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which occurred to the first rude ages of the world, or even that tenor which is ufually called fo at prefent; but those more general laws of matter and motion, to which all the various phænomena of the world, even those which are apparently moft contrary to one another, may be reduced; and that it is probable, that univerfal experience would concur to fupport the true laws of nature of this kind, were mankind fufficiently industrious and accurate in bringing together the facts, and drawing the conclufions from them; in which case, any deviations from the tenor of nature, thus fupported and explained, would be far more improbable, than according to the fuppofition of the foregoing paragraph; we anfwer, that this objection is a mere conjecture. Since we do not yet know what these true laws of matter and motion are, we cannot prefume to fay whether all phænomena are reducible to them, or not. Modern philofophers have indeed made great advances in natural knowledge; however, we are ftill in our infant ftate, in refpect of it, as much as former ages, if the whole of things be taken into confideration. And this objection allows and fuppofes it to be fo. Since therefore it was the proper method for former ages, in order to make advances in real knowledge, to abide by the award of credible teftimonies, however contrary thefe teftimonies might appear to their then notions and analogies, fo this is alfo the proper method for us.

If indeed we put the courfe of nature for that feries of events which follow each other in the order of cause and effect by the divine appointment, this would be an accurate and philofophical way of fpeaking; but then we must at once acknowledge, that we are fo ignorant of what may be the divine purposes and appointments, of secret caufes, and of the corresponding variety of events, that we can only appeal to the facts, to credible relations of what actually has been, in order to know what is agreeable to the courfe of nature, thus explained. The Scripture miracles may not be at all contrary to its fixedness and immutability. Nor can any objection lie against them, if we confider things in this light, from the prefent notions of philofophical men, i. e. from the courfe of nature, understood in a popular fenfe; fince this falls fo fhort of the true courfe of nature as here defined, i. e. as admitting the inftrumentality of beings fuperior to us, men divinely inspired, good angels, evil fpirits, and many other influences, of which our prefent philofophy can take no cognizance.

With refpect to moral analogy, the cafe is fomewhat different. If the moral attributes of God, and the general rules of his providence, be fupposed to be established upon a fure footing, then a feries of events, which fhould be contrary to thefe, would have a ftrong prefumption against them. And yet it becomes us to be very diffident here alfo. God is infinite, and we finite we may therefore, from feeing only a small portion, judge what we fee to be different from what it is. However, Revealed Religion has no occafion in general for any fuch apology. Natural and Revealed Religion, the word and works of God, are in all principal things moft wonderfully analogous; as has been fufficiently fhewn by the advocates for Re

vealed Religion, and most especially by Bishop Butler in his Analogy. As far therefore as moral analogy carries weight, there is pofitive evidence for the Scripture miracles. And our comprehenfion of natural analogy is fo imperfect as fcarce to afford any prefumption against them; but leaves the evidence in their favour, of nearly the fame ftrength as it would have had for other facts.

Thirdly, Let it be obferved, that the evidences for the Scripture miracles are fo numerous, and in other refpects fo ftrong, as to be nearly equal to any evidences that can be brought for the moft common facts. For it is very manifeft, as has been obferved before, that a great number of credible evidences make a fum total, that is equal to unity, or abfolute certainty, as this has been confidered in the foregoing part of this work, nearer than by any perceptible difference: and the greatest number can never arrive quite to unity. The evidence therefore for common facts, cannot exceed that for the Scripture miracles by more than an imperceptible difference, if we estimate evidences according to the trueft and most accurate manner. Hence the nearly equal evidences for each must establish each in nearly an equal degree, unlefs we fuppofe either fome fuch inconfiftency between them, as that, cómmon facts being allowed, the Scripture miracles must be abfolutely rejected, or that there is fome evidence against the Scripture miracles, which may be put in competition with that for them; neither of which things can be faid with any colour of reafon.

Fourthly, This whole matter may be put in another, and perhaps a more natural, as well as a more philofophical light; and that especially if the foregoing account of the mind, be allowed. Affociation, i. e. analogy, perfect and imperfect, is the only foundation upon which we in fact do, or can, or ought to affent; and confequently a diffonance from analogy, or a repugnancy thereto, is a neceffary foundation for diffent. Now, it happens fometimes, that the fame thing is fupported and impugned by different analogies; or, if we put repugnance to analogy as equivalent to miracle, that both a fact and its non-existence imply a miracle; or, fince this cannot be, that that fide alone which is repugnant to the moft, and the moft perfect analogies, is miraculous, and therefore incredible. Let us weigh the Scripture miracles in this fcale. Now the progrefs of the human mind, as may be feen by all the inquiries into it, and particularly by the hiftory of affociation, is a thing of a determinate nature; a man's thoughts, words, and actions, are all generated by fomething previous; there is an established courfe for thefe things, an analogy, of which every man is a judge from what he feels in himfelf, and fees in others; and to fuppofe any number of men, in determinate circumftances, to vary from this general tenor of human nature in like circumftances, is a miracle, and may be made a miracle of any magnitude, i. e. incredible to any degree, by increafing the number and magnitude of the deviations. It is therefore a miracle in the human mind, as great as any can be conceived in the human body, to suppose that infinite multitudes of Chriftians, Jews, and

Heathens,

Heathens, in the primitive times, fhould have borne fuch unqueftionable teftimony, fome exprefsly, others by indirect circumftances, as hiftory informs us they did, to the miracles faid to be performed by Chrift and his apoftles, upon the human body, unless they were really performed. In like manner, the reception which the miracles recorded in the Old Teftament met with, is a miracle, unless those miracles were true. Thus alfo the very exiftence of the books of the Old and New Teftaments, of the Jewish and Chriftian Religions, &c. &c. are miracles, as is abundantly fhewn by the advocates for Chriftianity, unless we allow the Scripture miracles. Here then a man muft either deny an analogy and affociation, and become an abfolute fceptic, or acknowledge that very ftrong analogies may fometimes be violated; i. e. he must have recourfe to fomething miraculous, to fomething fupernatural, according to his narrow views. The next queftion then will be, which of the two oppofite miracles will agree beft with all his other notions; whether it be more analogous to the nature of God, providence, the allowed hiftory of the world, the known progrefs of man in this life, &c. &c. to suppose that God imparted to certain felect perfons, of eminent piety, the power of working miracles; or to fuppofe that he confounded the understandings, affections, and whole train of affociations, of entire nations, fo as that men who, in all other things, feem to have been conducted in a manner like all other men, fhould, in respect of the hiftory of Chrift, the Prophets, and Apoftles, act in a manner repugnant to all our ideas and experiences. Now, as this laft fuppofition cannot be maintained at all upon the footing of Deifm, so it would be but juft as probable as the firft, even though the objector fhould deny the poffibility of the being of a God; for the leaft prefumption that there may be a being of immenfe or infinite power, knowledge, and goodness, immediately turns the scale in favour of the firft fuppofition,

Fifthly, It is to be confidered, that the evidences for the Scripture miracles are many, and most of them independent upon one another; whereas the difpenfation itself is a connected thing, and the miracles remarkably related to each other. If therefore only fo much as one miracle could be proved to have been really wrought in confirmation of the Jewish or Chriftian revelations, there would be less objection to the fuppofition of a fecond; and, if this be proved, ftill lefs to that of a third, &c. till at laft the reluctance to receive them would quite vanifh (which indeed appears to have been the cafe in the latter part of the primitive times, when the inconteftable evidences for the Chriftian miracles had been so much examined and confidered, as quite to overcome this reluctance; and it seems difficult to account for the credulity in receiving falfe miracles which then appeared, but upon fuppofition that many true ones had been wrought). But it is not fo with the evidences. The greatest part of thefe have fo little dependence on the reft, as may be feen even from this chapter, that they must be fet afide feparately by the objector. Here it ought to be added, that the objectors have scarcé

ever

ever attempted to fet afide any part of the evidence, and never fucceeded in fuch an attempt; which is of itself a strong argument in favour of the Scriptures, fince this is plainly the moft natural and easy way of difproving a thing that is falfe. It ought alfo to be obferved here, that the accomplishment of prophecy, by implying a miracle, does in like manner overbear the reluctance to receive miracles. So that if any confiderable events, which have already happened in the world, can be proved to have been foretold in Scripture in a manner exceeding chance and human forefight, the objection to miracles, confidered in this propofition, falls to the ground at once.

Sixthly, if any one should affirm or think, as fome persons seem to do, that a miracle is impoffible, let him confider, that this is denying God's omnipotence, and even maintaining that man is the fupreme agent in the universe.

PROP. XIV.

THE HISTORICAL EVIDENCES FOR THE GENUINENESS, TRUTH, AND DIVINE AUTHORITY OF THE SCRIPTURES, DO NOT GROW LESS FROM AGE TO AGE; BUT, ON THE CONTRARY, IT MAY RATHER BE PRESUMED THAT THEY INCREASE.

IT is fometimes alledged as an indirect objection to the Christian Religion, that the evidence for facts done in former times, and at remote places, decreases with the distance of time and place; and confequently that a time may come hereafter, when the evidence for the Chriftian Religion will be fo inconfiderable as not to claim our affent, even allowing that it does fo now. To this I answer,

Firft, That printing has fo far fecured all confiderable monuments of antiquity, as that no ordinary calamities of wars, diffolutions of governments, &c. can deftroy any material evidence now in being, or render it lefs probable, in any discernible degree, to those who shall live five hundred or a thousand years hence.

Secondly, That fo many new evidences and coincidences have been discovered in favour of the Jewish and Christian hiftories, fince. the three great concurring events of printing, the reformation of religion in thefe weftern parts, and the reformation of letters, as in some measure to make up for the evidences loft in the preceding times; and, fince this improvement of the hiftorical evidences is likely to continue, there is great reafon to hope that they will grow every day more and more irrefiftible to all candid, ferious inquirers.

One might also alledge, if it were needful, that our proper business is to weigh carefully the evidence which appears at prefent, leaving the care of future ages to Providence; that the prophetical evidences are manifeftly of an increafing nature, and fo may compenfate for a decrease in the hiftorical ones; and that though, in a grofs way of fpeaking, the evidences for facts diftant in time and place are weakened by this diftance, yet they are not weakened in an exact proportion

portion in any cafe, nor in any proportion in all cafes. No one can think a fact relating to the Turkish empire lefs probable at London than at Paris, or at fifty years diftance than at forty.

PROP. XV.

THE PROPHECIES DELIVERED IN THE SCRIPTURES PROVE THE DIVINE AUTHORITY OF THE SCRIPTURES, EVEN PREVIOUSLY TO THE CONSIDERATION OF THE GENUINENESS OF THESE PROPHECIES; BUT MUCH MORE, IF THAT BE ALLOWED.

IN order to evince this propofition, I will diftinguifh the prophecies into four kinds, and fhew in what manner it holds in refpect of each kind.

There are then contained in the Scriptures,

First, Prophecies that relate to the ftate of the nations which bordered upon the land of Canaan.

Secondly, Thofe that relate to the political state of the Ifraelites and Jews in all ages.

Thirdly, The types and prophecies that relate to the office, time of appearance, birth, life, death, refurrection, and afcenfion of the promifed Meffiah, or Chrift.

Fourthly, The prophecies that relate to the ftate of the Chriftian church, especially in the latter times, and to the second coming of Chrift.

I begin with the prophecies of the firft kind, or those which relate to the itate of Amelek, Edom, Moab, Ammon, Tyre, Syria, Egypt, Nineveh, Babylon, and the four great fucceffive empires of the Babylonians, Perfians, Greeks, and Romans. Now, here I obferve, first, that if we admit both the genuineness of thefe prophecies and the truth of the common hiftory of the Scriptures, the very remarkable coincidence of the facts with the prophecies, will put their divine authority out of all doubt; as I fuppofe every reader will acknowledge, upon recollecting the many particular prophecies of this kind, with their accomplishments, which occur in the Old Teftament. Secondly, if we allow only the genuineness of thefe prophecies, fo great a part of them may be verified by the remains of ancient Pagan hiftory, as to establish the divine authority of that part. Thus, if Daniel's prophecies of the image, and four beafts, were written by him in the time of the Babylonian empire, if the prophecies concerning the fall of Nineveh, Babylon, Tyre, &c. be genuine, &c. even profane hiftory will fhew, that more than human forefight was concerned in the delivery of them. Thirdly, that fuch of thefe prophetic events as remain to this day, or were evidently posterior to the delivery of the prophecies, prove their divine authority even antecedently to the confideration of their genuinenefs, as is affirmed in the former part of the propofition. Of this kind are the perpe-. petual flavery of Egypt; the perpetual defolation of Tyre and Babyion; the wild unconquered ftate of the Ifhmaelites; the great power and ftrength of the Roman empire beyond thofe of the three fore