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out what he fhould believe and what he fhould practice, before he can poffibly judge for himself, than to run to his Parents and receive their Sentiments and their Directions.

You will fay, this is hard indeed, that the Child of a heathen Idolater or a cruel Cannibal, is laid under a Sort of Neceffity by Nature of finning against the Light of Nature; I grant it is hard indeed, but it is only owing to our original Fall and Apoftacy: The Law of Nature continues as it was in Innocence, (viz.) that a Parent should judge for his Child; but, if the Parent judges ill, the Child is greatly exposed by it thro' that univerfal Disorder, that is, brought into the World by the Sin of Adam our common Father: And from the Equity and Goodness of God we may reafonably infer, that the great Judge of all will do right; he will balance the Ignorance and Incapacity of the Child with the criminal Nature of the Offence in those puerile Inftances, and will not punish beyond juft Demerit.

BESIDES, what could God, as a Creator, do better for Children in their Minority, than to commit them to the Care and Inftruction of Parents: None are fuppofed to be fo much concerned for the Happinefs of Children as their Parents are; therefore it is the fafeft Step to Happiness, according to the original Law of Creation, to follow their Direc

Directions, their Parents Reafon acting for them before they have Reafon of their own in proper Exercife; nor indeed is there any better General Rule in our fallen State by which Children are capable of being governed, though in many particular Cafes it may lead them far aftray from Virtue and Happiness.

IF Children by Providence be caft under fome happier Inftructions, contrary to their Parents erroneous Opinions, I cannot fay it is the Duty of fuch Children to follow Error, when they difcern it to be Error, because their Father believes it; what I faid before is to be interpreted only of thofe that are under the immediate Care and Education of their Parents, and not yet arrived at Years capable of Examination; I know not how thefe can be freed from receiving the Dictates of páfental Authority in their youngest Years, except by immediate or divine Infpiration.

IT is hard to fay, at what exact Time of Life, the Child is exempted from the Sovereignty of parental Dictates. Perhaps it is much jufter to fuppofe that this Sovereignty diminishes by Degrees as the Child grows in Underftanding and Capacity, and is more and more capable of exerting his own intellectual Powers, than to limit this Matter by Months and Years.

WHEN Childhood and Youth are fo far expired, that the reafoning Faculties are grown

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grown up to any juft Measures of Maturity, it is certain that Perfons ought to begin to enquire into the Reasons of their own Faith and Practice in all the Affairs of Life and Religion: but as Reafon does not arrive at this Power and Self-fufficiency in any fingle Moment of Time, fo there is no fingle Moment when a Child fhould at once caft off all its former Beliefs and Practices; but by Degrees and in flow Succeffion he should examine them as Opportunity and Advantages offer; and either confirm, or doubt of, or change them, according to the Leadings of Confcience and Reason with all its best Advantages of Information.

WHEN we are arrived at manly Age, there is no Perfon on Earth, no Sett or Society of Men whatsoever, that have Power and Authority given them by God, the Creator and Governor of the World, abfolutely to dictate to others their Opinions or Practices in the moral and religious Life. God has given every Man Reason to judge for hitnlelf, in higher or in lower Degrees. Where lefs is given, lefs will be requir'd. But we are justly chargeable with criminel Sloth and Mifimprovement of the Talents, with which our Creator has intrufted us, if we take all Things for granted which others affert, and believe and practife all Thugs which they dictate without due Examination. II. ANO

II. ANOTHER Cafe wherein Authority must govern our Affent, is in many Matters of Fact. Here we may and ought to be determined by the Declarations or Narratives of other Men; tho' I must confefs this is ufually called Teftimony rather than Authority. It is upon this Foot, that every Son or Daughter among Mankind are required to believe that fuch and fuch Perfons are their Parents, for they can never be inform'd of it but by the Dictates of others. It is by Teftimony that we are to believe the Laws of our Country, and to pay all proper Deference to the Prince and to Magiftrates in fubordinate Degrees of Authority, though we did not actually fee them chofen, crowned, or invested with their Title and Character. It is by Teftimony that we are neceffitated to believe there is fuch a City as Canterbury or York, though perhaps we have never been at either; that there are fuch Perfons as Papifts at Paris and Rome, and that there are many fottifh and cruel Tenets in their Religion. It is by Teftimony that we believe that Chriftianity and the Books of the Bible, have been faithfully delivered down to us through many Generations; that there was fuch a Perfon as Chrift our Saviour, that he wrought Miracles, and died on the Crofs, that he rofe again and afcended to Heaven.

THE Authority or Teftimony of Men, if they are wife and honest, if they had full Oppor

tunities and Capacities of knowing the Truth, and are free from all Sufpicion of Deceit in relating it, ought to fway our Affent; efpecially when Multitudes concur in the fame Teftimony, and when there are many other attending Circumftances which raise the Propofition which they dictate to the Degree of Moral Certainty.

BUT in this very Cafe, even in Matters of Fact and Affairs of Hiftory, we should not too easily give in to all the Dictates of Tradition, and the pompous Pretences to the Teftimony of Men, till we have fairly examined the feveral Things which are neceffary to make up a credible Teftimony, and to lay a juft Foundation for our Belief. There are and have been fo many Falfhoods impofed upon Mankind with fpecious Pretences of Eye and Ear Witneffes, that should make us wifely cautious and juftly fufpicious of Reports, where the concurrent Signs of Truth do not fairly appear, and especially where the Matter is of confiderable Importance. And the lefs Probable the Fact teftified is in itself the greater Evidence may we justly demand of the Veracity of that Teftimony on which it claims to be admitted.

III. THE laft Cafe wherein Authority muft govern us is, when we are call'd to believe what Perfons under Infpiration have dictated to us. This is not properly the Authority of Men, but of God himself; and

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