moral fitness or unfitness of his actions, which renders him an accountable creature; fo the christian revelation affures him, that God will call him to an account for his conduct, and that he will acquit or condemn him, according as he has behaved himself agreeable with, or contrary to those rules of righteoufnefs beforemention'd. And as in this view of the cafe, the chriftian revelation is no other, than an addrefs to men to be wife for themfelves, in an affair of the utmost concern to them; fo one would think, were there not fomething blended with, or fome mifreprefentation of this revelation, which might prejudice men's minds against it, that then a low degree of evidence would be fufficient for their conviction.

But when the end and defign of this revelation is reprefented to be, not so much the right directing and governing the affections and actions of men, as the trying, or rather baffling their understandings, by requiring their affent to certain propofitions, commonly called articles of faith, fome of which are unintelligible, and others are repugnant to our natural notion of things; and when God is reprefented, as being highly pleased with, and paying a much greater regard to his creatures, for their fubmitting their underftandings to, and zealously contending for thofe ufelefs, fpeculative, propofitions, and for their conftant attendance on fome external obfervations, rather than for having their

minds poffeffed with the best and purest affections, and their lives adorn'd with the moft inoffenfive and vertuous actions, and when those, who are appointed to be conftant daily monitors to the people of their duty, and to be living examples and patterns of true christianity to them, affume to themfelves a pretended divine right to examine and judge for others in matters of religion, and, in confequence thereof, to direct and govern both the understandings, and consciences, and purfes of the people committed to their care; and when all this is pretended to be grounded on the chriftian revelation; I fay, when, and fo far as this is at any time. the cafe, it will unavoidably lay a foundation for Scepticism, and infidelity with regard to the divinity of the christian revelation. And the reafon is evident because to perfons, who preferve or recover their natural right of examining and judging for themselves in matters of religion, and who have upon their minds a just and worthy fenfe of the moral character of almighty God, to fuch perfons it will be a ground for doubting, whether a revelation, which introduces or encourages doctrines and practices fo abfurd in themfelves, and fo injurious to mankind, as thofe beforemention'd, can poffibly be divine; and whether any external evidence, how great foever, can afford a just foundation for credit with refpect to it. And these things I fear have done more injury to the cause of L christianity,

A

christianity, than any thing, that has been writ against it. To conclude,

Thus, Sir, I have examined the case, and I think, upon the whole, it will ftand, as I inferred above; namely, that either the miracles, which Chrift wrought before his death, and the prophefies which he delivered, and which were in fact fulfilled, proved his miffion to be divine, fuppofing he had failed with regard to the particular fact of his own refurrection, when foretold; (tho' that is a fuppofition, which is not to be admitted, as I obferved above) or else the adding that fact to the former does not prove the point. And tho' Britannicus has treated the fubject in a decent and manly way, (which is highly valuable in itself, and worthy the imitation of every writer in controverfy) yet I think it appears, that what he has advanced, does not anfwer the purpose, for which it was intended, but rather the contrary.

Sarum, April

26, 1724.

I am, Sir,

Your much obliged

Friend and Servant, &c.

THE

Cafe of Abraham,

WITH

Regard to his being commanded by God, to offer his Son Ifaac in Sa'crifice, farther confidered. In Anfwer to Mr. Stone's Remarks.

IN A

LETTER to the Rev. Mr. STONE.