Now the MIRACLES, which Christianity objects to our belief, and which, therefore, demand credit of every reasonable man, are, and I apprehend must be, qualified in one or other of these three ways.

I.

They must either, in the first place, be fuch as Chrift and his infpired Servants and Followers are recorded to have performed for the CREDENTIALS of their miffion.

II.

Or, fecondly, fuch as make a neceffary part in, or towards the completion of the Gospel System.

III.

Or, thirdly and laftly, fuch as have been performed directly to manifeft and VERIFY THE DIVINE PREDICTIONS, when impious men have fet themselves on attempting to defeat them,

I.

When a Miracle is wrought (as in the firft cafe) for the CREDENTIAL of a Mef

fenger

fenger coming with the revealed Will of God to Man, we may fafely confide in it. Becaufe fuch a Miracle is so far from being beneath the dignity of the occafion, that it is even neceffary to answer the important purpose of it. Under this idea, it hath, I believe, been generally conceived in every age of our holy Religion, till the present. Indeed, it seems to have been the conftant expectation of Believers, that these fupernatural atteftations fhould accompany every NEW MESSAGE from Heaven; infomuch that all the pretended Revelations in the Pagan World, as well as the real in the Jewish and the Chriftian, were constructed on this principle of credit.

But now, in thefe times, fome there are even amongst the Minifters of the Gofpel, who tell us, they think, or at least are hardy enough to teach, that the REASONABLENESS of the Doctrine is the best, and indeed the only true evidence of its divine Original.

If in this they should not be mistaken, I may, however, boaft, that I, myself,

have, in this Work, greatly ftrengthened this boafted plenitude of evidence.

But, in reverence to Truth, I hold myfelf obliged to own, that, in my opinion, the REASONABLENESS of a Doctrine pretended to come immediately from God, is, of itself alone, no PROOF, but a PRESUMPTION only of fuch its divine Original: becaufe, though the excellence of a Doctrine (even allowing it to furpass all other moral teaching whatfoever) may fhew it to be worthy of God, yet, from that fole excellence, we cannot certainly conclude that it came immediately from him; fince we know not to what heights of moral knowledge the human understanding, unassisted by inspiration, may arrive. Not even our full experience, that all the Wisdom of Greece and Rome comes extremely short of the Wisdom of the GOSPEL, can support us in concluding, with certainty, that this Gospel was fent immediately from God. We can but very doubtfully guess, what excellence may be produced by a wellformed and well-cultivated Mind, further

bleffed

bleffed with a vigorous temperament, and a happy organization of the Body. The amazement into which Sir Ifaac Newton's Discoveries, in Nature, threw the learned World, as foon as men became able to comprehend their Truth and Utility, sufficiently fhews, what little conception it had, that the human faculties could ever. rise so high or fpread so wide.

On the whole, therefore, we conclude, that, strictly speaking, there is no ground of conviction folid and strong enough to bear the weight of so great an interest, but that which rifes on MIRACLES, worked by the first Meffengers of a new Religion, in fupport and confirmation of their Mis

SION.

That is, MIRACLES, and MIRACLES ONLY, demonftrate that the Doctrine, which is seen to be worthy of God, did, indeed, COME IMMEDIATELY from him.

To be plain, there is a glaring abfurdity in the novel fancy here expofed; of which we can find no inftance in the affairs of civil life-And civil and religious Policies are conducted on the fame principles of Reafon,

while administered in their integrity. For what public Perfon ever imagined, or expected to have it believed, that the true and proper CREDENTIAL of a Minifter of State was the fairnefs of his Character, or the equity of his demands? Nothing but the BROAD-SEAL of his Mafter, he knows, will fatisfy thofe to whom he is fent, that' he has a right to the Perfonage which he affumes. Doth not common fenfe tell us, that a Meflenger from God muft come recommended to mankind in the fame manner? Neither his perfonal accomplishments, nor the excellence of his Doctrine, nor, in a word, any thing fhort of the BROAD-SEAL of Heaven, exemplified in MIRACLES, will be fufficient to establish his affumed Character.

But the Doctors of this new School feem to have fallen into the abfurdity here expofed, by another as ridiculous; namely, that THE GOSPEL ITSELF IS NO MORE, NOR OTHER, THAN A REPUBLICATION OF THE RELIGION OF NATURE: (an extravagance, amongst the first of thofe, which, I pre

fume,