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I have sometimes met with little practical treatises called Ten minutes advice-to those who are about to engage in such or such an enterprise. Those performances may have their use, though they should not contain a full detail of the business alluded to. I mean to give Two hours advice to that person, who may be in danger from the books, or from the company, of infidels, and is candid enough to desire to be informed, in few words, whether the evidence on the other side be so plausible as to deserve the notice of a rational mind. If I shall satisfy him that it is, he will naturally lay me aside, and have recourse, for futher information, to those authors who have gone through the whole subject, and illustrated and proved many things, which the narrowness of my plan permits me only to affirm, or perhaps only to hint at. And, which is far the most important part of the whole procedure, he will at the same time REVERENTLY CONSULT those Sacred Oracles, which contain the history of Divine Revelation; and which he will find, more frequently, perhaps, and more fully, than he could have imagined, to carry their own evidence along with them. And when he has done all this, in the spirit of candour, and with an humble and docile mind, and a sincere desire to know the truth and his duty, I may venture to assure him, that he will not regret the time he has employed in the study, and that from the writings or conversation of unbelievers his faith will never be in danger any more.

CHAPTER I.

475

REVELATION IS USEFUL AND NECESSARY.

THE evidence of the Christian Religion is a subject of great extent: all I purpose to do is, to give a summary view of it. I do not mean to produce proof for every one of the assertions I may make concerning matters of fact: for this would require a great deal of time, but knowing, that to the best cause every sort of misrepresentation is injurious, I shall be careful to advance nothing as certain, but what does admit of proof and has actually been proved by the learned authors, who have distinguished themselves on the side of truth in this controversy.

This evidence has been divided into external and internal: the former arising from prophecy, miracles, and historical testimony; the latter, from the peculiar character, and intrinsic excellency of the Christian religion. Some authors have enlarged chiefly on the one ort of evidence, and some on the other; and some have been equally attentive to both. I shall speak, first, of the external evidence, and, secondly, of the internal; though occasionally perhaps, and in order to avoid prolixity and needless repetition, I may speak of both at the same time.

The first thing to be inquired into is, the importance and usefulness of Divine Revelation. For, if such a thing be useful and important, and even necessary to man, it must be suitable to the divine wisdom and goodness to bestow it.

1. If man had persevered in his primitive innocence: if human principles and practice had no influence on human happiness, or on each other; and if ignorance, inattention, and prejudice, if superstition and sensual

è life and sanguinary passions, had no ten, rupt mens opinions, to pervert their reason, ge them into guilt and wretchedness;-on ositions, I should readily admit, that there is no need of revelation. But from daily experience, and from the history of men in all ages it appears, that not one of the things now supposed is agreeable to fact.

That man did not persevere in innocence, requires no proof. That corrupt principles and criminal practices lead to misery, and truth and virtue to happiness, is as evident, as that order is preferable to confusion, security to danger, and a wise and good man to a barbarian or wild beast. 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, will not be doubted by those who have observed, that we must believe a man to be our parent or benefactor, before we can be sensible that we owe him the duty of gratitude or filial affection. And that mens notions of all the objects of duty, of their Creator, their fellow-men, 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 passion, by vice, by inattention, by superstition, and by ignorance, the history of mankind proves to be a melancholy, but incontestible truth.

This being granted, it will follow, that a revelation, which rectifies and ascertains mens 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, must be highly important and beneficial; and must even be necessary to the attainment of that degree of happiness and virtue, whereof human nature appears to be susceptible, and for which therefore, we may presume that man was made.

2. The character of the supreme Being, and the na. ture and destination of man, must be very imperfectly known to those who have received no positive information concerning the reality of a future state, and

its connection with the present. 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 so interesting a matter, must be a desirable thing will be acknowledged by all men :-unless there be men who believe that a future state is an absolute impossibility. Revelation, therefore, seems to be necessary, to give such evidence of another life, and such intelligence concerning it, as may vindicate the divine goodness and wisdom with respect to the constitution of the present; and such as may also prove a comfort to good men, and a restraint on the passions of the wicked; and such, moreover, as may serve for a solemn intimation to all men, that their behaviour in this state of trial is to them a matter of infinite importance. That this last consideration strengthens morality, or promotes at least the peace of society, and consequently, the happiness of mankind, seems to be admitted by the enemies, as well as by the friends of religion. Else how can we account for that favourite notion of the infidel, that religion was contrived, and is patronized, by politicians, in order to overawe the world, and make the passions 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 justice. Of the necessity of expiation for guilt, all mankind seem to have had an idea; as appears for the universal use of sacrifices.But, from the multitude of the pagan expiatory rites; from the absurdity of all, and the impiety of many of them; and especially from the circumstance of their consulting oracles on the subject of atonement;, we may warrantably infer, not only their ignorance of duty in this particular, but also their consciousness of that ignorance. And some of their best philosophers of the Socratic school seemed to think, that, till God should be pleased to reveal his will in an extraordinary manner, it would be impossible for man to know what re

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