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and convincing evidence; there we ought to follow and obey God rather than men. There is fometimes

a vifible and palpable corruption in those who are to lead us; they may have an intereft to oppose the truth: And thus it was with the Pharifees and Rulers at that time; and fo it hath been among Chriftians in the great degeneracy of the Roman church. The Chriftian religion was never more endangered, nor ever more corrupted, than by thofe who have been in greatest authority in that church, who ought to have understood religion best, and to have been the principal fupport of it. Men may err; but God cannot So that when God fends a Prophet, or by his word does plainly declare his will to us, human example and authority ceafeth, and is of no force.

The laft prejudice I fhall mention, which the Jews had against our Saviour and his doctrine, was, that. it did abolish and fuperfede their religion, as of no longer ufe and continuance though it was plain it was inftituted by God.

This had been a very fpecious pretence indeed, had not this been part of their religion, and had not their own Prophets foretold, that the Meffias fhould come and perfect what was wanting and defective in their inftitution. It is exprefly faid in their law, That God would raise unto them another Prophet, like to Mofes, and that they should hear him, when he came. So that in truth it was the accomplishment of all those revelations which were made to the Jews, and did not reprove the Jewish religion as falfe, but as imperfect; and did not contradict and overthrow, but perfect and fulfil the law and the Prophets.

And thus I have gone over the chief exceptions and offences which the Jews took at our Saviour and his doctrine; and I hope fufficiently fhewn the unreasonableness of them. I have not now time to proceed to what remains: But by what hath been faid, you may easily fee, upon what flight and unreafonable grounds men may be prejudiced against the best perfon and things, and yet be very confident all the while that they are in the right. For fo no doubt many of the Jews, who oppofed our Savi

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our and his doctrine, thought themfelves to be. Therefore it concerns us to put on meekness, and humility, and modefty, that we may be able to judge impartially of things, and our minds may be preferved free and indifferent to receive the truths of God, when they are offered to us: Otherwise self-conceit and paffion will fo blind our minds, and bias our judgments, that we fhall be unable to difcern, and unwilling to entertain the plaineft and moft evident. truths. We fee here by the fad example of the Jews, that by giving way to paffion, and cherishing pride and felf conceit, men may be fo deeply prejudiced against the truth, as to refift the clearest light, and reject even falvation itself, when it is offered to them. So that it is not in vain, that the fcripture faith, Let every wan be fwift to hear, and flow to wrath, for the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God; and exhorts us fo earnestly, to receive with meekness the word of God, which is able to fave our fouls.

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And bleffed is he whofoever shall not be offended in me.

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Have from these words propounded to confider two things:

I. Those prejudices and objections which the world had against our Saviour and his religion at their first appearance; as alfo to enquire into those which men at this day do more especially infift up. on, against the Chriftian religion; and to fhew the unreasonableness of them.

II. How

II. How happy a thing it is to escape and overcome the common prejudices which men have against religion.

I have entered upon the firft of thefe, the prejudices which the world had against our Saviour and his religion. When this great teacher of mankind came from God, though he gave all imaginable te ftimony and evidence that he was fent from heaven, yet the greatest part of the world, both Jews and Gentiles, were mightily offended at him, and deeply prejudiced against him and his doctrine; but not both upon the fame account.

I have already given you an account of the chief exceptions which the Jews made against our Saviour and his doctrine, and have fliewn the unreasonablenefs of them.

I proceed now to confider the principal of those exceptions, which the Gentiles and Heathen Philofophers took at our Saviour and his doctrine. I shall mention these four.

First, That Chriftianity was a great innovation, and contrary to the received inftitutions of the world.

Secondly, They objected against the plainness and fimplicity of the doctrine.

Thirdly, That it wanted demonstration.

Fourthly, That the low and fuffering condition of our Saviour was unfuitable to one that pretended to be the Son of God, and to be appointed by him for a teacher and a reformer of the world. Thefe are the chief exceptions which the Heathen, and efpecially their Philofophers took at our Saviour and his doctrine.

First, That the Chriftian religion was a great innovation, and contrary to the received inftitutions of the world; and confequently that it did condemn the religion which had been fo univerfally received and established in the world by fo long a continuance of time. And no wonder if this made a great impreffion upon them, and raised a mighty prejudice in the minds of men against the Chriftian religion, no prejudices being fo ftrong as thofe that are fix.

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ed in the minds of men by education: And of all the prejudices of education, none fo violent and hard to be removed as thofe about religion, yea though they be never fo groundlefs and unreafonable. Hath a nation changed their Gods, which yet are no Gods? Intimating to us, that men are very hardly brought off from that religion which they have been brought up in, how abfurd. foever it be. When Chriftianity was first propounded to the Heathen world, had men been free and indifferent, and not prepoffeffed with other apprehenfions of God and religion, it might then have been expected from them, that they fhould have entertained it with a readiness of mind proportionable to the reasonablenefs of it. But the cafe was quite otherwife: The world had for many ages been brought up to another way of worfhip, and inured to rites and fuperftitions of a quite different nature. And this fways very much with men; Sequimur majores noftros, qui feliciter fequuti fuos; as one of the Heathen faid in thofe days, We follow our ancestors, who happlily followed theirs. Men are hardly brought to condemn thofe opinions and cuftoms in religion, which themselves and their forefathers have always embraced and followed. And wife men especially are loth to admit fo great a change in a matter of fo great a concernment as religion is. So that this must be acknowledged to have been a confiderable prejudice against the Chriftian religion at its firft appearance. But yet upon a thorough examination, this will not be found fufficient in reason to with-hold men from embracing Christianity, if we confider thefe four things.

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1. No prudent perfon thinks that the example and cuftom of his forefathers obligeth him to that which is evil in itself, and pernicious to him that does it; and there is no evil, nor danger equal to that of a falfe religion; for that tends to the ruin of men's fouls, and their undoing for ever. A man might better alledge the example of his fore-fathers to justify his errors and follies in any other kind, than in this, which is fo infinitely pernicious in the confequences of it.

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2. In a great corruption and degeneracy, it is no fufficient reafon against a reformation, that it makes a change. When things are amifs, it is always fit to amend and reform them; and this cannot be done without a change. The wifeft among the Heathen did acknowledge, that their religion was mixed with very great follies and fuperftitions, and that the lives and manners of men were extremely corrupt and degenerate; and they endeavoured as much as they could and durft to reform these things. And therefore there was no reason to oppofe an effectual reformation, for fear of a change; a change of things for the better, though it be ufually hard to be effected, being always a thing to be defired and wifhed for.

3. The change which Chriftianity defigned, was the leaft liable to exception that could be, being nothing elfe in the main of it, but the reducing of natural religion, the bringing of men back to fuch apprehenfions of God, and fuch a way of worshipping him, as was moft fuitable to the divine nature, and to the natural notions of mens minds; nothing elfe but a defign to perfuade men of the one true God, maker of the world; that he is a fpirit, and to be worshipped in fuch a manner as is fuitable to his fpiritual nature. And then for matters of practice, to bring men to the obedience of thofe precepts of temperance, and juftice, and charity, which had been univerfally acknowledged even by the Heathen themfelves, to be the great duties which men owe to themfelves and others. And that this is the main defign of the Chriftian religion, the Apostle hath told us in moft plain exprefs words, Tit. ii. 11, 12. The grace of God, (that is, the doctrine of the gospel) which hath appeared to all men, and brings falvation, teacheth us, that denying ungodliness and worldly lufts, we should live foberly, and righteously, and godly in this prefent world.

And all that the Chriftian religion adds beyond this, is means and helps for our direction and affiftance, and encouragement in the difcharge and performance of thefe duties. For our direction, God hath fent his VOL. VI.

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