To the Public.

IT would be superfluous for the publisher to add any thing to the highly respectable recommendations which are subjoined, as a reason for offering a new American edition of the following work to the public, or as an inducement to the pious and reflecting portion of community to patronize the undertaking. If, unhappily, the enemies of Christianity are, at this period, uncommonly active and zealous in propagating their pernicious doctrines, it becomes the peculiar duty of every one who feels the importance of religion, to encourage the circulation of a work so well calculated as this to check the progress of infidelity, and to promote the cause of truth and virtue.

RECOMMENDATIONS.

WE consider Professor HALYBURTON's celebrated work, on the INSUFFICIENCY OF NATURAL Religion, and THE NECESSITY OF REVELATION, as on the whole, the best manual on the subject of which it treats, now extant. The author, not less illustrious for his talents and learning, than for his piety, has not contented himself, like most modern writers on the Deistical controversy, with merely standing on the defensive; but has "carried the war," as one of his eulogists expresses it, "into the camp of the adversary;" proving, by "unanswerable arguments," as another has pronounced, "the utter insufficiency of the Deist's religion for the salvation of them, and beating them fairly at their own weapons.' We rejoice to hear that Mr. SOUTHWICK proposes to give a new

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American edition of this excellent work. Were its merits generally known, all recommendation would be unnecessary.

SAMUEL MILLER, D. D.
JOHN B. ROMEYN, D. D.
PHILIP MILLEDOLER,
GARDNER SPRING,
HENRY P. STRONG,

Pastors of the Presbyterian Church.

JOHN SHUREMAN,

CHRISTIAN BOURCK,
S. N. ROWAN,

JOHN BRODHEAD,

Pastors of the Reformed Dutch Church.

J. M. MASON, D. D.

Provost of Columbia College and Pastor of the Associate
Reformed Church.

ALEX. MCLEOD, D. D.

Pastor of the Reformed Presbyterian Church.

THOMAS HAMILTON,

Pastor of the Associate Church.

JOHN MCNIECE,

Pastor of the Irish Presbyterian Church.

WILLIAM NEILL,

Pastor of the Presbyterian Church in the City of Albany.

JOHN M. BRADFORD, Minister of the Reformed Protestant Dutch Church in the City of Albany.

President of Union College, Schenectady.

ELIPHALET NOTT, D. D.

ALEXANDER MONTEITH,

Pastor of the 1st Presbyterian Church in the city of Schenectady.

New-York, May, 1812.

ACCUSTOMED from my earliest years, to hear the name of HALYBURTON mentioned with the highest respect, and his EXAMINATION OF THE PRINCIPLES OF THE DEISTS OF HIS own time, greatly extolled, both by the pious and by the learned of his own Church, and

after repeated and frequent perusals of this judicious and profound treatise, I cordially unite in the character and encomiums given above; and with becoming deference, earnestly recommend the careful and patient study of it to all, but especially to the youth of our own country.

JOHN MCDONALD,

Pastor of the United Presbyterian Church in the City of

Albany.

Albany, May 26, 1812.

TO THE READER.

READER,

WHOEVER thou art, the question agitated in the ensuing discourse is that wherein thou hast a considerable concernment. If thou art a Christian, the ensuing discourse is designed to justify thy refusal of that religion which has now got a great vogue amongst those gentlemen, who set up for the only wits, and aim at monopolizing reason, as if they alone were the people, and wisdom was to die with them. They cry up their religion as the only reasonable religion, and traduce all who will not join with them, as credulous and unreasonable men. Whereas, on the contrary, no man that uses his reason, can close with that which they would obtrude on us as rational religion: nor can any man, without being guilty of the fondest credulity, venture his salvation upon this modern Paganism, that struts abroad under the modish name of Deism, which I hope the ensuing discourse will evince; wherein it is made appear, that the light of nature is utterly insufficient to answer the great ends of religion, and that consequently we had the justest reason in the world, if there were none, to wish for a revelation from God, as what is of absolute necessity to our happiness; and since there is one, with the greatest thankfulness to embrace it, cleave to it and comply with it.