the contrary, it is manifeft from the Account given us in Scripture, that as they propofed the Doctrines and Laws they delivered to Mankind, in the Name and as by the Authority of God himself, which gave them another kind of Force than the mere Reasonings of Philofophers would have done; fo they gave the World the moft convincing Proofs that they were indeed fent of God, and that they received the Doctrines and Laws they delivered, by Revelation from him. In which cafe Reason and common Senfe directed Men to believe those Doctrines and fubmit to thofe Laws. For it is the Voice of Nature and Reason, that if God gives a Revelation to Mankind, what is there taught and enjoined, ought to be believed and received upon his Authority, provided we have fuflicient Proofs to convince us that fuch a Revelation came from God.

But to return to our Author's Account of the Gofpel-Narrative, the Sum of it is this; That Chrift and his Apoftles required Men to believe at once without Reafon or Evidence, and pronounced Damnation against them if they did not. That Chrift did not lay the Proofs of his Miffion frankly before his Difciples, nor give them time calmly to confider them; and that he refused to explain himflf to them when they wanted it, and difcouraged their Enquiries. That he required those that came to him to be healed, to believe before he healed them, which plainly fhews, that the Conviction was to precede the Evidence, as the Terms of the Favour to be confequently conferred*. That he

P. 36, 37

ever

ever difclaimed with the utmoft Refentment fuch Followers as were defirous to canvas the Evidence, and difcouraged no Temper with jo conftant an Averfion, as that of feeking a Sign*. And whereas it might be alledged, that he produced his Miracles as Evidences of his divine Miffion, our Author affirms and endeavours after his Manner to shew, that he had no Intention to prove his Truth and Character by thofe Works †. That he both expected and accepted the Judden Conversion of many upon little or no feeming Evidence; and nothing was of greater Merit than an extempore Subfcription. And that he rejected fome Perfons immediately when they had not Minds prepared to believe at once, and gave them up inftantly to the Hardness of their Hearts without Remedy |. That the Apostles did all along tread punctually in their Mafter's Steps, infifting conftantly on the ready Acknowledgement of their Doctrines, without any Conceffions of Time for Doubt or Deliberation. And that of the Terms of the Covenant one Declaration was often thought fufficient, and the leaft standing off gave up the Unbeliever to Reprobation That it was required of thofe to whom the Golpel was preached, that they should not one Moment withhold their Affent, and that the Apostles very justly expected to make their Converts with a Word's

Speaking **. That their Office was only to circulate their Creeds; they were not Jent to dispute, but to preach. And that in like manner the Directions they gave to their deputed Succeffors was not

to

P. 39, 49. P. 48-50. P. 37, 65, 66, 67. P. 3S. ** P. 42

to confute or argue with those whom they were to receive to the Faith *.

Such is the Reprefentation this Gentleman is pleafed to make, and which he pretends is plain from the facred Hiftory, of the Method made ufe of by our Saviour and his Apoftles in planting the Gospel. Let us now fee from Chrift's own Declarations, and from the History of the Gospel and the Acts of the Apostles, whether this Account be true. After which I fhall take notice, as far as it may be neceffary, of the Inftances produced by this Writer to support the Account he gives

With regard to our Saviour himself, he was fo far from requiring Men to believe on his bare Word without Proof, that he declared, if I bear witness of my felf, that is, if I have no other Evidence but my bare Word, my Witness is not true . †. He encouraged Examination and Enquiry, Search the Scriptures, faid he to the Jews, for they are they which testify of me . Inftead of forbidding them to judge fairly and impartially, and to use their Understandings, he expoftulates with them for not doing fo. Why even of your felves judge ye not that which is right? Judge not according to Appearance, but judge righteous Judgment **. The Faith he approves is founded in the Underftanding. He defcribes the good Hearer of the Word to be one that beareth the Word and underftandeth it, which also beareth Fruit 1. his Discourse to the Jews, he frequently appeals to the illustrious Atteftations that were given him, and

P. 39, 40. † John v. 31. John v. 39. 57. John vii. 24. Matt. xiii. 23.

In

the

**Luke xii. 54

the manifeft Proofs he exhibited of his divine Million. Thus, after having spoken of the remarkable Testimony given him by John the Baptist, he adds, but I have a greater Witness than that of John: for the Works which the Father hath given me to finish, the fame Works that I do, bear witness of me, that the Father bath fent me *. And again, If I do not the Works of my Father, believe me not; but if I do, tho' ye believe not me, believe the Works, that ye may know and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in him †. And, fpeaking of the Jews and Pharifees that did not believe in him, he faith, If I had not come and Spoken unto them, they had not had Sin, but now they have no Cloke for their Sin; and then adds, If I had not done among them the Works which none other Man did, they had not had Sin ||. Where he evidently fuppofes, that his Works bore Teftimony to his Doctrine and divine Miffion; and that they were Proofs fo ftrong and convincing, as left them utterly without Excufe in their Unbelief. And this may help us to judge of the Sincerity and Candour of this Writer, who confidently affirms, in exprefs Contradiction to our Saviour's own Declarations, that he had not any fuch Meaning or Intention to convince Perfons, or to prove his own Truth and Character by his Works; and infinuates, that he was not follicitous to gain Profelytes by fuch Means, and was confcious he had nothing of that kind to produce. P. 49, 50.

John v. 36, 37. John xv. 22, 24,

What

John x. 24, 37, 38. xiv. 10, II.

What the Method was that was taken after out Lord's Afcenfion to propagate the Christian Faith, we have a full Account in the Acts of the Apoftles. That Book opens with an admirable Difcourfe of the Apostle Peter to the Jews on the Day of Pentecoft, in which he reasons strongly from the holy Scriptures, and from the extraordinary divine Atteftations given from Heaven, to convince the Jews, that Jefus, whom they had crucified, was Lord and Chrift. And we have an Account of feveral other excellent Difcourfes of his in that facred Book. Concerning Stephen the first Martyr, we are told, that as he did great Wonders and Miracles among the People, fo when feveral of the Jews difputed with him, they were not able to refft the Spirit and Wisdom, with which he spake *. He was therefore able to give good Reasons for the Faith, and such as they could not confute. St. Paul laboured more abundantly than any of the other Apostles in fpreading the Faith of the Gospel, and what his ufual manner was we are informed Acts xvii. 2, 3. where we are told, that at Thesfalonica, Paul, as his manner was, went into the Synagogue of the Jews, and three Sabbath-days he reafoned with them out of the Scriptures, opening and alledging, that Chrift must needs have fuffered, and rifen again from the Dead, and that this Jefus, whom I preach unto you, is the Chrift. Here it is plain, quite contrary to the Representation made by our Author, that his manner of making Converts was not to urge them to believe without a Reafon for it, but ftrongly to reason with them,

*Acts vi. 9, 10.

in

1