Let. 2. Lord HERBERT Of Cherbury. 25 in conſequence of this, he was Parluadedd that he heard the noiſe he takes notice of, and which he took to come from heaven, as nd regarded it as a mark of God s approbation of the requeſt

e had made. And accordingly this great man was determined by it to publiſh a his book. He ſeems to have conſidered it as a kind of imprimatur given to it from heaven, and as ſignifying the divine approbation of the book itſelf, and of what was con- tained in it.

I cannot help thinking, that if any writer, zealous for Chriſ- tianity, had given fuch an account of himſelf, as praying for and expectinga a ſign from heaven to determine his doul bt, whe- ther he ſhould publiſh a book he had compoſed in favour of the Chriſtian cauſe; and, upon hearing a noiſe, which he took to be from heaven, had looked upon it as a mark of the divine approbation, and as a call to publiſh that book; it would have paſſed for a high fit of enthuſ ſiaſm, and would no doubt have ſubjected the author to much ridicule among the gei ntlemen that oppoſe revealed religion. What judgment they will paſs upon it in Lord Herberl's caſe I do not know. But, conſidering the great partiality they have often ſhewn in their own favour and againſt Chriſtianity, it is not improb„that ſome of them may be apt to interpret this incident, as giving a divine ſanction to a book, which contains indeed ſeveral important truths, but withal hath ſome principles which are unfavourable to the

Chriſtian religion; or, at leaſt, the e) may be willing to have it believed, that this is as much to be depended vpon as the ſigns and atteſtations ſaid to be given from heaven to the firſt preach- ers and publ lihers of the goſpel revelasion.

There are ſome things ob bfervable in Lord Herbert's ſolemn addreſs to God, which, I think, are highly commendable, and would incline one to think very favourably of his Lordſhip's intentions. He diſcovereth in it a great veneration for the Deity, and a deep ſenſe of his dependence upon him as the author of light, and the giver of all inwardl illuminatiens. This is agreeable to the ſentiments of the beſt and wiſeſt men in ages. But yet I think it may be juſtly doubted, whether an addreſs of fuch a particular kind, as that made by his Lordſhip, was proper or regular. It does not ſeem to me, that we are well-founded to apply for or to expect an extraordinary ſign from heaven, for determining doubts concerning the he diency of publiſhing a book. Methinks, 18 4 a man hath uſed his beſt endeavours to find out truth, and, ich certainly ought not to be neglected, hath humbly vyniei: to God to aſſiſt and direct him in his enquiries; if he hath che teſtimeny of his own con-

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