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Part 2. "Cæfar, fhould have faid, "that Pompey had fought "against him with too too great fuccefs; and being afterwards challenged by Cæfar's party, as having faid, that Pompey had conquered Cæfar, he fhould explain himfelf thus: "Succefs, I mean, not against Cæfar, but against his own life, and the lives of his followers.' Can any thing be finer than for any man to fay, that by Pompey's fuccefs in fighting against Cæfar, he means, that Cæfar had beaten Pompey? Which is no more than if one should take the liberty to interpret white by black.

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$6. Mr. White doth most exprefsly contradict this principle of Mr. S.'s, in thefe following paffages. In his preface to Mr. Rufhworth, he fays, that "fuch a cer

tainty as makes the caufe always work the fame ef"fect, though it take not away the abfolute poffibility "of working otherwife, ought abfolutely to be reckon"ed in the degree of true certainty; and that thofe au"thors are mistaken who undervalue it." So that it feems Mr. S. is mistaken in affirming, that a man cannot be certain of any thing fo long as there is any poffibility that it may be otherwife. In his answer to my Lord Falkland, he fays, p. 14. 15. that "in moral 66 matters, and fuch as are fubject to human action, we "muft expect fuch affurance as human actions bear. "If for the government of your spiritual life, you have 66 as much as for the management of your natural and ", civil life, what can you expect more? Two or three "witneffes of men beyond exception will cast a man-out "of, not only his lands, but life, and all. He that a

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mong merchants will not adventure where there is a "hundred to one of gaining, will be accounted a filly "factor; and among foldiers, he that will fear danger "where but one of a hundred is flain, shall not escape "the ftain of cowardice. What then fhall we expect in "religion, but to see a main advantage on the one fide, "which we may reft ourselves on; and for the rest, "remember we are men fubject to chance and mutabili66 ty; and thank God he hath given us that affurance in

a fupernatural way, which we are contented withal in 66 our civil ventures and poffeffions; which, neverthe"lefs, God knoweth we often love better, and would "hazard less than the unknown good of the life to "come?"

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317 "come?" Again, p. 30. "If God almighty hath in all "forts and manners provided his church, that she may "enlighten every man in his way that goeth the way of a man; then let every man confider which is the fit for himself, and what in other matters of that 66 way he accounteth evidence. And if there be no in"tereft in his foul to make him loth to believe what in "another matter of the like nature he doth not flick at, or heavy to practise what he fees clearly enough, I "fear not his choice." Once more, directing a man in his fearch after rational fatisfaction in matters of religion, he hath this paffage, p. 46. "Befides this, he must have "this care, that he feek what the nature of the fubject can yield; and not as thofe phyficians, who, when "they have promised no less than immortality, can at "laft only reach to fome confervation of health or youth "in fome finall degree: fo I could wifh the author to "well affure himself, first that there is poffibly an in86 fallibility, before he be too earnest to be contented "with nothing lefs. For what if human nature should

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not be capable of fo great a good? Would he there"fore think it fitting to live without any religion, be"caufe he could not get fuch a one as himself defired, "though with more than a man's with? Were it not "rational to fee, whether, among religions, fome one "have not fuch notable advantages over the reft, as in "reafon it might feem human nature might be content"ed withal? Let him caft his account with the dearest 66 things he hath, his own or friends lives, his eftate, "his hope of pofterity, and fee upon what terms of ad66 vantage he is ready to venture all thefe; and then 66 return to religion, and fee whether, if he do not ven"ture his foul upon the like, it be truly reafon, or fome "other not confeffed motive, which withdraws him. "For my own part, as I doubt not of an infallibility, "fo I doubt not but, setting that afide, there be thofe ex"cellencies found on the Catholick party which may "force a man to prefer it, and to venture all he hath "upon it, before all other religions and fects in the world. "Why then may not one who, after long fearching, "findeth no infallibility, reft himself on the like, fup❝pofing man's nature affords no better? "

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Are not these fair conceffions, which the evidence and force of truth have extorted from these authors? fo that it feems that that which Mr. S. calls a civil piece of Atheiltry, (Letter to his answerer, p. 5.), is advanced in molt exprefs words by his best friends; and therefore I hope he will (as he threatens me) " be smart with them "in oppofition to so damnable and fundamental an er"ror." And whenever he attempts this, I would intreat him to remember, that he hath thefe two things to prove: 1. That no evidence but demonstration can give a man fufficient affurance of any thing. 2. That a bare poffibility that a thing may be otherwise, is a rational caufe of doubting, and a wife ground of fufpence. Which when he hath proved, I shall not grudge him his infallibility.

SECT. V. That fcripture is fufficient to convince the moft acute adverfaries, and that it is fufficiently certain.

§1. THE HE last part of this third discourse endeavours to fhew, "That the fcripture is not convictive "of the most obftinate and acute adverfaries." As for the obftinate, he knows my mind already. Let us fee why the most acute adverfary may not be convinced by fcripture. Because, (as he objects, p. 28.), 1. we can66 not be certain that this book is God's word, because "of the many strange absurdities and herefies in the o

pen letter as it lies; as that God hath hands and "feet, &c. and because of the contradictions in it." To which I have already returned an answer. "2. Because "(as he faith, p. 31.) we cannot be certain of the truth "of the letter in any particular text, that it was not "foifted in, or fome way altered in its fignificativeness; "and if it be a negative propofition, that the particle "not was not inferted; if affirmative, not left out.” And if we pretend to be certain of this, he demands our demonstration for it, p. 31. But how unreasonable this demand is, I hope I have fufficiently fhewn. And to fhew it yet farther, I afk him, How their church knows that the particle not was not left out of any text in which it is not found in their copies? I know he hath a ready anfwer, viz. by oral tradition. But this (according to

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him, p. 116.) only reaches to "fcripture's letter, fo far
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"doctrine;
concerning the rest of scripture it is im-
poffible, (according to his own principles), that they
fhould have any fecurity that the particle not was not un-
duly inferted, or left out, by the transcribers. Nay, as
to thofe texts of scripture which fall in with the main bo-
dy of Christian doctrine, I demand his demonftration,
that the particle not was not unduly inferted or left out,
not only in those texts, but also in the oral tradition of
the doctrines coincident with the fenfe of thofe texts. If
he fay, it was impoffible any age fhould confpire to leave
out or infert the particle not in the oral tradition; fo fay
I it was that they should confpire to leave it out of the
written text: but then I differ from him thus far, that I
do not think this naturally impoffible, fo as that it can
rigorously be demonftrated; but only morally impoffible,
fo that no body hath any reason to doubt of it; which,
to a prudent man is as good as a demonftration. Pyrrho
himself never advanced any principle of scepticism be-
yond this, viz. That men ought to question the credit of
all books, concerning which they cannot demonstrate
as to every fentence in them, that the particle not was
not inferted, if it be affirmative; or left out, if it be ne-
gative. If fo much be required to free a man from rea-
fonable doubting concerning a book, how happy are
they that have attained to infallibility? What he faith
(p. 32.) concerning the varia lectiones of scripture, hath
already had a fufficient answer.

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§ 2. In his fourth difcourfe he endeavours to fhew, P. 33. that "the fcripture is not certain in itself; and confequently, not afcertained to us." ift, "Not "certain, materially confidered, as confifting of fuch " and fuch characters; because books are liable to be "burnt, torn, blotted, worn out," p. 34. We grant it is not impoffible but that any, or all the books in the world may be burnt: but then we fay likewife, that a book fo univerfally difperfed, may eafily be preferved; though we have no affurance that God will preferve it, 'in cafe all men should be fo foolish or fo carelefs as to endeavour or fuffer the abolition of it. But it feems the fcriptures cannot be a rule of faith, if they be liable to

any

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any external accidents: and this he tells us, p. 34. "Though it may feem a remote and impertinent ex"ception, yet to one who confiders the wife difpofi"tions of divine providence, it will deferve a deep con"fideration; because the falvation of mankind being "the end of God's making nature, the means to it "fhould be more fettled, ftrong and unalterable, than other piece of nature whatever." But, notwithftanding this wife reafon, this exception ftill feems to me both remote and impertinent: for if this which he calls a reafon be a truth, it will from thence neceffarily follow, not only that the doctrine of Christ must be conveyed by fuch a means as is more unalterable than the courfe of nature; but also, by a clear parity of reason, that all the means of our falvation do operate towards the accomplishing of their end with greater certainty than the fire burns, or the fun fhines; which they can never do, unless they operate more neceffarily than any natural caufes. How they can do fo upon voluntary agents, I defire Mr. S. to inform me.

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§3. He proceeds by a long harangue to fhew, p. 34. that 66 not only thefe material characters in themfelves "are corruptible, but in complexion with the caufes "actually laid in the world to preferve them entire ; "becaufe either thofe caufes are material, and then "they are alfo liable to continual alterations; or fpiri"tual, that is, the minds of men, and from these we may with good reafon hope for a greater degree of con"ftancy than from any other piece of nature: " which, by the way, is a very strange paradox, that the actions of voluntary agents have a greater certainty and conftancy in them than thofe of natural agents; of which the fall of angels and men, compared with the continuance of the fun and ftars in their firft ftate, is a very good evidence.

§ 4. But he adds a caution, p. 35. that "they are "perfectly unalterable from their nature, and unerrable, "if due circumitances be obferved; that is, if due propo"fals be made to beget certain knowledge, and due care "ufed to attend to fuch propofals." But who can warrant, that due propofals will always be made to men, and due care used by them? If these be uncertain, where

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