Trees; or clfe that Trees were made and built by Men, as well as Houfes. But fuppofing him to be a Man, he must be endowed with fuch a Natural Faculty, as upon farther confideration and experience, will quickly fatisfy him, That one of these was Natural, and the other Artificial; and that the Buildings were framed to that Elegance and Convenience by the Art and Skill of Men.

It would not at firft feem credible to him, that a large Tree should proceed from a small Seed or Kernel: That an Egg fhould produce a Bird. And as for Man himself, he would not be able to have any conception of his true Original, how it could be poffible, that a Young Infant fhould be bred in his Mother's Womb, where it fhould continue for fo many Months inclofed in a bag of Water, without breathing; yet upon Experience these things would appear to him unquestionable, and of Natural Evidence.

From what hath been faid, it will fol low, that fuch things are evident by Natural Light, which Men of a mature Age, in the ordinary ufe of their Faculties with the common help of mutual Society may know and be fufficiently affured of, without the help of any special Revelation. And when it is faid that the Notion of God is natural to the Soul, the meaning of it is, That there is fuch a Faculty in the Soul

of Man, whereby upon the use of Reason he can form within himself a fettled notion of fuch a first and fupreme Being, as is endowed with all poffible perfection. Whch is all I fhall fay as to this firft Argument, I fhall be briefer in the reft.

CHAP.

CHAP. V.

II. Arg. From the Original of the

World.

TOthing can be more evident, than that this vifible frame which we call the World, was either from all Eternity, or elfe that it had a Beginning. And if it had a Beginning, this must be either from Chance or from fome wife Agent. Now if from clear Principles of Reaton, it can be rendred more credible, that the World had a Beginning, and that from fome wife Agent: This may be another Argument to this purpose.

I cannot here omit the mention of a late Difcourfe, wherein this Subject hath been fo Dr. Tillotfully treated of, that I fhall need to fay the fon's I. less of it, having little that is material to add to what is there delivered. ···

In the difcuffing of this, I fhall purpofely omit the mention of thofe Arguments which relate to Infinity, as being not fo cafily intelligible, and therefore more apt to puzzle and amufe, than to convince. Let it be fupposed, that each of the two Theories, whether about the Eternity of the World, or its having a Beginning, are not impoffible, and that neither of them does imply a ContraE 4

diction.

Sermon.

De Calo,

diction.

And farther, that neither of them can be infallibly demonftrated by the meer Principles of Reason. In this Cafe the Queftion must be, which of them is moft credible.

He that would rationally fix his Opinion and Belief about this matter, hath but these two kinds of Proof to enquire after.

1. Teftimony, or the Tradition of the most Ancient times.

2. Reafon, or fuch Probabilities as do arise from the Nature of the thing.

For the First of these Opinions, concerning the Eternity of the World, there is very little to be faid from either of these.

1. As to Teftimony. Ariftotle, who was lib.1.c.1o. a great Patron of this Opinion, and held that the World was a neceffary Emanation from God, as Light is from the Sun; doth of himfelf acknowledge, that the Philosophers before him, were of Opinion that the World had a Beginning; which acknowledgment of his, is no fmall prejudice to the Authority of his Opinion, as I fhall fhew afterwards. And then,

2. As to Reafon, It is a meer precarious Hypothefis, having no fufficient Argument that I know of, to render it probable.

But now for the other Opinion, namely, the beginning of the World, there are as fair and convincing Proofs for it, of several kinds, as the Nature of the Thing is well capable of. Į. From

1. From Tradition. If the World were made and had a Beginning, it is but reasonable to expect, that fo memorable a Thing as this, fhould be recorded in fome of the most ancient Hiftories; And that some extraordinary Means should be ufed to perpetuate the Memory of it, and to convey it down from one Generation to another by Univerfal Tradition: And if it fhall appear, that all the Evidence of this kind is for this Opinion, This must needs render it highly credible.

Now the Hiftory of Mofes hath been generally acknowledged, to be the most ancient Book in the World, and always esteemed of great Authority, even amongst thofe Heathens who do not believe it to be divinely inspired: And there is no Man of Learning, but must allow to it (at least) the ordinary credit of other ancient Hiftories; efpecially, if he confider what ground there is for the Credibility of it, from the Theology of the darker Times, which is made up of fome imperfect Traditions and Allufions, relating to thofe particular Stories which are more diftinctly fet down in the Writings of Mofes.

Now Mofes doth give fuch a plain, brief,

unaffected account of the Creation of the World, and of the most remarkable Passages of the firft Ages, particularly of the Plantation of the World by the difperfion of Noah's Family, fo agreeable to the most ancient Remains of Heathen Writers, as muft needs.