so prone to ridicule, or calumniate those, whom they cannot? Such symptoms look very suspicious; and should induce those, who are conscious of them, to put the question home to themselves, whether this great good will to religion be really the temper, with which they have ever enquired into it, or do now inwardly think of it; or whether indeed their professions are only a specious manner of talking, occasionally taken up to serve a turn. If the latter be the case, they must, in order to be fair doubters, guard against another sort of prejudices, than they imagined.

Some prejudices, either right or wrong, will take hold of us very soon. And therefore it is fit, that as far as we can, we should examine the foundation of our early opinions: but with equity, with candour, not with a resolution beforehand to find fault: for as they are never the truer for our being educated in them, they are never the falser either. But indeed the education of many hath placed them so very little in the way, either of receiving prejudices, or hearing arguments in favour of religion; that they have need to begin with throwing off prejudices to its disadvantage; and should suspect that much more may be said for it, than the little, which hath come to their knowledge. It is probable, that they might have some impressions of piety, such as they were, made upon them by the superintendants of their childhood; and it is possible, that something may have been added since to these impressions, by their attendance, if haply they have been suffered to attend, on public instruction. But as soon as they begin to see a little more of the world, and observe what passes around them, what a number of things will they meet with, likely to give them a much

stronger bias towards infidelity, than the forms of a common education have given them towards faith! They will find but too many declared unbelievers, and even teachers of unbelief: very many, who, if they do not expressly deny Christianity, speak and act as if they despised it; and few, in comparison, that vouchsafe it a serious and uniform regard. The abuses of religion they will hear most invidiously magnified; the benefits of it most artfully and maliciously depreciated; the public worship of God condemned, as idle formality; the private, as enthusiastic folly; the ministers of his word represented as objects only of contempt or abhorrence: and the consequence hath been, that, by thinking of us in a manner, which, with all our faults, God forbid we should deserve, multitudes are come to think of the Gospel, that we preach, in a manner, which they certainly ought not, did we deserve ever so ill. When prejudices from without like these, are added to the vehement ones within, which vanity forms against every thing that would humble it, and passions and appetites against every thing that would restrain them; it is easy to perceive, where the danger of partiality lies; and what prepossessions the company they have kept, the books they have read, the lives they have led, make necessary to be banished by too many, if they would become fair enquirers.

Let it therefore be examined, on what foundation the notions, that we have learned, of religion and virtue stand. But let it be examined also, on what foundation the prevailing notions, which contradict religion and virtue, stand. For to lay it down as a maxim, that these are well grounded, and discard the former merely on that presumption, is monstrously unreasonable. We own it to be highly proper, that

men should ask themselves, why they believe: but it is equally proper for them to ask, why they disbelieve. Undoubtedly they should not be bigots and zealots: but then they should not be so against religion, any more than for it. Implicit faith is wrong: but implicit infidelity is yet more so. And whatever fault may be found with the trust, which it is said the godly repose in their spiritual guides; it is full as possible, and perhaps in proportion full as frequent, for the ungodly to follow one another on to their lives end, with their eyes close shut, each in the most servile reliance on what his leader tells him; only with the ridiculous addition of admiring most immoderately, all the way, their own wonderful freedom of thought.

By such considerations as these, men should prepare their minds for beginning to inquire. And when they do begin, it is an important rule, not to be too hasty in drawing conclusions, especially bold ones. Viewing things on every side, observing how far consequences reach, and proceeding to collect and hear evidence, till reason saith there needs no more, is grievous labour to indolence and impatience, and by no means answers the ends of conceit and affectation. A shorter way therefore is commonly taken. Some objection of minute philosophy strikes their thoughts unexpectedly or comes recommended to them as highly fashionable: and whether a solid answer can be given to it, they never ask. Some argument, urged in favour of religion, proves or seems to be a weak one: and, without more ado, they infer, that the rest are no stronger. Some things, which have been generally received, they find or apprehend are false or doubtful; and therefore nothing, they imagine, is certain. Some text of Scripture, possibly transcribed or translated +

amiss, is hard to defend, or to reconcile with some other; and therefore they slight the whole. Some doctrine, which revelation is said to teach, appears hard to understand or admit, or is capable of a ludicrous turn: and therefore immediately they reject, not only that, but others not in the least connected with it; throw aside at once the intire system; and it may be, plunge headlong into vice. Yet, all the while, Revelation perhaps doth not teach this doctrine, and they are offended solely at a phantom of their own dressing up; or perhaps teaches it with great reason, for any thing which they can ever prove to the contrary. For in a nature so unsearchable as that of God, and a scheme so vast as that of his universal government, there must be many things, which creatures of our limited faculties cannot approach towards comprehending; and, merely for want of comprehending, may fancy to be full of incredibilities, which could we but know more, or would we but remember that we know so little, would instantly vanish. In matters, therefore, which we understand so very imperfectly, to set up human imagination against divine authority; to rely on crude notions, that things are impossible, which proper testimony shews to be true in fact; or that God cannot be, or do, what by his own declarations, he is, and hath done, betrays a disposition widely distant from the modesty which becomes us.

Besides, were the difficulties which attend the system of religion more considerable than they are; yet we should take notice, that difficulties attend the contrary system also; and consider, since one must' be true, which is most likely to be so. If there be objections against a creation and a providence; are there not greater against supposing, that the world

could have existed without being created, or continue all this time without a providence? If there be somewhat scarce conceivable in the doctrine of a future life and judgment: yet upon the whole, which of the two is most probable, that a wise and good God will finally recompense men according to their works, or that he will not? If there be things in the GospelRevelation, for which it is hard to account, is it so hard to account for any thing upon earth, as how it should come to have such astonishing proofs, internal and external, of being true, if it be really false? They who think the creed of a Christian so strange and mysterious, let them think a while, what the creed of an infidel must be, if he would only lay aside his general pretences of imposture and enthusiasm and credulity and bigotry, which thrown out at random will discredit all evidence of history alike; and answer in particular, how, on his own hypothesis, he accounts for all the several notorious facts, on which our religion is built. I am persuaded, there hath never appeared yet amongst men so incomprehensible a collection of tenets as this would produce. Men may indeed be too easy of belief: but it is just as great a weakness to be too full of suspicion. Reverence for antiquity may impose upon us but fondness for novelty may do the same thing. Undoubtedly we should be on the watch against pious frauds: but against impious ones too. For whatever dishonesty the advocates of religion have been either justly or unjustly charged with, the opposers of it have given full proof, at least of their inclination not to come short of them. Whoever therefore would proceed in the right path, must be attentive to the dangers on each side.