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ftrongly prepoffefs the Mind, and grow up with it, that it is a known Fact, that they are, not without fome Pains and Difficulty, corrected in the After-Stages of Life, when the Mind, if ever, fhould be grown up to its free and inquifitive State. We fee all Ages and Nations, in fome degree or other, following the Errors, the Superftitions of their Forefathers, and content with thofe Notions, whatever they were, which were at firft inftilled into them. And even in those States, where there is an allowed Liberty of debating and expofing each others Opinions and Abfurdities, how feldom is it that Opinions are embraced, or rejected purely according to the Strength of the Arguments that fupport, or confute them: While Intereft, Vanity, Prejudice, have all manifeftly their Weight in keeping up Opinions upon the old Ground. And if Men are fo rarely,

and

and with fo much Difficulty brought off from their Errors, when they are continually follicited by Information, when the Reason of others concurs to affift their own, how is it to be expected that they should alone difengage themselves from these Errors, reform the Superstition of Ages all at once, and become perfect Mafters of all religious and moral Truths?

It is certain, that there have been in all Countries, National Revolutions and Alterations in Religious Cuftoms and Opinions, and that fome few Converts are made in every Age, by the force of Reason, from one Party to another, --- Prizes, and Reprizals; but as to National Revolutions, they are generally to be ascribed to other Reasons, they have often taken place, when a clear demonstrative Discovery of the Truth, by the meer Strength of free and unprejudiced Reason, has had the leaft share in effecting them.

The

The Affertors of the Sufficiency of Human Reason have nothing to alledge in oppofition to all these Facts, and this Experience, but that Mankind in thefe Circumstances have not made a due Use of their Reason; but then to support their Parallel, they fhould fhew us that they have made as undue a Use of their Senfes.

I think it is now evident that these Writers have no just Idea of Human Nature, nor of Virtue, nor of the Demonstrations they talk of with so much Familiarity. They appeal to a Sufficiency in the Clouds, not really existing, and make their own Vanity the Standard to judge all Mankind by. Can we help our being born Infants? or can we, in our paffive State, avoid the Impreffions made on our Minds? Can we intirely prevent that Reverence and Zeal for them, which are bred up with us, and become as it were a Part of us?

Can

Can Zeal and Negligence, Affurance and Doubting, fubfift together in the fame Mind? Can we escape those Employments, which have probably been chofen for us, and by which only we are capable of getting our Subfiftence, and all turn Demonftrators and Philosophers at once? Must not this fuppofe fome Fountain of Light, fome Spring of Power, which we are all conscious to ourselves we are not Masters of? The Idea of Virtue has been hitherto very unlike that of Intuition; it has carried fomething of Difficulty and Labour in it. The Virtue of Seeing or Hearing is a thing, which has not as yet been proposed to the Confideration of the World. As to the Point of Demonftrations, thefe Writers do not feem to be much better acquainted with them; at least they have not yet given us any Thing, that has fo much as the Form and Appearance of one:

Could

Could we be favoured with a Set of thefe Gentlemen's Demonftrations of moral Truths, it would probably furnish out a very curious Entertain

ment.

But after all they have advanced in favour of this new Claim, this absolute Sufficiency of Human Reason, it may poffibly be doubted which fide of the Question they are most defirous to support; whether they are moft ftrenuous in maintaining the Sufficiency or Infufficiency of Human Reason : Both thefe Claims are fuch a Contradiction, as Men, fo capable of producing their strong Reafons, would never fall into. And yet we find the Doctrine of the Sufficiency of Sincerity continually interfpers'd thro' their Writings. Now, no two Doctrines can be more contradictory, or deftructive of each other, than these are: The Doctrine of Sincerity suppofes and implies Infufficiency, that we

are

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