fay, Upon Divine Authority, or the Volume Revelation of God in Scripture. This XII. is granted to be in an infallible ground,

if we can be infallibly affur'd that the Scriptures are a Divine Revelation; therefore they enquire in the fecond Place; Why do you believe the Scriptures to be a Divine Revelation? We fay, because the Perfons who deliver'd the Doctrines contained in them, had the greatest atteftation from God, that they were imployed by him, to reveal and make known his Mind; and this atteftation was Miracles. But then they ask, What af furance have you that fuch Miracles were wrought? Have you an infallible affurance, or not? If not, then it cannot be a fufficient ground for a Divine Faith, which is always infallible. In oppofition therefore to them, I fhall not now attempt to fhew the infufficiency of their way of refolving Faith; but vindicate ours as fufficient, by laying down and proving, if can, thefe Propofitions.

I

1. That Infallibility is not effential to Divine Faith, and neceffarily included in the Notion of it; which I

prove thus. Divine Faith admits of Degrees, as I have fhewed before:Sermon but there can be no degree of Infal- IV. libility. Infallibility is an impoffibility of being deceived; but there are no degrees of impoffibility; one thing is not more impoffible than another; but all things that are impoffible, are e qually fo.

2. That the affurance which we have of the Miracles wrought for the confirmation of the Gofpel, is not an infallible affurance. I hew'd before that there are three ways whereby we may be affured of matter of fact, fuch as the working of Miracles is.

First, By our own Senfes.

Secondly, By the Report of credible Witness.

Thirdly, By credible Hiftory. But none of these ways give us infallible affurance. That it is poffible our Senfes may deceive us, I think no body will deny; and if fo, then the teftimony of Witneffes, and the report of History, which likewife depends o

riginally

riginally upon Senfes, may deceive I do not know a fourth way XII. whereby we may be affured of matter of Fact.

Volume us.

3. That an undoubted afsurance of a Divine Revelation, that it is fuch, is as much as in reafon can be expected. I deny not but that a Divine Revelation is an infallible ground of Faith; because whatever God fays is infallibly true, and a Faith built upon a Divine Revelation would be infallible, if we could be infallibly affured that it is a Divine Revelation; but that we cannot be without another Divine Revelation to affure us infallibly that this is one, and that other would require a third, and fo without end, which being abfurd and unreasonable, it remains that an infallible affurance of a Divine Revelation is impoffible; and confequently, that we can have no more than an undoubted affurance; and this is as much as in reason we can expect to have; for 'tis unreafonable to expect that we should have any greater affurance that such a revelation is from God, than we have that there is a God; becaufse that

there

there is a God, is the first and most fundamental Principle of Religion, Sermon and it is unreasonable to expect grea- IV.

ter assurance of any thing in Religion,
than we have of that which is the first
Principle of it. And indeed it is im-
poffible; for no man can be infallibly
affured, that a Revelation is from
God, unless he be firft infallibly af-
fured that there is a God, but no man +
hath more than undoubted affurance
that there is a God. No man pretends
to a Divine Revelation that there is a
God; but only to have rational fatis-
faction of it, fuch as leaves no just or
reasonable cause to doubt of it. And
why then should any defire greater
affurance of a Divine Revelation,than
he hath of a God?

4. An undoubted Affurance is fufficient to conftitute a Divine Faith. Mark 16. 14. it is faid, Chrift upbraided his difciples with their unbelief; because they believed not them, who had feen him after he was rifen. Suppose now the Disciples had believed, which they ought to have done; this Faith of theirs would have been a truly Divine Faith; but by no

means

means infallible. For that cannot be

Volume an infallible Faith which is built but

XII

upon fallible Grounds: now the Ground upon which they ought to have believed, was the Report of credible Witnesses; but the Report of credible Witnesses is by no means infallible: 'tis indeed undoubted, for I have no reason to doubt of a credible Report; for that is credible which I have just cause to believe; but I can have no juft caufe to doubt of that which I have juft caufe to believe.

As an undoubted Affurance is fufficient to constitute a Divine Faith, fo is it fufficient to all the ends and purposes of adivineFaith. To inftance in the Faith of the Promises of Eternal Life. What is the End and Defign of this Faith,but to encourage our Obedience, and make us continue in it, notwithtanding the hazard of any thing in this World? Now I fay, an undoubted afsurance is abundantly fufficient to this end. Do not men venture their Estates in traffick to places they never faw, because they have it from credible perfons, that there are fuch places; and they have no reafon

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