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THE IMPORTANCE OF RELIGIOUS TRUTH.

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JOHN Xviii. 38.

Pilate faith unto him, What is truth?

ROM the behaviour of Pilate, who left the place of judgment immediately after he had asked this question, it is very evident, that he neither expected nor defired a fatisfactory answer. The variety of opinions, which prevailed in the world, might lead him to conclude, that truth in most cafes was not eafy to be difcovered. And in the midst of the fchemes of worldly riches and grandeur, he might also despise religious truth, as of little importance. That a Heathen should make fuch a falfe and dangerous decifion feems not to be wonderful; but that Chriftians should sometimes shut their eyes against the clearest light of reafon and revelation, must afford matter of ferious

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serious concern to every fober and confiderate mind. All men indeed have not equal abilities or opportunities of cultivating their understanding, and delivering themfelves from false principles imbibed in their youth; and all truths are not of the fame importance, nor equally eafy to be perceived. But though long rooted prejudices have great ftrength, and it is neceffary for the ignorant and unlearned to rely much on the inftructions of others; yet if every one would fincerely employ his judgment in fearching the grounds of religion without .obftinacy or malevolence; though truth might not immediately and universally prevail, we fhould fee men's prejudices vanish by degrees, ancient errors corrected or exploded, and the spirit of Christian unanimity daily increafing.

I fhall therefore in my following difcourfe,

Firft, fhew the importance of religious

truth.

Secondly,

Secondly, point out the proper means of difcerning, which is true of contradictory affertions. And,

Thirdly, expofe the methods, by which artful or bigoted men endeavour to obscure truth, and adorn falshood.

First, I am to fhew the importance of religious truth.

Except we are well instructed in religious truth, we shall frequently be ignorant of the nature of God, and our duty towards mankind. The pernicious effects of mistakes in these points upon men's conduct, may be seen in the lives and behaviour of Heathens, Jews, and Christians. By forming wrong notions of the nature of God, the Heathens not only forfook their Creator to worship the host of heaven, and pay divine honours to weak mortals; but, by the attributes and actions, which they afcribed to their falfe deities, they confeerated the greatest crimes by their example, and supposed them to be pleafed

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pleafed and rendered propitious by the most cruel and abominable rites. The Jews in the time of our Saviour had undermined the foundation of filial reverence, and made void by their traditions the most exprefs commands of God. And through exceffive zeal, without knowledge, they crucified their longexpected King, and rejected his religion. And even amongst Christians erroneous principles have hardened men's hearts against their brethren, and changed that benevolence, which is declared by our Saviour to be the characteristic mark of his difciples, into bigotry, hatred, envy, and many other bad qualities, which foment divifions. Such being the effect of ignorance and error upon men's religious conduct, we cannot be too careful to furnish our minds by all proper methods with every neceffary and important truth.

But if mankind were univerfally difpofed to embrace the truth, and no one had any defire to deceive others, or artfully disguise the falfhood of his own opinions, the confequence

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