berm. CLXX. Rena%onablenefs of Divine Faith. Fir]?, That it is molt reafonable fo to do. Secondly, That it is infinitely moft Prudent. I. As to the Being of God. Do but confider thefe tiro things which are Unde- niable 5 That there is a World however it came ; and that Mankind do generally Content in a confident perfwafion that there is a God, whatever be the caufe of it. Now t hefe two things being certain, and not liable to any Queftion, let us enquire whether a reafonable account can be given of thefe without a God. r. Suppofrng there be no God, How came this vaft and orderly Frame of the World ? There are but two ways that can be imagined. Either it was from Eter- nity always of it felt 5 or it began fame time to be. That it fhould be always of it Pelf 5 tho' it may be imaginedof the Heavens; and the Earth, which as to the main, are permanent, and continue the fame 5 yet in things that fumed one after another, it is altogether unimaginable. As ip the Generation of Men, there cari be no doubt, whether every one of them was from another, or fame of them- felves. Some of themmfr be of themfelves : for whatever number 6f Caufes be imagined in orderly Succeflion, tonic of them mutt have doCate, but be of them felves. Now that which is of it fell, and the Caule of all others, is the firft. So that there mutt be a firft Man 5 and the Age of Man being finite, this firft Man tnuft have a beginning. So that an infinite Succeffion of Men fhould have been, is impof{ible ; and conféquently, that Men were altbays. But i need not infrft much upon this, beeaufe few or none of our modern Atheifts pitch upon this way. Be- lides that AriJlotle, who is reputed the great afferter of the Eternity of the World, dash acknowledge an Infinite Progrefs and Succeflìon of Caufes to be one of the greaten Abfurdities. Suppofe then the World began tome time to be 5 it mutt either be made by Counfel and Defiga, that is, produced by fame Being that knewwhat it did, that did Contrive it and Frame it as it is 5 which it is eafie to conceive, a Being that is infinitely Good, and Wile, and Powerful, might do : but this is to own a God or eke the Matter of it being fuppofed to have been always, and in continual Mo- tion and;,Tumult, it at fan happened to fall into this order, and the parts of Matter after various Agitations, were at length entangled and knit together in this order, in which we fee the World to be. But can any Man think this reafonable to imagine, that in the infinite variety which is in the World, all things fhould happen by chance, as well and as orderly as the greaten Wifdom could have contrived them ? Whoever can believe this, mull do it with his Will, and not with his Undemanding. But Peeing it mull be granted that fomething is of it fell ; how eafie is it to grant fuch a Being to be of it Pelf, as bath other Perfeéiions proportionable to ne- ceffary exiftence; that is infinitely Good, and Wife, and Powerful ? And there will be no difficulty in conceiving how fuch a Being as this fhould make the World. a. This likewife is undeniable, that Mankind do generally content in a confident Perfsvafion that there is a God, whatever was the caufe of this.- Now the reafon of fo univerfal a content in all Places and Ages of the World, mule be one, and confiant : but no one and confiant reafon of this can be given, unlefs it be from the Frame and Nature of Man's Mind and Undemanding, which bath the notion of a Deity fiampt upon it, or which is all one, hath luth an Underfianding, as will in its own free ufe and exercife find out a God. And what more reafonable than to °seevolt, think, that if we be God's Workmanfhip, he should let thismark of himfclfupon Serra t.of u3, that we might know to whom we belong ? And I dare f that this account `he set- g y, mutt needs be much more reafonableand fatisfaétory to any indifferent Man, thanE r;.pbr to refolve this univerfal content into Tradition, or State policy, both which are hi, Grace liable to inexplicable Difficulties, as * I have elfewhere (hewn at large. m),erei,5é II, As to the Immortality of the Soul. Suppofrng a God, who is an infiniteArgu-' Spirit : it is cafe to imagine the poffibility of a finite Spirit : and fuppofing the r" Goodnefs of God, no Man can doubt-, but that when he made all things, heb,i¡t, would make fome ben 5 and the fame Goodnefs which moved him to make things, ara tiq would be a reafon to continue thole things for the longeft duration they are ca a- red at-, ble of. 0 o o III, ra.ea, 46.
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