principles, which are neceffary to be known, effectually to fupport the intereft of true religion, and the practice of virtue; efpecially if we confider them as wholly taken up with the affairs of the prefent life, educated with ftrong pejudices in favour of fuperftition and error, and trained up from infancy in idolatrous practices, and criminal courfes. In fuch circumstances, what reafon may be capable of doing, I know not. But that it hath not in fact led men to the knowledge of all the neceffary principles and truths of religion, is evident from the hiftory of almost all nations, who have been deftitute of revelation: And therefore to argue against the neceffity of revelation, because poffibly men's own reafon might have been fufficient without it, when in reality they did need it, is to fet up meer fuppofition againft pofitive fact, and to reafon from poffbilities against experience and certainty.

Reason, i. e. men's reasonable powers are unquestionably capable of great improvements, and of making very confiderable difcoveries, with proper affiftance and cultivation. But without fuitable helps and means of information, I apprehend that no man can affirm they would lead him into the knowledge of all the neceffary principles of religion. Cicero, the greatest genius of the age in which he lived, did not owe his fuperior knowledge and wifdom to himself only. He had the writings of Rome and Greece to inftruct and inform him. From thefe he understood the principles of the feveral fects of philofophers that were before him, the arguments with which they confirm'd their respective fentiments, and the objections that were urged by fome against the schemes and principles of others. Upon this foundation it was easy to reafon, and in whatever reípects his fentiments were nobler than others, they were not properly the meer difcoveries of his own mind, but inferences from, or the improvements of the difcoveries and principles of others. And I cannot help thinking, that if any men are now capable of forming to themselves a compleat fcheme of rational religion and morals, they owe it to the discoveries of the Gospel Revelation, tho' they affume the glory of it entirely to their reafon.

Befides, tho' Reafon might poffibly difcover the duties of religion and virtue without any revelation, it cannot in the nature of things certainly discover what the rewards of being religious and virtuous shall be. Reason will indeed inform us, that a being perfectly virtuous, and who conftantly acts agreeably to the reafon and nature of things, without any deviation from it, cannot be finally miserable, but must be in fome measure happy in the divine approbation and acceptance. But of what degree and duration that happiness shall be, depends wholly on the good pleasure of God. Being itfelf is the voluntary gift of the fupreme caufe, and of confequence the continuance of being muft depend on his will who firft gave it. And tho' perfect virtue will always be entitled to a proportionable reward from God, yet that such a being, and the happiness confequent upon his virtue, fhall and must be of an everlafting continuance, can never be proved from the reafon and nature of things, and of confequence the knowledge of it can be derived from nothing but the voluntary discoveries of God

himself.

This I think is plain upon the fuppofition of a being perfectly vir

tuous.

tuous. But if any reafonable beings deviate from the law of their creation, and act contrary to that fitnefs of things which reafon affures them ought to be the rules of their actions; in fuch a cafe reafon will be fo far from giving any pofitive affurances of a reward, that it will rather lead men to the expectations and fears of punishment, there being as natural a connection between vice and punishment, as there is between virtue and a reward. Whether God will pardon, and upon what conditions, whether repentance and a fincere amendment for the future, fhall entitle to happiness, and especially the fame happiness as would have been the reward of perfect virtue, here reafon can never determine. And of confequence, if the certain knowledge of these important articles be in any fenfe neceffary to encourage the repentance and reformation of men, it is in the fame fenfe abfolutely neceffary they fhould have a revelation from God concerning them.

If it be faid, that fuppofing a revelation actually given, fuch revelation can be nothing but à revival of the principles and duties of natural religion, because men's acceptance with God can depend on nothing but their acting agreeable to the law of their reafon and nature: I answer, that if by the principles and duties of natural religion, be meant fuch principles and duties, which when difcovered appear reafonable to the minds of men, it may be allow'd that revelation doth not, and cannot place the happiness and acceptance of men with God, upon any thing that is not reafonable and fit for them to know and do, and of which they cannot in fome measure difcern the reasonableness and fitness; for then one certain mark of the truth of revelation would be plainly wanting, which is its placing the happiness of men upon fuch a foundation as appears reafonable in itself, and therefore worthy of God; becaufe I cannot believe that to be worthy of God, which by reason I cannot in fome measure plainly difcern to be fo.

But if by the principles and duties of natural religion, be meant fuch principles and duties which natural reafon, without any divine revelation, will lead men to the certain knowledge of, then the affertion is evidently falfe, that revelation can contain nothing but the principles and duties of natural religion. Becaufe, as hath been obferved, one great end of revelation is to give men certainty of fuch important principles as natural reason is never able to do.

If we confider men in circumftances of degeneracy, and as having acted contrary to the law of reafon, a revelation meerly to revive the law of nature, would evidently be infufficient for their peace and happinefs. For tho' this would be a direction of their future conduct, it would be no fecurity to them against the punishment due to them for their paft tranfgreffions, which would prove the highest discouragement to their obedience for the time to come. And of confequence à revelation from God, vouchfafed to mankind in fuch circumstances, must contain more than the meer law of nature, viz. the method and conditions of God's extending his forgiveness to his finful creatures; without which it would want one effential mark of its being from God, viz. its fuitableness to the wants and neceffities of mankind.

Befides, if God hath given men a revelation of his will, attended with fufficient evidence and proof, the belief of fuch a revelation is a

mora!

moral duty, and a neceffary inftance of refpect and reverence due to God; it being as reasonable and fit, that I fhould attend to the voice and will of the Supreme Being in external revelation, as that I fhould fubmit to the voice and will of God by reafon or internal revelation.

Upon this foundation depends that command of Jefus Chrift: Ye be lieve in God, believe alfo in me. It is poffible in hypothefis that men may govern their paffions, and act well in fociety, who do not believe the being of a God. But yet to believe that God is, and that he is a rewarder of thofe who feek him, is a principle of natural religion; and, as 1 imagine, neceffary to every man's happiness in the divine acceptance. And by confequence, if it be the will of God that I fhould believe in Chrift, and if there be evidence to convince me of the reasonableness of believing in him; it doth not feem more unreasonable that God fhould require me to believe in Chrift, than it doth that he should require me to believe in himself, in order to my receiving a reward of grace and favour from him; because if the fufficiency of evidence be a reafon for God's requiring belief in any cafe, it is a reason that will hold good in every one without exception.

Befides, if the observance of the religion and law of nature be allow'd to difpofe and prepare men for happiness in the favour of God, and tho revelation cannot fet afide the obligations of the one or other, but is principally defigned to recover men to the knowledge of and a confor mity to the original fitness of things, yet I apprehend that revelation may enforce the practice of them by fuch confiderations, and motives, and fpecial precepts, as have no certain foundation in natural reason and light; . . which men's reafon would never have led them to have thought of, without a divine direction and command.

If the religion of nature be of God's conftitution and appointment, and refults from those relations which he himfelf hath been pleafed to order and fix, I apprehend that fuch pofitive inftitutions which have a direct tendency to eftablish and promote men's regard to and obfervance of it, may be ordained of God, and thereby become obligatory upon men. Because if the law of nature itfelf neceffarily and univerfally obliges mankind, and their happiness depends on the obfervation of it; fuch inftitutions which render the obfervation of it more easy and practicable, however voluntary and pofitive in themfelves, are confiftent with all our notions of the divine perfections, and ought to be fo far from being objections against the truth of any religion that contains them, that they are rather arguments in favour of it, as they are evident proofs of the wife and tender concern of God for the perfection and happinefs of his creatures.

If then the peculiars of the chriftian religion have all of them this tendency, as I apprehend they have, it follows, that God's requiring us to obferve them is a reasonable and fit command, as it is a command refulting from his unerring wifdom, and his gracious regard to our welfare and intereft. And therefore in this refpect internal and external revelation, or the religion of nature and revelation may certainly differ, and the latter command what the former would never difcover or oblige to.

If it be objected against the chriftian revelation, that it is not expli

cite

cite and clear, but that those who search it fall into very different fentiments and opinions as to feveral articles of importance, and that 'tis fcarce to be fuppofed that God fhould be the author of a revelation, which, when given, is incapable of being understood; I have this that gives my mind fatisfaction and eafe: that if there are any intimations of doctrines in fcripture, that fincere perfons who do the will of God, and lay afide all prejudice, and defire to receive the truths of God as far as they can understand them, cannot, after all their endeavour and care, come to the certain knowledge of, the knowledge of fuch doctrines cannot be neceffary to their acceptance and falvation; because Chrift Jefus exprefsly declares, that if any man doth the will of his father, he fhall know of the doctrine whether it be of God or no.

As to thofe doctrines, upon the acknowledgment of which the New Teftament writings do exprefsly make falvation to depend, I find to my very great comfort that they are very plain and intelligible in themselves, fuch as the existence of one God, the refurrection of Chrift from the dead, and there being one mediator between God and man, thro' whom God difpenfes all bleffings to his creatures. Thefe and other truths of like importance are fet in the cleareft light; and if any have obfcured and perplexed them by intricate diftinctions, and philofophical fpeculations, the gospel of Christ gives no fanction to them, and the plain christian hath no concern and business with them.

If it be faid that the chriftian religion hath no better effect upon mankind than the light of nature had, and that therefore it can fcarcely be imagined that God would be the author of fo ineffectual an inftitution; I answer, that I fuppofe it can never be made appear that mankind are now as univerfally in the fame circumftances of ignorance and vice, as they were before the revelation of the gospel.

The knowledge of one God, the univerfal creator and father, doth certainly more univerfally obtain than it did in the times of deep Paganism and Idolatry; the precepts of religion and virtue are more generally understood; and the rewards and punishments of a future life more certain as to their evidence, and more extenfive as to the acknowledgment of them.

And tho' many who profefs to believe these things act contrary to their own principles, yet there have been many in every age, and now are, who, under the influence of this faith, live foberly, righteously and godly in the prefent world.

And as to thofe who do not, 'tis not owing to the infufficiency of the principles and motives of chriftianity, but to the want of confideration and a ferious regard to them, and to thofe powerful habits which they have contracted, and continue to ftrengthen by a wilful and allowed indulgence.

And therefore if the gospel be objected against as infufficient to reform men, and engage them to the love and practice of religion and virtue, it must be because it doth not neceffitate and compel them, and lay an irrefiftible force on the mind to comply with it. Whereas if this were the cafe, it would be an unanswerable objection against it, becaufe this would destroy that freedom and choice of the mind, which is effenVOL. III, tially

Hh

tially neceffary to give virtue itfelf its proper value, and render it capa. ble of a reward from God. And of confequence if the chriftian religion contains every argument and motive that is proper to be laid before and influence reasonable and free creatures, its not always proving effectual is no argument of its infufficiency, nor the leaft fhadow of proof that it is not worthy of and actually from God.

And lastly, if it be objected that it hath been the occafion of fuch confufions, diforders, mifchiefs and calamities in the world, as that it can never be imagined that God would be the author of an inftitution that should be attended with fuch fatal confequences; I anfwer, That genuine christianity hath never been the caufe of any of the distractions and miferies that have afflicted mankind, fince its entrance into the world; tho' that which hath been fubftituted in the room of chriftianity too often hath. Nothing is more vifible and plain, than that the chriftian religion is defigned to calm the paffions, and cure the vices of mankind. And if its principles were but duly attended to, and its precepts heartily fubmitted to, chriftians would maintain the most excellent difpofitions, and lead the most inoffenfive and blameless lives; and this world would be, what I pleafe myfelf the next world fhall be, an habitation of righteoufnefs, peace and joy. The perfection of the chriftian law as to all its moral precepts, and important motives, abun. dantly juftifies the wifdom and goodnefs of God in giving it; and he is no more anfwerable for men's corrupting and abufing it, and refufing to act agreeable to it, than he is for their abufing the bleflings of his common providence.

Upon a fuil view therefore of thefe and other objections, I think they are capable of a fatisfactory anfwer; and as the evidence for the truth and certainty of the Chriftian Religion ftands in full force, I think myfelf bound to receive it as a revelation from God, and to regulate my faith, and hope, and practice by it.

XII. AND that I might not be chargeable with partiality in my regards and attachment to Chriftianity, I have not only carefully examined the credentials it brings to prove its divine original, but I have alfo endeavoured honeftly to compare it with other religions that are in the world, as far as I am capable of understanding and judging concerning them; and this comparifon confirms me in the belief of the chriftian religion, and increafes my efteem and value for it.

Paganifm carries in it innumerable marks of its impiety and falfehood. The number of gods it hath introduced, the fuperftitions it countenances, the impure and barbarous rites it warrants and preferibes, are demonftrative proofs it hath no foundation in the reafon and nature of things, and cannot be the appointment of or agreeable to the will of God, the fupreme unchangeable purity, wifdom and goodness.

As to Mahometanifm, tho' it pretends to the character of a revelation from God, yet it hath all the evident marks of a real imposture. The character of its author appears too fufpected ever to fupport the honour of his being a mellenger from God. His difclaiming miracles to atteft the truth of his minion, is a plain acknowledgment of the

weakness