rupted Christianity fhould generally obtain and prevail; and that men should not only heartily believe, but feriously confider it, and endeavour to get it wrought into the very frame and temper of their fouls. For Christianity is not a mere outward form and profeffion, but a living principle, of a practical nature and tendency. And it is not enough to have a speculative notion and belief of it, but we must confider it with that attention which becometh us, and do what we can to enforce its excellent doctrines and motives upon our own hearts. REFLECTIONS 1 CONTENTS OF THE REFLECTIONS, &c. N account of fome illuftrious Laymen, who have either profeffedly written in defence of Chriftianity and the holy Scriptures, or have in their writings fhewn an high esteem and veneration for them, Pref. p. clxvii, clxviii. The inquiry whether Christianity be true, and of a divine original, is of the highest importance, clxxiii. clxxv. clxx, clxxi. A brief reprefentation of the excellent nature and defign of the Chriftian religion. Thofe are no friends to mankind who endeavour to fubvert its divine authority. PART I clxxiv, clxxv. On the Study and Ufe of Hiftory. The high encomiums Lord Bolingbroke is pleafed to beStow upon himself. 179. 181 183 There is a great appearance of vanity in his Letters, -and a strong affectation of novelty. He difcovers great keennefs and bitterness of spirit, and writes as if he were out of humour with mankind. Many of his obfervations on history are just and curious, but there is not much in them that can be called entirely new. 184 187 Hiftory Hiftory rightly improved is of great ufe; but not, as bis Lordship feems to reprefent it, the only proper means of inftruction. 189, 190 He would have us read the histories of the antients, but not to study any but thofe of the two last centuries. 193, 194 The reflections Lord Bolingbroke has made upon literature examined. 194, He paffes the most contemptuous cenfure upon grammarians, critics, revifers, and publishers, of antient manuscripts — but especially upon antiquaries and chronologers, p. 195, 196, &c. and upon the learned in general. The tendency of his representations is to bring learning into contempt, and introduce barbarifm. 202, 203 The labours and writings of ftudious men are of great advantage for promoting improvement in knowlege. 200, 201 204, 205. An arrogant felf-fufficiency, and contempt of the labours and judgments of others, no proper difpofition for finding out truth. 206 An examination of the principal things offered by Lord Bolingbroke, to invalidate the authority and credibility of tlie facred Hiftory. His Lordship's objections against the Scriptures of the Old Teftament confidered. 214, 215 A fummary account of thofe objections. they 217, 218 they were for a long time unknown to the Greeks, or defpifed by them. The Heathen writers generally took up with idle reports against the Jews, without making a due enquiry. 219. The advantageons teftimony given by Strabo concerning Mofes and the Jewish nation. 219. marg. note.. The excellent nature and tendency of the Jewish Scriptures, fhews they were not fictions of a fuperftitious and lying people. 222, et feq. There are peculiar characters of fimplicity, and an impartial regard to truth, in the facred history. 225, 226 The Scriptures were not forged or corrupted by the lat ter Jews, 227, 228. Nor by Ezra, and the compilers. of the facred canon, upon their return from the Babylonifh captivity. 228, et feq. The Hebrew language was not intirely forgotten in the captivity, but continued in ufe after it. The Jewish facred books not loft in the captivity. 229 231, et feq. The people were in poffeffion of those books, and bad a great veneration for them before Ezra was fent to Jerufalem. 233, 234, 235 The establishing of the facred canon by Ezra, and the men of the great fynagogue, how to be understood. 236, 237 Ezra did not give authority to the law of Mofes, nor first publish the facts by which that law was attefted. 238 Thofe facts were of a very public nature, and could not have been impofed upon the people, if they had not been true and were in all ages received and ac knowleged by the whole nation. 239, 240 No parallel between the Hellenistical fables and the facred records. 242 The accidents to which the Scriptures were liable from errors of transcribers, &c. no argument against their truth or divine authority. 243, &c. 2245 The variations of the copies in fmaller instances confirm their harmony in the main. The objections drawn from the differences between Jews and Chriftians examined. 248 250, 251 They are generally agreed in what relates to the divine authority of the Jewish Scriptures. The curfe pronounced by Noah upon Canaan largely confidered, and fhewn to be no just objection against the authority of the Mofaic writings. SECTION II. 252 The Scriptures and Hiftory of the New Testament vindicated againft his Lordship's exceptions. The frauds and falfhoods of profeffed Chriftians no juft prejudice against the authority of the facred books of the New Teftament, or the credibility of the facts recorded there. 270 No encouragement given to fuch frauds in the New Teftament, nor have any perfons taken more pains to detect thofe frauds than Chriftian divines and critics. 271,272 The pretence that the Church defroyed the Heathen writings, efpecially thofe that were written against Christianity, examined. 272, 273 Lord Bolingbroke charges Chriftians, even the most learned, as not having bonefty or fagacity enough, to take an accurate examination of the Jewish and Chriftian fyftem. He allegeth, that Chriflianity is wholly founded upon fatts, and that thofe facts have not been proved, as 275 all |