SERM II of the Battle, and were sure to fall the first, and the Bishop generally ended in the Martyr. An Impofture in which there could be no State-craft: For all the States of the World for three hundred Years were combined against it.

Softrong, in fhort, if we take the Arguments from Prophecy, the internal Excellency of Christianity, and the Neceffity of a Revelation into the Account, is the Evidence for Chriftianity; that it is the laft Thing I fhould believe, that an inquifitive unprejudiced Man, of a found Head, and an upright Heart, could be a determined Infidel. Nothing ought to be admitted in Bar to fuch pregnant Proofs, but fome abfolute Impoffibility in the Nature of the Thing: Mere Difficulties weigh Nothing For at that Rate we must disbelieve every Thing in Nature; every Thing in Nature being attended with great, nay infuperable Difficulties.

Could we suppose a Being in some other Part of the wide Creation, of the fame Size of Understanding with ourselves, but an intire Stranger to the natural History of the World; fhould any one inform him of the amazing Properties of the Loadstone,

the

the Phænomena of Light and Colours, the SERM. II. Circulation of the Blood contrary to all the known Laws of Motion, the Revolutions of the Planets, the Cobaefion of Matter, the infinite Divifibility of finite Matter, nay, of the leaft Grain of that finite Matter, the furprizing Effects of Chemistry; he would think the Hiftory of Nature far more unaccountable, than any Deift can the Book of Grace, and the Hiftory of the Bible:

Poor fhort-fighted Creatures! the leaft Grain of Sand is able to baffle the finest Understanding: And yet we would pretend to found the Depths of the divine Nature and Counfels; never confidering, what has been often obferved, that, "if what was re"vealed concerning God, were always adapted " to our Comprehenfion; how could it with a

ny Fitness reprefent that Nature, which

we allow to be incomprehenfible ?" We need not to ranfack the Scriptures for Difficulties: Every Thing about us and within us, above us and beneath us, convinces us, that we are very ignorant; and, if once we come to a Refolution to quit what is clear (fuch are the Profs for Chriftianity) upon the Account of what is obfcure; we fhall

run

SERM. II. run into univerfal Scepticism. We will not believe, that the Deity does or discovers any thing marvellous and unaccountable in an unusual and fupernatural Manner, though every Thing, that he does in the common Road of his Providence, be marvellous and unaccountable to us.

Though Men may disagree about Matters of pure abstract Reasoning; yet every reasonable Man is determined by the Evi dences for Matters of Fact, when they amount to a moral Certainty; unless it be in Cafes, where the Paffions intereft themfelves, and indifpofe the Mind for the Reception of Truth. Every intelligent Perfon, after Examination, muft judge alike in these Matters; except his Judgment be overruled, and his Affent obftructed by fome wrong Affection, by fome ftrong Biafs, and fome infuperable Prejudice, perhaps unfufpected by himself: Otherwise a Man might seriously dispute, whether Julius Cæfar made a Defcent upon England, conquered Pompey, and was ftabbed in the Senate House; which no Man in his Senfes ever did, or ever will do. Either then it must be maintained, contrary to what I have already proved, that the Evidences of Christianity

Christianity do not amount to a moral Cer SERM. II, tainty, -or, if they do, it will be difficult to affign a Reafon, why clear, ftrong, and indubitable Proofs fhould not have as much Force and Weight in the Affair of Religion, as they have in all others; unlefs we may suppose there is something amifs within, fome latent Difingenuity of Temper, which here, though not in other Cases, fhuts up all the Avenues, by which Light can find an Entrance..

He,

Though we have not a fcientifical infallible Certainty of the Truth of Christi→ anity; yet we have an infallible Certainty, that we ought to be determined by fuch Evidences, as Chriflianity is furrounded with: Becaufe either we must act upon fuch Evidence in the daily Course of Life, or remain in a State of utter Inaction. that will not admit moral Certainty to be a fufficient Principle of Action, if his Practice be conformable to his Perfuafion, muft neither eat nor drink, till he has a mathematical Demonftration, that what he eats and drinks will prove wholefom; he will be sure of nothing in this World, but that he must, by acting up to fuch a Notion, depart speedily out of it. If we have a moral VOL. II. U

Cer

SERM. II. Certainty of the Truth of Chriftianity; if every unprejudiced Mind is determined by moral Certainty, we may argue thus.-It is demonftrably certain, that there is a Being of infinite Goodness, Truth, and Veracity.It is demonftrably certain, that a Being of infinite Goodness, Truth, and Veracity will not mislead his Creatures into unavoidable Errors, nor fuffer an Imposture to pass upon the World, in his Name, in a Matter of the last Importance, with fuck manifeft Tokens of Credibility, and moral Certainty, as muft, and do in every other Cafe, determine an unprejudiced Mind— therefore it is demonftrably certain, that Christianity is no Imposture. Thus the Christian Faith, in the laft Refort, refolves itself into, and terminates in, the divine Veracity: It is as fure as that God cannot lie, that he who has laid his Creatures under an Obligation to act upon moral Evidence, would not have done fo, if such strong Evidence could ever inevitably deceive them in an Affair of infinite Concernment.

SER