fome time withdrawn from the Jews; which must make them at firft more fhy, and fufpicious

of

through, and which had juft brought the whole fyftem into difrepute; might induce them to view all others in the fame light, and not think any of them worth a serious examination. Befide the common prejudices which opposed all the gofpel evidences in conjunction, each of thefe reafons, no doubt, had its weight in overbalancing this powerful one particularly, fo far as reafoning was concerned; efpecially the laft. And yet it would be no very difficult thing to fhew, that they reafoned extremely ill upon the point. For as the multitude of fabulous miracles reported amongst them could be no warrant for their disbelieving thofe ancient, original ones, wrought among the Patriarchs and Jews, (of which their own were only fo many aukward imitations ;) but rather on the contrary, were a confirmation of their truth; (fee Confiderations, p. 78.) fo they were far from having any ground fufficient to reject or difregard fuch as were undeniably performed in their own times, unless they had others of equal authority and importance to confront them with; which I apprehend was very far from being the cafe: though fuch a feries of lying wonders might easily produce a very strong prejudice against all other wondrous things, how differently foever circumflanced; and hinder them from attending to this difference of circumftances, (as indeed we find it did with several) fince any mixture of trifling, fpurious, impertinent ones, is ever apt to prejudice and detract from the true; how far foever this be from any juftification of the abovementioned conduct, which a due care and impartiality in moft of them might have prevented. This is all, I apprehend, that can be fairly deduced from fuch an event; and this, methinks, inftead of leading us rafhly to receive or to reject all miracles promifcuously, or hindering us from ever looking into the foundation and authority of each; fhould rather teach us to be very willing at all times to have both of them examined by any hand; and carefully endeavour to distinguish these two kinds from one another, in order to prevent the like thing happening to fome even amongst ourselves. Among other unbelievers, Chubb lays hold of this objection, though he has it but by hearfay. Pofth. Works, Vol. II. p. 221, 225. The fame is often repeated by Hume, and well answered by Adams, Eff. p. 102, 110. and by Middleton, Pref. &c. to Let. from Rome, p. 86, &c. As to the great propriety of this proof, notwithstanding all thofe bars to its reception, fee Wefton's Differtations, p. 352, &c.

And that very much of the fabulous romantick tafte which abounded in many Chriftian writers, down to the fifth, and fome following Centuries, might be derived from their old Heathen acquaintance, among whom fome of the most eminent hiftorians and philofophers often give no lefs remarkable and perfectly parallel fpecimens of the moft fenfelefs fuperftition and credulity, may be feen in Lardner's collection of Jerijh and Heathen Teftimonies. V. 4. paffim. See more particularly the Articles of Zofimus and Damafcius.

That

of any new pretence to infpiration *. Oracles began to cease among the Gentiles, by being defpifed,

That no real miracle was ever worked, either by evil fpirits or evil men, in direct oppofition to a Divine Revelation, is fully proved both from reafon and fcripture, by Mr. Farmer in his excellent differtation on that subject: who has alfo fairly fhewn, that all the embarrafment and inconfiftency in the ancient and modern advocates for the truth of Chriftianity is founded on the contrary fuppofition; and it seems hard to conceive how that ingenious writer, who faw fo clearly into the vulgar prejudices on that head, and has contributed fo largely to the removal of them, should be himself so deeply ftill involved in one of the like nature, as to bear teftimony to the exiftence and confcious operation of human fouls departed; which notion of separate spirits he fo well proves to have been the ground of all the heathen dæmonology, and all which Dæmons he has no lefs clearly fhewn from fcripture to be mere nullities that have neither life nor action, that neither know, nor do, nor are any thing real: contenting himself (as should feem) with the common answer to thofe numerous texts, which affirm this total infenfibility and inefficiency of all fuch entities in the moft abfolute terms, by confining them to a fenfe merely relative, viz. that they have no corporeal life or action; which is no great discovery, fince it is included in the very fuppofition of them; that they know not any thing, nor have a thought of any thing which concerns the prefent world: though even here it is not very easy to comprehend what could be a more interesting object of their contemplation, than the things acted on that theatre where they have borne their part, and for which they are to give a firict account; notwithstanding their prefent inability to appear on it any longer; or while they retain any memory, how they should entirely forget every circumftance relative to their old manfion, as fome writers feem to allow; and they might with equal reason admit what the fcriptures no lefs plainly affert, viz. that in death there is no re membrance at all, even of God himself. But how far this worthy author may be concerned in thefe reflections, or what way he would take to avoid the foregoing, and like difficulties, were he preffed with them, I fhall not pretend to determine, fince he has been fo brief upon this point, wherein I am forry to be obliged to differ from him.

We may add, that the ceafing of this, as well as of miracles, for a time, would likewife be a means of raifing greater furprise among the Jews upon the revival of both; and of procuring more attention, and regard to the perfon, who fhould appear really to have the gift of them again. Gifts granted to the difciples of our Saviour, which none had been partakers of fince the time of Malachi; God having fo ordered it, that the defires of the Jews might be the more inflamed for the Meffiah's coming; as alfo that, upon his coming, he might the more easily be difcerned.' Allix. Reflect. Part iv. p. 272. How

fpifed, and generally neglected; divination of all kinds was brought into contempt +: and though they were fufficiently defirous of fome better light in matters of religion, than what their own reafon and philosophy afforded them, as was observed above; yet from the many falfe lights, which had been already held forth, and which had only ferved to mislead and bewilder them, they rather began to despair of finding any true one. Tired out with wandering through the mazes of error and uncertainty, the wifeft of them gave up all fuch pretended guides; and looked upon the whole story of revelation as a cheat. Thus men were fufficiently guarded against any new impofition, though never so well fupported by wit, policy, or learning. Nor would they, furely, be less adverse to one that came without all these: to one ap

pearing in fuch a form, and with such recommendations, as the Chriftian scheme;-so destitute of aid from human wisdom, and fubtilty; fo feemingly below what they had hitherto been entertained with; -stript of all that pomp and ornament, which attended the Jewish institution;

that art and eloquence, which adorned each fyftem of philofophy;-confifting of a few plain rules of life; and these fo ftrictly pure, and per

fect,

far revelation ceafed from the time of Malachi; and what reasons are affignable for it, may be seen in Vitringa, Obferv. Sac. L.v. c. 6.-14. How the return of a miraculous power among the Jerus, at the pool of Bethesda, might prepare them for expecting the Meffiah, together with the reafon for their concealing the fact afterwards, upon that power's ceafing; fee Clagett on Job. v. 4. Comp. Whitby, ibid.

+ Dubium non eft quin hæc difciplina et ars Augurum evanuerit jam et vetuftate et negligentid. Cic. de Leg. L. ii. c. 13.

fect, as equally to strike at the corrupt Scribe, and haughty Philofopher: and therefore fuch as muft needs be to the one, a fumbling block, and to the other, foolishness;-delivered for the most part occafionally, without any fet method; in the moft fimple unaffected manner; - by mean, obscure perfons; in full oppofition to all the reigning paffions, prejudices, and interefts of the learned and great *: under all these, and the like disadvantages, which are well known to have attended the Chriftian religion in its infancy; if at fuch a time, and in fuch circumftances, it was able to support itself, and make its way in the world; and still be an impofition, both upon the fenfes, and the reason of mankind; in what a strange situation must mankind have been, in both of these respects! How different from what they have ever been before, or fince! How will

the

Tis very remarkable concerning all the prophecies of the New Teftament, as one intrinsic character or mark of the truth and divine authority of the whole, that whereas impoftors always, and enthufiafts generally, in fetting up any new doctrines, make it their bufifinefs to raise the expectation of their followers, and to flatter their imaginations with promifes of great fuccefs, and of God's interpofing in fome extraordinary manner to bring into their hands the power and dominion of this prefent world; our Lord's promises, on the contrary, are all of a fpiritual nature; promifes of a proper reward for virtue in a future and heavenly flate; but that at prefent, what his true difciples had to expect was perfecution and fufferings of all kinds. Nay, what is ftill more remarkable, and more effentially contrary to the fpirit both of impofture and enthufiafm, he foretells the greatest, and moft extenfive, and most lafting corruptions of his own religion,' Dr. Clarke, Serm. Ixi. on Matt. xxiv. 12.

This obfervation is a very juft one, and better founded than the propofition which this learned and judicious writer makes the title of his whole difcourfe, viz. That the abounding of iniquity is the cause of its abounding more; which I apprehend is as far from being univerfally true in fact, as it is from being well fupported in the faid Difcourfe,

the men who are so apt to ftumble, and strain at each little difficulty, which attends the present fcheme, in common with all others; be able to get over this great, unparalleled one, of fuch an impofition, [were it one indeed] prevailing so far, and in fuch a manner as this did *? Or rather, have they not from hence some reason to allow of its pretenfions? Some room to admire with us, how fure muft its foundation be! How ftrong the outward proofs of its divine authority! How great its inward force and efficacy! This to a fair enquirer, who will weigh the cafe with any tolerable impartiality, fhould now afford the fame conviction that it did of old; and fhew it to be nothing less than the power of God, and the wisdom of God. Each of these obstacles to its reception, gives the strongest atteftation to it, when once approved of, and embraced; and all together muft, when duly attended to, gain it the highest efteem; and be a standing evidence,, both of its truth and excellence; a fufficient anfwer to all fufpicions that can be raised, from the prevalence of any fable, or impofture in any other age; from what may have been introduced in a manner di

rectly

If it be a greater difficulty to affign any adequate caufe of this effect, befide the reality of that event; or if the other fuppofition be (as a certain author terms it) more miraculous than that event; then, by the confeffion of Scepticifm itfelf, it fhould command our belief or opinion. And that this is the cafe here, I apprehend we may maintain, till fome new principles in human nature be discovered, from which fuch an appearance can be folved with greater probability than has been hitherto done. See Philof Effays concerning Hum. Und. by D. Hume, fect. 10. But the futility of this Author's Principles, and the notorious fallacy of his conclufions on the prefent fubje&t, have been clearly demonftrated by Mr. Price in the last of his four Differtations.