fophiftical Philofophy, the fashionable folly of the prefent day. To found Philofophy we have no objection; but when a fpurious kind of wisdom, falfely called Philosophy would rob us of our Bible, to which we are all more indebted than we are willing to confess*, we must say of it as CICERO faid of the Twelve Tables:-" Though all should "be offended I will fpeak what I think. Truly the little "book of the Twelve Tables alone, whether we confider the "several chapters, or regard it as the foundation of all our "laws, exceeds the libraries of all the Philofophers, as well in "the weight of its authority, as in the extent of its utility†.”

* Sir RICHARD STEEL fays, "the greatest pleasfures with which the imagination can be entertained are to be found in Sacred Writ, and even the tile of Scripture is more than human." Tailer, No. 233.

We have an account in the Gentleman's Mag for June 1798, of a Mr. HENRY WILLIS, farmer, aged 81, deceased, who had devoted almoft every hour that could be fpared from his labour, during the courfe of fo long a life, to the devout and ferious perufal of the Holy Scriptures. He had read, with the most minute attention, all the books of the Old and New Teftament eight times over; and had proceeded as far as the book of Job in his ninth reading, when his meditations were terminated by death

A ftill more excellent account we have in Miss HANNAH MOORE's Shephed of Salisbury Plain, which is no feigned characters, but a narra tive of real facts, like the above. In a converfation with Mr. JOHNSON, he gives the following pleafing account of himfelf:-" Bleffed be GOD! through his mercy I learnt to read when I was a boy.-I believe there is no day for the last thirty years, that I have not peeped at my Bible. If we can't find time to read a chapter, I defy any man to fay he can't find time to read a verfe; and a fingle text, well followed and put in practice every day, would make no bad figure at the year's end; 365 texts, without the lofs of a moment's time, would make a pretty stock, a little golden treasury, as one may fay, from new year's day to new year's day; and if children were brought up to it, they would come to look for their text, as natural as they do for their breakfast.-I can fay the greatest part of the Bible by heart. I have led but a lonely life, and have often had but little to eat; but my Bible has been meat, drink, and company to me— and when want and trouble have come upon me, I don't know what I fhould have done indeed, if I had not had the promises of this book for my stay and fupport."

Let no man hereafter pretend he cannot find time to read the Sacred Writings. Every perfon has abundant leifure for the purpose. Find but inclination, and you will foon find time.

"Fremant omnes licet, dicam quod fentio: bibliothecas mehercule " omnium philofophorum unus mihi videtur XII. tabularum libellus, fi quis legum footeis, et capita viderit, et auctoritatis pondere, et utilitatis "ubertate fuperare." De Oratore, lib. 1, fect, 195. The

The principles of natural religion are all folid, and founded in the reafon and relation of things. The Gospel of CHRIST is equally folid and rational. It takes in, unites, and confirms every principle of nature, and adds a number of circumstances .fuited to the fallen condition of man. And it calls upon, it invites, it challenges, it commands us to examine its pretenfions with all poffible care, accuracy, and severity.

"Wrong not the Chriftian; think not Reason yours;
""Tis Reafon our great MASTER holds fo dear;
" 'Tis Reajon's injur'd rights his wrath refents;
"Tis Reafon's voice obey'd his glories crown.-
"On Argument alone our faith is built."

If the Gospel had not been agreeable to the most refined principles of human reafon, we fhould never have found the foundest and moft perfect reafoners, that ever appeared upon earth, enlift under its banner*. That it is not univerfally received, is by no means to be afcribed, either to its want of due evidence, or to its being an irrational scheme;

* We may add too, that the most active, useful, and benevolent characters in our own more enlightened day have been the firmeft believers in the writings of the Old and New Teftaments. The late JOHN WESLEY fpent his whole life, time, ftrength, and fortune, in fpreading the knowledge of CHRIST and his Word. The late JOHN HOWARD, Esq. was equally active in advancing the fame caufe, in a way as unprecedented, as it was uleful. He was a firm believer in the Scriptures, and a very ferious and confcientious Chriftian, of the Baptift perfuafion.

BOLLING BROKE, indeed, tells the world, that "the refurrection of "letters was a fatal period: the Chriftian system has been attacked, and "wounded too, very severely fince that time." Page 182. He tells us in another place. "that Chriftianity has been in décay ever fince the "refurrection of letters." Page 185. The late King of Pruffia has the fame fentiment: "HOBBES, COLLINS, SHAFTESBURY, and BOL"LINGBROKE, in England, and their difciples have given religion a mor "tal blow." Hiftory of his Own Times, vol. 1. p. 62.

Thefe two great men are mistaken. They confound pure evangelical religion with fuperftition. The latter we grant, and we glory in the truth, has received a mortal blow; but the former is as unshakeable as the throne of the ETERNAL.

One of the most extraordinary Philofophers of the prefent age was the late DAVID RITTEN HOUSE, of America. Dr. RUSH, of Philadelphia, who is himself an able Philfopher and a determined Chriftian, obferves very justly, when speaking of the decease of the above RITTEN HOUSE,

who

fcheme; but to caufes of a very different nature. If our GOSPEL be hid, it is hid to them that are loft: in whom the god of this world bath blinded the minds of them that believe not, left the light of the glorious GOSPEL of CHRIST Should fhine unto them. This view ought to alarm the fears, and roufe the attention of every man living; but efpecially of Our unbelieving and Sceptical countrymen. Rejection of the truths of religion is always in the Sacred Writings afcribed to a fault in the heart and will, rather than to any defect in the head. Ye WILL not come unto me, that ye may have life.-If any man WILL do his will, be shall know of the doctrine whether it be of GOD, or whether I speak of myfelf.-The wicked SHALL do wickedly, and none of the wicked SHALL underfand, but the wife SHALL understand.-The ways of the LORD are right, and the juft SHALL walk in them but the tranfgreffors SHALL fall therein. Say not then, MY FRIENDS, that you would believe if you could. Deceive not yourselves by alledging want of evidence. Tell us no longer of the abfurdities and contradictions of Scripture. The evidence is ample.* The abfurdities will vanish, the contradictions will ceafe, when once your minds are brought into a humble, teachable, and religious frame; when the veil is taken from your hearts, and the scales

have

who left our world Jan. 26, 1796, that it is no fmall triumph to the "friends of Revelation to obferve, in this age of Infidelity, that our Religion has been admitted, and even defended by men of the most ex"alted understanding, and of the ftrongest refoning powers The fingle teftimony of DAVID RITTEN HOUSE in its favour outweighs the "declamations of whole nations against it."

* "Reafonable Deifts cannot but become Chriftians, where the Gospel "fhines." Thefe feveral paffages of the Sacred Writings account fufficiently well for the Infidelity of our feveral deiftical writers. BOLLINBROKE, VOLTAIRE, GIBBON, PAINE, and most others, of whom I have had any knowledge, feem to have been deftitute of the proper flate of mind for the investigation of religious truth. "From feveral converfa"tions," fays the learned BEATTIE," which it has been my chance to "have with Unbelievers, I have learned, that ignorance of the nature of "our religion, and a difinclination to ftudy both it and its evidence, are to be reckoned among the chief caufes of Infidelity." ALLIX's Reflections upon the books of the Haly Scrptures contain a large number of valuable thoughts, and fhould be read in oppofition to all the flimfy objections of the above Deifts. KETT's Sermons at the Bampton

Lecture

have fallen from your eyes. Deny yourselves, therefore Ceafe to live in fin. Mortify your lufts and paffions. Part with the pride of falfe philofophy. Live in humility, purity, and virtue. Be good moral men, confcientious worshippers of GOD, upon your own principles, fober enquirers after truth, praying for divine direction, and it will not be long before you become Believers in JESUS CHRIST. No moral man can, rationally, wish to reject the Gospel, because it is all purity and goodness, and the most powerful means, with which the world was ever favoured, of making us virtuous and good.

"In his bleft life

"I fee the path; and in his death the price;
"And in his great afcent, the proof fupreme
"Of immortality,"

For, whatever was the cause, it is plain in fact, that human reason, unaffifted, failed mankind in its great and proper business of morality; and, therefore, I repeat again, he that fhall be at the pains of collecting all the moral rules of the ancient Philofophers, and compare them with those contained in the New Testament, will find them to come infinitely fhort of the morality delivered by our SAVIOUR, and taught by his Apostles*. Add to this, that no other religion, which ever was in the world, hath made provifion for pardoning the fins of mankind, and restoring

Us

Lecture fufficiently invalidate the fophiftry of GIBBON. Much fatisfactory light has lately been thrown upon the Plagues of Egypt by the learned JACOB BRYANT. The Old Testament has been more lately defended against the attacks of THOMAS PAINE by DAVID LEVI, a learned Jews with confiderable ability. But of all fingle bocks, none, I think, is equal to the admirable Course of Lectures by the excellent Dr. DoDDRIDGE; a work which no inquifitive Chriftian should be without in his library. The Biographia Britannica afferts, that STILLINGFLEET'S Origines Sacre is "the beft defence of revealed Religion ever written."

"It is bigotry," fays an elegant writer now living, " to believe the fublime truths of the Gospel with full affurance of faith? I glory in fuch bigotry: I would not part with it for a thousand worlds; I congratulate the man who is poffeffed of it; for amidst all the viciffitudes and calamities of the prefent ftate, that man enjoys an inexhauftible fund of confo-. lation, of which it is not in the power of fortune to deprive him."

"There

us to the divine favour, in a way confiftent with the perfections and government of the SUPREME BEING.

You will give thefe reafonings, O MY COUNTRYMEN, the weight you fuppofe they deferve. If you feriously and confcientiously think there is nothing in them worthy of your attention, by all means reject them if any of you are convinced by what is advanced, that you have hitherto been mistaken, in rejecting JESUS CHRIST and his Gofpel; or if you fee ground to fufpect you may be wrong; let no confiderations of fhame induce you to deny your convictions or Jufpicions. Many men have been mistaken as well as you. I myself, you perceive have seen reason to change several opinions, which before I had thought founded in truth. Every perfon, indeed, must naturally and neceffarily at first be a ftranger to the Gospel-redemption. Our efforts, therefore, fhould be made to be become acquainted with it, and to get into the good and right way. If we look back upon the foregoing pages, we fhall fee that feveral of the characters there mentioned had been much led aftray. Through different means, however, they difcovered their error. They acknowledged their fault. They lamented their fin. They laid afide their prepoffeffions, and fought for the truth with all their skill and abilities. They were convinced in their

"There is not a book on earth fo favourable to all the kind, and all the fublime affections, or fo unfriendly to hatred and perfecution, to tyranny, injuftice, and every fort of malevolence, as the Gospel.-It breathes nothing throughout but mercy, benevolence, and peace"

Mr. PAINE reflects upon the Scripture for being deficient in moral precepts. I defy him, however, or any other Deift in the world, to produce from all the ftories of Heathen writings any thing equal or fecond to CHRIST's Sermon on the Mount; to the 12th chapter of Romans, or to the 13th chapter of the ft Corinthians. Let any man fhew us a fyftem of morality equal unto these paffages if he can.-The truth is, Mr. PAINE knows very little of the matter.-And, moreover, what has be to do with morality? be that is fo extremely immoral in his own conduct?-Out of thine own mouth fhalt thou be judged, O thou immoral man*!

See the Life of THOMAS PAINE written by FRANCIS OLDYS, M. A. of the University of Pennsylvania, and that of the fame perfon written by PETER PORCUPINE. From these accounts it appears, that, let Mr. PAINE talk about philofophy and morality as much as he pleafes, he has been, at different periods of his life, a very bad and immoral man, and, io far as appears, continues the fame unto this day.

* Let Mr. PAIN call to mind the ftory of the ten pounds at Dover!