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Chrift taught that any thing, befides a right difpofition of mind, and a right behaviour, would render men acceptable to the Deity; or that any thing, befides repentance and reformation, would be the ground of God's mercy to finners; or that any thing, oppofite to the eternal rule of right and wrong, would be the rule by which God would judge the world; fuch doctrines would be plainly repugnant to the nature, and to the truth of things, and, confequently, must of neceflity be falfe. So that it is grofly abfurd to fuppofe, that any fuch doctrines were taught by Christ, whilft we admit his miffion to be divine; becaufe, if the former were the cafe, then, the latter could not be fo; that is, if Chrift did teach doctrines, that are opposite to what I call his gofpel, then, his miffion, at least, as far as it relates to thefe, could not be divine, nor could any external evidence, how great foever, poffibly prove it to be fuch. This, I think, is the true ftate of the cafe; and my opponents are at liberty to take which fide of the queftion they pleafe. It is not fufficient to fay, that God is at liberty to make what he will the ground of his favours to men, and of his mercy to finners, and that he may

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judge the world by what rule he pleases; becaufe, tho' fuch a conduct may comport with the character of an arbitrary and abfolute governor amongst men; yet, it will not comport with the just and proper character of him who is the most perfect intelligence, and the wife and good governor of the univerfe. There is a rule of affection and action for all thofe cafes, that arifes from the natural and the effential differences in things; which rule, we may be certain, God will always abide by, and make it the measure of his conduct; and therefore, it is equally as abfurd to fuppofe that God will add to, as that he will take from, this rule. These are some of the points that I have endeavoured to evince, and to impress upon the minds of my readers; not barely as matters of fpeculation, but, ultimately, that they may be a foundation for the rightly directing and governing our affections and actions. Alas! what will it avail us to believe, that nothing but a right difpofition of mind, and a right behaviour, will render us acceptable to the Deity; except we are prevailed upon by it to render ourselves the proper objects of God's favour? Or what will it avail a wicked man to believe, that nothing but repentance

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and reformation will be the ground of God's mercy to finners; except he is led by it to put away from him the evil of his doings, to cease to do evil and learn to do well, and thereby to render himself the proper object of God's mercy? Or to what purpose will it be to believe a judgment to come; except we are prevailed upon by it, to live as thofe who must give an account of themselves to God? This, I fay, is what I have principally aimed at in all my writings, notwithstanding it has been faid that I have written for bread; which I have not been under a neceffity of doing. And tho' I have, for fome time paft, been rendered capable of living independent of labour, by being enabled, without it, to procure thofe neceffaries of life, which are fuitable to that rank in the world that God in the course of his general providence has placed me in; yet, this is owing principally to the bounty of my friends, whofe kindness to me I take this opportunity publickly and thankfully to acknowledge. And, indeed, (according to the proverb) Let every one praise the bridge he goes over; the world, bad as it is, or as it may be represented to be, has been a kind world to me; for could an exact eftimate

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be made of all the good and evil I have received from others, I dare fay, it would appear, that the former has exceeded the latter ten-fold. I mention this to do justice to the world, before I leave it; and to take off, or, at least, to lessen, the popular prejudice that has been taken up against it in this refpe&t.

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AND, as I have offered my thoughts freely to the world, on the points before mentioned, as well as on many other fubjects; fo this has introduced an idle and an impertinent enquiry concerning me, namely, what I whether a believer, or an unbeliever. This enquiry I call idle and impertinent, because it can answer no good end, and because my arguments and reasonings are just the same, that is, they are equally ftrong and conclufive, or the contrary, whether I am one, or the other of thefe. However, I think, it will be proper to state the notion of believer and unbeliever, or infidel, that fo this matter may appear in the clearer light. Whoever afsents to a propofition as true, such an one is faid (according to the common way of fpeaking) to be a believer, with refpect to that propofition, whatever be the ground of that affent; whoever doubts of the truth of

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a propofition, so as to withhold his assent, and yet does not believe the contrary, fuch an one is faid to be a fceptick with respect to it; and whoever, not only withholds his affent to a propofition, but alfo believes the contrary, fuch an one is faid to be an unbeliever, or infidel. As thus, Mahomet was a special mefSenger Sent from God; with refpect to this proposition, whoever afsents to it as true, such an one is a believer; whoever doubts of the truth of it, so as to withhold his affent, and yet does not believe the contrary, that is, does not believe it to be a falfe propofition, fuch an one is a fceptick; and whoever not only doubts of the truth of that propofition, but also believes the contrary, that is, believes that Mahomet was not a special meffenger sent from God, such an one is an unbeliever, or infidel. So that a man may be a believer with refpect to one proposition; a fceptick with regard to another; and an unbeliever, or infidel, with refpect to another: and thus all men, of thought and reflection, are believers and scepticks, and unbelievers or infidels, in fome respect or other. And therefore, when thofe terms, viz. believer and unbeliever, or infidel, are applied to me, I fuppofe the enquiry is, whether I do believe that

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