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one of the things now fuppofed is agreeable to fact.

THAT man did not perfevere in innocence requires no proof. That corrupt principles and criminal practice lead to mifery, and truth and virtue to happiness, is as evident, as that order is preferable to confufion, fecurity to danger, and a wife and good man to a barbarian or wild beaft. That even though our intentions be good, we must mistake our duty, if we are ignorant of the nature of that being who is the object of it, it will not be doubted by those who have obferved, that we must believe a man to be our parent or benefactor, before we can be fenfible that we owe him the duty of gratitude or filial affection. And that men's notions of all the objects of duty, of their Creafor, their fellow-creatures, and themselves, are liable to be perverted, and in every country unenlightened by revelation have been perverted, by the weakness of the human understanding, by the force of prejudice and paffion, by vice, by inattention, by fuperftition, and by ignorance, the hiftory of mankind proves to be a melancholy, but inconteftable truth.

THIS being granted, it will follow, that a reve lation, which rectifies and ascertains men's notions of the several objects of duty, by explaining the nature of God and of man, and by informing their

conscience with respect to particular duties, muft be highly important and beneficial; and muft even be necessary to the attainment of that degree of happiness and virtue, whereof human nature appears to be fufceptible, and for which, therefore, we may prefume that man was made.

2. The character of the Supreme Being, and the nature and destination of man, must be very imperfectly known to those who have received no pofitive information concerning the reality of a future ftate, and its connection with the prefent. Now this is a point on which all the evidences collected by human reason, while unaided by divine light, amount to nothing higher than probable conjecture. But that better evidence, in fo interesting a matter, must be a defirable thing, will be acknowledged by all men :—unless there be men who believe that a future ftate is an abfolute impoffibility. Revelation, therefore, seems to be necessary, to give fuch evidence of another life, and such intelligence concerning it, as may vindicate the divine goodness and wifdom with respect to the conftitution of the prefent; and fuch as may also prove a comfort to good men, and a restraint on the paffions of the wicked; and fuch, moreover, as may ferve for a folemn intimation to all men, that their behaviour in this ftate of trial is to them a matter of infinite im

portance. That this laft confideration ftrengthens morality, or promotes at least the peace of fociety, and, confequently, the happiness of mankind, feems to be admitted by its enemies as well as by the friends of religion. Elfe how can we account for that favourite notion of the infidel, that religion was contrived, and patronised, by politicians, in order to overawe the world, and make the paffions of men more manageable?

3. REVELATION is further necessary, to explain on what terms we may hope for pardon, consistently with the perfection of divine juftice. Of the neceffity of expiation for guilt, all mankind feem to have had an idea; as appears from the univerfal use of facrifices. But, from the multitude of the pagan expiatory rites; from the abfurdity of all, and the impiety of many of them; and especially from the circumftance of their confulting oracles on the fubject of atonement; we may warrantably infer, not only their ignorance of duty in this particular, but alfo their confcioufnefs of that ignorance. And fome of their best philofophers of the Socratic school seemed to think, that, till God fhould be pleased to reveal his will in an extraordinary manner, it would be impoffible for man to know what religious fervice would be

most acceptable to him. To thofe, who were fo wife, and fo candid, as to think and speak in this manner, may we not prefume, that the Chriftan doctrine of repentance and faith, if they had rightly understood it, and if they had known its evidence, would have been a moft welcome difcovery?

To our infidels, indeed, it is not welcome; for they fay they have no need of it: being, it feems, fully satisfied, that, however ignorant Socrates might confefs himself to be, they have all the knowledge that man has occafion for. And yet, if it had not been for this manifeftation of divine grace and truth, they would probably at this day, have been confulting oracles, offering incense to idols, or perhaps, like many of our remote forefathers, polluting the creation with human facrifices. Certain it is, that in these things no material reformation was ever introduced, or attempted, by the philofophers of old. That men fhould worship the gods, and perform the facrifices, and other rites, as by law established, was the doctrine not of Pythagoras, and Epictetus only, but of Cicero, a wifer, or more learned man at leaft, than either, and even of Socrates himfelf, the wifeft of them all. So that, if philofophy had been man's only guide, it is proba

Ble, nay

it is more than probable, that idolatry would at this day have been his religion.

4. REVELATION is yet further neceffary, in order to make the whole of the human duty not only known, but obvious to all capacities. The best heathen moralifts acknowledged their ignorance in fome points of duty; and their knowledge they had not power to enforce upon the common people, who, in ancient times, were very illiterate, having rarely accefs to books, whereof there were then but few in the world. Though they had poffeffed fuch power, and been all of the fame mind, which was by no means the cafe; and though they had been prompted, as many of them were, by pride, vanity, or the spirit of contradiction, to introduce new systems, yet their labour could have but little effect. Such arguments as they had to offer, the greater part of mankind could not understand. For, in fact, the common people, in general, are not capable of perceiving the force of arguments, efpecially when the reafon is complex, and relates to matters fo remote from fense as the truths of morality and religion. Of this some ancient lawgivers, as Minos of Crete, and Numa of Rome, were fo fenfible, that they thought it prudent to afcribe to their inftitutions a divine original, pretending that they received them from the gods.

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