Understanding directs and advises the Will ac-CHAP. cording to the beft of its Knowledge, attainable XVIII. in its present Circumftances and Opportunities, and happens to mistake, the Miftake is innocent. So far, in the Nature of Pravity incident to human Faculties, is it from being true, "That "Men can no otherwife believe than as things appear to them," as before cited.

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FOR Chriftianity would appear quite another thing to its Oppofers, if they would lay afide Prejudice, Partiality, and interfering Interest arifing from Indulgence of vicious Habits; thofe Hindrances being wilful and of their own chufing, they are guilty of chufing not to let it appear as what it is; and if they fay they fee it as it really is, and not receive it, their Sin remaineth. And that Saying will be verify'd, if the Gospel, after it is fo reveal'd, is hid, it is hid only to those that are loft, to all Reception of it: And alfo that other, None of the WICKED fhall understand, but the Wife ball understand *; their Mind grows reprobate, or undifcerning, as in the Original. Evil Men and Seducers fhall wax worfe and worfe, deceiving and being deceived.t

AND this is confirm'd by Hiftory, and Matter of Fact. Our Saviour told the Jews, ye will not come to me that ye might have. Life: Their Unbelief lay in their Will, and proceeded from it, they were fo unreasonably then, and to this Day, loft in Perverfenefs and Obftinacy, no otherwife accountable, but as above-mention'd, that nothing that then appear'd

* Dan. xii. 19. || John v. 40.

† Rom. i. 24.

+ Tim. iii. 13.

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before

CHAP. before their Understanding could convince it ; XVIII. no, not the Sight of Miracles. They are fo

notorious an Inftance, it need not be infifted upon; nor yet our Lord's Declaration, that the Miracle of one rifing from the Dead would be ineffectual to convince a refolv'd Infidel, fet against the Faith of Revelation. This has been often urged, with great Advantage. But if they won't believe that, they will, 'tis hop'd, give Credence to a Dictate of Reafon and common Experience from one of their own Moralifts and Apoftles, that irregular Pleasure is a Cause of Infidelity, and corruptive of Principles of Reafon. However they can't refufe Belief to their own Oracle, the noble Author of Character, when he fays, "There is a certain per"verfe Humanity in us [Deifts] which inwardly refifts the Divine Commiffion, tho' ever fo

*

plainly reveal'd' ; it refpects a particular Instance, but is no lefs true, from him, with regard to the whole Revelation.

HERE is the Secret of Deifm blabb'd out by one of the fubtleft Oppofers of Revelation that ever wrote. It is not the want of fufficient Evidence to make it plain and inconteftable, nor of its appearing plainly fo to the Understanding of Deifts; but a certain perverfe Humanity within them that makes them refift; and they pervert that Humanity within them, if not always, and in all Perfons among them, thro' a libertine criminal Senfuality; yet by an Iniquity of Spirit, a bloated Filthinefs, and faftidious Swelling that is worfe; as being more obftinate and perverfe

in its very Nature, and harder to be recover'd CHAP. to fubmit to any Conviction.

BUT this their Iniquity of Spirit is no lefs contrary to the Law of Nature, and the old Philofophy, teaching Men their own Unworthinefs, and Ignorance, than is the former. Both are wide Deviations from the Religion of the End, and equal Falacy as to any pretence to Virtue; if a Man love Righteousness, her Labours are Virtues, for he teacheth Temperance and Prudence, Justice and Fortitude, Wifd. viii. 7. And Iniquity of Spirit ftrengthens itself in falfe Notions of the Nature of God as Governor of the World, and alfo in over-conceited Opinion of the Capacity of Human Reason, Self fufficiency and Independance upon God, (tho' an independent Creature is the greatest Abfurdity in Nature) indulg'd Arrogances of Spirit will

as

foon turn a Man into a Devil, as Gratifications of Appetite will into a Brute; and render the Man more mischievous upon Earth than any Brute. Spiritual Libertines have as much to answer for, as Senfual; but feem to have the moft deadly Disease upon them: I mean, a moral Apoplexy, occafioned by the great Redundance of bloating Sufficiency. And as this Sufficiency and Fulness of SELF, fets itself in Oppofition to humble Self-Knowledge and Self-Government, and renounces Dependance upon God for Knowledge or Conduct; it must be moft deftructive to Man, and no lefs hateful to God: It must be the most pernicious and fatal of all Schemes both to the Honour of God, and Good of Men.

It is not one of your intermitting Vices, fuch as Wrath, Drunkenness, Luft, Gluttony, R 4 which

XVIII.

CHAP. which have fome lucid Intervals, and leave the XVIII. Sinner fome Seasons to recollect and recover himfelf to better Practice; but this Disease is of the unintermitting Kind, a continued high Fever of Soul, always thinking more highly of Self, than ought to be thought, lefs refpectfully to God's Honour, and fubmiffively to his Ways with Mankind; deflowers God of his Glory, and lays waste the Salvation of Self, and Good of Mankind. Perverse Obftinacy, Inconfideration, Hafte, Anticipation, Partiality, Prefumption, particular Envy, groundless Averfion and Prejudice, unreasonable Bigotry or Fondness, have as malign perverting Influence upon the Understanding as the more immediate Lufts of the Flefh *. Ifaiab xxix. 9. reprefents the Jews as drunken, but not with Wine; they stagger'd, but not with strong drink; and the Apostle lays in the Caution of being fober-minded, which fuppofes that there is fpiritual Drunkenness and filthy Irregularities in the Mind, whereof the Body has no share.

BUT nothing more than the Pride of Genius, which delights to parade in a Superiority of Understanding, by cenfuring, and endeavouring to pull down what the united Wisdom of the Publick has approved of, and concurs in fubmitting to, as moft reasonable and beneficial to the Community. This is the judicious Obfervation of the Bishop of London; his Words are,

"Pride and Revenge are Immoralities within; which "bend the Mind as strongly as any other Vices in the World. Perfonal Prejudice will often put a Biafs upon it, as power"ful as Debauchery: and Pique, and Refentment, will hinder Eye-fight itself; and turn the plaineft Evidences into "Doubts, and often into Falfhoods, with the Man that is "actuated by them." Prefent Bp. of Winchester's Tracts, pag. 463.

" Others

"Others are led by Pride and Self-conceit, to CHA P. "raise Doubts and Difputes concerning any XVIII.

Opinions and Doctrines which are generally "receiv'd and eftablifh'd, how evident foever "it may be, that the Doctrines they oppose are "agreeable to all the Principles of Virtue in ge"neral, and of Christianity in particular. Such "Men difdain to think in the common Way, and valuing themselves upon a more than ordinary Share of Knowledge and Penetration, do always affect Novelty and Singularity in Opi"nion. Which oppofing Humour was well exprefs'd by one of our modern Advocates for

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Infidelity, in what he is reported to have faid "of one of his Fellow-labourers to this effect, "That if his own Opinions were establish'd to-day, "be would oppose them to-morrow." Paft. I. p.7, 8. So fweet and intoxicating withal is the preheminence of leading a Party, tho' in the wrong, and to an ill end, and thro' labyrinths of Error!

THIS diffatisfied Spirit of oppofing the Divine Etablishment in Heaven, among the feveral Orders of Beings, feems to have been the Sin of the Angels that fell, and found no Repentance; but it is the Prayer of Chriftians, that these Men may repent, in time. Mean time, their oppofing Spirit is punifh'd with the notorious Guilt of Self-contradiction and Inconfiftency; and they have been able to produce no other Proof of the Self-fufficiency of their Reason, than the Defect of Reason, and minute Philofophy in Abundance, with a notorious Design of fubverting the Religion of Nature they pretend to favour, and levelling every thing to Atheism.

Now, was there any thing in Christianity really oppofite to Natural Religion, or inju