and judgment, because otherwife he would not be an agent; and confequently, he would not be accountable. The major and minor propofitions being proved, the conclufion naturally, neceffarily and unavoidably follows; viz. that reafon is, and muft and will be to every man, if he be not wanting to himfelf, to every individual of our fpecies who is anfwerable to God for his actions, under any or all the most difadvantageous circumftances he can poffibly fall into, whether he refides in China or the Cape of Good-Hope, a fufficient guide in matters of religion. That is, reafon when

carefully used and followed, is to every individual of our fpecies under all circumftances, if he be not wanting to himself, fufficient to guide him to God's favour; which is the point contended for.

Thus, I have fhewn what thofe principles are, which I reafon from; viz, that there is a natural and effential difference in things; that this difference exhibits a reafon or rule of action, which is equally obliging to every moral agent; and that God will make this rule, the measure of his actions, in his dealings with his creatures. I have likewife fhewn, what are the confequences, which do naturally and neceffarily follow from thofe principles, viz. that God will deal with every accountable creature, according to the abilities he has, the circumstances

he is in, and the advantages or disadvantages he is under; and that every such creature, who exercises his reafoning capacity as well, or to answer the best purposes that he can, or that may reasonably be expected from him in his circumftances, and who directs and governs his affections and actions accordingly, will moft certainly be approved and accepted of God. I fay, that this will be the cafe; becaufe, for God to do thus, will be to act a fair and an equal part by his creatures; and were he to do otherwife, would be to act unfairly and unequally by them. And, from the whole, I draw this final conclufion, viz. that reason is, and must, and will be to every individual of our fpecies, who is answerable to God for his actions, to every one, if he be not wanting to himself, under any or all the moft disadvantageous circumstances he can poffibly fall into, a fufficient guide in matters of religion. I fay, that this is, and muft, and will be the cafe; because it is in the power, and it is left to the choice of every man, under all circumstances, to exercife his reafoning faculty, and to direct and govern his affections and actions as aforefaid.

The fum of this matter is this; if the principles I reason from are well-grounded, and if I have drawn juft and true conclufions from those principles; then, I think,

must be allowed, that I have proved my point. And, on the other fide, if it can be fhewn, that the principles I reafon from are falfe, or that I have drawn falfe conclufions from thofe principles; then, when that is done, I am anfwered; and all my reasoning upon the point, is of no weight. And here, my reader will fee, that the case is brought to a very fhort iffue, with refpect to me; it is but to fhew that the principles I reafon from are false; or that I have drawn wrong conclufions from those principles; and then, I acknowledge myself anfwered: but then, any thing, and every thing short of this, will be short of an anfwer to me. Upon this iffue then, I will leave the cafe, and likewise leave it to the world to judge, upon which fide of the question the truth lies. However, that I may leave the cafe as free from incumbrances as I can, I fhall make the following obfervations, viz.

Firft, When I fay, that reafon is, or may be, to every man who is not wanting to himself, a sufficient guide in matters of religion; I mean, that it is, or may be fo to every individual of our fpecies, who is anfwerable to God for his actions. For, if any of our fpecies, thro' a defect in their conftitutions, or thro' any disadvantageous circumstances they may be in, are uncapable

of difcerning the preferablenefs of one thing or action to another; or if their conftitutions or circumftances are fuch, as render it unreasonable to expect that they should; to fuch perfons, I do not fay, that reason is a fufficient guide in matters of religion, or indeed any guide at all. But then, as thefe mens understandings cannot, or at least it is not reasonable to expect that they fhould, be of any advantage to them, as to the favour of God, and their fouls happiness in another world: fo on the other fide, it is unreasonable to fuppofe that they will be any difadvantage to them in thefe refpects; and if fo, then fuch perfons are not accountable, and will not be the subjects of a future judgment. The cafe is the fame, with refpect to any particular branch of duty. If thro' any defect in the conftitution, or any bad circumftances a perfon may be in, he is rendered uncapable of difcerning the fitness or unfitnefs of this, or that action; or if it be unreasonable to expect that he should; then, under thofe circumftances, he is moft certainly excufable; because the reafon of the thing requires that he should be excused: and confequently, in thefe inftances he is not accountable. As to thofe motives to action, arifing from our future existence, and a future judgment, fuppofing these were not discoverable by our reafoning faculties,

(which I have fhewn they are, and that the certainty of these points is founded in reafon ;) yet, reafon would be a fufficient guide in matters of religion; because the reafonableness of an action, is a proper ground of action to a reasonable being, and ought to determine his will to the choice of that action, fuppofing no other motive intervened to invite him to it, and it ought to deter mine his will, in oppofition to all temptations to the contrary; because the reafonableness of an action is more than a balance to all temptations. I fay, this ought in reafon to be the cafe; but whether it will be fo in fact or not, depends upon the pleafure of each individual. And if the reafonableness of an action, be the fole ground and reafon of a man's performing that action; then, in that inftance, he will be highly pleafing and most acceptable to his maker; because in fuch a cafe, he acts from the best and moft noble principle, even from that which is the fole ground and reafon of action to God. Again,

Secondly, When I fay, that reafon is a fufficient guide in matters of religion, I do not intend by this to exclude the use of divine revelation. The ufe and design of a divine revelation, is to roufe up men from their floth and fecurity; to bring them to confideration and reflection; to affift their

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