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@ Fint Mover! 6 cause of cau potent omniscient-incomprehensibles. 1: men call God! if there vouchsafest to rey thoughts, the words, or the actions of Man :not criminal in so wretched an assim. - prostrate himself before thee, if the m the most ardent Mayer that heart.. or my tongues can utter, be not an a hear me, 6 Almighty being! and han have mercy upon men.

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I find myself placed by thy providen speck of the whüverse, where I daily. species, who cutie themssio

they call reason; paying such a sost

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my own opinion is alto worthy of thee': Fami told by comes of I ought to beleive suche things I cannot, as I got not give my after neguident the thought of mens hearts, thou knowest ; & Almighty Being! tha why I neither cans or dare to beleive. report of thee, is because mot . appear to be nothing else but the

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thy Wisdom, and infinite Perfection. wrst, I would make this humble petition namely, that if any of my actions can posdisûlease thee, those wouldst vouchsafe clearly and plainly, what is really, 4 thy will. But what an S, That Ishadi to make such a request to thee? how dare t he or ask to be thus highly favoured above mankind ? Fwill endeavours to avoid thee, and to nest contented in that state of Varknet, and of Ignorances, whore in it hat ree to place that species to which I belong. e I cannot distinguish good from evil, and ignorant of what things and most proper for res not presumes to make any particular request all I have the confidence to do, is thus humbly I myself before thee, to acknowledge thy mire the bridoms, implace, the Mency, and fully to submit my sit to thy will, what1; dispose of me, A Almighty, Being! in, thow pleasest ; yet, oh forgive animated lump of matter, if whics it ac thy Bower, and adores thy Wisdom, it likeumes, the with a resigned and submissive mbly to entreat and to implore thy Mercy.

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Sept 1735.

CHRISTIANITY as old as the CREATION :

OR, THE

GOSPEL, &c.

***

CHAP. I.

That God, at all Times, has given Mankind sufficient Means of knowing whatever he requires of them ; and what thofe Means are.

A.

T

HIS early Vifit, Sir, gives me Hopes it
will not be a fhort One.

B. I come to talk with You on a Sub-
ject, which may, perhaps, keep me longer
with you than You defire.

A. YOUR uncommon Temper and Candor, in debating -even the most important Points, will always make your Converfation agreeable, tho' ever fo long; but pray,

what

is to be the Subject of our Morning's Difcourfe ?
B. I was Yesterday in Company with a great many Clergy-
men, it being our Bishop's primary Vifitation; where the

B

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I

Complaint was general, of the Coldnefs and Indifference, with which People receiv'd the fpeculative Points of Chritianity, and all its holy Rites; for which formerly they had fhewn fo great a Zeal. This Coldness they chiefly imputed to thofe Low Church-men, who lay the main Stress on Natural Religion; and withal fo magnify the Doctrine of Sincerity, as in Effect to place all Religions on a Level, where the Profeffors are alike fincere. The Promoters of thefe Notions, as well as the Notions themfelves, were expos'd with Warmth; how justly I will not determine, till we have talk'd the Matter over with our ufual Freedom: For which Reafon, I have made You this early Vifit, and wou'd be glad to know the Sentiments of fo good a judge, on these Two important Points; viz. Sincerity, and Natu ral Religion.

A. I thank You for this Favour, and fhall freely tell You, I fo little agree with thofe Gentlemen in relation to Sincerity, that I think a fincere Examination into religious Mat-ters can't be too much prefs'd; this being the Only Way to discover True Christianity: The Apoftles thought themselves oblig'd, in making Profelites, to recommend an impartial Search; they both defir'd, and requir'd Men to judge · for themselves, to prove all Things, &c. this they thought neceffary, in Order to renounce a Religion, which the Force of Education had imprefs'd on their Minds; and embrace another directly contrary to the Notions, and Prejudices, they had imbib'd. Nay, even thofe very Men, who most ridicule the Doctrine of Sincerity, never fail on other Occafions to affert, that Infidelity is owing to the Want of a fincere Examination; and that whofoever impartially confiders Christianity, must be convinc'd of its Truth. And I might add, That cou'd we fuppofe, a fincere Examination wou'd

not

not always produce this Effect, yet muft it always make Men acceptable to God; fince that is all God can require; all that it is in their Power to do for the Discovery of his Will. These, in short, are my Sentiments as to This Point; and as to the Other, I think, too great a Stress can't be laid on Natural Religion; which, as I take it, differs not from Reveal'd, but in the Manner of its being communicated: The One being the Internal, as the Other the External Revelation of the fame Unchangeable Will of a Being, who is alike at all Times infinitely Wife and Good.

B. SURELY, Sir, this must be extremely heterodox. Can you believe, that Natural and Reveal'd Religion differ in nothing, but the Manner of their being convey'd to us?

A. As heterodox as I may feem at prefent, I doubt not, but by asking you a few Questions, to let you see, I advance nothing in either of these Points without Reafon; and in Order to it, I defire to be inform'd, Whether God has not, from the Beginning, given Mankind some Rule, or Law, for their Conduct? And whether the obferving That did not make 'em acceptable to him?

B. THERE can be, no Doubt, but the obferving fuch a Law, must have anfwer'd the End for which it was giv'n; and made Men acceptable to God.

A. WHAT more can any external Revelation do, than render Men acceptable to God? Again,

IF God, then, from the Beginning, gave Men a Religion, I ask, was That Religion imperfect, or perfect?

B. Most perfect, without Doubt; fince no Religion can. come from a Being of infinite Wisdom and Perfection, but what is abfolutely perfect.

A. CAN, therefore, a Religion abfolutely perfect, admit of any Alteration; or be capable of Addition, or Diminution;

B 2

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