[1] INTRODUCTION то тНЕ WHOLE DESIGN. OME years past a small Treatise was publish'd with this Title, A Letter in anfwer to a Book, entitled, Christianity not myfterious; as alfo to all those who fet up for Reafon and Evidence, in oppofition to Revelation and Myfteries. It plainly appears to have been written in hafte, and with the incorrectness of a youthful and as yet unformed ftile; but the Foundation the Author all along proceeds upon, for the confutation of his Adverfary; and for laying open the fallacy of mens Arguments against Divine Revelation and our Christian Mysteries, drawn from the Topics of ftrict Reason, Certainty, and Evidence feems to be folid and juft; and indeed the only one upon which such a firm and unfhaken Superftructure can be rais'd, as may be Proof against all the Arguments and Objections of Unbelievers. THAT Letter proceeds intirely upon a Diftinction at firft laid down between a Proper and Immediate Idea or Conception of a thing; fuch as we have of the things of this world, which are the proper and immediate Objects of our Senfes and our Reason: and that Idea or Conception which is Mediate only and Improper, fuch as we neceffarily form of the things of another world. It is there afferted as a fure and inconteftable Truth, that we have no immediate immediate proper Idea at all of God, or any of his Attributes as they are in themselves; or of any thing elfe in another world: And confequently, that we are under a neceffity of conceiving all things fupernatural by Analogy; that is, by the Mediation and Subftitution of thofe Ideas we have of our felves, and of all other things of Na ture. THIS Diftinction is there affirmed to be absolutely neceffary for the ascertaining and fettling the Bounds and Measure of our Knowledge; for fhewing the true Limits, and utmoft Extent of human Understanding, that we may clearly and diftinctly apprehend where mere Knowledge ends, and Faith begins: Where it is they meet again,and infeparably combine together for the inlargement of our Understanding vaftly beyond its native sphere; for opening to the Mind a new and immense scene of things otherwife imperceptible; and for a rational well-grounded Affent to fuch Truths concerning them, as are a folid Foundation for all Religion Natural and Revealed. THE nature of this Analogy the Author explains by a fimilitude in this following Paragraph. "AND thus it is plain, that tho' we may be faid to have Ideas of God and "Divine things, yet they are not imme"diate or proper ones, but a fort of Compofition we make up from our Ideas of "worldly B 2 "worldly Objects; which at the utmost amounts to no more than a Type or Figure, by which something in ano"ther world is fignified, of which we "have no more notion than a blind man "hath of Light. And now that I am "fallen into this Similitude,which seems "well to explain the nature of the thing, "let us purfue it a little; and fuppofe, "that to a Man who had never seen or "heard any thing of it, it were to be re"veal'd that there was fuch a thing as "Light. This Man as yet hath neither a Name nor a Notion for it, nor any Capacity of conceiving what it is in "it felf. 'Tis plain therefore God would "not reveal this to him by the name of Light, a word wholly unknown to "him; nor by stamping on his Mind any immediate Idea of the thing it « felf: for then it were utterly impof"fible for him to communicate this Re"velation to others as blind as himself; "fince nothing but the fame Almighty "Impreffion cou'd do that. So that this "Revelation must be made by Words |