weakness and falfehood of his pretences. The few wonderful things related of him appear at first view to be fable and romance. His forbidding enquiries into the nature and principles of his religion, evidently fhews he was confcious to himself that it would not bear them. His propagating it by the fword, is proof fufficient that he knew it would not prevail with the weapons of reafon and argument. The falfehoods it contains as to matters of fact, demonftrate the ignorance or wickedness of its founder. The indulgences it gives to the appetites and fenfual defires of men, is a ftrong argument of the badnefs of his own inclinations, and fhews his refolution to facrifice chastity and virtue to the more prevalent views of ambition and power: Many of his precepts are abfurd and ridiculous, and unworthy the nature of true religion. And lastly, the motives and rewards fet before men, and promifed by him to encourage them to embrace and continue in his religion, are fuited only to fuch whofe minds are oppreffed with fenfuality, and enslaved to vice; no way worthy of the known perfections of God, nor any way fuited to the rational fpiritual nature of man. And of confequence a religion thus defective in its evidence, and falfe in its very conftitution and frame, can never be the inftitution of God, nor worthy of my reception and belief. As to the Jewish religion, tho' this appears to have many genuine marks of its being the appointment of God, yet I find that it could. not in its nature be intended for the religion of the world, because feveral of its precepts were fuch, as that by far the greatest part of the world could not poffibly comply with them. It was an inftitution peculiar to one particular nation and country, and of confequence as fuch never did or could oblige the rest of mankind. And as it was calculated for one peculiar people, fo it appears to have been conftituted for a time only; the books themselves, which contain the accounts of it, intimating that the feepter fhould depart from Judah, that another prophet fhould be rifed up like to Mofes, and declaring that the days fhould come when God would make a new covenant with the house of Ifrael, and with the boufe of Judah, not according to the covenant that he made with their fathers, when he took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt. Befides this, there appear to be various prophecies relating to a more excellent and durable ftate of things, to commence under the government and reign of a particular perfon, foretold in different ages, defcribed by various perfons, as to the time of his coming, the place of his birth, the nature of his works, his fufferings and death, his resurrection and kingdom, and other remarkable events that attenied him. And as thefe predictions and circumftances do all center in jefus Chriit, I plainly difcern that Judaism is fo far from demanding my fubmillon to it, that it directs me to Jefus Chrift, and is accomplished and perfected in him. Upon all these accounts, I declare myself to be a Chriftian; and am confcious that I have not taken up the profeilion of Christianity by chance, or in compliance with the cuftom of my country, or merely thro' the force of education: But as my faith is the refult of a ferious'examination andin prtial enquiry, and as I am perfuaded that its pre tences tences to revelation and a divine original are fupported with all the ftrength of argument and proof that the nature of the thing will bear, or a reasonable mind can defire, I think it both my duty and interest to submit to it as an inftitution from God, And till I can fee the evidence of it difproved, or the religion of Chrift itself demonftrated to be irrational and abfurd, I am determined by the grace of God to hold fast my profeffion to the end, seeking after the kingdom of everlasting glory by the practice of that righteousness which prepares for and leads to it; in a firm dependance upon the truth of that comfortable declaration of Jefus Chrift, That God jo loved the world, that he gave his only-begotten fon, that wbofoever believeth in him, should not perish, but have everlasting life, END OF VOL. III, |