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7

A

DISCOURSE

O F

FREE-THINKING,

Occafion'd by

The Rife and Growth of a Sect
call'd FREE-THINKERS.

Mundum tradidit hominum difputationi Deus. Eccl. 3. 11. Vulg.
Unufquifque fuo fenfu abundet.

Rom. 14. 5. Ib.

Nil tam temerarium, tamque indignum fapientis gravitate
atque conftantiâ, quam, quod non fatis exploratè perceptum
fit & cognitum fine ulla dubitatione defendere. Cic. de Nat.
Deor. l. 1.

'Tis a hard Matter for a Government to fettle Wit.

Characteristicks, vol. 1. p. 19.
Fain would they confound Licentioufnefs in Morals with Liberty in
Thought, and make the Libertine refemble his direct Oppofite,
Ib. vol. 3. p. 306.

LONDON,

Printed in the Year M. DCC. XII,

LIBRARY UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, DAVIS

CONTENTS

Niroduction.

pag. 3

SECT. I.

Free-Thinking defin'd.

P. 5

1ft Argument to prove that it is every Man's

Right to think freely.

6

2d Argument, taken from Free-Thinking being

the only means to arrive at Perfection in the

Sciences.

6

3d Argument, taken from the Abfurditys which

follow from not thinking freely..

4th Argument shows that there can be no ra-

tional Reftraint upon Thinking.

25

5th Argument, taken from the Benefit of Free-

Thinking in a very remarkable Inftance. 27

SECT. II.

That it is our Duty to think freely on those

Points of which Men are deny'd the Right

to think freely; fuch as, of the Nature

and Attributes of God, the Truth and

Authority of Scriptures, and of the Mean-

ing of Scriptures.

32

Ift