study of the firft, there are more important Calls, and much greater Advantages. The knowledge of God's moral Government, as far as concerns his religious Dispensations, is the duty of every man: and, indeed, the whole business of the Minifters of his revealed word. So that partly, for the use and importance of the fubject, partly, for the neceffity of making head against the Enemies of Revelation, but chiefly in obedience to the Command, TO STUDY THE SCRIPTURES, it hath, from the first ages of the Church to the prefent times, been one of the principal occupations of the learned. Yet what, from unfavourable circumftances in the civil and literary world; what from the varying bias of occafional prejudices; but, above all, from the fordid interefts and blind paffions of men occupied in these inquiries; the various Schemes of Religion, pretended to be found in Scripture, but indeed the workmanship of Divines, had dishonoured the Doctrine of REDEMPTION near as much as the hypotheses of Philofophers had dif honoured the Hiftory of the CREATION. Till here again, as in the former cafe, the fame caution and fobriety which directed

men to the true method of treating things material, by a careful ftudy of the volume of NATURE, led them into the right way of explaining things fpiritual, by a careful ftudy of the volume of GRACE. So that if, in thefe times, the advances in the knowledge of God's WILL fhould haply prove as confiderable as thofe in the difcovery of his WORKS, it will not be befide a reasonable expectation: as fimilar causes are wont to produce fimilar effects.

I have placed thefe correfpondent accounts of the progrefs of the human faculties, in NATURE and in GRACE, in this neighbourly pofition, that the Reader, by fetting them together, and comparing them with one another, may fee, whether there be any Objections to NEW DISCOVERIES in Religion, which do not equally hold against NEW DISCOVERIES in Nature; of which, for their newness alone, no one ever yet entertained the leaft doubt or fufpicion of their TRUTH.

For let us compare the Almighty's dif play of his nature in the great Volume of his WORKS, with the declaration of his Will

in the leffer Volume of his WORD, and we fhall find the fame marks of GOODNESS to be alike confpicuous in both cafes.

In his Works, a man need but open his Eyes to see, in every Object, the God which claims his adoration: In his Word, the Man who runs, may read, the Means and Method of his own Salvation. In neither cafe, is any thing wanting to inftruct the moft fimple in their dependence and their duty; in which, confifts their happiness.— For further information in the works and ways of Providence, God wifely referved it for the reward of the manly and virtuous improvement of the human faculties.

It is true in fact, as hath been already intimated, that throughout a long series of Ages, neither of thefe Inquirers made any very confiderable Advances in REAL KNOWLEDGE. But it is as true, that what hindered Both, proceeded not fo much from difficulties in the things fought after, as from the wrong Methods employed in the fearch. For, inftead of addreffing themselves to difcover the true Conflitution of Things from the Frame of God's works,

as objected to their Senfes; or the true End of Revelation from Sacred Scripture, as it there lies open to their Contemplation; they framed fanciful hypotheses, out of their own flender ftock of ideas; and then, by distorting Nature, and wresting the Bible awry, they forced both one and the other, to Father their own blind and fpurious Iffue.

But when once DIVINES and PHILOSOPHERS were become fenfible of their wrong Courses; and, in confequence of that conviction, had measured back their steps; and with more modefty and better fenfe had renounced their fancies, and erected Theories on the real conftitution of things; it is wonderful to conceive what discoveries were foon made in Natural and Religious Truths.

THESE TWO IMPORTANT STUDIES, therefore, being alike circumftanced, and having run the fame fortune, demand, in all reasonable allowance, the fame judgement to be paffed on their pretences.

But Men are not accustomed to be thus equitable. One of the readieft, as well as most

moft impudent exploits of Prejudice, is to draw unlike conclufions from fimilar Premiffes.

It is confeffed, that the book of Nature is fo plain and clear, that every Sentence reveals and proclaims its Almighty Author: that if its more fublime or more profound truths have lain concealed, or been kept out of fight, for Ages, it was the fault of the inquirers, who adhered fo long to a perverfe method of ftudying Nature: for that as foon as ever they began to feek a better, and to profecute it with care and sobriety, KNOWLEDGE fuddenly opened and enlarged its Empire; while the blaze of light, which accompanied its progrefs, was fo far from making Truth fufpected for the newness of its Splendour, that it diffipated all those doubts which had been entertained of its obfcure nature, and equivocal Claims and Prerogatives.

But now, if we turn from the Phyfical to the Moral state of things, we fhall find, Men have drawn different inferences from fimilar cafes-Becaufe, in their fearch after the higher Truths of Religion, they