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rowly into the fcripture, for fear of meeting with fomething to shake their preconceived opinions and prejudices; fo is it with all public and national fyftems. As these have been fashioned by human contrivance, they are not, for very obvious reafons, over-fond of too narrow a fcrutiny on the fingle footing of divine revelation; left, as they are formed like the feet of the image in Nebuchadnezzar's dream, which were part of iron, and part of clay; so these being compofed of the heteroge neous mixture of divine wisdom and buman contrivance, a too curious investiga tor fhould, like the STONE there mentioned-fall upon them, and break them to pieces.

1

The Author of the following sheets profeffes himself a Free-thinker; not in the ufual fenfe of that word, as what he has written must abundantly testify, but as an affertor of that right, which every reasonable creature is invested with, to Search, think, and judge for himself. He therefore has endeavoured to lay fome points, which he cannot but esteem of the utmost confequence, before the world, that others may exercise their privilege as the Author hath done his.

As for the abuse which any fubject herein treated may be liable to-What is not abused? What in nature, providence,

or

--

or revelation, has not been abufed and per-. verted to fome vile purpofe or other? The very GOSPEL OF PEACE hath been abufed, to fanctify fraud, violence, oppreffion, and perfecution to juftify maffacres, tortures, murders, even to men's roafting alive their fellow-creatures, and thinking they did GoD fervice! infomuch that, were we to judge of the great HEAD of our holy religion, by the abufe which has been made of His authority, we should invert what He fays, Luke ix. 56. and imagine, that He came not to SAVE men's lives, but to DESTROY them. But what does all this prove? Nothing but the ignorance, perverseness, cruelty, and wickedness of human nature; and that corruptio optimi fit peffima: but it does not prove, that the GOD of heaven, who forefaw and foreknew fuch abufes, fhould not have revealed His mind and will to mortals; nor that any part of that revelation fhould be concealed, fuppreffed, or hidden from the eyes of men, for fear of its being abused. For this may be taken as a certain rule, that no abuse of the scriptures ever yet happened from a real understanding and knowledge of their contents, but from an ignorance, either in ourfelves, or imposed on us by the defign and artifice of others.

The grand question to be tried is, whether a SYSTEM, filled with obligation and

refponfibility

refponfibility of men to women, and of women to men, even unto death itself, and this established by INFINITE WISDOM, is not better calculated to prevent the ruin of the female fex, with all its horrid confequences, both to the public and individuals, than a SYSTEM of human contrivance, where neither obligation nor refponfibility are to be found, either of men to women, or of women to men, in inftances of the most important concern to both, but more especially to the weaker fex?

The whole of the evidence on both fides is faithfully collected, and laid open, without any reserve or disguise, in this book-let every READER look upon himfelf as impannelled on the jury-let him impartially hearken to the cause-and a true verdict give according to the evidence.

THELYP.

THELY PTHORA.

INTRODUCTION.

O call in queftion the truth of long

T received opinions, is a fort of em

ployment which few chufe to be engaged in; not only from the natural indolence and fupineness of the human mind, but from the reception which fuch attempts are likely to meet with from the generality, who are always jealous of whatsoever may seem an attack on principles which have the fanction of antient custom; and from thence, even of laws themselves, for their fupport.

We need but look back to the times

of

*If we carry our researches into the hiftory of the Heathen world, we shall find that it was an eftablished maxim adopted by Plato, and in which all the other philofophers without exception concurred, that "every nation fhould worship the gods according

to the established laws and customs, to which alfo "every private perfon in his own practice ought to "conform." By this artifice of the devil (who is emphatically styled the god of this world, that blinds VOL. I.

B

the

of the Reformation, in order to fee this abundantly verified. Our Reformers no fooner began the falutary work of enquiry after truth, and its infallible confequence, the detection of error, than the whole Chriftian world, fo called, was in arms against them. Councils were fummoned, fynods held, and their fentences were, in fubftance, what that of the " men, brethren, and fathers," of the Jews was against that fuppofed innovator, Paul of Tarfus, when they faid, "Away with fuch a fellow from the earth, for it is not fit that he should live." Acts xxii. 22.

Had not Luther quarrelled with Pope Leo X. and brought himself into dif

the minds of men," 2 Cor. iv. 4.) not only the Heathen world, but a great part of the Chriftian world, hath been enslaved in chains of error and delufion. On the footing of this maxim it was, that when Socrates, who was the wifeft of the philofophers, attempted to awaken his countrymen to a more rational and spiritual sense of divine things than they had been accustomed to, he was accufed at Athens by Anytus and Melitus, that "he did not believe those to be "gods which the city believed, and that he intro"duced other new gods"-for this he was put to death. How many Christians have been put to death on a fimilar principle, let the annals of those declare who are now crying, How long, O LORD, holy and true, doft thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth! Rev. vi. 9, 10.

So Cicero binds it as a duty upon the people "to "follow the religion of their ancestors." Cic. de Leg. lib. ii. c. 8.-ritus familiæ patrumque fervanto.

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