ing after, it may be, for Years. So likewife CHAP. the Imperfections attending the only Method, III. by which Nature enables and directs us to communicate our Thoughts to each other, are innumerable. Language is, in its very Nature, inadequate, ambiguous liable to infinite Abuse, even from Negligence; and fo liable to it from Defign, that every Man can deceive and betray by it. And, to mention but one Inftance more; that Brutes, without Reason, should act, in many Refpects, with a Sagacity and Forefight vaftly greater than what Men have in thofe Refpects, would be thought impoffible. Yet it is certain they do act with such superior Forefight: whether it be their own indeed, is another Question. From these things it is highly credible beforehand, that upon Suppofition God fhould afford Men some additional Instruction by Revelation, it would be with Circumftances, in Manners, Degrees and Refpects, which we fhould be apt to fancy we had great Objections against the Credibility of. Nor are the Objections against the Scripture, nor against Christianity in general, at all more or greater, than the Analogy of Nature would beforehand not perhaps give Ground to expect; for this Analogy may not be fufficient, in fome Cafes, to ground an Expectation upon; but no more nor greater, than Analogy would fhew it, beforehand, to be fuppofeable and. S2 credible,

PART credible, that there might seem to lie against II. Revelation.

8

By appying these general Obfervations to a particular Objection, it will be more diftinctly feen, how they are applicable to others of the like Kind: and indeed to almost all Objections against Christianity, as distinguished from Objections against its Evidence. It appears from Scripture, that, as it was not unufual in the Apoftolick Age, for Perfons, upon their Converfion to Chriftianity, to be endued with miraculous Gifts; fo, fome of thofe Perfons exercised thefe Gifts in a strangely irregular and diforderly Manner: And this is made an Objection against their being really miraculous. Now the foregoing Observations quite remove this Objection, how confiderable foever it may appear at first fight. For, confider a Perfon endued with any of these Gifts; for Inftance, That of Tongues: It is to be fuppofed, that he had the fame Power over this miraculous Gift, as he would have had over it, had it been the Effect of Habit, of Study and Ufe, as it ordinarily is; or the fame Power over it, as he had over any other natural Endowment. Confequently, he would ufe it in the fame Manner he did any other; either regularly and upon proper Occafions only, or irregularly and upon improper ones: according to his Senfe of Decency, and his

Charac

Character of Prudence. Where then is the CHAP. Objection? Why, if this miraculous Power III. was indeed given to the World, to propagate u Christianity and atteft the Truth of it, we might, it feems, have expected, that other fort of Perfons fhould have been chofen to be invested with it; or that these should, at the fame Time have been endued with Prudence; or that they fhould have been, continually, reftrained and directed in the Exercife of it: i. e. that God fhould have miraculously interpofed, if at at all, in a different Manner or higher Degree. But from the Obfervations made above, it is undeniably evident, that we are not Judges, in what Degrees and Manners, it were to have been expected, he should miraculously interpofe; upon Suppofition of his doing it in fome Degree and Manner. Nor, in the natural Course of Providence, are fuperior Gifts of Memory, Eloquence, Knowledge, and other Talents of great Influence, conferred only on Perfons of Prudence and Decency, or such as are difpofed to make the propereft Ufe of them. Nor is the Inftruction and Admonition naturally afforded us for the Conduct of Life, particularly in our Education, commonly given in a Manner the most fuited to recommend it; but often with Circumstances apt to prejudice us against fuch Inftruction.

PART One might go on to add, that there is a II. great Refemblance between the Light of Nature and of Revelation, in feveral other Refpects. Practical Chriftianity, or That Faith and Behaviour which renders a Man a Christian, is a plain and obvious thing: like the common Rules of Conduct, with Respect to our ordinary temporal Affairs. The more diftinct and particular Knowledge of those things, the Study of which the Apostle calls going on unto Perfection, and of the prophetic Parts of Revelation, like many Parts of natural and even civil Knowledge, may require very exact Thought, and careful Confideration. The Hindrances too, of natural, and of fupernatural Light and Knowledge, have been of the fame Kind. And as, it is owned, the whole Scheme of Scripture is not yet understood; fo, if it ever comes to be understood, before the Reftitution of all things, and without miraculous Interpofitions; it must be in the fame Way as natural Knowledge is come at: by the Continuance and Progrefs of Learning and of Liberty; and by particular Perfons attending to, comparing and pursuing, Intimations fcattered up and down it, which are overlooked and difregarded by the Generality of the World. For this is the Way, in which all Improvements are

f Heb. vi. 1.

& Acts iii, 21,

made

made; by thoughtful Mens tracing on ob- CHAP. fcure Hints, as it were, dropped us by Na- III. ture accidentally, or which feem to come into our Minds by Chance. Nor is it at all incredible, that a Book, which has been fo long in the Poffeffion of Mankind, should contain many Truths as yet undiscovered. For, all the fame Phenomena, and the fame Faculties of Investigation, from which such great Discoveries in natural Knowledge have been made in the prefent and laft Age, were equally in the Poffeffion of Mankind, several thousand Years before. And poffibly it might be intended, that Events, as they come to pafs, fhould open and afcertain the Meaning of feveral Parts of Scripture.

It may be objected, that this Analogy fails in a material Refpect: for that natural Knowledge is of little or no Confequence. But I have been speaking of the general Inftruction, which Nature does or does not afford us. And befides, fome Parts of natural Knowledge, in the more common restrained Senfe of the Words, are of the greatest Confequence to the Ease and Convenience of Life. But fuppose the Analogy did, as it does not, fail in this Refpect; yet it might be abundantly supplied, from the whole Constitution and Course of Nature: which fhews, that God does not difpenfe his Gifts, according to our Notions