True Deifm, the Bafis of Chriftianity:

OR,

OBSERVATIONS on Mr. Thomas Chubb's Pofthumous-works.

Which fhew,

1. How far the evidence of Mr. Chubb's Chriftianity seems to arife from his last writings.

AND

II. Some of the blemishes and errors of those his writings, are pointed out.

To which is prefixed,

An ESSAY to demonftrate the truth and certainty of a particular providence.

By CALEB FLEMING.

LONDON, Printed for the AUTHOR;

Sold by J. NooN, at the White Hart in the Poultry, J. ROBINSON, at the Golden Lion in Ludgate-ftreet, and R. WILLOCK, in the Royal Exchange. 1749.

AN

EPISTLE DEDICATORY

To the CHURCH OF PROTESTANT DISSENTERS, who meet in BartholomewClofe; and to my other worthy Friends, in, and about London, the following Sheets are humbly inscribed.

T

HIS DEDICATION is intended to exprefs the grateful fenfe which I have of your friendfhip.

A Treatife which exhibits the Ideas I have been able to form of the Chriftian Scheme, in a fomewhat extenfive view; I thought would appear with Some propriety thus prefaced with the public teftimony of my esteem and veneration of you.

The countenance you give a proteftant-diffent, is from a conviction of its being the cause of TRUTH and LIBERTY. Which conviction is rational; fince fuch diffent imports," that you own no other "Law-giver or King in the Church of God, befides

Jefus Chrift: or as it is an open denial of pow"er or authority being vested in any man, or body "of men on earth, to make and to enjoin rites of "Christian worship, and terms of Christian fellow" ship. And because one may fafely predict the lofs of liberty, in Britain, to be the certain confe

*"

See the Diffenting Gentleman's three Letters to Mr. White.

quence of an univerfal conformity to a civil eftablishment of religion. It is, it has been the cafe every where, all the world over.

And yet, many invidious reflections are caft on the whole body of protestant-diffenters; as if they were all Enthufiafts, Schifmatics, Heretics, yea, Fanatics!

Accufations, much more easily brought, than fupported. For bow will the charge of Enthusiasm have place, where the Scriptures are acknowle ged to be the fole rule of faith and practice; 'and reafon confeffed to be the fole judge of that rule?or, can thofe men be justly reputed Schifmatics, who are of peaceable and charitable difpofitions; and whofe feparation from the Established Church, is upon the very fame principle, on which the reformation from popery had its exiftence?—or can men be guilty of Herefy, who are not immoral?and with a very ill grace does the Bigot call you Fanatics, who, in your religious profeffion, own but one Lord; and who are not fettered with fubfcriptions to any human creeds, or chained down to the obfervance of human rites and ceremonies.

The genuine principles of a confiftent non-confor mity, are truth and liberty; however weakly or wickedly many proteftant diffenters may have mif taken or perverted them.

To the abfurd tenets, and inconfiftent conduct of fuch, I am inclined to attribute the growth of Infidelity, or that difguft which fome have taken of the Chriftian profeffion.

Not that the unbeliever is hereby excufed. For upon a thorough examination he would have known,

that