Helpes againjl Unbelief. Dire{/. r. §. 4· Dire/}. r. Confider weU how much of Religion Narure it folf teachcth, and Rtafon (without fllpernatUrJl Revelation ) m•ft HeedJ confrfi: ( as that there is another life which man was made 1 mufiprofor, and that he is obliged to the fullefi Love and Obedience to God, and the refi before laid down fefs that rhe in the ImrrJduClio~t: ) And tbm objerve bore congmoiiJIJ the ®arinellf Cbri(t CfJmtJ in, to help wbue Name :m.i Nawre iJ at a lofr; anrJ bow exalily it fuitr with Natural <fruth1, arld how clearly it explaintth them wonderful Jif· and fuUy containeth {0 much of them as are neceffary to falvation: and how fuirable and proper ~ f~~7ce 3~~ rhe n:aeans it is to attain their Ends, and how great a tefiimony the Dollrines of Nature and Gr<~c~ do ~ngo11y, :tnd give unto each other. their convcrfation in the world , :Ire pcrp~tu:tl vir,ble. Evidences in my eyes ;. of the ttuth of the Holy Scriptures: 1. Th:tr there fhould be fo llmverf:tl and trnp!aC"2ble a hau·ed agamft the goJ/y in the common fott of unrencwrd men · in art ~~c~f~:~d0~1!i~~:v~~ur;;n:f~·~~na~~~~r.dt:fc men defcrve fo well of them, and do tbem n.o wrong; js a vi!ible proof of Aduns f;JJ, and :t. That all thofe .wL.o are fet·~oufly Chriftian~, fhou!d be fo far renewed, and recovered from the common corruption, aJ their h::-a– vr;-nly mind' and hves, ln~ thrn wottdcrf~l dtffereur.c from otber men fhcweth, tbi$ is a vi fible .Proof that Chrifti.tr.ity is of Ggd, wo~k ~~:t~n?C:.f~t:tr~ (1~~i'Je~ef:ctp~~~u~::~~~r:li~J~;ldt~~cew:kt~: h~;~vening a:td confirmmg fouls, by diflerencing Grac{·, :tnd 4· That God doth fo plainly gr:tnc mo~ny of his ~ervancs praym , by (peci:tl PJovidrncc!, dodt pro\'e his owning them arui hi, Prom1fc~. • S· Th:ttGodfuRerethhisSeH:tnts in.:t.!l times and places ordinarily to fulfer·fo much for his love and Service, fromthew('rld .1nJ flelh, doth !hew th:n there JS a Judgement, and Rewatds, 2nd Punifhntcnts hereafrer. Or elfc our highdl: duty, would be our gre:t:elt loG i anJ th,n how fhould his Go\·ernmmt of men be ju!l? 6.;rh::tt rhe~eneweJN:~ture (which m'aketb n:enbetter, :lndthtrefore is of God) doth wholly look at the life toC<lme, and le~d us to it, anJ lJVe upon~ it, thisihnl'eth th.;t fuctl 3. hfe there is, or eife this would be dclufOJy and va.n, and Goodnt'fs it felt wou'd be a deceit. 7· When it is und.tnyable that dt {•flo tffi the" \•nrld fl not GtrVmud without the Hopes and Fears of :motber life; almofl: all NJ– tions among the H ouhens bcltcvJng i: (and fhewing t>y their very worfhi?ping their dead Heroes as Gods, that they belkved th:lt theft fouls did. live) :tnd C\'en the wicked generally bemg tiflrailll.i br: tRofe hopes a~d r~ars in l~':mfelves : And alfo th.lt dt P'.!P it is ::~o~~b~o~~: ~~;~;~~fu~Ja~~ ~f;~mfa~i~f:;~~{l b~ ~;~~~:~~~n;~a~i~;e~f~ht!o~~:~~~ hol~sa;:e~~a~a~f~~;t~;;l !:~c h:im{;;~ :~:~ he wer~ like t? bc.and do, if be haJ no fire~ rellraint): And there being no Dvil:rine or Li)e comparable to ChriBianicy, in their ren- ~~"a'fl, tili~~et~~~ J~av~0futiJel~~ ~~~t~u:~exc~tb:t~~::~;gc:~:d~tu~'an~~:e~ef; :~c~it~: ~::'~e0fiat~~~p:~t~o~~a~~~;b"cte~.ill ~ppar~nc 8. And if the w01IJ had noJt had a Beginning according to the Scrip:ure~, · t. We fhould have foun.\ Monumt'ms of Anti,Juity lbov:! tix thoufand years old. :t. Arts and Stienccs would have come to more perfe&io11, and Priming, Guns, &c. not have been of fo la<e invention. 3· And fo much of America anJ other pans of the world 'would not have been yet uninhabited) unp\anted, or un– difcovered. Of Arhei(m I ha,·e fpokcn bt:forc in the Introduction .; :and Nature fo cl=arly revealeth a God,, tbat I take it as almoU nee~lefs to fay mucb. of it to fober men. Dire{l, •· ~· 5· Dir<Ct. 2. Confider that mans End being in the life 10 come, and God being the righteous aiul mercifulGovtTito'lr of man in ordf'f' to that End, it mujl nred1be that God ,;u give him fofficUnt meam t:~ Jtnow hi1 wiUin order to that tnd: And that the cleareH·fullell: means muftneeds demonfiratc mofi of the Government and Mercy ofGod. Dire{;. 3 ,. 9· 6. Direct.~· Confider wbat [ufJ aud fad (xperience the n:Dr/d h.uh of it1 pravity and great corruption; and that the natural tendency of Reafon is to th6fe high and excellent things, ·which cor· ruption and bruidihndS do alrncft cxtinguiOl or caft out with the moft : and that the prevalency of the lowerrfaculties againfi right Reafon is fo lamentable and univerfal to the confufioO of the world, that it is enough to tell us that this is not the_flare that God firfi -made us in , and that certainly fin hath fullied and difordered his work. The wickednds of the world is a great confirmation of the Scripwrr. . . Dire{/. 4• §· 7· Direct.4. Confider bo"' txafily the Vv{lrineof theGofPel and Covenant of Gract i1 {uited IJ the lap{edflate of man: even as the: Law of Works was fuircd to his flare of innocency : fo that the Gofpel may be called the Law ofLapfid Nature as fuited to it, ( thoog\1 not asrevealed by it ) as tbe other was the Law of Entire Nature. Dirt{/. 5• §. 8. Dire/}. 5• Compare I he many Propheciu of C/uifi with the fulfiUing of them in his pc;fon. As that ofMofos recitedbyStephen, Aas7·37· & I[a. 53• &Dan.9. 24,25,26,cn Andconlider that thofe Jews which are the ChriHians bittereli: enemies, acknowledge and prdervc thofe Prophecies, and all the Old Teftament, which giveth fo full a tefiimony to the New. Direlf. 0. 9· 9· Direct. 6. Confider what an admir.;b/e fuitablmefr there i1 hz the DoUrine ofCbri{f tothe rc/~h of a ferious heavenly mind: .and how ~11 that is fpiritual and truly good i~ us, d?th dofe with, it and embrace it from a certam congruity of Natures, as the eye doth wnh the hgbr, and rhe fto~ mach with its proper food. Every good man in reading the Holy Scripture, tceleth fomethi11g ( even all that's good ) within him, bear witnefs to it. And only our worfer part is quarrelling with it, and rebeHs againfi ir. Di~c/1. 7• 9· IO· Dire/}. 7t Omfider how all tht fir~ Churchu "'"' pla11tcd by the focce{r of all thofo Miraclu mentioned in the Scripturr. And that the Apofiles and thoufands of othe~s Jaw tbe Miracles.of Cbrijf; and the Churchu fiUD tbe Miraclu oftbe Apnftla, and heard them fpeak m Languages unkarnt : and had the fame extraordinary gifts communicated to theQ1felves. And thefe being openly and freGJl. 3.1, 2)3· quemly manifeftcd, convinced unbelievers: and were openly urged ~y rhe Apofiles to ftop t~e mou~hs ofoppofers, and confirm believers; who would all have fcorned hts arguments, and the fa1th wh1ch they. fupported, if all thefe had been fi/}ions, of which they themfelves were faid robe eye-wit-. ndfes and agenl•· So that the very cxijlence <>f the Churches, was a teftimony to the matter <1t fact.
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