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CHAP. phy, and confequently unconcern'd as to ProXIX vidence; the Objection therefore from the Beginning is plainly a wrested Occafion for afperfing Christianity; because all the Lines being strait and fimply drawn from that true Center of Divinity, God in Chrift reconciling the World to himself, make the most comprehenfive establish'd Circumference of Reafon and Probity, true Religion and Divine Worship, godly, fober, and righteous Living. I fhall return them a PROPER Answer, by and by, after I have firft begg'd leave of the Reader to premife fome general Confiderations upon this Subject. The Objection in its full Strength, is as follows.

"If we fuppofe any arbitrary Commands in "the Gofpel, we place Chriftians in a worfe "Condition than thofe under no Law but that "of Nature, which requires nothing but what "is moral; and confequently the greatest Part "of Mankind, who are to be judg'd by the "Law they know, and not by the Law they do

other, forming his Taste like a Gentleman and Scholar, by the Rule of the best Critick,

Verum ubi plura nitent

Non ego paucis

Offendar maculis, quas aut incuria fudit,
Aut Humana parum cavet Natura.

HOR.

The Publick is the more engaged to his ingenuous Acknowledgments, because he seems to place all the real Charms and Beauty of good Writing in Divinity, in the Dif play of Truth, in a plain Drefs; the enduring Solidity of it in the Appearance of the Nature of Things in concert with Revelation, without any Art, or Pious Fraud; and the Ufe of it in the Importance of the Subject: And, that being what is, or can be, the only true Religion, is the very greatest Concern in this World.

"" not

"not know, are, on this Suppofition, in a bet- CHAP. 66 ter Condition as to the next World than XIX. "Christians; because they do not hazard the "Favour of God by any Mistakes, or Omiffions "in fuch matters. To fuppofe fome Men, who "tho' they exactly obey the Law of Nature, may yet be punish'd, even eternally, for not

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obeying another Law befides; would be to "make God deal infinitely lefs mercifully with "them, than with those who have no other "Law And yet in this miferable Cafe are all "Chriftians involv'd, if the Gofpel requires fuch

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Things as the Law of Nature does not; and "that too under the feverest Penalties-They "who think Original and Traditional Religion "don't differ, are free (no fmall Happiness) "from all panick Fears; while they, who be"lieve there are things merely pofitive in Religion, of which Reafon affords no Light how they are to be perform'd, or even what they' are, muft lie under endless Doubts and Fears." * "Muft it not be fuppos'd, that either God, "in creating Mankind, did not defign their fu"ture Happiness; or elfe that tho' he defign'd "it, he prefcrib'd them fuch Means, or gave "them fuch Rules, as either were not fufficient 66 at first, or in Procefs of Time became in"fufficient for that End? but that after Men "had been for many Ages in this miferable "Condition, God thought fit to mend the eter"nal univerfal Law of Nature, by adding cer"tain Obfervances to it, not founded in the Rea"fon of Things; and that thofe, out of his par"tial Goodness, he communicated only to fome, leaving the greatest Part in their former dark

* Chriftian, as old, p. 109, 110,
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CHAP." and deplorable State.How is it confiftent XXI.. " with the Notion of God's being univerfally "benevolent, not to have reveal'd it to all his "Children, when all had equal need of it? Was "it not as eafy for him to have communicated "it to all Nations, as to any one Nation, or Perfon?" God requir'd Impoffibilities ❝ from them, viz. either to preferve themfelves " from thus falling, or if fallen to recover themselves. But if they had not Power to "do this, and it was not their Fault, that they at first were in, and after remain'd in a State "of univerfal Degeneracy and Corruption, this "muft then be the State God defign'd they fhould be in: And it would feem not only to be in vain, but a Crime in them to endeavour to change that State in which God, of his in"finite Wisdom and Goodness, thought fit to "place them." If God always acts for the Good of his Creatures, what Reason can be affign'd, why he should not, from the Be ginning, have difcover'd fuch things as make "for their Good; but defer the doing of it till the Time of Tiberius? Since the fooner this was done, the greater would his Goodness appear to be.If God acts upon rational Mo66 tives, muft not, the fame Motives which oblig'd him to discover any thing for the "Good of Mankind, have oblig❜d him to difcover every thing that is fo and not grudg ingly bere a Bit and there a Bit and at laft, tho' he difcover'd fome things more plainly, yet it was to a fmall Part of Man"kind, the Bulk of them to this Day remaining in deplorable; Ignorance." || "Would not

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* Page 173. + Page 340. | Page 369.

"the

XIX.

"the Neceffities of Mankind and the Goodness CHA P. "of God oblige him to have prefcribed an im "mediale Remedy to the Disease, and not de"ferr'd it for four thousand Years together?" * "Is not this Notion repugnant to the natural "Idea we have of the Divine Goodness? As likewife thofe exprefs Texts of Scripture, "which declare God is no Refpecter of Perfons; "that every one, of what Nation foever, shall be "rewarded according to his Works, and that Men "are accepted according to what they have, and "not according to what they have not." "never intended Mankind fhould at any time be "without Religion, or have falfe Religions, and "there be but one true Religion, which all have "been ever bound to believe and profefs, the "Means to effect this End of infinite Wisdom, "must be as univerfal and extenfive as the End "itfelf." I

If God

THIS is the Objection in its full Length, and with its utmoft Force: It fuppofes feveral things in Contradiction to Truth, and Matter of Fact. As

1. IT fuppofes arbitrary Commands in the Christian Religion, which I have confuted at large before; and that the Receivers of its peculiar Inftitutions run greater bazard of the Favour of God, than the Rejecters of them; that these last are free from panick Fear, whilft the other lie under endlefs Doubts and Fears.

2. THAT God did not prefcribe fufficient Means for Mens Happiness at firft, from the

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Beginning,

CHAP. Beginning, or an immediate Remedy to the XIX. Difeafe; but deferr'd it for 4000 Years till the

Time of Tiberius, and then communicated it only to a fmall Part of Mankind; and that it would be a Crime in thofe, to whom the Means and Remedy of Happiness was not explicitly reveal'd, to endeavour to help themselves in their dark and deplorable State: It fuppofes further, that the Means and Remedy is not founded in the Reafon of Things; the contrary of which laft Pofition I have made appear throughout the preceding Treatise.

3. THAT this partial Proceeding of Providence is contrary to the Notion and Idea we have of the Divine Goodness; and to that Character, of being no Refpecter of Perfons. And that, as there is but one true Religion, the Means ought to be as general as the End, and as explicitly known to one Nation as to another.

BEFORE I reply particularly, I would obferve in general, 1. Suppofing this World made (no uncommon Opinion) to fupply the Place of fallen Angels, one World arifing out of the Ruins of another; God may chufe fo many Elect out of our World (and when a Perfon is elected it seems to be to fome Vacancy) in what part he pleafes. Suppofing further, what feems highly probable, that thofe Angels were graduated and differenc'd by different Endowments, fome having one Talent, more two, but moft of them five committed to them; the Scripture actually diftinguishes them into Principalities, Powers, Rulers of the Darkness of this World, and fpiritual Wickedness in high Places, all fighting in their Courses, and contending against Men, efpe

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