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DEISM REFUTED:

OR, THE

TRUST H

OF

CHRISTIANITY

DEMONSTRATED,

BY

Infallible PROOF from FOUR RULES

Which are incompatible to any Impofture that can
poffibly be.

In a LETTER to a Friend.

By a LOVER of TRUTH.

Magna eft Veritas, & Prevalebit.

LONDON:

Printed in the Year MDCCLV.

124. f.6

BODLEIAN LIBRARY

20NONS5

OX

[ 3 ]

I.

SIR,

I

N answer to yours of the third inftant, I much condole with your unhappy Circumstances of being placed amongst fuch Company, where, as you fay, you continually hear the Sacred Scriptures, and the Hiftories therein contained, particularly of Mofes and of Chrift, and all revealed Religion, turned into Ridicule, by Men who fet up for Senfe and Reafon. And they fay, That there is no greater Ground to believe in Chrift, than in Mahomet: That all these Pretences to Revelation are Cheats, and ever have been, among Pagans, Jews, Mahometans, and Chriftians: That they are all alike Impofitions of cunning and defigning Men, upon the Credulity, at first, of fimple and unthinking People; till, their Numbers increafing, their Delufions grew popular, came at last to be establish'd by Laws; and then the Force of Education and Custom gives a Bias to the Judgments of After-Ages, till fuch Deceits come really to be believ'd, being receiv'd upon Truft from the Ages foregoing, without examining into the Original and Bottom of them: Which these our modern Men of Senfe (as they defire to be efteem'd) fay, that they only do; that they only have their Judgments freed from the flavish Authority of Precedents and Laws in Matters of Truth, which, they fay, ought only to be decided by Reafon: Tho', by a prudent Compliance with Popularity and Laws, they preferve themselves from Outrage and legal Penalties; for none of their Complexion are addicted to Sufferings or Martyrdom.

Now, Sir, that which you defire from me, is fome fhort Topic of Reason, if fuch can be found, whereby, without running to Authorities, and the intricate Mazes of Learning, which breed long Difputes, and which thefe Men of Reafon deny by wholefale, tho' they can give no Reason for it, only fuppofe that Authors have

A 2

been

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