And  laftly,  Forafmuch  as  they  kept  a  folemn  day  to  celebrate  the  me-
mory of  the  world's  nativity,  on  which  feventh  day  their  parents  re-
peated to  them  no  lefs  than  two  and  fifty  times  a  year  the  fame  thing,
informing  them  of  the  manner  of  their  formation;  it  is  impoffible  to
fuppofe  that  they  fhould  let  thefe  things  pafs  without  making  any  re-
flexion on  the  truth  of  them,  and  the  rather  becaufe  we  cannot  rationally
conceive  that  they  fhould  have  been  ferious  in  any  duties  of  religion,
without  having  fir  ft  examined  the  truth  of  the  creation,  and  of  the  pro-
mife  of  a  Redeemer,  which  are  the  true  grounds  of  all  religious  acts
whatsoever.
CHAP.        XI.
That  the  Children  of  Adam  were  oclually  convinced  of  the  Truth  of
the  Creation^  and  the  Promife  of  the  Messiah.
I  SUPPOSE  it  is  fufficicntly  evident  that  the  immediate  pofterity
of  'Adam  could  eafilv  be  allured  of  the  manner  how  their  parents  had
been  produced,  from  whom  they  derived  their  beings.  They  could  like-
wife  be  fully  fatisfied  about  the  truth  of  their  fin,  and  the  promife  God
had  made  them,  Thai  one  of  their  pojierity  Jhould  dejiroy  the  enemy  of  man-
kind.
My  bufinefs  therefore  next,  is  to  fhew  that  they  were  actually  af-
furcd  of  the  truth  of  thefe  matters  :  this  will  appear,  if  we  confider  two
things.
The  firft  is,  that  as  thefe  matters  were  the  chief  objects  of  their  medi-
tation, becaufe  of  their  extraordinary  importance,  fo  it  is  evident  that
they  adted  as  perfons  fully  fatisfied  of  the  truth  of  them.
