Confufion; in introducing a Language that could be understood; in clothing the clearest Ideas in this plain and Manly Language; and in concluding Nothing, but from fuch Evidence as amounts to Demonftration. And thus it was that the Masterly hand appeared. He began with Self-evident Propofitions. From them He advanced to Such as received their Proof from the Former. In thefe He took no Step till He had fecured the Way before Him. Throughout the Whole, no Word is used, but what is Intelligible to All who are at all versed in such Subjects, and what expreffes the Clear Idea in the Mind of Him who makes use of it: and All is one Regular Building, erected upon an Unmoveable Foundation; and rifing up, from One Stage to another, with equal Strength and Dignity.

HIS Labours fucceded fo well in This Great Attempt, that He was appointed to preach again, the next Year. And here He went on with the fame Method, Clearnefs, and Strength, to deduce from What He had before proved, and to ftrengthen with all proper Arguments, The Evidences of Natural and Reveled

Religion.

Religion. In thefe Difcourfes He laid the Foundations of Morality deep, in the mutual Relations of Things and Perfons, one to Another; in the Unalterable Fitness of fome Actions, and the Unfitness of Others and in the Creator of All things,

Will of the Great

evident from his making Man capable of seeing these Relations, and this Fitnefs; of judging concerning Them; and of acting agreeably to that Judgment. He then proceded to demonftrate the Chriftian Religion to be worthy of God, from the Internal Evidence, taken from the perfect Agreeablenefs of It's Main Defign to the Light of Nature and to All the Moral Obligations of Eternal Reafon; without which Agreeableness, All the Arguments in the World could never conclude in it's favour: And after this, to prove It to be actually recommended to the World by GOD, from All the External Evidence, of Prophecy going before it, and Miraculous Works performed expreffly for the ho-. nour and propagation of it. All which He executed with fuch Mafterly Senfe, and perfpicuity of Expreffion, as recommended both the Preacher and the Subject to

All

All who heard Him. These two Courses of Sermons were foon printed in Two Continued Treatifes: which was thought to be the most usefull Way of publishing them to the World. Several Editions of them have already been printed; in every One of which the Author did not fcruple to make fuch Alterations and Additions, as seemed to Him neceffary either for the preventing any Mistakes, or the farther Clearing up the Important Subjects of Them. I fhall fay nothing farther about Them, but that Every Chritian in this Country, in which They firft faw the Light, ought to esteem Them as His Treafure; as They contain the True Strength not only of Natural, but of Reveled Religion: Which, if ever it be removed from fuch a Foundation; or feparated from fuch an Alliance with Reason and Uncorrupted Nature, will not long subsist in the Belief of Understanding Persons, after such a separation. And therefore, What God hath joined together, let no Man put afunder.

SOON after the preaching of thefe Sermons, Bishop Moore found an Opportunity of bringing Him to Town; and procured

for

for Him, by his Intereft, the Rectory of St Bennet's Paul's-Wharf. Many in that Parifh ftill remember how Inftructive and Acceptable his Preaching was to All in it: And He himself never forgot, but frequently with pleafure recounted, the very particular Civilities He received from the Gentlemen of Doctors Commons, who made the most confiderable Part of his Audience.

ABOUT this time the Learned Mr Dodwell published a very remarkable Discourse ; in which, in order to exalt the Powers and Dignity of the Priesthood, in that One Communion, which He imagined to be the Peculium of GOD, and to which He had joined Himfelf, He endeavoured to prove, with his ufual perplexity of Learning, That the Doctrine of the Soul's Natural Mortality was the True and Original Do&rine; and that Immortality was only at Baptifm conferred upon the Soul, by the Gift of GOD, through the hands of One Sett of regularly-ordained Clergy. The Mischievous Tendency of thefe Doctrines, thus blended together, as it was back'd by the Great Name of the Author in the Learned World, made it more neceffary

that

that an Answer should be given to What might from Another hand perhaps have been received as a Defign'd Banter and Ridicule both upon Natural and Instituted Religion. Mr Clarke was thought the most proper Perfon for this Work. And He did it in fo excellent a Manner, both with regard to the Philofophical part, and to the Opinions of fome of the Primitive Writers, upon Whom thefe Doctrines were fixed; that It gave Univerfal Satisfaction. Nor did He stop here. For, a very Ingenious Gentleman, having laid hold on this favorable opportunity of coming into this Controverfy, as a Second to Mr Dodwell, went much farther into the Philofophy of the Difpute; and indeed feemed to produce All that could plaufibly be said against the Immateriality of the Soul, as well as the Liberty of Humane Actions. This enlarged the Scene of the Dispute : into which Mr Clarke enter'd, and wrote with fuch a Spirit of Clearnefs, and Demonstration, as at once fhewed Him greatly fuperior to his Adverfaries in Metaphyfical and Phyfical Knowledge; and made Every Intelligent Reader rejoyce that Such an Incident had hap

pen'd