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ancient Fathers made Ufe of for the Conversion of Jews; and then to prove the Infpiration of Scriptures from that Authority,

§. 27.

The Being of a God may be believed upon the Authority of Scriptures, or the Church,

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Perceive, My Lord, you are fond of Circle, but I will bring you out of it. P. 36. 55 L. Well then, Sr, let us have a Touch of your Skill.

G. Pray tell me, why do you believe a God? It « would be Blafphemy to fay you believe it upon any » Authority. For that would be to place fuch an Au- « thority above God. And it would be Nonfenfe to « fay you believe it either from the Church or the « Scriptures, because you can believe neither with- « out firft Believing that there is a God. What is « it then? We believe a God purely upon our own « Reafon. And we cannot be more fure that there is « a God, than we are perfuaded of the Truth of « thofe Reasons, upon which we do believe it. And if God has given us no other Guide but our own « Reason with the Affiftance of his holy Grace to « believe in himself, if this be all we have or can « have for the first and main Article of our Creed, « what further do we require for thofe of lefs Con- « fequence? And that we cannot have more than « this we may perceive by this Experiment, viz. « whether we believe moft firmly, and with greater «< Affurance, what we have only from our own Rea ce fon, or what we receive from the Authority of the «< Church? For Example, are you not more undoub- « Tedly affured of the Being of a God, which you be

5.271 »lieve purely upon your own Reason, than of Tranz» fubftantiation, Purgatory, or whatever you believe »upon the Authority of the Church? pag. 36.

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L. Sr, if you have no other Way but this to conjure me out of the Circle; I may go round in it till Doomsday. Here is your Argument in other Words which shews it's Weakness. Reafon can perceive the manifeft Things of God, as his Being, therefore it can, perceive the hidden Things too, as the Mysteries of reveal'd Religion. Is this a folid Way of Arguing, or becoming a Divine? Reason can dif cover the Perfections of a Deity which shine out in the Creation, therefore it can likewise discover it's Divine Emanations, which no Way appear; but are as fecret as they are wonderful? Or do's it follow, that it can find out the Son, whom no Man ever knew but the Father; or the Father, whom no Man ever knew but the Son, or they to whom the Son was pleased to reveal him! Math. 11. V. 27. Finally, do's it follow that our Reafon can discover the Incarnation of the Son of God, which St Paul calls the Wisdom of God hidden in a Mystery? 1. Cor. 2. v.7. Suppose I believe a God purely upon my own Reason, is it a Confequence, that the fame natural Light of Reason without confulting Authority can difcover to me the divine Revelation, which directed the facred Penmen in their Writings, or enable me to Judge what Books are canonical, what not? It is evident that these Discoveries are abfolutely impoffible to natural Reafon not directed by Authority. And fo my Believing a God purely upon my own Reafon do's not render Autho rity lefs neceffary for those other reveal'd Truths, nor can it do you any Manner of Service against the Circle.

But are you in good earneft when you tell me, that it is Blafphemy to believe a God upon the Authority"

be believed upon, &c. ather of the Church or Scriptures? If so, then it follows first, that all young Perfons are bound to be Atheists, till they can understand the natural Demonftration of a God. For if they believe a God upon any Authority, they become guilty of Blafphemy. So that Nurfes, Parents, and Matters must be very careful not to tell Children that there is a God, for Fear they should believe it upon their Authority, and fo become acceffory to their Blafphemy. And yet it is the first Thing Children are taught: because it is the Groundwork on which all Religion is built. But whether they believe it upon Evidence, or the Authority of their Teachers (as Children and ignorant People, who understand not philofophical De monftrations usually do) the Effect is the fame. And when they once believe it, let the Motive of their Belief be what it will, I think they may afterwards very fafely believe it as a reveal'd Truth upon the Authority of the Church and Scriptures.

But if there be any Force in that Argument of yours, by which you will needs prove it to be Blafphemy to believe a God upon any Authority, viz. because that would place fuch an Authority above God, if I fay there be any Force in this Argument, it will follow idly, that it is likewife Blafphemy to believe a God purely upon our own Reason, because that would place our Reason above God, if

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Since therefore according to this Argument it is equally blafphemous to believe a God either upon Reafon or Authority, and fince all Men are bound not to be guilty of Blafphemy, it will follow 3dly, either that Men muft believe the Being of a God without having any Reafon or Motive for it, or they must all live and die Atheists for Fear of being Blafphe mers, both which are most eminently abfurd. Thus,

Sr, instead of Conjuring me out of an innocent and harmless Circle, you have used your best Skill to conjure me out of all Religion.

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Now let us examine the reft. You tell me we cannot be more fure that there is a God, than we are perfuaded of the Truth of thofe Reasons, upon which we believe it. If you mean, that Reason muft concur to Faith, and that we cannot believe, unless we be first convinced of the Reasons, upon which we believe, what you fay is true, but it makes nothing against us, who are perfuaded as much as you, that our Affent to all Mysteries of Faith is not to be a rash but a rational Affent grounded upon the strongest

Motives.

You go on thus. And if God has given us no other Guide but our own Reason with the Assistance of his Grace to believe in himself; if this be all we have or can have for the first or main Article of our Creed, what farther do we require for thofe of leẞ Confequence? But, Sr, it is not all we have for the firft and main Article of the Creed. For we have over and above the Creed itfelf propofed by the Church as divinely reveal'd: And di vine Revelation is fomething more than human Reajon: which tho it may fuffice to difcover to us the mani feft Things of God, is unable to difcover the hidden Mysteries, that are above it's Reach.

As to what you fay concerning Articles of leß Con Sequence, I hope the Belief of the Trinity and Incarnation are neceffary to Salvation as well as that of the Being of a God. And can you pretend to demonftrate either of thefe Myfteries by the Force of human Rea fon? If not, then fomething farther is required for our Belief of them.

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Laftly, as to what you add by Way of Experi ment, viz. whether we believe most firmly, what we have only from our Reason, or what we receive upon the Autho

rity of the Church? Sr, I should guefs by this, that you have found by Experience, that you do not be lieve the Mysteries of the Trinity and Incarnation as firmly as the Being of a God, fince you have this from Reason, and the others from Authority. But if this be your Experiment, I thank God it is not ours. For we have a greater Certainty of what we believe upon the Motive of divine Revelation declared to us by the Church, than what we believe barely upon our Reafon. And therefore if we had no Motive to be lieve the Being of a God but barely our own Reason, we should believe Tranfubftantiation, and Purgatory with a much greater Affurance than the Being of a God. But fince we believe this alfo upon divine Re velation we have an equal Certainty of all Three tho no Evidence but of the latter.

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His Lordship having told the Gentleman in his Cafe ftated, that God is obliged to give every Man an outward infallible Guide (which certainly is a great Abfurdity) the Gentleman dif courfes in the following Manner.

§. 28.

Of Jews, Pagans, and Mahometans.

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Y Lord, to fay that God is obliged to give c every Man an outward infallible Guide is Making too bold with Providence, and Measuring « his infinite Wisdom and Goodnefs by our short Line: God has made Creatures as it has pleased him: fome incapable of Happiness or Mifery,as the « fome capable only of Pleafure or Pain;

Fanimates,

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