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be found in one of your Adverfaries Books, is, as it ftands there, partly a Quotation from you, and partly an Inference of that Adverfary, and by Confequence a falfe Quotation in Dr. LOBB, even from that Author; and, in fine, a Quotation, fo far as it confifts of your Words, mifrepresented by that Author, who comments fally upon it; I fay, fince he was capable of This, the Reader may easily imagine, what his Work, wherein he more generally and covertly expreffes himself, muft be, and how thick fet it must be with Mistakes and falfe Colours. And to his Reader I leave him. I will only add a few Obfervations on fome Particulars of this Work, which may be of Use to those, who write after him on the fame Argument.

1. That fince Men pretend to write against the Deifts, and to prove the Truth of Chriftianity to them; and fince they pretend, that (d) there are many folid Arguments, which demonftrate the Truth of it; it is my humble Opinion, that they should not call upon the Deifts (e) to shew that God never bore Witness to the Truth of the Gospel, and that the Evidences, infifted on to prove the Affirmative, never exifted. This puts the Deists upon an unreasonable Hardship; who may justly require Proofs from thofe, who would impofe a reveal'd Religion on them; and who may justly think it fufficient, either merely

(d) Pr. p. v. (e) Ib. fee alfa p. xv, xvi.

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to deny, till Proofs are produced, or to invalidate the Proofs produced. It seems strange to require them to prove the Falfhood of a Revelation, (That is, indeed, of every supposed Revelation) which may be offer'd to them! That is, to prove every Body in the wrong they think mistaken!

It is alfo my Opinion, that in arguing with Deifts, and in proving the Truth of Chriftianity to them, Men should not argue from the (f) Facts or Miracles, as related in the New Teftament, till they have proved the divine Authority of the Books of the New Teftament. Which yet Dr. LOBB does, without offering any other Proof of their Authority, but what is contain'd in these four general Propofitions;

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I.

1. (g)" That the Writers of thofe hif"torical Accounts, contain'd in the holy Scriptures, knew them be true. 2. That they were Men of known Integrity; and manifeftly neither had, nor could have any worldly Interest to induce them to give a "falfe Account of Things; nay, that the

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writing and publishing the Accounts we "have in their Books was plainly against "their worldly Interest, and exposed them to

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many Hazards, and grievous Sufferings. 3. That, tho' they publifh'd their Accounts, "when they might eafily have been difσε proved, if falfe, yet they were never difproved by any Enemies. 4. That the ex

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traordinary Witness and Testimony of God not only attended them, but those that believed their History, and their Doctrine "those that obey'd the Gofpel, they preach'd, "and embraced the Religion they taught."

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I alfo conceive it to be no good Manner of arguing with the Deifts, to prove, that (b) the Chriftian Religion was confirm'd by the Diftributions or Gifts of the Holy Ghost, and by other Miracles, from fome of the first Fathers of the Church (whom Dr. LOBB quotes from WHITBY) down to the third Century, afferting that the Gifts of the Spirit and the Power to do Miracles exifted in their Times. The primitive Fathers were fuch Miracle-mongers, and were either so impofed fo on by the falfe Relations of others or fuch Forgers of them; as that, instead of verifying the Truth of the Miracles they report, they ferve only to depreciate the Force of Teftimony in the Cafe of Miracles. (i) Tanta fuit primis faculis, fays the learned and pious Bifhop FELL, as cited by you, fingendi licentia, tam prona in credendo facilitas, ut rerum. geftarum fides graviter exinde laboraverit; nec orbis tantum terrarum, fed & Dei ecclefia de temporibus fuis mythicis merito queratur. And Mr. DoDWEL, who was a remarkable Admirer of the Fathers, as well as most knowing in their Writings, gives This as a Reason for not defending his Differtation

(b) P. 26. 38, (i) Dif. of the Grounds, p. 27.

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concerning the Paucity of the Martyrs, viz. (k) the great Veneration he had for the Goodnefs and Piety of feveral of the Fathers, who, he fays, were too eafy of Belief of Matter Fact, not fufficiently attefted. Befides, I do not fee, why Dr. LOBB fhould confine Miracles to the Beginning of the third Century. For if there is any Truth in ecclefiaftical Hiftory, Miracles appear to have been more frequent and numerous afterwards, and especially as Popery prevail'd; under which not only numerous Miracles, in all Places, are faid to have been done, but are also attested in most ample Manner, and most particular Enquiries have been made into the Truth of the Miracles wrought by them, have been canonized for Saints; as appears by the Acts of their Canonization.

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II. Secondly, I conceive that the Writers against the Deifts do not argue from a good Topick, when they fay, ()" it is an eafy Matter, for Men of Parts and Learning, to puzzle common People in the plaineft Cafes, and to start Difficulties, and raise "Objections against the most evident Truths;

and fo artificially to put Propofitions together, as to make falfe Conclufions seem ἐσ naturally to follow from them;" and when they infer from the Evidence they bring in Behalf of Christianity, that Men may be fure of its Truth, though there should be ten thoufand Difficulties objected to it, which they are

(k) lb. p. 95.

(4) Defence, p. 96, 97.

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not able to answer. Will not fuch Topicks ferve any Caufe and may they not be turn'd, with Advantage, upon the Advocates of Chriftianity; which has all the Education, all the Intereft and Power in these Parts of the World, on its Side; and confequently, therefore, almost all the Men of Parts and Learning on its Side, who know how to puzzle the common People in the plainest Cafes, and to ftart Difficulties against the most evident Truths, and fo artificially put Propofitions together, as to make falfe Conclufions feem naturally to follow from them, and who, among other Topicks of Perfuafion, pretend, that a Man ought to affent to Propofitions upon the Proofs they give of their Truth, though there should be ten thoufand Difficulties objected, which he is not able to answer?

III. Laftly, I conceive, that in writing against the Deifts, they fhould not be treated as (m) Men of Guilt, and as in a dangerous State, on Account of their fuppofed Errors, (which ought to be deem'd involuntary) and for publishing them to the World. To treat Men after this Manner for Opinions, which they are led into by their Enquiries into the Truth of Things, is stopping all Enquiry into Truth, and subjecting them to a mere Lobbian Authority, and, in a Word, putting them into a moft irrational and abfurd State. For if Men can be guilty of Sin, and in a dangerous. State for any Opinions they take up with, in

(m) P. 104. 106.

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