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change and that change but upon few, and that but for a few Ages, and then another Sect fucceedeth them: So that they have no fuch atteftation and approbation of God, as Chrift hath in the renovation of fo many thousands all abroad the world, and that for fo many ages together. 2. They did not affirm themselves to be the Sons of God, and the Saviours of the world; if they had, God would not have annexel fuch a teftimony to their word, as he doth to Chrifts. 3. The mercy of God is over all his works. He hath compaflion upon all Nations; and fetteth up fome candles, where the Sun is not yet rifen: The Light and Law of Nature are his, as well as the Light and Law of Supernatural Revelation and accordingly he hath his inftruments for the communication of them, to the rude and ignorant part of the world. All the truth which any Philofopher teacheth, is God's truth and it is no wonder if a God of fo much goodnefs, do bless his own truth, according to its nature and proportion, who ever be the meffenger of it. Whether the fuccefs of Philofophy, be ever the true fanctification and falvation of any fouls, is a thing that I meddle not with; (it belongeth not to us, and therefore is not revealed to us :) But it is vifible in the Gospel, that all that part of practical doctrine which the Philofophers taught, is contained in the doctrine of Chrift, as a part in the whole: and therefore the imprefs and effect is more full and perfect, as the do&trine; and the imprefs and effect of the Philofophers doctrine, can be no better than the caufe, which is partial and defective, and mixt with much corruption and untruth. All that is good in the Philofophers is in the doctrine of Chrift: but they had abundance of falfe opinions and idolatries to corrupt it; when Chriftianity hath nothing but clean. and pure. So that as no Philofopher affirmed himself to be the Saviour, fo his doctrine was not attefted by the plenary and common effect of Regeneration, as Chrift's was: but as they were but the Minifters of the God of Nature, fo they had but an answerable help from God; who could not be fuppofed (however, had they wrought miracles) to have attefted more than themselves afferted, or laid claim to. Object. But Mahomet ventured on a higher arrogation and pretence; and yet if bis doctrine fanctifie men, it will not justific bis pretences.

Q¶ 3

Anfr. 1.

Anfw. 1. It is not proved, that his Doctrine doth truly fanctifie any 2. The effect which it hath can be but lame, defective, and mixt with much vanity and error, as his doctrine is for the effect cannot excell the caufe. 3. That part of his doctrine which is good, and doth good, is not his own, but part of Chrifts, from whom he borrowed it, and to whom the good effects are to be afcribed. 4. Mabomet never pretended to be the Son of God, and Saviour of the World, but only to be a Prophet: Therefore his caufe is much like that of the Philofophers forementioned, saving that he giveth a fuller teftimony to Chrift. 5. If Mahomet had proved his Word, by antecedent Prophefies, Promifes, and Types, through many ages; and by inherent purity, and by concomitant Miracles, and by fuch wonderfull fubfequent communications of renewing fanctifying grace, by the Spirit of God, fo ordinary in the World; we should all have had reafon to believe his Word: But if he pretend only to be a Prophet, and give us none of all thefe proofs, but a foppifh, ridiculous bundle of Non-Tenfe, full of carnal doctrines, mixt with holy truth, which he had from Chrift, we must judge accordingly of his Authority and Word, notwithftanding God may make ufe of that common truth, to produce an answerable degree of Goodnefs, among thofe that hear and know no better.

Thefe Objections may be further anfwered anon, among the reft: And thus much fhall here fuffice of the great and cogent Evidences of the truth of the Chriftian Faith.

CHAP. VII.

of the fubfervient proofs, and means, by which the forementioned Evidences are brought to our certain knowledge.

TH

HE witnefs of the Spirit in the four wayes of Evidence already opened, is proved to be fure, and cogent, if firft it be proved to be true, that indeed fuch a witness to Jefus Chrift, hath been given to the World:

The

The Argument is undenyable, when the Minor is proved, [He, whofe Word is attested by God, by many thousand years predictions, by the inherent Image of God upon the frame of his doctrine, by multitudes of uncontrolled Miracles, and by the fuccefs of his Doctrine to the true Regeneration of a great Part of the World, is certainly to be believed: But fuch Fefus Chrift: Ergo,-] I have been hitherto for the most part proving the Major Propofition, and now come to the Minor; as to the feveral branches.

. 1. I. The Prophetical Teftimony of the Spirit,is yet legible, in the Promifes, Prophefies and Types, and main defign of the Old Teftament.

4.2. The Books of Holy Scripture where all these are found, are certain uncorrupted records thereof preferved by the unquestioned tradition and care, and to this day attested by the generall confeffion, of the Jewes, who are the bitterest enemics to Christianity.

There are no men of reason that I have heard of, that deny the Books of Mofes, and the Pfalms, and the Prophets, &c. to be indeed thofe that went under thofe titles from the beginning: And that there can be no confiderable corruption in them, which might much concern their teftimony to Chrift, the comparing of all the Copies, and the Verfions, yet extant, will evince; together with the teftimony of all forts of enemies; and the morall impoflibility of their corruption. But I will not ftand to prove that which no fober adverfary doth deny. To these Books the Chriftians did appeal, and to these the Jews profess to stand.

1.3. II. The conftitutive inherent image of God upon the Gospel of Chrift, is also still visible in the Books themselves; and needeth no other proof, than a capable Reader (as afore defcribed.)

5.4. The preaching and Writings of the Minifters of Chrift, do ferve to illuftrate this, and help men to difcern it, but adde nothing to the inherent perfection of the Gospel, for matter, or for method.

9.5. III. The testimony of the age of Miracles fore-defcribed, can be known naturally no way, but by fight or other fenfes to thofe prefent, and by report or history to thofe ab

Sent.

1.6. The

Miracula ubicunq; fi

1. 6. The Apostles and many thousand others faw the Mira

unt, vix à tota civi- cles wrought by Chrift; and needed no other proof of them than tate feruntur, &c. their fenfes.

Nam plerumq; funt

The many thousands who at twice were fed by Miracle ignorantibus cæteris, were witneffes of that. The multitude were witnelles of maxime fi magna fit civitas 3 at quando his healing the blinde, the lame, the paralitick, the Demoalibi aliifq; narran- niacks, &c. The Pharifees themf.lves made the ftricteft cur, tanta ca com fearch into the cure of the man born blinde, Job. 9. and the mendat autoritas, ut raifing of Lazarus from the dead, and many more. His midubitatione credan. racles were few of them hid, but openly done before the tur. Aug. de Civit. World. Dei. 22.

fine difficultate vel

0.7. The Apostles and many hundreds more, were witnesses of Chrifts own Refurrection; and needed no other proof but their fense.

At divers times he appeared to them, together and apart : and yielded to Thomas his unbelief fo farre, as to call him to put his finger into his fide, and fee the print of the Nails : He inftructed them concerning the Kingdom of God, for forty dayes, A&t. 1. He gave them their Commion, Mar. 16. Mat. 28. Joh. 21. He expoftulated with Peter, and engaged him to feed his Lambs: He was feen of more than five hundred brethren at once: And laftly appeared after his afcenfion to Paul, and to John that wrote the ReveLations.

6. 8. The Apostles also were eye-witnesses of his afcenfion : A&. 1.

What he had foretold them, they faw him fulfill.

6.9. All these eye-witnesses were not themselves deluded, in thinking they faw thofe things which indeed they did not See.

For 1. They were perfons of competent understanding, as their Writings fhew; and therefore not like Children that might be cheated with palpable deceits. 2. They were many (the twelve Apoftles, and 70 Difciples, and all the reft, befides the many thoufands of the common people that only wondered at him, but followed him not. One or two may be eafilyer deceived than fuch multitudes. 3. The matters of fact were done neer them, where they were present, and not far off. 4. They were done in the open light,and not in a corner, or in the dark. 5. They were done many times over,

and

and not once or twice only. 6. The nature of the things was fuch, as a juggling deluding of the fenfes could not ferve for fo common a deceit: As when the perfons that were born blinde, the lame, the Paralitick, &c. were feen to be perfectly healed; and fo of the rcft. 7. They were perfons who followed Chrift, and were ftill with him, (or very oft): and therefore if they had been once deceived, they could not be fo alwaycs 8. And vigilant fubtile enemies were about them, that would have helped them to have détected a deceit. 9 Yea, the twelve Apoftles and 70 Difciples were employed themfelves in working Miracles, healing the fick and Demoniacks, in Chrifts own life-time; and rejoyced in it: And they could not be deceived for divers years together in the things which they faw, and heard, and felt, and alfo in that which they did themfelves: Befides that, all their own Miracles which they wrought after Chrifts afcenfion, prove that they were not deceived. 10. There is no way left then but one to deceive them; and that is, if God himself fhould alter and delude all their fenfes; which it is certain that he did not doe: For then he had been the chief caufe of all the delufion, and all the confequents of it in the World: He that hath given men fight, and bearing, and feeling, will not delude them all by unrefiftable alterations and deceits, and then forbid them to believe thofe lies, aud propagate them to others. Man hath no other way of knowing things fenfible but by fenfe. He that hath his fenfes found, and the object proportionate and at a juft distance, and the medium fit, and his underftanding found, may well truft unum boai Viri verhis fenfes; efpecially when it is the cafe of many: And if bum, unus nutus fenfe in thofe cafes fhould be deceived, we should be bound fexcentis argumentis to be deceived, as having no other way of knowing, or of ac verborum conti nuationibus parem fi detecting the deceit.

dem meretur. Plutar.

6. 10. Those that far not Christ's miracles, nor fat him in Phocion. rifen, received all these matters of fact, from the testimony of them that faid they faw them: (Having no other way by which Pluris eft oculatus they could receive them.)

teftis unus, quam auriti decem. Qui au0.11. Suppofing now Chrifts Refurrection and Miracles to diunt, audita dicunt: be true, it is certain, that their use and obligation must extend qui vident, plane fci to more than those that far them, even to perfons abfent, and at. Plaut. Truc. of other generations.

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