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cause it is evident from the Divine Attributes, that God doth confirm this Humane Testimony by his

own.

III. The Argument then proceeds thus: If the Scriptures were falfe, it would be impoffible to dif cover them to be fo; and it is inconfiftent with the Truth and Goodness of Almighty God, to fuffer a Deceit of this nature to pafs upon Mankind, without any poffibility of a Difcovery; therefore it follows, that they are not falfe. Here is, 1. The Object, or Thing to be believed, viz. that the Revelation delivered to us in the Scriptures, is from God. 2. The Motive or Evidence to induce our Belief, viz. Humane Testimony. 3. A confirmation of that Teftimony, or the Formal Principle and Reafon of our Belief, viz. the Divine Goodness and Truth. The Object therefore, or Thing believed, is the fame to us that it was to those who faw the Miracles by which the Scriptures ftand confirmed, viz. the revealed Will of God: and the Ground or Foundation of our Belief, is the fame that theirs was, viz. the divine Goodness and Truth, whereby we are affured, that God would nor fuffer Miracles to be wrought in his own Name, according to Prophecies formerly delivered, and with all other circumftances of credibility, only to confirm a Lie. The only difference then between the refolution of Faith in us, and in the Chriftians who were converted by the Apostles themselves, is this, that tho' we believe the fame things, and upon the fame grounds and reasons with them, yet we have not the fame immediate Motives or Evidence to induce our Belief; or to fatisfie us in these Reasons, and convince us, that the Revealed Will of God, contained in the Scriptures, is to be believed upon these grounds; that is, to fatisfie and convince us, that the belief of the Scriptures being the Word of God, is finally refolved into the Authority of God himself; and is as well certified to us, as his Divine Attributes

can

can render it. For they were affured of this from what their own Senfes perceived; but we have our affurance of it from the Teftimony of others.

The Question therefore will be, whether the Motives and Arguments for this Belief in us, or the means whereby we become affured, that the Revealed Will of God is contained in the Scriptures, be not as fufficient to produce a Divine Faith in us, and to establish our Faith upon the Divine Authority, as the Motives and Arguments which those had, who lived with the Apostles, and faw their Miracles, could be to produce that Faith in them, which refolved it felf into the Divine Authority. And this Enquiry will depend upon thefe Two Things: 1. Whether we may not be affured of fome things as certainly from the Teftimony of others, as from our own Senfes. 2. Whether this be not the prefent cafe, relating to the refolution of Faith. I fhall therefore confider in the first place, the Certainty which we have for the Matters of Fact, by which the Authority of the Scriptures is proved and confirmed to us, compared with the Evidence of Senfe, and will then apply it to the refolution of Faith.

I. In many cases Men feem generally agreed, that there is as much caufe to believe what they know from others, as what they fee and experience themselves. For there may be fuch circumftances of credibility, as equal the evidence even of Senfe it felf; no evidence can fatisfie Sense fo much indeed, nor perhaps fo much affect the Paffions, as that of Senfe; but there may be other evidence, which may give as clear conviction, and altogether as good fatisfaction to our Reason, as that which is immediately derived from our Senfes, concerning the Being of Objects, or the Truth of Matters of Fact. Thus those who never travelled to the Indies, do as little doubt that there is fuch a place, as those who have been never so often there; and all Men believe, there was fuch a Man as Julius Cafur, with

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with as little fcruple as if they had lived in his time, and had feen and spoke with him. I suppose no Man in his wits makes any more doubt, but there are fuch places as Judea and Jerufalem, . from the conftant report of Hiftorians and Travellers, than if he had been in thofe places himself, and had lived the greatest part of his Life there and the greatest Infidel that I know of, never pretended yet to disbelive, that there was fuch a Perfon as our Saviour Chrift. But all Men think themselves as well affured of things of this nature upon the credit of others, as if they had seen them themselves. For how doubtful and intricate foever fome things may be,' for want of knowledge or credit in the Relaters, yet there are other things delivered with that agreement and certainty on all hands, that to doubt of them would be as unreasonable, as to doubt of what we our felves fee and hear.

And if our Saviour's Refurrection, for inftance, be of this nature, we can with as little reafon doubt of it, as if we had lived at that time, and had converfed with him after his Refurrection from the Dead. But we have as great affurance that he was alive again after his Crucifixion, as that he ever lived at all; and we have at least all the affurance that there was such a Perfon as Chrift, that we can have, that there once lived any other Man at that diftance of time from us. We can no more doubt, that our Saviour was born in the Reign of Auguftus Cæfar, and was crucified under Tiberius, than that there were once fuch Emperors in the World; nay, we have it much better attested, that Chrift was born, and was crucified, and rofe again, than that there ever were fuch Princes as these two Emperors: for no Man ever made it his business to go about the World to certifie this, and to teftifie the truth of it at his Death. But the Apoftles themselves, and their Difciples and Converts, and innumerable others ever fince, from the beginning of Chriftianity, have afferted the particulars of the Life, and Death, and

Refure

.

Refurrection of our Saviour, under all Dangers, and Torments, and Deaths; and have made it their great aim and defign, both living and dying, to bear Teftimony to the Truth of the Gofpel. So that a Man may as well doubt of any Matter of Fact that ever was done before his own time, or at a great distance from him, as doubt of thefe Fundamentals of the Chriftian Religion; and yet there is no Man, but thinks himself as certain of fome things at leaft, which were done a long time ago, or a great way off, as if he had been at the doing of them himself."

Indeed, in fome refpects we feem to have more evidence than thofe could have that lived in the beginning of Chriftianity; for they could fee but fome Miracles, we have the benefit of all; they relyed upon their own Senfes, and upon the Senfes of fuch as they knew and converfed with; we upon the Senses of innumerable People, who fucceffively beheld them for the space of divers hundred Years together: So that whoever will not believe the Scriptures, neither would he believe, though one rofe from the dead; that is, though the greatest Miracle were wrought for his Conviction. This was faid of the Old Teftament, and therefore may with greater reafon be faid of That and the New both.

And we have befides, one fort of evidence, which those that lived at the firft planting of Chriftianity, could not have; for we fee many of thofe Prophecies fulfilled, which our Saviour foretold concerning his Church; we know how it fprung up and flourished, and from what fmall and unlikely beginnings it has fpread it felf into all corners of the Earth, and continues to this day, notwithstanding all the malice of Men and Devils to root it out, and destroy it. The continuance and fuccefs of the Gofpel under fo improbable circumstances, was Matter of Faith chiefly to the first Christians, but to us is Matter of Fact, and the Object of Senfe: they faw the Work indeed pro

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fper in their hands; but their Faith only could tell them that it fhould flourish for fo many Ages, as we know it has already done. This is a standing and invincible proof to us, at this distance of Time, and has the force of a two-fold Argument, the one of a power of Miracles, the other of Prophecies: we know that a miraculous Power has been manifefted in conquering all oppofition, and in a wonderful manner bringing thofe things to pafs, which to human Wisdom and Power are altogether impoffible. And the fulfilling hereby of Prophecies, is a vifible confirmation to us of the truth of thofe Miracles, which, by the testimony of others, we believe to have been done by the Prophets, whofe Prophecies we fee fulfilled. And fince it must be acknowledged that things may be fo well attefted, that we may with as much reafon doubt of the truth of our own Senfes, as of the Authority, by which we are affured of the truth of them, and muft turn Scepticks, or worse, if we will not believe them; we may conclude, as well upon the account of thefe Prophecies, which we our felves fee fulfilled, as upon all other accounts, that the Hiftorical Evidence in proof of the Chriftian Religion, amounts to all the certainty that a Matter of Fact is capable of, not excepting even that of Senfe it felf.

II. Let us now apply all this to the Refolution of Faith, and give an account how a divine and infallible Faith may be produced in us. Human Teftimony is the motive by which we believe the Scriptures to contain God's revealed will: This certifies us, that fuch Miracles were wrought, and fuch Prophecies delivered, as give to the Scriptures the full evidence and authority of a Divine Revelation. If therefore it be enquired, why we believe the Scriptures to be the Word of God? The Answer is, upon the account of the Miracles and Prophecies, which concurring with all other requifite circumstances in a Revelation, confirm the truth of them. If it be ask'd, how we know

that

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