Page images
PDF
EPUB

ancienteft Traditions of all other Nations. For tho', as I have just been observing, the Heathen Philofophers among the Greeks, who were comparatively later, and more modern, and who followed their own Reasonings in all fuch Matters, were mighty uncertain, and various in their Philofophical and Religious Notions; as all Men are when they have no better guidance than Human Suppofal and Conjecture; Yet was it quite otherwise with the more ancient Ages, and those Natural and Divine Doctrines which they received by Tradition from their firft Founders, and which most probably were originally deriv'd from the first Parents of Mankind, or at leaft from the earliest of their Progenitors after the Deluge. Thofe I mean whofe Traces and Fragments are still extant in the earliest Sacred Books of the Egyptians, Druids,Tyrians,and Brackmans, in the Remains of Trismegiftus, of Orpheus, and Zoroaftres, &c. and in the Sibylline Oracles; those. Parts I mean, of them which are well attested toby Heathen, Jewish, and Chriftian Antiquity, These most ancient Traditions, as has been largely and fully fhewn by Grotius, Bishop Stilling fleet and many others, do, for the main, admirably agree with the Jewish and Chriftian Revelations, not only as to the particular Histories and Facts contained in the Old Testament,of which already; but as to the principal Points on which those Religions are grounded; I mean, the Unity and Attributes of God; the Creation of the World by him; its Deluge already paft, and Conflagration ftill future; the Immortality of Human Souls; and the Judgment to come; with the Rewards and Punishments of the next World, This Agreement of the most Ancient Heathen U Traditions,

Traditions, and that in feveral Parts of the World, with the like Contents of the Sacred Writings of the Jews and Chriftians, cannot but be a mighty Atteftation to them, both as to thofe particular momentous Points themselves, and alfo, in a good Degree, to the rest of their Contents, fo far as they are any way connected with, or belong to them. Infomuch that He who is an Infidel, in those fundamental Articles efpecially, muft not only oppose himself to the Infpired Records of the Jews and Chriftians, but alfo to the beft and oldeft Remains we have in all others Nations, relating to the fame DoЄtrines.

(XIII.) I believe the Truth of the Jewish and Chriftian Records, notwithstanding the Difficul ties thereto relating, because I obferve that those Difficulties do not affect the Truth of the Facts, or Affertions, on which thofe Religions are grounded, but the Conduct of Providence only; the Reasons of which Conduct are no Parts of thofe Religions; and accordingly the Sacred Writers do never pretend fully to know, or to reveal them to Mankind. This I take to be an Obfervation of great Weight, and yet not fufficiently taken notice of by any; viz. That thofe Infpired Writers, who deliver us the moft important Meffages and Commands in the Name of God, with the utmoft Affurance; who relate the moft furprizing Miracles, and that as done, or feen by themfelves, and many others openly, with the greatest Boldness; who denounce Threatnings, or promife Bleffings, quite beyond their own Ability to make good, with the moft affured Confidence; who reprove Princes and People as to Crimes of the highest Na

ture,

ture, even while they were entirely under their Power, and in their Hands, with the utmost Freedom and Courage; and who in their whole Conduct ever show a perfect fatisfaction in the Truth of their Miffion, and Certainty of their Infpiration from God; do yet rarely or not at all meddle with the Reasons of Providence, the Juftification of the Divine Orders, or the Vindication of the Justice and Goodness of God in fuch his Difpenfations by them. Nay, the reft of the Prophets or Apostles, excepting our Bleffed Saviour himself, do generally feem equally puzzled and furprized at feveral of thofe Difpenfations; and are found as ready to expoftulate, tho' generally in a decent and most humble manner, with God, concerning fuch his ftrange and furprizing Procedure, as other Men, no way concern'd in any fuch Divine Difpenfations at all. Thus, for Example, we find in the ancienteft Book now extant in the whole Bible, and probably in the whole World, I mean the Book of Job, the fame Difficulties and Disputes about the Conduct of Providence, the Profperity of the Wicked, and Afflictions of the Righteous, that we every where else meet with in other Authors. And, what is most of all remarkable, we here find, that when God himfelf is introduc'd, as finally determining thofe Debates, it is done without Affignation of the particular xl. Reasons for their Procedure; any farther, than the noble Representation of the Power and Wifdom of the Almighty in general, and the Meannefs and Inability of his Creature Man, and the confequent Submiffion due from the one to the other, may be thought fufficient for that Purpofe. Thus we find the Pfalmift equally fur- Pf. lxxiii priz'd

U 2

xxxviii.

xxxix.

[ocr errors]

priz'd at the fame ftrange Conduct of Providence, and hardly able to extricate himself from the Difficulties therein; even with all the Advantages of the Mofaick Religion, and the more constant Happiness of the Good, and Afflictions of the Bad under it, than in any other Nations of the World. Thus alfo we find the Prophet Jer. xii.i. Jeremiah; one whom God frequently made use of in his Revelations to the Jewish Nation, and who endured the fevereft Imprisonment for his Faithfulness to his Duty as a Prophet; was equally fhock'd and furpriz'd at the fame feemingly unequal and partial Conduct of Providence; and complains to God of it; yet without any full or fatisfactory Answer: And the like Obfervations may be made as to Solomon, and Ecclef. others of the Infpired Writers. While yet, thefe paffim.See their Difficulties and Complaints, never in the 4 Efd.paíleaft made them doubt or difpute about the Certainty of their Miffion and Infpiration; about the Truth of the Promises and Threatnings they denounced from God; or about the Reality of the Miracles that were performed in his Name. Recog. Accordingly I obferve, that Simon Magus, with his old Followers among the Hereticks, who allowed the Truth of the Facts and Miracles of the Gofpel, did only make ufe of fuch Reasons as were taken from the feeming Injustice, and Unaccountablenefs of feveral Parts of Providence, in order to fubvert Christianity. Nor is the Cafe much different among our present Unbelievers; who being not able to find any good Grounds to overthrow the Truth and Certainty of the Prophetick and Miraculous Atteftations, which the Jews and Chriftians allege for the

[ocr errors]

pafi.m.

Divinity

Divinity of their Religion, do commonly proceed after the fame manner, and mufter up all the Arguments they are able from the like Inftances of Providence, or Paffages in Scripture which feem to them abfurd and unreafonable. Now what is the natural Refult of all this? But that, as the Scriptures every where allow and fuppofe, God's proper Time for unravelling the Mysteries of his Providence, the Day for the Revelation of his righteous Judgment, is not yet come; that he has yet, during all this Interval, afforded fufficient Demonstrations of the Certainty of the Jewish and Chriftian Revelation's Derivation from him notwithstanding; which is the proper State of this Matter, and ought to be the proper Measures of our own Faith and Practice accordingly. For as the Difficulties are there and only there, where Divine Revelation does not pretend they are yet cleared; fo is there no certain Difficulties, fo far as the fame Revelation pretends to Evidence and Demonftration, for what it recommends to us; which Cafe methinks highly deferves the Confideration of our Modern Scepticks and Unbelievers.

Rom.ii.5.

(XIV.) Natural Religion, which is yet fo certain in its felf, is not without fuch Difficulties, as to the Conduct of Providence, as are objected to Revelation; and therefore none that believe the former, ought to be deterr❜d by fuch Difficulties from believing the latter. This is alfo a fomewhat uncommon, but certainly not an improper Obfervation, as to the Credibility of Divine Revelation, to all thofe I mean who are not entirely Atheists, or against all Divine Providence. Thus we find in the Conduct of Natural

U 3

« PreviousContinue »