i 38 The Life of Faith. forgery as aforefaid, we can much lefs fufpett that any good Angel could be guilty of it. 4.And ifno bad man could do fomuch good,we can much lets imagine that any Devil or bad fpirit could be the author of ir,. The Devil who is the worft in evil, could never fo much contradiâ his nature, and overthrow his own Kingdom, and, fay fo much evil of himfclf, and do fo much againft htm- fell, and do fo much for the fanétifying and laving of the world : He that doth fo much to drawmen to fin and mife- ry, would never do fomuch to defiroy their fin. And we plainly feel within our (elves, that the fpirit or party which drawth us to fin, doth reffi the Spirit which draweth us to believe and obey the Golpel; and that thefé two maintain a war within us. 5. And it you fbould fay, that the good whi::h is in Cbri- f ianity, is caufed by God, and the evil of it by the Father offin, I anfwer, either it is true or fall : If it be true, it is fo good, thattheDevil can never poffibly be a sontributer to it : Nay, it cannot then be fulpetßed jufily of any evil. But if it be fate, it is then fobad, that God cannot be any otherwife the Author ofit, than as he is the Author ofany common natural Verity which it may take in and abufe ; or as his general con- couife extendeth to the whole Creation., But it is fomewhat inChriftianity, which it pathmore than other Religions have; which muff make it more pure, ano more powerful and fuc- ccfsful, than any other Religions have been. Therefore it mutt be more than common natural truths : even the con- texture of thofe natural truths, with the fupernatu.r =1 reve- lationsof it, and the addition ofa fpirit of pimer, and and love, to procure the fuccefs. And God caneO be the Au- thor of any filch contexture, or additions, ifit. be falte. 6. If it be laid, that men that hod foe good, and pine bad in them, didcontrive it (fucb as thofe Fanaticks, or Enthu- hafts, who have pious notions and words, with pride and (elf exaltingminds) I anfwer, The good is fo great which is found in Chriflianity, that it is not poll-11)1e that a !=ad man, much lets an extreamly bad man, could be the Au hips of it e And the micb,ednefs ofthe plot would be fo great if it were falf, that it is not poflibic that any but an cxtrcaraly bad t man
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