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IV.

of Revelation, as he has in the Body Natu- S ER M. ral; that is to bestow the more abundant adventitious Comelinefs on the Members of it, which seem to have no Comeliness in themselves.

Thus, for Example, the Accounts of frequent Appearances of God or his Angels to Men in the earlieft Ages (fometimes upon Occasions seemingly not very extraordinary) have been thought as incredible as fo many Legendary Tales; and we are asked, if we could digeft fo much of the Marvellous in any other Book? God, however, would not lay the First of Mankind under a Neceffity either of having no Religion, or of erring in the grand and fundamental Articles of it which muft unavoidably have been the Cafe, without frequent Intercourfes with Heaven, and Affiftances from thence; they, unpractised in the Arts of Reasoning, and unfurnished with Materials for it, being utterly unable to reafon out a Syftem of true Religion, or even to prove the Unity of God. Reafon, in the Infancy of the World, was not capable of going alone, and therefore moft probably was led by the Hand; guided and fupported by the great Parent of all Things. How could it be expected, that a Set of recent Mortals, wholly employed in the neceffary Accommodations of Life, having few Ideas, and not Leisure to acquire more, fhould raise

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their Minds above fenfible Impreffions to the Discovery of one Invisible Supreme Being, and of the Worship due to him only; when of two fuch Men as Julian and Celfus, who enjoyed the Advantage of the Obfervations and Reasonings of all precedeing Ages, one of them* could invocate the Sun as the fupreme Deity; and the other † make the following Objection to the Jewish Religion: "Thofe ftupid Shepherds" (fays this great Mafter of Reafon) "and Herdf"men, following Mofes as their Leader, "and being impofed upon by his unpolish'd "Frauds, were induced to believe (won"derful Stupidity!) that there was only 66 one God?" Thus what is thought an Objection, turns out an illuftrious Proof for the Truth of Revelation. Here is a Matter of Fact, for which there is Historical Evidence, that there was, in the early Ages of the World, a Religion plain, fimple, and true, as far as it went. Frequent Intercourfes with the Deity, and Meffages from Heaven, give an eafy and fatisfactory Solution of this Fact, of which no other poffible Solution can be given. However extraordinary a Thing the Introduction of the Deity may be upon the Drama of Nature; here it is abfolutely neceffary. to unravel

* Julianus ad Regem Solem, Orat. IV.

+ Celfus apud Originem, Pag. 17, 18. Ed. Cantab.

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the

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the Difficulty. I might obferve further, SERM. that no other Reason but this can be given, why the Jews alone fhould adhere to the Worship of one God, and be a standing Testimony against Idolatry amidst an idolatrous World. Repeated Interpofitions of the Deity being to them, what Improvements in every Branch of Literature are to us; enabling us to demonftrate the Being, Attributes and Providence of God, and the Homage due to him: So that even Natural Religion could not have been introduced into the World, and preferved in it, without Supernatural Inftruction.

Thus again, however aftonishing a Matter of Fact the Deluge may appear to be; it must be admitted as fuch, because it is as well attested as any Thing in Antiquity: and whoever admits this Inftance of God's Displeasure, which involved the Innocent as well as Guilty in one promifcuous Doom; cannot, with any Colour of Reason, object to the utter Excifion of the Idolatrous Nations (when they had filled up the Meafure of their Iniquities) by his Command who could, and would, in another World make a Difference between the unoffending Perfon and the Presumptuous Sinner.

Thus again fome Parts of the Jewish Law prove themselves, and fhine with an original unborrowed Evidence, as thofe

relating

IV.

SER M. relating to the Sabbatical Year; the Afcent of all the Males to the Temple of Jerufalem three Times a Year; against multiplying Chariots, &c. they being fuch, as no wife Lawgiver would enact, nor any Nation fubmit to, without an abfolute Certainty of a Standing Divine Interpofition: and whatever intrinfic Brightness these are attended with, they diffufe it over the whole Body of the Law..

Again, nothing hath furnished an ampler Handle for Exceptions, than those Ways which the Prophets made ufe of to notify the Will of God; as if they denoted a frantic Turn of Mind. Now the exact and punctual Correfpondency between the Prophecy and the subsequent Events, plainly proves that God spoke by the Mouth of his Prophets; and it is demonftrable, that thofe, whofe Writings are infpired by God, cannot, in those Writings, be guilty of an Abfurdity. But there is no Demonstration that thofe Schemes of Difcourfe, which the Prophets ufed, carried any Indication of Frenzy. It being the only Indication of Frenzy, in Modes of Expreffion and Dress, not to fall in with received Cuftoms, as far as they are innocent. It was customary among the Orientals (and among other Nations too, as appears from the old Way of ratifying Leagues and Covenants, from the

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Act of the Phocaans, to which Horace
alludes in his Epodes, and even from
Pilate's washing his Hands) to communicate
their Sentiments by Typical Signs and Sym-
bolical Representations, in order to impress
them with more Energy. They used to
speak to the Eyes, by Actions expreffive
of their Meaning. Abfurdity is either,
what is fo in itself, fomething that contra-
dicts a confeffed Principle or Conclufion
of Reason, and this is unchangeably the
fame at all Times and Places: Or it is
what is relatively fo in Regard to Time,
Place and Perfon. In the latter Sense it is
of no fixed Nature, but an arbitrary Term;
That being abfurd in fome Circumftances,
which would be very proper, if Things
were differently circumftanced. As for Ab-
furdities of the former Kind, I know not
any Thing in the Emblematical Actions of
the Prophets that carries the least Appear-
ance of Sin or Immorality, except that of
Hofea's taking a Wife of Whoredoms:
which, though but an Appearance, is ob-
viated, if we confider the promiscuous Use
of the Imperative and Future in the He-
brew Tongue. For the Words may be
rendered, not, Take thee a Wife, &c. but,
Thou wilt take a Wife; a Prediction,
not a Command and the Sense may be,
* Hor. Lib. Epodon, Od. XVI. ver. 25, 26.

Sed juremus in hæc; fimul imis faxa renarint
Vadis levata, ne redire fit nefas.

"I fore

SERM.

IV.

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