ས opinions be true or false; unless your avowed defign be to abolish that religion altogether. So for inftance, in the famous doctrine of Chrift's divinity, which hath been univerfally received by all bodies of Chriftians, fince the condemnation of Arianifm under Conftantine and his fucceffors: Wherefore, the proceedings of the Socinians are both vain and unwarrantable; because they will be never able to advance their own opinion, or meet any other fuccefs than breeding doubts and disturbances in the world. Qui rationé fua disturbant monia mundi. The want of belief is a defect that ought to be concealed, when it cannot be overcomié. The Christian religion, in the moft early times, was proposed to the Jews and Heathens, without the article of Chrift's divinity; which, I remember, Erafmus accounts for, by its being too ftrong a meat for babes. Perhaps if it were now softened by the Chinese miffionaries, the converfion af thofe infidels would be lefs difficult: And we find by the Alcoran, it is the great ftumblingblock of the Mahometans. But in a country already Chriftian, to bring fo fundamental a point of faith into debate, can have no confequences that are not pernicious to morals and public peace. I have been often offended to find St Paul's allegories, and other figures of Grecian eloquence, converted by divines into articles of faith. God's mercy is over all his works, but divines of all forts leffen. that mercy too much. I look upon myself in the capacity of a clergyman, to be one appointed by providence for defending a poft affigned me, and for gaining over as many enemies as I can. Although I think my caufe is juft, yet one great motion is, my fubmitting to the pleasure of providence, and to the laws of my country. : I am not answerable to God for the doubts that arife in my own breaft, fince they are the confequence of that reafon which he hath planted in me, if I take care to conceal those doubts from others, if I use my best endeavours to fubdue them, and if they have no influence on the conduct of my life. I believe that thousands of men would be orthodox enough in certain points, if divines had not been too curious, or too narrow, in reducing orthodox within the compafs of fubtleties, niceties, and diftinctions, with little warrant from Scripture, and lefs from reafon and good policy. I never faw, heard, or read, that the clergy were beloved in any nation where Christianity was the religion of the country. Nothing can render them popular, but fome degree of perse cution. Thofe fine gentlemen who affect the humour of railing at the clergy, are, I think, bound in honour to turn parfons themfelves, and fhew us better examples. Miferable mortals! Can we contribute to the honour and glory of God? I could wish that expreffion were struck out of our prayer-books. Liberty Liberty of confcience, properly speaking, is no more than the liberty of poffeffing our own thoughts and opinions, which every man enjoys without fear of the magistrate: But how far he fhall publicly act in pursuance of those opinions, is to be, regulated by the laws of the country. Perhaps, in my own thoughts, I prefer a wellinftituted commonwealth before a monarchy; and I know feveral others of the fame opinion. Now, if, upon this pretence, I should infift upon liberty of confcience, form conventicles of republicans, and print books preferring that government, and condemning what is established, the magiftrate would, with great juftice, hang me, and my difciples. It is the fame cafe in religion, altho' not fo avowed, where liberty. of confcience, under the prefent acceptation, equally produces revolutions, or at leaft convulfions and disturbances in a ftate; which politi cians would fee well enough, if their eyes were not blinded by faction; and of which these kingdoms, as well as France, Sweden, and other countries, are flaming inftances. Cromwell's notion upon this article was natural and right: When, upon the furrender of a town in Ireland, the Popish governor infifted upon an article for liberty of confcience, Cromwell faid, he meddled with no man's confcience; but if, by liberty of confcience, the governor meant the liberty of the mafs, he had exprefs orders from the parliament of England against admitting any fuch liberty at all. It is impoffible that any thing so natural, fo neceffary, and fo univerfal as death, should ever have been defigned by providence as an evil to mankind. Although reason were intended by providence to govern our paffions, yet it seems, that, in two points of the greatest moment to the being and continuance of the world, God hath intended our paffions to prevail over reafon. The firft is, the propagation of our fpecies, fince no wife man ever married from the dictates of reafon. The other is, the love of life, which, from the dictates of reason, every man would despise, and wifh it at an end, or that it never had a beginning. VOL. XI... N FURTHER FURTHER THOUGHTS ON RELIGION. HE Scripture-system of man's creation, is T what Chriftians are bound to believe, and feems most agreeable of all others to probability and reason. Adam was formed from a piece of clay, and Eve from one of his ribs. The text mentioneth nothing of his Maker's intending him for, except to rule over the beafts of the field, and birds of the air. As to Eve, it doth not appear that her husband was her monarch ; only the was to be his help-meet, and placed in fome degree of fubjection. However, before his fall, the beafts were his moft obedient fubjects, whom he governed by abfolute power. After his eating the forbidden fruit, the course of nature was changed, the animals began to reject his government; fome were able to efcape by flight, and others were too fierce to be attacked. The Scripture mentioneth no particular acts of royalty in Adam over his pofterity who were cotemporary with him, or of any monarch until after the flood; whereof the first was Nimrod, the mighty hunter, who, as Milton expreffeth it, made men, and not beasts, his prey. For men were easier caught by promises, and fubdued by the |