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but which I think gives one no advantageous Opinion of the Sincerity and Candour of his Mind. He frequently speaks with great feeming Regard of our Saviour, of divine Faith, and of the Grace of God and his Holy Spirit. He makes much use of Phrases that have been employed by good Perfons in a pious Senfe; but it is plain, that all this is manag'd fo as to expofe Religion and Faith to the Derifion and Contempt of Mankind. He carries the Ridicule fo far, as to mix it with his Ad-. dreffes to the Supreme Being. He formally pretends to offer up his moft ardent Prayers in behalf of his Friend at the Throne of Grace, that God would be pleafed himself to illuminate and irradiate his Mind with a perfect and thorough Conviction of the Truth of his holy Gofpel; that the fame Holy Spirit, that first dictated that divine Law, would powerfully Jet to his Seal, and atteft its Authority in his Heart. With more to the fame purpose. Now, fuppofing what can scarce be doubted from the whole of his Pamphlet, that he does not believe the Truth and divine Original of the Gofpel, and that he looks upon the Influence of the Holy Ghoft to be meer abfurd Cant and Enthufiafm, to pretend in a folemn manner to apply to God to illuminate him with a perfect and thorough Conviction of the Truth of his holy Gofpel, and to fend his Holy Spirit to atteft its Authority in his Heart, feems to me to be a carrying Profaneness to a great height. Nor can I well conceive, how any Man that believes there is a Supreme Being, who is a Lover of Truth and Goodness,

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Goodness, and who concerns himself in the Affairs of Men at all, can allow himself to be guilty of fuch a folemn Grimace and Mockery.

You may perhaps think this Cenfure a little fevere; but I cannot help adding, that it appears to me upon the most clofe and impartial Confideration, that the Tendency of his Pamphlet is to deftroy all Religion and Reason itself, and to take from Men all Principles of every kind, thofe of natural Religion as well as reveal'd. With regard to Christianity, or the Faith of the Gospel, that it is his Defign to expofe it to Ridicule, I think no. Man that reads his Pamphlet with any Attention can doubt. It is, according to the Reprefentation he gives of it, fuch a ftrange and inconfiftent, thing, that no Man can tell what to make of it. It is a Believing without Understanding, without rational Conviction and Evidence; a Believing we know not why, and not only without Reason, but against it. It is a Faith that has nothing to do with hiftorical Evidence or moral Certainty, or with the Scripture-Account of Facts relating to our Saviour; a Faith that cannot be taught, and which it requires no Time to attain. And therefore no Man fhould trouble himself to look for a Reafon for believing, or take any pains either to get Information himfelf, or to inftruct others in the Faith; and I think the manifeft Tendency of this Scheme, if purfued, would be to banish Faith and Chriftianity out of the World.

But if he endeavours to banter us out of our Faith, perhaps he leaves us Reafon and natural Religion to guide us. No: this he alfo effectually difcards.

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The Strain of his arguing is to fhew, that no Reli gion can be rational, that is not founded on a free and impartial Examination and Enquiry. And at the fame time, he does all he can to thew, that a free and impartial Examination is an impofïible thing. That the Generality of Mankind are under a natural Incapacity for Reafoning themselves, or understanding it when propofed by others, and are incapable of judging if there be the leaft of Induction or Inference in the cafe *. And that the ableft and best of Men are difqualified for fair Reafoning or impartial Judging by their natural Prejudices; the Power of which he represents to bę fo great, that it is as that it is as abfolute a Difqualification for fuch a Trial as the greatest natural Incapacity. From whence it follows, that no Man living is capable of reafoning fairly or judging truly. He takes a great deal of pains, to fhew that Reafon can not be certain of any thing, nor of force enough to controul and govern the Paffions; that it is ever varying and unstable, and can never come to a fixed Determination in any one Point whatsoever: And indeed, confidering the Representation he makes of it, I cannot fee but that he had as good deny all Men any Use of Reafon or the intellectual Faculty at all; fince, according to him, it must be of little or no advantage, and only tends to perplex Mens Minds with endless Uncertainties and Diftrufts. Accordingly he has chofen to adorn his Title-Page with a Paffage of Cotta in Cicero, where he is difputing against Reafon and against Providence; and the Defign of which is to fhew, that Reason is an ufelefs and even a pernicious thing. Several

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Several Parts of his Pamphlet feem to be particu larly levelled against what has been usually thought of great advantage and importance, early Inftruction and Education. He frequently argues, that if Religion be fuppofed to be a rational Thing, it would be a wicked Attempt to endeavour to instruct Children in it; for this would be to prejudice and prepoffefs their tender Minds, and destroy that free Enquiry which Reason prescribes. And as to Faith, they cannot be inftructed in it, fince this is a thing that cannot be taught, and the Understanding has nothing to do with it. All Men therefore must be left entirely to themselves without Inftruction, under pretence of leaving them to the Grace of God, and to the Guidance of his Spirit. And if this alfo be exploded, as there is great reason to think it will, by this Gentleman and his Affociates, as unintelligible Cant and Enthusiasm; and fuch it certainly is, according to the Defcription he gives of it, and which undoubtedly was intended by him to expofe it to Contempt and Ridicule: I fay, if this also be discarded as well as Faith and Reason, then I fee nothing left to guide Men but their Paffions, to which they must be given up without referve, and the Force of which he fo feelingly describes.*

And now we may fee what a hopeful way Mankind would be in, if they were to follow the Tendency of this Writer's Scheme. And upon what Foundation fuch Gentlemen as these can let up for Benefactors to Mankind, who endeavour to fet them loose from all Principles, and to ridicule Rea

*P. 30, 31.

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fon and Religion out of the World; or what Good they can propose to Society or to their Country by it, is hard to fee. Some others that have appeared against Revelation, have at least in shew pretended to fet up Reafon and Natural Religion for a fufficient Guide: But this Gentleman gives fuch an account of Faith and Reason too, and plays the one in such a manner against the other, that it looks as if it were his Defign to deftroy all Regard to either of them, and to fet afide all Religion at once, Natural as well as Reveal'd. The manifeft Tendency of his Performance, is to engage Mankind to give themselves no Concern about any Religion at all, or to educate their Children in any Principles, the natural Confequence of which would be a giving them up to Vice and Barbarifm. But it is to be hoped, that when once People are made fenfible of the Tendency of fuch a Scheme, it will in a great meafure prove an Antidote to the Poifon of it; and that Piety and Good Senfe is not so far loft in the World, that Men will lightly fuffer themselves to be banter'd out of their Religion and Reason too, Such Attempts, one would be apt to think, fhould, with Perfons that will allow themselves time for Reflection, turn to the advantage of Chriftianity. For it is natural to conclude, that if the Enemies of Chriftianity are oblig'd to use Arguments against it, which, if good for any thing, would be equally good against all Religion, it is a strong Prefumption of its Truth, and that all Religion must stand or fall with it. For would any Man in his Senfes, that understands Argument at all, or that is in any degree a Judge of good Reafoning, endeavour to expose

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