Eagle and the other furniture of Land and Air and Seas in the 4 last Chapters of that Book in all these are the marks of his Glory and his Greatness and they are no less so of his Wisdom and his Goodness For in wisdom he hath made them all Psal. civ and the Earth is full of his goodness Psal. cxix 54. SECT II. AND again II. when devout and holy men would quicken their own souls and those of others to praise him they use the same method and send abroad their thoughts among the Creatures to gather instances of acknowledgment Thus Elihu in Job magnifieth his Power by the lightning and Thunder by the Snow and Rain by the whirlwinds of the North and Cold of the South and calls upon his afflicted friend to remember to magnifie his Works that men behold and again bids him stand still and consider the wondrous Works of God Job xxxvi and xxxvii Chapters And the Psalmist upon the same account urgeth his soul to bless his Maker for his Majesty and Honour disclosed in the natural wonders of the heavens and earth the winds and waters the springs and grass the Trees and Hills Psalm civ throughout and he gives particular thanks again cxxxvi Psalm for the discoveries of the Divine wisdom and mercy in the same instances of his providence and power which he further celebrates by calling upon the noblest of inanimates to praise him Psal. cxlviii Praise him Sun and Moon praise him ô ye Stars and Light which creatures of his though they are not able to sing Hallelujahs and so vocally to rehearse his praise yet they afford glorious matter for grateful and triumphant songs and by their beauty and their order excite those that study and observe them to adore and glorifie their Maker And therefore the Prophet runs on further into an aggregation of more particulars of Fire and Hail Storms and Vapours Mountains and Cedars Beasts and Fouls and creeping things all which in the same Divinâ—… Canticle are summon'd to praise him that is we are required to use them as the matter and occasions of holy Eucharist and thanksgiving To these I adde III. That God was pleased to sanctifie a solemn day for the celebration of his Works He appointed a Sabbath for rest and contemplation to himself and for praise and acknowledgment to us and his making Heaven and Earth the Sea and all that in them is is intimated in the Commandment as the reason of the consecration of that Day which was observed upon that account among the Jews and the devout Christians of eldest times kept the same in memory of Gods Creation after the institution of the other Sabbath This I take to be enough for the first Proposition viz. That God is to be praised for his Works I descend to the second which is SECT III. II. THat his Works are to be studied by those that would praise him for them We are commanded to sing praises with understanding Psal. xl 7. and the offering he requires is that of a reasonable service His Works receive but little glory from the rude wonder of the ignorant and there is no wise man that values the applauses of a blind admiration No one can give God the Glory of his Providences that lets them pass by him unobserv'd nor can he render due acknowledgments to his word that doth not search the Scriptures 'T is alike impossible to praise the Almighty as we ought for his Works while we carelesly regard them We are commanded to search for wisdom as for hidden Treasure It lies not exposed in the common ways and the chief wonders of divine art and goodness are not on the surface of things layed open to every careless eye The Tribute of praise that we owe our Maker is not a formal slight confession that his works are wonderful and glorious but such an acknowledgment as proceeds from deep observation and acquaintance with them And though our profoundest study and inquâ—…ies cannot unriddle all the mysteries of Nature yet do they still discover new motives to devout admiration and new objects for our loudest praises Thus briefly of the second Proposition also viz. That Gods Works are to be studied by those that would praise him for them From these I now advance to the Third which will require more thoughts and it is SECT IV. III. THat the study of nature and Gods works is very serviceable to Religion We commonly believe that the glory of God is the end of this we say 't is his and we know 't is ours and the divine glory is writ upon his Creatures the more we study them the better we understand those characters the better we read his Glory and the more fit are we to celebrate and proclaim it Thus the knowledge of God's Works promotes the end of Religion And it disposeth us to it by keeping the soul under a continual sense of God He that converseth with his works finds in all things the clear stamps of infinite benignity and wisdom he perceives the divine art in all the turnings and varieties of nature and divine goodness in that He observes God in the colour of every flower in every fiâ—…re of a plant in every limb of an insect in every drop of dew He meets him in all things and sees all things are his and hath an advantage hereby to be instructed how to use them as our Makers not ours with reverence and thanksgiving with an eye to his glory and an aim at his enjoyment This is the genuine tendency of the knowledge of nature if it be abused to different and contrary purposes Natural wisdom is not in fault but he that turns this excellent instrument of Religion upon it self But that better use may be made of it and by some is will appear by considering particularly how acquaintance with nature assists RELIGION against its greatest Enemies which are Atheism Sadducism Superstition Enthusiasm and the Humour of disputing CHAP. II. Philosophy serves Religion against Atheism by shewing the wonderful Art and Contrivance that is in the contexture of the effects of Nature 'T is to be suspected that he is an Atheist that saith Philosophy tends to Atheism No Philosophy doth so much assist Religion against Atheism as the experimental and mechanick SECT I. FOr the First Atheism I reckon thus the deeper insight any man hath into the affairs of nature the more he discovers of the accurateness and Art that is in the contexture of things For the works of God are not like the compositions of fancy or the Tricks of Juglers that will not bear the light of a strict scrutiny but their exactness is honour'd by severity of inspection and he admires most that knows most since the insides and remotest recesses of things have the clearest strokes of inimitable wisdom on them and the artifice is more in the wheel-work then in the case For if we look upon any of the works of Nature through a magnifying glass that makes deep
arguings of our Saviour Thus Mat. 7. 11. If ye being evil know how to give good gifts to your children how much more shall your Father which is in Heaven give good things to those that ask him The ground of the Consequence is this Principle of Reason That God is more benigne and gracious than the tenderest and most affectionate of our earthly Parents So Luke 12. 24. He argues that God will provide for Us because he doth for the Ravens since we are better than they How much more are ye better than the sowls Which arguing supposeth this Principle of Reason that that wisdom and goodness which are indulgent to the viler Creatures will not neglect the more excellent He proceeds surther in the same Argument by the consideration of Gods cloathing the Lillies and makes the like inference from it Vers. 28. If God so cloath the grass how much more will he cloath you And Mat. 12. He reasons that it was lawful for him to heal on the Sabbath day from the consideration of the general mercy that is due even to brute Creatures What man shall there be among you that shall have one sheep and if it fall into a pit on the Sabbath day will he not lay hold of it to lift it out How much more then is a man better than a sheep Vers. 12. Thus our Saviour used Arguments of Reason And the APOSTLES did so very frequently S. Paul disproves Idolatry this way Acts 17. 29. Forasmuch then as we are the Off-spring of God we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold or silver or stone graven by Art And the same Apostle proves the Resurrection of the Dead by the mention of seven gross absurdities that would follow the denial of it 1 Cor. 1. 15. viz. If the dead rise not Then 1. Christ is not risen And then 2. our Preaching is vain and we false Apostles And if so 3. your Faith is vain And then 4. you are not justified but are in your sins And hence it will follow 5. That those that are departed in the same Faith are perished And then 6. Faith in Christ profits only in this life And if so 7. we are of all men the most miserable Because we suffer all things for this Faith From Vers. 14. to vers 19 And the whole Chapter contains Philosophical Reasoning either to prove or illustrate the Resurrection or to shew the difference of glorified bodies from these And S. Peter in his second Epistle Chap. 2. shews that sinful men must expect to be punished because God spared not the Angels that fell Instances in this case are endless these may suffice And thus of the Second thing also which I proposed to make good viz. That Religion is friendly to Reason and that appears in that God himself our Saviour and his Apostles owne it and use Arguments from it even in aâ—…fairs of Faith and Religion BUT Scripture the Rule of Faith is pretended against it and other Considerations also These therefore come next to be considered and the dealing with those pretensions was the III. General I proposed to discuss AS for Arguments from Scripture against the use of Reason 'T is alledged 1. From 1 Cor. 1. where 't is said That God will destroy the wisdom of the wise vers 19. And the world by wisdom knew not God vers 21. And not many wise men after the flesh are called vers 26. And God chose the foolish things of this world to confound the wise vers 27. By which Expressions of wisdom and wise 't is presumed that Humane Reason and rational men are meant But these Interpreters mistake the matter much and as they are wont to do put arbitrary Interpretations upon Scripture without ground For by Wisdom here there is no cause to understand the Reason of men but rather the Traditions of the Jews the Philosophy of the disputing â—…reeks and the worldly Polrey of the Romans who were the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Rulers of that World That the Jewish learning in their Law is meant the Apostle intimates when he aâ—…ks in a way of Challenge vers 20. Where is the Scribe And the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies one that was skill'd in their Laws and Customs And that the Philosophy of the Greeks is to be understood likewise we have ground to believe from the other question in the same verse Where is the Disputer of this World Which though some refer to the Doctors among the Jews also yet I humbly think it may more properly be understood of the Philosophers among the Grecians For the Apostle writes to Greeks and their Philosophy was notoriously contentious And lastly that the worldly Policies oâ—… the Romans are included also in this Wisdom of this World which the Apostle vilisies there is cause to think from the sixth verse of the second Chapter where he saith He spake not in the Wisdom of the Princes of this World And 't is well known that Policy was their most valued Wisdom 〈◊〉 regere imperio To govern the Nations and promote the grandeur of their Empire was the great design and study of those Princes of this World Now all these the Apoâ—…le sets at nought in the beginning of this Epistle Because they were very opposite to the simplicity and holiness selfdeâ—…al and meekness of the Gospel But what is this to the disadvantage of Reason to which indeed those sorts of Wisdom are as contrary as they are to Religion And by this I am enabled 2. To meet another Objection urged from 1 Cor. 2. 14. But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God for they are foolishness unto him neither can he know them because they are spiritually discerned Hence the Enthusiast argues the Universal inability of Reason in things of Religion and its Antipathy to them Whereas I can apprehend no more to be meant by the words than this viz. That such kind of natural men as those Scribes and Disputers and Politicians having their minds depraved and prepossess'd with their own wisdom were indisposed to receive this that was so contrary unto it And they could not know those things of God because they were spiritual and so would require a mind that was of a pure and spiritual frame viz. free from that earthly Wisdom of all sorts which counts those thingâ—… foolishness and which by God is counted so it self 1 Cor. 3. 19. which place 3. Is used as another 〈◊〉 against Reason The Wisdom of this World is foolishness with God But it can signiâ—…e nothing to that purpose to one that understands and considers the Apostles meaning What is meant by the Wisdom of this World here I have declared already And by the former part of my Discourse it appears that whatever is to be understood by it our Reason cannot since that either proves or defends all the Articles of Religion 4. And when the same Apostle elsewhere viz. 2 Cor. 1. 12. saith that
They had not their conversation in fleshly wisdom we cannot think he meant humane Reason by that Reason directs us to live in simplicity and godly sincerity which he opposeth to a life in fleshly wisdom By this therefore no doubt he means the Reason of our Appetites and Passions which is but sense and imagination for these blind guides are the directors of the Wicked but not the Reason of our minds which is one of those lights that illuminate the Consciences of good men and help to guide their actions And whereas 't is objected 5. From Col. 2. 8. Beware lest any spoil you through Philosophy I answer there is nothing can be made of that neither for the disgrace of Reason for the Philosophy the Apostle cautions against is the same which he warns Timothy of 1 Tim. 1. 4. Neither give heed to Fables and endless Genealogies that minister Questions calling these prophane and vain bablings and oppositions of Science falsely so called 1 Tim. 6. 20. By all which learned Interpreters understand the pretended knowledge of which the Gnosticks boasted which consisted in the fabulous pedigrees of the Gods under the name of Aeones and it may be the Genealogies of which the Jews were so fond and the disputing Philosophy among the Greeks which was properly Science falsely so called and did minister Questions and endless strife I say 't is very probable these might be comprehended also But Reason is no otherwise concerned in all this but as condemning and reproving these dangerous follies THUS we see the pretensions from Scripture against Reason are vain But there are Other Considerations by which it useth to be impugned as 1. OUR Reason is corrupted and therefore is not sit to meddle in spiritual matters To this I say That Reason aâ—… it is taken for the faculty of understanding is very much weakened and impaired It sees but little and that very dully through a glass darkly as the Apostle saith 1 Cor. 13. And it is very liable to be misled by our senses and affections and interests and imaginations so that we many times mingle errors and false conceits with the genuine dictates of our minds and appeal to them as the Principles of Truth and Reason whâ—…n they are but the vain Images of our Phansies or the false Conclusions of ignorance and mistake If this bâ—… meant by the corruption of Reason I grant it and all that can be inferred from it will be That we ought not to be too bold and peremptory in defining speculative and difficult matters especially not those that relate to Religion nor set our Reasonings against the Doctrines of Faith and Revelation But this is nothing to the disreputation of Reason in the object viz. Those Principles of Truth which are written upon our Souls or any Conclusions that are deduced from them These are the same that they ever were though we discern them not so clearly as the Innocent state did They may be mistaken but cannot be corrupted And as our understandings by reason of their weakness and liableness to error may take falsâ—…oods for some of those or infer falsely from those that are truly such so we know they do the same by the Scriptures themselves viz. they very often mis-interpret and very often draw perverse conclusions from them And yet we say not That the Word of God is corrupted nor is the use of Scripture decryed because of those abuses But here advantage will be taken to object again 2. That since our natural understandings are so weak and so liable to mistake they ought not to be used in the affairs of Religion and 't will signifie little to us that there are certain Principles of eternal Reason if we either perceive them not or cannot use them To this I answer That if on this account we must renounce the use of our natural understandings Scripture will be useless to us also For how can we know the meaning of the words that express Gods mind unto us How can we compare one Scripture with another How can we draw any Consequence from it How apply General Propositions to our own particular cases How tell what is to be â—…aken in the Letter what in the Mystery what plainly what in a Figure What according to strict and rigorous truth What by way of accommodation to our apprehensions I say without the exercise of our understandings using the Principles of Reason none of these can be done and without them Scripture will signifie either nothing at all or very liâ—…tle to us And what can Religion get this way This inference therefore is absurd and impious All that can justly be concluded from the weakness of our understandings will be what I intimated before that we ought to use them with modesty and caution not that we should renounce them He is a mad-man who because his eyes are dim will therefore put them out But it may be objected further 3. That which men call Reason is infinitely various and that is reasonable to one which is very irrational to another Therefore Reason is not to be heard And I say Interpretations of Scripture are infinitely various and one calls that Scriptural which another calls Heretical Shall we conclude therefore That Scripture is not to be heard Reason in it self is the same all the World over though mens apprehensions of it are various as the light of the Sun is one though colours its reflexes are infinite And where this is it ought not to be denied because follies and falshoods pretend relation to it or call themselves by that name If so farewel Religion too But 4. ' T is Socinianism to plead for Reason in the affairs of Faith and Religion And I answer 'T is gross â—…ticism to plead against it This â—…me is properly applicable to the enemies of Reason But the other of Socinianism is groundlesly applied to those that undertake for it and it absurdly supposeth that Socinians are the only rational men when as divers of their Doctrines such as The Sleep and natural mortality of the Soul and utter extinction and anniâ—…ilation of the wicked after the day of Judgment are very obâ—…oxious to Philosophy and Reason And the Socinians can never be confuted in their other opinions without using Reason to maintain the sense and interpretation of those Scriptures that are alledged against them 'T is an easie thing we know to give an ugly name to any thing we dislike and by this way the most excellent and sacred things have been made contemptible and vile I wish such hasty Censurers would consider before they call names No truth is the worse because rash ignorance hath thrown dirt upon it I need say no more to these frivolous Objections Those that alledge Atheism and tendency to Infidelity against the reverence and use of Reason are disproved by my whole Discourse Which shews that the enemies of Reason most usually serve the ends of the Infidel and the Atheist when as a due use
I believe it is not from God his veracity and Authority is not concerned since I am ready however to give a chearful assent to whatever is clearly and sufficiently revealed This Proposition follows from the former and must be understood only of those Doctrines that are difficult and obscurely delivered And that many things are so delivered in Scripture is certain For some are only hinted and spoken occasionally some figuratively and by way of Parable and Allegory some according to mens conceptions and some in ambiguous and Aenigmatical Phrases which obsâ—…urities may occasion mistake in those who are very ready to believe whatever God saith and when they do I should be loth to say that such erre in Faith Though those that wrest plain Texts to a compliance with their interests and their lusts Though their affections may bring their judgments to vote with them yet theirs is error in Faith with a witness and capable of no benefit from this Proposition 9. In searching after the sense of Scripture we ought to consult the Principles of Reason as we do other Scriptures For we have shewn That Reason is another part of Gods Word And though the Scripture be sufâ—…icient to Its end yet Reason must be presupposed unto It for without this Scripture cannot be used nor compared nor applied nor understood 10. The essentials of Religion are so plainly revealed that no man can miss them that hath not a mighty corrupt bias in his will and affections to infatuate and blind his understanding Those Essentials are contained in the Decalogue and the Creed Many 〈◊〉 remoter Doctrines may be true but not Fundamental For 't is not agreeable to the goodness or justice of God that mens eternal interests should dâ—…pend upon things that are difficult to be understood and easily mistaken If they did No man could be secure but that do what he could he should perish everlastingly for not believing or believing amiss some of those difficult points that are supposed necessary to salvation and all those that are ignorant and of weak understanding must perish without help or they must be saved by implicit Faith in unknown Fundamentals THESE are some Propositions that follow from my Discourse and from one another The beâ—…ter they are considered the more their force will be perceived and I think they may serve for many very considerable purposes of Religion Charity and the peace of mankind AND now give me leave to speak a word to You my Breâ—…hren of the CLERGY Those I mean of the Younger sort for I shall not prâ—…sume to teach my Elders You have heard no doubt frequent and earnest declamations against Reason during the years of your Education and Youth we know receives impressions easily And I shall not wonder if you have been possessed with very hard thoughts of this pretended terrible enemy of Faith and Religion But did you ever consider deeply since what ends of Religion or Sobriety such vehement defamations of our faculties could serve And what Ends of a Pâ—…rty they did I hope these things you have pondered as you ought and discern the consequent mischieâ—…s But yet I shall beg leave â—…o refresh your thoughts with some Considerations of the dangerous tendencies and issues of such Preachments 1. To disclaim Reason as an Enemy to Religion tends to the introduction of Atheism Infidelity and Scepâ—…icism and hath already brought in a flood of these upon us For what advantage can the Atheist and Insidel expect greater than this That Reason is against Religion What do they pretend What can they propose more If so there will be no proving That there is a God or That the Scripture is his Word and then we believe gratis and our Faith hangs upon humour and imagination and that Religion that depends upon a warm Phansie an ungrounded belief stands but till a disease or a new conceit alter the Scenc of imagination and then down falls the Castle whose soundation was in the Air. 'T was the charge of Julian the Apostate against the Primitive Christians 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That their wisdom was to believe as if they had no ground for their Faith And those that renounce and decry Reason justifie Julian in his charge Thus Religion will have no bottom but the Phansie of every one that prosesseth it and how various and inconstant a thing Imagination is every man knows These are the Consequences of the defamations of Reason on the pretended account of Religion and we have seen in multitudes of deplorable Instances That they follow in practice as well as reasoning Men of corrupt inclinations suspect that there is No Reason for our Faith and Religion and so are upon the borders of quitting it And the Enthusiast that pretends to know Religion best tells them that these Suspicions are very true and thence the Debauchee gladly makes the desperate Conclusion And when others also hear Reason disparaged as uncertain various and fallacious they deny all credit to their Faculties and become confounded Scepticks that settle in nothing This I take to have been one of the greatest and most deadly occasion of the Atheism of our days and he that hath rejected Reason may be one when he pleaseth and cannot reprehend or reduce any one that is so already 2. The Denial of Reason in Religion hath been the principal Engine that Hereticks and Enthusiasts have used against the Faith and that which lays us open to inâ—…inite follies and impostures Thus the Arrians quarrelled with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 because it was deduced by consequence but not expressed in Scripture The Apollinarists would by no means allow of Reason And St. Austin saith of the Donatists that they did calumniate and deâ—…ry It to raise prejudice against the Catholick Faith and elsewhere Doctores vestri Hominem dialecticum â—…ugiendum potius cavendum quà m refellendum censuerunt The Ubiquitarians defend their Errors by denying the judgment of Reason and the Macedonians would not have the Deity of the Holy Ghost proved by Consequence The later Enthusiasts in Germany and other places set up loud and vehement out crys against Reason and the Lunaticks among us that agree in nothing else do yet sweetly accord in opposing this Carnal Reason and this indeed is their common Interest The impostures of mens Phansies must not be seen in too much light and we cannot dream with our eyes open Reason would discover the nakedness of Sacred Whimsies and the vanity of mysterious non-sense This would disparage the darlings of the brain and cool the pleasant heats of kindled Imagination And therefore Reason must be decryed because an enemy to madness and Phansie set up under the Notion of Faith and Inspiration Hence men had got the trick to call every thing that was Consequent and Reasonable Vain Philosophy and every thing that was Sober Carnal Reasoning Religion is set so far above Reason that at length it is put beyond Sobriety and Sense and then 't was fit to be believed
when 't was impossible to be proved or understood The way to be a Christian is â—…irst to be a Brute and to be a true Believer in this Divinity is to be fit â—…or Bedlam Men have been taught to put out their eyes that they might see and to hoodwink themselves that they might avoid the Precipices Thus have all extravagancies been brought into Religion beyond the Imaginations of a Fever and the Conceits of Midnight Whatever is phancied is certain and whatever is vehement is Sacred every thing must be believed that is dream'd and every thing that is absurd is a Mystery And by this way men in our days have been prepared to swallow every thing but what is sober whatever is wild will be suck'd in like the Air but what is reasonable will be fled like infection So that if a man would recommend any thing for his life to those enemies of Reason it must be some odd non-sense in the cloathing of Imagination and he that can be the Author of a new kind of madness shall lead a Party Thus hath Religion by the disparagement of Reason been made a medley of Phantastick trash spiritualized into an heap of vapours and formed into a Castle of Clouds and exposed to every wind of humour and Imagination 3. By the same way great advantage is given to the Church of Rome Which those of that Profession know very well and therefore Perronius Gonterius Arnoldus Veronius and other Jesuits have loudly declaimed against Reason and the last mentioned Veronius presented the World with a Method to overthrow Hereticks meaning those of the Protestant Faith which promised more than ordinary And that was to deny and renounce all Principles of Reason in affairs of Faith absolutely and roundly and not to vouchsafe an Answer to any Argument agaiâ—…st Transubstantiation or any other Article of their new Faith but point-blank to deny whatever Reason saith in such matters And he aâ—…irms that even these Principles of Reason viz. Non entis non sunt Attributa at omne quod est quando est necesse est esse and such like which are the foundations of all reasoning are dangerous to the Catholick Faith therefore not to be heeded This man speaks out and affirms directly and boldly what the other enemies of Reason imply but will not owne This is a Method to destroy Hereticks in earnest but the mischief is all Christians and all other Religions and all other reasonings are cut off by the same Sword This Book and Method of Veronius was kindly received by the Pope priviledged by the King of Spain approved by Cardinals Archbishops Bishops and all the Gallick Clergy as solid and for the advantage of Souls and the Sorbone Doctors gave it their approbation and recommended it as the only way to confute Hereticks Did these know what they recommended And did they think we understand the Interest of the Roman Church If so we kindly serve their ends and promote their Designs in the way which they account best while we viliâ—…ie and disparage Reason If This be renounced in matters of Religion with what face can we use it against the Doctrine of Transubstantiation or any other Points of the Roman Creed Would it not be blameless and irreproveable for us to give up our undâ—…rstandings implicitly to the Dictates and Declarations of that Church May we not follow blindly whatever the Infallible Man at Rome and his Councils say And would it not be vain self-contradiction to use Arguments against their Decrees though they are never so unreasonable Or to alledge Consequences from Scripture against any of their Articles though never so contrary to the Holy Oracles How easily may They rejoyn when we dispute against them You argue from Reason and by Consequences But Reason is dull and carnal and an enemy to the things of the Spirit and not to be heard in the high matters of Religion And what can we say next if we consent to the Accusation I say by this way we perfectly disable or grosly contradict our selves in most of our Disputes against the Romanists And we are very dâ—…ingenuous in our dealings while we use Reason against them and deny It when 't is urged against our selves by another sort of Adversaries which implies that when we say Reason is not to be heard we mean 'T is not to be heard against us But It must against the Church of Rome or any others we can oppugn by It. Thus I say our denying Reason in Religion is either very humoursom and partial or 't is a direct yielding up our selves to our enemies and doing that our selves which is the only thing They desire to undo us and to promote their own interests upon our Ruiâ—…es And thus my Brethren I have represented some of the mischiefs that arise from the disparagement of Reason and they are great ones and big of many others and such as are destructive to all Government and all the Interests of the sober part of mankind And I hope I need not intreat You not to contribute to the promoting and continuance of so false and dangerous a conceit The assertion of this is properly Fanaticism and all that we call so grows upon it Here the enemies of our Church and Government began upon this they insisted still and filled their Books and Pulpits and private corners with these Cantings This was the Engine to overthrow all sober Principles and Establishments with This the people were infatuated and credit was reconciled to Gibberish and Folly Enthusiasms and vain Impulses This is the food of Conventicles to this day the root of their matter and the burden of their Preachments Let Reason be â—…eard and tye them to sense and most of their Holders-forth have no more to say Their spirituality for which they are admired is besides Reason and against It rather than above it And while this Principle of the enmity between Reason and Religion stands the people will think Them the more Spiritual Preachers because they are the less reasonable And while they are abused by such a belief 't will be impossible for sober men to have any success in their endeavours to convince them These things I doubt not but you disâ—…rn and know and therefore I add no more for I am sensible to whom I speak But there are another sort and those Conformists too who are made Divines by the Notes they formerly took from those Canters against Reason To such I should not tell what to say They will whine on and vent their Jargon to perswade them to speak better sense is to desire them to hold their peace which of all things they hate most But I hope there arâ—… none of Those here and I could wish the Government would take special care of them where they are For they are the most dangerous enemies the Church of England hath They keep alive the Principles of Phansie and Faction which otherwise would go out of themselves But I let them