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SER. VII. the Pagan, or any other falfe Religion, could have stood their Ground; if Reafon had had as fair Play against them, as it has had against Christianity; if the whole Artillery of reafoning Malice, refolved to leave no Stone unturned, and to find or make Objections at any Rate, had been, for many Ages, difcharged against them? Falfhood cannot long bear the Shock of an unrestrained, determined, and powerful Oppofition; and Truth itself must greatly fuffer, by having all the Weapons of Ridicule and Sophiftry employed against it, in the Opinion of (a confiderable Number) the half-thinking, injudicious, and inattentive. And if all the Load of Objections and Difficulties induftriously raised, like fo many Weights tied about a Body, cannot fink Christianity; it must be upheld and fupported by that Energy of Truth, which is ftronger than all Things, and will prevail.

If there were one decifive unanswerable Argument against Chriftianity, which wounded it in it's Vitals; it would be unaccountable, why difinterefted Men, of diftinguished Penetration, great Mafters of

Reason,

Reason, who had thoroughly weighed and SER. VII. understood the Nature of Evidence, fhould have inviolably adhered to it, and profeffed their Belief of it to the last, and more at laft than ever. But it is not at all unaccountable, why fome few inquifitive Men, notwithstanding the decifive Arguments for it, fhould have difbelieved it, or at least endeavoured to difbelieve it. Because Men of very good Understandings may have criminal, and over violent Attachments, to the Things of this World: And very flender and precarious Reafonings will go a great Way, when Men have a strong Intereft, and therefore a ftrong Inclination, to be Difbelievers: But the Things concerning Religion relate chiefly to another World, are diftant, and out of Sight: And Men have seldom, if ever, so strong a Biafs that Way, as not to allow Reason a fair Hearing.

Many are the Devices of a Man's Heart, but the Counsel of the Lord, that fall ftand. Many have been the Devices of Men's Hearts and Heads against Christianity; From it's Youth up have they fought against it But it is the Counsel of the Lord, and therefore

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SER. VII therefore has hitherto ftood, and will maintain it's Ground.

Witness

But to what, you will fay, is the Growth of Infidelity owing? Is it not to this, that the Age is more inquifitive and difcerning, and confequently less credulous? Alas! The Spring of Credulity is not dried up; it only flows in another Channel. many Impofitions upon the Public: Witnefs thofe Schemes, which, within our Memories, have impoverished, if not ruined, several Families. Thofe, who will not confult the immortal Welfare of their Souls, who will not be Adventurers for another better World, upon the fure Bottom of the Word of God, how ftrongly foever attefted; yet will truft their Perfons in the Hands of an illiterate Pretender to Phyfic. If Men be more fcrupulous of Affent in religious Matters, tco liable to Fraud and Impofition in others; the Reafon, I fuppofe, may, without much Difficulty, be affigned: It is not that we are lefs credulous; we are only more vicious. Credulity is ftill the fame: The Objects, on which it is placed; are only changed and diverfified. And though implicit Belief might be the Fault of former Ages, when Popery prevailed; implicit

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implicit Difbelief is the reigning Folly ofSER. VII. the prefent. There is the fame Quantity of Folly 'ftill, just as there is of Matter ; and, like Matter, it admits of different Modifications, and appears in Variety of Forms. There is no furer Way of judging, of the Sense and Difcernment of an Age, than by obferving the public Entertainments, which are most in Vogue. And, if fo, then let it be observed, that Chriftianity decayed, in an Age and Nation when and where Taste and Senfe were at the lowest Ebb; where every rational Entertainment was difcouraged; and low fantastic Performances, without the leaft Tincture. of just-Thinking, Morality, and Wit, ufurped the Room of them.

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The Cause of Infidelity is obvious: It is Luxury, which, wherever it got Footing, never failed to erase all religious Impreffions. Thus it was in Greece; thus in Rome of old, when the fenfeless Syftem of Epicurus was patronized by Men of much greater and more eminent Abilities, than Any, that now efpouse Infidelity. Thus it was even in Judaa itself, when the Sect of the Sadducees prevailed. It may be thought, that the great Number of bad and poisonous

Books,

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SER VIL Books, has occafioned the great Looseness and Depravation of the Age: But the Truth is, the Loofenefs and Depravation of the Age, to which bad Writers will always accommodate themselves to give a current Value to thofe Works, which want an intrinfic one, has occafioned the Number of poisonous Writings: Not to mention, that they are generally very defpicable Authors, almost all, except one, whom one is forry to fee in fuch bad Company; one, who whatever fine Talents he had, was never remarkable for close and folid Reasoning. Those are the most determined Enemies to ChriKianity and indeed to all Religion, whose Thoughts, run in one black Channel, faberly bad. The Generality of Unbelievers are Men, who have too enlarged a Converfation, too much Vivacity and Quickness to reft in Generals; and too little Leifure, Capacity and Application to enter fully into Particulars, and examine Things thoroughIy. Hypocrify feems to be transferred from revealed Religion to natural, from Piety to Morality Morality and Benevolence make a fine, and fplendid Appearance in the Writings and Converfation of the Deists, but feem to have little or no Influence up

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