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I. In many cases men feem generally agiced that there is as much caufe to believe what they know from others, as what they fee and experience themselves. For there may be fuch circumstances of credibility, as equal the evidence even of fence itfelf; no evidence can fatisfie fence fo much indeed, nor perhaps fo much af fect the paffions, as that of fence; but there may be other evidence, which may give as clear conviction, and altogether as good fatisfaction to our Reafon, as that which is immediately derived from our fences, concerning the Being of Objects, or the Truth of matters of fact. Thus those who never travelled to the Indies, do as little doubt that there is fuch a place, as thofe who have been never so often there; and all men believe, there was fuch a man as Julius Cafar, with as little fcruple as if they had lived in his time, and had feen and fpoke with him, I fup. pofe no man in his wits makes any more doubt, but there are fuch places as Judea and Jerufalem, from the conftant report of Hiftorians and Travellers, than if he had been in thofe places himfelf, and had lived the greateft part of his Life there: and the greatest Infidel that I know of, never pretended yet to disbelieve, that there was fuch a perfon as our Saviour Christ. But all men think themselves as

well

well affured of things of this nature upon the credit of others as if they had feen them themselves. For how doubtful and intricate foever fome things may be, for want of Knowledge or credit in the Relaters; yet there are other things delivered. with that agreement and certainty on all hands, that to doubt of them would be as unreasonable, as to doubt of what we our felves fee and hear.

And if our Saviour's Refurrection, for instance, be of this nature, we can with as little reason doubt of it, as if we had lived at that time, and had converfed with him after his Resurrection from the dead. But we have as great affurance that he was alive again after his Crucifixion, as that he ever lived at all; and we have at least all the affurance that there was fuch a perfon as Chrift, that we can have, that there - once lived any other man at that distance of time from us. We can no more doubt that our Saviour was born in the Reign of Auguftus Cafar, and was crucified under Tiberius, than that there were once fuch Emperors in the world; nay, we have it much better attefted that Chrift was born, and was crucified, and rofe again, than that there ever were fuch Princes these two Emperors: for no man ever made it his bufinefs to go about the world to certifie this, and to teftifie the truth of

as

it,

it, at his death. But the Apostles them felves, and their Difciples and Converts, and innumerable others ever fince, from the beginning of Chriftianity, have affert ed the particulars of the Life, and Death and Resurrection of our Saviour, under all dangers, and torments, and deaths and have made it their great aim and defign, both living and dying, to bear Testimony to the Truth of the Gofpel. So that a man may as well doubt of any matter of fact that ever was done before his own time, or at a great distance from him, jas doubt of these fundamentals of the Chriftian Religion; and yet there is no man, but thinks himself as certain of fome things at leaft, which were done a long time ago, or a great way off, as if he had been at the doing of them himself.

Indeed, in fome refpects we feem to have more evidence than these could have, that lived in the beginning of Chriftianitys for they could fee but fome Miracles, we have the benefit of all; they relyed upon their own fences, and upon the fences of fuch as they knew and converfed with ; we upon the fences of innumerable people, who fucceffively beheld them for the space of divers hundred years together: fo that whoever will not believe the Scriptures, neither would he believe, though one rofe from the dead; that is, though the greatest Mi

racle

racle were wrought for his conviction. This was faid of the Old Teftament, and therefore may with greater reafon be faid of That and the New both.

And we have befides, one fort of evi dence, which thofe that lived at the first planting of Chriftianity could not have; for we fee many of thofe Prophecies fulfilled, which our Saviour foretold con cerning his Church; we know how it sprung up and flourished, and from what fmall and unlikely beginnings it has spread it felf into all corners of the Earth, and continues to this day, notwithstanding all the malice of Men and Devils to root it out and destroy it. The continuance and fuccefs of the Gospel under fo improbable circumftances was matter of Faith chiefly to the first Christians, but to us is matter of Fact, and the object of fenfe: they faw the work indeed profper in their hands, but their Faith only could tell them, that it fhould flourish for fo many Ages, as we know it has already done. This is a ftanding and invincible proof to us at this distance of time,and has the force ofa twofold Argument, the one of a power of Miracles, the other of Prophecies: we know that a miraculous power has been manifested in conquering all oppofition, and in a wonderful manner bringing those things to pafs which to humane wisdom and

power

power are altogether impoffible. And the fulfilling hereby of Prophecies is a vifible confirmation to us of the truth of those Miracles, which by the Tettimony of others we believe to have been done by the Prophets, whofe Prophecies we see fulfilled. And fince it must be acknowledged that things may be fo well attefted, that we may with as much reafon doubt of the truth of our own fences, as of the Authority, by which we are affured of the truth of them, and must turn Scepticks or worse, if we will not believe them; we may conclude as well upon the account of thefe Prophecies, which we our felves fee fulfilled, as upon all other accounts, that the Historical evidence in proof of the Christian Religion, amounts to all the certainty that a matter of Fat is capable of, not excepting even that of fenfe itself.

II. Let us now apply all this to the Refolution of Faith, and give an account how a divine and infallible aith may be produced in us. Humane Teftimony is the Motive, by which we believe the Scriptures to contain God's revealed Will : this certifies us that fuch Miracles were wrought, and fuch Prophecies delivered, as give to the Scriptures the full evidence and authority of a Divine Revelation. If therefore it be enquired, why wẹ be.