this world, infulting that great apostle with their ignorance and fcorn, "What will this babbler fay?" could he have beheld his learned commentator Simplicius, under the full light of Chriftianity, confirming himself in infidelity, and exulting in oppofition; could he have feen the unhappy Porphyry perplexed and entangled in the fubtleties of his logic, and, in the act of compofing the Ifagoge, abandoning his faith; could he have conjectured, that whilst it was raising human Reafon above itself by perfuading it of its all-fufficient power, his hypothetical fyftem would

lead it from the most folid truths into the endlefs maze of fpeculative error, and that this wild infatuation might inflame the fanguine and pregnant genius of a youthful emperor, and caufe him to apoftatize from his religion; could his eye have reached down to thefe diftant times, and have obferved the cloud of ignorance and fuperftition continuing to envelope the greater part of the Christian church, which the evafive verfatility of his Dialectic was calculated to thicken and con

Acts xvii. 8.

firm, rather than difpel; and, could he have feen that part which boafts of reformation, still shackled in the purfuit of theologic truth, by its fophifms and useless difputations, and by keeping men blundering on

from age to age in the thorny wilds of schooldivinity: could he have foreseen these hurtful confequences, inftead of committing this part of his works to the care of the too faithful Theophraftus, the master and the scholar would have facrificed them together upon the altar of facred truth. And, could he have read in the book of light and life that heavenly precept "Love your "enemies," he would have expunged that contrary propofition, by which his morality is difgraced, as militating against every principle of humanity and found religion; and he would have improved, or else abandoned his ethical system, as fuperfeded by one infi

The court of Rome well knew the importance of the School logic in fupporting their authority; they 'knew it could be employed more fuccessfully in disguis ing error, than in vindicating truth and Puffendorf • De Monarchia Pontificis Romani scruples not to infinuate, • that they patronized it for this very reason.' Beattie's Effay on Truth, p. 360.

nitely more perfect: whilft his theology, in which he excelled all philofophers before him, if Plato be excepted, would have foared on a fublimer wing to the heaven at which it aimed '.

* See the 8th book of his Metaphyfics, and the laft Chap ters of his Phyfics,

CHAP.

CHA P. II.

Of Theological REASONING.

ATH Reason, then, no concern at all

HAT

in the establishment of Faith? and is Faith that blind virtue, which mortals are to embrace, without the consent of the Underftanding?

Although Reafon has no direct concern ei ther in the act of forming the principle of theology by an inductive procefs, or in that of deducing from it the truths of religion by any mediate operation, or in that of proving these truths from any grounds in nature: the Neceffity of the principle itself, of the fupernatural revelation by which it was communicated to mankind, and of the ftupendous myfteries which that revelation contains t

thefe

these are topics, which have been fuccessfully urged by the learned in divinity, from the natural infirmity of the intellect and the will of men, as from an univerfal fact verified in experience, by which, as moral agents, they are found difqualified both to know and to do the will of their moral Governor; fo that, without fuch a divine interpofition, the connection between him and his accountable creatures would be diffolved, and the original intention of their Creator, which all earth and heaven cannot overturn, would be defeated. And whilft, in fuch indirect and collateral conclufions as are founded upon facts,

* Natural Reason, contemplating the attributes of the 'Deity, discovered to us, that when human abilities alone. are too weak to support us in the performance and dif< charge of moral duty, God will lend his helping hand to 'aid our fincere endeavours, by enlightening the Intellect and purifying the Will, by impreffing upon the first all 'the fpeculative and practical truths, which the divine principle of Faith contains, and by purifying and fup< porting the Will in the embracing and executing that 'moral righteoufnefs, the foundation of that Faith by ' which men are to be justified, and to which is annexed 'the enjoyment of ETERNAL LIFE in happiness.' Warb. Div. Leg. B, ix. See Bp. Gibfon's 2d Paft. Let.

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VOL. II.

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Reafon