nefit of the Sacraments inftituted by him. These, fay they, the Chriftians call Mysteries, and they keep them fo, for any thing we can learn by them, or concerning them, worthy of God to appoint, or engaging of that great Good, the Salvation of Man, to embrace and comply with. They seem to be unanimously of this Opi

nion.

"SHEW us once plainly and particularly even with the Help of your Revelation, "that intrinfick Evidence, Fitness, &c. of "thofe Things, which you have fo long and "fo often declined, and we will become the "Chriftians you defire us, and no longer "think meanly and flightly of, or any more "look upon that Religion with Indifference "or Contempt. We will never after that,

repeat our Cavils against the Miracles; "much less the Prophecies and their Accomplishment, which it boafts of; we will as readily grant the Record of it, as fuch, to "be as genuinely and authentickly convey'd "down in all its original Defign, as Xenophon's memorable Things of Socrates in its

66

Defign; who declares almost every Thing upon the Evidence of what he had feen, "and heard himself; and that there is as "much Harmony in the Evangelifts, as in "Xenophon and Plato, relating the Deeds and "Difcoufes of their Mafter. We will drop "the Pretence of the Enthufiafim of the first "Chriftians; the Fate and Necefity of Human Actions; our Fleers at Jome Explana

"tions of the Doctrine of the Trinity; our fatyrical Strokes likewife for depreciating, by making all Priests alike; the late amufing Fable for confounding Good and Evil; "the Philofopher's Prayer; and the Defign of publishing the fecond Part of Christianity as " old, &c. having, in Truth, fpent all our "Forces in the firft Volume. All these we "will immediately call in, and put a Stop to: "for every one of them, in their Turns, were "directed to nothing elfe, but to keep up and "increase the Spirit of Diflike and Oppofi"tion, and to bait and teaze the Chriftians " with, till they vouchfafe to come to the "Point; and afford us that Evidence we are " in Queft of, and they have been fo very fparing in. Let them once produce the in"ternal Marks of the Goodness of those

Things; it will render their external Notes "and Proofs of the Truth fuperfluous to us: "Give us their intrinfick Evidence and Excellence, according to the true Nature of "Things, if it is difcover'd by their Revela

tion, and if it is true what is faid of it, that "the Chriftian Revelation has difcover'd the Goodness, as well as the Truth of all Things pertaining to Life and Godliness; Chriftians "may then not only pretend, but prevail in "m making Profelytes of us; feed us with "Reason, as well as all Faith, in those Things, "and we will return to the Fold of the great Shepherd and Bishop of Souls; as many of

*See Bee, No. 118.

us

us as do indeed prefer Truth to Falfhood, Safety to Hazard, and a Life of Reason and "Order, before the ignoble and irregular "Gratifications either of Senfe, or of Spirit.

"SHEW US our natural Religion, which "we fo juftly value and love even to a Jealoufy, render'd more practicable to the "Conduct and Comfort of human Capacity, "by Jefus Chrift; by Faith and Mystery, by his multiply'd Means, Aids, Motives,

Helps; then you may justly call the Sin"cerity of our Pretenfions to that natural

Religion in Queftion, if we any longer "neglect to embrace him, and with him, and

through him, the best Ways and Means " in the World, to the best End in the World. "After you have fully reliev'd our Queries, "with refpect to thefe principal Defiderata; " and our Curiofity as to Chrift appearing no "fooner; and fairly fatisfy'd our Minds, which "will be fatisfy'd with nothing but the Reafon of Things in Matters of Duty perpetu

ally obligatory to a rational Agent, we shall "be ready to own, nay, you will force us to "confess another Sort of Meaning; and from "our inward Sentiments acknowledge, that "there is indeed a favoury Senfe, and a

faving Ufe in Christianity: And even join

you in extolling the Wisdom and Favour, " and admiring the Divine Beauty and Ex"cellency of that Inftitution. And if any af

ter that continue DEISTS, in a Chri"ftian, especially in any Proteftant Country, ແ you

you may take it for granted, and you fhall "have us for Witneffes against them, that "their Boast of Virtue, and the Religion of Nature, is in Reality, what it has been generally reckon'd, viz. as to its Pretence, Hypocrify; as to its Performance, impractica "ble; and as to its Hopes, defperate.'

To oblige, I fay, fo large a Number of diftinguifh'd Oppofers in their importunate, and not unreasonable Demand, I have difpofed the following Sheets into a View of giving them the Satisfaction they are fo defirous of; and, as I go along, both candidly cite, and anfwer their Objections, in Hopes to take away all Excufe from future Infidelity. That, in Cafe Deifm fhould hereafter appear in a Proteftant Country, it may appear in its proper Colours, to be the Refult and Confultation not of Virtue and Morality, but of Wilfulnefs and Wickedness; not of Reafon and fincere Inquiry, but of Art and Defign; or the prevailing Succefs of the fecret Artifices of Popery.

To attain this valuable End in a perfpicuous Method, I have thrown the View of Religion into the most clear Profpect of Ends and Means; by the Help of which, every Thing appears in its true Proportion; every Thing falls into Order, and ranges itself into the proper Place and Precedence, Dignity and Importance, Ufe and Defign, which God and the Nature of Things have allotted to them: The Difference and Value for every Precept,

Precept, the Zeal and Moderation for any Parts of Religion, (though they are of a feeming equal Obligation, by being indifcriminately commanded,) appear by this Light in their diftinct Degrees and Sizes: Ignorance being equally as improper a Mother for Zeal, as it is of Devotion. Whilft FAITH in the Mediator will no lefs gloriously, than confpicuously prefent itself in its Divine Station, fully informing us of all Things proper for us to know, and do; in order to influence, enliven, and effectuate every Thing in Morality and Religion. And, if we will join it with our own Endeavours, it offers to lift us fallen and impotent up to Heaven, and after raifing to fufficient, itinerant Joy, from confcious Fear and Guilt, ftate us there in our highest Happiness. That in the Face or Perfon of Jefus Chrift, as in a Mirror, we may all with open Face behold the Honour and Glory of God, in the Illuftration of all his Perfections, the Peace of God on Earth, and Good Will towards Men, in the Relief of all their Wants, and the Addition of all the Benefits they are either capable of withing, or enjoying.

LIKE all the Works of God, fo wonderful is the Divine Symmetry, fo exceeding admirable and exact the Adjustment and Reconciliation of the Powers of changeable peccant Mortals to the never changing Attributes of God, by this Medium! Oh! that this imperfect, unpractifed Pen could reprefent the hundredth Part of the adorable Wisdom, Goodness, and Beauty of this Mediatorial VOL. I. Scheme,

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