The Cure of Deism

Ship's Advice and Superintendency, as a judicious and faithful Overfeer of the Building of the Houfhold of God, built upon the only Foundation of eternal Life, as it is received and copy'd from Heaven. And I am abundantly convinced the more your Lordship's Model of reprefenting Chriftianity in, and through its glorious Mediator, is confider'd by Chriftians in general, and study'd by its Clergy in particular, it will more and more appear to be founded in the Nature and Reafon of Things, as well as in the Revelation from Heaven; and for that Reason, to be without Controverfy, and to the Prevention of Controverfy, the fole beft Method both for convincing, and reclaiming Gainfayers; and for establishing all Chriftians in the Knowledge and Poffeffion of the Truth.

MAY your Lordship long continue an adequate Advancer of the Kingdom of God and Chrift, in its Truth and Purpose, Laws and Practice; and may you very long live an Ornament to that Religion you have so well defended, is the cordial Wish of the Author, and of every good Chriftian.

THE

CONTENTS

Of VOLUME I.

CHAP. I.

The Religion of the END.

A

General Defcription of Religion,

Its Original,

The Divifion of it into three Branches,
God, Our Neighbour, and Ourselves,

Man the Image of God,

How the Law is written in our Hearts,

Its perpetual Obligation,

The first State of Probation in Paradife,
The Tree of Good and Evil explain'd,

346

7

9

The Introduction of Sin, the first great Change in

our moral World,

9, &c.

12

The moral Image of God, wherein Man was made
upright, alter'd,

Ridicule ill-placed, therefore immoral, Notes, ibid.

A primitive State of Innocence different from the

prefent State of Man, demonftrated from two

Self-evident Propofitions,

15, &c.

The grand Fallacy, the prov Leúdos of Chriftiani-

ty as old, &c. detected, with respect to the Im-

mutability of the Law of Nature, exclufive of

Alteration, or Addition,

A 3

19, &c.

The

The first Commencement of the natural Religion of

the Means, and of the New Covenant, 22, &c.

The Old and New Covenant defcribed in Part, 24

Divine Prefcience and future Contigents reconciled,

Notes,

25

26

The Introduction of Repentance and Prayer, the

natural Religion of the Means,

The Religion of the Means deferibed,

Christianity, the Remedy, co-aval with the Disease,

ibid.

27

How it operates as a restoring healing Means in ac-

complishing the Religion of the End, 28, &c.

The Religion of the End needed no Miracles to
prove it. The True Defign of them.

The chief defign of the Law of Moses,

All that is Good in Heathen Ethicks derived from Re-

Why and for how long God is reprefented in Scripture

in Human Parts and Paffions,

How Christianity improves the natural Religion of

the End,

The great Unfairness of the Author of Christianity

as old, &c.

ibid. &c.

37, 44

CHA P. II.

The Religion of the MEANS.

1. Of Repentance.

OW Chriflianity, or Faith in the Mediator,

actuates and enlivens that,

46, &c.

The Blafphemy against the Holy Ghoft, what it is,

The Heathens deflitute of Repentance,

49

51

A

A Solution of that Queftion, What is true Religion,

and what are Fundamentals,

The true Notion of Chriftian Perfection,

CHA P. III.

56, &c.

76

Of Prayer the other Means of Natural

Religion.

WOW Faith in Chrift the Mediator, the Head

of all the Means, operates upon that,

Ho

When it began to do fo,

Praying in the Spirit explain'd,

80

ibid.

Notes, 87

The moral Operation of Prayer in accomplishing the
Religion of the End, and improving Repentance,

Why Fervency and Frequency required,

88, &c.

93

100

The Keys of the Kingdom of Heaven explain'd, 97

The Commencement of Sacrifice, a Divine Inftitu-

tion,

The fpreading Corruption and Abuse of it, in all Sorts
of Idolatry and Superftition, encourag'd by Pbilo-

Sopbers,

103, &c.

The Affertion of our Author, That the Lives of

Chriftians are no better than Pagans, confuted,

108

That their Lives exceed the Morals of Turks, 116

The Inlet of all Corruption in Religion enters at the

Door of the Means. The Church of Rome a

notorious Inftance,

An Application to the Deifts with respect to inflitu-

Of Baptism.

Definition of a Pofitive Law from Puffend.

122

Baptifm a folemn Manner of taking on us the-Pro-
feffion and Engagements of Chriftianity, and be-
comes ever after an additional, moral, and most
obliging Reafon to fulfil them: As folemn and
binding as the Morality of keeping a Covenant,
ibid. &c.

The Aptness of external Symbols in folemn Engage-
ments to impress the Mind,