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familiar to their minds every thing relating to the history and propagation of chriftianity in the world. They should both frequently read the fcriptures, and alfo other books which tend to prove their truth, and illuftrate their con

tents.

I fhall think myfelf very happy, and that I gain a very valuable end, if this part of my work, though it be of no ufe to the converfion of unbelievers, fhould be a means of confirming the faith of any profeffing chriftians, leading them to a better understanding of the reasons of their faith, and making them think more frequently, and more highly of their privileges and obligations as chriftians.

To this part of the work I fhall fubjoin An Efay (publifhed originally in the Theological Repofitory) on the analogy there is between the methods by which the perfection and happiness of men are promoted according to the difpenfations of natural and revealed religion. Thefe, I have there endeavoured to fhew, are exceedingly fimilar, the immediate object in both being a gradual extenfion of the views, and an enlargement of the comprehenfion of the human mind. This, however, is a confideration on which I do not lay much stress. It is acknowledged not to be fufficient to produce conviction in the minds of unbelievers, but it is

hoped

hoped that it exhibits fuch a prefumptive argument in favour of the scheme of revelation, as is calculated to give fome additional fatisfaction to those who are already the lovers and friends of revealed religion; though to persons who have not a philofophical turn of mind, it may feem to be too abftrufe, and to have too much refinement in it.

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PART II.

THE

EVIDENCES

OF

REVEALED RELIGIO N.

W

E have feen how far unaffifted reafon has been able to carry us in our inquiries con cerning the being, perfections, and providence of God, and alfo concerning the duty and final expectations of mankind; or rather how far unaffifted reafon might have been able to carry us in thefe inquiries. For though it be true that all the deductions we haye made are derived from the confideration of nothing but what we feel or fee, yet these conclufions were never, in fact, drawn from those premifes, by any of the human race; and it is in vain that we look for fo complete a fystem of morais among the most intelligent of mankind. Indeed, the very imperfect state of this important kind of knowledge in the heathen world, and the growing corruption of morals, which was the confequence of it, furnish a strong proof of the expediency, if not of the abfolute neceffity of divine revelation.

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CHAPTER I.

OF THE STATE OF THE HEATHEN WORLD.

T will be acknowledged that, of all the heathen

IT

nations, the greatest progress in useful knowledge is to be looked for among the Greeks, who greatly improved upon the stock of knowledge - which they borrowed from Egypt and the East. It is, therefore, doing the greatest justice to this fubject, to confider the state of knowledge and virtue among these nations.

The Greek philofophers had not failed to give par ticular attention to the subject of morals and theology; fome of the moft confpicuous of their fects having had no other object; and yet, though they had flourished, unmolested, for the space of near fix hundred years before the time of Chrift, and had frequently divided and fubdivided themfelves (the leaders of every new fect pretending to improve upon all who had gone before them) none of them attained to any thing like a full conviction concerning the unity, the attributes, and moral government of God. They had very imperfect ideas of the just extent of moral virtue; and the knowledge they had of a future ftate added little or no ftrength to its obligations. The practice alfo of the Gentile world was fuch as might be expected from the geG 6

neral,

neral corruption of their moral and religious principles.

All these particulars are fufficiently known to the learned, and may be known to any person who will take a little pains to acquaint himself with the state of knowledge and virtue in the Gentile world; but as these things are not fufficiently known to the generality of chriftians, and the fuperficial thinkers among us have been greatly mifled with respect to this subject, I shall select a few particular facts, which may give those who are attentive and unprejudiced a pretty just idea of what the most enlightened of our fpecies actually were before the promulgation of chriftianity.

SECTION I.

Of the origin and corruption of natural religion in general.

ERSONS who begin to think upon these fub

PER

jects when they are arrived to years of maturity, and who find in themselves a full perfuafion concerning the great truths of natural religion, concerning the being of God, the unity of his nature, and his moral character and government; as alfo concerning the rule of human duty, and

the

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