THE

TRUTH AND EXCELLENCE

OF THE

Chriftian Religion Exhibited.

PART II.

SECTION 1.

The Evidence in Favour of Revealed Religion, arifing from its Neceffity and Importance to Mankind.

IN exhibiting the evidences of the chrif

tian religion, the first thing to be inquired into, is the importance and usefulness of divine revelation; for if fuch a thing be useful and important, and even neceffary to man, it must be suitable to the divine wisdom and goodnefs to bestow it.

First, If man had perfevered in his primitive innocence; if human principles and practice had no influence on hu man happiness, nor on each other; and if ignorance, in

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attention, and prejudice; if superstition and sensuality; if favage life, and fanguinary paffions, had no tendency to corrupt men's opinions, to pervert their reason, and to plunge them into guilt and wretchedness; on these suppofitions it might be admitted that there is no need of revelation. But from daily experience, and from the history of men in all ages, it appears, that not one of the things now fuppofed is agreeable to fact.

That man did not perfevere in innocence, requires no proof. That corrupt principles and practices lead to mifery, and truth and virtue to happiness, is as evident, as that order is preferable to confufion, fecurity to danger, and a wife and good man to a barbarian or wild beast ; that, even though our intentions be good, we muft mistake our duty, if we are ignorant of the nature of that being who is the object of it, will not be doubted by thofe who have obferved, that we must believe a man to be our parent or benefactor, before we can be fenfible that we owe him the duty of gratitude or filial affection. And that men's notions of all the objects of duty, of their Creator, their fellow men, and themselves, are liable to be perverted, and in every country unenlightened by revelation, have been perverted by the weakness of the human understanding, by the force of prejudice and paffion, by vice, by inattention, by fuperftition, the hiftory of mankind proves to be a melancholy, but inconteftible truth.

This being granted, it will follow, that a revelation, which rectifies and ascertains men's notions of the feveral objects of duty, by explaining the nature of God, and of man, and by informing their confciences, with refpect to particular duties, must be highly important and beneficial,

and must even be neceffary to the attainment of that degree of happiness and virtue, whereof human nature appears to be fufceptible, and for which therefore we may prefume that man was made.

*

Secondly, The character of the Supreme Being, and the nature and destination of man, must be very imperfectly known to thofe who have received no pofitive information concerning the reality of a future ftate, and its connexion with the prefent. Now this is a point in which all the evidences collected by human reafon, while unaided by divine light, amount to nothing higher than probable conjecture. But that better evidences, in fo interesting a matter, must be a defirable thing, will be acknowledged by all men, unless they be men who believe that a future ftate is an abfolute impoffibility. Revelation therefore feems to be neceffary to give such evidence of another life, and fuch intelligence concerning it, as may vindicate the divine goodness and wisdom, with respect to the conftitution of the prefent; and fuch as may also prove a comfort to good men, and a restraint on the paffions of the wicked, and fuch, moreover, as may ferve for a folemn intimation

*Before our Saviour's time," fays Mr. Locke," the doctrine of a future ftate, though some pagans, by tradition, had obtained conceptions of it, was not clearly known in the world; no nation publicly profeffed it, and it was no where made an article of faith, and principle of religion; of Jesus Christ, therefore, it may be truly faid, that he brought life and immortality to light; and he not only taught the doctrine of the foul's immortality, but has given us an unquef tionable affurance of it, by raifing the dead, and also by his own refrrection and afcenfion into heaven."

See Locke's Works, Vol. II.

to all men, that their behaviour in this state of trial, is to them a matter of infinite importance. That this laft confideration ftrengtheneth morality, or promotes at least the peace of fociety, and confequently the happiness of mankind, feems to be admitted by the enemies, as well as the friends of religion. Elfe how can we account for the favourite maxim of the infidel, that religion was contrived, and is patronised by politicians, in order to overawe the world, and make the paffions of men more manageable?

Thirdly, Revelation is farther neceffary to explain on what terms we may hope for pardon, confiftently with the perfections of divine juftice. Of the neceffity of expiation for guilt, all mankind seem to have had an idea, as appears from the antient ufe of facrifices. But from the multitude of the pagan expiatory rites, from the abfurdity of all, and the impiety of many of them; and especially from the circumftance of their confulting oracles on the fubject of atonement, we may warrantably infer, not only their ignorance of duty in this particular, but also from their cenforioufnefs of that ignorance. And fome of their beft philofophers in the Socratic fchool, feemed to think, that till God fhould be pleased to reveal his will, in an extraordinary manner, it would be impoffible for man to know what religious fervice would be moft acceptable to him. To thofe who were fo wife and fo candid, as to think and fpeak in this manner, may we not prefume, that the chriftian doctrine of repentance and faith, if they had rightly underfood it, and if they had known its evidence, would have been a welcome discovery.

To our infidels, indeed it is not welcome; for they fay they have no need of it, being, it fecms, fully fatisfied, that

however ignorant Socrates might confefs himself to be, they have all the knowledge that man has occafion for. And yet, if it had not been for this manifeftation of divine grace and truth, they would probably, at this day, have been confulting oracles, offering incense to idols, or perhaps, like many of our remote forefathers, polluting the creation with human facrifices. Certain it is, that in

these things no material reformation was ever introduced, or attempted by the philofophers of old. That men fhould worship the gods, and perform the facrifices and other rites, as by the law established, was the doctrine not of Pythagoras and Epictetus only, but of Cicero, a wifer and more learned man, at leaft, than either, and even of Socrates himself, the wifeft of them all. So that if philofophy had been man's only guide, it is probable, nay it is more than probable, that idolatry would at this day have been his religion.

Fourthly, Revelation is yet farther neceffary, in order to make the whole of human duty not only known, but obvious to all capacities. The beft heathen moralifts acknowledged their ignorance in fome points of duty; and what they knew, they had not power to enforce upon the common people, who in antient times were very illiterate, having rarely accefs to books, whereof there were then but' few in the world. Though they had poffeffed much power, and been all of the fame mind, which was by no means the cafe; and though they had not been moved, as most of them were, by pride, vanity, or the spirit of contradiction, to introduce new fyftems, yet their labours would have but little effect. Such arguments as they had to offer, the greatest part of mankind could not under