fuccessful spread of that truth which it has been your great wish to promote, and of that future happy world, in which truth and virtue will reign triumphant,

THE

PREFACE.

THE Hiftory of the Corruptions of Chriftianity I wrote as a fequel to my Inftitutes of Natural and Revealed Religion, and therefore chiefly for the use of the unlearned, who might wish to know in what manner, and from what causes, such doctrines as thofe of the trinity, atonement, original fin, &c. arofe, and got so firm an establishment in the creeds of fo many perfons profeffing christianity, with the genuine principles of which they are totally difcordant.

That work having engaged me in a controverfy with respect to the first article of it, viz. the Hiftory of Opinions concerning Chrift, I have been led to give more parti

cular attention to the fubject; and this has produced the materials for the work which I now present to the public, and especially to the learned, to whom it is more particularly addreffed; though, I hope, that the greatest part of it will be fufficiently intelligible to readers of good fenfe, who may not have had the advantage of a scholaftic education.

In compofing this work, I can truly say that I have fpared neither time, labour, nor expence. When I formed the defign of it, I was determined to do it from original writers, without even looking into any modern author whatever. I therefore perufed all the books of which a catalogue will be given at the clofe of the work (which are all that I could purchase, or conveniently borrow) with as much care as I thought the nature of each required, having only one object in view; and I did not knowingly overlook any paffage that promifed to throw light upon the fubject.

Having collected and arranged these materials, furnished by those original authors, I applied myself to the reading of all the modern writers of any reputation for learning in ecclefiattical history, whether their opinions were the fame with mine, or not. But the addition that I made to my own collection of authorities by this means amounted to very little, not more than about twenty or thirty, and those, in general, of no great confequence. What more I could have done I cannot tell. By delaying the publication a year or two longer, and revifing the work again and again, I might, no doubt, have made it more complete, especially as a compofition. But with me this is no object at all; and the improvement that I might have made in the work in other refpects would not, I think, have been very material.

With great tranquility and fatisfaction, therefore, I now commit this History to my friends, and to my enemies; fufficiently aware that it is not without its defects to

exercise

exercise the candour of the former, and the captioufness of the latter. But no work of

this extent, and of this nature, can be expected to be perfect. I have myself discovered great miftakes and overfights in those who have gone before me; and notwithftanding all my care, I fhall not be furprized if those who come after me, efpecially if they walk over the fame ground more leisurely than I have done, should find fome things to correct in me. To make this as eafy as poffible, I have printed my authorities at full length. But I am confident, that all my overfights will not invalidate any pofition of confequence in the whole work; and this is all that the real inquirer after truth will be folicitous about.

On no former occafion have I declined, but on the contrary I have rather courted, and provoked, oppofition, because I am fenfible it is the only method of difcovering truth; and I am far from wishing that this work may efcape the most rigorous examination. It will enable me to correct

any