fometimes were humane. The Perfians difperfed in India, who confefs God, and Heaven, and Hell, yet think that these are but of a thousand years duration. And it is above a thoufand years fince they believed, that the world should continue but a thousand years, and then Souls be releafed from Hell, and a new world made.

6.7.Their great darkness and uncertainties appear by the innumerable fecis and differences which are among them; which are incomparably more numerous, than all that are found in all parties in the world befides.

I need not tell you of the 288 Sects or Opinions de fummo bono, which Varro faid was in his days: The difference which you may find in Laertius, Hefechius, and others, between the Cynicks, Peripateticks, Academicks, Stoicks, Scepticks, Epicureans, &c. with all their fub-divifions, are enow. In fapan, the twelve Sects, have their fubdivifions. In China, the three general Sects, have fo many fubdivifions, that Varenius faith of them, [Singuli fontes labentibus paulatim feculis, à fraudum magistris in tot meandros derivati funt, ut fub triplici nomine trecente mihi fecte inter fe difcrepantes numerari poffe videantur: fed& be quotidianis incrementis augentur, & in pejus ruunt. Petrus Texeica faith of the Indians, [ In Regno Gazeratenfi vari funt ritus & fe&tæ incolarum, & quod mirum, vix familiam invenias in qua omnes congruant: alii comedunt carnem, alii nequaquam; alii comedunt quidem, fed non ma&tant animalia: alii nonnulla tantum animalia comedunt; alii tantum pifces, alii tantum lac & herbas, &c. Johan. a Twift. faith of the Indian Bramenes, Numerantur fe præcipui nominis octoginta tres: fed præter has minus illuftrium magna eft multitudo, ita ut fingula familia peculiarem fere foveant religionem. It were endless to speak of all the Sects in Africa and America; to fay nothing of the beaftly part of them in Brafil, the Cape of good hope, that is, Soldania, and the Islands of Cannibals, who know no God, (nor Government, nor Civility fome of them.) They are not only of as many minds as countries, but of a multitude of fects in one and the fame country.

1. 8. I find not my felf called or enabled to judge all these people as to their final state, but only to fay, that if any of them have a boly heart and life, in the true love of God, they shall be Dd

faved;

In To. 4. Bib. Pat.

faved; but without this, no form of Religion will fave any man, be it never fo right.

.9. But I find it to be my duty to love them for all the good which is in them, and all that is true and good in their Religion, I will embrace: and because it is fo defective, to look further, and try what I can learn from others.

There is fo much lovely in a Cato, Cicero, Seneca, Antonine, Epictetus, Plutarch, &c. in the Religions of Siam, in the difperfed Perfian Ethnicks in India, in the Bramans, or ́Bannians of India, in the Bonzii of Japan, and divers others in China and elfe-where, that it obligeth us not only to love them benevolently, but with much complacence. And as I will learn from Nature it felf what I can, fo alfo from these Students of Nature. I will take up nothing meerly on their truft, nor reject any doctrin meerly because it is theirs; but all that is true and good in their Religions, as far as I can difcern it, fhall be part of mine; and because I find them fo dark and bad, I will betake me for further information to those that truft to fupernatural Revelation; which are the Jews, Mahumetans and the Chriftians; of which I fhall next confider a-part.

. 10. II. As to the Religion of the Jews, Ineed not fay extat liber Hieronymi much of it by it felf; the Pofitive part of their doctrine being à Santa Fide, ex Ju. dao Chriftiani, con- confeffed by the Christians and Mahumet ans, to be of Divine Retra Judæos & Tal- velation; and the negative part, (their denying of Chrift) is to mud. qui ut dicit be tryed, in the tryall of Christianity.

dæo

dzos ad fidem con

Approbatio 5000 Ju- The Reasons which are brought for the Chriftian Reli vertit. pag 742,6. gion, if found, will prove the Old Teftament, which the Jews believe; it being part of the Chriftians Sacred Book; De Mahumetis ori. And the fame reafons will confute the Jews rejection of Jegine, &c. vid. fragm. fus Chrift. I take that therefore to be the fittest place to treat ex Anaftaf. Hift. Eccl. of this fubject, when I come to the proofs of the Chriftian Faith. I oppofe not what they have from God: I must prove that to be of God, which they deny.

in B. P. Gr.Lat. To.

2. pag. 289.

c.

. 11. III. In the Religion of the Mabumetans I finde much good, viz. A Confeffion of one only God, and most of the Natu ral parts of Religion, a vehement oppofition to all Idolatry, A teftimony to the Veracity of Mofcs, and of Chrift; that Chrift is the Word of God, and a great Prophet, and the Writings the Apostles true: All this therefore where Christianity is ap proved, must be embraced.

And

And there is no doubt but God hath made ufe of Mahumet as a great Scourge to the Idolaters of the World; as well as to the Chriftians who had abufed their facred priviledges and bleflings: Whereever his Religion doth prevail, he cafteth down Images, and filleth mens mindes with a hatred of Idols, and all conceit of multitude of Gods, and bringeth men to worship one God alone, and doth that by the fword in this, which the preaching of the Gospel had not done in many obftinate Nations of Idolaters.

.

. 12. But witball I finde a Manexalted as the chief of Pro- Vid. Theodori Abuphets, without any such proof as a wise man should be moved with, and an Alcoran written by him below the rates of com- metem non elle ex care Opufcul, Mahumon Reafon, being a Rhapsody of Nonfence and Confufion, and Deo, &c. Et Euthymany falfe and impious doctrines introduced, and a tyrannical mii Zigaben. Moas Empire and Religion twisted, and both erected, propagated, methica. and maintained, by irrational tyrannical means: All which difcharge my reafon from the entertainment of this Religion.

1. That Mahomet was fo great (or any) Prophet, is neither confirmed by any true credible Miracle, nor by any eminency of Wisdom or Holiness, in which he excelled other men; nor any thing elfe which Reafon can judge to be a Divine atteftation. The contrary is fufficiently apparent in the irrationality of his Alcoran: There is no true Learning nor excellency in it, but fuch as might be expected among men of the more incult wits, and barbarous education: There is nothing delivered methodically or rationally, with any evidence of folid understanding: There is nothing, but the most naufeous repetition an hundred times over of many fimple incoherent fpeeches, in the dialect of a drunken man; fometimes against Idolaters, and fometimes against Chriftians for calling Chrift, God; which all fet together seem not to contain (in the whole Alcoran) fo much folid ufefull fenfe and reafon as one leaf of fome of thofe Philofophers whom he oppofeth, however his time, had delivered him from their Idolatry, and caused him more to approach the Chriftian Faith.

2. And who can think it any probable fign that he is the Prophet of truth, whofe Kingdom is of this World, erected by the Sword, who barbarously fuppreffeth all rational

Dd 2

enquiry

enquiry into his doctrine, and all disputes against it, all true Learning and rational helps, to advance and improve the Intellect of man: and who teacheth men to fight and kill for their Religion: Certainly, the Kingdom of darkness is not the Kingdom of God but of the Devil: And the friend of Ignorance is no Friend to Truth, to God, nor to mankinde: And it is a fign of a bad Caufe that it cannot endure the light. If it be of God, why dare they not foberly prove it to us, and hear what we have to object against it, that Truth by the fearch may have the Victory: If Beasts had Religion it would be fuch as this.

3. Moreover, they have doctrines of Polygamy, and of a fenfual kinde of Heaven, and of murdering men to increase their Kingdoms, and many the like, which being contrary to the light of Nature, and unto certain common Truths, do prove that the Prophet and his doctrine are not of God.

4. And his full atteftation to Mofes and Chrift as the true Prophets of Gol, doth prove himself a falfe Prophet who fo much contradicteth them, and rageth againft Chriftians as a blood-thirsty Enemy, when he hath given fo full a teftimony to Chrift. The particulars of which I fhall fhew

anon.

what the Chriftian Re ligion is, judge not by

CHAP. III.

of the CHRISTIAN RELIGION: and First, What it is.

the intruded opinions 9.1.IV.

of any sect, but by the

CHRISTIANITY: in which by the Provi-
HE laft fort of Religion to be enquired into, is

ancient Creeds and dence of God I was educated, and at first received it by a bu-
Summaries, which elfe-
where I have recited mane Faith, upon the word and reverence of my Parents and
out of Tertullian and Teachers, being unable in my Childhood rationally to try its
other ancients; and grounds and evidences.

which you may finde I fhall declare to the Reader juft in what Order I have recited or referred to received the Chriftian Religion, that the Inquifition being in ufher and Volli- the more clear and particular, the fatisfaction may be the

Ms, de Symb

greater:

greater: And it being primarily for my own ufe that I draw up thefe Papers, I finde it convenient to remember what is See the defcription of paft, and to infert the tranfcript of my own experiences; the Chriftian Faith in that I may fully try whether I have gone rationally, and Proclus ad Armenios faithfully to work or not. I confefs, that I took my Religi- de fide in Bib. Pal. on at fift upon my Parents word: And who could expect Græcolat. To. 1. that in my Childhood I fhould be able to prove its grounds? pag. 311.

But whether God owned that method of Reception, by any Alfo the Catechif. of of his inward light and operations, and whether the effica- Junilius Africanus, de cy of the finalleft beams, be any proof of the truth of the part.div. Legis. Chriftian Faith, I leave to the Reader, and shall my felf only Et Hermenepul. de declare the naked history in truth. Fide Orthod.

§. 2. In this Religion (received defectively both as to Matter and Grounds,) I found a Power even in my Childhood, to awe my Soul, and check my fin and folly, and make me carefull of my falvation, and to make me love and honour true wisdom and holinefs of life.

.3. But when I grew up to fuller ufe of Reason, and more diftindily understood what I had generally and darkly received, the power of it did more furprize my minde, and bring me to deeper confideration of fpiritual and everlasting things: It humbled ne in the fenfe of my fin and its deferts: and made me think more fenfibly of a Saviour: It refolved me for more exact Obedience to God; and increafed my love to God: and increafed my love to perfons and things, fermons, writings, prayers, conference, which relished of plain refolved Godliness.

.4. In all this time I never doubted of the Truth of this Religion; partly retaining my first humane Belief, and partly awed and convinced by the intrinfick evidence of its proper Subječi, end, and manner; and being taken up about the humbling and reforming ftudy of my felf.

0.5.At last having for many years laboured to compofe my mind and life, to the Principles of this Religion, I grew up to see more difficulties in it,than I faw before: And partly by temptations,and partly by an inquifitive mind,which was wounded with uncertainties and could not contemptuofly or carelefly caft off the doubts which I was not able to refolve, I refumed afresh the whole inquiry, and refolved to make as faithfull a fearch into the nature and grounds of this Religion, as if I had never been baptized into it.