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Sect.II. grant any fuch in it, but rather to conclude, that we are ignorant of the right Meaning when a Difficulty occurs; and fo to fufpend our Judgment concerning it, till with futable Helps and Induftry we difcover the Truth. As for acquiefcing in what a Man underftands not, or cannot reconcile to his Reafon, they know beft the fruits of it that practife it. For my part, I'm a Stranger to it, and cannot reconcile my felf to fuch a Principle. On the contrary, I am pretty fure he pretends in vain to convince the Judgment, who explains not the Nature of the Thing. A Man may give his verbal Affent to he knows not what, 'out of Fear, Superftition, Indifference, Intereft, and the like feeble and unfair Motives: but as long as he conceives not what he believes, he cannot fincerely acquiefce in it, and remains depriv'd of all folid Satisfaction. He is conftantly perplex'd with Scruples not to be remov'd by his implicite Faith; and fo is ready to be Ephef.4. fhaken, and carry'd away with every wind of Doctrine. Iwill believe because I will believe, that is, because I'm in the Humour fo to do, is the top of his Apo

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logy. Such are unreasonable Men,Ch. 1. walking after the Vanity of their Minds, w having their Understandings darkn'd, Ephef. 4. being Strangers to the Life of God through the Ignorance that is in them, because of the Hardness of their Hearts. But he that comprehends a thing, is as fure of it as if he were himself the Author. He can never be brought to fufpect his Profeffion; and, if he be honeft, will always render a pertinent account of it to others.

10. The natural Refult of what has been faid is, That to believe the Divinity of Scripture, or the Sense of any Paffage thereof, without rational Proofs, and an evident Confiftency, is a blameable Credulity, and a temera. rious Opinion, ordinarily grounded upon an ignorant and wilful Difpofition, but more generally maintain'd out of a gainful Profpect. For we frequently embrace certain Doctrines not from any convincing Evidence in them, but because they ferve our Defigns better than the Truth; and because other Contradictions we are not willing to quit, are better defended by their means.

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Se&t.II.

CHA P. II.

Of the Authority of REVELATION, as it regards this Controverfy.

II.

A

9.

Gainft all that we have been establishing in this Section, the Authority of Revelation will be alledg'd with great fhew, as if without a Right of filencing or extinguifhing REASON, it were altogether useless and impertinent. But if the Diftinction I made in the precedent Section, N. be well confider'd, the Weakness of the present Objection will quickly appear, and this Controverfy be better understood hereafter. There I faid REVELATION was not a neceffitating Motive of Affent, but a Mean of Information. We fhould not confound the Way whereby we come to the knowledg of a thing, with the Grounds we have to believe it. A Man may inform me concerning a thousand Matters I never heard of before, and of which I fhould not as much as think if

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I were not told; yet I believe nothing Ch. 2. purely upon his word without Evidence in the things themselves. Not the bare Authority of him that fpeaks, but the clear Conception I form of what he fays, is the Ground of my Perfwafion.

12. If the fincereft Perfon on Earth fhould affure me he faw a Cane without two ends, I neither fhould nor could believe him; because this Relation plainly contradicts the Idea of a Cane. But if he told me he saw a Staff that, being by chance laid in the Earth, did after fome time put forth Sprigs and Branches, I could eafily rely upon his Veracity; because this no way contradicts the Idea of a Staff, nor tranfcends Poffibility.

13. I fay Poffibility; for Omnipotency it felf can do no more. They impofe upon themselves and others, who require Affent to things contradictory, because God, fay they, can do all things, and it were limiting of his Power to affirm the contrary. Very good! we heartily believe God can do all things: But that meer NOTHING fhould be the Object of his Power, the very Omnipotency alledg'd will not permit us to D 4

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Sect. II. conceive, And that every Contradicti on, which is a Synonym for Impoffibility, is pure nothing, we have already fufficiently demonftrated. To fay, for example, that a thing is extended and not extended, is round and fquare at once, is to fay nothing; for thefe Ideas destroy one another, and cannot fubfift together in the fame Subject. But when we clearly perceive a perfect Agreement and Connection between, the Terms of any Propofition, we then conclude it poffible because intelligible: So I understand God may render immediately folid, what has been hitherto fluid; make prefent Beings ceafe to exift or change their Forms; and call Rom.4.17. thofe things that are not, as tho they were. When we fay then, that nothing is impoffible with God, or that he can do all things, we mean whatever is poffible in it felf, however far above the Power of Creatures to effect...

14. Now, fuch is the Nature of a Matter of Fact, that tho it may be conceiv'd poffible enough, yet he only can with Affurance affert its Exiftence who is himself the Author, or by fome Means of Information comes first to

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