66 you.If I know any thing of my own heart, my motive for making these papers public, is a defire to promote genuine rem ligion. Should they effect this, in any degree, I should account myself very happy happier than they, whofe corn, and wine, and oil, are increased." Acknowledging myfelf very unworthy of fuch happiness, I humbly commit this little attempt to the care of that most wife and gracious Being, who directs the affairs of this, and all other worlds, and " without "whom not even a fparrow «falls to the ground." AN CHRISTIANS receive the Bible as containing a divine revelation; and the followers of Mahomet pay the fame respect to the Koran. Now I would beg leave to enquire, how is either wish a person of this fort to tell how that can be a revelation which cannot be understood. Ard why does fuch a person prefer the Bible to the Koran? If you were to ask him, I doubt not, he would very readily affign you a reason; and most probably it would be drawn from the fuperior excellence of the Bible; though, at the fame time, he would tell you, That reafon is no judge of the contents of the book which he prefers: And, notwithstanding this principle, which he thinks to be of the greatest importance, he would not fcruple to give you his reasons, why he he differs from fome of his fellow-christians with respect to various points of doctrine. What is this man doing? Certainly he is reasoning concerning the doctrines of fcripture and that doctrine he rejects (as not fcriptural) and this he receives. Why? Because he thinks he has reafon. IF the fcriptures be not cognizable by any faculties we poffefs, to what end should we study them? And how are we in any fort blameworthy for not obeying the gospel? Since we cannot obey what we cannot unB 3 derftand. derftand." But we may un"derstand when enlightened by "the grace of God, though "not before." Yet how do we know that the ever bleffed God doth at all communicate his influence, further than to maintain our existence? If the Bible tells us he does; how do we know the Bible tells us fo, unlefs when we read that book we underland it? If we do not understand it, we cannot get our information from thence. If you have had a particular revelation from God, acquainting you that there is no revelation in the Bible, |