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Tappan Presb. Arsor.

3-22-1933

THE

Religion of Satan,

OR

Antichrift delineated.

W

E have an Account in Scripture, of the Attempt of the Serpent to destroy Man, and of many Attempts which he and his Seed have made, to hinder Men from accepting the Benefits which the Aleim have offered through Chrift; I intend not to cite the Paffages from Scripture, but defcribe the Methods which have been pursued.

As this and the following Tract may be read alone, it feems neceffary not only to fhew what hath and doth hinder the VOL. VIII.

B

Study

Study, Knowledge, and Practice of Chriftianity; but to make an Apology for of fering any thing new at this time of day, upon this or that fubject, and to fhew why it was not offered fooner.

And as fome, especially fome who have more Senfe and Learning than they know how to divide, and to diftinguifh, and fhew which Article came from Senfe, or Nature, and which from Revelation, feem to think, that I have allowed fome Power in the Soul of Man by the Light of Nature, without Revelation, to prove that it exifts, to discover that fome Effence, with infinite Wisdom, Power, &c. exifts; and that there must be a Refurrection of the Body, and a future State of Rewards and Punishments: I muft touch these Points.

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Those who have paraphrafed upon the Subjects I have treated of, have inserted feveral Tenets held by the Free-thinkers, fuppofing that will force me to knock down thofe Tenets; be it fo, they have taken the Conftruction of Revelation: I'll try if I cannot perfuade them to take the Conftruction I have given of the Heathen Free-thinkers.

Men have by Imagination fet up false Aleim, against the true Ones; an Ef fence

fence in one Perfon, against the Trinity; a falfe Meffiah, a mere Man, yet to come, againft Chrift; a pretended Prophet, without any Evidence, fince Chrift came; which each, who fet up each, fay are to be worshipped and obeyed: fo Tradition, the Alcoran, the Dictates of a Bishop, or Church, which are to be believed and obeyed; the Blood of brute Creatures, Morality, Repentance, Pardons, Penance, Purgatory, which are to make Satisfaction for, or take away Sins; Reason, the Light of Nature, Enthufiafm, &c. which are to be fufficient Guides in matters of Faith or Duty; which all produce Neglect, Ignorance, or Disbelief of, a Perfuafion that they have no occafion for written Revelation, and the Methods directed by it: fo now all against Christianity, which depends upon the Evidence and authority of written Revelation.

He and that which put Man upon finding other Means than were appointed to be wife, &c. fo upon forfeiting his State of Innocence, and brought Chrift under an Obligation of redeeming him, and Man under a Neceffity of accepting that Redemption, or being eternally miferable, ftill makes Man oppofe the Means of that Redemption and feek for other

B 2

Means

Means, fo be bit by the Seed of the old
Serpent, fo be Antichrift.

I have fhewed from the Scriptures, that as foon as the firft Man was created, he was not left to Imagination, or Reafon, but had the Knowledge of himself, of his Soul, of Jehovah Aleim, of his Duty to them, of a futute State, of the three emblematical Conditions, of the Motions and Powers in the Machine, the Heavens, the Names revealed to him.

That it was a great part of the first Man's Duty, to contemplate the Models, or Emblems, the Garden afforded, the Emblems in, and the Operations of the Machine, the Names, and through them the Power of those who created and formed them, on the Seventh, to him the First, Day; and his Bufinefs to confider the Inftincts of brute Creatures, to inform him in focial Duties and Morality the other fix Days.

So though we know not of any thing material which was not revealed, fo know not what Man in his firft State could discover; yet we know what those who deferted Revelation, and at last loft the Knowledge of it, could not recover or discover.

"Tis

1

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