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of England: but fince a Spirit of Deifm has crept in among us, it has been openly flighted and contemned by fome, and too much neglected by others which has given an opportunity to several forts of Enthufiafts to make a wrong use of it; fuch as our Quakers, Methodifts, and particularly the Reverend Mr. who after writing fo excellently upon the vanity of the world, and the follies of human life, (on which fubjects he has no fuperior,) has left us nothing to depend upon but Imagination, and reduced the whole evidence of Christianity to fancied impulses and inspirations; so as to render the scriptures useless, and the appointed means of grace contemptible. I have obferved the like to have happened in many other instances; that where any effential point of doctrine has been dropt by the writers of the Church, or, at leaft, not brought out to view fo often as it should have been, it has been taken up by others, (as all tares are fown while the husbandmen are asleep,) and employ

ed,

ed, under fome falfe ftate of it, to the no small disadvantage of the Church and the Christian Religion.

To illuftrate this fubject a little farther, I fhall make it appear by a few plain examples, that where mankind have been divided in their opinions with regard to any divine truth, it has not been owing to the ambiguity of its terms, or the defect of its evidence, but wholly and folely to the ftate and temper of the hearers. And thus Chrift himself has inftructed us in his parable of the fower; that where the good feed of the word perishes, it is to be imputed to the ground and not to the feed. How else can we account for it, that when St. Paul laid the evidence of the Gospel before a large affembly of Jews. at Rome, fome believed the things which were Spoken, and fome believed not*; though the fame things were spoken to all? Such in general was the fuccess of the Apoftolical preaching; fome few receiving the word with gladness, while

a A&ts XXVIII. 24.

others

others opposed themselves and blafphemed. And though it be fuppofed, that words are more eafily mifunderstood than facts, and may admit of a greater latitude; yet here we shall find, that the fame fpirit which has divided mankind in what are called the more fpeculative points of faith, will alfo divide them in the plainest and most striking matters of fact. The refurrection of Lazarus was a matter of fact, seen and attested by a competent number of witneffes: but how different was the effect of it upon different perfons! for while it had its free courfe with many of the Jews, and moved them to believe on Jefus, it only moved the chief Priests to hate him the more; and they confulted how they might put Lazarus alfo to death. When Jefus cured the blind and caft out devils, fome rightly concluded Rabbi, thou art a teacher come from God; for no man can do thefe miracles that thou doft, except God be with him: yet there were not

a John XII. 10, 11,

b John III. 2.

a few,

a few, and they of the moft learned and knowing too, who concluded far otherwise, that he caft out devils by Belzebub the prince of the Devils. So likewise, when the Holy Ghost descended on the Apostles, and inspired them with the gift of tongues, fome devout men were amazed and confounded at the miracle; plainly feeing the hand of God in it, and afking what it meant, what was the end and defign of it? and being informed by St. Peter's dif course, that it was to confirm the miffion of Jefus of Nazareth, received his word gladly, and were baptized; while others, to avoid the conclufion, mocking faid, these men are full of new wine*. Here is a great multitude affembled together; all of them witneffes to the fame fact: yet, in their opinions of it, they are as far afunder as drunkenness is from infpiration. But in this cafe no Chriftian will raise a doubt about the real inspiration of the Apoftles; or deny the power of God to have been fufb Acts II. 41. c lbid. v. 13.

a Matth. XII. 24.

ficiently

ficiently manifefted, because fome were fo profane and fenfeless as to ridicule it under the name of drunkenness.

This felf-deceit always operates by the affistance of some falfe principle contrary to the scripture; which gets poffeffion of the heart by miniftering to the paffions. And till that be difpoffeffed, no truth will be fuffered to enter which can in the least affect or deftroy it. A man in fuch circumftances may fee the truth ftaring him in the face; and the clearer he fees it, the more he will be enraged at it. He may be convicted, and left without a word to fay, but what will expose the hardness and perplexity of his heart; but till it be emptied of its evil treasure, and he becomes as a little child that has nothing of its own to oppose to the Revelation of God, he cannot be converted: but will either fhut his eyes and deny the evidence that is offered to him, or pretend it is a nice point, very difficult to be underftood; and fo give a perverse turn to it, though it be ever so plain and intelligible.