PREFACE TO cr A CAVEAT AGAINST INFIDELITY." IT was in the year 1722 these discourses were composed, and they have lain several years byme waitingfor a moreproper opportunity to be sent into the world. But deism and infidelity having made such violent efforts, of late, in this nation, and having obtained such unhappy success, as to draw away some from the faith of the blessed gospel, and to stagger others in their be- lief, I thought providence forbid any longer delay, and called me to add this attempt toward the restraint of a spreading pestilence. It has not been mybusiness and intent here, to produce the numerous train of arguments, whereby the christianreligion is supported, and set them in afair array. This has been done in many forms, and inmany volumes by writers of the first rank, in our age, which aresufficiently known in the world, and receivedwithjust honour. Yet 1 take pleasureon this occasion to point to my reader two lesser writings lately published, which are worthy of his perusal. The first is the Lord Bishop of London's Pastoral Letter, written in defence of christianity, wherein, he has drawninto a narrow andcompre- hensiveview, some of the most considerable arguments, for the vindication ofour holy religion ; and by exhibiting them, in ajust and perspicuous man- ner, he lias recommended them to the christianworld. The other is Doctot William Harris's Two Discourses, wherein " the Reasonableness of Believ- ing the Gospel, and the Unreasonablenessof Infidelity, are Displayed in a Convincing Light. I could wish that believers and infidels would read these little bookswith a serious spirit. There are two sorts of persons, in our age, who have not only need to have the evidences of our holy religion setbefore them, in their fullest view, but it may also be very proper to excite them toa diligent, 'faithful, and reli- gious attention to these evidences, by representing the formidable and tre- mendous threatenings of God, against thosewho abuse the light they enjoy, and become infidels or apostates in the midst of divine advantages for faith. Happy should I be, if I could impress their souls, with a solemn concern and solicitude, equal to the vast and infinite importance of the subject. The onesort of men have declared themselves unbelievers of the gospel of Christ they have gone so far as to renounce the scriptures, and forsake christianity. Some ofthese set themselves to oppose it boldly bysuch assaults, either, ofwit or argument, as nature bath furnished themwith ; and somejoin their attempts of reason and raillery together : May God recover them byhis almightygrace! I fear there is but little prospect of recalling them to the faith, by any thing we canspeak or write. There are others who have not abandonedthe gospel, yet have had their minds so corrupted and perplex- ed, by someobjections ofinfidelity, that they are reduced. to a doubting state, whether the religion of Christ be divine or no, and are seeking after some de. termination by fuller evidence. I do not call these persons deists or infidels: I hope, as well as pray, for their establishment in the faith of Jesus, the only Saviour. Ncnv my chief design in this treatise, was to attempt a recoveryof some of these doubting christians, or to stop them in their course toward apostacy, by representingthe dreadful and eternal hazard of rejecting the gospel of Christ, if it should at last appear to have comefrom heaven : That those who think of abandoning the christian faith might see and be persuaded, that none oftheir pretences tonatural religion can give them an effectual security, from the condemningsentence of the great Judge, if they shall to the last oppose and resist the light of evidence, that shines round the gospel, in our nation 2
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