138 Of Knowledge. BERM. Bereans, fo highly applauded by St. Paul, V. every man ought to attend to the candle of the " -vim Lord within him ; I mean, thofe original no- tices of truth, of the divine perfeóions, and the effential differences of moral good and evil, which are deeply engraven on our minds. Thefe are the ftàndards by which all pretences to divine revelation are to be tried, and nothing can be reafonably embraced as a doftrine from God which contradicts them, there being no evidence of any heavenly corn - miffion to teach religious truth equal to that irrefiftible evidence which the light of nature gives us of thofe firft principles of reafon and natural religion. If this rule had been duly confidered, men could not have been led by any authority whatfoever to embrace fuch ab- furdities as tranfubftantiation, and that finners may make atonement for their fins by vo- luntary fufferings and fuperftitious external devotions. La/lly, the belt means of attaining to re- ligious knowledge, is, doing what we know to be the will of God. The efficacy and fuc- cefs of this means relis upon the promife of our Saviour, * If any man will do his (God's. * Jo. vii. 17. will)
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