Notwithstanding there is a great deal of preaching and a great deal of reading, on religious subjects at this day; yet there is much preaching and much reading which tends to divert the minds of people from the great and most important truths of the Gospel, and leaves them in gross ignorance of God, of Christ, and of themselves. Though people in general now have more knowledge of the different parts of the earth, of the various nations of the world, and of some of the useful arts and sciences, than they formerly had ; yet there is no ground to think that they have more knowledge of the Bible and the peculiar doctrines of the Gospel, than they had many years ago.

But, on the other hand, great ignorance of Divine truth appears to be extensively prevailing and increasing in our religious societies, especially among the rising generation. This exhibits a melancholy prospect of great degeneracy in religion. It was by means of religious ignorance, that God’s peculiar people became so generally and extremely degenerate as they were in Christ and the Apostles’ day. And the same religious ignorance is now producing the same fatal effects.