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and please God by, that is, it must be the best Religion.

From hence then, I fay, it is incumbent on every Man of Senfe and Reason, upon every one who judges for himself in the Choice of his Religion, first to inquire whether there be a Revelation, or no: Nor can the Precepts of Natural Religion fingly be drawn into question, till 'tis first certain, that there is no Revelation to direct us: And therefore there can be no Comparison stated generally between Natural and Revealed Religion, in order to determine our Choice between them; because the Revelation must be first rejected, before Natural Religion can pretend to the fole Direction.

And yet this is the beaten Path that Unbelievers tread: They confider in general, that Revelation is fubject to many Uncertainties; it may be a Cheat at first, or it may be corrupted afterwards, and not faithfully handed down to them; but in Natural Religion there can be no Cheat, because in that every Man judges for himfelf, and is bound to nothing but what is agreeable to the Dictates of Reason and his own Mind: And upon these general Views they reject all Revelations whatever, and adhere to Natural Religion as the fafer Guide. But attend

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to the Confequence of this Reasoning, which is this; That, because there may be a falfe Revelation, therefore there cannot be a true one: For, unless this Confequence be just, they are inexcufable in rejecting all Revelations, because of the Uncertainties which may attend them.

But now to apply what has been said to the Chriftian Revelation: It has fuch Pretences, at least, as may make it worthy of a particular Confideration: It pretends to come from Heaven; to have been delivered by the Son of God; to have been confirmed by undeniable Miracles and Prophecies; to have been ratified by the Blood of Chrift and his Apostles, who died in afferting its Truth: It can fhew likewise an innumerable Company of Martyrs and Confeffors: Its Doctrines are pure and holy, its Precepts just and righteous; its Worship is a reasonable Service, refined from the Errors of Idolatry and Superftition, and fpiritual like the God who is the Object of it: It offers the Aid and Affiftance of Heaven to the Weakness of Nature; which makes the Religion of the Gospel to be as practicable, as it is reasonable: It promises infinite Rewards to Obedience, and threatens eternal Punishment to obftinate Offenders; which makes

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it of the utmoft Confequence to us foberly to confider it, fince every one who rejects it stakes his own Soul against the Truth of it.

Are thefe fuch Pretences, as are to be turned off with general and loofe Objections? Because Miracles may be pretended, shall not the Miracles of Christ be confidered, which were not fo much as queftioned by the Adversaries of the Gospel in the first Ages? Because there may be Impostors, shall Christ be rejected, whofe Life was Innocence, and free from any Sufpicion of private Design, and who died to feal the Truths he had delivered? Because there have been Cheats introduced by worldly Men, endeavouring to make a Gain of Godliness, fhall the Gofpel be fufpected, that in every Page declares against the World, against the Pleasures, the Riches, the Glories of it; that labours no one Thing more than to draw off the Affections from Things below, and to raise them to the Enjoyment of heavenly and fpiritual Delights?

But, whether you will confider it, or no; yet there is fuch a Call to you to consider it, as must render your Neglect inexcufable. You cannot fay, you want Inducement to confider it, when you fee it entertained by Men of all Degrees. The Gofpel does not

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make fo mean a Figure in the World, as to justify your Contempt of it: The Light fhines forth in the World, whether you will receive it, or no; if you receive it not, the Confequence is upon your own Soul, and you must answer it.

Were Men fincere in their Profeffions of Religion, or even in their Defires of Salvation and Immortality, the Controverfies in Religion would foon take a new Turn: The only Question would be, whether the Gofpel were true, or no: We should have no Reasoning against Revelation in general; for 'tis impoffible that a fincerely religious Man fhould not wish for a Revelation of God's Will, if there be not one already: We fhould then fee another kind of Industry used in searching the Truths of God, which are now overlooked, because Men have loft their Regard for the Things which make for their Salvation. Were the Gospel but a Title to an Estate, there is not an Infidel of them all, who would fit down contented with his own general Reasonings against it: It would then be thought worth looking into; its Proofs would be confidered, and a juft Weight allowed them: And yet the Gospel is our Title, our only Title, to a much nobler Inheritance than this World knows;

'tis the Patent by which we claim Life and Immortality, and all the Joys and Bleffings of the heavenly Canaan. Had any Man but a Pedigree as antient as the Gospel, what a Noise fhould we have about it? And yet the Gospel is defpifed, which fets forth to us a nobler Pedigree than the Kings of the Earth can boaft; a Defcent from Chrift, who is Head over the whole Family; by which we claim as Heirs of God, and Coheirs with Chrift: And, did we not defpife our Relation with Christ, and secretly abhor and dread the Thoughts of Immortality, we could not be fo cold in our Regard to the Gospel of God.

I wish every Man, who argues against the Chriftian Religion, would take this one ferious Thought along with him; That he must one Day, if he believes that God will judge the World, argue the Case once more at the Judgment-Seat of God: And let him try his Reasons accordingly. Do you reject the Gospel, because you will admit nothing that pretends to be a Revelation? Confider well; is it a Reason that you will justify to the Face of God? Will you tell him, that you had refolved to receive no pofitive Commands from him, nor to admit any of his Declarations

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