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POSTILLA,

Relative to true religion---the clergy---and their antagonists.

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T page 498, of my Postscript, I told you what I thought of the clergy, as I did before in a short note, at the beginning of my letter; letter; and in the conclufion of the Poftfcript, I gave you my opinion of true religion. There are feveral paffages likewife in my letter in favor of revelation, and nothing written, as I remember, that can be con→ ftrued, with equity, into the fervice of infidelity. This ought to be fufficient to justify me as to my chriftianity. It will do with the reasonable. But as it is my misfortune to have enemies, who blacken me without mercy, and without juftice; and that even fome orthodox friends, whom I honor for their worth and abilities, are pleased to think the late Dr. Morgan made me an almoft-chriftian, if he did not convert me to his own confeffion of faith; and of confequence, I fuppofe, that my declarations for

revelation

revelation are affected; a difguife affumed, the better to deftroy while we exalt; as has been faid of others; it is therefore neceffary, in regard to truth, and to myself, to proceed a little farther, and offer a few things more upon this fubject. They may be serviceable and pleafing to you. They may perhaps be of ufe to a difcreet and temperate piety.

That I am no friend to that religion which by artifice and ignorance, or by imposture working upon enthusiasm and fuperftition, has been made the most difputable, doubtful, unintelligible thing in the world, may be afferted from my daily converfation, as well as from feveral paffages in my letter to you; and I do here farther confefs, that I defpife the fyftems of the generality of divines, and have very little regard for the men, on account of their bigotry, ambition, and selfishnefs: Their religious imaginations are an abomination to me. Their lordship and dominion over mens confciences, bodies or eftates, do not belong, I affirm, to the minifters of Chrift.

But notwithstanding this, it is most certain, that I am too fenfible of the advantages which Chriftians enjoy by the gospel revelation to be an enemy to the religion of Jefus. I am fatisfyed, that the whole fyftem of divine truths, contained in the facred letters, have a much greater tendency than mere reafon can have, to enlarge the mind,

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to purify the heart, to exalt the affections,, and to establish the liberty of the will. While nature gives but obfcure notices, the gofpel vouchfafes a perfect knowledge. The inspired writings afford the fulleft inftruction; and what is more, they allure. The life of Chrift irresistibly enforces his pure and heavenly commands, when the mind dwells on the contemplation of it. In the doctrines of the gospel we have a finished picture of virtue. In the life of the chriftian legislator, virtue breaths and moves. It is from the fufferings and death of the Mediator we learn that God has the utmost hatred and abhorrence of fin; and that, if we will live at an irreconcileable diftance from it, the blessedness to come will be the highest poffible; an immortality of foul and body without change or period, and the greatest perfection of felicity in both (a) Revelation only can make us pofitive these things are Jo. Reason, I grant, cannot lead us fo far.

(a) Archbishop Potter, whom I mentioned a while ago, has a fine fentiment in his 4th sermon, relating to the endless blifs of the juft made perfect "Our happiness will be as lafting as our nature, and there endure to all eternity. O! vaft, incomprehenfible eternity how doft thou at once fill us with pleasure and amazement! How are we loft in this contemplation, that when millions and millions of ages have been paft in the full enjoyment of perfect happiness, infinite millions fhall ftill fucceed, and the last period of our happiness be always as far diftant as at the beginning.”

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In the next place, as the ftruggle is great between reafon and inclination, and the dif ficulties numerous in the afcent to virtue and glory, I farther think, that we cannot too much prize that communicated almighty Jpirit which the gospel promises to those who afk it; to enlighten, fanctify, and comfort them. Thefe are really and truly my notions of christian religion, however I may be misrepresented in the article. If I deteft the artificial chriftianity of a modern apostacy, yet the eternal adoption, a union with Chrift, and a participation of his life, are things ineftimable in my conception. And as to the clergy, I again declare, that notwithstanding I think the pontifician theologers in general ought to lose all efteem with the thinking part of mankind; and that fuch orthodox writers of our nation as Bate, Knowles, and Jofeph Edwards, Regis, Randolph, Hodges, and the weak author of Ophiomaches, are a fet of reverend mortals the church would be happily rid of, if they were all translated like Enoch, and an end put to their writing labors, by lodging the zealots in Abraham's bofom; yet I highly honor such chriftian ministers as preach and live the gofpel; fuch minifters of Jefus, as preach and propagate his religion, the true religion of nature, with a few plane, merciful, evangelical additions. Such bleffed men I fhall ever love and admire. To fup

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