namely, what are the true and only grounds upon which intelligent beings may reasonably hope to obtain God's favour? And, what are the true and only grounds upon which vicious men, when brought to a sense of their guilt, may reafonably hope to obtain the divine mercy? None furely. None furely. And, as these are points that are controver– ted, at least amongst Christians, which-fhews the diverfity of mens fentiments with regard to them: So I have, in the annexed papers, fhewed that there are fome plain, obvious, certain principles in nature or reason relating thereto, which every honeft upright man may fafely and fecurely ftay his mind upon, amidft the confufion and perplexity in which ignorant and artful men have involved the fubject. And this, I truft, will be both ufseful and acceptable to you, as it help to afft and guide your under

may

standings,

ftandings, your affections and actions aright, and also give you quiet and peace of mind upon your fo doing. But then, by this I expect to alarm the paffions, and ftir up the refentment of two forts of people against me, namely, the bigotted and the interested in religion. By the bigotted, I mean thofe who confider themselves in the poffeffion of truth antecedent to their enquiries about it; and this leads them zealoufly to contend for the religious fcheme they have imbibed, whether it be Judaifm, Mahometanism, Christianity, Popery, Proteftantifm, or the like upon a prefumption that they are defending truth, and oppofing error thereby. By the interested in religion, I mean those who make the profeffion of religion chiefly fubfervient to their worldly intereft; this being a fufficient ground to them to oppofe every religious principle which stands in the way, or is any

way

way likely to thwart their prefent intereft, and to fupport and maintain any religious scheme which tends to fupport and maintain them. From these quarters I expect to have it roundly afferted, that the following Enquiry is defigned and calculated to promote and encourage Deifm, to the prejudice of Revealed Religion in general, and of Chritianity in particular. If by Deism be meant the belief of a Deity, and the governing our minds and lives fuitably to fuch a belief, (which is ftrictly and properly Deism) then, I readily acknowledge that fuch a charge will be just, viz. that the following Enquiry is defigned and calculated to promote and encourage Deifm. But then, how this can be done in prejudice to Revealed Religion in general, and to Christianity in particular, I am at a loss to difcover. Chriftianity is (as it muft needs be if it be of God) founded

on

on the eternal reason and truth of things; and therefore, it is impoffible that reasoning justly from eternal truths, (which is the cafe of the following Enquiry) can be prejudicial to Christianity. And that Chriftianity is founded on the eternal reason and truth of things, I have already fhewed to be the cafe, by fhewing what is the True Gospel of Jefus Chrift, in a book lately published bearing that title; which book hath drawn forth many oppofers, who have employed their abilities in perplexing and diftreffing a fubject which either they do not, or will not, or cannot, understand. The true ground upon which intelligent beings may reasonably hope to obtain their Creator's favour, and upon which vicious beings may reasonably hope and expect to obtain the divine mercy, are as plain and obvious as any thing in nature or reason can be. But then, in the present case, men love, or at least b chufe