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henfion of the human mind. This, however, is a confideration on which I do not lay much stress. It is acknowledged not to be fufficient to produce conviction in the minds of unbelievers, but it is hoped that it exhibits fuch a prefumptive argument in favour of the scheme of revelation, as is calculated to give fome additional fatisfaction to those who are already the lovers and friends of revealed religion; though to perfons who have not a philofophical turn of mind, it may seem to be too abstruse, and to . have too much refinement in it.

PART.

PART II.

THE

EVIDENCE S

O F

REVEALED RELIGION.

W1

E have feen how far unaffisted reafon has been able to carry us

in our inquiries concerning the being, perfections, and providence of God, and alfo concerning the duty and final expectations of mankind; or rather how far unaffifted reason might have been able to carry us in these inquiries. For though it be true that all the deductions we have made are derived from the confideration of nothing but what we feel or fee, yet these conclufions were never, in fact, drawn from thofe premises, by any of the human race;

and

and it is in vain that we look for fo complete a fyftem of morals among the most intelligent of mankind. Indeed, the very imperfect state of this important kind of knowledge in the heathen world, and the growing corruption of morals, which was the confequence of it, furnish a strong proof of the expediency, if not of the abfolute neceffity of divine revelation.

CHAPTER I.

OF THE STATE OF THE HEATHEN WORLD.

T will be acknowledged that, of all the

I heathen nations, the greatest progrefs in

useful knowledge is to be looked for among the Greeks, who greatly improved upon the stock of knowledge which they borrowed from Egypt and the Eaft. It is, therefore, doing the greatest justice to this subject, to confider

confider the state of knowledge and virtue among these nations.

gone

The Greek philofophers had not failed to give particular attention to the fubject of morals and theology; fome of the most confpicuous of their fects having had no other object; and yet, though they had flourished, unmolested, for the fpace of near fix hundred years before the time of Chrift, and had frequently divided and fubdivided themfelves (the leaders of every new fect pretending to improve upon all who had before them) none of them attained to any thing like a full conviction concerning the unity, the attributes, and moral government of God. They had very imperfect ideas of the juft extent of moral virtue; and the knowledge they had of a future ftate added little or no ftrength to its obligations. The practice alfo of the Gentile world was such as might be expected from the general corruption of their moral and religious principles.

All

All these particulars are fufficiently known to the learned, and may be known to any person who will take a little pains to acquaint himself with the state of knowledge and virtue in the Gentile world; but as these things are not fufficiently known to the generality of chriftians, and the superficial thinkers among us have been greatly mifled with respect to this fubject, I shall felect a few particular facts, which may give those who are attentive and unprejudiced a pretty juft idea of what the most enlightened of our fpecies actually were before the promulgation of christianity.

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