SERM. II. run into univerfal Scepticism. We will not believe, that the Deity does or discovers any thing marvellous and unaccountable in an unusual and fupernatural Manner, though every Thing, that he does in the common Road of his Providence, be marvellous and unaccountable to us.

Though Men may disagree about Matters of pure abftract Reasoning; yet every reasonable Man is determined by the Evi dences for Matters of Fact, when they amount to a moral Certainty; unless it be in Cafes, where the Paffions intereft themfelves, and indifpofe the Mind for the Reception of Truth. Every intelligent Perfon, after Examination, must judge alike in thefe Matters; except his Judgment be overruled, and his Affent obftructed by fome wrong Affection, by fome ftrong Biafs, and fome infuperable Prejudice, perhaps unfufpected by himself: Otherwise a Man might seriously dispute, whether Julius Cæfar made a Descent upon England, conquered Pompey, and was ftabbed in the Senate House; which no Man in his Senses ever did, or ever will do. Either then it must be maintained, contrary to what I have already proved, that the Evidences of Christianity

Christianity do not amount to a moral Cer- SERM. II.
tainty, or, if they do, it will be diffi-
cult to affign a Reafon, why clear, strong,
and indubitable Proofs fhould not have as
much Force and Weight in the Affair of
Religion, as they have in all others; unless
we may fuppofe there is fomething amifs
within, fome latent Difingenuity of Tem-
per, which here, though not in other Cafes,
Thuts up
all the Avenues, by which Light
can find an Entrance.

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1

Though we have not a fcientifical infallible Certainty of the Truth of Chriftianity; yet we have an infallible Certainty, that we ought to be determined by fuch Evidences, as Chriftianity is furrounded with: Because either we must act upon Juch Evidence in the daily Courfe of Life, or remain in a State of utter Inaction. He, that will not admit moral Certainty to be a fufficient Principle of Action; if his Practice be conformable to his Perfuafion, muft neither eat nor drink, till he has a mathematical Demonftration, that what he eats and drinks will prove wholefom; he will be fure of nothing in this World, but that he muft, by acting up to fuch a Notion, depart fpeedily out of it. If we have a moral VOL. II,

U

Cer

SERM. II. Certainty of the Truth of Christianity; every unprejudiced Mind is determined by moral Certainty, we may argue thus.—It is demonftrably certain, that there is a Being of infinite Goodnefs, Truth, and Veracity. -It is demonftrably certain, that a Being of infinite Goodness, Truth, and Veracity will not miflead his Creatures into unavoidable Errors, nor fuffer an Imposture to pass upon the World, in his Name, in a Matter of the last Importance, with such manifeft Tokens of Credibility, and moral Certainty, as muft, and do in every other Cafe, determine an unprejudiced Mind— therefore it is demonftrably certain, that Christianity is no Impofture. Thus the Christian Faith, in the laft Refort, refolves itself into, and terminates in, the divine Veracity: It is as fure as that God cannot lie, that he who has laid his Creatures under an Obligation to act upon moral Evidence, would not have done fo, if fuch ftrong Evidence could ever inevitably deceive them in an Affair of infinite Concernment.

SER

SERMON III.

III.

Preached at the

Lady MOYER'S LECTURE.

ma'no

On the Genuineness and Inspiration
of the Sacred Writers.

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My do lad 1 THESS. II. 13.

as

When ye received the Word of God, which
ye beard of us, ye received it not as the
Word of Men, but (as it is in Truth)
the Word of God.

W

."

HEN St. Paul preached the SERM.III. Gofpel of Chrift to the Theffalonians, they embraced it gladly, and believed it to be, what it really is, of divine Authority and Infpiration. That we may do fo too, it will be neceffary to prove,

20

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It, The

SERM. III.

Ift, The Genuineness of those Books, which contain the Gofpel of Jefus Chrift. And,

IIdly, Their divine Inspiration.

Ist, I am to prove the Genuineness of thofe Books, which contain the Gospel of Jefus Chrift

Thofe Authors are confeffedly, genuine, who have received the Sanction of their Contemporaries, or immediate Succeffors, followed by an uninterrupted Series of Vouchers.

Thus St. Paul quotes the Gofpel of St. Luke, whofe Praife is in the Gospel throughout all the Churches, as of equal Authority with the Writings of Mofes. For the Scripture faith, thou shalt not muzzle the Ox that treadeth out the Corn, and, the Labourer is worthy of his Reward, 1 Tim. v. 18. which laft Paffage occurs no where but in St. Luke x. ver. 7. as the former is to be met with Deut. xxv. ver. 4.

I

}

Thus St. John, as Eufebius * informs us, ftamped his Authority, at the Inftance

*Eufebii Hift. Eccl. Lib. 3. cap. 24.

of