grounds. However, you say, it makes your disputes endless, and they go away with noise and clamour; and a boast, that there is nothing, at least nothing certain, to be said on the Christian side. Therefore, you are desirous to find some one topic of reason, which should demonstrate the truth of the Christian religion; and, at the same time, distinguish it from the impostures of Mahomet, and the old Pagan world; that our Deists may be brought to this test, and be either obliged to renounce their reason, and the common reason of mankind, or to submit to the clear proof, from reason, of the Christian religion which must be such a proof, as no imposture can pretend to, otherwise it cannot prove the Christian religion not to be an imposture. And whether such a proof, one single proof, (to avoid confusion) is not to be found out, you desire to know from me ?

And you say, that you cannot imagine but there must be such a proof; because every truth is in itself clear, and one. And therefore, that

one reason for it, if it be the true reason, must be sufficient; and if sufficient, it is better than many; for multiplicity confounds, especially to weak judgments.

Sir, you have imposed a hard task upon me; I wish I could perform it. For, though every truth is one; yet our sight is so feeble, that we cannot (always) come to it directly, but by many inferences, and laying of things together.

But I think, that, in the case before us, there is such a proof as you require; and I will set it down as short and as plain as I can.

II. First, then, I suppose, that the truth of the doctrine of Christ, will be sufficietly evinced, if the matters of fact, which are recorded of him in the gospels, be true for his miraeles, if true, do vouch the truth of what he delivered.

If he

The same is to be said as to Moses. brought the children of Israel through the Red Sea, in that miraculous manner which is related in Exodus, and did such other wonderful things,. as there told of him; it must necessarily follow,. that he was sent from God: these being the strongest proofs we can desire; and which every Deist will confess he would acquiesce in, if he saw them with his eyes. Therefore, the stress of this cause, will depend upon the proof of these matters of fact..

1. And the method I will take, is, First, To lay down such rules, as to the truth of matters of fact in general, that where they all meet, such matters of fact cannot be false. And then, Se-. condly, To shew, that all these rules do meet in the matters of fact of Moses, and of Christ : and that they do not meet in the matters of fact. of Mahomet, of the Heathen deities, or can possibly meet in any imposture whatever.

2. The rules are these.

I. That the matter of fact be such, as that: men's outward senses, their eyes, and ears; may be judges of it.

II. That it be done publicly, in the face of the world.

III. That not only public monuments be kept

up in memory of it, but some outward actions be performed.

IV. That such monuments, and such actions, or observances, be instituted, and do commence, from the time that the matter of fact was done.

3. The two first rules, make it impossible for any such matter of fact to be imposed upon men, at the time when such matter of fact was said to be done; because, every man's eyes and senses would contradict it. For example; Suppose any man should pretend, that yesterday, he di, vided the Thames, in presence of all the people of London, and carried the whole city, men, women, and children, over to Southwark, on dry land; the waters standing like walls, on both sides: I say, it is morally impossible, that he could persuade the people of London, that this was true, when every man, woman, and child, could contradict him, and say, That this was a notorious falsehood; for that they had not seen the Thames so divided, or had gone over on dry land. Therefore, I take it for granted, (and, I suppose, with the allowance of all the Deists in the world) that no such imposition could be put upon men, at the time when such public matter of fact was said to be done.

4. Therefore, it only remains, that such matter of fact might be invented some time after, when the men of that generation wherein the thing was said to be done, are all past and gone; and the credulity of after ages, might be imposed upon, to believe that things were done in former ages, which were not.

And for this, the two last rules secure us, as the two first rules in the former case: for, whenever such a matter of fact came to be invented; if not only monuments were said to remain of it, but likewise, that public actions and observances were constantly used, ever since the matter of fact was said to be done; the deceit must be detected, by no such monuments appearing; and, by the experience of every man, woman, and child, who must know that no such actions, or observances, were ever used by them. For example-Suppose I should now invent a story of such a thing done a thouand years ago; I might, perhaps, get some to believe it: but if I say, that not only such a thing was done, but that, from that day to this, every man, at the age of twelve years, had a joint of his little finger cut off; and that every man in this nation, did want a joint of such a finger; and that this institution was said to be part of the matter of fact done so many years ago, and vouched as a proof and confirmation of it, and as having descended, without interruption, and been constantly practised, in memory of such -matter of fact, all along from the time that such matter of fact was done; I say, it is impossible I should be believed in such a case; because every one could contradict me, as to the mark of cutting off a joint of the finger; and that being part of my original matter of fact, must demonstrate the whole to be false.

III. Let us now come to the second pointto shew, that the matters of fact of Moses, and of Christ, have all these rules or marks before

mentioned; and that neither the matter of fact of Mahomet, or what is reported of the Heathen deities, have the like; and that no imposture can have them all.

1. As to Moses; I suppose it will be allowed me, that he could not have persuaded 600,000 men, that he had brought them up out of Egypt, through the Red Sea; fed them forty years, without bread, by miraculous manna; and the other matters of fact recorded in his books; if they had not been true; because every man's senses, that were then alive, must have contradicted it: and, therefore, he must have imposed upon all their senses, if he could have made them believe it, when it was false, and no such things done. So that here are the first and second of the above-mentioned four marks.

For the same reason, it was equally impossible for him to have made them receive his five books as truth, and not to have rejected them, as a manifest imposture, which told of all these things as done before their eyes, if they had not been so done. See how positively he speaks to them, Deut. xi. 28. "And know ye this day for I speak not with your children, which have not known, and which have not seen the chastisement of the Lord your God, his greatness, his mighty hand, and his stretchedout arm; and his miracles, and his acts, which de did in the midst of Egypt, unto Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, and unto all his land; and what he did unto the army of Egypt, unto their horses, and to their chariots; how he made the water of the Red Sea to overflow them as