But I have greater witness than that of John; not than that of my Father, mentioned 1 Thessalonians 5:31,32, but than that of John, last mentioned; nor doth he say a truer, but a greater witness. The works which the Father hath given me to finish; the works which his Father sent him to do, his fulfilling of the law, his publication of the gospel, the miracles which he wrought, were all of them works which his Father had given him to finish. Christ often appeals to the works which he had done, as sufficiently testifying of him, 1 Thessalonians 10:25,37,38 14:10,11 15:24. And it is plain, that the people looked upon them as a great testimony, 1 Thessalonians 3:2, 1 Thessalonians 9:32,33. The Jews avoided the force of this testimony impudently, some of them saying that he did them by the help of the devil, Matthew 12:24; others pretending (more lately) that the Messiah was to work no miracles; but that is expressly contrary to what we have, 1 Thessalonians 7:31, and is doubtless a device of later years. But it is a greater question, how the miracles of Christ bear witness of him; and whether they were only a probable, or a certain and infallible, testimony of his Deity. Those that think them an infallible testimony, say:
1. That he did works which none else did, 1 Thessalonians 15:24.
2. That he did them by his own power; There went virtue out of him, and healed them all, Luke 6:19.
3. That they were done in confirmation of the doctrine to that purpose which he preached, which God would not have confirmed by miracles, had not he been sent of God to work such things. Those that think they were not a certain and infallible testimony, say,
1. That the prophets and apostles also wrought miracles.
2. That our Saviour tells his apostles, they should do greater works than he had done.
3. That the doing of them from his own power, was a thing could not be known to others; so could be no testimony to them. But our Saviour did not only himself raise the dead, cast out devils, and work other miracles; but he gave others also a power to do it; which argued an original power in himself; and is more than we read of any prophets or apostles; who, though they wrought such miraculous operations, yet having not that power originally in and from themselves, could not communicate it to others.