them to judge fairly. In the fecond LET. place, if they produce an hundred VIII. objections, and we can folve ninety nine of them, that which remains unfolved will be deemed a plea fufficient to justify their continuing in incredulity. In the third place, it is impoffible in the nature of things, that we should be equal to the fọlution of every difficulty, unless we were well acquainted with many points of which it has pleafed God to keep us in ignorance, till the last day fhall open and unfold them. Nay, in fome inftances, it is impoffible, unless we could fee and know, as God himself -fees and knows.

But it is an axiom in fcience, that difficulties are of no weight against demonftrations. The existence of God once proved, we are not, in reason, to

VIII.

LET. fet that proof afide, because we cannot at prefent account for all his proceedings. The divine legation of Mofes, and that of Jefus Chrift, ftand upon their proper evidence, which cannot be fuperfeded and nullified by any pretended or real difficulties occurring in the Jewish and Christian difpenfations. If we can folve the difficulties, fo much the better; but if we cannot, the evidence is exactly where it was. Upon that evidence is our faith founded, and not upon the ability of any man, or fet of men, to explain particular portions of Scripture, and to answer the objections which may be made to them. Otherwife, our faith, inftead of refting on the power of God, would reft on the weakness of man, and might be subverted every day. Now the evidence

that

VIII.

that may be produced for the divine LET.
miffions of Mofes and of Jefus Christ,
is such as never was produced in fa-
vour of any others laying claim to
divine miffions, fince the world began;
and it is fuch, as no perfon can reject,
without being obliged to believe a
feries of abfurdities and impoffibi-
lities, that, in any other cafe, would
choke the faith of the greatest bigot in
Christendom: which is bringing the
matter as near to demonftration as a
matter of this kind is capable of being
brought, or as any reasonable being
would defire it to be brought.

Thus much being premifed, to
prevent mistakes, I fhall proceed in
the next Letter to the confideration
of the first section, the fubject of which
is that of Miracles.

LET.

IX.

LETTER IX.

THE

HE fubftance of this fection, thrown into an argumentative form, ftands thus-" Miracles "are not wrought now; therefore

they never were wrought at all.”

One would wonder how the premifes and the conclufion could be brought together. No man would in earneft affert the neceffity of miracles being repeated, for the confirmation of a revelation, to every new generation, and to each individual of which

it is compofed. Certainly not. If they were once wrought, and duly entered on record, the record is evi

dence,

dence ever after. This reasoning holds good, refpecting them, as well as other facts; and to reason otherwise, would be to introduce univerfal confufion.

It is faid, "They are things in "their own nature far removed from "common belief."

They are things which do not happen every day, to be fure. It were abfurd, from the very nature of them, to expect that they fhould. But what reason can there be for con-" cluding, from thence, that none ever were wrought? Why fhould it be' thought a thing more incredible, that the ruler of the world should inter-' pose, upon proper occafions, to controul the operations of nature, than that he should direct them, in ordinary? It is not impoffible that a teacher fhould

LET.

IX.