tiles may have had, in the interval between Abraham and Chrift, all that suited their other circumstances, all that they could have improved by an internal voluntary purity, other things remaining the fame, which is always fuppofed. And it is remarkable in the view of this propofition, that we learn fo much from the Scriptures concerning the moral difcipline which God afforded to the Gentiles.

When we come to the New Teftament, the great defign of all God's difpenfations appears in a ftill more confpicuous manner. Here we fee how Chrift began to erect his spiritual kingdom, and the apostles extended it; we have the fublimeft doctrines, and pureft precepts, for effecting it in ourfelves and others, and the ftrongest affurances that it will be effected at last, that this leaven will continue to operate till the whole lump be leavened. But, above all, it is remarkable, that the principal means for effecting this is by fubmiffion and fufferance, not refiftance and external violence. The preachers are to undergo fhame, perfecution, and death, as the Lord of Life and Glory did before them: this is that "foolishness of God" which is "wifer than men," and that "weaknefs of God" which is "ftronger "than men." Thefe means feem foolish and weak to the false wifdom of this world; but, if they be compared with the frame of our natures, and with the real conftitution of things, they will appear to be perfectly fuited to produce in all mankind that beft of ends, the annihilation of felf, and worldly defires, and the pure and perfect love of God, and of all his creatures, in and through him.

Setting afide therefore the greatnefs of this end, and its fuitablenefs to the divine goodness; fetting afide alfo the miracles which have concurred in it; I fay, that the coincidence of the hiftories, precepts, promises, threatenings, and prophecies of the Scriptures in this one point, is an argument not only of their genuineness and truth, but of their divine authority. Had the writers been guided by their own fpirits, and not by the supernatural influence of the fpirit of truth, they could neither have opened to us the various difpenfations of God tending to this one point, nor have purfued it themselves with fuch entire teadiness and uniformity, through fo many different ages of the world.

The gradual opening of this defign is an argument to the fame purpofe. Man's wisdom, if it could have formed fuch a defign, would have rufhed forward upon it prematurely. At the fame time we may obferve that this defign is implied in the Scriptures from the first, though not expreffed fo as to be then understood; which is another argument of their divine original.

COR. From the reafoning ufed under this propofition we may be led to believe, that all the great events which happen in the world, have the fame use as the difpenfations recorded in the Scriptures, viz. that of being a course of moral difcipline for nations and individuals, and of preparing the world for future difpenfations. Thus the ir ruption of the barbarous nations into the Roman empire; the Mahometan impofture; the corruptions of the Chriftian religion; the ignorance and darkness which reigned for fome centuries during the

D 4

groffeft

groffeft of thefe corruptions; the Reformation, reftoration of letters, and the invention of printing, three great contemporary events which fucceeded the dark times; the rife of the enthufiaftical fects fince the Reformation; the vaft increafe and diffufion of learning in the prefent times; the growing extenfiveness of commerce between various nations; the great prevalence of infidelity amongst both Jews and Chriftians; the difperfion of Jews and Jefuits into all known parts of the world, &c. &c. are all events which, however mischievous fome of them may fcem to human wisdom, are, cæteris manentibus, the moft proper and effectual way of haftening the kingdom of Chrift, and the renovation of all things.

DIVINE COMMUNICATIONS, MIRACLES, AND PROPHECIES, ARE AGREEABLE TO NATURAL RELIGION, AND EVEN SEEM NECESSARY IN THE INFANCY OF THE WORLD.

SINCE God is a being of infinite juftice, mercy, and bounty, according to natural religion, it is reasonable to expect, that if the deficiencies of natural reafon, or the inattention of mankind to the footsteps of his providence, were fuch at any time as that all the world were in danger of being loft in ignorance, irreligion, and idolatry, God fhould interpofe by extraordinary inftruction, by alarming inftances of judgment and mercy, and by prophetical declarations of things to come, in order to teach men his power, his justice, and his goodness, by fenfible proofs and manifeftations. We muft not fay here, that God could not fuffer this; but inquire from hittory, whether he has or no. Now, I fuppofe it will eafily be acknowledged, that this was the cafe in the Gentile world in ancient times, and that the Judaical and Chriftian inftitutions have greatly checked irreligion and idolatry, and advanced true natural religion; which is a remarkable coincidence in favour of these institutions, though all other evidences for them were set aside. Neither must we fay here, that fince God permits grofs ignorance in fome nations, the Hottentots, for inftance, even to this day, he might have permitted it in all mankind. Allow that we know fo little of his unfearchable judgments, as not to be able to make any certain conclufions: yet furely it is much more agreeable to the forenamed attributes, and to the analogies of other things, that the bulk of mankind fhould have fuch knowledge of God as fuits their intellectual faculties and other circumstances, and carries them forwards in moral improvement, than that all fhould ftand ftill or go backwards, or make lefs improvement in religion than tallies with their improvements in other things; alfo that there fhould be a fubordination in religious advantages, rather than a perfect equality.

Natural religion alfo teaches us to confider God as our governor, judge, and father. Now all thefe fuperiors have two ways of adminiftration, inftruction, and providence, for the well-being of their inferiors, ordinary and extraordinary. It is therefore natural to expect an extraordinary interpofition by revelation, miracle, and pro

phecy,

7

phecy, and that especially in that infancy of the world after the deluge, which both facred and profane hiftory affure us of; inafmuch as both ftates and individuals require much more of the extraordinary interpo fition of governors and parents in their infancy, than afterwards: all which has a remarkable correspondence with the history of revelation, as it is in fact. And the analogical prefumptions for miracles, in this and the laft paragraph, fcem at leaft equal to any prefumption we have, or can have, in this our state of ignorance of the whole of things, against them.

But there is another argument in favour of miraculous interpofitions, which may be drawn from the foregoing theory of human nature. I take it for granted, that mankind have not been upon this earth from all eternity. Eternity neither fuits an imperfect, finite race of beings, nor our habitation the earth. It cannot have revolved round the fun, as it does now, from all eternity; it must have had fuch changes made in it, from its own fabrick and principles, from the fhocks of comets, &c. in infinite time, as would be inconfiftent with our furvival. There was therefore a time when man was first placed upon the earth. In what ftate was he then placed? an infant, with his mind a blank, void of ideas, as children now are born? He would perish inftantly, without a series of miracles to preferve, educate, and inftruct him. Or, if he be fuppofed an adult with a blank mind, i. e. without ideas, aflociations, and the voluntary powers of walking, handling, fpeaking, &c. the conclufion is the fame; he must perith alfo, unlefs conducted by a miraculous interpofition and guardianship. He must therefore have fo much of knowledge, and of voluntary and fecondarily automatic powers, amongst which speech must be reckoned as a principal one, impreffed upon him in the way of instinct, as would be neceffary for his own prefervation, and that of his offfpring; and this inftinct is to all intents and purposes divine revelation, fince he did not acquire it by natural means. It is alfo of the nature of prophecy; for it feems impoffible for mankind to fubfift upon the earth, as it now is, without fome foreknowledge, and the confequent methods of providing for futurity, fuch, for inftance, as brutes have, or even greater, fince man, unprovided with manual arts, is peculiarly expofed to dangers, neceffities, and hardfhips.

Let us next confider, how the first men are to be provided with the knowledge of God, and a moral fenfe: for it seems neceffary, that` they fhould be poffeffed of fome degree of thefe; elfe the fenfual and felfish defires would be fo exorbitant, as to be inconfiftent both with each man's own fafety, and with that of his neighbour; as may be gathered from the accounts of favage nations, who yet are not entirely deftitute of the knowledge of God, and the moral fenfe. Now to deduce the existence and attributes of God, even in a very imperfect manner, from natural phænomena, requires, as it seems to me, far more knowledge and ratiocination than men could have for many generations, from their natural powers; and that especially, if we fuppofe language not to be infpired, but attained in a natural

way.

way. And it appears, both from the foregoing account of the moral fenfe, and from common obfervation, that this requires much time, care, and cultivation, befides the previous knowledge of God, before it can be a match for the impetuofity of natural defires. We may conclude therefore, that the firft men could not attain to that degree of the knowledge of God, and a moral sense, which was neceffary for them, without divine infpiration.

There are feveral particulars in the Mofaic account of the creation, fall, and circumftances of the ancient world, which tally remarkably with the method of reasoning used here. Thus, man is at firft placed in a paradife, where there was nothing noxious, and consequently where he would need lefs miraculous interpofition in order to preferve him. He lives upon the fruits of the earth, which want no previous arts of preparing them, and which would ftrike him by their fmells, and, after an inftance or two, incite him to pluck and taste: whereas animal diet, befides its inconfiftency with a ftate of pure innocence and happiness, requires art and preparation neceffarily. There is only one man, and one woman, created, that fo the occafions for exerting the focial affections may not offer themselves in any great degree, before thefe affections are generated; but, on the contrary, the affections may grow naturally, as it were, out of the occafions. The nakednefs, and want of flame, in our firft parents, are concurring evidences of the abfence of art, acquired affections, evil, &c. i. e. of a paradifiacal state. In this ftate they learned to give names to the animal world, perhaps from the automatic and femivoluntary exertions of the organs of fpeech, which the fight of the creatures, or the found of their feveral cries, would excite; having probably a fufficient stock of language for communication with God, and for converfing with each other about their daily food, and other neceffary things, given them by immediate inftinct or infpiration. And thus they would be initiated, by naming the animals, into the practice of inventing, learning, and applying words. For the fame reafons we may fuppofe, that they learned many other things, and particularly the habit of learning, during their abode in paradife. Nay, it may perhaps be, that this growth of acquired knowledge, with the pleafantnefs of it, might put them upon learning evil as well as good, and excite the forbidden curiofity. After the fall, we find God providing them with clothes; Cain banifhed from the prefence of God, an argument that others were permitted to have recourfe to this prefence to afk counsel, &c. his pofterity inventing arts for themselves; Enoch and Noah walking with God before the flood, and Abraham afterwards; all the antediluvian patriarchs long-lived, the poftdiluvian long-lived alfo for fome generations; amongst other reafons, that they might inftruct pofterity in religious and other important truths; and the divine interpofitions continuing through the whole antediluvian world, and gradually withdrawn in the pottdiluyian. And it seems to me, to fay the leaft, a very difficult thing for any man, even at this day, to invent a more probable account of the first peopling of this earth, than that which Mofes has given us.

PROP.

THE OBJECTION MADE AGAINST THE MIRACLES RECORDED IN THE SCRIPTURES, FROM THEIR BEING CONTRARY TO THE COURSE OF NATURE, IS OF LITTLE OR NO FORCE.

IT is alledged here by the objectors, that the courfe of nature is fixed and immutable; and that this is evinced by the concurrent teftimony of all mankind in all ages; and confequently that the teftimony of a few perfons, who affirm the contrary, cannot be admitted; but is, ipfo facto, invalidated by its oppofing general, or even univerfal experience. Now, to this I answer,

First, that we do not, by admitting the teftimony of mankind concerning the descent of heavy bodies upon the surface of our earth, the common effects of heat and cold, &c. fuppofe that this invalidates the teftimony of those who declare they have met with contrary appearances in certain cafes. Each party teftifies what they have feen; and why may not the evidence of both be true? It does not follow, becaufe a thing has happened a thousand, or ten thousand times, that it never has failed, nor even can fail. Nothing is more common or conftant than the effect of gravity in making all bodies upon the furface of our earth tend to its centre; yet the rare extraordinary influences of magnetifm and electricity can fufpend this tendency. Now, before magnetifm and electricity were difcovered, and verified by a variety of concurrent facts, there would have been as much reafon to difallow the evidence of their particular effects attefted by eye-witneffes, as there is now to difallow the particular miracles recorded in the Scriptures; and yet we fee, that fuch a diffallowance would have been a hafty conclufion, would have been quite contrary to the true nature of things. And, in fact, whatever may be the cafe of a few perfons, and particularly of those who think that they have an intereft in difproving Revealed Religion, the generality of mankind, learned and unlearned, philofophical and vulgar, in all ages, have had no fuch difpofition to reject a thing well attefted by witnelles of credit, because it was contrary to the general, or even univerfal, tenor of former obfervations. Now it is evident to confidering perfons, efpecially if they reflect upon the foregoing hiftory of affociation, that the difpofitions to affent and diffent are generated in a human mind from the fum total of the influences,, which particular obfervations have had upon it. It follows, therefore, fince the bulk of mankind, of all ranks and orders, have been difpofed to receive facts the most furprifing, and contrary to the general tenor, upon their being attefted in a certain limited degree, that extraordinary facts are not, in a certain way of confidering the thing, out of the tenor of nature, but agreeable to it; that here therefore, as well as in common facts, the stress is to be laid upon the credibility of the witneffes; and that to do otherwife is an argument either of fome great fingularity of mind, or of an undue biafs.

Secondly, if it fhould be alledged by the objectors that they do not mean, by the course of nature, that tenor of common obfervations