noxious to Divine Vengeance, but let us not forget, that Infidelity does So too: And the Event muft be, in Both cafes, the fame, that if thou hast rejected the Word of the Lord, the Lord hath also rejected thee. Heinous is the Sin of Envy, Extortion, Wrath, Hatred, Reviling; Heinous every Sin committed against our Brethren: But furely More Heinous must that Sin be, which is pointed directly against God, and is an Immediate violation of His honour. Let all Thofe confider this, who dare to Impugn the Veracity of God, and with-hold their Affent from what He hath Declared; * for be that believeth not God, hath made him a liar.

Those who will not yield their Affent to any other Truth, but what they can, by the power of Reafont, form Full notions of, and entirely Account for, are Abfolutely Deftitute of Faith, and do not Believe at all; for the evidence of Faith is altogether Different from that evidence,

1 John. v. 10. Eunom. lib. ii. vol. ii. in Pf. 115. vol. i. pp.

t Vide S. Bafil. M. adv. pp. 64, 65. Edit. Parif. & Homil. 313, 314.

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which arifeth from the Nature of Things: In One cafe we are convinced of a Truth, and yield our Affent to it, because the Nature and Reafons of That truth, are evident to our Apprehenfions concerning it: In the Other, we are Persuaded of a Truth, not because our Apprehenfions and manner of Thinking can entirely reach the Nature and Reafons of it, but because it is fupported by a Testimony, which we can Depend on. Whofoever therefore wants This kind of Perfuafion, is Void of Faith. And if it is not at all implied in Faith, as one of its Conditions, that we fhould Apprehend the Nature, and Manner, and Reafons of Things offer'd to our Belief, how comes the Want of fuch Apprehenfions to be urged in Vindication of Unbelievers? It must be a very Perverse, or, a very Weak way of Reasoning, when we fail of any Duty, to conclude our felves Excufable, because we are under a certain Incapacity, wherein that Duty is not at all concerned.

Such Men as Generally indulge themfelves a liberty of arguing at this rate,

in

in favour of their Infidelity, concerning Mysteries Revealed, do yet profefs to believe the Existence of God, notwithstanding that His Nature and Attributes do exceed the Measure of their Apprehenfion, and are confeffedly Unaccountable. Those mighty Advocates of Human Reafon, in Oppofition to Divine Faith, will not eafily clear themselves of Inconfiftency, whilft one and the fame Plea, which Equally affects Two different cafes, is vehemently Urged by them in one case, and entirely Difavowed in the Other. The want of clear Apprehenfions, concerning the Nature of Mysterious Truths, can be no more an Impediment to the Belief of Thofe Truths, than the want of fuch Apprehenfions, concerning God, is an Impediment to the Belief of a God. Let not Unbelievers therefore any longer Attempt to Shelter themselves under their Incapacity of Apprehending, and Accounting for, the Nature of Divine Truths propofed to them; for such an Apprehenfion is quite out of the Queftion, and Foreign to the purposes of Faith.

But

But, though the Nature and Reasons of the Things to be believed do not fall within our Compafs of Apprehending, and Therefore 'tis not Demanded, or Expected, that we fhould Apprehend them; yet the Reafons and Obligations of Belief it felf are Obvious, and Easy to be Understood. 'Tis implied in our Natural notions of God's Perfection, that he cannot lye; and 'tis evident unto Natural Reason, that Miracles and Prediction are an Abundant proof, that the Holy Scriptures are the Word of God: Infidelity therefore, in the Ultimate Refolution of it, is at once a Violation of God's Honour, and our own Reafon. And hence it follows, that all thofe Unbelievers are under a Plain and Dangerous mistake, who attempt to Skreen themfelves from Blame and Danger, under a notion, that they are not Capable of Believing; that all men cannot Think alike; and that 'tis no more in their Power, to be of one Judgment and Opinion, than of one Size and Complexion.

Thus do they Delude themselves, and confirm one another in the Delufion,

not

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not confidering, That God does as plainly Require the Submiffion of our Underfandings, as of our Wills and Affections, to the Word of Truth: That 'tis not incumbent upon us, to determine the Nature of any Mystery; for then the State of it must needs rife Differently upon Several mens minds, from their Different and Imperfect ways of Thinking: That we are not to Debate, whether the Laws of Faith are Juftly Affigned by God, and whether the Things which he Commands us to Believe are Proper for us to Believe; for whofoever takes upon him to do this, Judgeth the Law, but if thou Judge the Law, thou art not a Doer of the Law, but a Judge: That 'tis not our Business, to give in our Opinions, concerning the Objects of Faith, but our Affent unto them: That to declare it Inconfiftent with our Faculties, to Believe, is, to offer unto the All-seeing God, a Groundless and Audacious Pretence: That God, who Revealed the Scriptures, needed not, that any fhould teftify of man; for he knew what was in man: That he who beftow'd our Faculties upon us, and

Knows