concilable Oppofition between the Christian Religion and Philosophy, and that no Man can be a good Chriftian and Philofopher at once. They were Christians that have fet Philofophy on the nobleft Foundation, that have carried it to the greatest Height, and enrich'd it with the most important Discoveries. And tho' he infinuates, that those of the meaneft Understandings are best qualified for believing, and have moft of true Zeal, and Acuteness of Spiritual Difcernment, and seems willing to claim the brightest Votaries of the rational Clafs on the fide of Infidelity; yet nothing is capable of a clearer Proof, than that the most distinguished Names in the Republick of Letters, thofe that have discovered the greatest Strength of Reason, and Compafs of Knowledge, have been Perfons that have fhewn a high Efteem for Chriftianity. And it has been no small pleasure to me to obferve within the compafs of my own Acquaintance, that Men of the best Understandings, and most generous way of thinking I have ever known, as well as of the best Characters, and most exemplary Morals and Virtues, were the firmest Chriftians. And I must confefs it has given me fome Emotion, when I have feen Perfons every way their Inferiors, no way remarkable for the Goodness of their Morals, or any extraordinary Strength of Genius, and that did not fcem to give themselves much trouble in close thinking, affume a kind of Superiority, merely on Lett. II.

N

account

account of their pertly rejecting the Faith of the Gofpel.

There is one thing in his Harangue about the Oppofition between the Chriftian Religion and Philofophy, which it may be proper to take notice of, to fhew the great Confiftency of this Writer. He had in the former Part of his Letter reprefented Reafon as in an eternal Fluctuation and Uncertainty; that the Decrees of a bu man Understanding can in their nature have no pretenfion to be irreversible; and that the Philofopher cannot be certain of his own Conftancy or lafting Attachment to any Principles; nor that bis fudgment fhall be inviolably fixed to one Point; p. 25, 26. But here he reprefents it as the Character of a Philosopher, that he has contracted an inviolable Attachment to certain eftablished Tefts, and will bear of nothing that does not fall in exactly with what he calls the Laws of Nature, which he has already irreverfibly determined; and that, he makes moral Relations the Touchstone for the Trial of all Truths; P. 73. What he here offers, fhews a great Inconfiftency between this Author and himself, but none at all between Christianity and Philofophy; fince it is certain, and has often been fhewn, that the Chriftian Religion is perfectly confiftent with thofe Laws and Relations; and they that have treated thofe Laws of Nature and Moral Relations with the greatest Strength and Clearness, and to whom the World is moft obliged on this head, have been Chriftian Writers.

This

This Gentleman takes occafion in his Pamphlet to mention feveral great Men, and their Performances. Stilling fleet's Origines Sacra, Dr. Clark's Demonftration, &c. Mr. Addifon's Freatife of the Chriftian Religion; The Trial of the Witneffes; The Analogy of Reafon and Revelation: And by just mentioning them in a fneering way, has no doubt done enough to convince his Readers that they are very infignificant Things, and that it would be loft pains to confider them. So extraordinary a Man is this Author, that one Dash from his lucky Pen shall be of more force than all their learned Writings.

It is pleafant enough to hear him expreffing his Concern for the great Prejudice that is done to Chriftianity, by the carrying on of Boyle's Lectures, which he cannot avoid regarding as a very principal Caufe of the prefent prevailing Difpofition and Turn to Infidelity; p. 85, 86. And I believe every body is convinced, that if this had really been the Cafe, this Gentleman would not have been fo forward to complain of it. All that one can gather from what he fays on this Subject is, that he and his Friends would be very well pleafed to have thofe Lectures laid' down, which I must own with me is a very good Reason for their being continued, and a' ftrong Prefumption of their Excellency and Ufe

fulness *

* As thefe Lectures are defigned for the Defence of Natural Religion as well as Reveal'd, it seems, according to our Author, Reafoning is equally an Enemy to both.

He declaims very rhetorically, p. 87 94. on the Inconsistency of the Gentlemen employ'd in carrying on those Lectures, in urging Perfons to a free Examination and Enquiry; and at the fame time exhorting them to embrace or adhere to the Christian Faith, and setting before them the Guilt and Danger of Unbelief. He is pleas'd here to make Speeches for them, which, as he manages the matter, look odd enough; and it would be very easy, if any Man were difpofed to fuch an Employment, to make a Speech for this Gentleman himself drawn out of the Principles of his Book, that would be much more, inconfiftent and ridiculous. The Principles upon which this Part of his Declamation proceeds, and on which the whole Ridicule is founded, are fuch as thefe; that the being educated in any Religion, or baptized into it, abfo-. lutely precludes all future Enquiry or Examination; that there can be no fair Examination, where there is not an abfolute Neutrality or Indifferency with regard to the Principles enquired into; and that all Examination neceffarily fuppofes at least a temporary Difbelief; that whatever is proposed to Examination or Enquiry may be innocently rejected; and that if a Man may doubt or fufpend his Affent for a while, he may doubt always; that no Man can without claiming Infallibility exhort another to embrace the Principles he himself judges to be true and important, or speak to him of any Danger in rejecting them. These are the Principles here.

supposed,

fuppofed, and which he had laid down in the former Part of his Pamphlet. I have distinctly, confidered them in my former Letter, and fhall; not now repeat what I there offered. I fhall only at present observe, that notwithstanding this Gentleman's curious Harangue, it is obvious to common Senfe, that when a Man upon the most mature Confideration is satisfied by Arguments which he judges good and valid, that fuch and fuch Principles are of great importance to the Happiness of Men, and to the Caufe of Religion and Virtue in the World, this must naturally make him defirous both to confirm those; in the Belief of them, and in a fuitable Practice, that profess to believe them already, and to bring over others to the Belief and Acknowledgment of those Truths, by all the fair Methods of Reafon and Argument in his power. If he looks, upon those Truths to be of great importance, : on which much depends, he cannot but repre-, fent them as fuch; and if he be a Perfon who has himself carefully examined, and upon an attentive Confideration of the Argument has found the Evidence rise up ftrong to his view, it is natural for him to recommend Enquiry to others, in hopes it will have the fame happy effect upon them. And if he thinks he has reafon to conclude, that the true Caufe of their not believing thofe Truths is their want of confidering them fairly and impartially, or that it is owing to vicious Prejudices and faulty Difpofitions of Mind; then it is very reasonable for him to warn them.

seriously