which have filled the World with fo many Doubts and Differences in Opinion concerning the weightieft Matters of Religion.

But fince from this Account there appears little Hope of coming to an entire Harmony and Agreement of Opinion, what must an honest Man do? Whom fhall he chufe to follow? And, when he has chofen, with what Security and Confidence can he proceed? fince there will be always fome to tell him, That he is a blind Follower of a blind Leader. How far this Difficulty has been preffed, even to the rendring all Religion precarious and uncertain, and to the discarding the Gospel itself, which is reprefented as encumbered with fo many Doubts, fuch different Comments and Expofitions, that the Wit of Man knows not how to extricate him from this Labyrinth, and lead him to one Spot of firm Ground, whereon to reft the Sole of his Feet; how far, I fay, this Argument has been urged to this Purpose, I need not fay: It will be more to our Purpose to call this Matter to a fair Examination, and to affert the Grounds and Principles of our Faith, notwithstanding this fierce Affault that has been made upon them.

Now there are two Things which this Argument leads us to confider; and which, when

when fairly stated, will, I think, exhaust the whole Difficulty.

The first is with respect to the Revelation itself; to confider how far thefe Difficulties affect the Authority of the Gofpel: For if it is, as it is reprefented, fo very dark and obscure, that common Honefty, with the Affiftance of common Senfe, cannot difcern in it what is the Will of God; then it cannot be a Rule or Measure of Religion, or defigned as fuch by God, who is too wife and too good to give Laws to the World, which can be of no ufe to them, but to perplex and confound their Understandings.

The fecond is with refpect to Ourselves, to confider how we may attain to a certain Rule of Religion, under the Gofpel Revelation, notwithstanding the many Controverfies and Difputes, which are too vifible to be denied, and oftentimes too fierce to be excused.

And if it fhall appear upon the whole, that these Difficulties do not affect the Authority of the Gofpel, nor preclude us from the certain Knowledge of the Faith and Obedience required under the Gofpel; then, whatever Use may be made of these Controverfies, they cannot in Reafon be urged as Objections against Revealed Religion, the CerB 3 tainty

tainty of which, either as to its Authority, or the Clearness of its Doctrines, is no way impeached by them.

The firft Thing is, to confider the Autho rity of Revelation, and how it is affected by any Difficulties or Obfcurities that are found in it.

The Authority of Revelation depends upon this, That it is the Will and Word of God; and he that knows he has the Word of God, knows that he has a Revelation of certain Authority. The firft Question then is, Whether this Knowledge may be attained, before we have a distinct and explicit Understanding of all the Parts of the Revelation? If it may, then it is certain that the Obfcurity of fome Parts of the Revelation cannot deftroy the Authority of the whole. We know very well, in all ordinary Cafes, that thefe are two very diftinct Acts of Knowledge, and not in the leaft dependent upon one another, To know who spoke fuch Words, and To know the true Senfe and Import of thofe Words. One Man may certainly know who spoke them, though he knows not the Meaning of them: Another may know the Meaning of them, without knowing who spoke them. In Revelation the Cafe is the fame: Our Sa

viour spoke many Things in Parables, which the Disciples understood not, and which he afterwards explained to them. Now I would ask any Man, Whether the Difciples did not as certainly know that thofe Parables were the Word of Chrift, before he explained them, as they did afterwards? If they did, thofe Parables were to them of the fame Authority, though not of the fame Ufe, when they were obfcure, as when they were explained. In human Laws the Cafe is the fame: The Authority of them depends not upon their being diftinctly understood by all Men; for the Man, who has no Ability to expound a Statute, may yet be certain of its Authority, if he will have recourfe to the proper Records. And there are many Statutes of this Realm, the Authority of which no Man doubts of, though, at the fame Time, those who are best able to judge are not agreed in the Meaning and Expofition of them: And what would you think of a Man, who should affirm that we have no Statute Book in this Kingdom, or none of any. Authority; and give you this Reafon for it, because that which we call our Statute-Book has many Difficulties and Obfcurities in it, many Things which

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which are not to be reduced to a certain and determinate Meaning? And yet the Argument is as good, nay, juft the fame, in this Cafe, as when it is applied to Revelation; and a Man argues with the fame Shrewdness, who tells us we have no Gospel, or none that we ought to admit, because the Gospel we pretend to has many difficult Paffages in it, many Things that are hard to be understood: For the Obfcurity of fome Laws is as good an Argument against the Authority of the Statute-Book, as the Obfcurity of fome Texts is against the Authority of the Gospel.

This will further appear to be true, if we confider the proper Proofs of a Revelation, and how they operate: For they will be found to take Place, and have their full Effect upon the Mind, antecedently to our having a diftinct Understanding of all the Parts of a Revelation: And confequently our not having a diftinct Understanding of all the Parts of a Revelation is no Objection to the Authority of a Revelation, which is founded upon Proofs the Objection cannot reach, Now thefe Proofs are three: The Qualities of the Perfon who is fent to make the Revelation: The main End and Purpose of his Coming: And the Miracles which he gives in Evidence of his Commiffion. If the

Perfon