is. If these particulars are made out, here will be a strong presumptive evidence, that the gospel is from God; and we shall have opened a fair way toward that more direct proof, which I principally intend.

1. The case of mankind is naturally such, as greatly to need a divine revelation."

I speak not here of man in his original state; though even then, as many have largely shewn, some instruction from above seemed necessary to inform him of many particulars, which it was highly expedient that he should immediately know: But I speak of him in the degenerate condition in which he now so evidently lies, by whatever means he was brought into it. It is an easy thing to make florid encomiums on the perfection of natural light, and to deceive unwary readers with an ambiguous term*, which shall sometimes signify all that appears even to the divine understanding, and sometimes no more than the meanest of the human race may, or than they actually do attain ; but let fact speak, and the controversy will soon be determined. I appeal to all, that are acquainted with the records of antiquity, or that have any knowledge of the most credible accounts of the present state of those countries where christianity is unknown, whether it is not too obvious a truth, that The whole heathen world has lain, and still lies in wickednesst. Have not incomparably the greater part of them been perpetually bewildered in their religious notions and practices, vastly differing from each other, and almost equally differing on all sides from the probable appearances of truth and reason? Is any thing so wild as not to have been believed, any thing so infamous as not to have been practised by them, while they have not only pretended to justify it by reason, but bave consecrated it as a part of their religion? To this very day, what are the discoveries of new nations in the American or African world, but generally speaking, the opening of new scenes of enormity? Rapine, lust, cruelty, human sacrifices, and the most stupid idolatries, are, and for ought I can find, always have been, the morality and religion of almost all the Pagan nations under heaven: And to say, that there have still been some smothered sparks of reason within, which, if cherished, might have led them to truth and happiness, is only saying, that they have been so much the more criminal, and therefore so much the more miserable.

*This Dr. Tyndal has done in so gross and palpable a manner, that it is surprising that fallacy alone should not have exposed his christianity as old as the creation, to the immediate contempt of every intelligent reader.

+ 1 John v. 19.

But you live at home, and hear these things only by uncertain report. Look then around you within the sphere of your own observation, and see the temper and character of the generality of those, who have been educated in a christian, and even in a protestant country. Observe their ignorance and forgetfulness of the Divine Being, their impieties, their debaucheries, their fraud, their oppression, their pride, their avarice, their ambition, their unnatural insensibility of the wants and sorrows and interests of each other; and when you see how bad they generally are in the midst of so many advantages, judge by that of the probable state of those that want them. Judge upon these views, whether a revelation be an unnecessary thing.

2. "There is, from the light of nature, considerable encouragement to hope, that God would favour his creatures with so needful a blessing as a revelation appears."

That a revelation is in itself a possible thing, is evident beyond all shadow of a doubt. Shall not He that made man's mouth, who has given us this wonderful faculty of discovering our sentiments, and communicating our ideas to each other, shall not he be able to converse with his rational creatures, and by sensible manifestations, or by inward impressions, to convey the knowledge of things, which lie beyond the ken of their natural faculties, and yet may be highly conducive to their advantage? To own a God, and to deny him such a power, will be a notorious contradiction.But it may appear much more dubious, whether he will please to confer such a favour on sinful creatures.

Now I acknowledge, that we could not certainly conclude he would ever do it; considering on the one hand, how justly they stood exposed to his final displeasure; and on the other, what provision he had made by the frame of the human mind, and of nature around us, for giving us such notices of himself, as would leave us Inexcusable, if we either failed to know him, or to glorify him as God, as the apostle argues at large+. Nevertheless methinks, we should have had something of this kind to hope, from considering God as the indulgent Father of his creatures; from observing the tender care which he takes of us, and the liberal supply which he grants for the support of the animal life; especially, from the provision which he has made for man, considered as a guilty and calamitous creature, by the medicinal and healing virtues which he has given to many of the productions of nature, which in a state of perfect rectitude and † Rom. i. 20, and seq.

• Exod. iv. 11.

happiness man would never have needed. This is a circumstance, which seemed strongly to intimate, that he would some time or another graciously provide some remedy to heal men's minds; and that he would interpose to instruct them, in his own nature, in the manner in which he is to be served, and in the final treatment which they may expect from him. And I think, such an apprehension seems very congruous to the sentiments of the generality of mankind; as appears from the many pretences to divine revelation which have often been made, and the readiness of multitudes to receive them on very slender proofs: This shews how naturally men expect some such kind interposition of the Deity: A thought, which might farther be confirmed by some remarkable passages of heathen writers, which I have not now time particularly to mention.

3. We may easily conclude, " that if a revelation were given, it would be introduced and transmitted in such a manner, as christianity is said to have been."

It is exceeding probable, for instance, that it should be taught, either by some illustrious person sent down from a superior world, or at least by a man of eminent wisdom and piety, who should himself have been, not only a teacher, but an example, of universal goodness. In order to this it seems probable, that he would be led through a series of calamity and distress; since otherwise he would not have been a pattern of the virtues, which adorn adversity, and are peculiar to it. And it might also have been expected, that in the extremity of his distress, the blessed God, whose messenger he was, should, in some extraordinary manner, have interposed, either to preserve, or to recover him from death.

It is moreover exceeding probable that such a person, and perhaps also they who were at first employed as his messengers to the world, should be endowed with a power of working miracles; both to awaken men's attention, and to prove a divine mission, and the consequent truth of their doctrines; some of which, might, perhaps, not be capable of any other kind of proof; or if they were, it is certain that no method of arguing is so short, so plain, and so forcible, and on the whole, so well suited to the conviction, and probably the reformation of mankind, as a course of evident, repeated, and uncontrouled miracles. And such a method of proof is especially adapted to the populace, who are incomparably the greater part of mankind, and for whose benefit, we may assure ourselves, a revelation Rr

VOL. II.

But you live at home, and hear these things only by uncertain report. Look then around you within the sphere of your own observation, and see the temper and character of the generality of those, who have been educated in a christian, and even in a protestant country. Observe their ignorance and forgetfulness of the Divine Being, their impieties, their debaucheries, their fraud, their oppression, their pride, their avarice, their ambition, their unnatural insensibility of the wants and sorrows and interests of each other; and when you see how bad they generally are in the midst of so many advantages, judge by that of the probable state of those that want them. Judge upon these views, whether a revelation be an unnecessary thing.

2. "There is, from the light of nature, considerable encouragement to hope, that God would favour his creatures with so needful a blessing as a revelation appears."

That a revelation is in itself a possible thing, is evident beyond all shadow of a doubt. Shall not He that made man's mouth, who has given us this wonderful faculty of discovering our sentiments, and communicating our ideas to each other, shall not he be able to converse with his rational creatures, and by sensible manifestations, or by inward impressions, to convey the knowledge of things, which lie beyond the ken of their natural faculties, and yet may be highly conducive to their advantage? To own a God, and to deny him such a power, will be a notorious contradiction.But it may appear much more dubious, whether he will please to confer such a favour on sinful creatures.

Now I acknowledge, that we could not certainly conclude he would ever do it; considering on the one hand, how justly they stood exposed to his final displeasure; and on the other, what provision he had made by the frame of the human mind, and of nature around us, for giving us such notices of himself, as would leave us Inexcusable, if we either failed to know him, or to glorify him as God, as the apostle argues at larget. Nevertheless methinks, we should have had something of this kind to hope, from considering God as the indulgent Father of his creatures; from observing the tender care which he takes of us, and the liberal supply which he grants for the support of the animal life; especially, from the provision which he has made for man, considered as a guilty and calamitous creature, by the medicinal and healing virtues which he has given to many of the productions of nature, which in a state of perfect rectitude and

happiness man would never have needed. This is a circumstance, which seemed strongly to intimate, that he would some time or another graciously provide some remedy to heal men's minds, and that he would interpose to instruct them, in his own nature, in the manner in which he is to be served, and in the final treatment which they may expect from him. And I think, such an apprehension seems very congruous to the sentiments of the generality of mankind; as appears from the many pretences to divine revelation which have often been made, and the readiness of multitudes to receive them on very slender proofs: This shews how naturally men expect some such kind interposition of the Deity: A thought, which might farther be confirmed by some remarkable passages of heathen writers, which I have not now time particularly to mention.

3. We may easily conclude, " that if a revelation were given, it would be introduced and transmitted in such a manner, as christianity is said to have been."

It is exceeding probable, for instance, that it should be taught, either by some illustrious person sent down from a superior world, or at least by a man of eminent wisdom and piety, who should himself have been, not only a teacher, but an example, of universal goodness. In order to this it seems probable, that he would be led through a series of calamity and distress; since otherwise he would not have been a pattern of the virtues, which adorn adversity, and are peculiar to it. And it might also have been expected, that in the extremity of his distress, the blessed God, whose messenger he was, should, in some extraordinary manner, have interposed, either to preserve, or to recover him from death.

It is moreover exceeding probable that such a person, and perhaps also they who were at first employed as his messengers to the world, should be endowed with a power of working miracles; both to awaken men's attention, and to prove a divine mission, and the consequent truth of their doctrines; some of which, might, perhaps, not be capable of any other kind of proof; or if they were, it is certain that no method of arguing is so short, so plain, and so forcible, and on the whole, so well suited to the conviction, and probably the reformation of mankind, as a course of evident, repeated, and uncontrouled miracles. And such a method of proof is especially adapted to the populace, who are incomparably the greater part of mankind, and for whose benefit, we may assure ourselves, a revelation