long fojourn, and where so many signal Miracles were wrought to give a check and stop to Idolatry in the very Source and Fountain of it, if Men had not been beyond all measure obftinate in their Folly and Difobedience.

And the fame Goodness of God has not been wanting to any Nation of the World. For, a tho' the Law of Mofes was peculiarly defigned for the People of Ifrael, yet provision was made for the receiving of all fuch as were willing to become partakers of it, to the obfervation even of their ceremonial and typical Service; none befides the Ifraelites were required to observe it, but neither were any excluded from it. And by the constitution of the Jewish Law and Government, as well as by the Providence of God in all his Dispensations towards that People, effe&tual Care was taken that all the neceffary Points of Religion, which concern Mankind in general, should by them be communicated to the reft of the World. But the Christian Religion was, by its original Inftitution and Defign, equally extended to all Nations, and was foon propagated all over the World. Nations but lately known to us, have been conftant Objects of the Divine Care, and had early Discoveries made to them of the reveal'd Will of God, as I have proved at large by the Teftimonies of Protestants as well as of Papifts. And it is very ob

* Οὐδὲν διὰ Ἰδαίος μόνος ο νόμω ω, ἐδὲ δι αυτούς μόνος οἱ προφῆς ἐπέμποντο, και οι ισδαίων εδιώκοντο, πά της 5 τ οικοιδύης τι διδασκάλιον ἱερόν τε πει θεό γνώσεως, LYXL TONleias, St. Athan. de Incarnatione Verbi Dei,

C

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fervable,

fervable, which e Varenius has remark'd, that the Jefuits, in fome places at least, have preach'd the Subftance of Christianity without the Mixture of many of thofe Doctrines, which are peculiar to the Roman Communion; and he owns that their Succefs has been very great.

f

III. It was the Opinion of a converted Mandarin, That those who had any occafion to hear the Law of God, or to read the Books which treat of it, and did not judge it to be true, wanted Brains, and were void of Understanding. And it might well be thought incredible, if we did not find it true in Experience, that when Christianity has gain'd so much upon Heathens, and 8 Turks have become its Profelytes and Martyrs, even in Conftantinople it felf; it should notwithstanding grow into Contempt among profess'd Chriftians, who difpute every Article of the Faith into which they were baptized, and every Commandment, which they have undertaken, and folemnly vow'd to obey.

But do they not prove what they pretend? As little of that as may be ; but they fay it, and say it often and confidently, and perhaps fometimes wittily, and this must pass for Proof. But do Men love, or will they endure to be talked or jefted out of any thing that is dear to them but their Souls? Let the Wit be what they please, or can fancy it to be, certainly they must be much too fond of it who can be con

• Varen. de Relig. in Regn. Japan. c. v. Semed. Hift. of China, Pt ii. c. 13.

Ricaut. Hift. of the Ottem. Emp. I. ii. c. 11, 12.

tented

tented to lose not only their best Friend, but Heaven it self for a Jeft, which perhaps, after all, would be little taken notice of on another Subject, and has nothing to recommend it but Profaneness, and that alone which should make it abhorr'd, causeth it to be admired.

As there is nothing fo bad but fome may pretend to speak for it, (as a Panegyrick has been written upon Bufiris, and another upon be Nero ) fo nothing is fo excellent but it may fpoken against; and if no Right or Title muft be allow'd as true or certain, which may be question'd or disputed, it is hard to say what any Man can have that he may call his own. But let it be confider'd that there is little Learning or Judgment required in advancing or maintaining new and ftrange Doctrines, and in rejecting the old. Things may be so plain, as for that very Reason to be hard to prove, because there is nothing plainer to prove them by. A bold Denial of the Truth of our Senfes and Faculties may seem to promise something of more than ordinary Subtilty; tho' there be no more in it than this, that he who refolves to deny the very Grounds and Foundations of all Reasoning, has taken effectual care not to be confuted. It is a Mistake to think that it is eafiest to speak upon a common Subject; a Man indeed can never want fomething to fay upon fuch a Subject, but he is prevented in what he fhould fay, it is known before-hand, and expeated from him: The niceft thing of all is to enforce and improve known Arguments, and to

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give

give new Life, and a better Genius, as it were, to that which has been faid a thousand times before. It is ufually easiest to discourse on the wrong fide of a Question, because there never is fo little scope for Fancy and Invention, as when a Man is confined to strict Truth Error will admit of all Extravagancies, but Truth is a fevere and uniform thing, and there are those whom any Extravagancy almoft will please, for the Novelty of it. There may be fome Art required to make a known Story delightful in the relating, but News is commonly welcome, tho' it be never, fo ill told; and the most beautiful and useful Creatures are little regarded, when the worst of Monsters are the more gazed at the more they be deform'd. Let those who make fuch a Noise with their Singularity, but change the Subject, and try how it will fucceed with them, they will foon find the Difference, and perceive that they will cease to be in vogue, when they have no longer the Vanity and Illnature, and Vices of Men on their fide.

It is with our Minds in this respect, as it is with our Bodies, when once they are well fupply'd with all that is neceffary or convenient, they begin to loath wholfome Food, and to seek out for Varieties of Luxury, and are fond of any thing that may please them to their Hurt. It is thus in every Art and Science, especially in fuch as all Men think themfelves more or lefs concern'd to know. Men firft were contented to speak so as to be understood, and to express their Meaning plainly and naturally with Truth

and

and Simplicity to one another; afterwards fpeaking became an Art, and at last in the best and most elegant Languages, it degenerated into nothing but Affectation, and all the Ridiculousness of a falfe Eloquence. The fame thing happen'd in Philosophy; the Scepticks carry'd this innovating Humour to the utmost Extravagancy, for the Primitive Traditions being obfcured and corrupted, and every Succeffion of Philofophers striving to set up for themselves, and to outgo each other, they had brought it to that pass, that Tully, who knew as well as any Man, fays, that nothing can be more abfurd than what fome of the Philofophers held. But the Author of the Leviathan proceeds farther, and obferves, that h no Living Creature is subject to the Privilege of Abfurdity but Man only, and of Men, thofe are of all moft fubject to it that profefs Philofophy. And if we will not believe him upon his word, he has given us his Example for it; few Men, I think, having written more extravagant things than he has done in every part of Philofophy; if Religion were fet afide, he would never have escaped among the Philofophers and Mathematicians of any Age; he difputed the Principles of Geometry, as well as the Foundations of all Religion, and both with a like Succefs. calls Abfurdity the Privilege of Mankind; a ftrange Privilege! which he has made the most of. But fince with a little time the Novelty and

Leviath. Pi. c. 5.

He