You fee then, by the inftances above given, that these several objections, which have at different times been made to our holy faith, are what ought not to stagger the faith of any Christian, nor even to lead him into any doubts and fcruples. Still the foundation and the fu-perftucture ftand firm: ftill the doctrine which was once delivered to the faints, and which is the fame in fubftance with what we believe, is a truth, the profession of which we ought to bold faft.

We Christians walk in religious matters by faith not by fight, because spiritual things are removed from us by distance of place, and the miracles wrought by Christ and his apostles are removed from our view by distance of time. We do not therefore pretend, that all the points of our religion have strict demonstration and infallible proof now-a-days on their fide, nor perhaps the fame full proof as our senses would give us of things: but, when all things are weighed together, we find, that the great truths of Christianity, though not perhaps quite free from every fort of objection, have infinitely clearer and stronger evidence in their a Jude, ver. 3.

favour,

favour, than the
than the arguments have, which are
brought against them in favour of infidelity.
From hence we reasonably conclude, that the
truth lies on the fide of our belief, and that
the objections made to it, proceed from igno-
rance, or prejudice, or from fuch motives as
men for the fake of their credit will always be
induftrious to conceal.

Chriftianity has now prevailed over a great
part of the world for feventeen hundred years:
every age has given teftimony to it by recei-
ving it; and fince the art of printing has been
invented, and in confequence of that, learning
has been improved among us, more has been
faid and written in its behalf, than (as we may
judge by what is extant) was in the power of
most of the former ages to produce. Let us
therefore ever embrace and hold fast this com-
fortable revelation; and not encourage, much
lefs affift fuch as are fond to miflead the un-
wary and pervert the weak. It is fo defirable
a doctrine; it gives us fuch just notions of God
and his nature, places our duty in fo clear a
light and upon
fuch folid foundations, fuggefts
fuch powerful motives to obedience, by disco-
vering fully a future ftate, and by promising

the divine affistance towards the discharge of all our duties; and above all fo plainly fhews us, upon what terms our fins will be forgiven, that a wife man would not long doubt, whether he should run the hazard of mistaking in company with the apoftles, the faints, the martyrs, and the learned of all ages, or whether he should truft his foul with fuch as declaim against all these, and would fend him back again to natural religion, from whence God in his goodness was pleased to call us through his Son Jefus Chrift.

SERMON XVII.

ST. JOHN, vii. 17.

any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I Speak of myself.

HE occafion of thefe words was this:

THE

Our bleffed Saviour being come up from Galilee, his chief refidence, to be pre fent in Jerufalem at the feast of tabernacles, we are told, that about the middle of this feast, which lafted feven days, he went up into the temple and taught there, and that the Jews who were present admired the wisdom with which he spake, faying, How knoweth this man letters, having never learned? Thofe, who afked this question, feem to have had fome acquaintance with our Lord's parentage and education; for we find them profeffing to know whence he was, namely, of what

a John vii. 14, 15.

b Ibid. ver. 27.

a

parents