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ver heard any thing of this nature before; and therefore that thefe hiftories were all falfe and fpurious, and confequently not worthy of the leaft notice?Is it poffible, that the world fhould agree to venture both time and eternity upon fuch a known falfehood? Could all the world at once be, gulled by fuch glaring and open forgery and deceit ?-In a word, these books were many of them directed to large focieties of men, in different parts of the world; were early tranflated in. to divers languages, in which they are still extant; have been publicly kept and publicly read in the churches; have been appealed to by all parties and fects, and never called in queftion as a forgery, either by the friends or enemies of the Chriftian caufe. All these things put together, we have as much certainty, that these hiftories are not, cannot be forgery or impofture, as we can have of any thing whatfoever not immediately open to our fenfes.

Now, Sir, let us fum up this evidence, and fee what the conclufion muft be.

All mankind must own, that if the hiftory of thefe facts be true; if the Lord Jefus Chrift did perform fo many aftonishing miracles for fo long a time together, in juftification of his divine miffion; if he did himself rife from the dead, commiffion his Apoftles to their work, endow them with the mi raculous gifts of the Holy Ghost, and empower them, by the impofition of their hands, to commuRicate the fame miraculous gifts to others; here was certainly the greatest interpofition of Heaven, in favour of the Chriftian inftitution, that can poffibly be imagined or conceived.--The power and veracity of God himfelf were at flake in this caufe; for they were both appealed to in confirmation of the truth, and both in the most amazing manner F

difplayed

difplayed in anfwer to that appeal.-All doubting, in this cafe, is therefore a calling in queftion the truth and faithfulnefs of God himfelf, as wel as his power.

If this hiftory be not true, then all the known. laws of nature were changed: All the motives and incentives to human actions, that ever had obtained in the world, have been entirely inverted: The wickedeft men in the world have taken the greatest pains, and endured the greatest hardship and mrfery, to invent, practise, and propagate the most holy religion that ever was: And not only the Apoftles and first preachers of the gospel, but whole nations of men, and all forts of men, ChriStian, Jew, and Pagan, were (no body can imagine how or why) confederated to propagate a known cheat against their own honour, intereft, and safety; and multitudes of men, without any prospect of advantage here or hereafter, were brought, most conftantly and tenaciously, to profess what they knew to be false, to exchange all the comforts and pleasures of life, for fhame and contempt, for banithments, fcourgings, imprisonments, and death; in a word, voluntarily to expofe themselves to be hated both of God and man, and that without any known motive whatfoever.-This must be allowed, or else you must allow, that no man ever was, or ever can be certain of any thing, as is more particularly confidered above.

There now remains one of these three things, a neceffary conclufion from what has been faid; either, (1.) That thefe confequences may be justified; or, (2.) That they are not regularly deduced from the premises; or, (3.) That the Chriftian religion is true, and of divine authority.I am perfuaded you will not affume either of the two for

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mer of these conclufions; the latter therefore forces itself upon you.

That the Lord may direct you in the way of truth, and path of life, is the prayer of,

SIR,

Your, &c.

LETTER V. Wherein fome of the in-. ternal Evidences of Chriftianity are confidered.

SIR,

A

CCORDING to the direction given in your last, I fhall use the greatest freedom in my anfwer; and, laying aside all referves, fhall presume on your candour.

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You cannot fee (you tell me) how these argu"ments of mine, for the truth of Chriftianity, "cannot admit of a rational and confiftent answer." How then can you be but "almoft perfuaded to be

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a Chriftian?" How can you want "fome general and eafy directions how to get rid of those "doubts which still hang upon your mind, from "the various difficulties which are continually "cafting themselves in your way?" Do you deal thus with yourself in other cafes of infinitely lefs importance? Do you harafs your mind with doubts about other things which are clearly evident to you, only because you meet with fome difficulties which you cannot readily folve?—This were the way to downright fcepticism in every thing which falls under your confideration, whether natural or moral: And at this rate you may call into question your own being, and all your rational powers, as well as every thing you fee, hear, or feel. For, I

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dare

dare fay, there are difficulties enough in any or all of thefe, to puzzle the most fagacious philofopher that ever breathed, and to nonplus the inquiries of all the men in the world.

The question before you is, Whether the facts, upon which the evidence of Chriftianity depends, are clearly proved, and neceffarily true? If fo, there certainly must be some way to folve all thofe difficulties, whether you have found out the me. thod to do it or not.-You fhould likewife confider, that it is of no importance to the fafety of your foul, whether you are or are not capable to obviate all the objections which fall in your way; but it is of eternal importance, that you build on a fure foundation, and that you believe in the only begotten Son of God.-This then should be your me. thod in the cafe before you, Firft, fee to your foundation, examine thoroughly, seriously, and imparti ally, whether the evidence for the truth of Christianity be fuch, that you have reafon to believe it, and that it would be unreasonable not to believe it true; and then, whatever difficulties may occur, do not dig up your foundation, and undermine your faith and hope: Do not give your adverfary the advantage to keep you in a continued fufpenfe, left you live and die an unbeliever, and fo have your objections removed when it is too late, when your conviction will but prove your confusion. -I do not fpeak this to deter you from examining the most fubtile objections which the greatest enemies of Chriftianity are able to throw in your way. The cause will bear the ftricteft fcrutiny, the feverest trial. And you can hardly imagine any difficulty, but what has been clearly and judiciously resolved by one or other of the late defenders of this glorious cause.But are you convinced, that the arguments to prove the truth of Christianity admit of no rational answer?

Take

Take then the Apostle's advice, in all the further inquiries you fhall make, to hold faft the beginning of your confidence ftedfaft unto the end.

This then is part of that general advice I would give you, that you may get rid of those doubts which ftill hang upon your mind.-Follow it, and it will at least leffen your difficulties, and may make your way plain before you.-But this is not the principal direction neceffary to be taken in this cafe. It is of fpecial confequence to fee to it, that you experience the power of Christianity in your own heart. Reject this advice, and it is impoffible that you fhould be rooted and built up in Chrift, and efta. blished in the faith; but comply with it, and it is impoffible that hell and earth can finally fubvert your faith, and feparate between Chrift and your foul. By this means, this great affair will be no longer with you a matter of mere fpeculation, or empty opinion, but convincing experience; and nothing but your imperfections and temptations can ever make you hefitate about the truth of those things, which you fenfibly and continually feel the influence of upon all the powers and faculties of your mind. By this you will have the witness in yourself, a tranfcript of the gospel upon your heart; fuch a tranfcript as will anfwer to the original, like as the impress upon the wax to the fignet; or as a well drawn picture to the lineaments of the face from whence it was taken.-By this, have multitudes of fouls been eftablifhed in the faith, who have never been able critically to examine the external evidence upon which Chriftianity is founded. -They have not been able to difpute for Chrift; but they have dared to die for him.-They have found the image of God imprinted on their fouls, by the gospel of God our Saviour; and therefore could not doubt the power of that cause, which had produced

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