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XII.

fus is the Chrift, the Son of God: And Volume by Faith to bring men to a participation of those Benefits, and the Salvation which Chrift was the Author of; And that believing, ye might have life through his Name. Thefe are written, naura, thefe, which may either refer to onpaa, thefe figns or miracles, referring to the former Verfe, and many other figns, &c. but thefe figns, or miracles are written to confirm Jesus to be the Perfon he pretended to be, the Meffias, the Son of God, and confequently to confirm the truth of the Doctrine which he deliver'd; that by this confirmation, men might be induced to believe him to be the true Meffias, and to give entertainment to his Doctrine.

account of

Or elfe (which is very probable) the word Taura may refer to the whole Hiftory of the Gofpel, in which you have an the Life of Chrift, and the Doctrine which he taught, and the Miracles which were wrought for the Confirmation of it. And fo we may look upon these two Verfes as a conclufion, of the whole Hiftory of the

Gofpel

Sermon

Gospel writ by the four Evangelifts. For as for the Chapter following, it feems not to be written by St. John VII. himself, but by the Church, probably as Grotius Conjectures by the Church of Ephefus, where he had refided, and whom he had acquainted with the particulars which are there fet down; the principal of which is, the Prediction of our Saviour concerning his long life, for the fake of which the rest of the ftory feems to be brought in; which particular was not fit to be recorded till after his Death; I fay, it seems probable that St. John ended his Gofpel here, and that the laft Chapter was added by others, as the last Chapter of the Pentateuch was added by fome other after the death of Mofes; and the laft Chapter of Joshua after his death. And this feems very evident from the 24th. of the Chapter; where, after a relation of our Saviour's Prediction, concerning the Difciple whom Jesus loved, 'tis added, This is the Difciple which teftifieth of these things, and wrote thefe things, (that is the foregoing Hiftory of the Gospel) and we know that his teftimony is true; Which feems plain

ly

ly to be fpoken by fome other Perfonsá Volume for it were improper for him to fay XII. this of himself, We know that his tefti

mony is true.

So that here feems to be the end of the Hiftory of Chrift which St. John wrote; and these two Verses seem to be the conclufion of the whole Gospel written by the four Evangelifts; and then the fense of them will be this; Many other figns truly did Jefus in the prefence of his Difciples, which are not written in this Book; that is, The Difciples were Witneffes of many other Miracles which Chrift wrought, which they did not think neceffary to fet down in this Book, that is, in this History of Chrift written by the four Evangelifts: But thefe are written, that ye might believe that Jefus is the Chrift, the Son of God, and that believing, ye might have life through his Name; that is, These things which are recorded in this Hiftory, this acaccount which is here given of the Life and Actions and Doctrine and Miracles of Chrift, is fufficient to bring men to the Faith of the Gofpel, to fatisfie men that Chrift was

the

the Meffias, the Son of God, and consequently that his Doctrine is true.

And that this conclufion doth refer to the whole Hiftory of the Gofpel written by the four Evangelifts, I am induced to believe upon these

two accounts.

ry

1. Because St. John's Gofpel doth not feem to be intended for a Hiftoof the Life and Actions of Chrift: but an Appendix to the Hiftory, which had been written before by the other Evangelifts, and to fupply only what they had omitted. Therefore you fhall find that he gives no account of the Genealogy or Birth of our Saviour, nor of his Sermon upon the Mount, which did contain the fum of his Doctrine, nor of any of his Miracles or his other Difcourfes which are related by the other Evangelifts; nor doth he relate any more of the Hiftory of his Life, than was juft neceffary to bring in, and connect those things which he thought fit to fuperadd to the former Hiftory. So that confidering how defective this Gofpel, taken by it self,

Sermon
VII.

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is in the most effential parts of the Volume History of the Life, and Doctrine, XII. and Actions of Chrift, no Man cán

think that St. John did intend this for a full and fufficient account of the Life and Doctrine and Miracles of Chrift; or that upon this imperfect relation, in which he had knowingly omitted many of the moft material and confiderable things belonging to the Hiftory of Chrift, he could expect that men fhould receive full fatisfaction concerning him. Therefore I think it is highly reafonable, and almost neceffary to conclude, that when he fays, Thefe things are witten, that you might believe that Jefus is the Christ, the Son of God; he does not folely refer to the Gospel which was written by himself: but to the whole Hiftory of the Gofpel, which was put together into one Book or Volume, which was compleated by this Appendix.

2. Another reason I have for this, which doth much ftrengthen this conjecture, is what I find in Eufebius, in the 18. Chapter of the third Book of his Hiftory, where he tells us to

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