Serm. LXV. and hu Religion confder'd. 415 Firft, That Prejudice does many times fway and biafs Men againft the plaineft . and cleareftTruths. We fee in daily Experience, what a falfe Biafs Prejudice puts upon Mens Idnderftandiings. Men that are educated in the groffeft Errors and Superftitions, how hard it is to convince them that they are in a wrong Way! and with what difficulty are they perfuaded of their. Miftake! - Nay they have hardly the Patience tobe told they are in an Error, much lets toconfider what may be offer'd againft it. How do the Pallions and Lulls of Men blind them and lead them afide from the Truth ;'' and incline them to that fide of the Queftion which is molt favourable to their Lulls and Interefts ? How partiallydo Men lean to that part whichmakes molt for their Advantage, though all the Rea- fon in the world lye on the other fide? Now Ignorance and Miftake are a ..mat Slavery of the. Underltanding, if there were no worfe Confequences of our Errors: and thereforeour Saviour Pays ex- cellently, that the Truthmakes Men free 5 Te [hall know the Truth, and the Truth ¡hall make you free. Secondly, Prejudice does not only biafs Men againft the plaineft Truths, but in Matters of greateft Concernment, in things that concern theHonour of God; and the Good of others, and our own Welfareand Happinefs. Prejudices a- gainft Religion occafion Mistakes of 'the'higheft Nature, and may lead Men to Superftition and Idolatry, and to all manner of Impiety, nay many times to Atheifm and Infidelity.' The Prejudices againft the Doctrine of our Saviour aré of another Concernment than the Prejudices whichMen have againft the Writers of Natural Philofophy or Eloquence, or any other Human Art or Science. If a Man's Prejudice make him err in thefe Matters, the Thing is of nogreat Mo- ment: but the bufinefs of Religion is : a matter of the greateft and weightieft Concernment to Mankind. Thirdly, The Confequences of Mens Prejudices in thefe things prove many times fatal and deflru&ive to them. Men may upon . unreafonable Prejudices re- jell the Counfel of God againfi themfelves, as it is Paid of the Chief Priefis and Pharifees among the ;ems. Men may oppofe the Truth fo obffinately and per- verfely, as to be Fighters againft God, and to bring certain Ruin and fwift De- firullion upon themfelves, both in this Worlds and the other; as the Jews did, who by oppofing the Do&rine of the Gofpel, and perfecuting our Saviour and his Difciples, frll'd up the meafure of their Sins, 'till Wrath came upon them to the uttermofi. dt is eafy to entertain Prejudices againft Religion, and by confidering only the wrong fide of things, to fortify our Prejudices to fuch a Degree, and entrench our felves fo ftrongly in our Errors, that the plaineft and molt con- vincing Truths (hall not be able to have any Accefs to us, ormake any Impreffion upon us: but all this while we do in truth undermine our ownHappinefs, and are fecretly working our own Ruin, and while we think we are oppofing an Enemy, we are destroying our felves; for who bath harden'd himfeif againfi God and his Truth, and profpered? The Principles of Religion are a firm and immo- veable Rock, againft which the more violently we dafh ourfelves, the more mile- rably we (hall be fplit and fhatter'd. Our Bleffed Saviour and his Religion have been to many, and are to this day a Stone of (tumbling, and a Rock of Offence ; but he himfelf hath told us what (hall be the Fate of thofe who are offended at him; Whofoever ¡hall fall on this Stone, pall be broken; but upon mhomfoever it (hall fall, it fhallgrind him to Powder. And therefore well might he fay herein the Text, Bleffed is he mhofoever ¡hall not be offended in me. Fourthly, There are but few in comparifon, who have the Happinefs to ei- cape and overcome the common Prejudices which Men are apt to entertain a- gainst Religion. Thus to be lure it was when Chriflianity firfl appeared in the World: And though among us the great Prejudice of Education be re- moved : yet there are [till many, who upon oneAccount or other are prejudiced againft Religion, at leafs fo far, as not to yield to the Power of it in their Lives. FewMen are fo impartial in confidering things, as not to be fwayed by the Intereft of their Lufts and Paflions, as to keep the Ballance of their PPP 2 Judg-
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