Word is apply'd to, or us'd for a Person, or Thing, or &c. the firft in Dignity or Confequence which is vefted with all the Perfections any inferior Perfons or Things, or &c. of the fame Sort in any Degree is poffefs'd of, 'tis as we may fay then an original Word; and in how many Senfes foever the Word is found in facred Writ, thofe Attributes, or &c. will all be found in the Original. These are the Roots and Stems in the Hebrew Tongue, and the Branches will afcend or grow from the Thing, not from the Word; fo when we find an Attribute apply'd to the Godhead, whether perfonal or borrow'd, fuppofe of Power, apply'd to the Author of Power, all Powers are in him, in others only derivatively, and in Branches, and thefe Branches ftill in fmaller Degrees.

c. is an Attribute&,שלה שלם or צדק

of Chrift, each of them fignifies several feemingly different Things, all in Chrift; but when one of thefe Words is apply'd or us'd for one of the Things, which is but a Derivative, that has one, or perhaps more, but not all the Branches in it. When a Word for Power is applied to the Heavens, they have all material Force or Power in them, and all the material Force or Power, in other Things, is derivative

derivative from them; and when the fame Word is applied to a material Being or Thing, poffefs'd of a Degree or Branch of that Power or Force, it expreffes only that Degree or Branch. We have retained the Use of Letters to form Sounds, but the Words of the modern Languages, which are either arbitrary, and not adapted to exprefs the Condition of material Things, and thereby to convey to us Ideas of immaterial Things, convey the Conjectures of that Race of Men, who have fet up Defcriptions of the Conditions of Things, which they are not in, and attributed to them Powers they are not poffefs'd of, and fo convey either no Ideas at all, or falfe ones; fo we have loft the proper Ufe of Words for material Things, and the Benefit which arifes from the Comparisons between them and immaterial Things, by ufing Sounds without proper Significations, and hence arifes the Confufion in modern Languages, and fuch Difficulty of understanding them, or conveying true Ideas of Things by Words ufed in them.

Tho' the Scriptures were writ to be underftood, and for the Benefit of all, none can receive that but fuch as have Capacities to understand them, or such as are

willing

willing to be inform'd by those who understand them; and Things which are only demonftrable by Evidence, deduced from other Things, cannot be demonftrated to thofe, who do not examine the Evidence in those other Things, because without that they can form no Deduction. If there be any Points in the Syftem of Religion, which are not evident to the Senfe or Reason of Men, illiterate, of weak Capacity, and fmall Application, fuch Men may be directed in them by what Men call Reafon or Confcience; and fuch Points may be term'd common Cafes, or Cafes generally known in common Law. If there be other Points which will be evident to Men of human Learning, confiderable Capacity, and of great Application, fuch may be term'd Cafes in common Law; and yet Confcience or Reason can know nothing of them, without Reading and Application to understand the State of the Cafe, and Reafon of the Evidence which determines those Points. But if there be Points in Religion, which were neceffary to be reveal'd, and that there is visible Evidence to fupport the Truth of some of those Points in Religion, which has also been neceffary to be revealed, and other Evidence which arifes by Search

in

in natural Things; I doubt Reafon or Conscience has but a fmall Share till the Person who is to judge understands those Writings, which may be term'd Statute Law, till he fees the Reasons upon which those Laws were made, and till he also fees and understands the Evidence, which is to support thofe Points: And how willing foever the Laity may be to excuse the Clergy, and at the fame Time to believe the base Conjectures of Libertines, I doubt it lies upon the Clergy to explain thofe Points to Demonftration; and how near foever this may approach to the Manner of Decifion of fuch Points in the Roman Church, I doubt People who cannot understand, must have their Confcience or Reason directed by fuch whose Business it is to inform themselves and others; because they have no other Means to direct them in fuch Cafes. And any Order of Men, except that Order dignified by, and entrusted in the Affairs of State, or any one of the reft, except fuch a one as has employ'd his Time in illuftrating fome of the Points, next in Confequence to that of proving there has been Revelation or Communication between God and Man who take a Volume in their Hands and affirm, that an invifible, omnipotent, and VOL. II.

D

omni

omniscient Being has revealed it, and that every Sentence in it is true and facred; or that there is any Man, or Order of Men, who have an infallible Power of explaining it; and that the firft Part contains an Account of his Creation, and Operations in the feveral Parts of Matter; and that each Defcription is intended for Evidence of the reft; and that he has, in Condefcention to our Capacities, given us comparative Descriptions to raise Ideas of his Power and other Attributes, by thofe Operations in Matter; and cannot fhew there are any fuch Things, Situations, or Actions, and at the fame Time pretend to understand the invifible Actions, defcrib'd by Comparisons of them, will always, notwithstanding other Qualifications or Conditions, except thofe from the Civil Power, or &c. be contemptible; and more fo if they, instead of labouring by all Sorts of proper Methods to explain them, teach Schemes fet up by Lucretius, Ariftotle, and fuch who denied any fuch Being; or which, upon this Account 'is the fame Thing, denied the Truth of any fuch Revelation; and in the highest Degree fo, if they continue to initiate Youth, fucceffively to spend their Time in studying Books, which, as they are taken,

tend