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propofition objected to. This is therefore, at least, a strong prefumption against the validity of fuch an objection.

Secondly, This objection feems to derive its whole force from fuch pofitions relating to the moral attributes of God, as make it necessary for us to fuppofe, either that he deals with all his creatures at present in an equally favourable manner, or, at least, that nothing fhall be ultimately wanting to their happinefs. Now the firft fuppofition appears, upon the most tranfient view which we take of things, to be utterly falfe. There are differences of all degrees at present, in refpect of all the good things which God has given us to enjoy; and therefore may be in the beft of all good things, revealed religion. And indeed, if it was otherwife refpect of revealed religion, one ftrong argument in its favour would be wanting, viz. its analogy with the course of nature, The moral attributes of God are to be deduced from obfervations made upon the course of nature. If, therefore, the tenor of revelation be agreeable to that of nature, it must be so to the moral attributes of God. But if any one fuppofes, in the fecond place, that, notwithstanding present and apparent differences in the circumftances of God's creatures, there are no real and ultimate ones; at least, that the balance will ultimately be in favour of each individual finitely, or perhaps infinitely; 1 anfwer, that this fuppofition is as agreeable to revelation as to natural reafon; that there are as probable evidences for it in the word of God, as in his works, there being no acceptance of perfons with God, no difference "between the Jew and the Gentile," according to the Scriptures; and that we may infer as ftrongly from the Scriptures, that Chrift will fave all, as it can be inferred from philofophy, that all will be made happy in any way; both which pofitions I fhall endeavour to eftablish hereafter, with the mutual illuftrations and confirmations which these glorious doctrines of natural and revealed religion afford to each other. And the gradual diffufion of the Patriarchal, Judaical, and Chriftian revelations, compared with the prophecies relating to the future kingdom of Chrift, and with the prefent circumstances of things, will afford great fatisfaction and joy to every pious, benevolent perfon, who inquires into this fubject. These confiderations will incline him to believe, that the Gospel will, fooner or later, be preached to every creature in Heaven, in Earth, under the "Earth, &c." and not only preached, but received, obeyed, and made the means of unfpeakable happiness to them. And thus this objection will be removed, not only in fpeculation, and according to reason, but, in fact, from the prefent unhappy objectors; and "they "will look on him whom they have pierced."

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Thirdly, having fhewn that a gradual and partial promulgation is not inconfiftent with the fuppofition of a true revelation, we may farther affirm, that the particular time and manner, in which the feveral Patriarchal, Judaical, and Chriftian revelations, have been publifhed to the world, are even arguments in their favour. This fubject has been well handled by various learned men, particularly by Mr. Arch. Law, in his " Confiderations on the ftate of the world,' &c.

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&c. Thefe gentlemen have fhewn, that, cæteris manentibus, which is in these things always to be previously allowed, the difpenfations recorded in the Scriptures have been, as far as we can judge, perfectly fuited to the ftates of the world at the times when thefe difpenfations were made refpectively; i, e. to the improvement of mankind in knowledge fpeculative and practical, to their wants, and to their ability to profit in moral accomplishments; fo that, if we suppose either much more, or much lefs, light to have been afforded to mankind in a fupernatural way (cæteris manentibus; and particularly their voluntary powers over their affections and actions, or free-will in the practical fenfe, remaining the fame), their advancement in moral perfection, in voluntary obedience to, and pure love of God, would probably have been lefs: which fuitableness of each revelation to the time when it was made, and to the production of the maximum of moral perfection, is an argument for the fyftem of revelation, of the fame kind with thofe for the goodness of God, which are drawn from the mutual fitneffes of the finite and imperfect parts of the natural world to each other, and to the production of the maximum, or greatest possible quantity, of happiness,

PROP. XXVIII,

THE EXCLUSION OF ALL GREAT DEGREES OF ENTHUSIASM AND IMPOSTURE FROM THE CHARACTERS OF CHRIST, THE PROPHETS, AND APOSTLES, PROVES THEIR DIVINE AUTHORITY,

THAT Chrift, the Prophets, and Apoftles, cannot be charged with any great degrees of enthufiafm or impofture, feems allowed by many unbelievers; and is evident from the first view of their difcourfes and writings, and of hiftory, facred and profane. We might fay, that much more is evident. However, for the prefent, let us only fuppofe all great degrees of enthusiasm and impofture excluded, and inquire how far their divine miffion may be inferred from that fuppofition.

First, then, if all great degrees of enthusiasm be excluded, Chrift, the Prophets, and Apoftles, must know whether or no they were under the influence of the divine fpirit, fo as to prophefy, fpeak, and interpret languages which they had never learnt, and work miracles. Indeed to fuppofe them not capable of diftinguishing these powers in themselves and each other, is to charge them with downright madnefs.

Secondly, fince then they claimed thefe powers every where, as the feal of their commiffion from God; if they had them not, i.e. if they had not divine authority, they must be impoftors, and endeavour to deceive the world knowingly and deliberately. And this imposture, whether we confider the affront offered to God, or the injury done to mankind, or its duration, its audacioufnels, &c. would be the deepest and blackeft that has ever appeared in the world. It is therefore excluded by fuppofition; and confequently, fince a lefs degree will not account for a falfe claim to divine au

thority

thority, we must allow that Chrift, the Prophets and Apoftles, made

a true one.

Thirdly, let it be obferved, that though cautious unbelievers do not venture to charge Chrift, the Prophets and Apoftles, either with grofs enthusiasm, or abandoned impofture, in exprefs terms; yet they find themselves obliged to infinuate both, in all their attacks upon Revealed Religion: which is, in effect, to acknowledge the truth of the prefent propofition; for it is the fame thing as to acknowledge, that both the charge of grofs enthufiafm, and that of abandoned impofture, are neceffary to fupport the objections against Revealed Religion. Now, as neither charge, fingly taken, can be maintained; fo both together are inconfiftent. Grofs enthufiafm, does not admit that conftant caution, and cool difpaffionate cunning, which abandoned imposture supposes and requires in order to fucceed.

PROP. XXIX.

THE RECEPTION WHICH CHRIST, HIS FORERUNNERS AND FOLLOWERS, WITH THEIR DOCTRINES, HAVE MET WITH IN ALL AGES, IS AN ARGUMENT OF THEIR DIVINE AUTHORITY.

THIS evidence does, as it were, embrace all the others, and give a particular force to them. For it will be a strong confirmation of all the evidences for the Jewish and Chriftian religions, if we can fhew, that the perfons to whom they have been offered have been influenced by them as much as there was reafon to expect, admitting them to be true; and far more than could be expected, on fuppofition that they were falfe. The most illuftrious inftance of this, is the victory which the Chriftian miracles and doctrines, with the fufferings of our Saviour and his followers, gained over the whole powers, first, of the Jewish state, and then of the Roman empire, in the primitive times. For here all ranks and kinds of men, princes, priefts, Jewift. and Heathen philofophers, populace, with all their affociated prejudices from cuftom and education, with all their corrupt paffions and lufts, with all the external advantages of learning, power, riches, honour, and, in fhort, with every thing but truth, endeavoured to fupprefs the progress that Chrift's religion made every day in the world; but were unable to do it. Yet ftill the evidence was but of a limited nature; it required to be fet forth, attefted and explained by the preacher, and to be attended to, and reflected upon, with fome degree of impartiality, by the hearer: and therefore, though the progrefs of it was quick, and the effect general, yet they were not inftantaneous and univerfal. However, it is very evident, that any fraud, or falfe pretence, muft foon have yielded to fo great an oppofition fo circumftanced.

The efficacy which the Chriftian doctrine then had in reforming the lives of many thousands, is here to be confidered as a principal branch of this argument, it being evidently the most difficult of all things, to convert men from vicious habits to virtuous ones, as

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every one may judge from what he feels in himself, as well as from what he fees in others; and whatever does this cannot, as it seems to me, but come from God. The falfe religions, and various cortuptions of the true, which have from time to time appeared in the world, have been enabled to do this in the imperfect manner in which they have done it, merely, as it feems to me, from that mixture of important truths, and good motives, which they have borrowed from real revelations, Patriarchal, Judaical, and Christian.

In like manner as the propagation of Chriftianity, upon its firft appearance in the world, evinces its divine original, fo does the progress it has fince made, and the reception which it meets with at prefent, amongst the several ranks and orders of men. The detail of this would run out to a great length. It may, however, be of some ufe juft to obferve, that notwithstanding the great prevalence of Infidelity in the prefent times, it is feldom found to confift with an accurate knowledge of ancient hiftory, facred and profane, and never with an exalted piety and devotion to God.

And it is as peculiarly for the credit of Chriftianity, that it should now be supported by the learned, as that it was firft propagated by the unlearned; and an inconteftable evidence for it, as appears to me, that it has been univerfally embraced by all eminently pious perfons, to whom it has been made known in a proper manner.

The analogous obfervations may be made upon the reception which the Jewish religion met with, both from the Jews themselves, and from the neighbouring nations. It feems impoffible for Mofes to have delivered the Jews from their oppreffion in Egypt, and afterwards_to have fubjected them to his laws, for Jofhua to have conquered Canaan, for the religion to have fubfifted in the fucceeding times of the Judges and Kings, for the priefts and prophets to have maintained their authority, for the people to have returned after their captivity, with their religion in an uncorrupted ftate, and to have fupported it and themselves against the kings of Syria and Egypt, and the power of the Romans, and to remain at this day a feparate people difperfed all over the world, according to the prophecies, unless the miraculous part of the hiftory of the Old Teftament be allowed to be true, as well as the other.

PROP. XXX.

THE RECEPTIONS WHICH FALSE RELIGIONS HAVE MET WITH IN THE WORLD, ARE ARGUMENTS OF THE TRUTH OF THE CHRISTIAN.

I WILL here make a few fhort remarks,

Firft, upon the polytheistical, idolatrous religion of the ancient world.

Secondly, upon the religious inftitutions of Zoroafter.
Thirdly, upon the impofture of Mahomet.

Fourthly upon the enthufiaftical fects which have appeared from

time to time amongst Christians.

All

All these feem to have met with fuch fuccefs, as might be expected from the mixture of truth and falfhood in them, compared with the then circumstances of things. They are therefore indirect evidences for the truth of the Chriftian religion, fince this has met with fuch fuccefs as cannot be reconciled to the circumstances of things, unlefs we fuppofe it true.

And, first, the ancient Pagan religions feem evidently to be the degenerated offspring of the patriarchal revelations; and fo far to have been true, as they taught a God, a providence, a future ftate, fupernatural communications made to particular perfons, efpecially in the infancy of the world, the present corruption of man, and his deviation from a pure and perfect way, the hopes of a pardon, a mediatorial power, the duties of facrifice, prayer, and praise, and the virtues of prudence, tempérance, juftice, and fortitude. They were false, as they mixed and polluted thefe important truths with numberless fables, fuperftitions, and impieties. That degree of truth, and moral excellence, which remained in them, was a principal cause of their fuccefs, and easy propagation among the people; for their moral fense would direct them to approve and receive what was fit and useful. And, had the people of those times penetrated fufficiently into the powers of the human mind, they might have concluded, that religious truths could not be of human invention. However, as the impreffions which the hiftorical and prophetical evidences for the patriarchal revelations had made upon mankind, were not yet obliterated, they believed, upon the authority of tradition, that all important knowledge, efpecially in facred matters, was of divine original.

As to the miracles faid to be wrought upon certain occasions in Pagan nations, we may make these two remarks: first, that the evidence for thefe is far inferior to that for the Jewish and Christian miracles; fo that these may be true, though those be falfe. Secondly, that we are not fufficiently informed of the ways of Providence, to infer that God did not permit, or cause some miracles to be wrought, even in times and places where great corruption prevailed. Divine communications and miracles were probably most common foon after the flood, in the infancy of mankind. Afterwards, as they advanced towards adult age, thefe fupernatural interpofitions grew more rare (unless upon fingular occafions, as upon the publication of the Law by Mofes, and of the Gofpel by Chrift; at which times, many and great miracles fucceeded each other at fhort intervals, in order to command awe, attention, and belief): and it may be, that they ceased in the Pagan world for fome ages before Chrift; or it may be otherwife; and that, in rare and extraordinary cafes, the hand of God appeared in a miraculous manner. Analogy favours the last opinion, as it feems to me; which alfo appears to be more countenanced by hiftory than the contrary one; and yet the pretences to miracles amongst the Pagans were undoubtedly falfe in the general.

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