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THE DIVINE LEGATION

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[Book IX. make men wise unto Salvation, are clearly and fully taught S in the Gospel. But we should greatly derogate from God's moral Government, did we not allow it to abound in the like sublime Wonders with the Natural. And to the study of the first, there are more important Calls, and much greater Advantages. The knowledge of God's moral Government, as far as concerns his religious Dispensations, is the duty of every inan: and, indeed, the whole business of the Ministers of his revealed word, So that partly, for the use and importance of the subject, partly, for the necessity of making head against the Enemies of Revelation, but chiefly in obedience to the Command, TO STUDY THE SCRIPTURES, it hath, from the first ages of the Church to the present times, been one of the principal occupations of the Learned. Yet what, from unfavourable circuinstances in the civil and literary world; what, from the varying bias of occasional prejudices; but, above all, from the sordid interests and blind passions of men occupied in these Inquiries; the various. Schemes of Religion, pretended to be found in Scripture, but indeed, the workmanship of Divines, had dishonoured the Doctrine of REDEMPTION near as much as the hypothesis of Philosophers had dishonoured the History of the CREATION. Till here again, as in the former case, the same caution and sobriety which directed men to the true method of treating things material, by a careful study of the volume of NATURE, led them into the right way of explaining things spiritual, by a careful study of the volume of GRACE. So that if, in these times, the advances in the knowledge of God's WILL should haply prove as considerable as those in the discovery of his WORKS, it will not be beside a reasonable expectation; as similar causes are wont to produce similar effects.

I have placed these correspondent accounts of the progress of the human faculties, in NATURE and in GRACE, in this neighbourly position, that the Reader, by setting them together, and comparing them with one another, may see, whether there be any Objections to NEW DIS COVERIES in Religion, which do not equally hold against NEW DISCOVERIES in Nature; of which, for their newness alone, no one ever yet entertained the least doubt! or suspicion of their TRUTH

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For let us compare the Almighty's display of his ‹ nature in the great Volume of his WORKS, with the de-, claration of his Will in the lesser Volume of his WORD, and we shall find the same marks of GOODNESS to be alike conspicuous in both cases.

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In his Vorks, a man need but open his Eyes to see in' every Object, the God which claims his adoration: In his Word, the Man, who runs, may read, the Means and Method of his own Salvation. In neither case, is any thing wanting to instruct the most simple in their dependence and their duty; in which, consists their happiness.For further information in the works, and ways of Providence, God wisely reserved it for the reward of the manly and virtuous improvement of the human faculties.

It is true in fact, as hath been already intimated, that throughout a long series of Ages, neither of these Inquirers made any very considerable Advances in REAL KNOWLEDGE, But it is as true, that what hindered Both, proceeded not so much from difficulties in the things sought after, as from the wrong Methods employed in the search. For, instead of addressing themselves to discover the true Constitution of Things from the Frame of God's works, as objected to their Senses; or the true End of Revelation from Sacred Scripture, as it there lies open to their Contemplation, they framed fanciful hypotheses, out of their own slender stock of ideas; and then, by distorting Nature, and wresting the Bible awry, they forced both one and the other, to Father their own blind and spurious Issue.

But when once DIVINES and. PHILOSOPHERS were become sensible of their wrong Courses; and, in consequence of that conviction, had measured back their steps; and with more modesty and better sense had renounced their fancies, and erected Theories on the real constitution of things; it is wonderful to conceive what discoveries were soon made in Natural and Religious Truths.

THESE TWO IMPORTANT STUDIES, therefore, being alike circumstanced, and having run the same fortune, demand, in all reasonable allowance, the same judgment to be passed on their pretences,

But Men are not accustomed to be thus equitable. One of the readiest, as well as most impudent exploits

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of Prejudice, is to draw unlike conclusions from similar Premisses.

It is confessed, that the book of Nature is so plain and clear, that every Sentence revcals and proclaims its Almighty Author: that if its more sublime or more profound truths have lain concealed, or been kept out of sight, for Ages, it was the fault of the Inquirers, who adhered so long to a perverse method of studying Nature : for that, as soon as ever they began to seek a better, and to prosecute it with care and sobriety, KNOWLEDGE suddenly opened and enlarged its Empire; while the blaze of light which accompanied its progress, was so far from making Truth suspected for the newness of its Splendour, that it dissipated all those doubts which had been entertained of its obscure nature, and equivocal Claims and Prerogatives.

But now, if we turn from the Physical to the Moral state of things, we shall find, Men have drawn different inferences from similar cases.-Because, in their search after the higher Truths of Religion, they had been long unsuccessful, they not only took umbrage at these now found, and, like some jewels, found too by their own surrounding light, but conceived fresh doubts even of the most obvious principles which led to these late discoveries.

2. There is, yet, another sort of Believers (and this brings me to the second part of the Objection) who, from too great a reverence for things established, join with such as have too little, in decrying all NovELTIES in religious Matters. These men, in abhorrence of the "Vanity of being wiser than their Fathers, have in express terms denounced their displeasure against MAKING what they call, EXPERIMENTS IN RELIGION.

This is strange language in a Country of Liberty; and stranger still, in an Age of Reason. DIVINES, it is true, have long disputed how experiments in Religion should be made! Some would depend on Scripture alone; others were for taking in, Fathers and Councils; a third sort, for adding Tradition to the process; and a fourth, for applying raillery and ridicule to quicken the operation. So that, ever since the fall of Monkery, all were for making some Experiment or other. For what is muking sober experiments, but (as hath been shewn)

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supporting and illustrating REVELATION by new Arguments, furnished by new Discoveries made in the Order, Fitness, and Harmony of God's various Dispensations of Religion amongst themselves, and with one another; just as PHILOSOPHERS (from whom the Word is borrowed, and we see how unluckily) unfold Nature by new discoveries, made from repeated trials on the obvious qualities and hidden Contents of Material Substances.

No experiments in Religion is indeed the civil cant of POLITICIANS; for Bigotry and State-craft often meet; as extremes easily run into one another by the very attempt. to keep them at a distance. This, as as I say, is one of the fundamental Articles of the Statesman's Creed. For Religion being useful to Society; and yet, in his Opinion, only a well-invented Fiction, all experiments, that is, all strict inquiries into its Nature, cannot but tend to weaken, rather than support, this useful Ally of Civil Government. But for a man, who believes Religion to have come, and in an extraordinary manner, from God, to be alarmed with the danger of experiments, as if Truth would not bear to be seen on all Sides, is the most ridiculous of all panic terrors. Might we not reasonably ask such a one, How it comes to pass, that Experiments, which are of so sovereign use in the knowledge of Nature, should be calculated to make such havoc in the study of Religion? Are not Nature and Religion both the Offspring of God? Were not both given for human Contemnplation? Have not both (as proceeding from the dark Recesses of his Throne) their depths and obscurities? And doth not the unfolding the Mysteries of his moral Government tend equally, with the displaying the Secrets of his natural, to the advancement of his glory, and the happiness of Mankind?

In a word, Had no experiments been made in Nature, we had still slept in the shade, or been kept entangled in the barren and thorny paths of SCHOOL PHILOSOPHY; and had no experiments been made in Religion, we had still kept blundering on in the dark and rugged Wilds of SCHOOL DIVINITY.

To conclude therefore, and in the words of our great Philosopher" Let no man, upon a weak conceit of sobriety, or an ill-applied moderation, think or main

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"tain, that a man can search too far,. or be too well "studied in THE BOOK OF GOD'S WORD, or in the "book of GOD'S WORKS; but rather let Men endeavour 66 AN ENDLESS PROGRESS OR PROFICIENCE IN BOTH "only let them beware that they apply both to CHARITY, "and not to swelling; to USE, and not to ostentation; "and again, that they do not UNWISELY MINGLE OR 66. CONFOUND. THESE LEARNINGS TOGETHER

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BACON, Advancement of Learning, lib. i.-Could we suppose the divinity of Bacon's Genius to have been such as that he foresaw the miserable havoc which a late Cabalistic' Crew have made both of the WORKS and WORD of God by this impune and unnatural mixture, we can hardly conceive words more expressive, or a warning more awakening, than what is here contained in this caution against all such blind Workers in dirt and darkness.

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