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or command of God, and alfo antecedent to any refpect or regard, expectation or apprehenfion, of any particular, private, and perfonal advantage or disadvantage, reward, or punishment, either prefent or future, annexed either by natural confequence, or by pofitive appointments, to the practifing or neglecting thofe rules.

II. That though thefe eternal moral obligations are indeed of themselves incumbent on all rational beings, even antecedent to the confideration of their being the pofitive will and command of God; yet that which moft ftrongly confirms, and in practice moft effectually and indifpenfably inforces them upon us, is this; that both from the nature of things, and the perfections of God, and from feveral other collateral confiderations, it appears, that as God is himself neceffarily just and good in the exercife of his infinite power in the government of the whole world, fo he cannot but likewife pofitively require that all his rational creatures fhould in their proportion be fo too, in the exercife of each of their powers in their refpective fpheres. That is; as thefe eternal moral obligations are really in perpetual force merely from their own nature and the abstract reason of things; fo alfo they are moreover the exprefs and unalterable will, command, and law of God to his creatures, which he cannot but expect fhould in obedience to his fupreme authority, as well as in compliance with the natural reason of things, be regularly and conftantly obferved through the whole creation.

III. That therefore, though thefe eternal moral obligations are alfo incumbent indeed on all rational creatures, antecedent to any refpect of particular reward or punishment; yet they must certainly and neceffarily be attended with rewards and punishments. Becaufe the fame reafons, which prove God himself to be neceffarily juft and good; and the rules of justice, equity, and goodness, to be his unalterable will, law, and command, to all created beings; prove alfo that he cannot but be pleafed with and approve fuch creatures as imitate and obey him by obferving thofe rules, and be difpleased with fuch as act contrary thereto; and confequently that he cannot but fome way or other make a fuitable difference in his dealings with them; and manifeft his fupreme power and abfolute authority, in finally fupporting, maintaining, and vindicating effectually the honour of thefe his divine laws; as becomes the jutt and righteous governor and difpofer of all things.

IV. That confequently, though in order to establish this fuitable difference between the fruits or effects of virtue and vice, fo reasonable in itself, and fo abfolutely neceflary for the vindication of the honour of God, the nature of things, and the conftitution and order of God's creation, was originally fuch, that the obfervance of the eternal rules of juftice, equity, and goodnefs, does indeed of itfelf tend by direct and natural confequence to make all creatures happy an the contrary practice, to make them miferable: yet fince through fbe great and general corruption and depravation (whencefover tt may have rifen, the particular original whereof could hardly have been known now without revelation); fince, I fay, the con

dition of men in this prefent state is fuch, that the natural order of things in this world is in event manifeftly perverted, and virtue and goodness are vifioly prevented in great meafure from obtaining their proper and due effects in establishing men's happiness proportionable to their behaviour and practice; therefore it is abfoluely impoffible, that the whole view and intention, the original and the final defign, of God's creating fuch rational beings as men are, and placing them in this globe of earth, as the chief and principal, or indeed (may we not fay) the only inhabitants, for whofe fake alone this part at least of the creation is manifeftly fitted up and accommodated; it is abfolutely impoffible (1 fay) that the whole of God's defign in all this fhould be nothing more than to keep up eternally a fucceffion of fuch fhort-lived generations of men as at prefent are; and those in such a corrupt, confufed, and diforderly state of things, as we see the world is now in; without any due obfervation of the eternal rules of good and evil, without any clear and remarkable effect of the great and most neceffary differences of things, and without any final vindication of the honour and laws of God in the proportionable reward of the beft, or punishment of the worst of men. And confequently it is certain and neceffary (even as certain as the moral attribues of God before demonftrated), that, inftead of continuing an eternal fucceffion of new generations in the prefent form and ftate of things, there must at fome time or other be such a revo→ lution and renovation of things, fuch a future ftate of exiftence of the fame perfons, as that, by an exact diftribution of rewards and punishments therein, all the prefent diforders and inequalities may be fet right; and that the whole fcheme of providence, which to us who judge of it by only one fmall portion of it feems now fo inexplicable and much confufed, may appear at its confummation to be a design worthy of infinite wisdom, juftice, and goodness.

V. That, though the indifpenfable neceffity of all the great and moral obligations of natural religion, and also the certainty of a future ftate of rewards and punishments, be thus in general deducible, even demonftrably, by a chain of clear and undeniable reasoning; yet (in the present state of the world, by what means foever it came originally to be fo corrupted, of which more hereafter) such is the careleffuefs, inconfideratenefs, and want of attention of the greater part of mankind; fo many the prejudices and falfe notions imbided by evil education; fo ftrong and violent the unreasonable lufts, appetites, and defires of sense; and fo great the blindness, introduced by fuperftitious opinions, vicious cuftoms, and debauched practices through the world; that very few are able, in reality and effect, to discover these things clearly and plainly for themfelves; but men have great need of particular teaching, and much inftruction, ta convince them of the truth, and certainty, and importance of these things; to give them a due fenfe, and clear and juft apprehenfions concerning them; and to bring them effectually to the practice of the plainest and most neceffary duties.

VI. That,

VI. That, though in almoft every age there have indeed been in the heathen world. fome wife and brave and good men, who have made it their business to study and practise these things themfelves, ad to teach and exhort others to do the like; who feem therefor to have been raifed up by providence, as inftruments to reprove in fome measure and put fome kind of check to the extreme fuperftition and wickedness of the nations wherein they lived; yet none of thefe have ever been able to reform the world, with any confiderably great and univerfal fuccefs; because they have been but very few, that have in earnest fet themfelves about this excellent work; and they that have indeed fincerely done it have themfelves been entirely ignorant of fome doctrines, and very doubtful and uncertain of others, abfolutely necessary for the bringing about that great end; and thofe things which they have been certain of and in good measure understood, they have not been able to prove and explain clearly enough; and thofe that they have been able both to prove and explain by fufficiently clear reafoning, they have not yet had authority enough to inforce and inculcate upon men's minds with fo ftrong an impreffion, as to influence and govern the general prac

tice of the world.

VII. That therefore there was plainly wanting a divine revelation, to recover mankind out of their univerfally degenerate cftate, into a ftate fuitable to the original excellency of their nature: which divine revelation both the neceffities of men and their natural notions of God gave them reasonable ground to expect and hope for; as appears from the acknowledgments which the beft and wifeft of the heathen philofophers themselves have made, of their fenfe of the neceflity and want of fuch a revelation; and from their expreffions of the hopes they had entertained, that God would fome time or other vouchfafe it unto them.

VIII. That there is no other religion now in the world, but the Chriftian, that has any juft pretence or tolerable appearance of reafon to be esteemed fuch a divine revelation: and therefore, if Chriftianity be not true, there is no revelation of the will of God at all made to mankind.

IX. That the Chriftian religion, confidered in its primitive fimplicity, and as taught in the holy fcriptures, has all the marks and proofs of its being actually and truly a divine revelation, that any divine revelation, fuppofing it was true, could reasonably be imagined or defired to have.

X. That the practical duties which the Chriftian religion enjoins are all fuch as are most agrecable to our natural notions of God, and most perfective of the nature, and conducive to the happines and well-being' of men. That is; Chriftianity even in this fingle refpect, as containing alone and in one confiftent fyftem all the wife and good precepts (and thofe improved, augmented, and exalted to the highest degree of perfection), that ever were taught fingly and fcatteredly, and many times but very corruptly, by the feveral fchools of the philofophers; and this without any mixture of the fond, VOL. IV. Ι abfurd,

abfurd, and fuperftitious practices of any of thofe philofophers; ought to be embraced and practifed by all rational and confidering Deifts, who will act confiftently, and steadily pursue the confequences of their own principles; as at least the beft fcheme and fect of philofophy, that ever was fet up in the world; and highly probable, even though it had no external evidence to be of divine original.

XI. That the motives, by which the Chriftian religion inforces the practice of thefe duties, are fuch as are moft fuitable to the excellent wisdom of God, and moft answerable to the natural expectations of men.

XII. That the peculiar manner and circumftances with which it enjoins thefe duties, and urges thefe motives, are exactly confonant to the dictates of found reafon, or the unprejudiced light of nature, and moft wifely perfective of it.

XIII. That all the [credenda, or] doctrines, which the true, fimple, and uncorrupted Chriftian religion teaches (that is, not only thofe plain doctrines, which it requires to be believed as fundamental and of neceffity to eternal falvation, but even all the doctrines which it teaches as matters of truth), are, though indeed many of them not discoverable by bare reafon unaffifted with revelation, yet, when difcovered by revelation, apparently moft agreeable to found unprejudiced reafon; have every one of them a natural tendency, and a direct and powerful influence, to reform men's lives and correct their manners; and do together make up an infinitely more confiftent and rational scheme of belief, than any that the wifeft of the antient philofophers ever did, or the cunningeft of modern unbelievers can invent or contrive.

XIV. That as this revelation, to the judgement of right and fober reafon, appears even of itself highly credible and probable; and abundantly recommends itself in its native fimplicity, merely by its own intrinfic goodness and excellency, to the practice of the moft rational and confidering men, who are defirous in all their actions. to have fatisfaction and comfort and good hope within themselves, from the confcience of what they do: fo it is moreover pofitively and directly proved, to be actually and immediately fent to us from God, by the many infallible figns and miracles, which the author of it worked publicly as the evidence of his divine commiffion; by the exact completion both of the prophecies that went before concerning him, and of thofe that he himself delivered concerning things. that were to happen after; and by the teftimony of his followers: which, in all its circumftances, was the most credible, certain, and convincing evidence, that was ever given to any matter of fact in the world.

XV. And, laftly; that they who will not, by fuch arguments and proofs as thefe, be convinced of the truth and certainty of the Chriftian religion, and be perfuaded to make it the rule and guide of all their actions, would not be convinced (fo far as to influence their hearts, and reform their lives), by any other evidence what

foever;

foever; no, not though one should rife on purpose from the dead, to endeavour to convince them.

OF THE SEVERAL SORTS OF DEISTS.

I might here, before I enter upon the particular proof of thefe feveral propofitions, juftly be allowed to premife, that having now to deal with another fort of men than thofe against whom my former difcourfe was directed; and being confequently in fome parts of this treatise to make ufe of fome other kinds of arguments than those which the nature of that difcourfe permitted and required; the fame demonstrative force of reasoning, and even mathematical certainty, which in the main argument was there eafy to be obtained, ought not here to be expected; but that fuch moral evidence, or mixt proofs from circumftances and teftimony, as moft matters of fact are only capable of, and wife and honeft men are always fatiffied with, ought to be accounted fufficient in the prefent cafe. Because all the principles indeed upon which Atheists attempt to build their schemes, are fuch as may by plain force of reason, and undeniably demonftrative argumentations, be reduced to express and direct contradictions. But the Deifts pretend to own all the principles of reafon, and would be thought to deny nothing but what depends entirely on teftimony and evidence of matter of fact, which they think they can easily evade.

But, if we examine things to the bottom, we fhall find that the matter does not in reality lie here. For I believe there are in the world, at least in any part of the world where the Christian religion is in any tolerable purity profeffed, very few, if any, fuch Deifts as will truly ftand to all the principles of unprejudiced reason, and fincerely both in profeffion and practice own all the obligations of natural religion, and yet oppofe Chriftianity merely upon accont of their not being fatisfied with the ftrength of the evidence of matter of fact. A conftant and fincere obfervance of all the laws of reafon, and obligations of natural religion, will unavoidably lead a man to Christianity; if he has due opportunities of examining things, and will steadily purfue. the confequences of his own principles. And all others, who pretend to be Deifts without coming up to this, can have no fixt and fettled principles at all, upon which they can either argue or act confiftently; but muft of neceffity fink into downright Atheism (and confequently fall under the force of the former arguments); as may appear by confidering the feveral forts of them.

1. OF THE FIRST SORTS OF DEISTS; AND OF PROVIDENCE. Some men would be thought to be Deifts, because they pretend to believe the exiflence of an eternal, infinite, independent, intelligent being; and, to avoid the name of Epicurean Atheists, teach alfo that this fupreme being made the world: though at the fame time they agree with the Epicureans in this, that they fancy * God

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