CHA P. IX.

Of Mahomet.

That he was Luftful, Proud, and Cruel, appears from

the Alcoran it felf,

TH

PART IV.

CHAP. I.

P. 374, 375.

Hat there is as great Certainty of the Truth of the Chriftian Religion, as there is of the Being of God,

CHAP. II.

The Refolution of Faith.

P. 377.

The Scriptures confider'd, (1.) As Hiftorically true: (2.) As to their Doctrine, which concerns Eternal Salvation, p. 381, 382. From both these Confiderations, it follows, that they are infallibly True, p. 383. In many cafes, there is as much caufe to believe what we know from others, as what we fee and experience our felves, p. 384. And thus it is in the prefent cafe, concerning the Refolution of Faith, p. 387. The Evidence of Senfe, and of Humane Teftimony in this cafe, compared, p. 389. The Certainty of both ultimately refolv'd into the Divine Veracity, &c. ibid. An Objection from John xx. 29. answer'd, p. 392. The Truth of the Chriftian Religion, evident even to a Demonftration, P. 394.

ERRAT A.

AG. 115. Marg. read Tavern. ibid. P. 205. 1. 6. r. He prophefied. P. 321. Marg. 1. 2. r. Tab.

THE

N Difcourfing of the Reasonableness and Certainty of the Chriftian Religion, I fhall ufe this Method: I. I shall fhew, That from the Notion of a God, it neceffarily follows, that there must be fome Divine Revelation. II. I shall enquire into the Way and Manner by which this Revelation may be fuppos'd to be delivered and preferved in the World, III. I shall shew, That from the Notion of a God, and the Nature and Design of a Divine Revelation, it follows, That the Scriptures of the Old and New Teítament are that Divine Revelation. IV. That no other Books or Doctrines whatsoever can be of Divine Revelation. V. I shall from hence give a Refolution of our Faith, by fhewing, That we have the fame Eyidence for the Truth and Divine Authority of the Scriptures, that we have for the Being of God himfelf; because it follows, from the Notion of a God, both that there muft of neceffity be fonie Divine Re

velation, and that the Scriptures are that Divine Revelation. VI. Having done this, I fhall, in the last place, endeavour to clear fuch Points as are commonly thought most liable to exception in the Christian Religion; and fhall propofe fome Confiderations, which may serve to remove fuch Objections, and obviate fuch Cavils as are ufually rais'd against the Holy Scriptures.

CHAP. I.

That from the Notion of a God, it necessarily fol lows that there must be fome Divine Revelation.

N the First place, I fhall fhew how Reasonable and Neceffary it is to fuppofe, that God fhould Reveal himself to Mankind: And I fhall infift the rather upon this, because it is not ufually fo much confider'd in this Controversy, as it ought to be; for if it were, it certainly would go very far towards the proving the Divine Authority of the Scriptures; fince if it be once made appear that there must be fome Divine Revelation, it will be no hard matter to prove that the Scriptures are that Revelation: For if it be proved that there must be some Revealed Religion, there is no other which can bear any competition with that contained in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament. My first Business therefore fhall be to fhew, from the Confideration of the Attributes of God, and of the Nature and State of Mankind, that in all reason we cannot but believe that there is fome Revealed Religion in the World.

There is nothing more evident to Natural Reafon than that there must be fome Beginning, fome Firft Principle of Being, from whence all other Beings proceed. And nothing can be more abfurd, than to ima

gine that That wonderful variety of Beings in the Heavens and Earth and Seas, which all the Wisdom of Man is not able in any measure to understand, or thoroughly to fearch into, fhould yet be produced and continued for fo many thousand Years together, without any Wisdom or Contrivance; that an unaccountable Concourfe of Atoms, which could never build the least House or Cottage, fhould yet build and sustain the wonderful Fabrick of the whole World; that when the very Lines in a Globe or Sphere cannot be made without Art, the World it self, which that is but an imperfect Imitation of, fhould be made without it;. and that lefs Skill fhould be required to the forming of a Man, than is neceffary to the making of his Picture; that Chance should be the cause of all the Order, and Fortune of all the Conftancy and Regularity in the Nature of Things; and that the very Faculties of Reafon and Understanding in all Mankind, fhould have their Original from that, which had no Senfe or Knowledge, but was mere Ignorance and Stupidity. This is fo far from being Reafon and Philofophy, that it is down-right Folly and Contradiction.

From a Being therefore of Infinite Pertection muft proceed all things that are befides, with all their Perfections and Excellencies, and among others, the Vir tues and Excellencies of Wifdom, Juftice, Mercy and Truth must be derived from him, as the Author of all the Perfections of which the Creatures are capable. And it is abfurd to imagine that the Creator and Governor of the World, who is infinitely, more Juft, more Wife and Good and Holy than any Creature can be, will not at laft reward the Good, and punish the Wicked. For, Shall not the Judge of all the Earth dd right? Is it to be fuppofed that the Wife and Good God would create Men only to abuse themselves and one another? to live a while in Sin and Folly here, and fome of them in the most extravagant and brutal Wickedness, and then go down to the Grave, and fo

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there should be an end of them for ever? What is there worthy of the infinite Wisdom of God, in fo poor a Design as this! Doth not the Voice of Nature it felf teach us, and has it not been the general Belief and Expectation of all Ages and Nations, that the profperous Sinner, who is fubtle and powerful to do mischief, muft fuffer in another World for what he has done amifs here? and, that all is not to pass away with us in Sport and Extravagance, in Laughter and Noife, in Riot, or in Violence and Cruelty, as fome Men are willing to believe; as if the World were made for the Wicked, and they to abuse it?

It appears likewife from the common Belief and Experience of Mankind, that as there is a God of infinite Goodness and Holinefs; so there are wicked and malicious Spirits, which are ever contriving the Mifchief and Ruin of Men. For befides the Evidence of this from Scripture, which we must be allowed here to alledge in the nature at least of an History, it is folly to imagine that all the Oracles and Prodigies of the Heathens could be mere Forgeries, and that there was no ground nor foundation for fuch a Belief, as univerfally obtained in all Nations and Ages of the World, and for the Customs and Practices which followed upon this Belief, that there are Damons, or Spirits, of an evil and malicious Disposition and Power. I fhall inftance only in the unnatural Cruelties, which the Heathen World, even the Greeks and Romans themfelves, were continually put upon, by the inftigation of these malicious and wicked Spirits. For the Heathen Nations offered up multitudes of innocent Men and Women, and even their own Children, in Sacrifice to their Falfe Gods; which is as fure an Evidence that there are fuch Beings, which required thefe Cruelties from them, as it is, that there are Tyrants and Perfecutors, when they cause innocent Men to be murthered, and Children to be torn from the Arms of their Parents, and flain in their fight. And tho' the Dominion

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