The Epiftle Dedicatory.... ledgments for that particular Share and Intereft I have had in your Fa vours. Which give me further Occafion to hope that you will be as kind to the Book as you have been to the Author, and that as you were pleas'd to incourage the Undertaking, fo you will now favour the Performance, which with all deference and Submiffion is humbly prefented to your Lordship, by 73 My LORD, Your Lordship's moft Obliged and very Humble Servant. J. Norris. C Ontroverfies of Religion, and particularly this, have been managed of late with that Intemperance of Paffion and Indecency of Language, after fuch a Rude Bear-Garden way, fo much more like Duelling or Prizing than Difputing, that the more good Natur'd and better Bred part of the World are grown almoft Sick of them and Prejudic'd against them, not being able to fee Men Cut and Slab and draw Blood from one another after fuch an inhuman manner only to vent their own Spleen, and make diverfion for the favage and brutaliz'd Rabble, without fome troubleJom Refentments of Pity and Displacency. And truly tis hard for a Man to read fome certain things of this Character without being disturb'd, and growing out of humour upon't, and being even out of Conceit with Mankind, fuch an Idea do they raife of the Malignity of Human Nature, and fo do they ruffle and chagrine the Mind of the Reader: From which Impreffions he will hardly recover himself till he meets with fome Book or other of a contrary Spirit (whereof the Bifbop of London-Derry's Excellent Difcourfe of the Inventions of Men in the Worship of God is a very eminent Inftance) which may ferve to recompofe the One, and give him a better Opinion of the Other. I have endeavour'd in the Management of the prefent Argument to ufe fuch Chriftian Temper and Moderation as becomes the Search of Truth, and may argue a Mind Concern'd only for the finding it. For of all the ill-forted things in Nature, I think it the most im proper and difagreeable, to reafon in a Paffion, efpeci ally when 'tis in Defence of that Religion which neither needs it nor allows it. And therefore laying afide all Anger and difaffection (which even for the advantage of well reasoning ought to be laid aside) I have fet my felf to obferve the Laws of Decency as well as those of good Difcourfe, to confider things as they really are in their own Natures, to reprefent them as I find them with all Calmness and Sedateness, to regard nothing but the pure Merits of the Caufe, and to treat that Party of Men I write against with that Candour and Refpect as may the better difpofe them to lend Attention to my Arguments, Confidering it as one of the principal Rules of the Art of Perfuafion to gain upon the Affecti ons of Men in order to the Conviction of their Fudg ments. And I do not know that I am guilty of any Incivility towards the Men I deal with, unless it be that of Contradicting them. Wherein as they are even with me, fo I hope they will not be lefs fo in the other part, but will treat me with the like return of Civility and good Temper, in cafe they fball think fit to make any. The Occafion of this Undertaking was a certain late Book call'd, Chriftianity Not Myfterious, one of the moft bold, daring and irreverent Pieces of Defiance to the Mysteries of the Christian Religion that even this Licentious Age has produced, and which has been fuppafed to have done great Battery and Execution upon them, and to be indeed a very shrewd and notable Performance, even by People of competent Senfe and Learning, not excluding the Author himself, who to fhem his good Opinion both of his Cause and of his Management of it, has fince publifh'd a fecond Edition of his Book with Inlargements, and with his Name. To which 1 thought once to have return'd a direct and Formal Anfwer by way of Solution of his Objections, till upon fur ther Confideration I judg'd it better to give an Abfolute Account of the Pofitive Side of the Question; and after having laid fuch Grounds in it as might be made use of for for the Confutation of his Book, to make a fhort Appli cation of them in a few Strictures upon it at the End of Mine. But after 1 had laid thofe Grounds in the Abfolute part, I found the Application of them was fo eafie to the Author's Objections, that they might as well be made by my Reader, who might with fuch readiness out of the Principles here establish'd form an Answer to all that deferves one in that Book, that I thought there was no need of inlarging the Bulk of mine upon that Account. Which accordingly tho' I do not call by the Name of an Answer to Chriftianity Not Mysterious, I cannot but reckon to have all the Subftance (tho' not the Formality) of a Reply to that Treatife, it being much the fame thing in effect either to unlock a Door for a Man, or to put into his hands a Key that will. I write neither for Favour nor for Preferment, but only to ferve the Caufe of Chriftianity (for fo I call that of its Mysteries) and the Intereft of that Church which is fo great a Friend to it and Maintainer of it according to its pureft and most primitive State of Apoftolical and Evangelick Perfection. Of whofe Communion 'tis my Happiness to be a Member, my Glory to be a Prieft, and that I had better Abilities to do her Service, my bigheft Ambition. However fuch as they are I humbly devote and imploy them to that Purpose, as I do this and all other my Labours. I hope what I have written may do fome Service to the Caufe whofe Defence it undertakes, and if it does, I shall not much regard the Refentments of any Defigning, or not so well affected Perfons, Great or Little, whofe Displeasure it may provoke, tho' I have taken all due Care not to give any body any reasonable Offence. And fo I commit the following Papers to the attentive Perufal of the Candid and Confiderate Reader, and to the Bleffing of God. T. HE THE 38 Chap. III. The Distinction of things Contrary to Reason, and Above Reason, confider'd. Chap. IV. That Human Reason is not the Measure. Chap. V. That therefore a thing's being Incompre- henfible by Reason, is of it felf no Concluding Argument of its not being True. Chap. VI. That if the Incomprehenfibility of a thing were an Argument of its not being True, Human Reafon would then be the Measure of Chap. VII. That therefore the Incomprehenfibility of a thing is no juft Objection against the Belief of it. With an Account of the Cartefian Maxim, That we are to Affent only to what is Clear and Chap. VIII. Wherein is fhewn what is the true Chap. IX. An Application of the foregoing Confi |