in fuch a State that actually they do not obey the Laws of Reason, and, morally speaking, cannot obey, are nevertheless in fuch a State as God intended they should be in, is not only making God the Author of Evil, but it is afcribing to him two inconfiftent Intentions: For to argue that God gave Men Reason to be the Rule of their Obedience, is fuppofing that his original Intention is, that Men fhould obey Reason; to argue at the fame time that those who live in Difobedience to this Law are in the State which God intended them to be in, is to fuppofe that God intended the Law fhould be obeyed, and not obeyed, at the fame time. But to return:

We are not now arguing in Behalf of any particular Revelation, which may be true or false for any thing that has hitherto been faid: But this I urge, That Revelation is the fureft Foundation of Religion; and this wants no other Proof than an Explication of the Terms: Religion, confidered as a Rule, is the Knowledge of ferving and pleafing God: Revelation is the Declaration of God, how he would be ferved, and what will pleafe him: And, unless we know what will please God, better than he himself does, Revelation must be the best Rule to serve

and

and please God by, that is, it must be the best Religion.

From hence then, I fay, it is incumbent on every Man of Sense and Reason, upon every one who judges for himself in the Choice of his Religion, first to inquire whether there be a Revelation, or no: Nor can the Precepts of Natural Religion fingly be drawn into queftion, till 'tis first certain, that there is no Revelation to direct us: And therefore there can be no Comparison stated generally between Natural and Revealed Religion, in order to determine our Choice between them; because the Revelation must be first rejected, before natural Religion can pretend to the fole Direction.

And yet this is the beaten Path that Unbelievers tread: They confider in general, that Revelation is fubject to many Uncertainties; it may be a Cheat at first, or it may be corrupted afterwards, and not faithfully handed down to them; but in Natural Religion there can be no Cheat, because in that every Man judges for himself, and is bound to nothing but what is agreeable to the Dictates of Reason and his own Mind: And upon these general Views they reject all Revelations whatever, and adhere to Natural Religion as the fafer Guide. But attend

to

to the Confequence of this Reasoning, which is this; That, because there may be a false Revelation, therefore there cannot be a true one: For, unless this Confequence be juft, they are inexcufable in rejecting all Revelations, because of the Uncertainties which may attend them.

But now to apply what has been faid to the Chriftian Revelation: It has fuch Pretences, at least, as may make it worthy of a particular Confideration: It pretends to come from Heaven; to have been delivered by the Son of God; to have been confirmed by undeniable Miracles and Prophecies; to have been ratified by the Blood of Chrift and his Apostles, who died in afferting its Truth: It can fhew likewife an innumerable Company of Martyrs and Confeffors: Its Doctrines are pure and holy, its Precepts just and righteous; its Worship is a reafonable Service, refined from the Errors of Idolatry and Superftition, and fpiritual like the God who is the Object of it: It offers the Aid and Affiftance of Heaven to the Weaknefs of Nature; which makes the Religion of the Gofpel to be as practicable, as - it is reasonable: It promifes infinite Rewards to Obedience, and threatens eternal Punishment to obftinate Offenders; which makes

it of the utmoft Confequence to us foberly to confider it, fince every one who rejects it ftakes his own Soul against the Truth of it.

Are thefe fuch Pretences, as are to be turned off with general and loofe Objections? Because Miracles may be pretended, shall not the Miracles of Chrift be confidered, which were not fo much as queftioned by the Adverfaries of the Gospel in the firft Ages? Because there may be Impoftors, shall Christ be rejected, whofe Life was Innocence, and free from any Sufpicion of private Defign, and who died to feal the Truths he had delivered? Because there have been Cheats introduced by worldly Men, endeavouring to make a Gain of Godlinefs, fhall the Gospel be fufpected, that in every Page declares against the World, against the Pleasures, the Riches, the Glories of it; that labours no one Thing more than to draw off the Affections from Things below, and to raise them to the Enjoyment of heavenly and fpiritual Delights?

But, whether you will confider it, or no; yet there is fuch a Call to you to confider it, as must render your Neglect inexcufable. You cannot fay, you want Inducement to confider it when you fee it entertained by Men of all Degree. The Gofpel does not

make

make fo mean a Figure in the World, as to justify your Contempt of it: The Light fhines forth in the World, whether you will receive it, or no; if you receive it not, the Confequence is upon your own Soul, and you must answer it.

Were Men fincere in their Profeffions of Religion, or even in their Defires of Salvation and Immortality, the Controverfies in Religion would foon take a new Turn: The only Question would be, whether the Gofpel were true, or no: We should have no Reasoning against Revelation in general; for 'tis impoffible that a fincerely religious Man fhould not wish for a Revelation of God's Will, if there be not one already: We fhould then fee another kind of Industry used in searching the Truths of God, which are now overlooked, because Men have loft their Regard for the Things which make for their Salvation. Were the Gospel but a Title to an Estate, there is not an Infidel of them all, who would fit down contented with his own general Reasonings against it: It would then be thought worth looking into; its Proofs would be confidered, and a just Weight allowed them: And yet the Gospel is our Title, our only Title, to a much nobler Inheritance than this World knows;

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