с Subtilty, were employ'd to deftroy. Yet this Apostate Emperor recommended the Charity, Piety, and good Converfation of the Chriftian Bishops to the Imitation of his own Priefts: He could d not deny the Miracles of Mofes and Elias, and of Christ himself. For what Reafon, but because he found it impoffible to difprove them? He had the Roman Archives in his Poffeffion; Why did he not confute what Justin Martyr and Tertullian had publifh'd from them, concerning the Birth of Chrift, and the Acts of Pilate relating to his Miracles and Refurrection? would he have had Recourfe to remote Arguments, and tedious Reafonings, if the Jews, whom he fo highly favour'd in Oppofition to the Gospel, or any other Enemies of Christianity, could have furnish'd him with Evidence against the Matters of Fact, upon which our Religion entirely depends? And fince, as fure as there is a God, there must be a Reveal'd Religion; if any Man will difpute the Truth of the Chriftian Religion, let him inftance in any other Religion that can make a better Plea, and has more Certainty that it came from God; let him produce any other Religion that has more visible Chara&ters of Divinity in it, and we will not fcruple to be of it; but if it be impoffible for him to fhew any fuch, (ás has been prov'd) then he ought to be of this, fince there must be fome Reveal'd Religion; and if this Religion, which has more Evidence for it, than any other Religion can be pretended to have, and all that it could be requifite for it to have, fuppofing it true, and which it is therefore impoffible to discover to be false, if it were fo; if this Religion be not true, God must be wanting to Mankind, in what concerns their eternal Intereft and Happiness; he must be wanting to himself, and to his own Attri с Epift. 49. Fragment. Epift. p. 305. d Apud Cyrill. I. 10. P. 343. butes And there butes of Goodness, Juftice, and Truth. fore he, that upon a due Examination of all the Reafons and Motives to it, will not be a Chriftian, can be no better than an Atheist, if he discern the Confequence of things, and will hold to his own Principles, for there can be no Medium, if we rightly confider the Nature of God, and of the Chriftian Religion; but as fure as there is a God, (and nothing can be more certain) the Gospel was reveal'd by him. CHA P. II. The Refolution of Faith. H I upon Aving proved the Truth and Certainty of our Religion, I fhall in the laft place, upon these Principles, give a Refolution of our Faith, which is a Subject that has caus'd fuch unneceffary and unhappy Difputes amongst Christians in thefe latter Ages; for in the Primitive Times, this was no Matter of Controversy, as indeed it could not then, and ought not now to be. 1. Confidering the Scriptures only as an History, containing the Actions and Doctrines of Mafes and the Prophets, and of our Saviour and his Apostles, we have the greatest humane Teftimony, that can be, of Men, who had all the Opportunities of knowing the Truth of those Miracles, &c. which gave Evi dence and Authority to the Doctrines, as Reveal'd from God, and who could have no Interest to deceive others, but expofed themselves to all manner of Dangers, and Infamy, and Torments, by bearing Testimony to the Truth of what is contain'd in the Scriptures; whereas Impoftures are wont to be invented, not to incur fuck' Sufferings, but to avoid them, or to obtain the Advantages and Pleafures of this World. And And fo this Testimony amounts to a moral Certainty, or as it is properly enough called by fome, to a moral Infallibility, because it implies a moral impossibility of our being deceived by it: fuch a Certainty it is, as that nothing with any reafon can be objected against it. We can have as little reafon to doubt, that Chrift and his Apoftles did, and fuffered, and taught, what the Scriptures relate of them, in Jerufalem, Antioch, &c. as that there ever were fuch places in the World; nay, we have that much better attefted than this, for many Men have died in Testimony of the Truth of it. II. This Teftimony being confidered with refpect to the nature of the thing teftified, as it concerns eternal Salvation, which is of the greatest concernment to all Mankind, it appears that God's Veracity and Goodness are engaged, that we should not be deceived inevitably in a Matter of this confequence: So that this moral Infallibility becomes hereby abfolute Infallibility and that which was before but Humane Faith, becomes Divine, being grounded not upon Humane Teftimony, but upon the Divine Attributes, which do atteft and confirm that Humane Teftimony; and fo Divine Teftimony is the ultimate ground, why I believe the Will of God to be delivered in the Scriptures; it is no particular revealed Teftimony indeed, but that which is equivalent to it, viz. the conftant Atteftation of God by his Providence. For it is repugnant to the very notion of a God, to let Men be deceived, without any poffible help or remedy, in a matter of fuch importance. And thus we have the ground of our Faith abfolutely infallible, because it is evident from the Divine Attributes, that God doth confirm this Humane Teftimony 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 Truth and Goodnefs of Almighty God, to fuffer a Deceit of this nature to pass 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 Testimony, or the Formal Principle and Reason 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 saw the Miracles by which the Scriptures stand confirmed, viz. the revealed Will of God and the Ground or Foundation of our Belief, is the fame that theirs was, viz. the divine Goodnefs and Truth, whereby we are affured, that God would not fuffer Miracles to be wrought in his own Name, according to Prophecies formerly delivered, and with all other circumstances 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 thefe 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 çertified to us, as his Divine Attributes can render it. For they were affured of this, from what their own Senfes perceived; but we have our afsurance 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 Reveal ed ed 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 thofe 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 cafes 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 Sense it self; no evidence can fatisfie Senfe 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 Reafon,as that which is immediately derived from our Senfes, concerning the Being of Objects, or the Truth of Matters of Fact. Thus thofe who never travelled to the Indies, do as little doubt that there is fuch a place, as those who have been never fo often there; and all Men believe, there was fuch a Man as Julius Casar, with as little fcruple as if they had lived in his time, and had feen and spoke with him. I fuppofe no Man in his wits makes any more doubt, but there are fuch places as Judaa 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 |