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without his Directions than with them. Upon this State of the Cafe then, a Revelation must be entirely rejected as a Forgery, or entirely submitted to; and the only Debate between Natural Religion and Revelation must be, whether we really have a Revelation, or and not whether Revelation or Nature be, in the nature of Things, the best and fureft Foundation of Religion: Which Difpute but ill becomes our Condition, and is a vain Attempt to exalt ourselves and our own Reason above every Thing that is called God.

no;

Since then Revelation, confidered as fuch, muft needs be the fureft Guide in Religion, every reasonable Man is bound to confider the Pretenfions of Revelation, when offered to him; for no Man can justify himself in relying merely on Natural Religion, till he has fatisfied himself that no better Directions are to be had. For, fince 'tis the Business of Religion to please God, is it not a very natural and a very reafonable Inquiry to make, whether God has any-where declared what will please him? at least, 'tis reasonable when we are called to this Inquiry, by having a Revelation tendered to us, fupported by fuch Evidence, which, though it may be eafily

eafily rejected without Reason, yet to Reason will ever approve itself.

But the Inquiry into the Evidence for any particular Revelation is excluded by thofe who argue against all Revelation a priori, as being inconsistent with the Wisdom of God. What they say amounts to this; That God, having given us Reason, has bound us to obey the Dictates of Reason, and tied himfelf down to judge us by that Rule, and that only: To fuppofe otherwise, they imagine, would be to maintain that God gave us an imperfect Rule at firft, and which wanted to be mended; a Thing, they imagine, inconfiftent with his Wifdom: And, the Rule of Reafon being fufficient, all Revelation, they judge, must be useless and impertinent, and confequently can never derive itself from God. But, as it is too apparent to be denied, that Reason and Natural Religion never did in any Age univerfally prevail; to help out the Argument, it is farther supposed, that whatever happens in the World is agreeable to the original Defign of God, and confequently, that those who have least of Reafon and Natural Religion, are in the State for which God defigned them; and, if so, 'tis abfurd to suppose a Revelation fhould bẹ

given,

given, to take Men out of that State in which God originally defigned to place them.

This is the Sum of the Argument against Revelation a priori: To confider it particularly will take more Time than can be allowed: But in brief we may obferve,

1. That to argue, from the Perfection of human Reason, that we are discharged from receiving any new Laws from God, is inconfiftent with as clear a Principle of Reafon as any whatever, and which neceffarily arises from the Relation between God and Man; which is, That the Creature is bound to obey the Creator, in which Way foever his Will is made known to him: And this furely is true with respect to the highest Order of Beings, as well as to the loweft; for this Plea, now made for human Reafon, would be presumptuous in the Mouth of an Angel, and inconfiftent with the Subjection he owes to God.

2. As to the Perfection of human Reason, it cannot be, nor, I fuppofe, will it be maintained, that human Reason is abfolutely perfect; and therefore the Meaning must be, that Reason is relatively perfect, confidered as the Rule of our Obedience. But this is true only upon Suppofition that Reason is the only Rule of our Obedience; for, if

there

there be any other Rule befides, mere Reason cannot be the perfect Rule of our Obedience: And therefore this Argument is really begging the Thing in question; for it supposes there is no other Rule but Reafon, which is the Thing not to be fuppofed, but to be proved. As much may be faid for every Law, as is faid in this Cafe for human Reafon : Every Law, being the only Law in the Cafe, is a perfect Rule for the Subject's Obedience, because the Subject is bound to no more than the Law requires: But, if the Law be amended and enlarged by the fame Authority that made it, it is no longer a perfect Rule of Obedience; but, to make it fuch, it must be taken jointly with the Corrections and Enlargements made by the proper Authority.

3. Hence it follows, That to alter or add to a Law once confidered as a perfect Rule of Obedience, when an Alteration of Circumstances requires it, is neither useless nor impertinent, but oftentimes the Effect of Wisdom and Neceffity.

4. To fay that Revelation is unneceffary, because Reason is a perfect Rule, and at the fame time to affirm that thofe who have but an imperfect Use of Reason have no Need of Revelation, is a manifest Contradiction: To fay farther, that those who are

in

in fuch a State that actually they do not obey the Laws of Reason, and, morally fpeaking, cannot obey, are nevertheless in fuch a State as God intended they should be in, is not only making God the Author of Evil, but it is afcribing to him two inconsistent Intentions: For to argue that God gave Men Reafon to be the Rule of their Obedience, is fuppofing that his original Intention is, that Men fhould obey Reason; to argue at the fame time that those who live in Difobedience to this Law are in the State which God intended them to be in, is to fuppofe that God intended the Law fhould be obeyed, and not obeyed, at the fame time. But to return:

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We are not now arguing in behalf of any particular Revelation, which may be true or falfe for any thing that has hitherto been faid: But this I urge, That Revelation is the fureft Foundation of Religion; and this wants no other Proof than an Explication of the Terms: Religion, confidered as a Rule,. is the Knowledge of ferving and pleafing God: Revelation is the Declaration of God, how he would be ferved, and what will please him: And, unlefs we know what will please God, better than he himself does, Revelation must be the best Rule to ferve

and

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