understand, that it was a matter of indifference, whether he believed in One God, agreeably to the First, or in Many; whether he worshipped God as an invifible fpiritual Being, agreeably to the Second, or became an Idolater; and whether he reverenced the Name of God, agreeably to the Third, or idly and contemptuously prophaned it;-better might he contend all this from JESUS's anfwer, than that our believing, or not believing, whatever we find declared in the New Teftament, is a matter of no concern. Our Author's caufe is fo very defperate, as to be utterly overthrown by almoft every paffage he alleges in its fupport, His fundamental pofition is, That JESUS taught nothing but the duties of mere Natural Religion. Yet in this very anfwer of JESUS to the young Ruler; which the Author admits, and argues from; we find JESUS faying to him, after having understood that he had kept all the commandments," One thing thou lackest go thy way, fell whatsoever thou baft, and give to the poor; and thou fhalt have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow me.-Was this a duty of Natural Religion? Does That require us to fell all that we have, and give it away? Or would it require any one to take up the crofs, and follow JESUS; that is, to endure perfecution for the fake of preaching that he was the promised MESSIAH?

The truth is, that nothing was farther from the thoughts of the Jews, than making enquiries of JESUS about points of Belief, when they afked, What they should do to inherit eternal life? And JESUS's anfwers to thefe enquiries were accordingly moft frequently pointed at the practical duties. When indeed JESUS had accomplished the task he came to perform, and the Chriftian Difpenfation was actually to take place; then, as the Gospel Terms of Salvation were to be explicitly preached, H

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we immediately find the Apoftles informing the Jews, in answer to the fame enquiry, That they must repent, and be baptized every one of them, in the name of Jefus Chrift, for the remiffion of fins *.

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But to fupport his objections against the New Teftament the Author has recourfe even to the great Orator of Rome. He quotes a paffage from Cicero, in which the eternal obligation of the Law of Nature is finely enforced, and then obferves; "How excellent a proof, that the practice of virtue, not believing or difbelieving, will determine our prefent and future happinefs +."And he might juft as well have faid-How excellent a proof, that because we are bound to act reasonably, or virtuously, in all particulars; therefore we are not bound to act reasonably, or virtuously, in adopting our religious belief. Or, in words more immediately to his purpofe,-How excellent a proof, that it is acting reasonably, or virtuously, to believe that every paffage of the New Testament may be rejected, in which no moral duty is enjoined; notwithstanding we have all the evidence which the nature of fuch a fact can poffibly admit, to prove them the genuine declarations of Jesus himself, and those whom he commiffioned to preach his doctrines to the world.

In reality, the eternal immutable Law of Reafon, or Nature, is fo far from proving, that our conduct with respect to the belief of any points, which we have fufficient evidence to prove to be revealed, will not influence our falvation; as our conduct in every particular muft; that its influ ence on our falvation is founded wholly on that very Law: fince the regulating our religious belief by the fincere love of truth is a morally good,

Acts ii. 38. and xvi. 30. + P. 257.

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or virtuous practice; and the fuffering our belief knowingly to be influenced by vice, prejudice, or paffion, or taking it up without any thought or concern, proportionably vicious and blame-worthy.

Still the Author defends the principle he contends for by an observation of Mr. Locke's who, after repeating several defcriptions our Saviour has given of the method he will proceed in at the laft day, obferves," It is remarkable, "that every where the fentence follows doing, "or not doing without any mention of believing, "or not believing."This the Author pronounces a very rational remark, and would have it confidered as a fufficient authority for rejecting every fupernatural declaration in the Gospels..

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Whoever has any fincere regard for truth, or for the fcriptures, will neceffarily entertain the highest reverence for Mr. Locke, and I could wish therefore, that the Author, in referring to Mr. Locke, had given us this teftimony of his own fincere regard for either. Throughout the work, from which this quotation is made, Mr. Locke has taught, that believing, Jefus to be the Chrift, is a point of the highest importance; as our Author very well knows; though here he has quoted this paffage from him, as it fhould feem, with a view to impofe on his reader, and make him imagine the reverfe. When Mr. Locke fpeaks of the fentence to be paffed at the day of judgment, in this paffage, he has his thoughts upon the fentence which shall be paffed on Thofe only, who believe JESUS to be the Meffiah and it being the fundamental principle of his Book, that affenting to this one propofition, is fufficient to denominate a man a true chriftian, fo far as belief alone is concerned; his meaning in this obfervation is, that no enquiry will be made into Their belief or difbelief

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difbelief of any other points. This obfervation of Mr. Locke's therefore is fo far from containing, as our Author would infinuate, any virtual approbation of the principle for which he contends, which is, that all belief of CHRIST's being the Meffiah is both unneceffary, and illgrounded; that in reality it wholly condemns it. But fince the Author has chofen, though fo very weakly, to fhelter himself under it, it will be neceffary for us to confider whether the observation itfelf be really well grounded, or not.

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Mr. Locke, after having cited, John v. 28, 29. Matth. vii. 22, 23.xiii. 41, 49.-xvi. 27 Luke xiii. 26. and Matth. xxv. 31-46. fays, Thefe, I think, are all the places where our "Saviour mentions the laft Judgment, or describes "his way of proceeding on that great day: "wherein, as we have obferved, it is remarkable, "that every where the fentence follows doing, "or not doing; without any mention of believing, or not believing †.”.

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Now were it true, that the paffages Mr. Locke has here felected, are the only ones in which our Saviour has mentioned, what particulars will be the objects of confideration at the last day, yet the inference he has drawn from them would "be groundless and untrue. For, as to the last of thofe paffages, That cannot poffibly be confidered as a complete account of our Saviour's future proceedings, in the day of Judgment; fince he makes mention of nothing there, but works of mere mercy and charity alone: whereas nothing can be more certain, from the whole tenour of the Gofpel doctrines, and a multiplicity of paffages which it would be tedious to refer to; than that our piety, juftice, temperance, chastity, + Reasonableness of Chriftianity, Vol. II. p. 571. Fol. Ed. 1759. + Matth. xxv, 31-46.

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veracity,

veracity, humility, and in a word, all our virtues and vices, will then be enquired into. And as to All the reft of the paffages Mr. Locke has felected, they only declare in general; as must be seen upon turning to them; that the wicked fhall be punished, and the righteous rewarded, according to their works, without fpecifying particulars; but which works must neceffarily be understood to include, agreeably to all the doctrines of our Lord, their whole conduct in every relation of life; and confequently, their ingenuousness and care, or thoughtleffness and difingenuity, in receiving or rejecting our Lord himself, and all his declarations, as well as every other. When the Gospel is propofed to us as a Divine Revelation, with the evidence on which it depends, believing in CHRIST, or rejecting him; that is, believing him to be the Divine Perfon he afferted himself to be, or the contrary; and, if we receive him, the paying a religious regard to all his declarations, or omitting to do fo; are truly and properly moral actions; for which as rational creatures we must unavoidably be accountable, and which our Saviour will therefore enquire into at the Laft Day. If we have believed, according to our feveral abilities and advantages, in confequence of a fincere and honeft attention to his words and actions, we shall be rewarded for that Belief; if we have not been honeftly and fincerely difpofed to learn the truth, and by this means have rejected our Lord; Or, having received him, if we have paid no regard to his declarations, or difbelieved them; we fhall for this faulty difpofition receive our due condemnation. This is unquestionable, both from the plain reafon of the thing, and all the moral doctrines of the Gospel.

But further, the paffages Mr. Locke has felected, are not in fact, as he imagined they were, all the paffages

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