Let. 2. Lord HERBERT f Cherbury. 17

to God for having inforced them by an ex prels and well- atteſted

revelation, and given them a divine ſanCtion. And if he were fincere in the acknowlege ment he ſometimes makes, that the explaining and inforcing thoſe great principles is the ultimat deſign of the holy Scripture, to which all its doctrines, an even its rites and ſacraments te nd, he ought certainly to have entertained very favourable thoughts of Chriſtianity, of its doctrines as well as precepts, and even of its rites and poſitive inſtitutions.

But that which ſeemeth principally to have prejudiced his Lordſhip againſt Chriſtianity is, that it is what he calleth a Har- ticular re ꝛig gion; whereas the true religion muſt be univerſal, and promulgated to all mankind. He frequently urgeth, that nothing leſs than ſuch an univerſal religion as he pleadeth for, can ſupport the honour of God's univ erſal providence, and the care he exerciſeth towards the whole human race; which no particular religion can do; and that otherwiſe the Gentiles muſt be ſuppoſed to be univerſally loſt and damned, which it were cruel and injurious to God to imagine. This is what hath been often urged and repeated by the Deiſts ſince.

To this it may be juſtly anſwered; that thoſe who maintain the Chriſtian revelation, may think as honourably as any others conſiſtently can of the univerſal care and providence of God to- wards mankind. No-where is this more clearly aſperted tha in the ſacred writings, which declare God's univerſal goodneſs and benignity towards the human race in ſtrong termns; and that he hath been continually doing them good, and hath never left himſelf without witneſs among them. We muſt not indeed carry this ſo far as to aſſert, that all men have an actual know- lege of the great principles of religion, and of their duty, be- cauſe we may imagine that the univerſal care of providence towards mankind requireth that it ſnould be ſo; which ſeems to be the courſe of his Lordſhip's reaſoning; for this is contrary to evident and undeniable fact and experience. But we acknew-

lege that God hath given to all men the principle of reaſon,

together with a natural ſenſe of right and wrong, which would be of great uſe to aſſiſt them in the knowlege of religion. and to direct them in the practice of their duty, if duly cultivated and improved to the utmoſt that it is naturally capable of. But beſides this, Chriſtians generally maintain, a und the holy ſcrip- tures lead us to think, that God hath from time to time made extraordinary diſcoveries of his will to mankind; that ſome ſuch diſcoveries were made 5 the firſt anceſtors of the human race, who were bound by all obligations to tranſmit them to their

Vol. I. C poſterity;

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