Jefus Chrift his Lord and his God, or by you?Rafh expofitors of points of doubtful difputation; intolerant fabricators of metaphyfical Creeds, and incongruous Systems of Theology! Do you undertake to measure the extent of any man's underftanding, except your own; to eftimate the ftrength and origin of his habits of thinking; to appreciate his merit or demerit in the use of the talent which God has given him, fo as unerringly to pronounce that the belief of this or that doctrine is neceffary to his falvation? It is undoubtedly neceffary to yours, if you are perfuaded that it comes from God; but you take too much upon you, when you erect yourself into an infallible judge of truth and falfehood. We, as Chriftians, are under no uncertainty as to the being of a God; as to his moral government of the world; as to the terms on which finners may be reconciled to him; as to the redemption that is in Jefus Chrift; as to a resurrection from the dead; as of a future ftate of retribution; nor with refpect to other important queftions, concerning which the wifeft of the Heathen Philofophers were either wholly ignorant, or had no fettled notions. But there are other fubjects on which the Academicorum Eroxn inay be admitted, I apprehend, without injuring the foundations of our Religion: fuch are the questions which relate to the power of Evil Spirits to fufpend the laws of nature, or to actuate the minds of men; to the materiality or immateriality of the human foul; the state of the dead before the general refurrection; the refurrection of the fame body; the duration of future punishments; and many others of the fame kind. Some one will think that I here fpeak too freely, and accufe me, probably, as an encourager of fceptical and latitudinarian principles.

What! Shall the church of Chrift never be freed from the narrow-minded contentions of bigots; from the insults of men who know not what spirit they are of, when they would stint the Omnipotent in the exercife of his mercy, and bar the doors of heaven against every fect but their own? Shall we never learn to think more humbly of ourselves, and lefs despicably of others? to believe that the Father of the universe accommodates not his judgments to the wretched wranglings of pedantic Theologues; but that every one, who, with an honeft intention, and to the best of his ability feeketh the truth, whether he findeth it or not, and worketh righteoufnefs, will be accepted of him? I have no regard for latitudinarian principles, nor for any principles, but the principles of Truth; and Truth every man must endeavour to investigate for himself; and, ordinarily fpeaking, he will be most fuccessful

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fuccefsful in his endeavours, who examines, with candour and
care, what can be urged on each fide of a greatly controverted
question. This fort of examination may, in fome instances, pro-
duce a doubt, an hesitation, a difident fufpenfion of judgment;:
but it will at the same time produce mutual forbearance and good
temper towards those who differ from us; our charity will be en-
larged, as our understanding is improved. Partial examination
is the parent of pertinacity of opinion; and a froward propensity
to be angry with those who question the validity of our principles,
or deny the justness of our conclusions, in any matter respecting
philofophy, policy, or religion, is an infallible mark of preju-
dice; of our having grounded our opinions on fashion, fancy,
interest; on the unexamined tenets of our family, fect, or party;
on any thing rather than on the folid foundation of cool and dif-
passionate reasoning Iliacos intra muros peccatur et extra-
Churchmen as well as Diffenters, and dissenters as well as church-
men, are apt to give a degree of affent to opinions beyond what
they can give a reason for; this is the very effence of prejudice:
it is difficult for any man entirely to divest himself of all preju-
dice, but he may furely take care that it be not accompanied
with an uncharitable propensity to stigmatize with reproachful
appellations, those who cannot measure the rectitude of the Di-
vine dispensations by his rule, nor feek their way to heaven, by
infifting on the path which he, in his overweening wisdom, has
arrogantly prefcribed as the only one which can lead men thither.
This intolerant spirit has abated much of its violence in the
course of this century amongst ourselves: we pray to God that it
may be utterly extinguished in every part of Christendom, and
that the true fpirit of Chriftianity, which is the fpirit of meek-
nefs, peace, and love, may be introduced in its stead. If dif-
ferent men, in carefully and confcientioufly examining the
Scriptures, should arrive at different conclufions, even on
points of the last importance; we trust that God, who alone
knows what every man is capable of, will be merciful to
him that is in error. We trust that he will pardon the Uni-
tarian, if he be in an error, because he has fallen into it from
the dread of becoming an Idolater, of giving that glory to
another which he conceives to be due to God alone. If the wor-
shipper of Jesus Christ be in an error, we trust that God will
pardon his mistake, because he has fallen into it from a dread
of disobeying what he conceives to be revealed concerning the
nature of the Son, or commanded concerning the honour to be given
him. Both are actuated by the fame principle-THE FEAR
VOL. I.

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OF

OF GOD; and, though that principle impels them into different roads, it is our hope and belief, that, if they add to their faith charity, they will meet in heaven.--If any one thinks differently on the fubject, I will have no contention with him; for I feel no difpofition to profelyte others to any opinion of mine : esteeming it a duty to speak what I think, I have no fcruple in doing that; but to do more is to affect a tyranny over other men's minds; it is to encounter not only the reason, but the passions, prejudices, and interefts of mankind; it is to engage in a conflict, in which Chriftian charity feldom efcapes unhurt on either fide.

Too much pains cannot be taken by the Clergy in examining the external and internal evidences of the truth of the Gofpel, in order that they may generate in their own minds a full conviction of the unspeakable importance of the work in which they are engaged; but that conviction being once produced, their time will be far more usefully employed in difcharging their pastoral office with fidelity, than in weighing the importance of all the difcordant fyftems of faith, which have in different ages and countries, not merely occupied the attention of Schoolmen and Monks, but unfheathed the fwords of princes, and polluted the temple of Chrift with more blood than was ever shed on the altars of Moloch, or in honour of Vitzliliputzuli, the God of Mexico. Happily for our age, this fpirit of perfecution is well nigh extinguished; for notwithstanding the fad fate of the Calas family in France; notwithstanding the demon of fanaticism which spread its delusion over London and Edinburgh, on the relaxation of the laws against Popery; notwithstanding the burning zeal of a few furious bigots amongst every fect of Chriftians; ftill may we foretel, from obferving the figns of the times, that the æra is approaching very faft, when Theological Acrimony fhall be fwallowed up in Evangelical Charity, and a liberal toleration become the diftinguishing feature of every church in Christendom. The ruling powers in Proteftant and Catholic ftates begin at length every where to perceive, that an uniformity of fentiment in matters of religion is a circumftance impoffible to be obtained; that it has never yet exifted in the church of Chrift, from the Apoftolic age to our own; and they begin to be ashamed of the fines, confifcations, imprifonments, tortures, of all the unjust and fanguinary efforts which they have feverally made ufe of to procure it. They perceive too that a diverfity in religious opinions may fubfift among the fubjects of the fame ftate, without endangering the common weal; and they begin to think it reasonable, that

no

no man should be abridged in the exercife of natural rights, merely on the score of Religion. Thefe enlarged fentiments proceed not, I would willingly hope, from what the Germans have called Indifferentifm in Religion; but partly from a perfect knowledge of its true end, which is Charity; and partly from that confcioufnefs of intellectual weaknefs, which is ever moft confpicuous in minds the most enlightened; and which, whereever it fubfifts, puts a ftop to dogmatifin and intolerance of every kind.

The Books and Tracts which I have here printed, are all of them fo well known, that there is little need to give a long account of any of them. I have chofen them out of a great variety, which fuggefted themselves to my mind; but I have no expectation that every one fhould be pleased with the choice which I have made. I once knew a Divine of the Church of England, of great eminence in it, and defervedly esteemed a good fcholar, who, having accidentally taken up, in a friend's apartment, a book written by a Diffenter, haftily laid it down again, declaring, that "he never read diffenting Divinity." I. ought to apologize to Men of this Gentleman's opinion, for having made so much use of the works of the Diffenters in this Collection; but the truth is, I did not at all confider the quarter from whence the matter was taken, but whether it was good, and fuited to my purpofe; it was a circumftance of utter indifference to me, whether it was of Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, provided it was of Chrift.

As this Collection will probably fall into the hands of fome, who may wish to become acquainted with the fort of Questions which are usually maintained by thofe who proceed to the degree of Bachelor or Doctor in Divinity, I thought it might be of fervice to them, if I put down a few of thofe which have been publicly disputed on in the Theological Schools at Cambridge, within the last twenty-five or thirty years. I have not observed much order in arranging the questions: the reader will remark, that they are not all of equal importance; and, what he may judge more extraordinary, he will perceive, that the fame doctrine is not maintained in them all. With regard to their importance, that must be expected to be variable, as they have been propofed by men of very different talents and judgements. A famenefs of doctrine might indeed have been fecured by the Profeffor, without whose approbation no queftion can be propofed for difputation: but I, for my part, (though fome will probably blame me for it) have thought it more liberal and reafonable to fuffer this contrariety,

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contrariety, in fome inftances, to take place, than to oblige men to fupport what they did not believe, or to preclude them from fupporting what they did believe to be revealed in the Scriptures. Truth, I hope, has not fuffered from this conduct: the mere acceptance of a queftion is not understood to lay the Profeffor under any obligation to fupport it in the difputation; if he thinks it not founded in the word of God, it is his duty to endeavour to fhew the Refpondent wherein he is mistaken; and if he be not able to do that, ftill there is no fear of error being established by his inability to detect it, when it is confidered before what a learned audience the difputation is held; that the Refpondent must either be a Bachelor of Divinity, or a Master of Arts, of four years ftanding; and that three Mafters of Arts are the regular Opponents at every Divinity Act.

QUÆSTIONES