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foundations. It is establish'd on its true foundations; because JESUS and his apoftles grounded christianity on those proofs: and it is ftrongly and invincibly established on thofe foundations; becaufe a proof drawn from an infpir'd book, is perfectly conclufive; and prophecies deliver'd in an inspired book, are, when fulfilled, fuch, as may be justly deem'd (n) fure and demonftrative proofs; and which (0) PETER prefers as an argument to the miraculous attestation, whereof he himself and two other apostles were witneffes, given by God himself to the miffion of JESUS CHRIST. His argument feems as follows. "Laying this foundati66 on, that prophefy proceeds from the Holy Ghost, it is a stronger argument, "than a miracle, which depends upon ex"ternal evidence and teftimony.

Befides, according to our (p) Saviour, MOSES and the prophets are, not only without further miracles, but tho' miracles should be wrought in oppofition to them, a fufficient foundation of faith.

In building thus on prophefy as a principle; Jesus and his apoftles had the concurrence of all fects of religion among the pagans;

(n) Origen contr. Celf. p. 34.

(0) 2 Pet. 1. 19. See Whitby in locum. Whifton's Lect. p. 4.

(p) Luke 16. 31. Mat. 24. 23, 24. Mark 13, 21, 22.

gaus; who (q) univerfally built their religions on divination; and alfo made a great part of their religion to lie in the practife of that art. They learnt that art in schools, or under difcipline, as the Jews did (r) prophefying in the fchools and colleges of the prophets; where the learned DoDWELL fays, the candidates for prophely were taught the rules of divination practis'd by the pagans, who were skill'd therein, and in poffeffion of the art long before them. Befides, this miraculous gift of prophefy, among the Jews, was not occafional, but a common matter of fact, and a standing proof of the divine autority of judaifm. For, fuitably to the words of MOSES, (s) a prophet will the Lord God raife up unto thee like unto me; to him shall ye hearken; (which imply an (t) establishment of an order and fucceffion of prophets in analogy to the heathen diviners) there were great (2) numbers of prophets among them; who not only in the most important affairs of government, but in the discovery of (w) loft goods,

(q) Cicero de Divinatione.

(r) Bull's Sermons, p. 419. Wheatley's Schools of the Propbets. Dodwel's Letter of Advices, &c. p. 214, &c. (3) Deut. 18. 15, 18.

(t) Dodwel, Ib. Stillingfleet's Orig. Sacræ, 1. 2.

c. 4. n. I.

(u) Ib. n. 2. Burnet, Archæol. p. 43, 44.

(w) 1 Sam. 9. 6, 20. 1 Kings 14. 2, 3. 2 Kings & 8,10. I Sam. 9. 7, 8.

goods, and in telling fortunes, fhew'd their divine infpiration; and who were paid for it by those who confulted them, either in victuals or money, or prefents. Whereby the meaneft perfon in Fudea had the opportunity of having this miracle wrought for him, whenever he had occafion; which therefore we may eafily judge must have been a common indifputed matter of fact; for the frequent wants of the people must have made them often attend the prophets, as the livelihood the prophets got by it must have caused them to have made conftant use of their divine faculty.

It may alfo be juftly fuppofed, that the divine power of interpreting dreams, (which was a prophetick science pretended to in all nations) prevalent among the Jews, gave daily occafion to numbers of people to have their dreams interpreted, which were ufually thought to fignify fome good or evil that was to befal them, and were commonly interpreted in relation to things to come.

Laftly, Prophefies fulfilled, feem the most proper of all arguments, to evince the truth of a revelation, which is defigned to be univerfally promulgated to men. For a man, for example, who has the Old Teftament put into his hands, which contains prophefies, and the New Teftament, which contains their completions, and is once fatisfy'd, as he may be with the greatest ease, that the

Old

Old Teftament exifted before the New, may have a compleat, internal, divine demonftration of the truth of christianity, without long and laborious inquiries. Whereas, arguments of another nature, fuch, for inftance, as relate to the autority and genuinness of books, and the perfons and characters of authors and witneffes, require more appli cation and understanding than falls to the fhare of the bulk of mankind; or elfe are very precarious in themselves, as we may judge by the representation of the state of primitive antiquity given us by our most learned Divines. The pious and learned Bishop Fell fays, (x) Tanta fuit primis faculis 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. Bishop STILLINGFLEET fays, (y) that antiquity is most defective, where it is most useful, namely in the time immediately after the apostles. And Dr. HICKES fays, (2) that there were in the apostles times as many, and as great berefics, and fchifms, as perhaps have been fince in any age of the church. So

ani.

that

(x) Fell, in præmiffa Monit. Confeff. fuppof. Cypri

(y) Stilling fleet's Irenicum, p. 296.

(2) Hickes's Apol. Vind. of the Church of England, P. 124.

that fetting afide the before mention'd internal proofs from prophefy, (which are apoftolical proofs, and fufficient of themselves) christianity should feem, by this reprefentation of its primitive ftate, to be destitute of other or external arguments; and nothing fhould feem more false and more remote from the original state of things, than the affertion of the reverend Mr. REEVES, (a) that if christianity be a cheat, 'tis a cheat, [fo prov'd or contriv'd] that we are bound to embrace and follow.

VII.

That if thofe proofs are invalid, then is christianity falfe.

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N the other fide, if the proofs for christianity from the Old Teftament be not valid; if the arguments founded on those books be not conclufive; and the prophefies cited from thence be not fulfill'd; then has christianity no just foundation: for the foundation on which Jesus and his apostles built it is then invalid and falfe. Nor can miracles, faid to be wrought by JESUS and his apostles, in behalf of Chriftianity, avail any thing in the cafe: for miracles can

never

(4) Reeves's Apol. Vol. 2. p. 137.

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