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therefore, if the Deity is uniform in his conduct, then it may well be expected, that if he gives a revelation to the world, he will back it with fuch evidences as are naturally adapted to work conviction in all, as well when fuch revelation is given, as in after times; whereas prophecy, in the nature of the thing, is not adapted to answer these purposes, as I have already obferved.

I HAVE here confidered prophecy, as delivered in plain and express terms, of which no doubt can be made of it's fenfe and meaning; because if prophecy be delivered in hieroglyphicks, or expreffed in dark and ambiguous language, in terms that are capable of being understood in various and different fenfes, then the force of evidence feems to be wanting; becaufe, as the fenfe of the prophecy cannot certainly be determined, fo it will be always uncertain whether the event has taken place, or not. And tho' fuch darkness and ambiguity in prophecy may have been fuitable to the beathen oracles, as it beft anfwered the purposes of those heathen priests, who had the direction of them; yet it does not seem to comport with that wisdom and goodness by which the divine conduct is directed.

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God, out of good will to his creatures, is pleased to give them a revelation; then, furely, the fame kindness which difpofed him to give the revelation, would alfo difpofe him to give with it fuch evidences of it's truth and divinity as are moft plain and obvious, and as are naturally adapted to work conviction in all; and not fuch evidences as lay a foundation for perpetual doubting and difputation; this, I fay, may well be expected from the common father of mankind. I am fenfible it may be urged, that were the prophetic language confufed and diffimilar, so that the fame figure or term was used to express different things in different prophecies; were the term lion ufed to exprefs a king in one prophecy, and a captive in another; this would fo perplex the subject, that the fenfe and meaning of all prophecy must needs remain indeterminate, and we should never be able to know certainly the fenfe of any prophecy; and confequently, we must be uncertain as to the event or completion of it; but this is not the cafe; the Deity, to prevent fuch confufion, and that we may not be perplexed or misled, has expreffed all prophecies in the fame kind of language, which renders the sense of prophecy more easy to

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be discovered; and therefore, tho' prophe cies are delivered in hieroglyphicks, or expreffed in dark and ambiguous language; yet their true fenfe may be discovered and afcertained, by men skilled in the prophetick language. Anfwer: the question here will be, how do we know that the fame kind of language is used in all prophecies? that is, that the fame terms exprefs the fame thing, and that the fame thing is expreffed by the fame figure or term in all prophecies. I fay, how do we know this? is it certain that the Deity has made any fuch declaration? furely not. And if not, then this is all prefumed, and feems defigned to cover and conceal what cannot be removed. To prefume that God acts thus, in order to prevent our being perplexed and misled, is a covering too narrow to conceal the prefent difficulty. For if God is really concerned to prevent our being perplexed and mifled, then that end will much more effectually be answered by delivering all prophecy in plain and express terms, out of which no difficulty nor perplexity can arife; whereas the delivering prophecy in dark and ambiguous language, whether that language be fimilar, or difimilar, obviously tends to perplex and mislead. Dark and L 2

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ambiguous language in prophecy may give perfons of reading the opportunity of shewing their knowledge of men and things, in times that are past; and their dexterity and quicknefs of thought, in discovering and pointing out events, that, in fome view or other, can be made to tally with the fenfe they may put upon any prophecy; and it may alfo give defigning men the opportunity of making their advantages upon the weakness and credulity of others; but then, surely, it is hardly to be fuppofed, that the Deity would furnish out materials, which, tho' by accident, would be fubfervient to fuch purposes, when it does not appear that any one good purpose can be ferved by it, and when plain and express language would much better and more effectually answer the purpose fuch evidence is fuppofed to ferve, viz. to Support and establish truth. Befides, it was by this very means the pagan world were impofed upon by their priests, through the dark and ambiguous prophecies given forth by their oracles; and this renders it highly improbable that God would take the same measures for the fupport of truth, that crafty and defigning men do to fupport fraud and impofition. Moreover, all evidence ought to

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be plain and clear, elfe it does not answer the end to which it is directed, viz. to produce conviction; because all obfcurity is a weakness and deficiency in evidence, and confequently, is a deficiency in the foundation upon which affent is grounded; and therefore, as far as prophecy is dark and doubtful, so far it becomes of none effect as evidence. And as to thofe men who pretend to be well skilled in prophetick language, thefe, notwithstanding all their fkill, have been greatly divided among themselves, with refpect to their fenfe of prophecy, as the many contrary explanations of the prophecies contained, or fuppofed to be contained, in the book of the revelations do plainly fhew. Have we not known men, in our own time, who have pretended to great skill in prophetick language, that have with great afJurance fixed the sense of some of the prophecies in the forementioned book; and yet, notwithstanding all their skill, and their certainty grounded upon it, they have lived to find themselves mistaken? tho' perhaps, this is what they are unwilling to acknowledge, and therefore, they seek after fome fubterfuge to fly to. And if this be

the cafe of men who have pretended to

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