6. Confider farther, whether the report were capable of being eafily refuted at firft if it had not been true; if fo, this confirms the teftimony.

7. Inquire yet again, whether there has been a conftant, uniform tradition and belief of this matter from the very first age or time when the thing was tranfacted, without any reasonable doubts or contradictions. Or,

8. If any part of it hath been doubted by any confiderable perfons, whether it has been fearched out and afterwards confirmed, by having all the fcruples and doubts removed. In either of these cafes the testimony becomes more firm and credible.

9. Inquire on the other hand, whether there are any confiderable objections remaining against the belief of that propofition fo attefted. Whether there be any thing very improbable in the thing itself. Whether

any concurrent circumstances seem to oppofe it. Whether any perfon or perfons give a pofitive and plain tef timony against it. Whether they are equally fkilful, and equally faithful as those who affert it. Whether there be as many or more in number; and whether they might have any fecret biafs or influence on them to contradict it.

10. Sometimes the entire filence of a thing may have fomething of weight towards the decifion of a doubtful point of history, or a matter of human faith, viz. where the fact is pretended to be public, if the perfons who are filent about it were skilful to observe, and could not but know fuch an occurrence; if they were engaged by principle or by intereft to have declared it if they had fair opportunity to fpeak of it: and these things may tend to make the matter fufpicious, if it be not very well attefted by pofitive proof.

11. Remember that in fome reports there are more marks of falfehood than of truth, and in others there are more marks of truth than falfehood. By a comparifon of all these things together and putting every argument on one fide and the other into the balance, we mult form as good a judgment as we can which side preponderates; and give a ftrong or feeble affent or diffent, or withhold our judgments entirely, according

to greater or leffer evidence, according to more plain or dubious marks of truth or falsehood.

12. Obferve, that in matters of human teftimony there is oftentimes a great mixture of truth and falfehood in the report itself: fome parts of the story may be perfectly true, and fome utterly falfe; and fome may have fuch a blended confufion of circumstances which are a little wrapt afide from the truth, and misrepre fented, that there is need of good fkill and accuracy to form a judgment concerning them, and determine which part is true, and which is falfe. The whole report is not to be believed, because fome parts are indubitable true, nor the whole to be rejected, because fome parts are as evident falfehoods.

We may draw two remarkable obfervations from this fection.

Obferve. I. How certain is the truth of the Chriftian religion, and particularly of the refurrection of Chrift, which is a matter of fact on which chriftianity is built; We have almost all the concurrent evidences that can be derived from human teftimony, joining to confirm this glorious truth. The fact is not impoflible; concurrent circumstances caft a favourable afpect on it; it was foretold by one who wrought miracles, and there-fore not unlikely, nor unexpected: the apostles and first difciples were eye and ear-witneffes, for they converfed with their rifen Lord; they were the most plain, honest men in themselves: the temptations of worldly interefts did rather difcourage their belief and report of it :they all agreed in this matter, though they were men of different characters; Pharifees and fishermen, and pub- licans, men of Judea and Galilee, and perhaps Hea-thens, who were early converted: the thing might easily have been difproved, if it were falfe: it hath been con veyed by conftant tradition and writing down to cur times; those who at firft doubted were afterwards convinced by certain proofs; nor have any pretended to give any proof of the contrary, but merely denied the fact with impudence in oppofition to all thefe evidences. Ubferv. II. How weak is the faith which is due to a multitude of things in ancient human history! For though many of thefe criteria, or marks of credibility,,

are found plainly in the more general and public facts, yet as to a multitude of particular facts and circumitances, how deficient are they in fuch evidence as hould demand our affent! Perhaps there is nothing that ever was done in all paft ages, and which was not a public fact, fo well attefted as the refurrection of Chrift.

SECT. VI.

Principles and Rules of Judgment in Matters of divine Teftimony.

A

S human teftimony acquaints us with matter of fact, both past and present, which lie beyond the reach of our own perfonal notice; fo divine teftimony is fuited to inform us both of the nature of things, as well as matters of fact, and of things future, as well as prefent or paft.

Whatfoever is dictated to us by God himself, or by men who are divinely inspired, must be believed with full affurance. Reafon demands us to believe whatsoever divine revelation dictates: for God is perfectly wife, and cannot be deceived; he is faithful and good, and will not deceive his creatures: and when reason has found out the certain marks or credentials of divine teftimony to belong to any propofition, there remains then no farther inquiry to be made, but only to find out the true fenfe and meaning of that which God has revealed, for reafon itfelf demands the belief of it.

Now divine teftimony or revelation requires thefe following credentials.

1. That the propofitions or doctrines revealed be not inconfiftent with reafon; for intelligent creatures never be bound to believe real inconfiftencies. Therefore we are fure the Popish doctrine of tranfubftantiation is not a matter of divine revelation, because

can

it is contrary to all our senses and our reason, even in their proper exercises.

God can dictate nothing but what is worthy of himfelf, and agreeable to his own nature and divine perfections. Now many of these perfections are difcovered. by the light of reafon, and whatsoever is inconfiftent with thefe perfections cannot be a divine revelation.

But let it be noted, that in matters of practice towards our fellow-creatures, God may command us to act in a manner contrary to what reafon would direct antecedent to that command. So Abraham was com-manded to offer up his fon a facrifice; the Ifraelites were ordered to borrow of the Egyptians without pay-ing them, and to plunder and flay the inhabitants of Canaan: because God has a fovereign right to all things, and can with equity difpoffefs his creatures of life, and every thing which he has given them, and efpecially fuch finful creatures as mankind; and he can ap-point whom he pleafes to be the inftruments of this. jaft difpoffeffion or deprivation. So that thefe divine commands are not really inconfiftent with right reafon :: for whatsoever is fo, cannot be believed where that in-confiftency appears.

2. Upon the fame account the whole doctrine of re-velation must be confiftent with itfelf; every part of it: must be confittent with each other; and though in points of practice latter revelation may repeal or cancel former divine laws, yet in matters of belief no latter re-velation can be inconfiftent with what has been hereto-fore revealed..

3. Divine revelation must be confirmed by fome: divine and fupernatural appearances, fome extraordinary figns or tokens, vifions, voices, or miracles wrought, or prophecies fulfilled. There must be fome demonftrations of the prefence and power of God, fuperior to all the powers of nature, or the fettled connection which God, as creator, has established among his creatures in a this viûble world.

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4. If there are any fuch extraordinary and wonder--ful appearances and operations brought to contest with,, or to oppofe divine revelation, there muft, and always will be fuch a fuperiority on the fide of that revelation

which is truly divine, as, to manifeft that God is there. This was the caufe when the Egyptian forcerers contended with Mofes. But the wonders which Moles wrought did fo far tranfcend the power of the magicians, as made them confefs, It was the finger of God.

5. Thefe divine appearances or atteftations to revelation must be either known to ourselves, by our own perfonal obfervation of them, or they must be fufficiently attested by others, according to the principles and rules by which matters of human faith are to be judged in the foregoing fection.

Some of thofe, who lived in the nations and ages where miracles were wrought, were eye and ear-witnefles of the truth and divinity of the revelation; but we, who live in these distant ages, must have them derived down to us by juft and inconteftible history and tradition. We alfo, even in these diftant times, may fee the accomplishments of fome ancient predictions and thereby obtain that advantage towards the confirmation of our faith in divine revelation beyond what those perfons enjoyed who lived when the predictions were pronounced.

6. There is another very confiderable confirmation of divine teftimony and that is, when the doctrines themselves, either on the publication or the belief of them produced fupernatural effects. Such were the miraculous powers which were communicated to believers in the first ages of chriftianity, the converfion. of the Jews or Gentiles, the amazing fuccefs of the gofpel of Chrift without human aid, its power in changing the hearts and lives of ignorantand vicious Heathens, and wicked and profane creatures in all nations, and filling them with a fpirit of virtue, piety, and goodness.. Wherefoever perfons have found this effect in their own hearts, wrought by a belief of the gospel of Chrift, they have a witneís in themselves of the truth of it, and abundant reafon to believe it divine..

Of the difference between reafon and revelation, and in what fenfe the latter is fuperior, fee more in Chap. II. Sect. 9. and chap. IV. Direct. 6.