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THE

ANALOGY

OF

Divine Wisdom &c.

T

HIS knowing age, as it is called, has given frequent occafions to every one that has learning, to use it in defence of revealed religion. CHRISTIANITY is to be confidered two ways, as a fyftem of truths convincing the human mind, and a collection of precepts influencing human practice. The former of these must now be fupported by literature and -fkill in reafoning, the latter by upright conduct in the preachers and exemplary life: For miracles are ceased. The children of wisdom have both; and she is justifyed by them. But there are fome who being unnatural children, and wanting the latter, find pleasure in endeavouring to deftroy the influence of chriftianity, by a wicked ufe of the former.

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YE are they, who are principally concerned to oppose them. Because education gives you fkill in the ufe of the weapon, which is to be employed in the combat. The writer of this book

*They who are not converfant in the fciences may do well to pafe over the latter part of this ADDRESS.

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is far from thinking himself able, eit grapple with the enemy alone, or to you in the various plans, which may b posed for execution, in this fpiritual co He only wishes to be thought worthy to mitted to a council of war, and in his tu give his opinion concerning the militant Ch In these capacities as fellow ftudent, fellow foldier, he takes the liberty to e you to study diligently the laws and difc of our fpiritual militia, and most religi to regard the precept of the Captain of falvation: WATCH. The worst enemy who is in the garrifon, and means to be The enemy against whom at present w principally to watch, is not the Mahom the Jew, or the Pagan, but the treach Christian; who having imbibed christiani his early life, betrays it in his maturity; though continuing in external communion thofe who profefs it, is an Infidel in his h

Infidelity is a great fin, and the divine fentment will be to infidelity, at least wh ufed to be to idolatry, when the Jew was favourite of God: The greatest crime he co commit was to give his honour to falfe Dei and now that the Chriftian is become the vourite of God, the greateft crime he can co mit is to deny divine revelation. There many vices which a woman may forgive husband, and one that the will not; and ma vices which a man may forgive his wife,

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one that he will not. This is alfo the cafe between God and mankind. Idolatry is often confidered in the old teftament as whoredom: In the new, the christian church may be confidered as a spouse; and the transferring of honour in this cafe is fo difhonourable, as to be unpardonable; and therefore there is only one fin excepted out of all that human nature is capable of falling into, utterly excluding the mercy of God, and that is, the fin against the holy Ghost. What that is may be dif puted by fome, but to those who weigh things with difcernment and honefty, it will appear, to have been the fin of attributing the miracles of Chrift to Belzebub; that is, of grofly denying the revelation of God by Chrift, with contempt, when he was perfonally upon earth; and it is now the denying of his written reve lation, against that blaze of evidence, which fhines round all the fundamental truths of it. And if that evidence be now greater, than it was at the time of our Saviour's perfonal pre fence, (which feems to be the truth) the fin of infidelity muft alfo now be greater.

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The apostles were, according to our Saviour's declaration, to do greater miracles than himfelf: But we have the miracles both of one and the others recorded: And miracles upon record are perhaps as strong as miracles feen; Confider ing that no one man has seen all the miracles wrought by Chrift and the Apostles, which are recorded: But the recorded teftimony is the evidence of all these united, almost forcing conviction upon the mind of the in quirer. Befides which, we have also histori

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cal events fulfilling prophecies, which increase of evidence every day arifing. fcriptures informing us that there is n name under heaven whereby a man faved but the name of JESUS CHR if they, to whom he has been preached fuch abundant evidence, do not believe, deprive themselves of the only means of nal falvation, and commit the worst of perhaps the fin against the HOLY GH

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He who compaffionately wished to g the Jews under his wings, as a ben gath ber chickens, (and the Jews were only er matical of the whole human race, for h the fame affection towards mankind) c not avoid expreffing himself strongly on other hand. Thou Capernaum which art alted unto Heaven, fhalt be brought dou Hell. For if the mighty works which I been done in thee had been done in Sodom, it w bave remained until this day. But I fay you, that it shall be more tolerable for the of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for th

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Seeing therefore that infidelity is fo grea fin, all care ought to be taken in the educa on of youth, fo as to imprefs fuch sentime. of religion upon their minds, as may renc them obfervant of the truth, and the laws God. This perhaps may be called by thof who are witty scoffers at every thing ferious, method of inftilling Prejudices. But fince is evident, that the bulk of mankind will eve act by education, custom, or example, whic. in reality is nothing more than Prejudice, ever when they happen to be right, (Prejudice be

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