HOMER by the Criticks, That the Principles of all Arts and Sciences are contain'd in him.

BUT to come to an Inftance wherein we are more concern'd: The Bible contains a Collection of Tracts given us at divers times by God himself; and confequently every thing therein mention'd is handled with the utmoft degree of Exactness: for it is impoffible that God, when he condefcends to teach Mankind by Writing or Books, fhould write as ill or worfe than mortal Men, and act against the Rules of Art in writing, and exprefs Error and Falfhood inftead of Juftnefs and Proportion.

NOW there is not perhaps in the World fo miscellaneous a Book, and which treats of fuch Variety of things as the Bible does. There is a natural Hiftory of the Creation of the whole Univerfe, and of an univerfal Deluge of this Earth; and a Civil and Ecclefiaftical Hiftory of all Mankind from the Beginning of the World for above 2000 Years, and of a particular Nation for above 800 Years. There are contain'd in it the municipal Laws of a Country, the Inftitution of two Religions (one whereof was to put an end to the other) feveral natural and miraculous Phanomena of Nature, Defcriptions of magnificent Buildings, References to Husbandry, Sailing, Phyfick, Pharmacy, Mathematicks,

thematicks, and every thing else that can be named. And indeed the Compass of fuch a History fhews that no Art or Science can be untouch'd in it. To underftand the Matter therefore of this Book, requires the moft Thinking of all other Books; fince to be mafter of the whole, a Man must be able to think justly in every Science and Art. Who can understand the Order and Perfection of the hiftorical part, and the Completion of the Prophecies about our Blessed Saviour, without being a confummate Mafter in antient Hiftory, and Chronology, and in the Laws of each of thofe Arts? How many Years of the Life of the greatest Chronologer of the World (the present Bishop of Worcester) must have been spent only in adjufting the Seventy Weeks of DANIEL to the Times of the MESSIAH, when his Lordship's Work on that Subject has already been above ten years in the Prefs? Who can frame an Idea of the Beauty and Magnificence of SOLOMON'S Temple, or of that Model delineated in EZEKIEL, without a perfect Knowledg in Mathematicks, and in particular of the Rules of Architecture? Who can have a juft Notion of the Creation and Deluge, without the Knowledg of all Nature? How is it poffible for any Man to enter into the Meaning of the feveral Paflages of Scripture, which seemingly exhibit to us an Idea of God after a human manner, without the most refin'd Metaphyficks,

phyficks, and the deepest thinking and phi lofophizing on the Nature and Attributes of God? Nay, the Morality of the Holy Scrip ture is not to be precisely and diftinely understood, without an antecedent Knowledg in Ethicks, or the Law of Nature. Who can without a Knowledg in that Law understand wherein confift the Duties of loving our Enemys, of not caring for the morrow, of not having two Coats, and all other Dutys exprefs'd in fo universal a manner? The Paffages them felves not exhibiting the neceffary Limitations and Restrictions which are imply'd, those Restrictions and Limitations are only to be fetch'd from the Law of Nature. Nay, when the Dutys enjoin'd are as univerfal as the Expreffions, that Univerfality is only to be known by confidering whether the Law of Na ture in those cases admits of any Limitation or no. So that no Duty whatsoever contain❜d in Scripture can be precisely and with certainty understood, without a Knowledg of the Law of Nature.

upon

UPON the whole therefore, Thinking all human Sciences being the only way of arriving at perfection in them; nay, being the only method to make a Man underftand the fublimeft of all Sciences, Theology, or the Will of God contain'd in the Holy Scriptures: it must be at leaft lawful, or a Man's right, tọ think freely.

3dly. IF

3dly. IF Men either neglect to think, or come once to be perfuaded they have no right to think freely, they can not only obtain no Perfection in the Sciences, but muft, if they will have any Opinions, run into the groffeft Abfurditys imaginable both in Principle and Practice. What abfurd Notions of a Deity have formerly prevail'd, not only among Pagans, but even among Chriftians? who tho they did not with the Pagans fuppofe God to be like an Ox, or a Cat, or a Plant, yet the moft antient Fathers of the Church no lefs abfurdly fuppos'd him to be material; and many Chriftians in all Ages fuppos'd him to have the shape of a Man, till Thinking about the Nature of God did eftablish his Spirituality among Men of Sense in every Country of Chriftians.

WHAT abfurd Notions in Religion, contrary to the most obvious Notions of Senfe and Reason, overspread the whole Christian Church for many Ages? Infallibility in a fingle Perfon or in a Council, the Power of the Prieft to damn and fave, the Worship of Images, Pictures, Saints, and Relicks, and a thousand other Abfurditys as grofs as ever prevail'd in any Pagan Nation, were Opinions almoft univerfally receiv'd and believ'd by Chriftians, (and what is ftill more wonderful, even while

they

they receiv'd a Book for Divine Revelation point-blank contrary to them all :) till the Thinking of a few, fome whereof facrific'd their Lives by fo doing, gave a new Turn to the Christian World, and produc'd a prodigious Change, by eftablishing contrary Notions in fome Countries, and by obliging those who pretended to retain the old ones, to vary a little out of pure fhame in the Explication of their Phrafes and Expreffions.

LASTLY, What Abfurditys prevail'd in Morality, Aftronomy, Natural Philofophy, and every other Science? Self-defence in any cafe whatsoever was by the Primitive Fathers held unlawful: Second Marriages were esteem'd by them a kind of Adultery: Ufury was fuppos'd to be forbid by the Law of God. To maintain there were Antipodes, was Herefy: And Galileus, even in the laft Age, was imprifon'd for afferting the Motion of the Earth. In fhort, for a Picture of antient Abfurditys, a Man need but examine any one now-a-days who has never thought freely of things, and he will ever find him unable to advance one word of Truth in any matter of Science whatsoever, no not even in his Notions of God and Religion, tho he hears the moft perfect Difcourfes every week to fet him right, and reads his Bible at home. For Men are incapable of Information either from Discourse or Reading, unless they have accustom'd

them