A N ACCOUNT O F Mr. LOCK's Religion, Out of his Own Writings, and in his Own Words. Together with fome OBSERVATIONS upon it, and a Twofold Appendix. I. A Specimen of Mr. LOCK's Way of Answering Authors, out of his ESSAY, I. 1. c. 3. where he takes upon him to Examine fome of the Lord Herbert's Principles. II. A brief Enquiry whether SOCINIANISM be justly Charged upon Mr. LOCK. LONDON, Printed; and Sold by F. Nutt near StationersHall. M DCC. Mr. Lock's Treatifes out of which the following Ac 1. 2. count is Collected. IS Thoughts of Education, Edit. An. 1693. H His Effay of Humane Understanding, An. 1695. 3. His Reasonableness of Chriftianity, An. 1696. 4., His Vindication of it, An. 1695. 5. His Second Vindication of it, An. 1697. 1 PA ERRAT A. for Age 4. Line 9. for Conquently r. Confequently. p. 42. 1. 12. for Preceeded r. Preceded. p. 45. 1. 33. after limits r. it. p. 50. l. 37. 384. r. 284. p. 57. 1. 7. dele of. p. 77. l. 11. for Certainly r. Certainty. p. 80.1. 33. for Heb. r. Hab. p. 105. l. 12. for Memorio r. Memoria. p. ודענו . ודעכו and l. Is. for .מנדע .r מכדע I. s. for .112 N his Preface to his Reasonableness of Chriftianity, Mr. Lock tells us, That the little Satisfaction and Confistency that is to be found in most of the Syftems of Divinity that he had met with, made him betake himself to the fole reading of the Scripture; and what he receiv'd from thence he deliver'd to his Reader in that Treatife. And as the little Satisfaction and Confiftency which he found in fome Syftems of Divinity, was the Occafion of his Writing and Publishing that Dif courfe; fo, the little Satisfaction and Confiftency which I found in his Syftem, (viz. his Reasonablenefs of Chriftianity foremention'd) was one Occafion of my drawing up the following Account and the Obfervations upon it. When Mr. Lock fays, The little Satisfaction and Confiftency to be found in moft of the Systems of Divinity that he had met with; thefe Words Moft of the Syftems imply, that he had met with fome Systems in which more Satisfaction and Confiftency may be found; and he would have oblig'd the World, if he had pleas'd to acquaint us what Syftems thofe are. In giving an Account of his Religion, that neither He might have Caufe to complain, nor the Reader to fufpect that I have misreprefented him; I judg'd it necessary to do it out of his own Writings, and in his own Words. I thought this would be the most effectual courfe to fatishe both him and others, that I had no Defign to reprefent him to his Difadvantage. It was also neceffary to fet down that which Mr. Lock hath deliverd agreeably to the Form of found Words, and to the Doctrine which is according to Godliness, as well as that in which he departs from the Truth, and from the Words of wholfome Doctrine; for otherwife the Account would have been imperfect; and withal, if I had omitted that which is good and justifiable, and prefented the Reader only with that which is to be diflik'd and dif approv'd in his Religion, I should have incurred the Guilt of difobeying the Charge given 1 Tim. 5. 21. to do nothing by Partiality, or inclining to one part more than A 2 the the other. I am fo far from envying Mr. Lock the Ho nour of having faid fome things well, that I heartily wish he had faid all fo, and that there had been nothing reprebenfible, or deferving Cenfure, in his Religion. Befides, there may be thofe who will more willingly learn fome Truths from Mr. Lock than from others, embracing them more readily upon the account of bis Approbation or Recommendation; and for the fake of thefe I thought it not amifs to tranfcribe that which was confonant to Truth, as well as that which I found diffonant from it. By this means alfo the Reader may better perceive the little Con fiftency that there is in Mr. Lock's Writings, how he deftroys that which he had built up, afferts the Truth in one place, and feeks to obtrude on us the contrary Errour in another. The Account is divided into Chapters, and in every Chapter I first fet down what Mr. Lock fays upon thofe Heads that are mentioned in the Contents of it, and then Subjoin fome brief Obfervations upon it. And that the Reader may more readily find any Paffage tranfcrib'd out of Mr. Lock, I have directed him to the Book, Chapter, and Section of his Effay, and to the Page in his other Treatifes, as I have alfo fignified what Editions of them I have made ufe of. I am very fenfible, how little Encouragement there is from without, for any Man to appear in the Maintenance of thofe weighty Truths which are treated of in the fol lowing Account and the Obfervations upon it. The Confideration of which may perhaps incline the Reader more firmly to believe, that it is only a defire to be useful and Serviceable while he is in the World, and a real Concern for the Truth and for Religion, that put the Author upon this Work, upon which Account he hopes that his fin cere, though weak, Endeavours will be more favourably accepted. The Refult of thofe Endeavours he here preSent's to publick View, humbly commending it to the Blef Jing of Heaven, and if by it he hath done any acceptable Service to God and his Church, he hath his Defire; may that Holy and Blessed Trinity, the Father, Son, and Holy Ghoft, have the Glory. Α and A N АССОUNT O F Mr. LOCK's Religion, Out of his Own Writings, &c. Τ CHAP. I. of GOD. come to the being certain that there is à God, I think we need go no farther than our felves, and that undoubted Knowledge we have of our own Being. I think it is beyond question, That Man has a clear Perception of his own Being, he knows certainly that he exifts, and that he is Something. In the next place, Man knows, by an intuitive Certainty, that bare Nothing cannot produce any real Being. If therefore we know there is fome real Being, and that Non-entity cannot produce any real Being, it is an evident Demonftration, that from Eternity there has been Something; fince what was not from Eternity had a Beginning, and what had a Beginning must be produc'd by fomething elfe. Next it is evident, That what had its Being and Beginning from another, muft alfo have all that which is in, and belongs to its Being, from another too: All the Powers it has must be owing to and received from the fame Source. This eternal B Source |