falfely and groundlessly applied either to Chrift in particular, or in general to the expectation of any fuch Meffiah as fhould introduce a fpiritual and eternal kingdom.

That there are feveral paffages, cited by the apoftles out of the Old Testament, which are either not found there at all, or elfe are very different in the text itfelf from the citations alledged, and confequently are by the apostles either misunderstood or mifapplied. That even miracles themselves "can nevér tender a foundation "valid, which is in itfelf invalid; can never make a falfe inference, true; can never make a prophecy fulfilled, which is not fulfiled;" can never make thofe things to be spoken concerning Chrift, which were not fpoken concerning Chrift. And, confequently, that the miracles faid to have been worked by Chrift, Could not poffibly have been really worked by him, but muft of neceffity, together with the whole fyftem both of the Old and New Teftament, have been wholly the effect of imagination and enthüfiafin, if not of impofture.

Now, in order to enable every careful and fincere reader to find a fatisfactory anfwer to these and all other objections of the like nature, I would lay before him the following confiderations.

1. I fuppofe it to have been already proved in the foregoing part of this difcourfe, that there is a GOD; and that the nature and circumftances of men, and the neceffary perfections of God, do demonftrate the obligations and the motives of NATURAL RELIGIÓN; that is, that God is a MORAL as well as natural governor of the world. Whoever denies either of thefe affertions is obliged to invalidate the arguments alledged for proof of them in the former part of this book, before he has any right to intermix Atheistical arguments and objections in the prefent queftion, it being evidently ridiculous, in all who believe not that God is, and that he is a moral judge as well as natural governor, to argue at all about a revelation concerning religion, or to make any inquiry whether it be from God or no.

2. As God has in fact made known even demonftrable truths, natural and moral truths*, not to all men equally; but in different degrees and proportions, to fuch as have a difpofition and defire to enquire after them; fo it is agreeable to reafon and to the analogy of God's proceedings, to believe, that he may poffibly, by revela. tion and tradition, have given fome further degrees of light, to fuch as are fincerely defirous to know and obey him; fo that they who will do his will may know of the doctrine whether it be of God. As our natural knowledge of moral and religious truths in fact is, fo Revelation poffibly may further be, as it were, a light fhining in a dark place.

3. It appears in hiftory, that the great truths and obligations of natural religion have from the beginning been confirmed by a per petual tradition in particular families, who, though in the midft of idolatrous nations, yet ftedfaftly adhered to the worthip of the God

See above, Prop. VII. § 4.

of

of nature, the one God of the univerfe. And by the nation of the Jews (notwithstanding all their corruptions in practice, yet in the fyftem and conftitution of their religion) has the fame tradition been continually preferved; whereby they have been as it were a city upon a hill, a ftanding teftimony against an idolatrous world.

4. Among the writings of all, even the moft ancient and learned nations, there are none but the books of the Jews, which (agreeably to the above demonftrated truths concerning the God of nature, and the foundations of natural religion,) have, exclusive of chance and of neceffity, afcribed either the original of the univerfe in general (an univerfe full of infinite variety and choice) to the will and operation of an intelligent and free caufe; or given any tolerable account in particular of the formation of this our earth into its prefent habitable state.

5. But in thefe books, there is not only (in order to prevent idolatry) a full account (agreeable to the principles of natural reason) how the heavens and the earth and all things therein contained are the creatures of GOD; but, moreover, an uniform series of hiftory, from the infancy of mankind, confiftent with itself, and with the ftate of the Jewish and Chriftian church at this day, and with the poffibilities of the predicted feries for the future,. for feveral thoufands of years. Which confiftency, with the poffibilities of fuch predicted future events, could not be by chance (as I shall fhew prefently), but is itfélf a great and standing miracle.

6. In these books, agreeably to the hopes and expectations naturally founded on the divine perfections, God did from the beginning make, and has all along continued to his church or true worshipers, a promife, that truth and virtue fhould finally prevail, fhould prevail over the fpirit of error and wickednefs, of delufion and difobedience. That the feed of the woman, Gen. iii415. "fhould bruife the ferpent's head;" that among her posterity should arife a deliverance from the delufion and power of fin, by which "Satan (Rom. xvi. 20.) fhould be bruifed under their feet." That in particular from the feed of Abraham, and from the family of Ifaac, and from the pofterity of Jacob, and from the house of David, fhould arife the accomplishment of all God's promifes to his church, and all the bleffings included in God's covenant with his true worshipers. That, at length," the earth, Ifai. xi. 9. fhould be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover "the fea;" that, Rev. xi. 15. Dan. vii, 27. "the kingdoms of "this world thould become the kingdoms of the Lord that, "in the last days, Ifai. ii. 2. unto the mountain of the Lord's "houfe," the feat of his true worship, should "all nations flow." That God would, Ifai. lxv. 17. "create new heavens, and a “new earth, 2 Pet. iii. 13. wherein dwelleth. righteoufneis ;" whereii, Ifai. Ix. 21. lxv. 25. xi. 9. i. 26. the people should "be all righteous, and inherit the land for ever;" thould be allholy, Ifai. iv. 3. even every one that is" or, "written unto "life, 1 in. So. Dan. xii. 1. " Every one that fhall be

་་

found

"found written in the book," "written among the living." That God would, Dan. ii. 44. " fet up a kingdom, which should never be

deftroyed, but stand for ever;" and that, Dan. vii. 18. 22. 27. .Ifai. Ix. tot." the faints of the most high should take the king"dom, and poffefs the kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever.

7. All the great promises, therefore, which God has ever made to his CHURCH, to his PEOPLE, to the FAMILIES OF NATIONS of his true worshipers, are evidently to be all along fo understood, as that wicked and unworthy perfons, of whatever family or nation or profeffion of religion they be, fhall be excluded from the benefit of those promises, fhall be cut off from God's people; and worthy perfons of all nations, from the Eaft and from the Weft, and from the North and from the South, fhall be accepted in their, ftead. That is to fay, in like manner as the promise was made originally, not to all the children of Abraham, but to Ifaac only; and not to both the fons of Ifaac, but to Jacob only: and, among the pofterity of Jacob, all were not Ifrael, which were of Ifrael; but, in Elijah's days, feven thousand only were the true Ifrael; and, in the time of Ifaiah, "though the number of the children of Ifrael was as the

fand of the fea," H. x. 22. Rom. ix. 27; yet a remnant only was to be faved; and in Hofea God fays, "I will call them my "people, which were not my people, and her beloved, which was "not beloved," Hof. ii. 23. Rom. ix. 25: fo it is all along evidently to be understood, that the children of the promise in the literal fenfe according to the flesh, the visible church or professed worshipers of the true God, are but the type or reprefentative of the real invifible church of God, the true children of Abraham, Rom. ii. 28. iii. 7 and 9. iv. 12. in the fpiritual and religious fenfe, the faints of the most high, Dan. vii, 18. who thall poffefs the kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever," even, If. iv. 3. every one that is written among the living."

66

8. It being evident that God cannot be the God of the dead, but of the living; and that all promises, made to fuch worshipers of the true God as at any time forfook all that they had and even life itself for the fake of that worship, could be nothing but mere mockery, if there was no life to come, and God had no power to restore them from the dead: this (I fay) being self-evident, it follows neceffarily, that when the time comes that the promised kingdom fhall take place, the dead must be raised; and the faints, which had died in the intermediate time, muft live again, Dan. xii. 13. "stand in "their lot at the end of the days.". When God styles himself, Exod. iii. 6. 16. THE God of Abraham, Ifaac, and Jacob;" and faid to Abraham, Gen. xv. 1. “I am THY exceeding great reward" and Gen. xvii. 7.“. Iwill be a God unto THEE, and to thy feed after thee;" and, Gen. xvii. 8. xiii. 15. 17.“ will give the land unto "THEE, and to thy feed after thee;". and repeated the very fame promifes to Ifaac, Gen. xxvi. 3. and to Jacob perfonally, Gen. xxviii. as well as to their pofterity after them, Deut. i. 8; and yet, Acts vii. 5.." gave Abrahain none inheritance in the land, though he pro

13.

"mised that he would give it to HIM and to his! feed after him;" but Abraham himself, Heb. xi. 9. "fojourned only in the land

66

of promife, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with "Ifaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the fame promife;" who all, Heb. xi. 13. "confeffed that they were ftrangers and pilgrims on the earth;" and Jacob particularly complained, Gen. xlvii. 9. that "the days of the years of his pilgrimage had been few and evil;" and in bleffing Ifaac and Ifhmael, God-promifed, Gen. xvii. 20, 18. to make Ishmael fruitful, and to multiply him "exceedingly," fo that he should" beget twelve, princes," and God would make him a great nation;" and, Gen. xvi. 10. “ mul"tiply his feed exceedingly, that it should not be numbered for "multitude;" and yet, in the very fame fentence, exprefsly by way of oppofition, and of high and eminent diftinction, declares that, notwithstanding all this, yet, his COVENANT, his EVERLASTING "covenant, he would establish with Ifaac," Gen. xvii. 19. 21; when all this (I say) is confidered, the inference of the apostle to the Hebrews cannot but appear unanswerably just, that these patriarchs, Heb. xi. 10. looked for a city" fomewhat more than temporal, even "a city which hath foundations, whose builder and "maker is God," and that, Heb. xi. 14. 16. "they, who faid fuch "things, declared plainly that they fought a country, a better coun"try, that is, an heavenly;" and that, for this reafon, "God was "not ashamed to be called THEIR GOD, because he had prepared "for them a city." And if this inference was neceflarily true concerning the patriarchs, who, Heb. xi. 13. "confeffed that they were ftrangers and pilgrims on the earth;" much more concerning thofe who, Heb. xi. 35. "were tortured, not accepting deliverance, must it needs be true that the only poffible reafon of this their choice was, that they might obtain a better resurrection," /

Other notices in the Old Testament, that the worshipers of the true God in every age of the world, thould at the end have their lot in the kingdom promised to the faints of the most high, are, Gen. v. 24. the tranflation of Enoch, Heb. xi. 5. Wild. iv, to, Ecclus. xliv. 16. xlix. 14. " that he should not fee death;" and 2 Kings ii. 11. Ecclus. xlviii. 9. 1 Macc. ii. 58. the taking up of Elijah into heaven. Allufions to it at least, if perhaps not di rect affertions, are the words of Job, xix. 25: "I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that he shall ftand at the latter day upon the earth and though after my fkin, .worms deftroy this body, yet in my flesh fhall I fee God." And those of laiah: xxvi. 19. Thy dead men fhall live; together with my dead "body fhall they arife: awake and fing, ye that dwell in dust; for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth fhall caft out the

66

* The introduction to these words is very folemn: "Oh, that my words were now graven with an iron pen, and lead, in the rock for ever." And how they were anciently underfood, appears from that addition to the end of the book of Job in the LXX, yiyoenlas dè, murin weiden kushotodai, jeið áv i nupi ávismen. So Job died, being old, and full of days; “Bat is is written that he thall rise again, with those whom the Lord taifes up." '** dead.”

52

“dead.” And, Ifai. xvi. 14.

your bones: fhall: flourish like an herb." And that paffage in Hofea, xii. 14. L will ran"fom them from the power of the graves I will redeem them from “death. O death, I will be thy plagues, O grave, will be thy ** destruction.” And that in Ezekiel, xxxvi. 7, 8. 10, 126 Behold, the bones: came together, bone to hia: bone andthe finews and the fleth came up upon them, and the skin covered "them above and the breathi canse into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet-Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and caufe you to come up out of your graves, and bring "you into the land of Ifrael.". Again: the words of Haiah; fvii. r, 2.1 The righteous perifheth, and is taken away from the evil to comes he thall enter into EEACE what more natural Signification have they than that which the book of Wildom expreffes, ch. iii. 1,3 the fouls of the righteous are in the hand

66

X

of Godthey are in peace?" And what, but the future ftate, can the conclufion of Haiah's prophecy, ch. lxv. 47. lxvi. 22, 23, 24. reasonably be referred to Behold, I create new heavens and a new earth as the new heavens and the new earth which I will make fhall remain before me, faith the Lord; fo fhall your feed and your haine remain. And all fleth fhall come to worfhip before me, faith the Lord. And they thall go forth and look upon the cárcafes of the men that have tranfgreffed against me for their worm fhall not die, neither thall their fire he quenched, and thy fhall be an abhorring unto all flesh." In like manner; whom does God fpeak of, by Ezekiel,when he fays, Ezek. xliv. 16. "The fons of p17, the fons of righteouf"nefs," Zadock, that kept the charge of my fanctuary, WHEN the

66

children of Ifrael went aftray from me," which, Ezek. xlvii. 11. went not aftray, when the children of Ifrael went aftray]— they fhall enter into my fanctuary? And to what do the following words of the fame prophet most naturally refert "Every thing fhall live, whither the river cometh and by the river, ་་ upon the bank thereof, on this fide and on that fide, thall grow "all trees for meat; whofe leaf fhall not fade, neither hall, the * fruit thereof be confumed: it fhall bring forth new fruit according to his months, becaufe their waters they iffued out of the "fanctuary; and the fruit thereof fhall be for meat, and the leaf "thereof for medicine." Still more ftrong is that allufion in Daniel, vii. 9, 10. "I beheld till the thrones were caft down [till the thrones were placed], and the Ancient of days did fita fiery ftream iffued and came forth from before him: thousand thousands miniftered unto him, and ten thousand times-ten thousand stood before him: the judgement was fet, " and the books were opened." But the following words of the

46

* Ezek. xlvii. 9. 12. compared with Rev. xxii. 1, 2. “He thewed me a pure river of "water of life:-and of either fide of the river, was there the free of life, which bare *twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month, and the leaves of the tree "were for the healing of the nations.”

fame