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ligion, Morality, and Government, their folly in rejecting whatever is old, and their precipitation in embracing whatever is new, I avow my firm conviction, that there is no greater or more fruitful fource of mifchief and mifery, than a wild, unreftrained ardour for innovation: I MAINTAIN THE TRUTH AND THE IMPORTANCE OF THE CHRISTIAN REVELATION, THE VALUE OF ANCIENT LEARNING, THE DIGNITY OF SCIENCE, AND THE EXCELLENCE OF THE BRITISH CONSTITUTION. And in order to provide the most efficacious antidote against the poifon of their opinions, I recommend an intimate acquaintance with the eminent divines of the Church of England, fuch as CUDWORTH, BARROW, TILLOTSON, STILLINGFLEET, CLARKE, and PALEY; and with our great philofophers and moralifts, BACON, LOCKE, BOYLE, NEWTON, ADDISON, and JOHNSON. Thefe are the authors, whofe underftandings I reverence, whose opinions upon the leading fubjects of Religion and. Morality, I highly efteem, and whose excellent works I earnestly recommend. These are the writers, whom, in decided preference to all arrogant sciolifts, and plausible infidels, I hold up to general attention, as the luminaries of ufeful knowledge, the teachers of genuine wifdom, and the true friends of mankind.

Such are the inftru&tors, by whofe affiftance the student is advised to extend the fphere of his appli cation beyond profeffional knowledge, and to cul

tivate fome of the more open fields of ufeful and pleafing inftruction.

I confider myself as affuming the office of a Guide to the youthful and inexperienced traveller, and as undertaking to point out the interefting prospects of a charming country, without aspiring to the accuracy of a topographer, or the diligence of an antiquarian. I fhall conduct him, who commits himself to my directions, from a low and narrow valley, where his views have been closely confined, to the fummit of a lofty mountain:-when he has reached the proper point of view, he will feel his faculties expand, he will breathe a purer air, enjoy a wider horizon, and obferve woods, lakes, mountains, plains, and rivers, fpreading beneath his feet in delightful profpect. From this commanding eminence, I fhall point out fuch places as are most deserving his researches; and finally, I fhall recommend him to thofe, who will prove more inftructive, and more pleafing companions, through the remaining part of his journey.

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RELIGION.

CHAPTER I

The Chriftian Religion.

THE feeds of religious knowledge are implanted in our minds during the earliest period of our lives. The notions of a Providence, and the various duties which we owe to God, to mankind, and to ourselves, are inculcated long before our judgments are fufficiently matured to determine the reasonablenefs, or eftimate the utility, of moral and religious truth.

That the conduct of the inftructors of children, in thus taking advantage of the curiofity and the docility of the infant mind, is not the refult of fuperftition and credulity, but of good fenfe, and a proper regard to its beft interefts, and most valuable improvement, will appear, when the faculty of judgment is fufficiently ftrengthened by time to enable a young man to examine thofe principles, which he has been taught from his early years to hold venerable and facred. To inquire on what account Christianity claims an afcendency over all other branches of knowledge, and what are the particular grounds upon which he believes it to be a divine

VOL. I.

с

a divine Revelation, is a duty which he owes equally to his own reason, and to the dignity and importance of the fubject itself.

"Revelation claims to be the voice of God, and our obligation to attend to his voice is furely moral in all cafes. And as it is infifted that its evidence is conclufive, upon thorough confideration of it; fo it offers itself to us with manifeft obvious appearances of having fomething more than human in it, and therefore in all reafon requires to have its claims most seriously examined into"."

Such an examination, conducted with that degree of care and attention, becoming the infinite importance of the fubject, will clearly prove that the Chriftian Religion conftitutes the moft useful and the moft fublime part of our knowledge. It introduces us to an acquaintance with thofe fubjects, which are in the highest degree defirable to be known as it opens the clearest profpect, that man in his prefent ftate can furvey, of that Being, who is the effence of all perfection, the centre of infinite excellence, and the fountain of inexhaustible wifdom, goodness, and power. The knowledge of created beings is low and trivial when compared to this; for however admirable they may be in their conftruction, however ufeful in their nature and properties, and however ftupendous in their frame and magnitude, they arc ftill but faint fhadows and

a Butler's Analogy, p. 401.

imperfect

imperfect images of the glory of their Creator. The inftruction, which the Chriftian Religion conveys, is not only of the most excellent kind, but its acquifition is above all things to be defired, especially when we confider the Almighty, with refpect to the wonders of his power, and the difpenfation of his Providence-when we view him by the clear light of the Chriftian Revelation, not only as the Maker and Governor of the universe, but as the Father of the Saviour of the world, whom he commiffioned to proclaim his divine will, to establish the certainty of a future ftate, and to propofe everlafting happiness to mankind, on condition of faith in his name, and obedience to his commands.

To know Chriftianity is therefore both to understand what the Supreme Being has revealed for our greatest good, and to afcertain what conduct we ought to purfue in order to obtain his approbation and favour. How low therefore muft the acquirements of learning and fcience fink in our opinion, when placed in oppofition to religious knowledge! But when it forms the bafis upon which they are built, they derive additional value as well as ftrength from its fupport; they are confecrated to the beft purposes, and directed to their most salutary ends.

Much as the knowledge of the fcholar, and the fpeculations of the philofopher may elevate and enlarge the mind, and much as they may improve and adorn it, they extend not our profpects beyond the world, they bound our views within the narrow

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