MISCELLANEOUS TIIOUGHTS. 461 God with them. He believes also very unreasonably, that such a band of knaves, as he supposes them generally to be, carried on this imposture with stich unanimity and faithfulness for many years, even to the end of their lives, that not any one of them ever discovered the cheat, though they could expect to get no- thing by it here in this world, but poverty, shame, persecution, imprisonments, stripes, and a bloody death ; and in the other world,, the wrath of God, for such knavery. His belief goes further yet, contrary to all reasonable grounds; for be believes these followers of this Jesus Christ, by mere false pretences to miracles and gifts of tongues, spread his religion through the nations, though he knows that they appealed in a public manner to whole societies of men concerning the truth of these miraculous gifts conferred upon themselves and other christians, and concerning this power of miracles, which displayed itself with such evidence and glory particularly in Corinth, where St. Paul must have been confuted with shame, and utterly con- founded, if these things had not been true, because that was a .G,ity of great learning and knowledge ; and yet Apistus obstinately believes still that neither these men, nor Paul himself, nor any of his followers, ever wrought one real miracle, nor spoke one tongue but what they learnt before in the common way : And that they spread this religion so widely among the nations, and so effectually, without any commission or help from God, though this religion contained in it doctrines contrary to the fashions and customs of the world, to the idolatrous religions of the nations, to the vicious inclinations of mankind and their corrupt appetites and passions. And though he cannot but see evidently that these men, and their successors in this opinion, have turned many thousands of persons to more virtue and piety than all the philo- sophers could do with all their learning ; yet lie believes still that these men liad no divine power attending them, nor any assistance from heaven. In short, he believes contrary to all reason, these things which are far harder to believe than any of the peculiar articles of the christian faith ! and yet Apistus pretends he cannot believe those articles, because they do not carry reason with them. My God, deliver me from the blinding and stupifying preju- dices of these three sorts of men, who contradict the plainest evi- dences of truth, and to maintain their absurd peculiarities, re- nounce the chief springs of all our knowledge; and let me be led honestly and sincerely by these faculties of sensation and con - sciousness which thou hast given me; in conjunction and harmony with each other, and under the guard and improvement of right reason. The exercise of these powers, under thy holy influence, will effectually bring me to faith in the gospel of my blessed Sa- viour, and in compliance with the rules of that gospel I trust I shall find eternal life. Amen. Gg3
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