THE

PREFACE.

THE little fatisfaction and confiftency that is to

be found, in most of the fyftems of divinity I have met with, made me betake myself to the fole reading of the Scriptures (to which they all appeal) for the understanding the Christian Religion. What from thence, by an attentive and unbiaffed fearch, I have received, Reader, I here deliver to thee. If by this my labour thou receivest any light, or confirmation in the truth, join with me in thanks to the Father of lights, for his condefcenfion to our understandings. If, upon a fair and unprejudiced examination, thou findest I have miftaken the sense and tenour of the Gospel, I-beseech thee, as a true Chriftian, in the spirit of the Gofpel, (which is that of charity) and in the words of fobriety, fet me right, in the doctrine of salvation.

THE

REASONABLENESS

O F

CHRISTIANITY,

AS DELIVERED IN THE

SCRIPTURES.

IT is obvious to any one, who reads the New Testament, that the doctrine of redemption, and confequently of the gofpel, is founded upon the fuppofition of Adam's fall. To understand therefore, what we are restored to by Jefus Chrift, we must confider what the fcriptures fhow we loft by Adam. This I thought worthy of a diligent and unbiaffed fearch: fince I found the two extremes, that men run into on this point, either on the one hand fhook the foundations of all religion, or, on the other, made christianity almost nothing for while fome men would have all Adam's pofterity doomed to eternal, infinite punishment, for the tranfgreffion of Adam, whom millions had never heard of, and no one had authorised to tranfact for him, or be his reprefentative; this feemed to others fo little confiftent with the juftice or goodness of the great

and