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for though a divine character is annexed to it, yet it is not divine to me, 'till it's promulgers have offered it to my confideration, and proved it to me to be fo. I have already obferved, that divine revelation is above or out of the ordinary courfe of nature, and, as fuch, we can have no previous ground to prefume or expect that there is or will be any fuch thing; nor can we poffibly be. under any previous obligation with regard to it; and therefore, we cannot be obliged to feek after it. To this I may add, that it seems a little prepofterous for a man to bunt after a guide to his judgment and behaviour, when the author of his being has placed one in his own breaft; especially if it be confidered, that the guide he has muft be proper and sufficient to answer the purpofe aforefaid; because, otherwife, the author of nature, who is the most perfect intelligence and of the most boundless power, must have been greatly wanting to his own defign; to admit which is to caft great contempt upon the founder of this world; and if man has fuch a guide, then, he cannot, furely, be obliged to hunt or feek after another. Befides, the Mahometan revelation is quite out of the reach of my enquiry, as

it was first promulged in a far diftant country; and as it's votaries or advocates, who must be fuppofed to be in the poffeffion of thofe arguments and evidences upon which it's divine character is grounded, and by which it is fupported, these advocates are quite out of diftance with regard to me; and thereby the subject is out of the reach of my enquiry. And though there is, amongst us, a book, exposed to public view, called the Coran, which book is reprefented to be the Mahometan revelation; yet, as I have no way to discover whether this book is a true copy of the revelation wrote and promulged by Mahomet, or whether it is allowed to be fo by the disciples of that prophet; and as the arguments and evidences which the divine character of that revelation may be fuppofed to be grounded upon are wanting; therefore, the knowledge and perusal of that book (which I am a ftranger to) can give but little fatisfaction, with regard to the divine original of the Mahometan revelation. And were all these things within the compafs of my power, then, at prefent, I cannot fee any advantage I could reap from the enquiry, whether in the iffue I was convinced of the divinity of the Mahometan revelation,

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to me,

If, up

that the

or was convinced of the contrary. on enquiry, it should appear aforefaid revelation is not divine, and that it must have been the produce of delufion or impofture; the confequence is clear, that then all my labour would be loft; fo that, in this view of the cafe,the enquiry would not turn to any good account to me. And, on the other fide, fuppofe, upon enquiry, it should appear to me that the Mahometan revelation is divine; then, the question is, what benefit can I reap from such conviction? If the revelation referred to could furnish me with fuch useful knowledge, or with a better rule of life, or with more powerful excitements to the practice of virtue and true religion, than at prefent I am in the poffeffion of, and thereby I fhould be made a wifer and a better man; then, I acknowledge that fuch conviction would be beneficial to me, in proportion to fuch improvement: but then, that this will be, or is any way likely to be the cafe, I cannot fee the least probability of. If the iffue of fuch conviction fhould be my converfion to Mahometanifm, and, in confequence thereof, I should quit one religious party, and be joined to another; I should lay afide one form of ex

ternal

ternal religion, and make use of another; this, I think, would be of very little more real benefit to me, than fuch a conviction and converfion as would lead me to change the colour of my clothes, by putting off a red coat, * and putting on a blue one in it's ftead;

*We read, in Acts ii. 24. Then they that received his word were baptized, and the fame day there were added unto them about three thousand fouls. These three thousand people are ufually confidered as converts, and the queftion is, what that converfion confifted in? or what they were converted from, and to? If it confifted in a renovation of mind and life, in a change from vicious bad men to vertuous good men; then it was of the greateft confequence to them, as to the favour of God and their future fafety; because, without fuch converfion, as they were bad men, they would have fallen fhort of both; but, if that converfion confifted only in furnishing their minds with fome fpeculative propofitions, in changing their religious fentiments, in laying afide one form of external religion, and ufing another, or in quitting one religious party, and affociating with another, (which feems to have been the cafe of good Cornelius, Acts x. 2.) then, I think, fuch converfion muft have been of little confequence to them, as to God's favour and their future fafety; becaufe, if they were virtuous good men, then these were fecure to them without fuch converfion; and if they were vicious bad men, then these were not in the leaft fecured by it. He who feareth God and worketh righteoufnefs is accepted with him, (as Cornelius was before his converfion) whether he passes through any fuch converfion or not. When Papifts, or Proteftants, or any fect of religionists, gain over a man from another religious party to their own, this is ufually called converfion, as a man is converted to, or from Popery; which is confidered as a matter of moVOL. II.

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ftead; of fo little confequence, generally, are particular parties and particular forms of external religion to virtue and real piety, unlefs, perhaps, it be that one is lefs mifchievous and hurtful than another. When a general depravity takes place, then, indeed, it feems to be not at all below and unworthy of the fupreme Deity, that he should kindly interpofe, by a particular and special application of his power and providence, to reform what is amifs, and rightly to direct the understandings, the affections and the actions of men; becaufe in fo doing the great and ultimate end of the creation is promoted and carried on: but then, to interpofe, as aforefaid, for the introduction os fupport of pompous ceremonies, particular religious parties, and the like; this does not feem alike fuitable to, and worthy of the fupreme God; because pompous ceremonies, religious factions, &c. are generally rather fubverfive of, than fubfervient to virtue and true religion.

WHAT

ment, though the man continues the fame as before, as to the morality of his affections and actions: perhaps he is a good man, perhaps a bad man, and accordingly is approved or difapproved of by his maker; his converfion making no alteration in the cafe, except it makes an alteration for the better in him; by making him a better man; and therefore, fuch converfion is not be boasted of, nor gloried in.

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