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THE

REASONABLENESS

AND

CERTAINTY

OF THE

Christian Religion.

I

N Difcourfing of the Reasonableness and Certainty of the Chriftian Religion, I fhall ufe this Method: I. I fhall fhew,

That from the Notion of a God, it neceffarily follows, that there must be fome Divine Revelation. II. I fhall enquire into the Way and Manner by which this Revelation may be fuppos'd to be delivered and preferved in the World.

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III. I fhall fhew,

That

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That from the Notion of a God, and the Nature and Defign of a Divine Revelation,, it follows, That the Scriptures of the Old and New Teftament are that Divine Revelation. IV. That no other Books or Doctrines whatsoever can be of, Divine Revelation. V. I fhall from hence give a Refolution of our Faith, by fhewing, That we have the fame Evidence for the Truth and Divine Authority of the Scriptures, that we have for the Being of God himself; because it follows, from the Notion of a God, both that there muft of neceffity be fome Divine Revelation, and that the Scriptures are that Divine Revelation. VI. Having done this, I fhall, in the laft place, endeavour to clear fuch Points as are commonly thought moft liable to exception in the Chriftian Religion; and shall propofe fome Confiderations, which may and obviate

ferve to remove fuch Objectd against the

fuch Cavils as are Holy Scriptures.

JUL

CHAP.

CHAP. I.

That from the Notion of a God, it neceffarily follows that there must be fome Divine Revelation.

I

N the First place, I fhall fhew how Reafonable and Neceffary it is to fuppofe, that God fhould Reveal himself to Mankind: And I fhall infift the rather upon this, because it is not ufually fo much confider'd in this Controverfie as it ought to be; for if it were, it certainly would go very far towards the proving the Divine Authority of the Scriptures; fince if it be once made appear that there must be fome Divine Revelation, it will be no hard matter to prove that the Scriptures are that Revelation: For if it be proved that there must be fome Revealed Religion, there is no other which can bear any competition with that contained in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament. My first Bufinefs therefore fhall be to fhew, from the Confideration of the Attributes of God, and of the Nature and State of Mankind, that in all Reason we cannot but believe that there is fome Revealed Religion in the World.

There is nothing more evident to Natural Reason, than that there must be some Beginning,

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ning, fome First Principle of Being, from whence all other Beings proceed. And nothing can be more abfurd, than to imagine that that wonderful variety of Beings in the Heavens and Earth, and Seas, which all the Wifdom of Man is not able in any measure to understand, or throughly to fearch into, fhould yet be produced and continued for fo many thousand Years together, without any Wisdom or Contrivance; that an unaccountable concourfe of Atoms, which could never build the leaft Houfe or Cottage, fhould yet build and fuftain the wonderful Fabrick of the whole World; that when the very Lines in a Globe or Sphere cannot be made without Art, the World it felf, which that is but an imperfect Imitation of, fhould be made without it, and that lefs Skill fhould be required to the forming of a Man, than is neceffary to the making of his Picture; that Chance fhould be the caufe of all the Order, and Fortune of all the Conftancy and Regu larity in the Nature of Things; and that the very Faculties of Reason and Understanding in all Mankind, fhould have their Original from that, which had no Senfe or Knowledge, but was meer Ignorance and Stupidity. This is fo far from being Reafon and Philofophy, that it is down-right Folly and Contradiction.

From a Being therefore of Infinite Perfection must proceed all things that are be

fides, with all their Perfections and Excellencies, and among others, the Vertues and Excellencies of Wildom, Juftice, Mercy and Truth must be derived from him, as the Author of all the Perfections of which the Creatures are capable. And it is abfurd to imagine that the Creator and Governor of the World, who is infinitely more Juft, more Wife and Good and Holy than any Creature can be, will not at laft reward the Good, and punish the Wicked. For, Shall "not the Fudge of all the Earth do right? Is it to be fuppofed that the Wife and Good God would create Men only to abuse themselves and one another to live a while in fin and folly here, and fome of them in the most extravagant and brutal wickednefs, and then go down to the Grave, and fo there fhould be an end of them for ever? What is there worthy of the infinite Wisdom of God, in fo poor a Defign as this! Doth not the Voice of Nature it felf teach us, and has it not been the general Belief and Expectation of all Ages and Nations, that the profperous Sinner, who is fubtle and powerful to do mischief, must fuffer in another World, for what he has done amifs here? and, that all is not to pass away with us in Sport and Extravagance, in Laughter and Noise, in Riot, or in Violence and Cruelty, as fome Men are : willing to believe; as if the World were made for the Wicked, and they to abuse it. B 3

It.