who will bring the almighty's actions to their own fhallow judgements, and fet up their reafon against GOD? Is it unreasonable to believe that God may give over these men to blindness of mind and hardness of heart, who defpise the goodness of GOD, in rejecting the revelation of his will; and who, through an intolerable and contumacious pride of understanding, fet up their own darkned reafon as the adequate guide and judge in all matters of religion, and refuse to submit to that light which came down from heaven? Is it not fit and right to suppose, that GOD fhould pour contempt and foolishness upon that understanding which exalteth itself above his own infinite wisdom and truth, and that he should darken that reafon which obftinately fhuts its eyes against the evidences of divine light, thus inflicting an exemplary punishment on that very faculty of the mind, which lifteth itself up against him?-Thus, as it is written, GOD deftroyeth the wisdom of the wife, and bringeth to nought the understanding of the prudent; and makes it appear, that (that which men efteem) the foolishness of GOD, is wifer than the wisdom of men ;-fo that after that in the wifdom of GOD, the world by wisdom knew not GOD, it pleafed GOD, by (what fome call) the foolishness of preaching the gospel, to fave them that believe. And I think the apostle has given us a very good account of this matter which may be literally applied to infidels ". Becaufe, fays he, fpeaking of idolaters, when they knew GOD, they glorified him not as GOD, neither were thankful; but became vain in

m 1 Cor. i 19, 21, 25.

Rom i. 21, and onwards.

their imagination, and their foolish heart was darkened; profeffing themselves to be wife, thy became fools-And even as they did not like to retain GOD in their knowledge, GOD gave them over to a reprobate mind. And that other paffage, they receive not the love of truth, that they might be faved; wherefore GOD fhall fend them frong delufions, that they should believe a lie, that all thofe may be damned, who believe not the truth, but have pleafure in unrighteousness. If therefore infidels can offer no good reafons for rejecting Chriftianity, it is owing to the badness of their caufe, which cannot be defended; and if they fometimes quibble without reafon, and talk downright nonsense, it feems not unreasonable to believe, that as their minds are strongly prejudiced against the truth of GOD, fo GOD, in a way of just judgement, blinds their underftandings, and leaves them under strong delufions, that they should believe lies; that so they may be damned who receive not the truth in the love of it, but who have pleasure in unrighteoufnefs. It is not to be wondered then, if fuch men, profeffing themfelves to be wife above GOD, fhould, as a confequence of this, become fools, and appear to be such by their infatuated reasonings. May the LORD preserve us from this dreadful ftate, and the danger and mifery which attends it !-May he powerfully prevent us from fhutting our eyes against the light, and from those deftructive prejudices which would render us incapable of receiving the truth in the love of it!-And, seeing we have the truth fo evidently on our fide, let us

examine more and more its facred evidences, that we may be always ready to render a reason to every man that afketh us of the hope that is in us, with meekness and fear. But,

2dly. LET it not in the leaft weaken our firm adherence to the Chriftian revelation, what infidels may object against particular texts and paffages of fcripture; for, befides that multitudes of thofe particular objections are proved to be mere calumnies and falfehoods, arifing from the ignorance or malice of the objectors; yet even granting that there are fome leffer errors crept into our bibles, by often transcribing, tranflating and printing, which, I believe, no fober proteftant will deny, yet they are fuch as do not at all impair the credibility of the fcriptures, nor, in the least affect our duty and happiness. GOD never intended to give us a compleat fyftem of rhetoric, or chronology, or philofophy in the bible, but only a revelation of neceffary truths and duties; and therefore all that his providence is concerned for, is to preserve this revelation from fuch capital errors or defects as might render the fcriptures incapable of answering this end. And for ought that appears, this end might have been fufficiently anfwered, although fome entire books out of the canon of fcripture, had been loft or deftroyed. JESUS CHRIST lived a holy life, taught excellent doctrines, did great miracles, died upon the crofs, rofe again from the dead, afcended into heaven, poured the fpirit of light and truth upon his difciples. These are the great facts upon which the truth of Chriftianity is built, and therefore all the objections. of infidels againft Chriftianity are vain and trifling,

trifling, unless they can difprove these facts, upon which it is established, as upon a fure foundation. Therefore having this fure word of prophefy, we would do well to take heed to it, as unto a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day ftar arife in our hearts; knowing this first, that no prophesy of the fcripture is of private interpretation; for the prophesy came not in old time, by the will of man; but holy men of GOD fpeak as they were moved by the HOLY GHOST P.

P 2 Pet. i. 19, 20, 21.

G 2

Pofitive

SERMON III.

Pofitive proofs of Chriftianity.

I PETER i. 16.

We have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our lord Jefus Chrift, but were eye-witnesses of his majesty.

I

N our text the apoftle exculpates himself before the Chriftians, to whom he writes, from the charge of impofing upon their credulity, by forging a cunningly devised fable, and urging it upon their belief and practice as a divine revelation coming from GOD, and affures them that the coming of Jefus Chrift, or his manifeftation in human nature, and his power in working miracles, forgiving fins, and redeeming fouls, were not falaciously invented, or rafhly credited by the apoftles; but were believed by them upon the most rational and fatisfactory evidence; three of them, viz. James, John and himself, having been eye-witnesses of his majefty as well as of his miracles, having had an ocu

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