The ignorance of those barbarous people in the Indies, Tartary, and Africa, must be removed, by teaching them the first principles, and making them apply the little sense they have left them of good and evil, right and wrong, to the fundamental maxims of religion.

Atheists must be convinced by reflexions upon those principles which they admit, by shewing that the truths which they reject are the natural consequences of those principles which they dare not dispute.

To convince the Heathen, who fuppofe many gods, we must examine their principles, and confute them; which is the easiest thing in the world; the wisest men having formerly acknowledged, as they also own to this very day, that there is but one God.

And indeed it seems, that the greatest part of philosophers did own a plurality of gods, only in compliance with the opinions of the people, which it was dangerous to contradict.

And as for the Jews, forasmuch as they agree with the Christians and Mahometans about the unity of God, we are only to prove to them the truth of that which is the very effence of the Christian Religion, in opposition to their prejudices: one may prove this against the Jews without any trouble, because they are agreed in most of those principles which the Christian Religion supposes. So likewise it is easily established against the Mabometans, who grant the truth of Christian Religion in general, but pretend that it ought to give place to Mahometanism, as the Law ought to give place to the Gospel, preached by Jesus Chrift.

My defign is not to profecute every one of these ways in particular. There are books enough in the world which solidly prove the neceffity of Religion against all forts of Atheists, as well those who are so through ignorance, as those who profess themselves fuch from love to libertinism, and to pass for men of a mighty reach.

There are also several famous authors who have made it evident, that reafon alone is sufficient to overthrow all Pagan religions whatsoever. I am resolved to follow a more compendious and sure method, that is, to demonftrate the truth of the Christian Religion, considered by itself.

In short, it is impossible (confidering the oppofition there is between the Christian Religion and all the other religions in the world) but that, if the Christian Religion should be the true, all others must be false in those articles wherein they essentially differ from it.

And on the other hand, one cannot explain those arguments which clearly evince the truth of Christianity, without convicting all other religions of falsehood, because they are destitute of those proofs which are peculiar to the Christian Religion.

I know wery well that there are several ways which lead to the end which I propose. Men that think much, wish that a perfect conformity of the Christian Religion with the confcience of man might be demonstrated, from reflexions on the heart of man, and the dictates of it, which to them would be a convincing and demonstrative proof.

Others apply themselves to a speculative examination of the doctrines and proofs of the Chriftian Religion, to shew their conformity with the notions of reason. I will not deny but that both these employ themselves usually in this fort of study, and that truth finds a confiderable support from their meditations.

But

But how useful foever they may be, I have rather chosen to follow another course, as thinking it of more advantage, solidly to establish the facts which the Christian Religion proposeth; which appears to me to be more proper to perfuade all forts of readers, and better levelled to the ordinary capacity of those who newly enter upon the examination of this truth.

And as the neceffity of revelation is generally owned by heathens, and by all other nations of the world, I thought it a thing altogether unnecessary to enter upon the examination of several abstracted questions, such as these: whether there be any natural knowledge of God, whether men are naturally inclined to be religious, and the like. When I shall have firmly proved, that God revealed himself, that he prescribed a fervice to the first men, who left the rules of it to all their posterity, from whence all the religion that ever was, or is yet in the heathen world, was derived, I shall have prevented many very unprofitable disputes, and which can only perplex the mind by their obscurity.

I have therefore confined myself to certain confiderations, which do so establish the truth of the books of the Old and New Testament, as by their union they firmly prove the truth of the Christian Religion.

I hope that it will not be thought needful for me to demonftrate, that the Mahometan religion ought not to abolish the Christian, as the Chriftians pretend that the Christian Religion abrogated the ceremonial part of the Jewish worship.

As foon as an understanding Reader shall make some reflexions upon the nature of the arguments which demonstrate the truth of the Chriftian Religion, he may easily perceive that God never framed the model of that religion which the Mahometans would obtrude upon us.

REFLEXIONS

1

REFLEXIONS

UPON THE

BOOKS OF THE HOLY SCRIPTURE,

For the Establishing of the Truth

OF THE

CHRISTIAN RELIGION,

CHAP. I.

Concerning the FUNDAMENTALS of the CHRISTIAN RELIGION.

confider three things in the Christian Religion; the Matters of Fact it propounds to us for true, the Promises it affords us, and the Worship it commands.

The Matters of Fact it propounds to us as true, are that God created the world; that he formed the first man, from whom the rest of mankind have been propagated; that a while after this man was created, he violated the law God had given him; and that whereas he deserved to have perished for this his disobedience, God was pleased, instead thereof, to comfort him with the hopes of a Saviour which was to be born of the seed of his wife; that God hath actually sent this Saviour into the world, which comprehends the whole economy of Christ, viz. his birth, life, preaching, miracles, death, refurrection, and afcenfion into heaven, &c.

The

The Promises it vouchsafes, are the forgiveness of our fins, the refurrection of our bodies, and a state absolutely happy for ever in heaven.

And lastly, the Worship of divine service it prescribes consists in obedience to the law of God, in prayer for the pardon of our fins, and his protection, and in a grateful acknowledgment of what we owe him for all his benefits towards us.

The first of these three parts of the Christian Religion, viz. the truth of the Matters of Fact it relates, may be said to be the foundation of the other two, viz. the Promises and commands.

It is impossible to be perfuaded, that God hath created this world in which we live, and made mankind of one and the fame blood; that after the fall he promised to save men, and did actually redeem them in sending Jesus Chrift, who suffered death, and being raised the third day afcended into heaven, &c. I say, it is impossible to look upon these facts as true without being affured that God will accomplish the promises he hath made to us.

And it is as evident that we cannot be convinced of the truth of these matters, without being sensible of a strong obligation laid upon us to perform all the duties of the Christian religion.

As foon as a man reflects upon his being God's creature, he finds himself naturally obliged to obey God universally, according to his utmost ability: but when he comes further to believe, that God did not destroy the first man for his disobedience, but was gracioufly pleased to promise him a Saviour for himself and all his posterity; and when moreover he is affured, that God hath really sent this Saviour in the way and manner the Gospel relates to us; we cannot conceive but that he must find himself under the highest engagements imaginable of rendering to God a religious obedience, and believing his promises.

But there is yet another obligation whereby man is bound to obey God, to pray to him, and to offer him all manner of religious worship: God, by redeeming him, hath obtained a new claim to, and right over him; and a more indispensable obligation is laid upon man to submit himself to God, in all religious concerns, as being not only created but also redeemed by him.

Reason acknowledgeth, that if the truth of these things be once admitted, nothing can be more just and natural than those consequences which the Chriftians thence infer.

All the difficulty therefore that occurs in this matter, consists in the proof of those facts which the Christian religion propounds to us; that is to say, in proving the creation of the world, the fall of man, the promife of a redeemer, his coming into the world, his miracles, death, refurrection, ascension into heaven, &c. which are the foundations of the Christian Religion. And indeed these are the very matters of which Atheists and Libertines require a folid proof.

And it doth the more concern us to fatisfy their demands, forasmuch as the Jews, who are scattered throughout the whole world, do oppose our affertion, that the promise of sending the Meffiah is already accomplished, though they agree upon the matter with us in all other articles. Moreover, the performing this task may very much contribute to the converfion

version of a great number of bad Christians, whose fall and continuance in vices and licentiousness is to be ascribed to their being so weakly perfuaded of the truth of these Fundamentals, and that because they have never confidered of them with sufficient attention.

That the CHRISTIAN RELIGION is founded upon Proofs of Matter of

F

Fact.

ORASMUCH as, in order to establish the truth of the Chriftian Religion, we confine ourselves at present to those Proofs which make out the Matters of Fact it proposes; omitting all other arguments which may evidence the truth of it, though pofssibly no less convincing; it is obvious, that the proofs we are to produce in confirmation of them, must be such as are proper to evince the truth of things long fince paft and done.

If we were treating of the events of the time we live in, it might be justly required that we should produce eye-witnesses of them: but forasmuch as the question here is concerning matters long fince past, it is natural for us to have recourse to history, which furnisheth us with the relations of those who were eye-witnesses of the same; this being the only way left us to confirm our belief of things at so great a distance from us.

I am beholden to history only for the knowledge I have of a Cyrus, an Alexander, or a Cæfar; and yet having read the account they give me of them, I find them matters I can no way rationally doubt of.

I acknowledge that the certainty we have of things long fince paft, is much inferior to that which we have of matters confirmed to us by eyewitnesses. Nevertheless, because it is evident that the events of ancient times cannot be confirmed but by proofs of this nature, it has never entered into the minds of any to account the existence of such men as Cyrus and Alexander for fables, upon the pretence that none now alive did ever fee them, or because there are scarce any traces left of those empires of which they were the founders.

Indeed the certainty we have of these things is such, as nothing can be superadded to it; for though it be founded on the authority of historians who lived many ages ago, yet withal we are to confider that the matters related do not only carry the idea of probability and truth along with them, but that they are the very ground and foundation of all the histories of following ages; which cannot be questioned, if we confider the connexion and dependence of the things related, according to the light of sense, and the equity of reafon.

A Matter