to viz. to Assent to the Existence of a Deity and other Points of Faith as Certain Truths nay lay down their lâ—ves upon occasion to Attest they are such And what is it to Assent 'T is to say interiourly or judge verily that the thing is so And can a Motive or Reason possible to be False ever induce in true Reason such an Obligation or work rationally such an Effect How should it be Since in that case a man must on the one side judge the thing Impossible to be False because he is to assent to it as a Truth and yet must at the same tâ—me necessarily judge it Possible to be False because he sees the Motives he has offer'd him raise it no higher that is he must hold both sides of the Contradiction which is absolutely impossible Now true Evidence that the thing is so takes away all possibility of Falsehood and so obliges to Assent and if Dr. T. produces such proofs as make the point truly Evident an Atheist is unreasonable and obstinate if he do not Assent to it But if by those words Atheism is unreasonable because it requires more Evidence than the things are capable of he means that the Things afford no true Evidence at all and judges Atheists unreasonable for not assenting without true Evidence because the Things afford none he in effect tells them they must forfeit their Manhood ere they can be Christians than which nothing can more reflect on the Profession of Christianity or be more unworthy a Christian Divine to propose Let us â—ee how far Dr. T. is blameable in this Particular He discourses thus and since he so earnestly presses it we will take his words in order § 8. Aristotle says he hath long since observed how unreasonable 't is to expect the same kind of Proof for every thing which we have for same things Aristotle said very well For speaking of Proofs in common and at large those we have for Success in our Exteriour Actions on the Hopes of which we proceed to Act are for the most Part but Probable but this reaches not our present business about a Deity in order to which this Preamble is fram'd where Exteriour Acting will not serve the turn but an Interiour Act of Assenting to the Existence of such a Soveraign Being is necessarily requir'd The Question then is Whether Aristotle did or could with any reason say that a Rational Creature that is a Creature whose nature 't is to deduce Conclusions by Discourse from Premisses or build the certain Truth of Those upon the certain Truth of These could be oblig'd in true Reason or acting according to Right Nature to assent judge or conclude a Thing True without such Motives or Proofs which did conclude it True or that what concluded a Thing True did not also conclude it impossible to be otherwise or to be False 'T is granted then that in our Exteriour Operations exercised upon Particulars where Contingency rules we must rest contented with Probabilities of the Event and proceed to act upon them the necessity of acting obliging us for should all the world surcease from Action till they were assur'd of the good success of it all Commerce and Negotiation must be left off nay all the means of Living must be laid aside but then we are not bound to assent or judge absolutely that the thing will succeed well because we have no Certain Grounds or Conclusive Reasons for it but onely that 't is best to act though upon Uncertain Grounds of the Success for which assent also we have absolute Evidence from the Necessity of actâ—ng now spoken of Whereas on the other side where the whole business of our Christian Life which as such is spiritual is to worship God in Spirit and Truth or approach to him by ascending from Virtue to Virtue that is from Faith to Hope from Hope to Charity the Top of all Perfection the whole interiour Fabrick is built on a Firm Assent to the Truth of the Points which ground our Profession Wherefore if the Foundation for this Assent be not well laid all the Superstructures of Religion are ruinous Now Nature having fram'd things so and the Maxims of our Understanding giving it that those who guide themselves by perfect Reason that is the strongest and wisest Souls are unapt to assent but upon Evidence whereas the weaker sort as experience teaches us are apt to assent upon any silly Probability hence unless such men see Proofs absolutely concluding those points True they are unapt to be drawn to yield to them and embrace them as Certain Truths especially there being no necessity at all to assent as there was to act outwardly in regard Nature has furnish'd us with a Faculty of Suspending which nothing can subdue rationally in such men at least but True Evidence had from the Object working this clear sight in them either by it self or else by Effects or Causes necessarily connected with It. Other Evidences I know none It may be Dr. T. does Let us see § 8. Mathematical things says he being of an abstracted nature are onely capable of clear Demonstration But Conclusions in Natural Philosophy are to be proved by a sufficient Induction of Experiments Things of a Moral Nature by Moral Arguments and matters of Fact by Credible Testimony And though none of these be strict Demonstration yet have we an Vndoubted Assurance of them when they are proved by the best Arguments that the nature and quality of the thing will bear This Discourse deserves deep Consideration And first it would be askâ— why Metaphysicks are omitted here which of all others ought to have been mentioned and that in the first place since its proper Subject is those Notions which concern Being and to give Being or Create is the Proper Effect of Him who is Essential Being whence it seems the Properest Science that is to demonstrate a Deity in case Metaphysical things be demonstrable and that they are such Dr. T. himself cannot deny for if as he says here things are therefore demonstrable because they are of an abstracted nature the Object of Metaphysicks which is Being is far more abstracted from matter and so from Motion and its necessary Concomitant Vncertainty or Contingency than is Quantity the subject of Mathematicks for this primary Affection of Body is the Ground and Proper Cause of of all Variation and Unsteadiness since all natural Motion or Mutation arises from Divisibility Yet because all Science is taken from the Things as standing under our notion or Conception and not according as they exist in themselves where thousands of Considerabilities are confusedly jumbled into one Common Stock of Existence or one Thing also because we can abstract by our Consideration the notion or nature of Quantity nay consider the same Quantity meerly as affecting Body as it were steadily or extending it without considering the same Quantity as the Proper Cause or Source of Motion hence the Mathematicks have Title to be truly and
two Doctors wondred at my silence which they interpreted weakness and despair of an Unmaintainable Cause and that I might not pretend want of means for my disability some of their Friends offered to get any thing printed which should concern either of them But I was not stirred till a Gentleman of Quality and Worth who for his friendship as I conceive to Dr. T. believ'd his Book truly unanswerable offer'd a Friend of mine to prevail with him to get Licence for me to print an Answer if I would or could make any So fair an invitation mov'd me to accept of it and I sollicited with as much earnestness as I could the performance But the Gentleman it seems mistook the Doctors Humour as much as his Book for his Credit prevail'd not All seem'd bush'd and quiet when Dr. St. publishes a private Paper writ two years and an half before with a Reply swell'd into a large Book intitled A Discourse concerning the Idolatry c. In the Preface to which and elsewhere he insults over my silence which he calls leaving my poor Demonstrations alone to defend themselves and with keen Ironies upbraids my pretence to Principles and Demonstration which in his language is but Canting Of all things in the world I should not have expected such an Objection from a Scholar For certainly whoever writes on a serious subject so as to confess he has not concluded what he maintains is an impudent Trifler and how to Conclude without Principles and Demonstration is a thing not known to any Logick which has hitherto appear'd in the World Dr. St. would deserve wonderfully of Learning and the World if he would please to teach us this admirable new Logick of Concluding without demonstrating and demonstrating without Principles for in the dull way of Learning hitherto in use 't is so far from shameful in a Scholar to own he has demonstrated what he pretends should be assented to that 't is unpardonably shameful to pretend another mans assent to that which he does not pretend and judge to have demonstrated I had not time to settle the thoughts which these and the like passages stirr'd up when I met with the Preface to Dr. T 's Sermons directed particularly to me and meant as far as I can guess for an Answer to two or three Books I must confess the bitter smartness I found there and the piquant upbraiding me with deserting the defence of Sure-footing though all men that car'd to consider any thing saw I had already writ two Books in defence of it stirred me sufficiently but I know not whether all this provoking Raillery would have prevail'd with me to Answer particularly if I had not thought they would not have urged me so pressingly if their Friends had not indeed desired I should write and that certainly I should not offend sober Men of what Perswasion soever by doing onely what themselves so prest Warier People have indeed suggested to me that the desires of Adversaries are suspicious and the more because of the Time they had both chosen since they could not but fore-see mine and others Answers would in likelihood come out about the time when the Parliament was designed to sit which might be look'd upon as a proper season to inflame the minds of such as were apt to believe them and stir up a new Persecution by making those Answers which themselves had so provokingly and peremptorily prest for an argument of the Insolency of Papists and the growth of Popery At least I see there can be no greater security for one in my circumstances than to mean uprightly and I hope every Body will see by my long silence I have used all the caution I can not to give just cause of offence and will acknowledge that 't is none to write vvhen I am pressingly and publickly solicited and this with no other design than to contribute if I can to the long desired happiness of bringing Disputes and Disagreements in Religion to a period If this be Insolence or Crime I think there is no honest man in this Nation or World who is innocent Once more then I take my Pen in hand with this promise to Dr. T. and his Friend that if it be not stopt again by their indirect proceedings as I have reason to judge the Printing of this has been already by the diligent Searching for it they shall have no reason to complain of any Arrears of mine But what needs any Apologizing at present to prevent a sinister character of my Writing The Point in hand now is neither the defending any Tenet of Protestant or Presbyterian on Dr. T's side nor the impugning them on mine The main business controverted between him and me at present is whether Faith be Absolutely-Certain or rather as he calls it onely Morally such In which Point I doubt not but to have all unprejudic'd conscientious men of both those Parties now nam'd on my side and against Him There is creeping into tho World insensibly and Scepticism is now hatching it a Sect more dangerous than any that has hitherto dissented from the Church in particular points They go as yet under the name of Christians because they profess many perhaps most Points of Christianity but yet if we may trust their own Expressions so as thence to frame a Iudgment of them have notwithstanding no Faith at all or no hearty firm immoveable Assent to those Points or any of them as Certain Truths but onely a dwindling Apprehension or at most a good lusty Hope that by the grace of GOD they are True or at least may be True Now these men on the one side owning no Infallible or Absolutely-Certain Authority so to preserve the Nature of Faith inviolate or defend it from the weakness of their Speculation that is to protect it from Possibility of being an Errour on the other side relying either on some Authority hic nunc Fallible that is which they see may perhaps be actually deceiv'd in all it proposes or else on their own Speculation and Wit whether exercis'd in arguing from things or in interpreting Scriptures Letter and withal being men of some parts and so seeing it impossible to make out that either those Reasons are Conclusive or Demonstrative or that their Interpretation of Scriptures Letter is not possibly a Mistake hence they are forc'd to confess in equivalent Terms all Christian Faith may possibly be a Ly though they express it warily and craftily because they see the nature of Faith in the conceit of the Generality who use that word and the whole Genius of Christianity is opposite to their Sentiments in that point Nature therefore standing against them necessitates them contrary perhaps to their intention taking them in other circumstances to pursue indirect ways and so at unawares though certainly not without some mixture of carelesness and precipitant passion to undermine the solid Foundation of Faith The means by which they work this mischief is First to laugh at Principles
the small strength they have when they do their utmost is not earnestly and heartily engag'd neither in the Patronage of our Cause or in proving it probable there 's a GOD but onely incline favourably towards us rather than the other Besides those who are of moderate tempers use to be favourable to every Body and there is not in the whole World such sweet soft-natur'd melting pliable tender-hearted compassionate and indulgent things as these same Probabilities They are ever at hand to lend their weak help to any body that wants a good Argument and will fit any Cause in the World good or bad Yet for all their kind and gentle behaviour in obliging none to assent to them or say as they do as your rude Demonstrations use I have notwithstanding a kind of prejudice against them which is that they are False hearted and use to play Jack-a-both-sides most egregiously for scarce was there ever any Tenet in the world so absurd but when not one good Reason durst appear for it this tatling Gossip Dame Probability would for all that undertake it and let her have but her neat Chamber-maid Rhetorick to trick her up with Laces Spangles Curles Patches and other such pretty Baubles she will dare to incounter with any Truth in the World or maintain the most absurd Paradox imaginable as Dr. T. and his Friend well know else they would be out of heart ever to write more And this is the Reason I conceive why p. 22. he calls them FAIR saying If FAIR Probabilities of Reason concur with Testimony and no less than thrice in the same page he makes mention of FAIR Proofs He says not GOOD Proofs or CONCLVSIVE that the Thing is TRVE or that there 's a GOD no take heed of that this would quite take the business out of the hand of Probability which a Rhetorical Divine ought not to do for nothing suits with Rhetorick's humour so well as Probabiâ—ity does and Demonstration cares not one straw for her But he gives them their just due and calls them onely Fair Proofs and Fair Probabilities that is Pretty Plausible and Taking and if they were not so of themselves what is there which a little daubing with Rhetorical Varnish will not make FAIR But the Upshot oâ— Sum Total of his Proofs is the best sport if it were not most pernicious 't is this That these Fair Probabilities taken together and in their united force have a great deal of Conviction in them Which amounts to this plain Confession though couch'd in wary Terms that there is not one good Proof amongst them all yet many bad ones put together will make a good one I know indeed that a concurrence of many Likelihoods renders a thing more Probable and encourages us to Outward Action but to think that many Probabilities will reach that Indivisible Point in which Truth and consequently our Assent to any thing as a Truth is found is quite to mistake the nature of Truth and Assent too which consist in Is or Is not and since to convince rationally is to conclude the thing is I desire Dr. T's Logick to inform the World how since a Probable Proof is that which onely concludes the thing Probable and consequently many probable ones are terminated in rendring it MORE Probable how I say many Proofs onely Probable can conclude the thing to be MORE THAN PROBABLE that is to be CERTAINLY or convince the Understanding that 't is unless they happen to engage some Nature or other and consequentâ—y some Identical Proposition which Dr. T. neither pretends nor goes about to show but on the other side declares himself an utter Enemy to such Principles and consequently to such a way of Discourse § 12. In a word Dr. T's Positive Proofs of a Godhead are reducible to these two Heads Humane Testimony and Probabilities of Reason as appears by his own words Serm. p. 22 23. and Testimony which p. 22. he tells us is the Principal Argument in a thing of this nature he divides into Vniversal Tradition and Written History Now Written History is not therefore True because 't is writ but depends upon Living Authority or Tradition to authenticate it and how ridiculous he would make the Certainty of Tradition even that which is confessedly grounded on the Sensations of great multitudes which is vastly above this here spoken of is seen in hâ—s Rule of Faith and here again he tells us Pref. p. 16. All Humane Testimony is Fallible and so all built on it is possible to be False for this plain reason because all men are Fallible Wherefore according to his Grounds 't is concluded there may possibly be No GOD for any thing Humane Testimony says to the Point And 't is as evident from the very word that Probabilities of Reason though never such Fair ones conclude as little Lastly he tells us Serm. p 22. that Fair Probabilities of Reason concurring with Testimony this Argument has all the strength it can have and thus Dr. T. instead of proving there is a GOD has endeavour'd to make out very learnedly that it may be there 's no such Thing and that neither Reason nor Authority can evince the Truth of the Point § 13. I omit his abusing the word Testimony which is built on Sensations in alledging it to prove a Creation which neither was nor could be subject to the Senses of the first Mankind nor consequently could the persuasion of future Deliverers and Writers have for its Source Attestation or Testimony I omit also his negâ—ecting to make use of Testimony to prove Miracles GOD's proper Effect which are subject to Sense and which both Christians Jews and Heathens of all Nations and Times both unanimously have and the first Seers could properly attest I suppose his Confidence in his Rhetorick made him chuse the worser Arguments to show how prettily he could make them look or perhaps the Genius of Things lie so that the slightest Arguments most need and so best suit with Rhetorical Discoursers § 14. By this time I suppose Gentlemen there will appear just reason for that moderate and civil hint I gave Dr. T. in my Introduction to Faith Vindicated of the weakness of his Grounds in these words In which Sermon under the Title of the Wisdom of being Religious and a great many seeming shows and I heartily think very real Intentions of impugning Atheism by an ill-principled and in that circumstance imprudent and unnecessary Confession in equivalent Terms of the possible Falsehood of Faith nay even as to the Chiefest and most Fundamental Point the Tenet of a Deity Religioâ— receives a deep wound and Atheism an especial advantage as may perhaps be more particularly shown hereafter After which I give his Sermon all its due Commendations and then subjoyn Onely I could wish he had right Principles to ground his discourse without which he can never make a Controvertist but must needs undermine the solid Foundation of Christianity if he undertake to meddle with