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which publicly teaches and professes the same articles} of faith, and offers the same worship to God, in all nations. The Deist observes, that since men have believed that God has spoken, every people make him speak in their own way. This is unhappily true of those, who interpret the word of God by their own private judgments; but not of those, who follow the ancient Christian rule of receiving it from the authority of that ministry, which was divinely appointed to teach it to all nations, and which has ever delivered the same revealed doctrines in all ages. From the discrepancy of doctrines and worship observed among dif ferent sects of Christians, the Deist concludes, that: if all men had followed the religion of nature, there would have been but one religion on earth. But did not the learned and unlearned of the heathen nations follow the religion of nature, before the light of the Christian Revelation, was conveyed to them? Was there but one religion then amongst them? Was not the number of their imaginary deities almost countless? Had not each deity his respective form of worship, and that often of the most scandalous description? Such would have been still the polytheism and scandalous worship of the gentile world, and of these our islands, if they had been left to the religion of nature, if the light and blessings of Christianity had not been diffused over them.

The Sophist says, if there be in the world but one true religion, and every man be obliged to adopt it, under pain of damnation, it will be necessary to spend our whole lives in the study of all religions, and to examine and compare them with each other, in order

to discover that which alone is the true one. By no means. If in a large city, I am in search of an individual, clearly designated to me by his name, and by a full description of his person and character, it may not be at all necessary for me to examine every inha. bitant, in order to find the object of my search. As soon as I find the man who bears that particular name, and who in every respect corresponds to the designation and character given, all further examination is useless. The true religion, and church of Christ, in which his revealed doctrines and law are to be found, bear a name that is borne by no other, and have dis tinctive and exclusive marks, by which they are easily known. The name is CATHOLIC, and the distinctive marks, signified by that name, are UNITY and UNIVERSALITY. When the church is discovered, which bears the name of Catholic, and which every where teaches one and the same faith, that is the Church of Christ, in which the one true religion is found. All further inquiry may be dispensed with.

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Amidst the insidious attacks of infidelity against Christianity, is it not the interest and duty of all sincere believers in Christ, to fortify themselves against the sophistry of the enemies of the Christian name? Ought not those who are in doubt, to set their minds right, by attending to the true principles of Christian faith, and by considering the grounds of the truth and certitude of the doctrines, and mysteries of the Christian Religion? Is it not the interest even of the unbeliever, at least, to examine them. If there were a general report, that a large property were left him, he would think it worth his while to inquire into the

truth and foundation of the report. There is a general report, and even a well-founded conviction in the Christian world, that a kingdom in heaven, abounding in all that is rich and delightful, is prepared by the Almighty for each one after death. Should not then every one, at least, inquire into the truth of it, and inform himself on what conditions this blessing is offered?

The following treatise is presented to the public, with a sincere wish, that it may be of some service, under the blessing of God, in confirming the true believer in his adhesion to the faith of Christ, and in directing others to the knowledge of the truth of Christianity.

With this view, the Reader is invited to consider, 1o. what is the rational and proper method of ascertaining the TRUTH of the revealed doctrines of Christianity. 2°. The fact of the divine Revelation of the Christian Religion being established, to consider thẹ true and proper method of ascertaining, WHAT are the doctrines, precepts, and institutions of the revealed law of Christ. And 3°. To inquire, WHERE true Christianity, with all its blessings, is to be found.

These points are discussed in the following sheets.

CHRISTIANITY.

PART I.

MEANS OF ASCERTAINING THE TRUTH OF THE REVEALED DOCTRINES OF CHRISTIANITY.

CHAPTER I.

DEFINITIONS AND PRELIMINARY OBSERVATIONS.-Knowledge. -Truth.-Certitude.-Evidence.-Different Mediums of Evi

dence.

THE mind is the eye of the soul. By knowledge the mind perceives truth, as by vision the eye sees light.

The human mind is not capable of knowing all truths. If it were, the power of the human mind would be infinite; and the mind of man would be as comprehensive as the mind of God.

As the eye may see corporeal objects, without seeing the nature, the number, the form or positions of their interior elements; so the mind of man may know things and truths, without knowing all their causes, relations, properties, and effects. The eye may see the ocean, without being able to see its depth or extent; and the mind of man may know God, without being able to know all the perfections of his infinite

nature.

The human mind, therefore, may have a knowledge of many things, without comprehending all the properties or qualities that belong to them.

Comprehension, in the sense in which the term is here used, means such a complete and most perfect knowledge

of an object, that nothing in it, or relating to it, is unknown or obscure to the mind of him who contemplates it.

That, which in its substance, qualities, or perfections, is beyond or above the comprehension of the human mind, is a mystery to man. There are mysteries in nature, as well as in religion; because in nature, as well as in religion, there are works-designed by the same infinite wisdom, and executed by the same infinite power-which elude the sagacity, and surpass the comprehension of the human intellect.

TRUTH IS BEING: it is REALITY: it is that which IS.

Objective truth is the real state of a thing, taken absolutely in itself: it consists in the things being what IT IS. It is the agreement of the attributes of a thing with its subject.

Logical truth relates to the truth either of our perceptions, or of our judgments. The truth of our perceptions consists in the agreement of the perceptions of our minds with the objects perceived, as THEY ARE in themselves. The truth of our judgments consists in the agreement of the interior act of affirmation or negation, as well as of the exterior expression of the same, with its object, such as IT is in itself. If I judge, or assert a thing to be, what it really is, my judgment or proposition is true. If I judge or assert it NOT to be, what it is; or TO BE, what it is NOT, my judgment or proposition is false.

As the same thing cannot, at the same time, exist and not exist; as the same thing cannot, at the same time, and in the same respect, be and not be, what it is; so two contradictory judgments, or propositions, concerning the same thing, and in the same respect, one affirming that it exists, the other that it does not exist; or one affirming that it is, the other that it is not, what it really is; cannot both be true. The truth of one judgment, or proposition, in this case, necessarily infers the falsehood of its contradictory.

That knowledge, therefore, is logically true which perceives things as they really ARE in themselves. That doctrine is logically true, which teaches or announces things to be what they really ARE in themselves.

Moral truth is the agreement of a man's external expression with his interior opinion or sentiment; as when a man sincerely speaks what he thinks; when his mouth and heart agree. The contrary is an immoral falsehood.