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if they had lived in Judea from the firft of the reign of Tiberius, down to the end of Nero, and had converfed perfonally with Chrift and his apoftles or had been witnefs to the Churches, thro' the Roman and Grecian empires, receiving the New Testament writings as agreeable to the doctrines that had been taught by the apoftles, every where. It is the meffage and the importance of it, that determines the character, and the importance too of the meffenger's character. And this we have before us, which wholly excufeth the honeft and serious any further labour in bunting; than that of a diligent attention and due application of the rule.

Nor would I have the unbeliever triumph in his notion, of the univerfal fufficiency of reason, or the light of nature. The New Teftament writings have taught this doctrine, as plainly as he is able to do it. Jefus fays, that no man can come to him, except the father, i. e. the evidences which he exhibits of God's paternal character, draw him. And it is because men did believe in God, that they did alfo believe in fefus. St. Paul has affirmed, that that which may be known of God, is manifeft to the pagan world; for God hath fhewed it unto them. And that when the Gentiles which have not the law, do by nature, or habit, the things contained in the law, thefe having not the law, are a law unto themfelves. And St. John, in the introduction to his Gofpel, (which Mr. C. had imagined, was his own private opinion) fpeaks of God's having always been the life of men, and that very life was properly their light. That the true light was that which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. That God had always had bis being and perfections manifest to men in his providence, and the world had been made by him, and yet, the world knew him not. And when our

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Lord fpeaks of the importance of the revelation he has made of God's will, he never reflects on the light of nature, as not having been a proper and fufficient guide to men. Yet, he tells his difçiples, and those people who had been the witneffes of his works, that their remaining infidelity would make it more tolerable in the day of judgment, for the inhabitants of cities, under the light of nature, that had been judicially destroyed for their wickedness, than it would be for them! And when speaking of a wicked chriftian, in comparison with a wicked heathen; he says, that he who knew his Lord's will, and did it not, fhall be beaten with many ftripes: whereas he who knew it not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, Shall be beaten with few. for unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required :--fo that if we may rely upon the judgment of Jefus, it will be very dangerous for any man to reject the Gospel, under a pretence that the light of nature is a proper and fufficient guide. The apoftles thought it of the utmost importance, to all to whom it was addreffed. Is it not then too great a prefumption for any man, to conclude haftily, that they were all mistaken?

Again, by divine revelation being above or out of the ordinary course of nature, I suppose Mr. C. means, that if there was a divine revelation, it would be a divine revelation.-But upon his denial of there being any fuch thing; affirming that we can have no previous ground to prefume or expect there will be any, his meaning is not so evident. What the previous ground intends; whether it be fuppofed to be in, or out, above or below the ordinary courfe of nature, is not fo obvious. If he means, a previous ground in the ordinary courfe of nature, of expecting fomething out of and above the ordinary courfe of nature, this will be F 2

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a perplexed cafe: but if we may fuppofe an ac tual ground of prefumption and expectation out of the ordinary course of nature, of such a revelation, all the difficulty and confusion will be removed. Now, that fuch a previous ground is very fuppofeable, Mr. C. thus acknowledges: When men are funk into grofs ignorance and error, and are greatly vitiated in their affections and acticus, then, God may, for any reason I can see to the contrary, kindly interpose, by a special application of his power and providence, and reveal to men such useful truths, as otherwise they might be ignorant of, or might not attend unto, and alfo lay before them fuch rules of life, as they ought to walk by; and likewife press their obedience with proper motives, and thereby, lead them to repentance and reformation; Vol. I. p. 292, 293 which is expressly allowing a previous ground of prefumption and expectation, in fuch a difordered unnatu ral state of man. If therefore there ever has been fuch a state of mankind, as is here fuppofed, tho a divine revelation be above, or out of the ordinary courfe of nature, it was to be expected; and we have no room of doubt, but as there has been fuch a previous ground in the difordered condi tion of mankind, fuch revelation has been given: and of confequence, we are under obligation with regard to that revelation, and it is our duty likewife to feek after, i. e. enquire into its evidence. Neither is it at all preposterous for a man to attend to the divine revelation, as the guide of his judgment and actions; because tho God had placed in man a guide proper and fufficient to anfwer the purposes for which it was given, yet, man having funk into grofs ignorance and error, and become greatly vitiated in his affections and actions, that divine revelation became ufeful and proper for him in such circumstances. -

And

And that a divine revelation has been afforded to man, we have full and fufficient teftimony; and alfo the fundry times and diverfe manners of its being given, are exprefsly afcertained in the facred records: the truth of which record is verified by abundant experience and fact. So that what this author has allowed in one place, wholly demolisheth what he would difallow in another. And it is the grand mistake which men ufually run into, who would controvert a divine revelation, viz. that because the reafon of man, rightly ufed, under the light of nature, is a proper and fufficient guide to all, who thus ufe it, and are not favoured with an express revelation; that therefore when this has been generally perverted, and a revelation has been afforded, they are quite unconcerned with the revelation given. This is an enormous mistake. For the revelation, if divine, will harmonize with the precepts of nature, and enforce them by proper motives: and its doing fo, muft oblige men, however virtuously they are difpofed, to make use of this fuper-added means of virtue and holinefs. And it will be at their peril, that they defpife or reject it.

It is faid, that the revelation, like a pack of seat. II. cards, is capable of being shuffled and cut, com- Revelapounded, and divided, and dealt forth, fo as to tion comanfwer the depraved appetites, and the various in- pared to a terefts of men. Vol. II. p. 63.

This ludicrous fimile, will as well fuit that proper and fufficient guide in a man's own breast, which we fhall find Mr. C. a ftrenuous advocate for men who are without an exprefs revelation, and all who think proper to contemn and despise it, are as capable of fhuffling and cutting, compounding and dividing, and dealing forth, fo as to answer their depraved appetites and various interests, as those men who believe a ไป

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revelation.-Did the revelation appear to counte nance any trick, diffimulation, or unjust beha viour; did it, in the leaft, inftruct men in any of the little, knavish, or vicious arts and practices; the fimile might then have been admitted, as used with propriety. But if it most univerfally abhors and difcourages all disguise, cunning, ftratagem, that may impose upon and injure any of our fellow-creatures: then it must be allowed, that the fimile is very unjuft. and one may fafely aver, that the revelation is not capable of fuch ufe; but as men mistake, pervert and abuse it.

Its peculiar doctrines are plain, and obvious: fuch as, that of remiffion of fins being connected with true repentance, without any facrifice, or ritual which had been either a part of Jew, or of Pagan theology. That the obedience actively and paffively expreffed in the life and fufferings of Jefus, fhall be the exemplar of mens acceptance with God. In which fenfe, he has given bis life a ransom for many; that is, all fuch who imitate his obedience fhall be raised from the dead, by the ministration of Christ, and introduced into a state of final happiness. And his own exaltation to power and dominion is the earneft and pledge of their final juftification.

These are the peculiar, but plain and obvious doctrines of Christianity: fo that if men fhuffle and cut with them, or use them as they would a pack of cards, it is not owing to any defect in the revelation, but to a defect in their own attention and integrity. Nay, more than this, there is all the precaution taken in the teachings of Jefus, to prevent mistake; fince every worldly mo tive is excluded any influence in the laws and maxims of God's moral government, under Jefus. Which motives being perverfely introduced by vain, defigning men, has been the true fource

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