The Subftance of what I would say is, that SERM. II. if there be any fuch Thing as proper and undoubted Certainty of Fact, there is fuch a moral Certainty for thofe Facts which fupport Chriftianity, not to mention a Variety of other fubftantial and concurrent Proofs. Now we cannot refift the Strength of moral Certainty, without offering a Violence to Nature, and committing a Force upon it: we do not resist it in any other Cafe befides that of Religion; and if we do it in that, it must be owing to fome irregular Paffion which hangs a wrong Biafs upon us: the Man muft struggle hard, and labour not to be convinced, who is not convinced by it. There is a ftrong Propenfion, interwoven in our Frame and Conftitution, to furrender ourfelves without Reserve to fuch Evidence. It seems to be the Voice of God fpeaking within us; whofe Intention it never could be, that his Creatures fhould continue, as to Matters of Practice, in a pendulous State of Mind, quite unbalanced and ever-wavering, without a Poffibility of coming to a fixed Refolve, which they might abide by: which yet must have been the Cafe in most Affairs, if moral Certainty were not allowed to be fufficient to enfure our Conviction.

The Cafe is the fame as to ftrong Appearances of Truth, as it is as to Miracles. It has been often proved that God would never fuffer a Train of Miracles to be wrought in Favour

D 3

SERM. II. Favour of Falfhood: he would not fuffer fuch a Snare to be laid for Mankind without difabufing them by working those of a superior Nature in Oppofition to it. Just so by Parity of Reason, we may conclude, that he would never suffer so many bright Appearances of Truth from the Propagation of the Gofpel, from the Completion of Prophecies, &c. to be affixed to a Forgery; he would never fuffer thofe Facts which give an incontestable Sanction to the Doctrines of Christianity (supposing it an Imposture) to come recommended to us by as ftrong Marks and Characters of Credibility, as any distant Matter of Fact can have, and stronger than any other has; without giving us fomething of fuperior Force, fome clear Demonftration of the Falfhood of it, to prevent us from being betrayed, which we should otherwife inevitably be, into an Error. Suppofing an infinitely good Being at the Helm, he would not permit his Creatures, who are defigned for Action and not merely for Speculation, to be diftracted with equal Appearances of Truth in Points of the laft Importance, fo as that the Mind should hang in an even Poise between two Propofitions. There must be fome prepollent Evidence in all fuch Cafes to vindicate God's Goodnefs, and to turn the Scales. Now where there is a very high Degree of Moral Certainty, nothing can preponde

rate

rate or overbalance it, but abfolute infal- SER M. II. lible Certainty. It must be confequently the Will of our Creator that we should acquiefce in Chriftianity as enforced by a strong Moral Certainty, if

IIdly, There does not appear any abfolute Impoffibility in the Contexture of it—or any ftrict Demonftration that it is falfe, and that too in Things of Importance.

But this it's moft early and virulent Adversaries never have fhewn. A demonftrative Proof that they could not do it: their very Silence is a strong Argument in Favour of it's Truth; and by alledging fo little against it, they have made it clear that they had nothing material to alledge. If Infidels have any Thing of this Nature, let them produce it: let them fet out with fome felfevident Principle, and from thence go on gradually with a neceffary Connection of Ideas, till by a Chain of clofe Reasoning, there being a ftrict Coherence all along, they come to the Conclufion; or let them prove that Christianity authorizes and enjoins fome grofs Immorality: For it is a Demonftration, that a Religion which authorizes. Immorality cannot have the Sanction of a perfectly pure and holy God. If they have not any Thing of this Nature, then, as I have proved before, no Difficulties or even Improbabilities ought to over-rule ftrong D 4

and

SERM. II. and undoubted pofitive Evidence: And the Reasons for Chriftianity are so many, clear, and forcible, that they will, and must, and ought to fway the Minds of reasonable, unprejudiced and good Men. One Demonstration, and nothing less than Demonstration, would effectually difprove it. For one Demonftration would beget infallible Certainty, and twenty Demonftrations could not do more than beget infallible Certainty, which does not admit of Degrees. The Understanding could not yield its Affent as a Volunteer. It would be preffed into the Service of Infidelity, and compelled, however reluctant, to come in. But this is a Tafk only fit for that adventurous Genius who pretended to have by him a Demonftration against the Being of God. prefent the Deifts virtually confefs, they have nothing of this Sort to level against a Religion which has flood the Trial of many fucceffive Ages, by being humbly content to take up with any plaufible Plea that carries but the Face of an Argument, a kind of Hypocrify in Argumentation, which has the mere Form and Outfide of Reasoning, without the Power and Energy thereof. They have recourfe to low Evafions, falfe Quotations, Mifreprefentations; poor artificial Props, which a firm fubftantial Building needs not, and a ruinous Building cannot long be fupported by.

At

They

have been moft loud and clamorous in the SERM. II. Charge of Contradictions as to the mysterious Doctrines of Chriftianity, and particularly that of the Trinity, pretending to nothing less than a Demonftration of the Abfurdity of it. Whereas on the other Hand there is a Demonftration, that the Doctrine of the Trinity does not imply any exprefs and plain Contradiction. Because plain and exprefs Contradictions, lie as level to the Understanding as plain Truths do. Now the Doctrine of the Trinity relates to the internal Nature of the Deity, and his intrinfic Manner of Existence, what Differences it may admit of confiftently with the Unity of Effence: but what relates to the internal Nature of God, to which our Faculties bear no Proportion, cannot lie level to the Understanding his Nature must be like the great Deep, unfathomable by us, though his Righteousness and Moral Attributes ftand like the ftrong Mountains visible to every Eye. While they charge the Doctrine of the Trinity with a Contradiction, they are guilty of one themselves, in allowing the Divine Nature internally, as it is in itself, to be incomprehenfible and far above out of their Sight, and yet pretending to fee clearly what is far above out of their Sight; in pretending to difcern fully and perfectly an Impoffibility in the Nature of the Thing, where the only Impoffibility

: