19,20,21.

Sect. 3. God was able to revive Ifaac by a Miracle, as he was miraculously born, according to another Promife, after his Parents were paft having Children, Ver. 12. and fo as good as dead: therefore it is elsewhere written of Abraham, that Rom. 4. being not weak in Faith, he confider'd not his own Body now dead, when he was about an hundred Years old, neither yet the Deadness of Sarah's Womb; nor ftagger'd at God's Promife through Unbelief; but being frong in Faith he gave Glory to God, and was fully perfwaded that what he had promis'd he was able alfo to perform.

58. Now what is there in all this, but very ftrict Reasoning from Experience, from the Poffibility of the thing, and from the Power, Juftice, and Immutability of him that promis'd it? Nor can any Man fhew me in all the New Teftament another Signification of Faith but a moft firm Perfwafion built upon fubftantial Reafons. In this Senfe all Chriftianity is not seldom ftil'd the Faith; as now we usually say that we are of this or that PERSWASION, meaning the Profeffion of fome Religion. But furely

nothing

nothing can better root and establish Ch. 4. our Perfwafion than a thorow Examination and Trial of what we believe; whereas the Weakness and Inftability of our Faith proceed from want of fufficient Reasons for it, whereupon Incredulity always follows; then fails Obedience, which is the conftant Sign and Fruit of genuine Faith; and hence fpring all the Irregularities of Mens Lives. He that faith I know 1 John 2. him, and keepeth not his Commandments, 4, 6. is a Liar-For he that faith he abideth in him, ought himself alfo to walk as he walk'd. Nor can it poffibly fall out otherwise, but that he who believes without understanding must be toft and carri'd about with every Wind of Eph.4.14. Doctrine, by the Slight and Cunning of Men ready to deceive.

59. Tho the Authority of the New Teftament be fo clear in this Matter, yet I shall further confirm it by the following Obfervations. Firft, if Faith were not a Perswasion refulting from the previous Knowledg and Comprehenfion of the thing believ'd, there could be no Degrees nor Differences in it; for these are evident Tokens that Men know more

Sect. 3. or less of a thing, as they have De-. fires or Opportunities to learn it. But that there are fuch Degrees appears by the Scripture, where thofe that have only an imperfect and perfunctory Knowledg of Religion are compar'd 1 Cor.3.2.to Infants who feed only upon Milk; but they who arrive at a more full

and accurate Certainty are liken'd to Heb.5.12, grown Men that can digeft ftronger 13, 14. Food.

16.

60. My next Obfervation is, That the Subject of Faith must be intelligible to all, fince the Belief thereof is commanded under no less a Penalty than Mark 16. Damnation: He that believeth not, fhall be damn'd. But fhall any be damn'd for the Non-performance of Impoffibilities? Obligations to believe do therefore fuppofe a Poffibility to understand. I fhew'd before that Contradiction and Nothing were convertible Terms; and I may now fay as much of Mystery in the Theological Senfe: for, to fpeak freely, Contradiction and Mystery are but two emphatick ways of faying Nothing. Con tradiction expreffes Nothing by a couple of Ideas that deftroy one another,

and

and Mystery expreffes Nothing by Ch. 4. Words that have no Ideas at all.

61. The third Observation shall be, That if any part of Scripture were unintelligible, it could never be rightly tranflated, except the Sound of the Words, and not their Sense, be look'd upon as the Revelation of God. Terms can by no means be understood, unless the things they denote be understood also. I may well understand Things without their Names, but never Names without knowing their Subjects. And, in good earnest, to what fort of Assurance can any Man pretend, that he has made a right Verfion of what he openly profeffes not to conceive? It cannot be imagin'd how much the Notion of Mystery contributes to the Ob fcurity of Scripture in moft Translations. When an able Linguist meets with a difficult Paffage, he prefently takes it for a Mystery, and concludes it is to no purpose to be at more Pains about what is in it felf inexplicable. But an uncapable Tranflator lays his own blundering Nonfenfe, and all the myfterious Fruits of his Ignorance to God Almighty's Charge. These are K 4

the

Sect. 3. the Wretches who plentifully furnish the Atheistical and Profane with all the 'Matter of their Objections against Scripture. But I hope in Time we may fee a Remedy to thefe Diforders.

62. The fourth Obfervation is, That except Faith fignifies an intelligible Perfwafion, we cannot give others a Reason 1Pet.3.15.of our Hope, as Peter directs us. Το

fay that what we believe is the Word of God, will be to no end, except we prove it to be fo by Reafon; and I need not add, that if we may not examine and underftand our Faith, every Man will be oblig'd implicitely to continue of that Religion wherein he is firft educated. Suppofe a Siamese * Talapoin fhould tell a Chriftian Preacher that Sommonocodom forbad the Goodness of his Religion to be tri'd by the Light of Reafon; how could the Chriftian confute him, if he like. wife fhould maintain that certain Points of Chriftianity were above Reafon? The Question would not be then, whe

* Or Priest.

The God of the Siameses.