the parts of which have fucceffively given light to one another, though delivered at different times and upon different occafions; and which has in it all the internal marks and characters of Truth and Goodnefs, and all the external evidence of Fact, to support its pretenfions of being from God, which any reasonable man can defire: If it appeals to the common sense and reason of mankind, and never fears an open and publick examination of the grounds upon which it stands, nor could ever be reasonably accused of impofture, by those who faw the facts which were intended to give teftimony to it, and yet were so far from being parties to the design, that they were greatly prejudiced against it: I fay, If there be any fuch Revelation as this, it must be the true one, as coming from God; and all other pretended Revelations, fet up in oppofition to it, or affuming some seeming imitation of it, in order to gain themselves credit for a while, are to be difregarded; as being either false or impertinent. And whereever this Revelation is, which has all these external and internal evidences of Truth, which no imposture can have, there we may truly fay, is, the mountain of the Lord, and the Houfe of the God of Jacob. And to this every man ought to apply himself, because there he may expect to be taught the ways of God. And that there really is in the world fuch a Revelation, to which we may apply our felves for the knowledge of all fuch truth as is neceffary, in order to conduct our lives according to the will of God, so that we may be affured of attaining the trueft happiness of which our rational nature is capable; and that this Revelation is proved to be from God, by as good evidence as either the nature of the thing will admit, or any reasonable and unprejudiced man can defire, is what I fhall endeavour to fhew in my following Difcourfes; wherein I shall confider not only the nature of Miracles, which give atteftation to any Revelation, but the nature of the Revelation itself, which Miracles are wrought to establish. All that I shall now add, is only this reafonable request; that men would honestly apply themselves to the examination, both of the nature of the doctrine revealed, and the evidence for it, with fuch an unprejudiced mind, as becomes the fincere love of Truth: ། and that they would fhew as much care and diligence in it, as a matter of fo great importance justly requires. And may the God of our Lord Jefus Chrift, the Father of Glory, give unto us all, the Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation in the knowledge of him. SERMON SERMON XIII. 1871 Preached May the 5th 1718. St. John iii. 2. Rabbi, we know that thou art a Teacher come from God: For no man can do thefe Miracles, that thou doest, except God be with him. Hefe words are the confeffion of Nicodemus to our bleffed Saviour, testifying his conviction, from the Miracles which he wrought, that he was a person fent from God to be a Teacher of Men. Who this Nicodemus was, it is not neceffary to enquire farther than the Scripture Scripture has told us; which informs us, that he was a Pharifee, that is, one of the most exact Sect among the Jews, in the knowledge of Scripture and of the Traditions of the Elders; and that he was a Ruler of the Jews, that is, one of the Sanhedrin or Great Council at Jerufalem; and so was not only a Teacher, but a man of fome dignity and authority, A Master of Ifrael, as our Saviour's expreffion is. And that which makes his coming to our Saviour, with this free acknowledgment, the more observable, is, that the persons of his station were of all others the most averse to the entertainment of Chrift's doctrine, because of that Interest and Authority which they had acquired among the people, and which they were very unwilling to part withal; which yet was in great danger of being loft, or greatly impaired, by the growing credit of our Saviour's Preaching. Even Nicodemus himself, though convinced in his own mind, that our Saviour was a Meffenger fent from God, yet durft not venture to be openly seen making this confeffion to him. Though he was in fome degree a Difciple, yet it was fecretly, for fear of the Jews. However he went farther than the reft of his order would do in |