage of life. And though to human appearance, these events were not merely improbable, but even impoffible; yet they all came to pafs exactly agreeable to the prediction.

But paffing over many other inftances of prophecy, both of Chrift and his Apostles, and others in the primitive church, and the particular fulfilment of their predic tions, that remarkable one of St. Paul, * of the grand apoftacy

a Thef. chap. ii.

apoftacy in the christian church, by the rise and reign of one whom he calls the man of fin, and wicked one; by which the Pope and the false church of Rome are exactly defcribed, together with his final overthrow and deftruc tion, is worthy of particular attention. This was then the moft incredible and unlikely to come to pafs of almost any event whatsoever. That the Emperor of Rome should be taken out of the way, to give opportunity for this apoftacy, and the exaltation of this man of fin in the church of Chrift, &c. But this is all come to pass. And this apoftacy in the church, with all its circumftances and attendants, together with the general state of the church, and of the world down to the day of judgment, are yet more particularly and fully foretold in the revelation which Jesus Christ gave to the Apostle John, after his afcenfion, In this prophecy many things are foretold, which were then future, and which have already come to pass; and others are daily fulfilling in the fight of all who have wisdom to obferve and difcern; from which there is a standing, and increasing, public evidence of the truth of the christian religion, fufficient to filence and convince all the oppofers of christianity, would they honeftly attend to the voice of reason.

From the view we have now taken of the prophecies contained in the Bible, and their fulfilment, the following particulars may be observed.

Those predictions which have been exactly fulfilled are numerous, and made at different times, and by different perfons; and most of them were made publicly; and the events foretold, are many of them of a public nature, and lie open to the examination of all. Therefore if they were not given by the omniscient God, it cannot be supposed the events would in fo many inftances anfwer to the predictions fo exactly, and not fail in one, among fo many: For this may well be confidered as impoffible.