mended to their Faith. Befides, Faith SERM. being a fort of an unknown Principle be- VIII. fore Christianity, what there was of it, as a Syftem, being in the Poffeffion of a Handful of People in Judea, it would not be fo great a Surprize, if they had not fo eafily embrac'd a Revelation, if it had been offer'd them: But after Christianity has been established for fo many Hundred Years, and Faith is known to be not only a Principle in Man, but a reasonable one too, to disbelieve now argues a great Slavery somewhere in Heart, or Mind, or both.

But do they, who are for fhaking off Faith, do fo in reality? Are they uniform, and all of a Piece in this Practice? No, they shake it off only in Religion; they are not Unbelievers, but only with refpect to Christianity; in no other Cafe, but only where there is the greatest Foundation for Faith: They believe ftill at the fame time that they profefs not to do it, and that too upon the smallest Grounds. without any real Reafon at all: They can believe, that the Reafon of every fin

gle

SERM.gle Man is equal to the Reason of all VIII. Mankind; and not only fo, but to the

Reafon of God: They can believe, that

tho' God made Man a Creature compounded of Senfe and Paffions, which ought to have their proper Influence, together with a mind capable of Reflexion, all which together make up what we call a Rational Creature, yet that he ought to tear this Compofition afunder, render one half of it useless, and fet up the other to act a Part to which it is not at all proportion'd; for notwithstanding all the fine Things, that fome have faid of Humane Reason, and the extraordinary Compliments that have been paid to it, as if it really was right Reafon, or Reafon in Perfection, yet it is in truth a Composition of all these, or very much influenc'd by them; for let a Man endeavour to reason ever fo abftractedly, yet the Senfes and the other Faculties will fteal in, if I may fo call it, infenfibly into the Imagination, and give a Tincture to the Thought: They can, I fay, digeft fuch Contradictions as thefe: They can believe themselves

out

VIII.

n

out of their Senfes; nay, believe away SERM. their But this is a very unBelief. very fair Practice; for Faith ought to be quite difcarded, or else it should be shewn why Christianity is the only Scheme, that should be depriv'd of it.

But what, if after all, Reafon itself should lead us to Revelation? Nay, that Revelation should be founded upon the highest Reason? 'Tis true it is an Object of Faith, but it is nevertheless reafonable for that, but on the contrary it contains in it the Sum of all Reason, it is the Reafon of God Subftituted in the room of the Reason of Man.

It appears then now that Faith is by no means contrary to Reafon, but Reason fublimated, and carried to a higher Pitch: To shake it off therefore, when it has all the Marks of a Revelation come from God (which I shall now take for granted, because this must depend upon fome other Proof, which neither the Time, nor Subject will permit me to enter upon here) to shake it off, I fay, under Pretence of being govern'd by Reason, as if Faith was fome

what

SERM. what contrary to it, is a strong Symptom VIII of a flavish Mind, and argues the fame

Weakness, as it would be to shake off Reason, or any other part of the Human Compofition; nay more, for if any Principle is predominant in Human Nature, Faith is that Principle; for the World is govern'd by it, and they themselves too, who at the fame time difpute against it, this being an Elaftticity in the mind of Man, an Endeavour to recover its former State, however it may be depriv'd of it for a certain time. Religion, Philofo phy, nay even Trade, and every Thing in Human Life turn upon this Axis; all fe cular and temporal things being carried on by Faith in Man, all religious and spiritual things by Faith in God; all the Knowledge we have from abroad depends upon a Faith in others, and we must likewife put a Faith in ourfelves too, and give every Faculty within us Credit for fo much Knowledge as we receive from thence. I do not say this to depreciate Reafon, or make it less than it is, but only to fhew that it is not greater, and that there are other

other Principles in Man, that put in for SERM.
at least an equal Share with it. In Beings VIII.
that are all Mind and Spirit, Reafon may
be the Sole Governing Principle; but
where there is a mixture of Senfe along
with it, it muft do as it can, and we
ought to reft fatisfied with that Share of
it that belongs to fuch a State: However
where it is defective, Faith is that Prin-
ple that is to help it out, and give it all
the Perfection it is capable of.

But it is faid, that the Religion of Nature or Reason is a plain fimple thing, calculated for the Benefit of all Mankind,

which Revelation is not, but only fome-. what thrown in by the Craft of defigning Men, to harafs and perplex Mankind, and make them Slaves and Bigots; and that it is always univerfally the fame, whereas Revelation is a precarious, changeable Thing, fubject to Alterations, one thing in one Age, and another thing in another, and therefore cannot be fuppos'd to come from God, who is infinite in Widom, as well as every thing else, and therefore would do nothing that should