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APPEAL

TO THE

HOLY SCRIPTURES THEMSELVES,

ON THE DOCTRINES OF

FAITH AND WORKS;

WITH A VIEW OF LEARNING FROM THE ONLY PURE FOUNTAIN
WHAT IS THE REAL TRUTH TO BE UNDERSTOOD
BY A CHRISTIAN,

OF THOSE

CHRISTIAN DOCTRINES:

AND A POSTCRIPT

ON THE DUTY OF A CHRISTIAN,

IN REGARD TO HIS CONNECTION WITH THE WORLD, AND
WORLDLY CONCERNS.

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LONGMAN, REES, ORME, BROWN, AND GREEN.

1830.

ADVERTISEMENT.

THE task which is here executed, is one which the writer was very far from desiring to undertake. Whatever may be his own personal persuasions, he has neither bodily strength, nor the necessary leisure, to engage willingly in any endeavor to impress them on others, by written arguments; nor has he the vanity or presumption to suppose, that he has powers to turn others from what he may believe to be the "error of their ways." But peculiar circumstances constrained him to yield to a sense of his duty to a very numerous tribe of children, whom he is bound to lead to the best of his abilities; and of whom several have already reached an age susceptible of lasting impressions on religious topics, and others are rapidly advancing to the same season; whilst the senior is looking forward to the hope of filling the office of a Minister in our Church.

Local circumstances, not necessary to be more particularly stated, made the writer apprehensive of danger,

that erroneous impressions might be made on his children, unless he undertook the office of counteracting the possible influence of what they were exposed to, from other quarters. This consideration led him to the performance of the present task.

A Christian parent will ever strive to keep a strong religious feeling and bias constantly alive, in the mind of those who are submitted to his influence. But there is too much reason to fear, that attempts, now very prevalent and daily extending, to produce an over earnest assumption of religious bearing in all things, and of a degree of sanctity beyond the nature of man, and inconsistent with his earthly position, may have the same effect as the cant and hypocrisy of the Puritans, by giving to men a disgust of religion itself, and making them disown it, and throw it off; as was the case in the time of King Charles the second.

The system thus urged upon us has this peculiar mischief, that it necessarily places the Infidel, and the sober and temperate Christian, on the same side of the argument. The Infidel rejects all semblance of religion; the temperate man disapproves an excessive and impracticable pretence of it. These two opposite characters are therefore united, on different principles, in condemning the same error. It must be obvious to the meanest understanding, how necessarily it will follow, that they will, in the end, be often classed together; and that whilst the cause of religion is contaminated and injured by the association, that of infidelity will gain all the benefit of it.

P. S.-Although local considerations have entered into the Writer's motives in this Essay, he hopes that he shall not be accused of the bad judgement, and bad feeling, of making any local or personal allusions. Nothing can be farther from his intention. All his observations have been drawn from, and all his arguments have been applied to, general occurrences and purposes; without the most distant allusion being designed to any local or personal facts. If any thing is seen which can be thought applicable to individuals, the fitness is utterly undesigned and accidental; and can be nothing more than the common likeness, which a general portrait will often bear to persons wholly unknown to the painter.

This Postscript is added after a reperusal of the manuscript; from a desire to avoid, as far as possible, any unjust imputations of a design to do what might give pain, where the writer would be far better disposed to communicate consolation and happiness.

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