Man the Love of Virtue and Hatred of Vice, and given him diftinct Notions of Good and Evil, by which Reafon unerringly concludes the Author of this Nature and these Prin ciples to be himself good and holy; I answer the fame for the Gospel of Christ: The Love of Virtue, and Hatred of Vice, is as infeparable from the Gofpel of Chrift, as from the Reason of Man; and the Gospel of Chrift more diftinctly teaches to know and acknowledge the Holiness and Goodnefs of God, than Reason, or the Works of Nature, can do: And therefore those wha acknowledge the Author of Nature to be a good Being, have much more Reason to acknowledge the Author of the Chriftian Miracles to be a good Being. But then we are told this is arguing in a Circle; proving the Doctrines first by Miracles, and then the Miracles again by the Doctrines. But this is a great Mistake, and it lies in this; That Men do not diftinguish between the Doctrines we prove by Miracles, and the Doctrines by which we try Miracles; for they are not the fame Doctrines. God never wrought Miracles to prove the Difference between Good and Evil: And I fuppofe, if any Man were afked how he proves Temperance or Chastity

to

to be Duties, Murder or Adultery to be Sins, he would not recur to Miracles for an Argument. These and the like Duties are enforced in the Gofpel, but were always Truths and Duties before our Saviour's Coming: And we are in poffeffion of them without the Help of Miracles or Revelation. And these are the Doctrines by which we try the Miracles.

But the Doctrines which are to be proved by Miracles are the new revealed Doctrines of Christianity, which were neither known or knowable to the Reason of Man: Such are the Doctrines of Salvation and Redemption by Chrift, of Sanctification and Regeneration by the Spirit of God: And who ever yet brought these Doctrines to prove the Truth or divine Original of the Miracles?

I fhall only add, that what has been faid it concerns those chiefly to confider, who hold faft and admire the Principles of Natural Religion, but defpife or overlook the Proofs of Chriftianity. If they will but confider the Tendency of their own Principles, they are not far from the Kingdom of God: For the fame Reasons, that oblige them to believe in God, oblige them to believe in Chrift alfo. And, as we have one God the Father of all,

fo fhould we have one Faith, and one Lord, even Jefus Chrift, the Saviour and Redeemer of us all. And let them take heed, that, having been made Partakers of fo much Grace, to the Acknowledgment of the one true God, they fall not the more irrecoverably under Condemnation by obftinately refusing to acknowledge his only and eternal Son, Jefus Chrift the righteous.

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X

DISCOURSE

What is Man that thou art mindful of him? and the Son of Man, that thou vifiteft him?

W

HEN we confider the Care of Providence over the Children of Men, as it is manifefted either in the Works of Nature or of Grace, we naturally fall into the Reflection of the Text, and wonder to fee fo much done for Men, who seem to have no Merit or Desert equal to the Concern fhewed for them. If we look up to the Heavens, and view the Sun, Moon, and Stars, and confider the Power by which these mighty Bodies were formed, the Wisdom and Contrivance by which their Motions are regulated and adjusted; we fee plainly, by X 2

the