upon a high degree of probability, and the word of God; and will not fuffer themselves to be convinced, by propofitions fufficiently manifest, they leave fuch to enjoy their fupine ignorance, nor do they think them worthy to be admitted to the knowledge of the true God, and his revelation : Yet in charity they heartily pity all fuch, and pray for the divine grace to foften their hearts, and enlighten their minds.

Thus the Analogy between one part of knowledge and another, which are both attended with difficulties, humbles the human mind, and rendering it fufceptive of truth upon reasonable evidence, forwards it in the journey through the fciences. The traveller who ftops at every ford, difputing with the demonftrator of the road about the depth of the water, the nature of the channel, and the force of the current, against the honeft experience of him who vouches for his fecurity, will make but a short progrefs in his intended journey: And if importuned to try, he paffes over fafe, yet turning again towards his demonftrator argues with him, whether it was not by fwimming, or leaping, and not wading, that he made his paffage; he acts no more abfurdly, than he, who having acquired excellent knowledge by revelation, attributes all to imperfect nature, the inftruction of nurses, or any idle caufe, except the true obvious one.

But fo much is faid concerning the Analogy of human conduct in the different ways of acting, as well as the other analogies, that it may be imprudent to detain you any longer from perufing the subject matter of this book,

or

or to anticipate the main defign of it. Let it fuffice to remark that the subject of analogy is extremely copious, and men have gone but a little way in it as yet. When the laws of the material world are better known, and human conduct better regulated in all ways of acting, by the Laws of God, and the books of divine wifdom lefs muddied with difputes, and perverse interpretations, WISDOM will be found a glorious. homogene thing; and the laws of spiritual and material beings, of God, Angels, Men, brutes and infenfible matter, more fimilar and akin, than has hitherto been explained, or perhaps conceived.

There is nothing more injurious to knowledge, than an opinion, which prevails with. fome people; that all parts of knowledge are fully cultivated, and that there is scarce any thing left for human industry. It is almoft fhameful even to mention fuch an opinion, much more fo, to go about to refute it. It can only be the very narrow minded, or extreme idle part of mankind, which can entertain fo ignorant a fentiment. The most know, ing man is commonly the most modeft; be caufe his acquaintance with fome valuable. things gives him opportunity of conviction, that an infinite number of valuable things are: not yet known to him. Are there any avaricious dealers in knowledge like those traders upon pecuniary motives, who burn the spices they can not bring home, thereby to inhance the price of their cargo? It seems there are.

But great and knowing men have honoura bly given us a fort of defcription of those cli

mates

mates of knowledge, which may be furveyed with fome accuracy hereafter, but which at prefent are only known to us by their coafts and first prominent parts. Even religion although it be every man's business to endeavour to know it, is not yet known to the degree of perfection which the divine revealer means in time to discover: Many fecrets of providence may be ftill concealed, as well in the book of nature, as in the written book of God; both which it is your bufinefs efpecially to ftudy.

It is in fome degree neceffary for all people, but, to those who are to be teachers of mankind, it is indifpenfible; and the neglect of natural talents, or the abufing of them in sophistry, which promotes herefy and error, will be feverely accounted for. The difficulties and difcouragements with which this ftudy is attended, are not fufficient to excufe the neglect of them. For as to the want of wealth and honours, or the unequal diftribution of them, which by fome is called a difcouragement, and must certainly be accounted for by thofe of high ftation, who have the power of difpenfing them this ought not to be mentioned by any one, who understands the true fpirit of the Gofpel, which in nothing is fo explicit, as in precepts, expreffing a contempt for those things, or at least prohibiting all anxiety for them.

;

And as to the fophiftry, which ingenious men have dreffed up with the appearance of truth, on purpose to puzzle weak minds, or fuch as are in hafte to form a fyftem of opinions: Neither this, I fear, although the most important of the two, will excufe the neglect

of

of the ftudy of divine knowledge. It is as abfurd, for a man to decline the study of divini ty, upon account of the difficulties which attend it; as it would be to refufe to walk abroad, or to vifit diftant places, because the uneven furface of the earth confifting of mountains, water, rocks, fands, together with pyrates and banditti, which infeft fea and land, render travelling exceedingly dangerous, to all fuch, who are not properly prepared, and are not observant of seasons. Is it not a fufficient reply to one poffeffed of fo weak a fear, that God has given a fun, moon and stars, to enlighten the earth, a needle to denote the north, and eyes to make use of all thefe; together with many examples of perfons that have already travelled?

In like manner, is it not a reasonable answer to a timorous disciple in religion, that although there are difficulties attending the study of divine knowledge, yet it has pleafed our gracious God to influence mankind, to appoint feminaries of learning, where very excellent helps may be had: The pious and judicious labours of those who have gone this way of knowledge before us are preferved; and the grace of God is of more certainty in this heavenly voyage than the compafs in the terreftrial: Inafmuch as it never varies, where the heart is difpofed to make a proper ufe of it. And if notwithftanding this, there are many miscarriages, they must certainly be attributed to a wrong ufe of those means, which a gracious God intended. for the best purposes. An honeft judgment in matters of religion is certainly in human pow

er,

er, and the grace of God leading us to that Judgment may be obtained.

Once for all, the writer begs that the cour teous reader will take in good part what has been hitherto, or fhall hereafter be delivered in this book: He means well to christianity, he means well to literature, he means well to all honourable endowed feats of it: That all which may profper, (for their Union is close) fhould be fometimes the prayer, and always the with, of those, who think, that the chriftian religion well understood, and honeftly practifed, is the prefent welfare, and the eternal falvation of mankind.

THE