Befides the books which I have already mentioned in this introduction, or which I have occafionally quoted in the body of the work, I would recommend to thofe perfons who would wish to have more fatisfaction with refpet to feveral branches of the evidences of chriftianity, the following treatifes, feveral of which are not large or expensive, among many others which may have great merit of the fame kind, though I happen not to be fo well acquainted with them. Farmer on miracles, 8vo. Price's differtations, 8vo. Weft on the refurrection of Chrift, 8vo. Lyttelton on the converfion of St. Paul, 8vo. Letters of fome Jews to Voltaire, 2 vols. Svo. The Criterion, 8vo. Lardner's Jewish and heathen teftimonies, 4 vols. 4to. and his Hiftory of the writers of the New Testament, 3 vols. 8vo. which may be had feparate from his larger work on the Credibility. Butler's analogy, 8vo. Leland's view of the deiftical writers, 2 vols. 8vo. Fortin's dif courfes on the truth of the christian religion, and his Remarks on ecclefiaftical history, 5 vols. 8vo. Duchal's fermans, 8vo. Macknight on the truth of the gospel biflory, 4to. Doddridge's

three fermons on the evidences of christianity, especially the fecond, 12mo. Sharp's arguments for the truth of the chriflian religion, 2 vols. 8vo. Lowman on the Ritual, and alfo on the Civil Government of the Hebrews, 2 vols. 8vo. and efpecially Hartley's View of the evidences of chriftianity in the 2d vol. of his Obfervations on man.

Several of the above-mentioned writers undertake to defend articles which, in my opinion, do not belong to christianity, as will be seen in the remainder of this work, as well as in my other writings; and they confequently make the defence of christianity more difficult than was neceffary; but, notwithstanding this, they all contain obfervations that are well worth the clofeft attention, in order both to evince the truth of revelation, and to confirm the faith of those who already believe in it.

It ought to be obferved upon this subject, that faith is not one abfolute and determinate thing, but that it admits of degrees;

proceeding

rancy

proceeding from a fimple affent to a propofition, which arifes from a bare prepondeof the arguments in favour of it, and advancing, by the most infenfible gradation, to that fulness of perfuafion, which arifes from the perception of the greateft clearness and ftrength of the evidence for it. The paffions and affections, if they be at all moved by a bare affent, will be extremely languid, though the thing itself be of the greatest moment; whereas a full perfuafion of the reality of an interefting objet excites the moft vigorous and fervent emotions. The difference of the impreffion they make upon the mind is properly compared to the effect of an object placed at a very great, or a very fmall diftance. If any thing in the conduct of life depend upon belief, we fhall, in the former cafe, be hardly influenced by it at all; a very small motive being fufficient to overpower the effect of fo fuperficial a faith; at beft we fhall be irrefolute and inconftant; whereas in the latter cafe, we fhall be determined to vigorous and immediate action.

It is, therefore, a matter of the greatest confequence, not only that unbelievers be made converts to the chriftian faith, but that the faith of believers themselves be ftrengthened, and they be thereby converted from merely nominal into real chriftians, who live and act under an habitual and lively sense of the great truths of christianity; and who, in all their enjoyments and pursuits in this world, never lofe fight of their relation to another and a better.

Now faith is increased by the very fame means by which it is first generated, viz. by an attention to the proper evidences, and a frequent contemplation of the object of it. Thofe perfons therefore, who call themfelves christians, and who must be supposed to wish to feel and act as becomes chriftians, should study the evidences of their religion; they should meditate upon the life, difcourses, and miracles of Chrift; and make familiar to their minds every thing relating to the history and propagation of chriftianity in the world. They fhould both frequently

quently read the fcriptures, and alfo other books which tend to prove their truth, and illuftrate their contents.

I fhall think myfelf very happy, and that I gain a very valuable end, if this part of my work, though it be of no ufe to the converfion of unbelievers, fhould be a means of confirming the faith of any profeffing chriftians, leading them to a better underftanding of the reafons of their faith, and making them think more frequently, and more highly of their privileges and obligations as chriftians.

To this part of the work I fhall fubjoin An Efay (publifhed originally in the Theological Repofitory) on the analogy there is between the methods by which the perfection and happiness of men are promoted according to the difpenfations of natural and revealed religion. Thefe, I have there endeavoured to fhew, are exceedingly fimilar, the immediate object in both being a gradual extenfion of the views, and an enlargement of the compre

henfion