23i ÁN APOLOGY, tt4d.' there, whose necessary affairs of life allow them the enough to b"b through thestudy of these laborious and intaugled controversies? Now small a part of mankind that are herd to seÓular affairs, can, in these few hours of feasúre, find out the depth of some Of these difficulties ? Who is sharp enough on the sudden to dis-' tinguish truth in the midst of {he clouds of dust that are cast on it by the litigious wrangle of all parties ? The soul of many a tradesman is but just of a size with his shop and business, and bath not strength of parts or improveínent to attain great and accurate knowledge in any thing besides ; and those whose inge- nuity is greater, may easily waste all the spare hours of their life in treading the mazes of dispute about forms add ceremonies, and at,last find themselves bewildered Now I question Whether such a man's headwould lie easy upon a dying pillow, who had spent his time among briars and thorns, and neglected the fruit of the tree of life, or tasted but very little of it ; he has been dwelling upon the moss and the ivy, and not gathered the pro- duct of those eminent branches of our holy religion, whence he might have eidraeted sweet cordials for a languishing and faint: ìnòhour: Fourthly, Again; how very few tire there amongst the gid- dy race of men that can so far annihiliate their old opinions, and refrain so long from embracing new ones, till they have made a thorough scrutiny into the arguments and pretensions on bòfh 'sides ? Who can dwell for months together in the uneasy state Of dubitation ? Who is there that lias poiver enough over his own thoughts, as to hold his judgment in suspense for aconsiderable season, till the matter in question be fairly debated and brought to an issue in the court ofreason and scripture ? How ready arewe to incline our assent oneway or another, as the various occurrences of life present shadows ofargument for either opinion? A story of a wicked clergyman' of the church will warp the inquiring soul of a plebian towards a meeting-house s, and an old song of Charles the martyr will determine another 's judgment against the cruel dissenters, and make him a complete churchman. A flash of rhetoric, a showof reason, a warm sermon, and affections raised by a Tillotson at Westminster, or a Mead at Pinner's Hall, will immediately turn the mind from its equilibrium q and you know when a balance is just turned, though it be but by à grain of weight, it falls effectually on that side, and sometimes almost irrecoverably too. When we have thrown off all old prejudices, it is not easy to secureones self from new ones. Whenwe have so far gained the victoryover education and custom as to retain none of our an- cleat opinions, we are apt to fall insensibly under the-power ofthe opposite doctrines, and become captives and slaves to new nod- Ana, merely because they are new, Novelty is as great a preju-
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