But what is here said implying that Ladies should so well understand their Religion, as to be able to answer both to such who oppose, and to such who misrepresent it; this may seem, perhaps, to require that they should have the Science of Doctors, and be well skill'd in Theological Disputes and Controversies; than the Study of which I suppose there could scarce be found for them a more useless Employment. But whether such Patrons of Ignorance as know nothing themselves which they ought to know, will call it Learning, or not, to understand the Christian Religion, and the grounds of receiving it; it is evident that they who think so much knowledge, as that, to be needless for a Woman, must either not be perswaded of the Truth of Christianity; or else must believe that Women are not concern'd to be Christians. For if Christianity be a Religion from God, and Women have Souls to be sav'd as well as Men; to know what this Religion consists in, and to understand the grounds on which it is to be receiv'd, can be no more than necessary Knowledge to a Woman, as well as to a Man: Which necessary Knowledge is sufficient to inable any one so far to answer to the Opposers or Corrupters of Christianity, as to secure them from the danger of being impos'd upon by such Mens Argumentations; which is all that I have thought requisite for a Lady; and not that she should be prepar'd to challenge every Adversary to Truth. Now that thus much knowledge requires neither Learned Education, or great Study, to the attaining of it, appears in that the first Christians were mean and illiterate People; to which part of Mankind the Gospel may rather be thought to have had a more especial regard than that they are any way excluded from the Benefits thereof by incapacity in them to receive it. In the Apostles Days _there were not many Wise who were call'd_, and he tells us that _after that the World by Wisdom knew not God: it pleased God by the foolishness of Preaching to save them that believe_, and tho' _to the perfect_ the same Apostle says, he did _Preach Wisdom_, yet it was the simplicity and plainness of the Christian Religion that made it _to the Jews a stumbling block, and to the Greeks foolishness_. From whence, we see that all Theorems too abstruse for Vulgar Apprehensions, which Christianity is believ'd to Teach, however Divine Truths, are yet no part of the Doctrine of Salvation. There is not therefore this pretence to impose upon any one the belief of any thing which they do not find to be reveal'd in Scripture; the doing of which, has not only caus'd deplorable dissentions among Christians, but also been an occasion to multitudes of well meaning People of having so confus'd and unsatisfactory conceptions and apprehensions concerning the Christian Religion as tho' perhaps not absolutely, or immediately prejudicial to their Salvation, yet are so to their seeing clearly that Christianity is a rational Religion; without which few will be very secure from the