CONFERENCE I. 393 tapes, prejudices, mistakes, passions, &c. his reason be suffici ent -to find out all things necessary for aguilty creature to obtain forgiveness of his offended Creator, and to procure to himself immortal happiness in a future state, notwithstanding his past offenses. Lbu. I approve of your accuracy, my friend, in this point, and I affirm, that the reason of maa, in his present state, though he often errs, andoften offends God, is yet sufficient to instruct and-lead him into all that is needful to obtain pardon and happi- ness. Well, what is the next thing yod would except out of our dispute ? PITH. In the second place then I would observe; that we are not to debate, whether we, who have been educated in a christian nation, and have been trained up from our infancy to hear and learn a thousand things which the ignorant heathens never hear of ; I say, Whether we, by our force of reason, cart draw out a connected scheme of religion in the several truths and duties of it; which might lead a sinner to obtain the favour of God : but whether one who was born and brought up in the dark regions of heathenism, and never any happy hints given Itim by tradition or by conversation, could find out by his own reasoning powers such a scheme of virtue and godliness, as would be suffi- cient to bring him tothe divine favour, and the felicity of another world? We are greatly mistaken in supposing that the under- standing of a heathen would lead him into all those well- connect- ed sentiments concerning God and man, virtue and piety, which are found even among common persons educated under thebright influence of christianity. Mr. Locke, in his Reasonableness of Christianity, page 269, says, That ifchristiale philosophers have mach outdone -the heathens in their systems of morality; he as- cribes -it to their knowledge of revelation. Every one, says he, may observe a great many truths which he receives at first from others, and readily assents to, as consonant to reason, which he wouldhave.found it hard, or perhaps beyond his strength, to have discovered of him.,elf: Native and original truth is not so easily wrought out ofthe mine, as we who have it delivered ready dug andfashioned to our hands, are apt to imagine. Permit me to add, Sir, with all just deference Mid respect to your bright geni- us and-your happy reasoning. powers, I can hardly imagine that you yourself would have been able, with utmost study, to draw up such an accurate and comprehensive scheme of natural reli- gion,- as Sophrouius has now given extempore, if you had been so unhappy as to be born and bred among none but heathens. I believe it will be granted by all, that neither Plato, nor Aristotle, nor Seneca, nor ,t4pictetus, nor Cicero, nor the greatest names and wits ofantii1uity, have left us so clear, and rational and com- pendious a system of religion and virtue, as our friend Sophro- ulous has set before us in the present conversation.
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