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Divine positive Law is to be repealed, and another way of Worship established instead of it. The Possibility in general of a Repeal of a Divine Law asserted; the particular Case of the Law of Moses disputed against the Jews: II. The Matter of that Law proved not to be immutably obligatory; because the ceremonial Precepts were required not for themselves, but for some further End; that proved from Maimonides's Confession : III. The Precepts of the Ceremonial Law frequently dispensed with while the Law was in Force. Of the Passover of Hezekiah, and several other Instances. IV. It is not inconsistent with the Wisdom of God to repeal such an established Law. Abravanel's Arguments answered. V. Of the Perfection of the Law of Moses, compared with the Gospel. VI. Whether God hath ever declared he would never repeal the Law of Moses. VII. Of adding to the Precepts. VIII. Of the Expressions seeming to imply the Perpetuity of the Law of Moses. Reasons assigned why those Expressions are used, though Perpetuity be not implied. IX. The Law of Moses not built upon immutable Reason, because many particular Precepts were founded upon particular Occasions, as the Customs of the Zabii; X. many ceremonial Precepts thence deduced out of Maimonides; XI. and because such a State of Things was foretold, with which the Observation of the Ceremonial Law would be inconsistent. XII. That largely discovered from the Prophecies of the Old Testament.

CHAP. VIII.

Page 185.

General Hypotheses concerning the Truth of the Doctrine

of Christ.

I. The great Prejudice against our Saviour among Jews and Heathens, was the Meanness of his Appearance. The Difference of the Miracles at the Delivery of the Law and Gospel. II. Some general Hypotheses to clear the Subserviency of Miracles to the Doctrine of Christ. 1. That where the Truth of a Doctrine depends not on Evidence, but Authority, the only Way to prove the Truth of the Doctrine, is to prove the Testimony of the Revealer to be infallible. Things may be true, which depend not on Evidence of the Things. What that is, and on what it depends. The Uncertainty of natural Knowledge. III. The Existence of God the Foundation of all Certainty. The Certainty of Matter of Faith proved from the same Principle. Our Knowledge of any Thing supposeth something incomprehensible. IV. The Certainty of Faith as great as that of Knowledge; the Grounds of it stronger. The Consistency of rational Evidence with Faith: yet Objects of Faith exceed Reason; the Absurdities following the contrary Opinion. VI. The Uncertainty of that which is called

Reason. VII. Philosophical Dictates no Standard of Reason. Of Transubstantiution and Ubiquity, &c. why rejected as contrary to Reason. The Foundation of Faith in Matters above Reason. VIII. Which is infallible Testimony; that there are Ways to know which is infallible, proved. 2 Hypoth. A Divine Testimony the most infallible. The Resolution of Faith into God's Veracity as its formal Object. IX. 3 Hypoth. A Divine Testimony may be known, though God speak not immediately. Of Inspiration among the Jews, and Divination among the Heathens. XII. 4 Hypoth. The Evidence of a Divine Testimony must be clear and certain. XIII. Of the common Motives of Faith, and the Obligation to Faith arising from them. The Original of Infidelity.

Page 204.

CHAP. IX.

The rational Evidence of the Truth of Christian Religion from Miracles.

I. The Possibility of Miracles appears from God and Providence the Evidence of a Divine Testimony by them. God alone can really alter the Course of Nature. The Devil's Power of working Miracles considered. Of Simon Magus, Apollonius. The Cures in the Temple of Esculapius at Rome, &c. II. God never works Miracles but for some particular End. The particular Reasons of the Miracles of Christ. The repealing the Law of Moses, which had been settled by Miracles. Why Christ checked the Pharisees for demanding a Sign, when himself appeals to his Miracles. The Power of Christ's Miracles on many who did not thoroughly believe. III. Christ's Miracles made it evident that he was the Messias, because the Predictions were fulfilled in him. Why John Baptist wrought no Miracles. IV. Christ's Miracles necessary for the Overthrow of the Devil's Kingdom. V. Of the Demoniacs and Lunatics in the Gospel, and in the Primitive Church. The Power of the Name of Christ over them largely proved by several Testimonies. VI. The Evidence thence of a Divine Power in Christ. VII. Of counterfeit Dispossessions. Of Miracles wrought among Infidels. VIII. Of the future State of the Church. IX. The Necessity of the Miracles of Christ, as to the Propagation of Christian Religion: that proved from the Condition of the Publishers, and the Success of the Doctrine. The Apostles knew the Hazard of their Employment before they entered into it. X. The Boldness and Resolution of the Apostles notwithstanding this, compared with Heathen Philosophers. XI. No Motive could carry the Apostles through their Employment, but the Truth of their Doctrine. XII. not seeking the Honour, Profit, or Pleasure of the World. XIII.

The Apostles' Evidence of the Truth of their Doctrine lay in being Eye-witnesses of our Saviour's Miracles and Resurrection. XIV, XV, XVI, XVII, XVIII. That attested by themselves; their sufficiency thence for preaching the Gospel. XIX. Of the Nature of the Doctrine of the Gospel; Contrariety of it to natural Inclinations. XX. Strange Success of it, notwithstanding it came not with human Power. No Christian Emperor, till the Gospel universally preached. XXI, XXII, XXIII, XXIV. The Weakness and Simplicity of the Instruments which preached the Gospel. From all which the great Evidence of the Power of Miracles is proved. Page 228.

СНАР. Х.

The Difference of true Miracles from false.

I. The Unreasonableness of rejecting the Evidence from Miracles, because of Impostors. That there are certain Rules of distinguishing true Miracles from false, and divine from diabolical, proved from God's Intention in giving a Power of Miracles, and the Providence of God in the World. II. The Inconvenience of taking away the rational Grounds of Faith, and placing it on Self-evidence. Of the Self-evidence of the Scriptures, and the Insufficiency of that for resolving the Question about the Authority of the Scriptures. III. Of the pretended Miracles of Impostors and false Christs; as Barchochebas, David el-David, and others. IV. The Rules whereby to judge true Miracles from false. 1. True Divine Miracles are wrought to confirm a Divine Testimony. V. No Miracles necessary for the certain Conveyance of a Divine Testimony: proved from the Evidences that the Scriptures could not be corrupted. VI. 2. No Miracles divine which contradict Divine Revelation. Of Popish Miracles. VII. 3. Divine Miracles leave Divine Effects on those who believe them. Of the Miracles of Simon Magus. VIII. 4. Divine Miracles tend to the Overthrow of the Devil's Power in the World: the Antipathy of the Doctrine of Christ to the Devil's Design in the World. IX. 5. The Distinction of true Miracles from others, from the Circumstances and Manner of their OperaThe Miracles of Christ compared with those of the Heathen Gods. X. 6. God makes it evident to all impartial Judgments, that Divine Miracles exceed created Power. This manifested from the unparalleled Miracles of Moses and our Saviour. From all which the rational Evidence of Divine Revelation is manifested, as to the Persons whom God employs to teach the World.

tion.

Page 302.

BOOK III.

CHAP. I.

Of the Being of God.

I. The Principles of all Religion lie in the Being of God, and Immortality of the Soul; from them the Necessity of a particular Divine Revelation rationally deduced; the Method laid down for proving the Divine Authority of the Scriptures. II. Why Moses doth not prove the Being of God, but suppose it. III. The Notion of a Deity very consonant to Reason. Of the Nature of Ideas, and particularly of the Idea of God. IV. How we can form an Idea of an infinite Being. V, VI. How far such an Idea argues Existence. VII, VIII. The great Unreasonableness of Atheism demonstrated. Of the Hypotheses of the Aristotelian and Epicurean Atheists. IX. The Atheist's Pretences examined and refuted. X, XI, XII, XIII. Of the Nature of the Arguments whereby we prove there is a God. Of universal Consent, and the Evidence of that to prove a Deity and Immortality of Souls. XIV, XV. Of Necessity of Existence implied in the Notion of God; and how far that proves the Being of God. XVI. The Order of the World, and Usefulness of the Parts of it, and especially of Man's Body, an Argument of a Deity. XVII. Some higher Principle proved to be in the World than Matter and Motion. XVIII. The Nature of the Soul, and Possibility of its subsisting after Death. XIX. Strange Appearances in Nature not solvable by the Power of Imagination.

Page 325.

ORIGINES SACRÆ.

BOOK I.

CHAP. I.

The Obscurity and Defect of Ancient History.

I. II. III. IV. The Knowledge of Truth proved to be the most na tural Perfection of the rational Soul; V. Yet Error often mistaken for Truth: the Accounts of it. VI. Want of Diligence in its Search; VII. VIII. The Mixture of Truth and Falsehood: thence comes either rejecting Truth for the Error's Sake, or embracing the Error for the Truth's Sake; IX. The first instanced in Heathen Philosophers, XIII. The second in vulgar Heathen. X. XI. XII. of Philosophical Atheism, and the Grounds of it. XIV. The History of Antiquity very obscure. XV. The Question stated, where the true History of ancient Times is to be found? in Heathen Histories, or only in Scripture? XVI. The Want of Credibility in Heathen Histories asserted and proved by the general Defect for Want of timely Records among Heathen Nations; the Reason of it shewed from the first Plantations of the World. XVII. The Manner of them discovered. Original of Civil Government. XVIII. Of Hieroglyphics. XIX. The Use of Letters among the Greeks no older than Cadmus; XX. His Time enquired into: no older than Joshua: XXI. The Learning brought into Greece by him.

The

I.

I.

ENQUIRIES after truth have that peculiar commenda- CHAP. tion above all other designs, that they come on purpose to gratify the most noble faculty of our souls, and do most immediately tend to advance the highest perfection of our rational beings. For all our most laudable endeavours after knowledge now, are only the gathering up of some scattered fragments of what was once an entire fabric, and the recovery of some precious jewels which

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