Sect.II. ~ CHA P. III. That by CHRISTIANITY was intended a Rational and Intelligible Religion; prov'd from the Miracles, Method and Stile of the New Teftament. 19. WH . HAT we difcours'd of REASON before, and REVELATION now, being duly weigh'd, all the Doctrines and Precepts of the New Testament (if it be indeed Divine) muft confequently agree with Natural Reason, and our own ordinary Ideas. This every confiderate and wel-difpos'd Perfon will find by the careful perufal of it: And whoever undertakes this Task, will Deut. 3° confefs the Gospel not to be hidden from us, nor afar off, but very nigh us, in our Mouths, and in our Hearts. It affords the moft illuftrious Examples of close and perfpicuous Ratiocination conceivable; which is incumbent on me in II, 14. the the Explication of its MYSTERIES, Ch. 3. to demonstrate. And tho the Evidence of Chrift's Doctrine might claim the Approbation of the Gentiles, and its Conformity with the Types and Prophecies of the Old Testament, with all the Marks of the MESSIAH concurring in his Perfon, might juftly challenge the Affent of his Countrymen; yet to leave no room for doubt, he proves his Authority and Gofpel by fuch Works, and Miracles as the ftiffneck'd Jews themselves could not deny to be Divine. Nicodemus fays to him, No Man can do thefe Miracles which thou Joh.3. 2. do'ft, except God be with him. Some of the Pharifees acknowledg'd no Sinner Joh. 9. 16. could do fuch things. And others, that they exceeded the Power of the Devil. Joh.10.21. 20. JESUS himself appeals to his very Enemies, ready to Stone him for pretended Blafphemy, faying; If I do Joh. 10. not the Works of my Father, believe me 37, 38. not: But if I do, believe not me, believe the Works; that you may know,and believe that the Father is in me, and I in him : That is,believe not rafhly on me,and fo give a Teftimony to my Works; but fearch the Scriptures, which teftify of the Sect.II. the Meffiah; confider the Works I do, whether they be fuch as become God, and are attributed to him: If they be, then conclude and believe that I am he, &c. In effect, feveral of the PeoJoh. 7.31. ple faid, that Chrift when he should come could do no greater wonders; and many Joh. 2.23. of the Jews believ'd, when they faw the Heb.2.3.4, Miracles which he did. 21. How shall we escape, fays the Apoftle, if we neglect fo great a Salvation, which at the firft began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirm'd unto us by them that heard him; God also bearing them The witness with divers Miracles,and Gifts of the Holy Spirit,according to his own Will? Those who heard Chrift, the Author of our Religion, fpeak, and faw the Wonders which he wrought, renounce 2 Cor.4.2. all the hidden things of Dishonesty, all Craftiness and deceitful handling of the Word of God: And that they manifeft nothing but Truth, they commend themfelves to every Man's Confcience, that is, they appeal to every Man's Reason, in the Sight of God. Peter exhorts Chriftians to be ready always to give an Answer to every one that asks them a Reafon of their Hope. Now to what purpose 1 Pet.3.15. purpose ferv'd all these Miracles, all Ch. 3. thefe Appeals, if no Regard was to be had of Mens Underftandings? if the Doctrines of Christ were incomprehenfible, contradictory; or were we oblig'd to believe reveal'd Nonfenfe? Now if thefe Miracles be true, Christianity muft confequently be intelligible; and if falfe, (which our Adverfaries will not grant) they can be then no Arguments against us. 22. But to infift no longer upon fuch Paffages, all Men will own the Verity I defend, if they read the facred Writings with that Equity and Attention that is due to meer Humane Works: Nor is there any different Rule to be follow'd in the Interpretation of Scripture from what is common to all other Books. Whatever unprejudic'd Perfon fhall ufe thofe Means, will find them notorious Deceivers, or much deceiv'd themselves, who maintain the New Teftament is written without any Order or certain Scope, but juft as Matters came into the Apostles Heads, whether tranfported, with Enthufiaftick Fits, (as fome will have it) or, according to others, E for Sect.II. for lack of good Senfe and a liberal Education. I think I may juftly fay, that they are Strangers to true Method, who complain of this Confufion and Disorder. But the Proof of the Cafe depends not upon Generalities: Tho, whenever it is prov'd, I will not promise that every one fhall find a Juftification of the particular Method he was taught, or he has chofen, to follow. To defend any PARTY is not my business, but to discover the TRUTH. 23. The Facility of the GOSPEL is not confin'd only to Method; for the Stile is also most easy, most natural, and in the common Dialect of those to whom it was immediately confign'd. Should any preach in Xenophon's ftrain to the prefent Greeks, or in correct English to the CountryPeople in Scotland, 'twould coft them much more Time and Pains to learn the very Words, than the Knowledg of the Things denoted by them. Of old, as well as in our time, the Jews understood Hebrew worfe than the Tongues of thofe Regions where they dwelt. No Pretences therefore can be |