relation of facts at fome focial interview, but still more when he hath been found to be fuch with frequency, we hear him afterwards with fufpicion and diftruft; we fufpend our affent and credit to them till we shall ourselves fearch how matters ftand. At leaft all wife and prudent perfons do fo. And fhould not Mr. Voltaire's being chargeable with fo many mifrepresentations of thefe authors, produce the fame caution and referve? Indeed who can refign himself to the guidance of a writer so negligent of truth and fairness, as he hath now been evinced to be about matters which have any concern with revelation, and not betray a most criminal credulity? Let me then befeech all, inftead of relying on him as a fure and faithful inftructor where the Bible is interested, to go themfelves firft, and examine with impartial and unprejudiced minds. In particular, let me intreat the young to pursue this course, instead of yielding a ready ear to his fcoffs and cavils. For fuch, I apprehend, are in greater danger of being deceived by him. Their knowledge being generally more fuperficial of divine revelation than that of perfons more advanced in age, (I mean, amidst equal capacities and advantages for information,) and their experience being fmaller of its importance and usefulness to folace and comfort the mind under afflictive occurrences in life, to which, by their shorter ftanding in the world, and their greater vigour of conftitution, they are more ftrangers, they are fooner imposed on and carried away by specious and plaufible objections, or even lame and falfified details, through the fuppreffion or addition of material circumftances. Their paffions being commonly more

headstrong, they are more eafily flexible to principles, which, instead of tending to restrain them within due bounds, promise them a greater liberty to range uncontrouled. And their defire to be well thought and well spoken of by those who make the fashionable part of the age, being more violent in this period of life, they are more quickly brought to difcard and throw off all regard to what is laughed at by an author who is fo idolized among them, and has fo great influence in forming their opinions, and regulating their taste about religion, without hav ing any patience honeftly and coolly to try whether his ridicule be well or ill founded.

Further, have fome paffages of the Jewish hiftorian, but chiefly many paffages of fcripture which Mr. Voltaire had mifquoted, or violently twisted and distorted from their true meaning, and explained to a wrong sense, been vindicated from his abuse, and fet in a proper and juft light in this work? Withal, have his exceptions against the genuineness of feveral books which make a part of the facred canon, been confuted and manifefted to be vain and groundlefs? hereby all that unjust offence and unreasonable displeasure which he may have raised or increased against Jofephus, and especially against the facred writings by these artifices, ought to be removed; and all that disrespect for those books among them whose authenticity he had attacked, which was created by his cavils against them, ought to cease: and they ought to be replaced in our good opinion, and recover or regain their due honour and veneration with

us.

Finally, this detection may even ferve to strength

en and confirm our belief in the divine authority of the fcriptures, fince by it we perceive, that a writer, of fo diftinguished talents and abilities as Mr. Voltaire, hath been obliged to have recourse to false accounts of the contents of the facred books, and to the moft wild and unreasonable interpretations thereof, that he might fucceed in his endeavours of fubjecting them to fcorn and contempt; and that he hath been reduced to a neceffity of adopting or laying hold upon the most frivolous, idle and captious objections against fome of the pieces which compofe our Bible, that he might compafs his end of undermining their credit: yea, to advance into the rank of a more early and credible record than our gofpels, a Jewish production, which is undeniably full of the moft abfurd tales, and ridiculous fables, where it differs from them, or contradicts them, and is repugnant in many particulars, to the accounts of the moft celebrated, and approved hiftories of thofe times where, in Jefus and his apoftles lived, and appears clearly, by every proper mark and evidence which can be urged in fuch a cafe, to be a work of a much later age than that in which our gofpels were wrote. For it is natural to argue thus hereon. If the Bible is in itself worthy to be rejected, furely fuch an acute and ingenious perfon as Mr. Voltaire, with his ftrong inclination to depreciate it, would have produced fufficient objections against it, without flying to fuch expedients and fhifts as mifquoting the fame, and ftraining its words to a meaning which they were never defigned to receive, and oppofing exceptions to the genuineness of some of its parts, the most void of reafon and contemptible. Thus may we turn his

puerile and illiberal manner of attack, when we confider his fuperior endowments and parts, to build us up and fettle us in our faith of the fcriptures.

It concerns us deeply, however, who profess a conviction of the divine authority of the fcriptures, to remember, that this, if it continue mere theory and fpeculation, can never fatisfy the obligations which lie upon us. No. We must acquaint ourfelves with the hiftories, doctrines, precepts, prohibitions, promises and threatnings therein contained, according to that measure of inward capacity and outward opportunity which God hath given us, who diftributes to every man variously as he wills. We must treat them in our difcourfe with fuitable honour and respect, with which it does not seem confiftent to be borrowing the phrafes and expreffions thereof, to embellish and enliven the most vain and trifling, perhaps loofe and licentious chat, and raise a laugh by our converfation with fuch company as can relish this seasoning. For what is this but to make a jest and sport of the word of God? As it is certain, again, this practice is not very friendly to the continuance of veneration for the fame, where it yet is in any degree, fince it is a certain and evident truth, that mixing things of the highest eftimation and value with low and ludicrous, and much more with base and filthy images, strongly tends to weaken our regards for them, or to render them despicable and vile in our eyes. Above all, we must be careful to cultivate that temper of mind, and pursue that course of life, which these scriptures enjoin and enforce, which is no more than suffering the persuasion and judgment of our minds to have its proper influence and power

over our affections and actions. This is that behaviour alone which will give an agreeableness and harmony with the appearances we affume, and the forms we practise. This is the most effectual method to promote the credit, and advance the fpread of our religion in the world, which we should look upon ourfelves as more loudly called to be tender of, and folicitous about, that there is, in these times and places, a great biafs and propenfity to derogate from its excellence and usefulness, and to improve every miscarriage and misconduct of profeffing Chriftians, especially in respect of juftice, fincerity, fidelity, generosity, and like focial virtues, to its prejudice and difparagement. But, if these confiderations will not have fufficient weight with us, as, indeed, they are only fitted to operate on more delicate and noble minds, that have a regard to propriety and decency of deportment, and that glow with zeal for the honour of God and Jefus, or benevolence towards men in their spiritual and immortal interefts, we should all be animated in this study and endeavour, by a concern about our own true welfare and happiness. For, as this is the way to rational heart-felt joy and fatisfaction at prefent, from the confcious approbation of our own minds, and a sense of divine favour; fo, it is the way to fave our fouls in that eternity which is haftening upon us, wherein we are to receive according to what we have done in the body, and to the affiftances for holiness we have enjoyed. Nor do any of us know how foon, or how fuddenly it may rush in upon us. Of what moment is it then to us Chriftians to follow holiness, both in spirit and converfation! May this be the prevailing and go