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people, that where mystery begins, religion ends. If by mystery be meant — what is commonly understood by the term-a fact, which, though we cannot conceive its particular manner of existence, yet may be known to exist, and applied to valuable and important uses; it is certain, that without belief in myfteries there can be no religion, no morality, no focial commerce: all useful knowledge must be at an end, and all the movements of active life muft ceafe their operation.

I. In order to form proper conceptions upon this fubject, it will be neceffary to confider first how the case stands with regard to the maxims of present knowledge and action.

EXPERIENCE, which shows, that our present knowledge is progreffive, opening and enlarging by degrees, prepares us to receive the mysteries of religion with the readiest affurance. Of all the

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things around us, we are obliged to learn the uses, by a flow and gradual procefs; and, in our highest state of knowledge, we really know little of them, but their uses and practical application.

WE come into the world perfect blanks: we are wrapped up in total darkness the whole face of nature is one universal scene of mysteries. The fond parent watches over us in this blind ftate, attends our opening fenses, and by degrees acquaints us with the general diftinctions of things. Without this inftruction, we know not, what is innocent, and what is hurtful to us, what is food, and what is poison, what fire or what water is, or what the first neceffaries of life are. Here all things are myfteries to the child: and yet he grows and strengthens, he enjoys the ufes of every thing neceffary to his being, as perfectly, as if he could by his own knowledge choose the good and ef

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chew the evil. By and by, his fenfes acquiring fome degree of vigor, he begins to obferve, and speak, and, with prattling curiofity, to enquire about what he sees and hears. Parental fondness, pleased with the sweet impertinence, instructs his unfolding mind: he gets fome few principles to go upon : fuch mysteries, as relate to animal life, open gradually upon him, and now he keeps himself from fire and water and feeks his proper food under the direction of his own narrow conceptions.

BUT as this task ceafes, new mysteries arife. He is now to be taught fuch general principles of moral good and evil, as are neceffary to focial life. These too he must learn; and he must learn them as matter of cuftom, upon implicit faith.*

He

-fapiens vitatu, quidque petitu

Sit melius, caufas reddet tibi: mî fatis eft, fi
Traditum ab antiquis morem fervare, tuamque,
Dum cuftodis eges, vitam famamque tueri
Incolumem poffim.HOR. Sat. 1. 4. 115.

He must be taught, by little unmeaning geftures, to pray to GoD, to diftinguish his parents and others about him according to their feveral relations, before he enters into the reasons of these actions.

As he advances in ftrength and ftature, the wants of life enlarge- and what does nature do for him here? Does she voluntarily pour forth her tributary ftores for his fupport? No, he must work out his own support by labour and industry. And here he must be taught by others, and undergo a tedious courfe of discipline to learn the art and mystery (as it is truly called) of supporting himfelf in future life. And when he comes to act for himself, whatever profeffion he chufes, whatever courfe he follows; he must trust his fuccefs for the most part to faith, often to probable conjecture. He lives by the common elements, whofe natures he cannot investigate, he trufts to general maxims of conduct,

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conduct, whose truth he never thoroughly examines. He uses many accommodations in the intercourse of commerce, which come from men and places, which he never faw-For ought he knows, the next cloaths he puts on may carry infection, and the next meat he eats may carry poifon along with it.

As a merchant he entrusts his goods, as a traveller he entrusts his perfon, to foreign lands. But whether there be any fuch diftant places, is no point of clear certain knowledge: he muft implicitly believe it upon the credit of others.

If he takes the track of fpeculative knowledge, he must furrender up his mind to the direction of others; if his body is difordered, he must trust his life to the skill of others; if he poffeffes any thing, he must depend upon the faith and affiftance of others in a thousand inftances. And whether in all these cases he may find the ability and integrity, he expected, is a thing to be known

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