146 
the falfe Ones, fet forth in a late book, in- 
titled “* The Grounds,” &c.1725.° Mr. 
Collins pronounced this to be the work of - 
*¢ an ingenious author.” 
2. ** The Divinity of Chrift proved 
from Holy Scripture,”’ a fermon preached 
at a morning-lecture, in Exon, before a 
fociety of yourg perfons, 1726." This 
difcourfe exhibited a {pecimen of the au- 
thor’s abilities, and difplayed his candid 
and liberal fpirit, at a time when the ani- 
mofities -occafioned by the Trinitarian 
Controverfy had rifen to a great height ; 
at a time when jit fhewed tortitude and 
firength of mind to exprefs fentiments of 
moderation and refpeét towards thofe, who 
were fulpected of deviating from the or- 
thodox taith, and refufed to fign the Shib- 
boleth of a party. 
3- ** A Review of the Controverfy be- 
tween the Author of a Difcourfe of the 
* Grounds and Reajons of the Chriltian 
Religion,’ and his Adverfaries, 1725.” 
With refpe& to this work, Mr. Collins 
himfelf paffed this high encomium :— 
“© Whceever reads this author ({aid he) 
will be improved in his morals, by con- 
verfing with fo polite a perfon,, and, in 
his notions, by attending to the many ju- 
dicious* ob/ervations,which occur through- 
out his book.” 
4. © Chriftianity the Perfeétion of all 
Religion, Natural and Revealed, wherein 
fome of the principal Prophecies relating 
to the MEsstaHin the Old Tcftament are 
fhewn to belong to him in the literal 
Senfe, in Oppofition to the Attempts cf 
the literal Scheme, 1728, p. 440.” This 
treatife is dedicated to the Right Honour- 
able John Lord Vitcount Bariington, asa 
gentleman, who difcovered, on all occa- 
hons, the moft rational and becoming zeal 
for promoting truth and liberty, and by 
whom the auther, during a refidence in 
his neighbourhood, had been often enter- 
tained and initruéted in their converfa- 
tions on fuch fubjeéts. 
This, and Mr. Jeffery’s other works 
in reply to Mr. Coliins, have been much 
efleemed by thofe judicious readers, who 
have been acquainted with them. They 
were highly approved, we are told, by 
Dr. Kennicott, who was an excellent judge 
of whatever relates to the queftion cencern- 
ing the predictions of the Oid Teftamentt}. 
* General Biographical Dictionary, by 
Lockman, Birch, &c. article ANTHONY 
CoLttins. 
+ Biographia Britannica, vol iv. fecond 
edition, article ANTHO. CoLLINS,Note*,*. 
The Rev. Thomas Feffery. 
[ March 1, 
Dr. Doddridge repeatedly refers to and 
quotes him in his ‘* Family Expofiter,”” 
and {peaks of him as having handled the 
fubject of prophecy, and the application of 
it in the New Teftament, more ftudioufly, 
perhaps, than any one, fince the time Eu- 
febius wrote his ‘* Demonftratio Evange- 
lica.” 
A quotation from the Dedicatory Pre- 
face of the Jaft treatife will ferve to exhi- 
bit the {pirit and principles of the author: ~ 
‘¢ What I undertake to defend (fays he) 
is plain end fimple Chriftianity, as I find 
it in the New Teftament; and this I have 
endeavoured to do in fuch a manner as 
at once to fhew the firm and folid founda- 
tions, as well of the Mofaic, as the Chrif- 
tian revelations. I take not upon me the 
defence of either prieftcraft, or fchool-divi- 
nity ; if I did, Tam fenfible I could not 
have been more wrong in my choice of a 
patron. Thanks be to Ged, we live in 
an age that is a little too knowing to let 
the jargon of the fchools pafs for fenfe; 
or the rogueries of the priefts for piety : 
may this {pirit of liberty and inquifitive- 
nefs every day increafe! I am perfuaded, 
I fhall have your Lordfhip concurring 
with me in judging, that the evils fuppofed 
to arife frem liberty are, in reality, the 
natural con‘equences of fomewhat very 
different. There is nothing that is free 
from all liablencfs to abufe, and yet we 
fhould think it very hard to be deprived 
of all bleffings of life, and even of reafon 
itfelf, becaufe fome co abufe them. Am 
increafe of knowledge may accidentally 
occafion, but can never be the proper 
caufe, of {cepticifm and infidelity, which, 
cn the contrary, are the natural effeét of 
the imperfection of knowledge. I know 
your Lordfhip’s jedgment will lead you 
to think, that the true ule of liberty will 
bring men to difcover the firm and im- 
moveable principles.of natural and re- 
vealed religion, which afford the ftrongeft 
motives to every thing that ts praife- 
worthy; and that, where-worldly intereft 
does not warp men’s minds, it muft pro- 
ceed from exceffive weaknefs of under- 
landing, to imagine’ that trath can be 
iupported by any thing-elfe than plain 
reafon and argument. For my.own parts 
if I could ice that Chriftianity itfelf need- 
ed any’ other {upport, no worldly intereft 
fhould ever bribe me to the defence of it 5 
but, as Iam perfuaded that the Gofpel 
contains nothing but what is highly agree- 
able to reafon, and what we have the hrm- 
eft grounds to believe cante from God, fo 
I efteem the belief ef it an a€t of the 
higheft 
