we allow the scripture miracles. Here then a man muft either deny all analogy and affociation, and become an abfolute fceptic, or acknowledge that very ftrong analogies may fometimes be violated; i. e. he must have recourse to something miraculous, to fomething fupernatural, according to his narrow views. The next question then will be, which of the two oppofite miracles will agree beft with all his other notions; whether it be more analogous to the nature of GOD, Providence, the allowed hiftory of the world, the known progress of man in this life, &c. &c. to fuppofe that GOD imparted to certain select perfons, of eminent piety, the power of working miracles; or to fuppofe that he confounded the understandings, affections, and whole train of affociations, of entire nations, so as that men, who, in all other things, feem to have been conducted in a manner like all other men, fhould, in refpect of the history of CHRIST, the prophets and apostles, act in a manner repugnant to all our ideas and experiences. Now, as this laft fuppofition cannot be maintained at all upon the footing of deifm, fo it would be but juft as probable as the firft, even though the objector fhould deny the poffibility of the being of a GOD. For the leaft prefumption, that there may be a being of immense or infinite power, knowledge, and goodnefs, immediately turns the fcale in favour of the first fuppofition.

Fifthly, It is to be confidered, That the evidences for the fcripture miracles are many, and most of them independent upon one another, whereas the difpenfation itself is a connected thing, and the miracles remarkably related to each other. If therefore only fo much as one miracle could be proved to have been really wrought in confirmation of the Jewish or Christian revelations, there would be lefs objection to the fuppofition of a fecond; and, if this be

proved, ftill lefs to that of a third, &c. till at last the reluctance to receive them would quite vanish. (Which indeed appears to have been the cafe in the latter part of the primitive times, when the incontestable evidences for the Chriftan miracles had been fo much examined and confidered, as quite to overcome this reluctance; and it seems difficult to account for the credulity in receiving falfe miracles, which then appeared, but upon fuppofition, that many true ones had been wrought.) But it is not fo with the evidences. The greatest part of these have fo little dependence on the reft, as may be seen even from this chapter, that they must be set aside separately by the objector. Here it ought to be added, that the objectors have scarce ever attempted to set aside any part of the evidence, and never fucceeded in fuch an attempt; which is of itself a ftrong argument in favour of the fcriptures, fince this is plainly the most natural and eafy way of difproving a thing that is falfe. It ought alfo to be obferved here, that the accomplishment of prophecy, by implying a miracle, does in like manner overbear the reluctance to receive miracles. So that if any confiderable events, which have already happened in the world, can be proved to have been foretold in fcripture in a manner exceeding chance, and human forefight, the objection to miracles, confidered in this propofition, falls to the ground at once.

Sixthly, If any one should affirm or think, as fome perfons feem to do, that a miracle is impoffible, let him confider, that this is denying GoD's omnipotence, and even maintaining that man is the fupreme agent in the universe.

PROP. XXIX.

The hiftorical Evidences for the Genuineness, Truth, and Divine Authority of the Scriptures do not grow lefs from Age to Age; but, on the contrary, it may rather be prefumed, that they increafe.

IT is fometimes alleged as an indirect objection to the Chriftian religion, that the evidence for facts done in former times, and at remote places, decreases with the distance of time and place; and confequently that a time may come hereafter, when the evidence for the Chriftian religion will be fo inconfiderable as not to claim our affent, even allowing that it does fo now. To this I answer,

First, That printing has fo far fecured all confiderable monuments of antiquity, as that no ordinary calamities of war, diffolutions of governments, &c. can destroy any material evidence now in being, or render it lefs probable, in any difcernible degree, to those who fhall live five hundred or a thousand years hence.

Secondly, That fo many new evidences, and coincidences have been discovered in favour of the Jewish and Christian hiftories, fince the three great concurring events of printing, the reformation of religion in these western parts, and the restoration of letters, as, in fome measure, to make up for the evidences loft in the preceding times; and, fince this improvement of the hiftorical evidences is likely to continue, there is great reafon to hope, that they will grow every day more and more irrefiftible to all candid, ferious inquirers.

One might alfo allege, if it were needful, that our proper bufinets is to weigh carefully the evidence. which appears at prefent, leaving the care of future ages to Providence; that the prophetical evidences are manifeftly of an increafing nature, and fo may compenfate for a decrease in the hiftorical ones; and that though, in a grofs way of fpeaking, the evidences for facts diftant in time and place are weakened by this distance, yet they are not weakened in an exact proportion in any cafe, nor in any proportion in all cafes. No one can think a fact relating to the Turkish empire lefs probable at London than at Paris, or at fifty years distance than at forty.

PROP. XXX.

The Prophecies delivered in the Scriptures prove the Divine Authority of the Scriptures, even previously to the Confideration of the Genuineness of thefe Prophecies; but much more, if that be allowed.

IN order to evince this propofition, I will distiaguish the prophecies into four kinds, and fhew in what manner it holds in respect of each kind.

There are then contained in the fcriptures, First, Prophecies that relate to the state of the nations which bordered upon the land of Canaan. Secondly, Thofe that relate to the political state of the Ifraelites and Jews in all ages.

Thirdly, The types and prophecies that relate to the office, time of appearance, birth, life, death, refurrection, and afcenfion of the promifed Meffiab, or CHRIST.

Fourthly, The prophecies that relate to the state of the Christian church, efpecially in the latter times, and to the second coming of CHRIST.

I begin with the prophecies of the first kind, or thofe which relate to the state of Amalek, Edom, Moab, Ammon, Tyre, Syria, Egypt, Nineveh, Babylon, and the four great fucceffive empires of the Babylonians, Perfians, Greeks, and Romans. Now here I obferve, First, That if we admit both the genuineness of these prophecies and the truth of the common history of the fcriptures, the very remarkable coincidence of the facts with the prophecies will put their divine authority out of all doubt; as I fuppofe every reader will acknowledge, upon recollecting the many particular prophecies of this kind, with their accomplishments, which occur in the Old Teftament, Secondly, If we allow only the genuineness of these prophecies, fo great a part of them may be verified by the remains of ancient pagan history, as to establish the divine authority of that part. Thus, if Daniel's prophecies of the image, and four beasts, were written by him in the time of the Babylonian empire; if the prophecies concerning the fall of Nineveh, Babylon, Tyre, &c. be genuine, &c.; even profane history will fhew, that more than human forefight was concerned in the delivery of them. Thirdly, That fuch of these prophetic events as remain to this day, or were evidently posterior to the delivery of the prophecies, prove their divine authority even antecedently to the confideration of their genuineness, as is affirmed in the former part of the propofition. Of this kind are the perpetual flavery of Egypt; the perpetual defolation of Tyre and BabyLon; the wild, unconquered ftate of the Ifmaelites; the great power and ftrength of the Roman empire beyond thofe of the three foregoing empires; its divifion into ten kingdoms; its not being fubdued by