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ed. For were the time of fuch an exertion of it put back ever fo far, if, instead of five or fix thousand years, we were to fuppofe millions of millions of ages to have paffed fince the world* was reduced out of a chaos to an harmonicus and regular form, ftill a whole eternity muft have preceded that date, during which the divine attributes did not exert themselves in that beneficent work, fo fuitable to them, that the conjectures of human reafon can find no caufe for its being delayed.

But because of thefe difficulties, or any other that may occur in the fyftem of Deifm, no wife man will deny the being of GOD, or his infinite wisdom, goodness, and power, which are proved by fuch evidence, as carries the cleareft and strongest conviction, and cannot be refused without involving the mind in far greater difficulties, even in downright abfurdities and impoffibilities. The only part therefore that can be taken, is to account in the best manner that our weak reafon is able to do, for

*By the world I do not mean this earth alone, but the whole material universe, with all its inhabitants. Even created spirits fall under the same reasoning; for they must also have had a beginning, and before that beginning an eternity must have preceded.

such seeming objections; and were that fails, to acknowledge its weeknefs, and acquiefce under the certainty, that our very imperfect knowledge or judgment cannot be the measure of the divine wisdom, or the univerfal standard of truth. So likewise it is with respect to the Christian Religion. Some difficulties occur in that revelation which human reafon can hardly clear; but as the truth of it ftands upon evidence fo strong and convincing, that it cannot be denied without much greater difficulties than those that attend the belief of it, as I have before endeavoured to prove, we ought not to reject it upon fuch objections, however mortifying they may be to our pride. That indeed would have all things made plain to us, but God has thought proper to proportion our knowledge to our wants, not our pride. All that concerns our duty is clear; and as to other points either of natural or revealed religion, if he has left fome obfcurities in them, is that any reasonable cause of complaint? Not to rejoice in the benefit of what he has graciously allowed us to know, from a prefumptuous difguft at our inca

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pacity of knowing more, is as abfurd as it would be to refufe to walk, because we cannot fly.

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From the arrogant ignorance of metaphyfical reafonings, aiming at matters above our knowledge arofe all the fpeculative impiety, and many of the worst fuperftitions of the old Heathen world, before the gospel was preached to bring man back again to the primitive faith; and from the fame fource have fince flowed fome of the greatest corruptions of the evangelical truth, and the most inveterate prejudices against it an effect just as natural as for our eyes to grow weak, and even blind, by being ftrained to look at objects too diftant, or not made for them to fee.

Are then our intellectual faculties of no ufe in religion? Yes, undoubtedly, of the most necessary ufe, when rightly employed. The proper employment of them is to distinguish its genuine doctrines from others erroneously or corruptly ascribed to it; to confider the importance and purport of them, with the connection they bear to one another; but first of all to examine with the ftricteft attention the evi

dence by which religion is proved internal as well as external. If the external evidence be convincingly ftrong, and there is no internal proof of its falfehood, but much to fupport and confirm its truth, then furely no difficulties ought to prevent our giving a full affent and belief to it. It is our duty indeed to endeavour to find the beft folutions we can to them; but where no fatisfactory ones are to be found, it is no lefs our duty to acquiefce with humility, and believe that to be right which we know is above us, and belonging to a wisdom fuperior to ours.

Nor let it be faid, that this will be an argument for the admitting all doctrines, however abfurd, that may have been grafted upon the Chriftian faith: those which can plainly be proved not to belong to it, fall not under the reafoning I have laid down; (and certainly none do belong to it which contradi& either our clear, intuitive knowledge, or the evident principles and dictates of reafon) I fpeak only of difficulties which attend the belief of the gofpel in fome of its pure and effential doctrines, plainly and evidently delivered

there, which being made known to us by a revelation fupported by proofs that our reafon ought to admit, and not being fuch things as it can certainly know to be falfe, must be received by it as objects of faith, though they are fuch as it could not have discovered by any natural means, and fuch as are difficult to be conceived, or fatisfactorily explained by its limited powers. If the glorious light of the gospel be fometimes overcaft with clouds of doubt, fo is the light of our reafon too. But fhall we deprive ourselves of the advantages of either, because those clouds cannot perhaps be entirely removed while we remain in this mortal life? Shall we obftinately and frowardly fhut our eyes against that day-fpring from on high that has vifited us, because we are not as yet able to bear the full blaze of his beams? Indeed, not even in heaven itself, not in the highest state of perfection to which a finite being can ever attain, will all the counfels of Providence, all the height and the depth of the infinite wisdom of God, be ever difclofed or understood.Faith even then will be neceffary, and there will be mysteries which cannot be pe

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