SON, and in Mercy, which is the Child of this WERE We not rational Creatures, we could not be religious Creatures, but upon a Level with Brutes, to whom God has made no Revelation of himself, because they want Reason to discern it, and to thank him for it. Revelation therefore presupposes Reason, and addresses itself to Reafon; and God himself, by perfuading us, as he does in his Word, by the Voice of Reafon, appeals to our Reason. We cannot glorify God but with our Understandings; and we are convinced of his Goodness, before we adore it. To praise him, without Reafon, is a Contradiction, and an Impossibility. The Devotion which he requires must be free, rational, and willing; and where it is not so, it is Folly or Hypocrify. • NOR is there any Oppofition between Rea fon and Grace, whatever fome may weakly or dishonestly maintain. In Truth, Grace is never given, but where Reafon was already given; and the former cannot fubfift, where the latter does not. We may have worldly Wisdom without Piety; but cannot poffefs Piety without Understanding; nor does Grace, though given in the greatest Abundance, at all fupply the ordinary Offices of Reason. We do B 2 not not find, that St. Luke was a better Physician, for having written a Gospel, or St. Paul a better Sailor, or better Tent-maker, for being an Apoftle. But neither could St. Luke have been an Evangelift, nor St. Paul an Apoftle, unless God had given them Reason as well as Grace. Indeed they are both the Gifts of God, only the one is ordinary, and the other is extraordinary. REASON, even without the Light of Revelation, teaches us to inveftigate Nature, and praise God for the Wonderfulness of his Works. It must judge of Revelation itself, what is fo, and what not; and of the Words and Language, in which the Holy Oracles were at first conveyed; and of the Words and Language into which they were afterwards tranflated. Now Words, many of them, being obfcure or equivocal, and fignifying different Things to different Men, it is left to our Reason to determine, in what Sense these Words are to be underftood. The Spirit of God has invented for us no new ones, or fuch as carry in their Sound certain and determinate Ideas, which cannot be mistaken, but muft infallibly be the fame to every Man. By the Light of REASON, we fee about us. It warns us against Craft, and arms us against Force; Force; and the fame Reason, which commands us to believe in God implicitly, and obey him paffively, does alfo command' us to trust to no Man without Inquiry, and to submit to no Man without Caufe. Thus, what is our Duty in relation to God, would be Madness in relation to one another: The good God cannot deceive but Men have Pride, Folly, Interest, and Complexion, all confpiring to deceive themselves and others. us; OUR first Attempt to make Converts is an Appeal to their REASON, by which they áre to judge for themselves of the Reasonablenefs of our Religion, and of the Arguments which we bring for the Defence and Recommendation of our Religion: Which Method would be exceedingly abfurd and dishonest, if we did not fuffer them to judge of our Religion, with the fame Freedom, after they are come into it, as they did before they embraced it. This would be Trepanning one's Reason into Captivity, with its own Affiftance; firft to make use of it, and then to vote it useless: A ftrange inconfiftent Piece of Treachery, and a flat Contradiction to that Liberty with which CHRIST has made us free! As if we were to receive any Syftem upon the Grounds of our Reason, without which it never can be fincere B 3 ly by received, and then to reject our Reason upon the Grounds of our Syftem. PRAY how do we diftinguifh the Beauty and Truth of the Gospel, from the Imposture and Abfurdity of the Alcoran, but by our Reafon? How do we detect the impudent and fenfeless Doctrine of Tranfubftantiation, but by our Sexfe and Reafon? Why did we, or how could we, leave Popery, and embrace the Reformation, but because our own private Reafon told us, and Scripture, of which we made ourfelves the Judges, told us, that we left Slavery, Falfhood, and Cruelty, for Truth, Freedom, and Innocence? How did our Saviour prove himself the Son of God, but by Miracles, which every Eye faw, and every Ear beard? He appealed to the Senfe and Reason of Mankind; and all were convinced, that would be convinced. How do we know the Scripture to be the Word of God, but by the Deductions and Information of Reason? How can we prove our own Church, as by Law eftablished, to be the purest and beft conftituted Church in the World, but by the Testimony of impartial, difinterefted REASON? For it is plain, from the great Number of Gain-fayers, and Arians, that her genuine Sons have not the miraculous Gift of infpiring, from above, all Men Men with their own Orthodox Sentiments. How can we distinguish Religion from Enthu fiafm, Grace from Superftition, Faith from Cre dulity, the Love of the Church from the Love of Power, and the Authority of God from theImpolitions of Men; but by Reason, or by the Scripture, interpreted by Reafon? IN fhort, all who are Friends to TRUTH, are Friends to REASON, the Discoverer and Champion of TRUTH; and none are Foes to Reafon, but those who have Truth and Reason for their Foes. He, who has dark Purposes to serve, must use dark Means: Light would difcover him, and Reafon expofe him: He muft endeavour to fhut out both; and make them look frightful, by giving them ill Names; for farther than Names the Vulgar inquire not. FROM this Caufe, Religion and Liberty: flourish, where Reason and Knowledge are en-couraged; and where-ever the latter are ftifled, the former are extinguished. In Turky, Printing is forbid, Inquiry is dangerous, and Free-Speaking is CAPITAL; because they are all inconfiftent with the MA HOME TANISM by Law eftablished. Hence it comes to pass, that the wretched Turks. are all ftupidly ignorant, are all Slaves, all Infidels. Nor have the Papifts much. Advantage to boast above the Mahometans B: 4 Their |