THE EVIDENCES OF THE CHRISTIAN RELIGION, By the Right Honourable TO WHICH ARE ADDED, SEVERAL DISCOURSES AGAINST ATHEISM AND INFIDELITY, AND IN DEFENCE OF THE CHRISTIAN REVELATION. Occafionally published by Him and Others: And now collected into one Body, and digefted WITH A PREFACE, Containing the Sentiments of Mr. BOYLE, Mr. LOCKE, OXFORD: AT THE CLARENDON PRESS. ་ 824 Adze 1801 PREFACE. THE character of Mr. ADDISON and his Writings, for Juftness of Thought, Strength of Reasoning, and Purity of Style, is too well established to need a recommendation; but their greatest ornament, and that which gives a luftre to all the reft, is his appearing, throughout, a zealous advocate for Virtue and Religion against Profanenefs and Infidelity. And because his excellent Difcourses upon those subjects lie difperfed among his other writings, and are by that means not fo generally known and read as they deferve, it was judged to be no unfeasonable service to Religion, to publish them together in a diftinct volume; in hopes, a 2 702072 hopes, that the Politeness and Beauty peculiar to Mr. ADDISON's writings would make their way to perfons of a fuperior character and a more liberal education; and that, as they come from the hands of a Layman, they may be the more readily received and confidered by young Gentlemen, as a proper Manual of Religion. Our modern Sceptics and Infidels are great Pretenders to Reason and Philofophy, and are willing to have it thought that none who are really poffeffed of those talents can easily affent to the truth of Chriftianity. But it falls out very unfortunately for them and their cause, that those perfons within our own memory, who are confeffed to have been the moft perfect Reasoners and Philofophers of their time, are also known to have been firm Believers, and they they Laymen; I mean Mr. BoYLE, Mr. Lock E, Sir ISAAC NEWTON, and Mr. ADDISON: who, modeftly speaking, were as good Thinkers and Reafoners, as the best among the Sceptics and Infidels at this day. Some of them might have their particular opinions about this or that point in Chriftianity, which will be the cafe as long as men are men; but the thing here infifted on is, that they were accurate Reasoners, and at the fame time firm Believers. Mr. BOYLE, the most exact fearcher into the works of Nature that any age has known, and who faw Atheism and Infidelity beginning to fhew themselves in the loofe and voluptuous reign of King Charles the Second, pursued his philofophical inquiries with religious views, to eftablish the minds of men in a firm belief and thorough fenfe of the infi |