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he had no covenant to make, nor new ftatutes to give he required of Pharaoh to let the children of Ifrael go; which in juftice and equity he ought to have done, confidering how his country had been faved by one of that family, and how highly he offended against the laws of hofpitality by detaining them as flaves, who came into his country upon the hopes and promise of protection. But the Jews were called out of Egypt to be the peculiar people of God, and to be put under a new covenant and new laws, under the immediate government of God; bleffings which they had no right to expect, and for the accomplishment of which Mofes could give them no affurance, but by the evidence of fuch works as plainly proceeded from the hand of God, and proved the commiffion which Mofes had tó fpeak in his name.

The Jewish government, being a theocracy, leads us to expect a fefies of miracles in the adminiftration by the immediate hand of Providence; and fo indeed we find the cafe to be: and the wonderful preservation of that people, when obedient, and the as wonderful punishments, when they were disobedient, were standing proofs to themselves, and to all the nations round about them, that their God was the only Lord and Governor of the world. But Mofes had no fucceffor as a lawgiver: prophets and righteous men were often fent by God to reprove and admonish the people for their manifold tranfgreffions of the law given by Mofes, but with+ out any authority to add to, or diminish from it. And fo the cafe ftood, till the great Prophet, like unto Mofes, came in the full power and authority

of God to make a new covenant, not with one people, but with all the nations of the earth, Jefus of Nazareth, a man approved of God by miracles and wonders and figns.

It has been before obferved, that the great doctrines of natural religion have for their evidence the works of nature, and want not the fupport of miracles. But, when any new doctrine is published to the world, or any new command, of which nature has given no notice, it is of neceffity that fuch new doctrines fhould be established by new proofs. One thing indeed we learn from natural reason, that God is to be trufted and obeyed in whatever he promises or commands: but ftill a proof is required, that fuch new doctrine or command does really proceed from God. And this fhews how neceffary miracles are to the introduction of a new revelation: not that miracles can prove the truth of any doctrine; but they directly prove the commiffion of the person who does them to proceed from him by whose power alone they could be performed. This distinction between miracles confidered as a proof of the doctrine, and as confirming the authority and commiffion of the perfon who reveals it, will plainly appear, upon confidering what the cafe would be, fhould any man openly perform unqueftionable miracles, and then retire in filence, without declaring any purpose he had: the great works might aftonish and confound us; but we could not poffibly make any ufe of them: we might indeed. conclude, that fome great and invifible power affifted and enabled the man to perform the works; but what that invifible power had to do with us, or we

with it, we could by no juft inference conclude. But, fhould fuch a man declare himself to be a meffenger from God commiffioned to publifh his will to the world, and appeal to the great works which he did as a proof of the authority he had received; the miracles, though, confidered in themfelves, they do not directly prove his doctrine, yet do they establish his authority, and give the force of a divine command to what he publishes in God's

name.

The law of Mofes then requiring fubmiffion and obedience to commands and doctrines which have no establishment in the light of reafon and nature, it was neceffary to found them upon the authority of God, to which no fubmiffion could be due, till fufficient evidence was given of it, to guard men againft impofition and deceit either from wicked men or wicked fpirits: and this made miracles to be a neceffary proof in the establishment of a new revelation.

We fee then to what purposes miracles were originally introduced, and in what manner applied, by Mofes and, whoever confiders of what confequence it was to the happiness of mankind to have a standing evidence always before their eyes of the unity and fupremacy of God manifefted in his government of the Jewish nation, and how far the Mofaic difpenfation prepared the way, and laid the foundation, for the accomplishment of his great work in the falvation of the world by Chrift Jefus, will fee reason to think that the end propofed was worthy of God, and fully accounts for his interpofition by figns and wonders, which were acts not only of

great power, but of great goodness and benevolence towards mankind.

If we confider the miracles of the Gospel, we fhall find that they had the fame ends in view. If Mofes withstood the magicians of Egypt, and manifested a fuperiority of power over them, and the falfe gods whom they ferved, our Saviour did much more in oppofition to the power of Satan, and the wicked fpirits who had taken poffeffion of men, and tormented them in divers manners: in fubduing them he fhewed fuch an uncontrollable power, that they were obedient to his command; and, when he said Go, they were forced to go, yielding a ready, though unwilling, obedience. And, as the Gospel spread, idolatry fled before it, the heathen deities became dumb, and their oracles were filenced. And, if we look abroad into the world, and take a view of the nations where idolatry and superstition once prevailed, and where the knowledge of the unity and fupremacy of God is now established, which happy change can only be af cribed to the propagation of the Gospel, we shall see how fully and perfectly this great end was anfwered by the miracles wrought by Christ.

If Mofes had a commiffion from God to publish his will to the people of the Jews, Jefus had a far more ample commiffion to publish the terms of God's falvation to all mankind: and, as these terms were of God's appointment, and not fuch as human wisdom could fuggeft, they stood in need of the evidence of miracles to fupport them.

It has been observed before, that no miracles can alter the clear dictates of natural religion. The

fame may be faid with respect to any former divine revelation for to fuppofe a revelation to come from God, and to be fully established by miracles, and that a later revelation upon the like proof and authority fhould abrogate and render the former void, would be fetting up miracle against miracle, and destroy the authority of both and therefore, admitting the Mofaic revelation and the Chriftian to be both of divine original, they muft neceffarily be confiftent, and each be in its proper place to carry on the great and ultimate views of Providence. This evidently was the cafe of Mofes, who came to prepare the way for the full and perfect declaration of God's will, referved till He should come who was the end of the law: and to this purpose are the words of our bleffed Saviour, Think not that I am come to deftroy the law or the prophets: I am not come to deftroy, but to fulfil. For verily I fay unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle fhall in no wife pafs from the law, till all be fulfilled, Matt. v. 17, 18. And during the whole course of his ministry he constantly appealed to the testimony of the law and the prophets: Had you believed in Mofes, says he to the Jews, you would have believed me; for he wrote of me. And his Apoftle St. Paul, in his defence before king Agrippa, gives this account of the Gospel he preached: Having obtained help of God, I continue unto this day, witneffing both to fmall and great, faying none other things than those which the prophets and Mofes did say should come. And indeed one revelation admitted to be of divine authority must be a touchstone to try all fucceeding revelations by: for God cannot con