The moral world, as well as the political, appears, at prefent, to be greatly out of order. Moral and political confufion, indeed, naturally produce each other. Let all who love their fpecies, or their country, calmly confider whether the neglect or rejection of Chriftianity may not be the real caufe of both: and let those who are thus perfuaded, co-operate with every attempt to revive and diffuse the TRUE SPIRIT OF THE Gos"Let us meekly inftruct those that OPPOSE "THEMSELVES," (if God, peradventure, will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the TRUTH,)" not being overcome of evil, but over"coming evil with good †." PEL. Nor let a private clergyman, however inconfiderable, be thought to step out of his province, in thus endeavouring to tranquillize the tumult of the world, by calling the attention of erring and wretched mortals to the gofpel of peace. He is juftified, not only by the general principles of humanity, but by the particular command of the religion of which he is a minifter. Thus faith the apoftle, in a charge which may be confidered as generally addreffed to all ORDAINED preachers of the Gofpel, who having taken the oversight of the flock, are in the true fenfe of the word EσOOL, or OVERSEERS. "Feed the flock of God, as much as lieth in "you, taking the oversight thereof, not by con"ftraint, but willingness; not for FILTHY LUCRE, "but of a ready mind ‡. Take heed to ALL the "flock, over the which the HOLY GHOST hath "made you overfeers, to feed the CHURCH of GOD, 2 Tim. ii. 25. † Romans, xii. 21. "which "which he hath purchased with his own "blood *." This I have humbly attempted; and, in imitation of a moft excellent prelate +, I have adapted my book to ALL the flock; yet various parts of it more particularly to various defcriptions of men; fome to the great, fome to the learned, but the greater part to the PEOPLE: remembering the apostle's example, who fays, "To the weak became I as "weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made "all things to all men, that I might by all means "fave fome; and this I do for the GOSPEL'S "SAKE, that I might be a partaker thereof with you ." And now, readers, before you proceed any farther, let me be permitted to say to you, "The << grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of "God, and the fellowship of the Holy Ghost, be "with you," in your progress through this book, and alfo through life, even to its clofe. * Acts, xx. 28. Bishop Sanderfon, who preached in an appropriate manner, ad aulam, ad magiftratum, ad clerum, ad populum.-See the titles of his Sermons. Cor. xi. 22. A 4 PREFACE ΤΟ THE THIRD EDITION. HE modern method," fays an ingenious Tdivine", " of perpetually difcuffing the " evidence of the Chriftian religion in the way of "curiofity and literary debate, has a tendency to "keep the mind in a very immoral fufpenfe; and "to divert it from habituating itself to the temper and precepts of the religion, thus made the sub"ject of endless difquifition. The NEW TESTA"MENT INCLUDES ITS OWN EVIDENCE +." This opinion alone would justify the design of the fubfequent volume, which is to perfuade men to habituate themfelves to the "temper and pre"cepts of the Chriftian religion," instead of spending their lives in oftentatious difquifitions on its external evidence. In opposing the doctrines of those who call themselves, by way of eminence, the RATIONAL CHRISTIANS, or the PHILOSOPHERS, I forefaw that I rendered myself obnoxious both to mifapprehen * Dr. AP THORPE. -La larga ploia "E' fyllogifmo, che la m'ha conchiufa "Ogni demonftration mi par obtusa." The abundant shower of divine grace, which is diffufed over the Scriptures, becomes an argument fo cogent and conclufive to my mind, that, in comparison with it, all demonftration appears inefficacious. DANTE, quoted by F. SIMON and by Dr. APTHORPE. fion and mifreprefentation. I was not unprepared to bear confequences which I predicted. They excite no furprise; and even the pain which they might otherwise inflict, is prevented by a consciousness of having, with fingleness of heart, efpoused a cause beneficial to mankind, and founded on fcriptural, as well as the HIGHEST HUMAN authority. Nevertheless I think it right, not to neglect an opportunity of farther explaining the fcope of thefe pages; becaufe fuch an explanation may render them more efficacious in accomplishing their good purpose. My book, as, I think, must have been evident to every attentive and unprejudiced obferver, was, in the first inftance, defigned to COUNTERACT, among the multitude, the effect of Mr. Paine's Age of Reafon, Volney's Ruins, and the general example of French apostasy. But what mode of counteraction did I adopt? that of producing* hiftorical evidence or abftrufe argument? * Dr. Cudworth was a philofopher of the very firft order, deeply learned, and fingularly fagacious. Yet, what fays he on the subject of producing faith by hiftorical evidence? the following words are from the Preface to his Intellectual Syftem: "Scripture faith is not a mere believing of hiftorical things upon teftimonies only; but a certain higher and diviner power in the foul, "that peculiarly correfpondeth with the Deity." "Faith," fays the celebrated Dr. Heylin, is an impreffion of the Almighty on the heart of man. This experimental efficacious "knowledge of God, manifefting himself to his worshippers, and "thereby difpofing and inclining them to their duty; this knowledge, I fay, is what we call Faith, and is the proper bafis of all << religion." 1 Monfieur Pafchal fays, " it is the heart, and not the reafon, which has properly the perception of God. GOD SENSIBLE TO "THE HEART, is the most compendious defcription of true and "perfe& Faith." As to reafoning, men may reafon in defence of what they do not believe, and may reafon fo as not eafily to be refuted, yet without producing |