"earth. Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice "with trembling. Kifs the Son, left he be angry, and ye perifh from the way, when "his wrath is kindled but a little: bleffed are al "they that put their truft in him*.”

*Pfal. ii. 10, 11, 12.

THE

THE

TRIAL

OF

RELIGIOUS TRUTH

By its MORAL INFLUENCE.

A

SERMO N,

Preached at the Opening of the Synod of Glasgow and Air, O&tober 9th, 1759.

1

MATT. vii. 20.

Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.

E

VERY one who hath any acquaintance with the writings of infidels, must know,

that there is no topic on which they infift at greater length, or with more plausibility, than the innumerable fects and parties into which the Christian world is divided. With what apparent triumph do they enlarge, on the contradictory tenets, which different perfons profess to found upon the fame Scriptures, their violent oppofition one to another, and the great difficulty, or rather impoffibility of discovering truth, among fo many, who pretend each to have the entire and exclufive poffeffion of it.

Having gone thus far, it is easy and natural to proceed one step farther, and affirm, that the great plurality of every denomination, do not embrace religion in general, or the tenets of their own fect in particular, from rational or perfonal conviction, but from a blind imitation of others,

others, or an attachment to one or a few diftinguished leaders, whose authority is stronger than all other evidence whatever. Thus is religion, at once, fuppofed true and yet deftroyed; that is to fay, it is at one ftroke, as it were, annihilated, in almoft all who profefs it, their opinions, whatever they are in themselves, being no more than implicit faith and party prejudice in thofe who embrace them.

The fame vifible ftate of the world, which gives occafion of triumph to the enemies of religion, gives, often, no small uneafiness and anxiety to its friends, particularly to the best and moft difpaffionate of every party. Serious and confcientious perfons, when they reflect upon the divifions that prevail, when they are witneffes to the contention and mutual accufation of different parties, are ready to be overwhelmed with melancholy upon the profpect, as well as involved in doubt and perplexity, as to what course they themselves fhould hold. It is not uncommon to find perfons of every rank in this fituation, not only thofe of better education, who are able to take an extenfive view of the ftate of things, in this and in preceding ages; but also thofe of lefs knowledge and comprehenfion, when any violent debates happen to fall within the fphere of their own observation.

These