Providence from the Creation to this Vol. II. Day, will as easily conclude God never defign'd it should. If it be reply'd, That Natural Religion, tho' it never fubfifted Pure and Sincere of it felf, was yet ever mixt with all kinds of Religion: I anfwer; The truth is, all other Religions did but maim, defile, deform and deface Natural Religion; Chriftianity only has improv'd and establish'd it.

My Argument then for the Divine Authority of Scripture ftands firm, the Scriptures must be the Word of God, or else Christianity must be false; and if this be falfe, there neither is, nor was, any fuch thing as True Religion, which I have fhew'd is the highest Abfurdity. This Argument I took from the words of St. Peter to our Saviour, John 6. 68. Lord! to whom fhall we go, thon haft the words of Eternal Life : which, without any force, I comment thus; If the Spirit of Chrift in his Word do not lead us, we must wander for ever; if we cannot find Life and Salvation in the Gospel, we must be miserable for ever for 'tis in vain to feek it amongst Pagans or Jews, Mahometans or Philofophers; there is no

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Vol. II.thing pure, nothing fincere, nothing folid, nothing clear amongft these. I would not here be misunderstood; I do not pass Sentence on Pagan or Mahometan, but Paganism and Mahometanism ; 1 do not condemn the Man, but his Religion; 'tis not my Business now to enquire, whether all are actually loft who are of these Religions, 'tis enough to my purpose that these Religions are falfe.

2. The great End and Defign of the Gospel is fuch as evidently proves that there can be no Cheat in it; that the Wonders by which it is attested must be from the Holy Ghoft, not the Devil; that the Prophets and Apostles must be commiffion'd and inspired by God, and not Impoftors. The great Bufinefs of the Gospel, is to make Men wife and good, holy, and confequently happy, both here and hereafter; 'tis to open Mens eyes, and to turn them from Darknefs to Light, from the Power

Satan to the Service of the living God, that they may obtain Remiffion of Sins, and an Inheritance of Glory. 'Tis, in a word, to advance Univerfal Righteousness in the World, to fill Mens Minds with Joy and Peace, and make

them

them abound in hope. Now, is it to be Vol. II. imagin'd that wicked Spirits should make this their great Defign, to make Men Wife and Good? Is it poffible that they who are fill'd with, Rage and Envy, should contrive, and plot, and travel to fill us with Joy,and Peace, and Hope? Can it be conceiv'd that Devils, profest and inveterate Enemies of God and Man, should propose to themselves no other End of their Artifices and Lying Wonders, of their Frauds and Impostures, but the promoting and establishing the Glory of the one, and the Temporal and Eternal Happiness of the other? These things are too grofs to be swallowed by any one who thinks seriously and impartially of this Matter.

Will any Man fay, Tho' this Impofture could not proceed from the Devil, yet from ill Men peradventure it might? This cannot be ; ill Men are uncapable of forming fuch perfect Idea's of an Exalted Vertue as we meet with in the Gofpel; they can never express themselves in that clear and feeling manner upon Spiritual and Divine Subjects; they can never Exhort to Holiness, and Reprove and Ba Rebuke

Vol. II. this Cafe, and that of the Gospel, than

between folid Vertue and blind Zeal, real and falfe Miracles, the true Good of Mankind, and the Interest and Defign of a Party.

As for the Inftances of Numa Pompilus, Minos, and fuch like, they are nothing to the purpose; they were themselves ignorant Idolaters; their Laws had nothing in them of the Spirit and Design of the Gofpel; their aim was only the Secular Grandeur of a particular People, the establishing Soveraign Dominion in themselves and their Children, and the perpetuating their Name and Glory to Pofterity. All which is very remote from the Cafe of the Apostles and Prophets.

3. Befides the two former Proofs of the Divine Authority of Scripture, there are several others which I must crowd together, that I may keep within the common Bounds of a Sermon ; fuch are the Profoundness of the Dotrine, the Connection and Correfpondency of its Parts, its Power and Efficacy, the Majefty and Significancy of its Style, the Accomplishment of Predictions, the Sanctity and Simplicity of its Authors, the Miracles they wrought,

and

and the Deaths they underwent, for Vol. II. Confirmation of it; and lastly, the Teftimony of the Church of Chrift. that these Writings are the Works of the Prophets, Evangelifts and Apoftles. I will not pretend to infist fully and diftinctly on each of thefe Heads, but only to fet them in a clear Light before you, in as few words as poflibly I can.

1. Then, That the Writings, whose Authority I maintain, were the Writings of the Apostles and Prophets, we are affured by Constant and Catholick. Tradition of the Church of Christ. And no fenfible Man can question the Credit of this Testimony, if we confider with what Veneration the first Christians must have receiv'd the Writings of the Apostles; how carefully the Originals were preferv'd; how diligently the Copies of them were disperst through all Nations, People and Languages, and how conftantly the Churches of Christ did appeal to these as the Rule of Faith and Manners, and the Pastors did ever exhort and prefs their People to the ftudy of them, as being the Power of God unto SalvaB 4

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