gion, and working new Miracles for the conviction of each particular perfon that might be fup

in many other Truths of confequence in common Life, wherein the common People notwithstanding go on very well by the ufe of their natural Faculties, be they ever fo weak, or how ftrongly foever befet with Doubts and Difficulties.

His other Arguments against admitting Reafon in religi ous Matters, from fome particular Inftitutions, and the general Practice of the World; are no better founded. That Children are introduced into the Chriftian Church by Baptifm [which our Author feems to argue for, and goes perhaps a little farther than he will be able to juftify, when he afferts that to be the Ordinance of God himself] and that they have early prepoffeffions in favour of Chriftianity, [whereof he fhews the great ufe and neceffity, and wherein we most heartily join with him] does this render their Religion the lefs reasonable to them, when they are capable of reafoning about it? Or are they strictly under any other Obligation, when they come to age, of taking it upon themselves, than what arifes from their Conviction of the Reasonableness and Wifdom of fo doing, from their then being fatisfied of its Truth and Divine Authority; and what they otherwife would have been under, when thus much ever should come to their knowledge? Surely, their being made to understand the Chriftian Religion first, by no means hinders their giving it a fair examination afterwards; fo foon and so far as they become qualified for fuch Examination. Nay, if they understand it thoro'ly, they will find that it requires examination from all its Profeffors in fome degree or other; as appears fufficiently from thofe few Texts above. It does indeed infift upon a right Belief, and a conformable Practice, in all Perfons to whom it has been fairly propofed: And where's the wonder? Does any Lawgiver proclaim those exceptions to the general obligation of his Laws, which accidentally arife from the fole Incapacity of the Subject; and which common fenfe is always ready to fuggeft, and willing to allow for, without the leaft diminution of their Ufe and Obligation? Or would it be any derogation from their Excellence and Authority; or any excufe for our not labouring to understand thefe Laws, that all men did not reason right about them.?

Nor does our being to apply by Prayer for the continuing fedfaft in the Faith, fhew the Defign of God that Reafon fhould

pos'd to want it; fince these repeated Publications, when grown common, would in all probability

not be at all employed on these occafions; p.11. any more than his working in us both to will and do, and our being taught to afk this of him, proves that we have no occafion to endeavour to work out our own Salvation. We do not pretend that Reafon is itself fufficient either to discover all that may be of benefit in Religion, or engage us to obferve and act up to what it is really able to difcover; and therefore there is room enough for our foliciting the Grace of God, as well to ftrengthen and fupport this very Faculty, as to bring others into due fubjection to it 3- - to lead us into the Truth; --to make us love and feek it: to guard against every deviation from it and enable us to refift the numberless Temp tations to Vice, Ignorance, and a criminal Unbelief.

Nor laftly, would the Difficulties and Difcouragements which human Reafon is too frequently laid under by the practice of the World, were that in truth fo bad at present as this Author reprefents, wholly deftroy its Influence in the point before us; or prove any thing more than that its Province is too much invaded by thofe, be they Parents, Tutors, or Magiftrates, who either wilfully or unwarily impose these Difficulties; and who alone are answerable for giving any handle for fuch a Plea as he has grounded on them. If the two former conftantly betray its Caufe, by narrowing the Minds of Youth, and fhutting up the Avenues of Knowledge; if they do not teach them carefully the Art of Reasoning, and lead them to a fair free ufe of Reafon on every Subject within their sphere, and worthy their Enquiry; or if the laft intrench upon its Rights by interpofing their Authority in the grand affair of Divine Worship, beyond barely keeping up the established Form, and tolerating others; If this were indeed the Cafe now, as I hope and truft it is not ; this Author, I conceive, fhould have fhewn thefe Proceedings to be warrantable, e'er he went on in earneft to draw fuch a Confequence, as that the whole Subject is abfolutely out of Reafon's Jurifdiction. A Confequence which can tend only to revive Celfus's Calumny against the Chriftian Caufe, Με ἐξελαζε, άλλα πίςευσον; and recommend the no lefs abfurd, modern Maxim, that Ignorance is the Mother of Devotion it renders all that Scripture, which was given by InYpiration, a dead, ufclefs Letter; and reprefents that other Candle of the Lord as a falic Light and dangerous; and fuch

as

be as little minded as the conftant preaching of it is as prefent. Such a continual series of Miracles

as, by this Writer's Motto, is infinuated to be a Curfe upon us, rather than a Bleffing. This Notion indeed he has kept to all along, whether feriously or otherwife he knows beft; and concludes fuitably enough to it with this piece of Advice to his young Academick, that he content himfelf with being as rational a Chriftian as his Sifter, or Mother. p.114.

As to the Inconfiftencies which this fhrewd Writer labours to fix upon that excellent Inftitution the Boylean Lecture, and thofe worthy perfons who have with fo much fuccefs accomplish'd its Defign, I need only appeal to Dr. Ibbot, who, I think, ftands abfolutely clear of his Exceptions; and has as fully anfwer'd the End of its great and good Founder, as he has obviated this Author's whole Performance. Of which I fhall only obferve farther, that it feems to be in a great meafure borrow'd from Bayle's Explanation concerning the Manichees, at the end of his Dictionary. The fame Scheme which has been advanced by the Writers above mentioned, is after all the clearest Answers given, again repeated in a Letter to Mr. Whiston, 1750, and as it fhould feem, by the fame Author; but in fo wild and incoherent a way that I must own I can make nothing of it; and therefore till he shall be fo ingenuous as to declare whether he proceeds upon the foot of Atheism, Deifm, or Manicheeifm, it would but be loft labour to attempt any farther Confutation. I fhall only add a few Sentences out of him and let the Reader judge what Spirit he is of. There can be no Objec tion to an eternal Truth, but what is imaginary; if there can be no Objection against it but what is imaginary, there can be no argument for it, but what is the fame. - Neither therefore is the Creation, being material, corruptible, &c. any proof of the Being of a God; neither the New Teftament, of the truth of Chriftianity, fince, they are both truths of yesterday, and as fuch can never be Argu • ments for eternal Truths.' p. 52. 53. And if the Mate

riality, Corruptibility, &c. of this prefent Scene of things could not immediately arife from a good and perfect Being, they muft from fomething which is in oppofition to him. p. 54. So that, if the Being of a God, and the Truth of Chriftianity are eternal Truths, then, by re'commending them to the affent of our Reason, we change their nature; by this means, as far as we are able, hindering their efficacy upon our Confciences. p. 55.

B4

would

would in time be no Miracles at all, they must lofe all their force together with their Surprise and Novelty; nor could they leave any more lively, or more lafting impreffions on us, than such as may be kept up by thofe ftanding Records, and vifible Memorials, which now evidence to us the Truth of Christianity. Not to mention that both of the foregoing Schemes would in some measure put it out of the power even of God himself to bring about a Reformation in Religion, when it was once corrupted (as it might easily be in both of them) fince thereby the ftrongest and fittest of all means to procure Attention, Awe and Reverence, which we now call fupernatural Interpofition, would foon become familiar, cheap, and ineffectual to that end; as was hinted above.

Besides, what Unity or Uniformity of public Worship; what Decency and Order, could be preferv'd in fuch a State of things? If Men did ever affemble themselves together, (the Reasonablenefs and the Neceffity whereof will be apparent fo long as they are capable of having either their Memories refreshed, or their Affections rais'd by fenfible Objects;fo long as they have either Memory or Senses; i.e. fo long as they continue to be Men) in fuch Affemblies every one of them would have a Pfalm, a Doctrine, a Tongue, a Revelation, an Interpretation; and what could this produce but Tumult, Strife, and univerfal Confufion? This furely is not fo reafonable a Service, nor fo fit for Edification, as the prefent; not quite fo proper a Method to convey and preferve a Syftem of Divine Truths in the World, as a regular,

regular, fettled Inftruction and Hiftoric Faith, grounded on a standing, written * Revelation, which holds these forth, together with their Proofs, to every one; and offers them to the view and examination of all Ages.

When fome of these things are a little attended to, we may perhaps be convinc'd that either the fame, or as great Objections would lie against any other affignable Method of communicating a Religion to Mankind.

If then neither all Men could be made equally wife and perfect; nor Religion be at once equally communicated to them all, if the present Laws of our Nature are the beft that could be; and as fuch ought to remain inviolate, and we be left to the common Methods of informing ourselves, in natural as well as fupernatural Truths: it will fol low, in the laft place, that Chriftianity could not have been propagated otherwife than in fact it is, namely in a gradual, progreffive, partial manner.

Let it be proclaimed at firft never fo far and wide, yet the reception and continuance of it muft in a great measure, we fee, depend on Mens own Difpofitions, both natural and moral. Some previous, as well as concomitant, Qualifications are requifite to the due exercife, and influence of it, as well in private Men, as public States and Communities: fo that among a People funk in Ignorance or Barbarity; where there is no kind of good Order or Government established; no regular Forms of Education inftituted, and observ'd;

*The advantages of this, above Oral Tradition, may be feen in Tillotson, V.2. Fol. S.73. p. 549. or Le Clerc Harm. 3 Diff. p. 615.

where