greatest Zeal for Religion should not justly render it suspected to Vnbelievers p. 131. Chap. 3. That the Incredulous are in the wrong for rejecting the Christian Religion because Interest seems to be the main Cause of many Peoples Devotion p. 143. Chap. 4. That the Divisions which reign among Christians is no good Reason why the Christian Religion should not be true p. 165. Chap. 5. That the Incredulous object in vain that Christianity being so little known and so ill observ'd in the World as it is can't be so useful to Mankind as a Religion reveal'd from Heaven for the Good of all Men should be p. 180. Chap. 6. That Vnbelievers can't conclude the Christian Religion to be false because the Divines of their Acquaintance make bad Answers to their Objections against it or because they maintain some false Tenets as true and as the Doctrine of Christ p. 199. Chap. 7. That the Difficulties which may occur in the Christian Religion ought not to bring the Truth of it into doubt p. 234. The Conclusion of the second Part. p. 277. Of the Truth of the Christian Religion p. 282. Letter 1. Wherein is prov'd the Sincerity of the Apostles concerning the Testimony they render'd to Christ's Resurrection p. 283. Letter 2. Shewing what a Miracle is and proving that from the Miracles of Jesus Christ and his Apostles we ought to look upon them as Persons truly sent of God p. 307. ERRATA Page 18. line 23. read angusta P. 23. l. 8. dele and. OF INCREDULITY The PREFACE Containing the Design of the Author in this Work I Cannot determine whether during the first Ages of Christianity more Books were written by the Christians to evince the Truth of their Religion than there may have been for these two hundred Years past But that we have fewer remaining of the precedent Ages than of the last two is most certain The Teachers of the Primitive Church and their Followers whilst Paganism was still considerable in the World labour'd more in confuting the Religion of the Heathens than to prove the Truth of that of Jesus Christ and his Apostles They thought if they could once convince the Heathens of the Falsity of their own Opinions that it would be no hard Matter then to make 'em Christians And this I could most easily shew were it at all useful to my Design On the contrary when Paganism was abolish'd in Europe and Christianity become the governing Religion the Teachers of it then left Paganism to attack the Religion of the Jews and that of the Mahumetans both which are yet in being amongst us But beside these two sorts of Vnbelievers there is yet a third who acknowledging the Falsity of the Mahumetan and Rabbinic Doctrines doubt notwithstanding of the Christian Religion or peremptorily judg it not true without setting up any other Religion in its Place Now to reduce these a new Method was absolutely necessary It was agreed therefore to prove directly the Truth of Christianity without insisting upon the Confutation of other Perswasions And it may truly be said to the Honour of the present Age and of that immediately preceding it that this Matter was never manag'd with better Success The Heathens the Jews and the Mahumetans were not ill confuted before but the Truth of the Christian Religion was far from being ever so well prov'd I am of Opinion nevertheless that there is still one thing behind which the most part of the Writers upon this Subject have either not touch'd at all or but very slightly I mean the secret Motives and general Reasons which the Incredulous have of not believing Christianity to be divinely reveal'd Their internal Disposition or Inclinations do so strongly incline them to reject all the Reasons offer'd them tho they are not aware themselves of the Motives by which they do this that all speaking to 'em is in vain before the Vnreasonableness of this Disposition be made evident Just as if any should plead a good Cause before prepossess'd Judges without endeavouring to cure them first of their Prejudices which must needs make them look upon that thing as false whereupon all the Reasons alledg'd are grounded 'T is certain that the Pleaders of such a Cause tho never so just would expose themselves to be cast or condemn'd This has been notwithstanding the Conduct of a great Part of the Champions of Christianity They have prov'd the Truth of it well enough but their Reasons appear weak to the Incredulous considering the Disposition wherein they are and whereof they know nothing themselves What is unreasonable therefore in this Disposition must be discover'd and laid so clearly before them that they may perceive how it imposes upon the Light of their Vnderstandings This is what the Author of the Christian Religion has taught us when he said that every one that doth Evil hateth the Light Joh. 3.20 neither cometh to the Light lest his Deeds should be reproved which signifies that Vnbelievers cannot look upon that as true which is contrary to the Maxims by which they have long govern'd themselves and to the Habits they have been contracting for many Years On the contrary he says that he that doth Truth cometh to the Light Ver. 21. that his Deeds may be made manifest that is to say that such as are dispos'd to live according to the Prescriptions of the Gospel are easily perswaded of the Truth of it In the same Sense he says elsewhere that if any will do his Will Joh. 7.17 he shall know of the Doctrine whether it be of God or whether of himself Beside the Disposition wherein those may be who disbelieve the Gospel and which deceives them without their perceiving of it there are likewise certain general Reasons drawn from without that help to lead them into Error These Reasons must by all means be exploded because they are to them so many Prejudices whereby they determine the Truth and Falsehood of all that is said to them Whilst they think 'em good all the Proofs imaginable can make no Impression upon them because they never fail of opposing to them these Reasons which concluding to be solid they cannot at the same time embrace Christianity There are a world of People for example who discovering several of those Doctrines that go under the Name of Christ to be false judg of the rest by these and reject the good with the bad They are told of a thousand lying Miracles to whom those of Jesus Christ and his Apostles are join'd but finding the modern Miracles to be Impostures they give no greater Credit to those upon which the Christian Religion is grounded As long as they are of the mind that these Miracles are not more certain one than another all the Consequences drawn from those of Christ appear to them as built upon a rotten Foundation and the Christian Religion therefore but as a tottering Fabrick It must be shewn the Incredulous then that those Reasons drawn from without which
upon this Disquisition cannot be counted lost or vainly spent seeing the Matter in Debate is the most important thing in the World and that the Discovery of Truth must at all times necessarily produce Joy Satisfaction and Tranquillity or augment them if enjoy'd already The Second Part. Of the Motives of Incredulity which proceed from the Occasions given Unbelievers to doubt of the Christian Religion or entirely to reject it CHAP. I. That the Truth of the Christian Religion ought not to be call'd in question because some embrace it more from Credulity than Reason Altho as I have already said there is no Unbeliever but is in some blameable Disposition which inclines him to reject the Christian Religion it must be confess'd however that there are many other things whereof they cannot be accus'd but which nevertheless confirm them in these Dispositions 'T is true that it is ill done of them to forsake the Truth upon any Account whatsoever but they are not much less to be blam'd who furnish 'em with the Occasions of doing so I have undertaken to shew the one and the other in this Second Part where granting to Unbelievers that many of them who profess Christianity are in the wrong in several things I shall demonstrate that it no way follows from thence that the Christian Religion is not true and that we ought not to attribute to the first Teachers of it those Faults which we remark at this Day in some of those who call themselves their Disciples The Occasions which the latter give Unbelievers to conceive an ill Opinion of Religion proceed either from the Persons or from the things themselves I shall forthwith examine those which the Persons give and afterwards such as proceed from Things One of the most general and common Scandals which occasions the Obstinacy of Unbelievers is that they see a world of People who are Christians not from Reason and Understanding but from their Education and out of mere Credulity If these had been born in Asia they would without changing their Disposition be Idolaters or Mahometans and as zealously embrace the idle Dreams of the Bramins or the Errors of Mahomet as they believe in Europe that the Christian Religion is true They receive Fables that are manifestly ridiculous with no less Respect than the most certain Histories and they believe not less the most pernicious Doctrines and the most contrary to the Good of Mankind than the holiest and most useful Precepts of the Gospel It is not the Nature of the Objects laid open by the Teachers of Religion to their Understanding which determines these to believe 'em true or to look upon them with Respect but it is the Authority of those who speak to them well or ill-grounded and a certain Credulity carefully cherish'd in their Minds because of the Advantages drawn by some from it as we shall shew in the Sequel Deceiv'd by a faint Resemblance they call their Credulity by the Name of Faith and maintain that those want it who believe not as they do all that is told 'em by their Preachers and consequently that they have not such a Disposition as the Gospel requires of Men seeing it promises Salvation only to those who have Faith If any Person reasons about Religion and says that it can neither be known nor prov'd without Reasoning presently these People who neither know the Proofs nor the Doctrines of it but very confusedly are sure to suspect him of Irreligion especially if he forsakes any of the common Sentiments the Falsity whereof he may have discover'd by his Application and study These People so much perswaded if you believe them of the Truth of Christianity cannot believe many times that a Man who knows how to reason well should embrace it in good earnest and they are alarm'd at the least Examination of it In the mean time the Unbelievers who hear these Discourses and behold this Conduct so visibly repugnant to common Sense laugh at this pretended Faith and draw from it this unhappy Consequence that the Doctrine to be receiv'd so credulously is either false or at least to be extremely suspected Thus the Heathens formerly hearing the Christians say that they needed only to believe in order to be sav'd and not understanding what this meant * Origen cont Cels l. 1 6. laugh'd in like manner at the Christian Religion as if none could receive it but credulous Persons and such as were not capable of reasoning And indeed if it had for a main Principle this Doctrine That People must embrace it without knowing why and that such as should thus believe it should be sav'd If they had maintain'd this I say the Preachers of this Religion might be justly suspected of Imposture and those who receiv'd it without being able to render any Reason be condemn'd as too credulous To speak in such Terms would confound Religion with all sorts of Impostures which are only establish'd upon the Credulity of the People It would likewise open a Door to all the Falshoods that could be told if Belief were all that was requisite for there could be no Reason to receive one thing without Examen no more than another Were this so how could the Christians boast of being certain of the Truth of their Religion and the Falsity of others since the Belief of all Religions would be built upon the same Credulity But 't is false that the Christian Religion requires Assent without Examination or that it is grounded upon a blind Faith It is also false that such as receive it upon those scores can pass for Christians whose Faith is praise-worthy To be certain of the first of these two things we need but consider the Conduct and Discourses of Jesus Christ Had he come into the World without any Character to distinguish him from Impostors who have frequently impos'd upon the Credulous was he to be believ'd merely upon his own Word or had he requir'd any such thing the Jews would have done well to reject him Nay and had he in very deed been sent of God if he did not offer cogent Proofs of it no body could be blam'd for not believing on him for then such as were the most perswaded of the Truth of the Jewish Religion and therefore the best dispos'd to embrace the Doctrine of those Prophets God would be pleas'd to send to them could not without hazard of deceiving themselves acknowledg any Man to be effectually a Prophet who could give them no evident Marks of his Mission Therefore Jesus Christ came arm'd with the Power of working Miracles and he wrought so great a Number if you credit the Evangelists that he infinitely surpass'd all the Prophets who were before him Now this is the Mark which Moses taught the Israelites should discover the true Prophets and Jesus Christ grounded himself upon it when he requir'd Assent to his Doctrine He never desir'd any to believe in him purely upon his Word as it may be seen by
heard as a Proposition which is not contradictory but is not the less false for that as the Experience of all Mankind teaches us Indeed those who use that Argument to make Miracles doubtful do it only to perplex simple Men who hear them They know very well that we are perfectly sure of some things and that they can't be made doubtful by saying only that 't is not contradictory that the contrary be true If they durst deny the miraculous Effects on which Religion is grounded they would roundly do it and not have recourse to Objections so little judicious but not daring to do it and being not able to make the contrary of what we believe look probable they confine themselves to some such Objections I shall not undertake now to confute all their particular Objections because the Principles I lay down destroy them 5. 'T is therefore certain that we may know some things are above the Power of Men and can't be the Effect of any other natural or corporeal Cause and that if we see some happen or learn from faithful Witnesses that there happen'd some we may say without being mistaken that they are miraculous things Such is for example the Action of walking upon the Water and curing all manner of Diseases without Remedies However to draw any Consequences from a miraculous Fact in the behalf of any body he ought to know before-hand that that Miracle will happen or at least it must happen just when 't is necessary for otherwise it would be insignificant If when no body thinks of it there happen'd a thing wherein neither Men nor other natural Causes had a hand and no body knew of what use it would be nothing could be concluded from it and he who should say that it happen'd in his behalf ought to be suspected of Fraud Some * See my Dissertation De Trajectu maris Idumaei Historians for instance tell us that Alexander going to meet Darius led part of his Troops to pass at the foot of Mount Climax where there was no Passage when the South Wind blew because the Sea cover'd that way and that as soon as he came thither the North blew so that they went through it Not to say the Change of Wind at that time might be natural I affirm that Alexander having not known it before and being able to go another way it can't be look'd upon as a Miracle which Providence wrought in his behalf nor can it be concluded from it that Heaven approv'd his Designs To give another Example fetch'd from the History of the same Prince * Vid. Q. Curt. lib. 10. c. 10. 't is said that his Corps remain'd seven Days at Babylon before it was embalm'd without smelling ill in the least nor had his Face a different Colour than what it had whilst he was alive tho it be extremely hot in that Climate wherein Babylon was situated Let us suppose not only the Truth of that Fact but also that natural Causes had no hand in it 't is manifest that nothing can be concluded from such a thing either for or against Alexander For indeed what could the invisible Power mean by preserving the Body of Alexander from Corruption during seven Days None but that Power can teach it and if any one had undertaken to make his advantage of it he had been justly laugh'd at That Character of a true Miracle altogether destroys the Objection I have confuted already for if miraculous Facts were extraordinary Effects of natural but unknown Causes 't is manifest they could not be foreseen No Man can foresee a thing which scarce ever happens and is the Effect of some Causes which are unknown to him unless that Man be warn'd of it by an Effect of the same Causes which is to suppose without reason a thing altogether incomprehensible 6. Wherefore if we can shew that there happen'd some things that neither Men nor other natural Causes could do which notwithstanding were foretold by those in whose behalf they were done it must be granted us that they are miraculous Facts which happen'd in the behalf of those who foretold them The Gospels are full of the like Miracles but I shall only pitch upon one to apply what has been said to it It is of of great moment that if it be granted that 't is true the rest can't be deni'd I mean the Resurrection of Jesus Christ wherein we see all the Characters of a true Miracle First 't is certain by the Experience of all Ages that no Man or any other natural Cause can restore a dead Man to Life Tho the humane Body is not perfectly known to us no more than the Virtue of an infinite number of things yet we may affirm without Rashness that no body raises himself nor by his own Virtue or that of any other thing One can't affirm the contrary without being look'd upon as a mad Man among all the Nations in the World Secondly Jesus Christ * Mat. 16.21 17.23 26.61 27.63 often foretold his Resurrection and said it should happen on the third Day He concluded from thence before-hand that Men would be oblig'd to believe that he was sent by God his Resurrection being the greatest Sign of it that could be ask'd †Mat. 12.39 40. An evil and adulterous Generation said he seeks after a Sign and there shall no Sign be given to it but the Sign of the Prophet Jonas for as Jonas was three Days and three Nights in the Whale's Belly so shall the Son of Man be three Days and three Nights in the Heart of the Earth If the Apostles were sincere Men and were not deceiv'd that Fact is undeniable and consequently it must be acknowledg'd that he who rais'd Jesus Christ bare him a Testimony which can't be doubted of I have shew'd in the foregoing Letter that the Apostles were sincere Men and could not be deceiv'd on that occasion Their Master was not hid in a Chamber when it was said that he was dead 't was upon a Cross and in a publick Place surrounded with Roman Souldiers He had been buri'd his Enemies seal'd his Sepulcher they set a Guard of Souldiers about it and he was above four and twenty Hours in it Therefore no body could doubt of his being truly dead and his Apostles did not question it Afterwards they saw him several times touch'd him spoke with him and ate with him so that they could not be mistaken in it Wherefore if the thing had not happen'd it were not possible to vindicate their Sincerity and if they were sincere Men which they certainly were as has been shew'd the Truth of the Fact cannot be doubted of 7. The more we examin their Testimony the more we shall be convinc'd of it and without insisting longer upon that I had rather observe against those who acknowledg a God and a Providence that what may be said of feign'd Miracles can't be objected against that Miracle and other Miracles of
Christ viz. that there is no great likelihood that God would disturb the Order of Nature for so inconsiderable Matters as those are for which he is said to disturb it every day The Unbelievers who liv'd in the Apostles time and had not attentively consider'd the Circumstances which attend the preaching of the Gospel might perhaps have said then that they apprehended not how Providence was so much concern'd in the Establishment of Christianity as to work an infinite number of Miracles in its behalf seeing it made so little a Progress in the World But those who live now can't raise the like Objections against us having seen the Duration and Progress of the Christian Religion If it has not produc'd yet among Men all the Effects it should have produc'd if they had known their true Interest it can't be said that such a thing will never happen hereafter Those who would have conjectur'd at the beginning of Christianity that it should always be a contemptible Sect because it was then despis'd would have been grosly mistaken as we see at present and the Knowledg we have of the Time past ought to make us reserv'd with respect to the future 8. Let us see now what is the efficient and immediate Cause of Miracles We have seen already that they are neither Men nor other Bodies which act according to the Order of Nature It must be therefore some invisible Power that is either some intelligent Beings more excellent than we tho they are created or else God himself Some believe as I said already that Miracles are the Effects of an infinite Power and there is no doubt but God himself wrought several Miracles but the Question is whether they are all above the Strength of all other Creatures so that they have no other efficient and immediate Cause but God himself To deny that intelligent Beings more perfect than we are can work Miracles we should exactly know what is the Extent of their Power and distinctly see that Miracles are above it 'T is true we know they are above the Laws of Nature which God establish'd from the beginning but we know not whether he gives not to Angels the Power of altering sometimes that Order Tho it be originally the Effect of an infinite Power it follows not that none but an infinite Power can make some Alteration in it if the Power which establish'd it will permit it We can't therefore say that Angels work no Miracles in effect it appears from sacred History that God often made use of them when Miracles were wrought But I will not insist upon it because it belongs not to my Subject 9. It will perhaps be ask'd supposing Angels work Miracles First how one may know whether 't is God or an Angel that wrought a certain Miracle And Secondly how one may know that a Miracle was done by a good or bad Angel A Miracle being not of a Nature which necessarily requires a Cause whereof the Power is infinite I confess we see no Character in it if it be consider'd in it self whereby we may know whether it was wrought by God or an Angel But the more we see a thing above our Power the more it seems difficult to us and the more we perswade our selves that 't is the Effect of an infinite Power For example to foretel a contingent Event or depending upon Mens Will and which is to happen many Ages after seems to us to be a thing above the Knowledg of created intelligent Beings tho it be never so great But the raising of a Storm tho the Air is not dispos'd for it seems not to be a very difficult thing tho it be above our Power and we easily believe that Angels either good or bad can do it However it matters little to know whether God immediately wrought a Miracle or a good Angel seeing 't is certain good Angels do nothing but what is agreeable to the Will of God or is an execution of his Orders Whether God himself acts or an Angel 't is the same thing with respect to us seeing we neither see the Cause that works nor the manner of its Operation As for the other Question concerning the manner of knowing whether a Miracle was wrought by a good or a bad Angel one may say something more positive Truth being always the same contradicts not it self 't is a manifest Principle to all those who are not Pyrrhonians Wherefore the Miracles of God and good Anglels ought always to tend to the confirming or establishing some Doctrines agreeable to Truths that are known either by Revelation or Reason seeing 't is certain that God and good Angels always love the Truth If we see therefore that a Miracle confirms or establishes something contrary to a certain Truth we may be sure that Miracle is an Effect of a Power contrary to that of God and good Angels Thus the Design of a Miracle discovers its Author If we can't apprehend what 's the end of a Miracle we can give no certain Judgment about it nor draw from it any Consequence for or against Truth A bad Angel being not able to work Miracles which favour Truth and Vertue all those which contribute to it ought to be look'd upon as coming from a good Principle On the contrary a good Angel being not able to act for Lies and Vices all the Miracles which should favour either of them ought to be look'd upon as Miracles of bad Angels This is an infallible Rule to know by what sort of Angels a Miracles was wrought supposing it were known that an Angel was the Author of it 10. If the Miracles of the Gospel are examin'd according to those Principles it cannot be deni'd that they were wrought either by God himself or good Angels because their only Aim is to establish or settle Truth and lead Men to Vertue Now this is altogether inconsistent with the Notion one may form of a Power which delights in doing ill and deceiving Men. This Christ shew'd to the Pharisees who accus'd him of casting out Devils by virtue of a Power he had receiv'd from the Prince of Demons * Mat. 12.25 26. Every Kingdom says he divided against it self is brought to Desolation and every City or House divided against it self shall not stand and if Satan cast out Satan he is divided against himself how shall then his Kingdom stand That 's a convincing Proof of the Divinity of the Miracles of Christ and his Apostles against the Jews who were so extravagant as to ascribe them to an ill Power that was an Enemy to Vertue But because I write not against them I shall not longer insist upon it The Unbelievers who live among Christians are not more perswaded of the Power of the Devil than of God and deny all sorts of Miracles alike But I have shew'd from the Sincerity of the Apostles and the thing it self that they have no reason to deny those of Christ 11. Lastly If it be consider'd that Miracles