mere Relation of Order, be the diftinctive SERM. II. Idea of God; which yet is so far from implying any Inferiority, that it proves the very Reverse, For unless only Son and only begotten fhould fignify the only created the Confequence of which would be, that our Saviour is the only Creature in the Univerfe) it must follow, that he is uncreated and of the fame Nature with his Father. Well, fuppofing him now turned Deift; the Transition from thence to Atheifm or Scepticism would be almost unavoidable, because Eternity, Omniprefence, and Foreknowledge are encumbered with as great Difficulties as the Doctrine of the Trinity. Some Writers, who fet out with oppofing the Divinity of the Son, have at laft, by a natural Gradation of Error, ended in combating the Prescience of God; and made at leaft very near Approaches to Atheism. For next to believing there is no fuch Thing as an infinitely perfect Being; the greatest Abfurdity is to believe, there is an infinitely perfect and wife Being, who does not know, what Tomorrow, nay what the next Hour may bring forth. And indeed I do not know whether the Denial of any one fundamental Truth might not, if pursued to its utmoft Confequences, lead or rather miflead one, by a juft Train of Deduc

SERM. II. tions, to the Rejection of every other, that is fo.

One would undoubtedly wish for fome fixed Anchor, fome Haven and fecure Situation, when one fees and hears of fo many who have either made Shipwreck of their Faith, or are driving at the Mercy of the Wind: which can be only this: that Moral Certainty is a fufficient Ground of a full Affurance, where there appears no abfolute Impoffibility to overbalance it, as there does not in the Cafe of Christianity. The Confequence of which is,

IIIdly, That a thinking Man may enjoy himself, with perfect Eafe and Tranquillity, in the Profeffion and Belief of Chriftianity, which he could not do, if he thought upon the Stretch, in a State of Infidelity.

For he will find every comfortable Doctrine, which a good Man could wish to be true, actually proved to be fo by those Arguments which demand the Affent of every wife and unprejudiced Perfon. He will perceive, that there are feveral Points, which are neceffary to be determined in order to come at any tolerable Satisfaction and Repofe of Mind, but yet are undeterminable by any internal Evidences from the Nature of the Thing and he will per

ceive, that where Reason from inward Evi- SERM. II. dences fails us moft, there the Scripture has been most exprefs, particular and full, as if it had been written on Purpose to fupply the Deficiencies of Reafon, as well as authoritatively to enforce the Discoveries of it. He thinks that as God defigned Mankind in general fhould be governed by Religion, that Religion has the fairest Pretenfions to Truth, which is fuited to Mankind in general. Now a Syftem of moral and religious Truths delivered in eafy, fhort and compendious Precepts, and proved to have the Stamp of divine Authority upon it by a Certainty of Fact, is much better fuited to Mankind in general, than what depends upon ideal and abstract Reasonings. For the Bulk of Mankind can much more easily apprehend the Credibility of Teftimony and of public notorious Facts, than they can the Force of metaphysical Arguments drawn out to any Length; or judge whether Confequences, after feveral Removes from their firft Principles, have all the Virtue and Strength of those first Principles conveyed to them. Take away Faith and Authority, and you take away the very Bafis, upon which Religion, Morality, and common Honefty muft ftand among the Generality of our Species; who, though they may, by a due Ufe of common Senfe, perceive a grofs and palpable Abfur

E

SERM. II. Abfurdity, and therefore may guard against the Impofitions of Popery, yet cannot pofitively afcertain by the Ufe of their unaffifted Faculties, the moft neceffary Truths. It is therefore an additional Comfort to a ferious Chriftian to confider that he is acting in Concert with that Being, who wills the Happiness of all Mankind, by countenancing, encouraging, and adorning that Religion, which is beft adapted to the Exigencies of Mankind in general.

On the other Hand, can an inquifitive, thinking Man be perfectly ferene and undifturbed, who has revolted from Chriftianity, and forfaken the Guide of his Youth? He must be very fanguine to think he can demonstrate Christianity to be certainly false. The utmoft Lengths, I conceive, a cool Unbeliever, who has ftudied the Point, can go, is to attempt to prove, that it may not be certainly true: and if this be all, how great muft his Inquietude be? And this is perhaps the only affignable Reason, why Infidels are more induftrious, compaffing Sea and Land, to make Profelytes, than the Generality of Chriftians seem to be, who enjoy their Opinions and themselves, without being inftant in Season and out of Seafon to propagate them.

The

Truth is, a found and rational Believer, like a good Man, is fatisfied in and from bimfelf. The Perception of Truth, it mat

ters

ters not whether from internal or external SERM. II. Evidences, gives him a genuine Complacency, and an inward Feeling that all is right within, as to the main Points of Belief. Whereas thoughtful Men who are in any pernicious Error, muft look out for that Satisfaction, which they cannot feel at Home in their own Breafts, elsewhere from the Number, Countenance and Approbation of their Followers; looking upon every new Convert, whom they gain, as a confirming Circumftance in Favour of their Opinions. A poor and flender Confirmation! For thofe very Men who are infenfibly drawn into the very Depth of Wrongthinking, would have been shocked if they had opened their whole Scheme at first. They do not attempt to pour in all their Tenets at once, left they should fall to the Ground and be loft. They infuse them into the Mind as by a narrow Opening or Inlet, by Degrees, Drop after Drop, till they have made them to receive the moft noisom Dregs of Error. They in the Beginning fet forth their most plaufible and colourable Opinions, and when Men have well drank in them, then those which are worfe. Thus Men are led from one Falfhood to another, till they fall into Fatalifm, the laft Sink of poifonous Notions; into which all grofs Errors, after they have gone their utmost Lengths and run their Course, at laft empty themselves.