way, as it can be convinc'd of any other truth of things that are without it self? But I need not infift longer upon the poffibility of a thing, which the generality of mankind in all ages have, not only owned to be poffible, but which they have also, as I shall fhew by and by, acknowledged in fact actually to be. And therefore I proceed to ob ferve. II. That, confidering our natural notions of the goodness of God, there is no reason to think it incredible, that he fhould at fome time or other make such discovery of his will. I would not here be fo understood, as if I thought that we could justly conceive God Almighty to be under any obligation to make fuch particular Revelation to men: because confidering the ungrateful returns and the unworthy use which the generality of men have too commonly made of that natural Light which God affords to all, they have no reason to expect any fupernatural Revelation as matter of Right; yet confidering the infinite Goodness of the Divine Being, so many ways exprefs'd towards them beyond their deserts, they may have ground to hope for it from his mercy, and to believe that the thing is not improbable; especially when we confider , That That in all ages of the world men have ever had such an apprehenfion. Now it is certainly more agreeable to the goodness of God to fuppofe, that there is really at the bottom fome foundation for fuch an apprehenfion, than to think that mankind should always be under fuch a delufion, as constantly to believe and expect a thing for which there never was any ground or occafion given. That men fhould mistake in making false deductions from a true principle, or that they fhould ground many errors, one after another, upon one Truth misapprehended or corrupted, is not to be wonder'd at; for it is a common thing: But that they should generally, in all ages and countries, fall into the belief of a thing, upon which fo much of their practical conduct depends, and that there should never, in any age or countrey, have been any probability of fact or reafon to induce them to it, is a thing that can hardly be reconciled with common sense to suppofe. yet Now that, in all ages and countries, there has been, time out of mind, a common perfuafion, that God did communicate his will to mankind, in some way or other more than the general way of nature, is a thing fo notorious in all antiquity, that I think no one will go about to deny it: And the farther we go backwards towards the most ancient times, still so much the more ftrong and prevailing was that perfuafion. Tully, in his preface to those Treatifes, wherein he endeavours to fet in the best light, not only all that could be said for, but also all that could be said against the feveral forts of Divination or Prophefying which were pretended to among the Heathen; tells us, That it was a conftant and prevailing opinion, derived down from the remoteft antiquity, or first ages of the world, and confirmed by the unanimous fuffrage of all nations, as well those which were moft learned and polite, as those which were moft rude and barbarous; that there was among men fuch a thing as Prophecy, or foreknowledge and prediction of future contingent And he gives it as his opinion, that events. e the. e Vetus opinio eft, jam ufque ab heroicis ducta temporibus, eaque & populi Rom. & omnium gentium firmata confenfu, verfari quandam inter homines divinationem quam Graci parlix appellant, id eft, præfenfionem & fcientiam rerum futurarum, &c. Cic. de Divinat. lib. 1. d' Gentem quidem nullam video neque tam humanam atque doctam, neque tam immanem, tamque barbaram, quæ non fignificari futura, & à quibufdam intelligi prædicique poffe cenfeat. ib. e Atque hæc, ut ego arbitror, veteres rerum magis even, tis moniti quam ratione dofti putaverunt & probaverunt. ib. the ancients came into this perfuafion, not fo much by reafon and argument, as by evidence of fact and experience. That is, they were convinced by the events of Things which had been foretold, that the Divine Being did fometimes communicate the knowledge of things future, which could not otherwise have been naturally known to men. And though the immediate conveyance of this foreknowledge was by them supposed to be made to men by Powers inferior to the Supreme Deity, yet they owned, that ultimately those Powers derived their knowledge of futurity from the Supreme; as appears from that paffage of the Poet.f Qua Phabo Pater Omnipotens, mihi Phœbus And upon this perfuafion they all had recourse to Oracles in difficult cafes, as is fufficiently known to all that have any manner of acquaintance with ancient Hiftory. And that they did not think the mere foretelling of future events was all the Revelation, which ་ they f Virg. Æneid. lib. 3. 251. 8 Upon which Servius has this remark: Simul notandum,Apoll nem, quæ dicit, ab Jove cognofcere. they might expect from God, is evident from hence, That there never yet was any nation but what had some sort of revealed Religion, real or pretended among them, which gave them fome direction about their worship or intercourse with the Heavenly Powersh: And that they generally believed the firft Founders of Kingdoms and Commonwealths, to have received fome kind of Inftruction from the Gods, for the future establishment of their Government and Laws, especially in matters of Religion and Divine Worship. From hence it was that Numa Pompilius, in the fettling of his Laws for the Roman ftate, pretended to have frequent conferences with the Goddefs Egeria, and to receive directions from her: And that Lycurgus, during the time that he was establishing the Lacedæmonian Laws Η Καὶ ὅι γε ἀρχαῖοι τὸ τὰ θεῶν ἐπρέσβόυον μᾶλλον καὶ ἐσέμνεοι· καὶ ταὶ τότε ὁ χρηςηριαζόμθυον ἐν τότε πολύς, &c. Strabo, lib. 16. p. 762. *Deorum metum injiciendum ratus eft, qui cum defcendere ad animos fine aliquo commento miraculi non poffet, fimulat fibi cum Dea Egeria congreffus nocturnos effe,' ejus fe monitu, quæ acceptiffima Diis effent, facra inftituere." Liv. lib 1. cap. 19. * Τὰ δ' ὅμοια ἐποίει καὶ Λυκέργο ὁ ζηλωτὴς αὐτῷ (fc. Minois) πυκνά γδ ὡς ἔοικεν επιδημῶν, ἐπυνθάνετο ο τ πυθίας ἃ προσής ket Dalyénder toïs Aanedaspovíois. Strabo, lib. xvi. p. 762. Leges |