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seems to think that all the Hopes of Infidelity center in him.

An Author of so much Vivacity, and so full of himself, can hardly be expected to keep the dull Road of Reasoning; his Wit will fometimes run away with him. Hence it is that we meet with fo much Pertnefs and Spirit in his Performance; hence proceed thofe beautiful Expreffions of miraculously supported the Miracles, the damnably bad Opinions of fomebody or other; and the witty Conceit of introducing Ghosts in white Sheets and dark Lanthorns, into this ferious Argument. Of all which, and many others of equal Politeness, I take leave once for all, and give them up to be enjoyed by the Author and his Admirers, without Difturbance.

But I must needs commend this Author for the open and frank Declaration of his Princi ples in refpect to Religion. Some have pretended Friendship to the Gofpel, that they might the more fuccefsfully undermine the Foundations of it; but this Author acts with more Bravery and more Honefty. He fays fairly, In my Opinion great Judgment and great Faith are fuch Contradictions that they never unite, fo as to meet in one Perfon. I dare fay he did not make this Declaration upon any Sufpicion he had of his own Judgment. Again,

First Edit. p. 43.

Edit. p. 6.

Third Edit. p. 34.

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Firft

with

with refpect to Miracles, he tells us, every real Miracle is an Abfurdity to common Senfe and Understanding, and contrary to the Attributes of God.

After these express Declarations one would wonder how this Author could propose himfelf to the World as a proper Person to make a fair Examination of the Evidence of the Refurrection, which is both the greatest Miracle, and the greatest Article of the Chriftian Faith. But he had his View in fo doing, and has been fo good as to acquaint us, what he propofed by his Answer to the Trial of the Witnesses; and he shall tell it himself. My Defign is to promote that Veneration for Wisdom and Virtue, which has been debafed and degraded by Faith; by a Faith which has not fent Peace on Earth, but a Sword. Where this foolish Faith bears Sway, the Tree of Knowledge produces damning Fruit; but under the benign Influence of George our King, in this glorious Day of Light and Liberty, this divine Hag and her pious Witchcrafts which were brought forth in Darkness and nourished by Obfcurity, faint at the Approach of Day, and vanish upon Sight.

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The Faith which the Gofpel proposes in Chrift Jefus, the ever bleffed Son of God, and the only Name under Heaven by which we may be faved, is here with an astonishing De

d First Edi. p. 64. Third Edit. p. 52. First Edit. p. 88 Third Edit. p. 72. B 2

gree

gree of Impiety, called a divine Hag with pious Witchcrafts. Unhappy Man! what could he mean by this? I pity him from my Heart. But what could he mean by abufing the King, unless he had a Mind to fhew, that he is just as good a Subject as he is a Chriftian?

Every ferious Man will read these Paffages with Abhorrence; and they are a Warning to every Reader to be upon his Guard against the Reprefentations made of the Doctrines of the Gofpel, and the Evidences of Christianity, by fo determined, and fo inveterate an Enemy to both.

But let us examine this Author in another refpect. So little qualified was he to write an Answer to the Tryal of the Witnesses, that he did not understand it, when he published his Anfwer; but miftook fometimes the Objection for the Answer to the Objection, and fometimes vice verfa; and afcribed to the Author of the Trial the very Opinion he was confuting. A few Inftances will explain my Meaning.

At Page 4 (1 Edit.) the Confiderer charges the Author of the Tryal with founding Faith on Education, and writing in Favour of that Opinion. To fupport this Charge he quotes from the Tryal the very Words that difclaim that Opinion. The Words are What prevailed with those who firft received it (i. e. the Belief of the Refurrection.) they certainly did not follow the Examples of their Fathers. Here

then

then is the Point; how did this Fact gain Credit in the World at firft? Credit it has gained without doubt. 'Tis marvellous how the Confiderer could read, could tranfcribe thefe Words into his Book, and not feel that the Meaning and Intent of them was to lay the Force of Custom and Education quite out of the Cafe, and to bring the Queftion to reft upon the original Evidence of the Refurrection at the first, before Custom or Education could poffibly, have any Influence. It is hard to account for his Miftake, but mistake he does, and goes on for a Page or two together with great Triumph, reafoning against this Phantom of his own raifing. Then, fays he, every Story that has gained Credit in the World, as this has done, is alfo true; and concludes with this wife Saying, believing Truth for Company's Sake is no more meritorious than believing Error. But he has been fo far afhamed of this Blunder, as to drop the whole Paffage, and his own Reasoning upon it, in his new Edition.

The Confiderer (p. 5.) fays, 'tis argued the Apoftles were fincere, therefore what they reported was true. He does not indeed directly charge the Author of the Tryal with arguing thus; but whom foever he means to charge, he fhows plainly, that he never understood the Ufe or Force of the Argument, drawn from the Topic of Sincerity; which is never applied to

Tryal, p. 20.

prove

prove that the fincere Reporter delivers nothing but Truth; for he may be, and often is, imposed on himself; but is ufed merely to show, that he is not a Deceiver himself, and acting with a Design to impofe on others. The Confiderer has with great Succefs encountered the Miftake, which he imputes to fomebody or other; but the only Thing he has made clear, is, that he did not know what he was writing about. But fome kind Friend pointed out this Mistake, and it difappears upon the new Edition.

The next Instance of this kind, with which I fhall trouble the Reader, will hardly pass for a Mistake only. Whatever it is, it has received the Approbation of the Confiderer's fecond Thoughts, and found a Place in his new Edition.

The Author of the Trial, or the Perfon defigned by B in the Trial, repeats an Objection, which A, the Pleader against the Refurrection had infifted on. There is (fays B, or the Author of the Trial) but one Obfervation more, which the Gentleman (i. e. A the Objector to the Refurrection) made under this Head. Jefus, he jays, referred to the Authority of ancient Prophecies to prove, that the Meffias was to die and rife again. The ancient Books referred to are extant, and no fuch Prophecies, he fays, are to be found. Now whether the Gentleman, (i. e. the Objector) can find

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