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things above, not on earthly things. What Mr. Jenyns fays of this detachment from the world well deferves notice. He defcribes it as "a moral virtue conftituted by this "religion [chriftianity] alone: fo new "that, even at this day, few of its profes "fors can be perfuaded that it is required, "or that it is any virtue at all*." it is, that he feems to have thought it needed fome explanation: and fome perfons may imagine he has pretty well explained it away. To me it appears that, where this new virtue has taken fast bold, the mind has generally been difqualified for scientific pursuits, and for any other than imagined heavenly ones: and, upon the other hand, I believe, on inquiry, it will be found that, where christians have attained great eminence as philofophers, they have set their affections both on science itself and on that diftinguished fituation

* See Jenyns's View of the Internal Evidence, &c. p. 85.

which

which they have occupied among their fellow men. "They have received ho

nour one from another, and fought not

"the honour which cometh from God only."

That Chrift himself was no friend to philofophical investigation is evident from the manner in which he delivered his inftructions. He seldom, if ever, spoke but in the tone of authority, and required his fayings to be received implicitly, on pain. of incurring the difpleasure and even the condemnation of the Almighty. And Paul, though an argumentative writer, and by fome complimented with the title of philofopher, so far from recommending, has expressly cautioned thofe to whom he wrote against the mischievous tendency of philofophy. It is alleged, indeed, that Paul, by the term, intended to designate the doctrine of the Gnoftics. If fo, he is cenfurable for great inaccuracy, not to fay injustice,

injustice, in giving exclusively the name of philofophy to what he esteemed falfe and mischievous, while (as it is fuppofed by these his advocates) he was acquainted with a better philofophy, the advantages of which he withheld from those for whose instruction he was writing. In my opinion, the praise of philofophical inveftigation was not due to him for any thing of his which I have feen; and I do not conceive that he either was, or pretended to be, a philofopher. A philofopher inquires concerning truth and good; likewife concerning the nature of man, and what it is which conftitutes his perfection and happinefs: And where any religion whatsoever is in queftion, he inquires whether it bears the marks of truth and good, and how it is calculated to influence the mind. Moreover he is very cautious in his inquiry, left he should be fubjected to impofition, always demanding what shall appear to him just and fatisfactory evidence.

Now

Now to me, it seems as if it had been the object of Paul to reprobate fuch inquiries, and to brand them, as highly offenfive to the Deity. "It is written, (faith he to the Corinthians, Epif. i. chap. 1.) "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, " and will bring to nothing the understand"of the prudent. Where is the wife? "Where is the fcribe?

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Where is the dif

Hath not God

"made foolish the wisdom of this world?" -and adds much more in the fame ftrain.

Upon the whole, it is fufficiently evident that the morality of the New Teftament, defective as it is, and in certain instances pernicious, is not of divine origin; and it is equally plain that, the detachment from the world, the fubmiffive acquiefcence and implicit faith required by its first teachers, are hoftile to intellectual improvement. Iftrongly fufpect, indeed, that fome advocates for chriftianity are

not

not perfectly aware" what spirit they are "of." It is not a Chriftian fpirit. In fome respects, perhaps, it is better.

SECTION III.

Of Objectionable Matter infeparable from the Christian Faith.

WHILE the generality of chriftians have believed, or affected to believe, that the canonical books of fcripture were written. by men divinely inspired for that purpose, certain fpeculative and philofophical perfons admitting the truth both of the old Revelation and the new, have nevertheless thought the greatest part of fcripture to have been written without infpiration, because it was unneceffary; and they have likewife thought many things contained in the fcriptural books to be, on feveral accounts, highly objectionable. Some of thefe

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