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as sanctioned by their authority was easily imposed upon them for such. Whereas, had they been well acquainted with the writings of the evangelists and apostles, they could never have been induced to receive what was in direct opposition to their language.

What men value they are anxious to preserve, and will cheerfully submit to whatever toil and labour may be necessary for this purpose. Those, therefore, who will not inquire in the way I have mentioned, show an indifference to the truth; for they neglect to take proper measures for it's security: and, if it be not lost or corrupted in their hands, we must attribute it to the favour of divine providence, which keeps them out of the way of temptation, and not to any merit of theirs.

Some persons will perhaps say, however, that they have seen instances of men, who were once at least apparently confirmed Christians, who yet, by searching the Scriptures and inquiring into the grounds of their faith, gave up one article after another, till they had nothing left but the faith of the atheist (if that can be called faith, which consists in the disbelief of every thing); that the best proof, therefore, which they can give of their attachment to the truth, is not to inquire at all, lest their inquiry should issue in the utter renunciation of it..

That there have been examples of persons becoming unbelievers by inquiry cannot be doubted;

but those mistake, who attribute this change to a love of truth. Men often change their opinions from a desire of fame and an affectation of singularity, from a regard to worldly interest, or from some other motive equally improper. Such examples amount only to this, that ambitious and worldly minded men have found out by inquiry plausible excuses for renouncing their former faith, and for gratifying their former passions: they furnish no argument against free inquiry arising from a love of truth. Where this prevails, and where it is connected, as it always must be, with a love of virtue, there is no danger of men's becoming unbelievers by inquiry: on the contrary, this is the best method which they can pursue to establish their faith. Those who are afraid to inquire, because they are afraid they shall renounce all religious principle, act like those parents, who resolve to observe no fault in their children, lest they should be induced, as other parents have been, to quarrel with and abandon them entirely. We cannot say, that such parents have no regard for their children; but it is a blind and undiscerning affection, and far inferiour to what they feel, who resolve carefully to examine their behaviour in order to correct their faults.

Careful and even laborious investigation is the natural and necessary consequence of a genuine love of truth; and in vain is it that they pretend to it, who have never so much as inquired into the ground of their faith, nor taken any pains to reduce it to the

standard of Scripture.

Those alone are the true

lovers of wisdom in the estimation of Solomon, who dig for her as for silver, and search for her as for hidden treasure.

II. An indifference to truth is discovered by those, who, having acquired a knowledge of it, confine that knowledge to themselves.

There are men to be found in the world, who, laying aside all regard to early prejudices and to human authority, have formed their own opinion on subjects of Christian doctrine upon the best grounds, the evidence of reason and Scripture, yet suffer the knowledge they have thus acquired to lie within their own breasts, and never profess it to the world, or do it in such an ambiguous manner, that truth derives no benefit from their testimony. Although surrounded by others, who entertain the same sentiments, and who boldly and openly avow them, they have not the resolution to join in the avowal; but continue to associate with the patrons of errour, and cannot be distinguished from them, except perhaps by their most intimate friends. They dislike the trouble of defending an opinion, for which they must give some reason; or they are afraid of incur-, ring the charge of vanity or presumption in thinking differently from the majority (especially where their opinion stands opposed to that of the great) and of hereby losing the good will of others, whose favour they wish to preserve; or the doctrines they have embraced are so obnoxious, that to profess them

would not only destroy their character and influence, but expose them to persecution and personal violence. For these reasons they never utter a word or perform an act, by which their sentiments can be fairly ascertained. If at one time they have given reason to suspect that they wish to favour the truth, they take care, by observing an opposite conduct at another time, to destroy the effect of what they had done.

In some respects this character may be said to be superiour to the preceding; for the mind is open to conviction, and some trouble has been taken to acquire the truth. But such men can have no claim to be called the genuine friends of truth, when they are ashamed or afraid to own it, and when the most trifling inconvenience is sufficient to prevent them from doing so. Of what service can the mere belief of a doctrine be, when those who oppose it are open and clamorous in their opposition? or how can any system of principles be preserved in the world, if there be no one who dares to profess them? Such timid advocates had genuine Christianity, when the man of sin appeared, and no wonder it proved an casy conquest.

As many persons are not aware of their obligations to make an open and uniform profession of the truth (which is the reverse of that which I have mentioned), although justly chargeable with indifference, where it is not practised, I shall endeavour to illustrate the necessity of it by mentioning cases, in which it will

!

appear to every one to be required.

Before I do

this, however, I must just observe, that some actions, and particular causes of action, have a determinate meaning as well as words, and that an individual is no more at liberty to give a private meaning to one than to the other. He that should attempt to use words in a different sense from that in which they are commonly employed, without giving notice of his intentions, would be said to be guilty of mental reservation and duplicity. Nor would he be deemed free from the charge, who should give to his actions a double meaning. This method of giving meaning to actions, as well as words, is of great use, since hereby much may be said, where nothing is uttered. Now, constant attendance at a particular place of religious worship, while every one is allowed to go to that which he prefers, is an action of the kind of which I am speaking, and is universally understood to imply a general approbation at least of the form of worship there used; nor can any one affix to it a different meaning, without exposing himself to the charge before mentioned.

When the worship of heathen deities was introduced among the children of Israel, it was certainly the duty of every believer in the true God to confine himself to the worship of Jehovah alone, if he wished to bear his testimony to the truth and propriety of this mode of worship. Had such a one never worshipped him at all, he might have been justly

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