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and from irregular Appetites and Paffions, which foon begin to operate and exert a great influence upon us. It is therefore a great advantage to any Perfon, to be from a Child acquainted with the Holy Scriptures, as Timothy was. And it is a great Inftance of the divine Wisdom and Goodness, that God hath provided a Revelation for us, by inftruct ing us in which, we may have our Minds early seasoned with the moft excellent Principles, and the most powerful Motives to engage us to a good and virtuous Practice. And Children may be gra

dually let into the Excellency of thofe Doctrines and Laws, and the Evidences whereby they are confirmed, in a way accommodated to their Ca pacities. They may be taught what they are to believe, together with the Reasons why they are to believe, as far as they are capable of receiving them, which undoubtedly will at firft be in a very imperfect way. But yet it is fuch a degree of Faith as is fuited to their Age; a Faith fufficient to influ ence their Practice, as far as Practice morally good and religious is required of them.

I had almost forgot an extraordinary Argument produced by this Writer, to fhew that the Faith required of us, is not a rational Faith; and that is, that we are required to pray for the Increase of our Faith. From whence he thinks it follows, that it is not expected that we should contribute to its Eftablishment by any Pains or Endeavours of our own. His Argument here proceeds upon the Suppofition, that Prayer to God fuperfedes the Ufe of all Means or Endeavours on our parts, and that

P. 14.

† P. 10, 11.

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we are never to pray to God for any thing, in which we are to contribute our own Endeavours; which is to fay, that we are never to pray to God, either for a Bleffing on our worldly Affairs, or to affift us in the Practice, of Piety and Virtue: for it is evident, that in both these cafes we are obliged to use our own Endeavours. But it appears to me, to be the most confiftent thing in the world, fuppofing a God and a Providence, to use our own best Endeavours, and to apply to God for his Affif tance and Bleffing upon our Endeavours. And particularly, as it is our duty to make the best use we can of the Understanding and Faculties God hath given us, in enquiring after Truth; fo Reason directs us, and it is what the best and wifeft of Men in all Ages have been fenfible of, to apply to the Supreme Being, the Father of Lights, and the God of Truth, to aflift us in our Enquiries, to open and enlighten our Minds to a clearer Difcernment of the Truth, and to difpofe our Hearts for receiving it in the Love of it.

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But he thinks it impoffible, that Grace can ever fecond or add to the Faith that is founded in Reafon. The Reafon he gives, is, because Increase of Evidence is the only Acceffion to be made to rational Perfuafion. Allow this, then whatever increases the Evidence, or fets it in a ftronger light, or enables the Mind better to difcern it, may make an Acceffion to a rational Perfuafion. Now I think it cannot be denied, that the Father of our Spirits can, by his gracious Influence upon the Mind, en-, able it more clearly to difcern the Evidence, can fet it in a stronger light, and help to difpel vicious

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Prejudices; and on fuch a Suppofition his Grace would increase our Faith in a way agreeable to Reason. And if fo, there is no Inconfiftency in humbly applying to God for that purpose, at the fame time that we use our own diligent Endeavours. And it may well be thought that a wife and good God, the Lover of Truth and Virtue, will be ready to affift good and well-difpofed Minds, that are willing to embrace Truth and fubmit to Evidence; and who, at the fame time that they use their own Endeavours in the best manner they are able, are fenfible of their Dependence upon him, and humbly apply to him for Light and Affiftance in a Matter of fuch Importance. And on the other hand, God may juftly withhold his Affiftance from those who from a vain and arrogant Conceit of themselves, one of the worst Difpofitions for finding out Truth, do not apply to God for Light and Affiftance, and perhaps ridicule his interpofing in fuch matters.

This may help us to judge of what the Author further offers *, where he reprefents the applying to God by Prayer for the confirming and continuing us fedfaft in the Faith, to be a difavowing in the Fulness of our Conviction all future Ufe of Reafon for our Security. And he talks to the fame purpofe again. But the refolving to make a future Ufe of our Reason is very confiftent with our pray ing to God to confirm and continue us ftedfast in the Faith. For here, as in the former Cafe, our Prayer ftill fuppofes the Ufe of Means on our parts, We must take all proper Methods to know more

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and more of Religion, and to get a clearer view of the Evidence whereby it is confirmed, and to act under the governing Influence of it in the Practice of Righteousness and true Holiness; at the same time earnestly begging of God that he would continue his divine Atliftances, and enlighten our Minds more and more in the Knowledge of facred Truth; that he would caufe us to fee more of its Reasonablenefs and Excellency, and feel more of its happy Influence on our Temper and Conduct. In which cafe our Stedfaftnefs in the Faith would not be, what this Gentleman is here pleased to reprefent the Chriftian Perfeverance to be, a blind and foolish Obftinacy to a prefent Notion; but a steady Adherence to what we are perfuaded of upon good and folid grounds, fo as not to be drawn afide by any wrong Motives or artful Reprefentations, or thro' a Levity and Instability of Mind, from important Truth and Duty. And there is nothing in fuch an Application to the Deity, but what would become any good and thinking Man, fuppofing Religion to be founded in Reafon.

From p. 17. to p. 21. the Strain of his arguing feems to be this:-That if Faith were a rational Thing, the Generality of Mankind could not be justly required to believe, because this would be a thing abfolutely above their Capacity. He fets himfelf to fhew, that there are few that are capable of reafoning at all. And he particularly obferves, that the Nature and Evidence of Religion in the rational way is founded entirely on the Credit and Authentickness of History, in which it is im poffible to give any rational Decifion without a

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good natural Turn for Reasoning, and even fome very confiderable Acquifitions in Learning. And then he infifts upon a Diftinction, which he thinks is not fufficiently attended to on this Subject, viz. That it is one thing whether a Propofition be true in itself, and another whether a Man be bound to apprehend or believe it. That therefore let Christianity and the Evidence for the Hiftorical Facts of the Gospel be fuppofed to be never fo true in itJelf, and convincing to thofe that have capacity to look into it; yet the Generality of Mankind cannot be bound to believe it, because they have not Capacity to difcern the Force of the Proofs brought for it. It is a thing of which they can have no perception, nor can they frame any reasonable Notion about it; any more than a Man that has no Ear can perceive or judge of Musick, tho' never fo fine or just.

It will eafily be allowed, that a thing may be true, and yet all Men may not be bound to believe it; and that no Man can be obliged to believe a thing on rational grounds, when he is naturally incapable of perceiving or understanding the Evidence brought for it. But I differ very widely from this Gentleman in the Suppofition he makes, that the Evidence for Chriftianity is abfolutely above the natural Capacity of the Generality of Mankind.

Indeed, according to his Representation, it is above their Capacity to know or believe any Religion at all. Man, according to his Account of him, inftead of being formed a religious Creature, is naturally incapable of Religion, and therefore

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