Revelation, against the Cavils of Atheists and Infidels ; for there are unconceivable and incomprehenfible Secrets and Myfteries in them all; and if to conceive and comprehend the Natures of things must be made the measure and standard of true and falfe, we must deny our Senfes and Reason, as well as our Faith; and if we do and must believe our Sense and Reafon beyond our Comprehenfion, Why must we believe nothing that is Revealed, any farther than we can conceive and comprehend the Nature and . Reasons of it?

The Sum is this: Humane Knowledge, whatever the means of knowing be, whether Senfe, or Reafon, or Revelation, does not reach to the Philofophical Caufes and Natures of things, but only to their Being, and Natural · Vertues and Powers; and as a Wife man, who knows the measure of his Understanding, expects no more from Senfe and Reafon, than to know what things there are in the World, and what they are, as far as they fall under the notice of Senfe and Natural Reafon; fo we must expect no more from Revelation, than the knowledge of fuch things as Senfe and Natural Reason cannot discover. But we must no more expect the Philofophy of Supernatural Truths from Revelation, than we do the Mysteries of Nature from Senfe and Reafon.

Now fince Human Knowledge is not a knowledge of the Mysterious Natures of things, but only to know what things there are, and what they are; there can be no contradiction between Senfe, and Reafon, and Revelation; unless one denies what the other affirms, not that one teaches more than the other teaches, or that one cannot comprehend what the other teaches. Reafon teaches more than Sense teaches, or can comprehend; and Revelation teaches more than either Senfe or Natural Reafon teaches, or can comprehend; but this is no contradiction, but only

only a fubordination between thefe different kinds and degrees of Knowledge; but as for Unconceivableness and Incomprehenfibility, that is no argument against any thing; for Senfe and Natural Reason can no more comprehend their own Objects, than they do what is revealed: And it is manifeft perverfenefs to make that an objection against Revelation, which we will not allow to be an ob jection against Senfe and Reason.

This is fufficient as to the reafon of the thing; but as far as it is poffible to remove mens Prejudices alfo against believing Myfteries, I fhall briefly answer two very popular Objections.

1. It is thought very unnatural, that when God has made us reasonable Creatures, and therefore made Natural Reason to us the measure of Truth and Falfhood, he fhould require us to believe without Reafon; as we must do, if he reveals fuch things to us as we know not, and cannot poffibly know the reafons of. If we must believe with our Understanding, how can we believe things which we cannot understand?

This were a reasonable Objection, were it true; for we cannot believe what we have no knowledge, nor underftanding of; for Faith is Knowledge, though not Natural Knowledge.

But do we not understand what it is we believe? Do we not know what we mean, when we fay, We believe in Father, Son, and Holy Ghoft? Nay, do not our Adverfaries understand what we mean by it? How then come they to charge us with believing Contradictions and Impoffibilities? For if they know not what we believe, they cannot know whether we believe Contradictions or not. And if we do understand what it is we believe, then we do not believe without understanding, which

is abfolutely impoffible, if we know what it is we believe.

And we know alfo why we believe: Our Faith is founded in Senfe and Reafon, and refolved into the Authority of God, which is the highest and most infallible Reafon.. The Miracles which Chrift and his Apoftles wrought, were. evident to Sense, and owned by Reafon to be the effects of a Divine Power; and the Anfwer the Blind man gave to the Pharifees, when Chrift had opened his Eyes, fpeaks the true fenfe of Nature: Hrein is a marvellous thing, that ye know not from whence he is, and yet he hath opened mine eyes. Now we know that God heareth not finners; but if any man be a worshipper of God, and doth his will, him he heareth. Since the world began was it not heard that any man opened the eyes of one that was born blind: If this man were not of God, he could do nothing, 9. John 30, 31, 32, 33. And all Mankind own, that the most abfolute Faith is due to God, and to those who speak from God; and this, as I take it, is to believe with Reafon

But still we believe fuch things, whofe Natures we do not understand, and cannot account for by Natural Reafon, and this is to believe without Reafon. We believe, that God the Father hath an Eternal Son, and an Eternal Spirit; and that Father, Son, and Holy Ghoft, are but One Eternal God; but this is what Natural Reafon cannot comprehend, nor give us any notion or conception of, how God can have an Eternal Son, and an Eternal Spirit, really diftin&t from himself, and yet with himfelf One Eternal and Infinite God: Reafon can give no account of the Eternal Generation of the Son, nor of the Eternal Proceffion of the Holy Spirit; and is not this to believe without Reason, which a reasonable Creature ought not to do, and which we ought not to think, that God who made us reafonable Creatures, expects from us?

And

And this I grant would be a material Objection, were Reafon the Judge of the Nature and Philofophy of things; and did Reafon require us to believe nothing but what we understand and comprehend. But then we must no more believe Senfe and Reafon, than Revelation; for we do not comprehend the Nature of any one thing in the World, how evident foever it is to Senfe and Reason, that there are fuch things. Nature is as great a Mystery as Revelation; and it is no greater affront to our Understandings, no more against Reafon for. God to reveal fuch things to us as our Reason cannot comprehend, than it is to make a whole World, which Reason cannot comprehend.

When we make it an Objection against any thing, That it is without Reason, or, as we apprehend, against Reafon, and contrary to Reafon; we must first confider whether it be the proper Object of Reafon; otherwise it is no Objection; as it is no objection against Sounds, that we cannot fee them; nor against Colours, that we cannot hear them; because Sounds are not the Objects of Sight, nor Colours of Hearing.

Now no man pretends, that the pure Natures and Effences of things, or their Effential Reafons, Properties, Unions, Operations, are the Objects of Humane Reason; for no man living knows any thing about them.

And yet this is all the Incomprehenfibility men have to complain of in the Doctrine of the Trinity, and the Incarnation; That they cannot comprehend, how God can beget an Eternal Son; nor how Three Divine Persons fhould be fo united, as to be effentially One God; nor how the Divine and Humane Nature can be united into One Perfon, God-man: All which concern the Effence, and Effential Properties, Operations, Unions, Relations of the Deity, which a modeft man might allow to be incomprehenfible, if God be Infinite, though he could comD 2

prehend

prehend the Natures, Effences, and Effential Reafons and. Properties of Created Beings; but when all Created Nature is fuch a Myftery to us, that we know not the pure Nature and Effence of any one thing in the World, is it an affront to our Reafon, that we cannot comprehend the Divine Nature?

Such Matters as thefe are neither without Reafon, nor against Reason, nor contrary to Reafon; becaufe Reason has nothing to do with them, and can take no cognizance of them: They belong not to Reason, but to that Infinite Mind, which comprehends it Self, and the Ideas of all poffible Beings. A perfect comprehenfive Knowledge of Nature belongs only to the Maker of all things; for it is not only to know what things are, but how to make them; which would be a vain Curiosity, and useless Knowledge to those, who have not a Making and Creating Power. This is to know things à priori, with an Intuitive Ideal Knowledge, which is infinitely more fuperior to Reason, than Reafon is to Senfe: And it is the affectation of this Intuitive making Knowledge, which makes fome men Atheists, and others Hereticks.

2dly. Another great Objection against fuch a Revelation as contains matters which Natural Reafon cannot comprehend, is, To what purpofe fuch a Revelation ferves? What Merit there can be in believing fuch Doctrines? And of what good ufe fuch a Faith can be to us?:

Now I confess I cannot think it meritorious merely to believe things which are incomprehenfible; or that God any more intended to puzzle our Faith with revealed Myfteries, than, to puzzle our Reafon in making a Myfterious World. Whether we receive our information from Senfe, or Natural Reafon, or Revelation, it is certain we must believe Myfteries, if we believe any thing; for all things have fomething myfterious and incomprehenfible in

their