§. 58.

viii. 61,

62.

Senfe of the Things whereby they might become good; that they might be what they defired to be by their own Choice; and that otherwife they could not be really Good, if they were not fuch by Choice, but were forced to be such by a Neceffity of Nature; he gave every one the free Power of his own Will, that he might be able to be fuch an one as he defired to be, &c.

See alfo ix. S. 4, 5, 6, 8.

As God has plac'd the Compafs of Heaven above the Mountains and the Earth, fo has he covered the Truth with the Veil of his Charity; that he only might attain to it, who would firft knock at the Gate of the Divine Love.

See iv. §. 4, 5. viii. §. 52, 53, 56,

$8, 59.

Men are not able to arrive at any certain Conclufion of Science and Knowledge by fuch Difputations; and they find their Lives to be at an End before their Queftions are fo. When therefore all Things appear to be uncertain as to these Points, we must have our Recourse to the True Prophet, whom God the Father would have beloved by all: And in order thereto he would entirely put an End to these Inventions of Men, wherein there was no certain Knowledge to be found, that fo

he

He might be the more enquired for, and might open that way of Truth to Men, which thofe others had fhut for them. For his Sake God did alfo make the World; and by him the World is fettled: Whence it is that he is every-where present to those that seek him after a Pure, and Holy and Faithful Manner.

See this Matter further Profecuted in my Chronology, P, 3--7.

Now from all this Evidence, and much more that might be alledg'd, it is apparent that the Jewish and Chriftian Religions always fuppofe that there must be a due Temper of Mind in the Enquirers, or else the Arguments for thofe Religions will not have their due Effect. That the Courfe of God's Providence defigns hereby to diftinguish between the well-difpos'd, the Meek, the Humble, and the Pious; which are those whom the common Light of Nature declares may expect the Divine Bleffing on their Studies of this fort; and the Ill-difpos'd, the Obftinate, the Proud and the Impious; which are thofe whom the fame common Light of Nature affures us may expect the Divine Malediction on the fame: And that 'tis not for want of convincing and fatisfactory Evidence in the Business of Revelation, but because many Men come with Perverse, Sceptical,

a 3

and

and wicked Difpofitions, that they fail of Satisfaction therein. Accordingly, I think it is true in common Obfervation, That the Virtuous and the Religious, I mean thofe that are fuch according to Natural Confcience dorarely, if ever, fail on their Enquiries to Embrace and Acquiefce in both the Jewish and Chriftian Revelations; and that the Debauch'd and Prophane do as feldom fail on their Enquiries to Reject and Ridicule them. Which different Success of the fame Examination, agrees exactly with the whole Tenor of the Scriptures; and is the very fame which must be true, in cafe thofe Scriptures be true alfo, and is, by Confequence, a confiderable Confirmation of their real Verity and Inspiration. And certainly, he that confiders bis own Weaknefs and Dependance on God, and that all Truth and Evidence must come originally from him, will by Natural Judgment and Equity pronounce, that be wha expects the Divine Bleffing and Illumination, in Points of fuch vaft Confequence, asthofe of Revelation most certainly are, ought above all things to purify his Will, and rectify his Conduct in fuch Points as all the World knows to be the Will of God, and to Address himSelf to the Divine Majefty with due Fervency and Serioufnefs, for his Aid and Affiftance, before he can juftly promife himself Success in fo great and momentous an Undertaking.

But

But then as to the Second Enquiry, or the Degree of Evidence that ought to expected in Religious Matters, it feems to me very neceffary to fay fomewhat upon this Subject alfo, before we come to our main Defign. For as on the one Side it is a great Error in all Cafes to expect fuch Evidence as the Nature of the Subject renders impoffible, fo is it as weak on the other Side, to lay the Strefs of important Truths on fuch Evidence, as is in its own Nature Unfatiffactory and Precarious; or to affert with great Affurance what can no way be Proved, even by that fort of Evidence which is proper for the Subject in Debate. An Inftance of the firft Sort we have in Autolycus, an Hea- Theoph. then, in his Debates with Theophilus of ad AntoAntioch, who appears weakly to have infifted lyc, L. I. upon Seeing the God of the Chriftians, e'er he would believe his Exiftence: While one of the known Attributes of that God is, that he is Invifible. And almost equally prepofterous would any Philofophick Sceptick now be, who fhould require the Sight of the Air in which we Breath, before he would believe that there was fuch an Element at all. Whereas it is clear, that the Air may be demonftrated to be fufficiently fenfible and real, by a Thoufand Experiments, while yet none of thofe Experiments can render it Visible to us: Just as the Existence of a Supreme Being may

va 4

be demon

in initio.

4

demonftrated by innumerable Arguments, although none of thofe Arguments imply even the Poffibility of his being properly Seen by any of his Creatures. But then, that we may keep a Mean here, and may neither on one Side, expect in our Religious Enquiries, overbearing, or strictly Mathematick Evidence, fuch as is impoffible to be deny'd or doubted of by any, which would render the conftant Defign of Providence, already ftated entirely ineffectual, and force both Good and Bad to be Believers, without all Regard to their Qualifications and Temper of Mind: Nor on the other Side, may depend on fuch weak and precarious Arguments, as are not really fufficient nor fatisfactory to even Fair, Honeft, and Impartial Men; I intend bere to Confider, what that Degree of Evidence is, which ought to be here infifted on; without which we are not, and with which we are obliged to acquiefce in Divine Matters. Now this Degree of Evidence I take to be that, and no other, which upright fudges are determin'd by in all the important Affairs of Eftate and Life that come before them: And according to which, they ever aim to give Sentence in their Courts of Judicature. I chufe to Inftance in this Judicial Evidence, andthefe Judicial Determinations especially, becaufe the Perfons concern'd in fuch Matters are, by long Ufe, and the Nature of their

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