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PREFACE.

THE ftruggle between religion and ir

religion has exifted in the world in all ages: and if there be two oppofite interefts which divide its inhabitants, the kingdom of Satan and the kingdom of God, it is reasonable to expect that the contest will continue till one of them be exterminated. The peaceful nature of Chriftianity does not require that we should make peace with its adverfaries, or ceafe to repel their attacks, or even that we should act merely on the defenfive: On the contrary, we are required to make use of those wea pons of the divine warfare with which we are furnished for the pulling down of strong holds, cafting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itfelf against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Chrift.

The oppofition of the prefent age has not been confined to the lefs important points of Christianity, nor even to its first principles: Chriftianity itself is treated as impofture. The fame things it is true have been fre

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quently advanced, and as frequently repelled, in former ages but the adverfaries of the gospel of late, encouraged it should seem by the temper of the times, have renewed the attack with redoubled vigour. One of their most popular writers, hoping to avail himself of this circumftance, is pleafed to entitle his performance The Age of Reafon. This writer is aware that flattery is one of the most fuccessful means of gaining admiffion to the human mind; fuch a compliment therefore to the prefent Age was doubtless confidered as a mafter-stroke of policy. Nor is Mr. Paine lefs obliging to himself than to his readers, but takes it for granted that the caufe for which he pleads is that of reason and truth. The confiderate reader, however, may remark, that thofe writers who are not ashamed to beg the question in the title-page, are feldom the moft liberal or impartial in the execution of the work.

One thing which has contributed to the advantage of Infidelity is, the height to which political difputes have arifen, and the degree in which they have interested the paffions and prejudices of mankind. Those who favour the fentiments of a set of men in one thing, will be in danger of thinking favourably of them in others; at leaft they will not be apt to view them in fo bad a light as if they had been advanced by perfons of different fentiments in other things as well as in religion. It is true there may be nothing more friendly to infidelity in the nature of one political fyftem than another, nothing

that can justify profeffing chriftians in accufing one another, merely on account of a difference of this kind, of favouring the interefts of atheism and irreligion: nevertheless it becomes those who think favourably of the political principles of infidels, to take heed left they be infenfibly drawn away to think lightly of religion. All the nations of the earth, and all the disputes on the best or worst mode of government, compared with this, are lefs than nothing and vanity.

To this it may be added, that the eagerness with which men engage in political difputes, take which fide they may, is unfavourable to a zealous adherence to the gofpel. Any mere worldly object, if it become the prin cipal thing which occupies our thoughts and affections, will weaken our attachment to religion and if once we become cool and indifferent to this, we are in the high road to infidelity. There are cafes no doubt relating to civil government, in which it is our duty to act, and that with firmness: but to make fuch things the chief object of our attention, or the principal topic of our converfation, is both finful and injurious. Many a promifing character in the religious world has by these things been utterly ruined.

The writer of the following pages is not induced to offer them to the public eye from an apprehenfion that the Church of Chrift is in danger. Neither the downfall of popery, nor the triumph of infidels, as

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