to general opinion had not a great influence upon you in forming it; and is there no difference between a real, necessary and unavoidable consequence from Scripture premises, and a conjectural consequence of your own?

But to answer the objection directly, there are many learned men who have fallen in with the Unitarians that have given as great evidence of their having done it in the sincerity of their souls, and of their not being governed by any vicious affection, as the nature of the thing will afford; and consequently your pretended Scripture consequences are not so clear and necessary, as that every honest and impartial man must discern them. They are as far as we can judge, and were always acknowledged to be so, before they published their heresy, (which it seems is of force enough to alter the natures of men and things,) men of inviolable righteousness and truth, and of unspotted integrity; and consequently it is but reasonable to suppose that they were serious in examining what was the mind and will of their great Lord and Master, were sincerely desirous to come to the knowledge of the truth, and were swayed and governed by no other considerations besides that of approving themselves to their King and Judge. It is but a piece of natural justice to suppose this of every good man, who makes it his chief end to recommend himself to God, and secure his favour, who knows of what vast importance and absolute necessity a regular course of honesty and sincerity is, and that all the truths of

God have some way or other a tendency to promote his happiness.

Moreover, the notions they now entertain are contrary to those principles in the belief of which they were educated, and in whose favour they were so long prepossessed; which it is likely they did not renounce until they had examined the matter thoroughly over and over, with the utmost strictness and nicety, and not at last without some kind of fear and trembling, or at least suspicion and distrust. I believe we all find, all I mean who have any serious concern for their souls, that we are very cautious how we part with those doctrines which we have been taught to hold sacred, as being momentous parts of the Christian Revelation. We are naturally apt to be very much startled, if we hear but the truth of them called in question; and instead of being forward to entertain contrary principles, we are rather too shy and reserved, backward to receive conviction, and fancy that all that is offered against us is consistent enough with our set of thoughts, and very reconcileable to them, though there are insuperable difficulties in it.

We may see clearly how much human nature is governed by prejudice and prepossession, in the Jewish nation. They expected that the Messiah would appear in the fullness of earthly splendour and glory, with the pomp and majesty of an universal, temporal monarch, to break the yoke of their enemies, and make the Gentiles their slaves and tributaries; and to compose this glorious scene,

had joined together all the gaudy images of human greatness; and therefore, when our Lord appeared in the form of a servant, in a mean and humble state, which was a bar to their ambitious and aspiring thoughts and aims, the generality of them despised and rejected him, and vilified him as an impostor. "Is not this the carpenter's son ?" seemed to have been the general cry. "Is not his mother's name Mary?" &c. How, then, can "this fellow," who is of such a low and obscure original, be the King and Saviour of Israel? And can it be imagined that any sober, religious Trinitarians could be less prejudiced against that scheme, which must, as their thoughts then ran, derogate so infinitely from the glory of the blessed and adorable Jesus? It cannot be thought they would be induced to think favourably of it, much less to entertain it, till they had maturely and deliberately weighed and considered things, made the narrowest scrutiny into the merits of the cause, and had joined with these sincere endeavours, solemn and repeated addresses to the God of light and knowledge, for instruction and information. If we add to this, that in altering their sentiments, and making a public profession of it, they could have no prospect of advantage, but were sure of incurring the popular odium, of being treated as singular, enthusiastical persons, and perhaps as damnable heretics and miserable apostates; we shall be forced to own that nothing but the seeming plainness of the evidence, sense of duty, and a strict regard to conscience, made them

believe, or declare their belief of such obnoxious, detested opinions. A prospect of disgrace and infamy is very shocking and terrible to human nature, and they had too much good sense not to foresee this consequence, and therefore, we may be sure would never have run themselves upon it willingly, not till they saw it was unavoidable, without making shipwreck of faith and a good conscience."

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These are the very arguments which are used promiscuously by Christians of all denominations, to prove that the Apostles of our Lord were sincere in their accounts of his resurrection; that it was not love of novelty, or a desire to be famous, and raise themselves a name, which made them attest it; but only a real and hearty conviction of it, namely, that they were sincere, honest men; and so would not endeavour to impose upon the world, or relate anything which they were not sure of. That they could not be supposed forward to embrace the Christian religion, because it was contrary to their preconceived opinions, as well as to the rest of their countrymen. And finally, they had no prospect of getting anything by spreading such a false report amongst the people, but were almost sure to meet with poverty, contempt, and death itself; and therefore, being men of calm thought, as appears by the excellent discourses of morality which they wrote, they would never have exposed themselves to such dreadful inconveniences, and to certain ruin, if they had not been

convinced of the truth of what they delivered to the world, after the most careful and diligent inquiry, and of the necessity they were under of acting as they did, to avoid the divine displeasure. This has been urged with great advantage against Deists, who ever have been, and ever will be pinched by it; since all arguing against it is arguing against the make and frame of human nature, the reason and passions of mankind*. And I think the argument holds equally strong with relation to many of the most learned amongst the present Unitarians. And there can nothing, I believe, be urged from the nature of things to vindicate the Apostles from a charge of pride, self-conceit, affectation of novelty, an ambitious desire of fame, which may not in like manner be made use of to vindicate and clear them. If this way of reasoning be good and just, apply it indifferently and without partiality to the case of every one to whom it may be applied; to the Unitarians in their turn, as well as to the Apostles and first preachers of Christianity. But if it be not just, there is an end of one great bulwark of Christianity, one important proof of the truth and divinity of our holy religion.

And if men of learning, who have given the utmost evidence of their being sincere and impartial, cannot see this consequence, it must be more than possible that men of inferior capacities should miss seeing it; and consequently it cannot be a funda

* Refer to my Sermon preached at Trowbridge.