PREFACE.

W

HEN I published the View of the Deiftical Writers last year, it was my purpose not to engage any farther in a work of this nature. The favourable acceptance that work met with, and the approbation it has received from perfons of distinguished worth, has given me ground to hope that it may be of fome fervice to the Chriftian caufe. But foon after the publication of it, I was put in mind of a confiderable omiffion I had been guilty of in not taking notice of Mr. Hume, who was looked upon to be one of the moft fubtil writers that had of late appeared against Christianity. About the fame time appeared a pompous edition of the works of the late Lord Viscount Bolingbroke in five volumes 4to, the three laft of which feemed to be principally intended against revealed, and even against fome important prinVOL. II. A ciples

ciples of what is ufually called natural religion. It was thought therefore that to complete the defign I had propofed in publifhing the View of the Deiftical Writers, it would be proper to add a fupplement to it relating to the writings of Mr. Hume and the late Lord Bolingbroke: And that the obfervations upon them might in that cafe be more large and particular, than could be expected where a number of writers came under confideration. This was the opinion and advice of fome perfons, for whofe judgment and friendship I have a great regard. This is my apology for appearing again fo foon in a controverfy, in which otherwise I might perhaps have feemed to be too forward. It was fome time after the late Lord Bolingbroke's works were publifhed before I had an opportunity of fecing them. And when I had read them, I found that a distinct and particular confideration of them, which was what was expected of me, would take a much greater compass than I had intended. Accordingly this, with the obfervations on Mr. Hume, have made this part of the work fo large, that it exceeds the former in bulk, to which it was intended only as a fupplement. The length of the work has given me fome concern, as I am not without apprehenfion that it may exercise the patience of the reader, as well as fland in need of his indulgence: And yet feveral things which I had prepared are here omitted, for fear of being too tedious. There are fome things

in the first part of the obfervations on Mr. Hume, which would fearce have deferved to be particularly infifted upon, were it not that they may ferve to let the reader into a jufter notion of the character and views of that author. Thofe obfervations have been alfo confiderably inlarged by the reflections made on the miracles of the Abbè de Paris, which therefore I had thoughts of omitting, but I found others were of opinion they might be both agreeable and useful. As to Lord Bolingbroke, the many paffages extracted out of his works, and the comparing them carefully together, have contributed to lengthen this part of the work; but it could not well be avoided, as I was willing to lay his fentiments before the reader in his own words, that it might appear they were fairly reprefented. He fo frequently feems to contradict in one place what he hath advanced in another, that it is often no eafy matter to come at his real fentiments. But I have no where willingly disguised or mifreprefented them, nor have concealed the ftrength of any of his argul ments. It would have rendered this work fill longer, if I had infifted largely and diftinctly on the proofs by which the divine authority of the holy Scriptures of the Old and New Teftament, and of the revelation there contained, is eftablished. But this has been often done by others to great advantage. And I have endea voured, as far as I was able, in fome former treatifes, to place thofe proofs in a proper light. A 2

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All that seemed to me to be necessary on the present occafion was to take off the force of thofe objections, which have been advanced with a peculiar confidence by an author of no fmall note, who appears to have been under no restraints, and to have been determined to push his objections with all the strength of reafon, and vivacity of imagination, that he was mafter of.

Since the finishing of this work, I find there have been other anfwers to Lord Bolingbroke published, which probably may have rendered this lefs neceffary. As I live at a great distance from the place of their publication, I have not yet had the advantage of feeing any of them.

It may reasonably be fuppofed, that the reader will meet with many things here which are already confidered in thofe anfwers. But I have fometimes obferved, that different answers have, inftead of interfering, tended to illuftrate and confirm one another. The fubject has by this means had the advantage of being placed in various lights, and accommodated to readers of different taftes: And what has been flightly paffed over by one author has been more fully and diftinctly confidered by another.

The former volume of this work is now republifhed with additions and alterations, of the reafons of which fome account has been given in an advertisement prefixed to the new edition. A work of that nature admits, and often requires fome things of this kind. But that there

may