himself; fo, if he has, no apparent Difficulties, or at present inexplicable Mysteries, can release us from our Obligations to believe in fuch Revelation; for that what God reveals must be true, is as evident as any one Propofition whatsoever.-In fhort, the Mysteries of a pretended revealed Religion will not prove the Truth of that Religion, but the Truth of that Religion will prove the Truth of such Myfteries. Faith accordingly in this Cafe in revealed, as well as natural Religion, would be both rational and implicit ; it would be rational, because it would be built upon good Authority; and it would be implicit, with regard to the Belief of fuch Articles as are utterly above our rational Apprehenfions. These preliminary Truths will, I prefume, naturally pave the Way for the enfuing Difquifitions.

T

SECT. III.

HE Infidels, with whom we are at present concerned, are fuppofed to acknowledge the Senfe and Genuineness of the many Paffages, and the obvious Import of the several Texts in the New Testament, that are declaratory of a Trinity of Perfons in the Unity of the Godhead; but through the Reluctancy they feel in themfelves to fubmit their Understandings to what is written, they too readily conclude against the Truth of the Christian Religion, as far as it is pretended to be

of

of Divine Institution. If therefore we can rescue our Religion from this Charge of Imposture, the Infidel must give up the Caufe at once; because it would be as irrational to dispute any fufficiently attested Truth, or Matter of Fact, because we do not fully and adequately comprehend it, as it would be, implicitly to believe a counterfeit Matter of Fact, merely because it might be poffible in itself. For this purpose then, without entering into a Recapitulation of the feveral standing, and often repeated Proofs of the Truth of Christianity, it will, I truft, be fufficient to infift upon a few material Points; in the Difcuffion of which, the unavoidable Conceffions of the Enemy will furnish us with very confiderable Advantages.

Now the Infidel in the present Question is obliged to grant, that the Chriftian Religion, setting afide the Peculiarities of it's Theory, is a good Inftitution, and well adapted to the Welfare and Benefit of Man in his focial, relative, and perfonal Capacity; that it has a plain Tendency to promote the Love of God, and Virtue in the World; in fhort, that it's Author, confidered in the Quality of a moral Law-giver at least, appears to have been a Person of much Piety, of great Probity, and of a competent Understanding. The great Objection he has to make to the Chriftian System is, that in certain effential Articles it eludes his Apprehen

fions, and obtrudes upon his Capacity. It does fo-but the Question is, whether this very Circumftance may not be pleaded as one Argument for it's Truth? For would a Person of common Senfe and Prudence, who purposed to introduce a new Religion into the World, and to establish it upon fure Foundations, needlefly intermix with it Doctrines that must appear incredible upon their first Promulgation, and invent Mysteries only to obftruct the Reception, and retard the Progrefs of the rational and manifest Truths he defigned to teach? The Doctrine of a Trinity of Perfons in the Unity of the Godhead was not of a Nature to answer any imaginable Purpose of Deceit. There was no external Pomp or Parade in the Novelty of it; it was, and is, entirely of a fpiritual Importance, tending to rectify Mens Notions of the Deity, and ascertain the proper Objects of their Adoration. The Character Jefus Chrift affumed upon Earth, was fo far from procuring him prefent Honour or Advantage, that it vifibly precluded all poffible Pretenfions to both; and the eminent Humility of his whole Life and Conversation, fuppofing him to have been an Impoftor, was most unseasonably and prepofterously affected, as it utterly ruined his Caufe in the Judgment of the Jews, whom it was his first Bufinefs to gain, by defeating their then fanguine Expectations of a fecular Prince.— We must therefore look out of this World for the supposed

supposed Views of this Deceiver in propagating his Religion; and yet his Conduct will even then appear to be equally unaccountable from the abovementioned Principles. For either he believed his own, and the generally received Doctrine to be true, that the human Soul furvives the Body, and confequently that there will be a future State of Rewards and Punishments in a Life to come; or that all this is utterly ideal and fanciful, and nothing is fubfequent to Death but Corruption and Annihilation. In the latter Cafe, it appears irreconcileable with the known Principles and Motives of all human Actions, to imagine that any Man would neceffarily subject himself to inconceivable Diftreffes, and certain Deftruction, merely for the Sake of a notional Recompence, a popular Fame, of which he fuppofed himself incapable of having the leaft Perception: And in the former Cafe, the Conduct of the Chriftian Founder, if a Counterfeit, is ftill more glaringly abfurd, as he could not but be convinced, that the Mifery referved for him in the next Life would be proportioned to the Succefs of his Impofture in this.

And if it be impoffible to account for his impofing upon Mankind from the Principles of ordinary Prudence, fo will it equally be to reconcile the fame with that Piety and Integrity which make a confpicuous Part of his Character. How

came

came it to pass that he, who, as we may reafonably collect from what we are told of him, was punctual in his private Devotions, a conftant Attendant on the public Worship, and a zealous Promoter of God's Honour upon all Occafions, should notoriously invade the Rights and Prerogatives he pretended to fecure and maintain, and presumptuously exalt himself into an Equality with the Moft High? How came it to pass that he, who has confeffedly directed Men to many Branches of their Duty in the Relation they bear to one another, fhould yet deceive them into wrong Notions of the Relation they bear to God? or, in other Words, that he, who manifetly reformed the vitiated Morality both of Jews and Heathens, and established a Syftem of Religion equal, at least, in the Judgment of Infidels themselves, to any one that human Wisdom has, or can produce, fhould yet lay the first Principles of it in Blafphemy and Abfurdity, and corrupt the fundamental Article of all Religion whatsoever?

I am fenfible indeed that as unexceptionable as the perfonal Character, and the moral Doctrine of Jefus Christ are in the main acknowledged to be by the Bulk of the Deifts themselves, there have not been wanting those who have industriously raised Objections to both, which, if well grounded, would indeed be more than fufficient to overturn his

Pretenfions