óoo The ExcellencyandUnlverfalrty of Vo1.II. And this bath been the temper of thofe that oppofe the Truth in all Ages, and in all kind of Matters. Thus the Church of Rome will needs underftand thofe words of our Saviour, This is my body, in the fenfe of Tranfubftantiatìon, contrary to the plain intention of them, and in contradiction to the Reafon andSenfes ofall Mankind ; and yet theywill not underftand the plain Inflitution of the Sacrament in both kinds. And thus the Atheifts, who will not believe that there is a God, which made the world , can yet fwallow things ten times harder to be believed ; as that either the World was eternal of its felf, or the Matter of it i and that the parts ofthis Matter being in perpetual motion, did after infinite tryals and attempts. at Taft happen to fettle in this order in which we now are ; that is, that this admi- rable Frame of the World, which bath all the Charaders upon it ofdeep Wifdom and Contrivance, was made merely by Chance, and without direction and defign of any intelligent Author ; fo partial is Infidelity, as to all nt to the molt abfurd things rather thanbelieve the revelationsofGod, or to own thofe Principles, which are naturally imprinted upon the minds ofmen , and have the general confent of Mankind. II. Another ufual concomitant ofInfidelity is unreafonable and groundlefs Preju- dice. Theyews were ftrangely prejudiced againft our Saviour, and that upon the weakeft and flighteft ground , as that his Original was known among them. John 7. 27. Howbeit we know this man whence be is : but when Chrifl cometh no man knoweth whence he is. Surely theywere very ready to take Exceptions againft him, that would urge this for an Objection; for what if his Original were known, might he not be from God for all that? Mofes was a great Prophet, and yet it was very well known from whence he was ; and it was nowhere faid in the OldTeftament that his Original should be unknown ; nay onthe contrary it was plainly declared, that he was to be oftheTribe ofJudah, of the lineage ofDavid, and to comeout ofBethlehem. Another Prejudice against himwas the meannefs of his Parents, andof the man- ner: of his Education. Math. 13. 54. Whence bath this Man this wifdom, and thefe mighty works? Is not this theCarpenter's fon ? Is not his mother calledMary ? and his Brethren, James, and Jfes, and Simon, and Judas :? And his fillers, are they not all with us ? Whence then bath this man all thefe things ? And they were offended in him. And fo likewife, John 7. 15. How knoweth thisman letters, ha- ving never learned ? A ftrange kind of unreafonable Prejudice ! They could not believe him to be an extraordinaryPerfon, becaufe his Parents and Relations, his Birth and manner of Breeding were fo mean, becaufe he hadbeen brought up to a Trade, and not bred up like one oftheir Scribes and Rabbies ; as if God could not infpire aman with all thofe gifts which men ordinarilyacquire by ftudyand pains; and as if it had not been reafonable to expel, that the Me,flies, who they believed was to be the greateft Prophet that ever was, fhould be thus infpired. Now inall Reafon the Argument is ftrong the other way, that fure he was an exaraordinary Prophet, whoall on a fuddengave fuch Evidence ofhis great Knowledge and Wif- dom , and did fuch mighty Works ; becaufe this could not be imputed to his Breeding. and Education, fince that was fo mean, and therefore there muff be fomethìng extraordinary and divine in it; thus another Man who had been free from prejudice, would have been apt lo reafon. Another ùnreafonable Prejudicewas grounded upon a fpiteful and maliciousPro- verb, concerning. theCountry where our Saviour was brought up, namely,Galilee, John 1. 46. Can any good thing come out ofNazareth? And John 7. 45. Shall Chrig, that is, the Meffras, come out ofGalilee ? And ver. 52. Search and look ; for out of Galilee arifeth no Prophet. Nathanael indeed, who was a fincere good Man, was eafily wrought off from this prejudice, and was contented to be convine'd ofthe contrary by plain Evidence, when Philip defired him to come andfee, john a. 47. But theJews it feems laid great weight upon it, as if this one thing had been enough to confute all our Saviour'sMiracles, and after they had lhot this bolt at him, the matter had been clearly concludedagainst him. But wife and unprejudiced men do not ùfe to be fwayed and carried away with. ill- natur'dProverbs; nor do they believe the badCharaders which are given ofa 3 Country,
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