prehend. From which (fay they) we are naturally led to conclude, that the Gospel doctrines are no Truths, or at least, Truths of no general concern; fince they are nei ther uniformly held by those who are employed to teach them, nor fubject to the examination of fuch as are enjoined to receive them.

Something like this, I apprehend, may be the way of thinking, and talking too, amongst those who have more decently dif carded all care and concern about the Things of Religion.

And as our acquired paffions and appetites have concurred with the conftitutional weakness of our nature to form these conclufions against TRUTH, and especially against that beft part of it, RELIGIOUS TRUTH, Charity feems to call upon us to detect and lay open the general caufes which have given birth to Men's prejudices against it.

I. And first, with regard to TRUTH in general ;-of the various hindrances to its difcovery, and of Men's backwardness to acquiefce in it, when luckily found.

The

The first and fureft Means of acquiring the good we feek, is our love and affection for the object. This quickens our induftry, and fharpens our attention. On this account the LOVE OF TRUTH hath always been recommended by the Masters of Wisdom as the best means of fucceeding in the pursuit of it. Hardly any one fufpe&ts that he wants this Love: yet there are few whom their confidence does not deceive. We mistake the love of our Opinions for the love of Truth, because we suppose our own Opinions, true: Yet, for the most part, we received them upon truft; and confequently, they are much more likely to be falfe: So that our affections being now misplaced, they are a greater hindrance in the pursuit of TRUTH, than if we had no affections at all concerning it.

How then fhall we know when we have this love for ftill it is neceffary we should have it, if we would fearch after TRUTH to any good purpose. It is difficult to describe what every man muft feel for himfelf; and it is as dangerous to truft our yet

own feelings, when the Object is so easily mistaken.

mistaken However, when we set out in pursuit of TRUTH as of a Stranger; and not in Search of Arguments to fupport our Acquaintance with preconceived Opinions: When we poffefs ourselves in a perfect indifference for every thing but known and well-attefted TRUTH; regardless of the place from whence it comes, or of that to which it seems to be going: When the Mind, I fay, is in this State, no one, I think, can fairly fufpect the reality of its attachment.

1. But our APPETITES rarely fuffer us to observe this strict and rigid conduct. We feek the gratification of our humour even in the Laws which fhould correct it. Hence

fo many various SYSTEMS OF MORALITY to fuit every man's bent of Mind and frame of Conftitution. The Indolent, the Active, the Sanguine, the Flegmatic, and the Saturnine, have all their correspondent Theories. And from thenceforth, the concern of each is not the trial, but the fupport of his Opinions; which can be no otherwife provided for than by keeping the arguments in favour of them always in

view, and by contriving to have those of a lefs benign aspect overlooked or forgotten.

2. PREJUDICES mislead the Enquirer no lefs than his paffions. He venerates the notions he received from his Forefathers: He refts in them on the authority of those whose judgement he esteems; or, at least, wishes well to them for the fake of the honours or profits he fees attached to the profeffion of them. Nay, he can perfuade himself to patronize what he hath once chofen, for reasons with which TRUTH has no manner of concern. He likes them because they are old; because they are new; for being plain and fimple; for being fublime and myfterious; for being followed by the Few; for being followed by the Many: in a word, on a thousand other accounts ftill more remote from the conclufions of common fenfe.

But then, bad as this is, fince it is, at the fame time, apparent, that the impediments in purfuit of TRUTH are not effential, but only accidental to the Inquiry, we may well account for our mistakes in fetting out; for the flownefs of our progress; and

the rubs and oppofitions we meet in our paffage, without having recourfe to any fceptical conclufions in favour of the incomprehenfible nature of TRUTH, or the inacceffible fituation in which the Author of all things hath been pleased to place her. For, is it any reason, that becaufe fome Truths are fo deep that our hafte and impatience will not allow us time to found them; others fo disguised that our diffipation will not enable us to unmask their pretences; and others again, fo unfriendly to our prejudices as to indifpofe us to examine them : That, because fome errors wear fo plaufible a face as to look like TRUTH; others, fo commodious an appearance as to be readily received for TRUTH; and others again, fo fashionable as to claim all the privileges due to TRUTH; is, I fay, all, or any thing of this, a reason for fober men to conclude, that either there is no difference between Truth and Falsehood; or that the difference is fo infenfible that it will not ferve us for a dif tinction? Our Senfes, in many cafes; our Reason, in more; and our very Hearts in almost all, will tell us the contrary.

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II. Se