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he says, that Faith, confider'd in itself, cannot be a Virtue, because Men can no otherwife believe, than as things appear to them: It may be proper to observe, That this is not always the Case: Men by diligent Enquiry discover mere Appearances from Realities. The Sun appears to go round the Earth, but the direct contrary is believed, because found to be Truth, that the Earth goes round the Sun. Or, if this was the Cafe, the Objection lies equally against all other Truths, and of course against all other Virtues alfo. Suppose the last Act of the Mind is necessary; that perceived Evidence commands and even forces Affent: If This holds in Faith, it holds in all other Knowledge, in all our ways of perceiving Evidence.

There are fome Degrees of Evidence in all Cases which will not fuffer us to doubt any longer; and is it a Fault in our Understandings, that

they

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they are thus formed? Is there nò Virtue, because the Force of fome undeniable Evidence obliges us to confefs it? Allowing the last Act of the Judgment neceffary, yet the interme diate Steps are not fo: We are free in choofing out the particular Truths we contemplate, and must be virtuous, if there is any Virtue, in discovering what is beft and fitteft to be done. And we are more fo in Matters of Faith, than in any other; because, befides the ordinary Exercife of the Understanding in discovering the Evidence, whether the Testimony be divine, or no, there are other Difficulties to be encounter'd. Faith is full of Precepts, which interfere with our carnal Pleafures, we may naturally wish them to be false, and have an Intereft in disbelieving them. To overcome these Renitences, thefe Aversions, to make a faithful, an impartial Enquiry into Matters of Faith, must be fuch an Exercise

Exercife of the Understanding and Will, as is highly virtuous, because agreeable to the Rules of Virtue in all other Cafes.

But whatsoever the Author's Meaning may be in this Propofition, as it ftands in his Book, it has a very ill Tendency to perfuade Men, that their Understandings are under a neceffary Direction, and by this means to prevent all diligent Use of them in enquiring after Truth. It is calculated, as is his whole Book, to withdraw Men from Revelation, and to give themselves up to a fort of Intuitive Knowledge in Morality, which no Man ever was, or ever was defign'd to be Master of; upon which Suppofition his own Performance, and indeed all other Men's, would be as great an Impertinence, as he would perfuade us that Revelation is. He is continually afferting, that nothing is, or can be revealed, which is not VOL. I. open

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open to the Understandings of all Mankind, as open as fenfible Objects are to their Senfes. This Pofition is fo monftrous that it expofes itself, and may be confuted by univerfal Experience. For it is certain that Perfons of the meanest Capacity and Education have, and do every Day arrive at greater moral Knowledge and Perfection, than ever any one of the Philofophers of old did, or could attain to: And no one can doubt but that the Author himself owes that very Knowledge to Revelation, which he opposes to it, and by which he would perfuade Men to desert it, and rely only on their own Reason.

We live in an Age, in which Revelation has been attacked with great Art and Subtilty by fome, with great Boldness and Petulancy by others, and with great Unreasonableness by all. Our Corruptions will be always apt to favour the Side that favours them,

unless,

unless, besides the Supports of Reafon, we call in to our Aid all the Affiftances of Faith. Wherefore take unto you the whole Armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil Day- above all taking the Shield of Faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery Darts of the Wicked. Eph. vi. 13, 16.

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