LIBRARY 
 
 PUIKCETOIV, Hf. J. 
 
 DONATION OF 
 
 SAMUEL A O N E W , 
 
 <.. IPHlLlDtLPHlA.Hi. 
 
 Lmer 
 
 No. 
 
 BX 5131 .F4 1801 
 Fellowes, Robert, 1771-1847.| 
 Religion without cant, or, Aj 
 preservative against 
 
Digitized by the Internet Archive 
 in 2015 
 
 https://archive.org/details/religionwithoutcOOfell_0 
 
O R, 
 
 A PRESERVATIVE 
 
 AGAINST 
 
 LUKEWARMNESS AND INTOLERANCE; 
 FANATICISM, SUPERSTITION, AND IMPIETY. 
 
 By ROBERT FELLOrVES, A.M, \ 
 
 OF ST. MARY HALL, OXFORD, 
 Author of A Pifture of Chriftian Philofophy, &c. &c. 
 
 " Haec confcius mihi fum non dicere rnc cujufquam odio, fed, in tanto et 
 ^ tam praefenti periculo, neminem arbitror efle debere ceflatorem." 
 
 Grot. vot. pro Pac. 
 
 " Hoftis non fum, nifi eorum dogmatum, quae credo noxia aut pietati aut 
 focictati humanae." Ibid. 
 
 " That is not truth that loves changes; and the new-nothings of fchifmatical 
 preachers are infinitely far from the bleflings of truth." 
 
 Jer. Taylor, Supplem. Serm. 
 
 LONDON: 
 
 PRINTED FOR J. WHITE, FLEET-STREET. 
 
 1801. 
 
If the caufe ^of politic afl'airs cannot, in nny good fort, g® 
 forward without fit Inftruments, and that which fitteth 
 them be their Virtues, let Polity acknowledge itfelf in- 
 debted to Religion ; Gcdlinefs being the cluefeft top and 
 well-fpring of all true virtues, even as God is of all good 
 things. So natural is the union of Religion with Juftice, 
 that we may boldly deem there is neither where both are 
 not. For how iliould they be unfeignedly juft whom Reli- 
 gion doth not caufe to be fuch ; or they religious, which are 
 not found fuch by the proof of their juft attions?" 
 
 Hooker Eccl. Pol. B. v. 
 Superftition neither knoweth the right kind, nor obferveth 
 the due meafure of a£tions belonging to the Service of God, 
 but is always joined with a wrong opinion touching things 
 divine." Ibid, 
 
 T. Benflfy, Printer, Uok Court, Flest Street, London. 
 
PREFACE, 
 
 Every friend to genuine Chriftianity muft 
 lament the errors in which it is bewildered, 
 and the corruptions by which it is opprefled. 
 The beft gifts of heaven are capable of the 
 greateft abufe ; and they are often the moft 
 abufed. Reafon was given us to diftinguifli 
 right from wrong j to be the rule of adion 
 and the guide of life : yet, by fome, this glo- 
 rious faculty is hardly exercifed at all ; and, 
 by others, it is employed only to do mifchief. 
 Some ufe it rather to perplex than to unravel 
 truth ; and to make that intricate which God 
 made plain. Revelation, which was defigned 
 as a beneficent auxiliary to human reafon, and 
 to afford full and fatisfadory information on 
 the dark and doubtful queftion of a future 
 
 a 3 
 
■ ( i^) 
 
 life, — a topic of inquiry, on which the ut- 
 mod flretch of the intelle6lual powers of man 
 could not advance beyond fome faint analogy 
 or fome plaufible conjedure, has, by the 
 fceptical, been deemed an enemy to reafon ; 
 and fome of the faithful have fuppofed 
 reafon an enemy to it. Thus while fome 
 have imagined that a beleif in revelation fet- 
 tered the free ufe of the rational faculties, 
 others have thought that the free ufe of the 
 rational faculties was inimical to the interefts 
 of revelation. 
 
 There is a fort of fpurious Chriftianity, a 
 flrange mixture of credulity and impofture, 
 of ignorance that moves comoaffion, and of 
 hypocrify that excites abhorrence, in which 
 faith is commended more than goodnefs, and 
 common fenfe is loft fight of in the purfuit 
 of myftery ; which has feldom wanted advo- 
 cates in the Chriftian world ; and which has 
 lately found numerous admirers in our own 
 country. This undefigning perverfion or 
 
( V ) 
 
 lyftematic depravation of the Chriftian doc- 
 trine it is, in a great meafure, the dcfign of 
 the prefent work to counteradl ; and, if pof- 
 fible, to refcue the rehgion of the blefled 
 Jefus from a multicude of corruptions by 
 which its ufefuhiefs is diminiflied and its 
 
 glory is ob^cured.: What are called the 
 
 doSirines of Chriftianity have been wilfully 
 perverted and grofsly mifunderflood. Con- 
 ftrudions have been put upon them, which 
 are not more contrary to reafon than to fcrip- 
 ture ; and equally adverfe to the honour of 
 God and to the happinefs of mankind. Of 
 thole doctrines, which relate to the fall, 
 faith, the tiezv birth, divine grace, and which 
 have otten been made fubfervient to the word 
 of purpofes, I have endeavoured to give a 
 plain, a fcriptural and rational explanation. 
 Of that ablurd and unfcriptural fidion called 
 *' Original Sin," which, fince the time of St. 
 Auftin, has been reprefented by vifionaries, 
 fanatics, and impoftors, as the moft important 
 and falutary conftituent of vital Chriftianity, 
 
 a 3 
 
( vi ) 
 
 « 
 
 I have fpared no pains to refute the error and 
 to expofe the abfurdity ; and I have employed 
 the more time on this fubjeft, becaufe 1 am 
 convinced that it will be found the root of 
 numberlefs corruptions. If, in fpeaking on 
 this dodrine, I have ufed warmer language 
 than men of a colder temperament may ap- 
 prove, my only apology is that fuch language 
 is the language of my heart. I could not 
 well have employed different expreffions, 
 without doing violence to my confcience as 
 ■well as to my feelings ; to my reverence for 
 God and to my love for mankind. When 
 the obligations of trurh, of juftice and of 
 mercy are openly reviled or infidioufly under- 
 mined, I Ihould be totally unworthy of the 
 profelTion which I have embraced, if I did 
 not ftand forth their ftrenuous and fearlefs 
 advocate. Their intereds are the interefls 
 of men at all times and in all places ; and, 
 in proportion as the general refpe£l for 
 them is relaxed, milery will overfpread the 
 world. 
 
( vii ) 
 
 Many are the caufes, which, at the prefent 
 day, coiifpire to favour the Increafe of vice 
 and to promote the decay of virtue. Moral 
 principle is not entirely, but is, in fonne degree, 
 the offspring of favourable circumftances ; and 
 certain it is that all circumftances are not 
 equally propitious to its culture or its growth. 
 In fome, it may be reared with lefs labour 
 than in others ; but the deprefaon of extreme 
 want feems to oppofe ah-noft infuperable ob- 
 fiacles to its production 
 
 * The poffeffion of property generates ideas very conge- 
 nial to the ohligations of joftice. It ibengthens the fenfe 
 of their importance by the weighty perfuafions of felf in- 
 tereft. The moment we become proprietors of any thing, 
 we begin to experience fome diflindt fcnfations of the right 
 of mine and thine ; fome definite notions of what is due to 
 ourfelves and to others ; and what is juflice hut a praftical 
 regard for the ric,hts of others ? The fenfe of juftice feems 
 ftrongeft in thofe, who, having property, know that its 
 fccurity depends on the fame fenfe of juflice in others. 
 When we have no prt.perty to protcil, we have little need 
 of a fenfe of juflice ni others ; and our own fenic of juflice^ 
 becomes pioportionaliv iaint. To thofe, in v/hom we 
 with to excite a vigorous fenfe of juflice, we ought to com- 
 municate property, which makes them feel a direiSl anfl 
 palpable interefl in the obligations of honcfty. In propor- 
 
 a 4. 
 
( viii ) 
 
 Difficult, indeed, will it be found to pro- 
 mote religious truft and moral integrity 
 among thofe, who, going out every morning 
 to their work and returning home at night 
 
 tion as property gets into fewer hanrls, and a greater num- 
 ber, from being deprived of its poffeffion or precluded from 
 its attainment, feel no perfonal intercft in the prefervation 
 of its rights, it is probable that integrity will decline an4 
 roguery increafe. 
 
 The ii irit of the poor is broken and made abje£l when 
 they are deprived of the means of bettering their condition. 
 They then look on induAry as vain, and frugality as hope- 
 lefs ; and they become idle, it not from a fenfe of intereft, 
 at leaf!:, often from feelir^gs ot fpite and re enge, of which 
 the gratification in vulgar minds often paffes for intereft. 
 They fee themfelves prevented from rifing above the level 
 of their condition ; and they almoft fpontaneoufly labour 
 to fall as low in the fink of penury as poffible, in order to 
 prefs with the greateft poffible weight on their rich fupe- 
 riors. They confider the great monopolizing tenants of 
 the foil as their natural enemies ; they regard them with 
 rancour ; and, as far as they have the power, they purfue 
 them with hoftility. J hey feel their circumftances almoft 
 as defperate as if they were in a ftate of vaffalage ; and 
 they endeavour to make others as well as themfelves feel 
 the miferies of their dependance. In this ftate of moral, 
 degradation and of phvfical fuffering, their fentiments be- 
 come depraved and their hearts unfeeling. Every fympa- 
 thy, which could difpofe them to benevolence, becomes 
 gradually extinguifhed ; and Uiey grow weak in intellect 
 and favage in difpofition. 
 
( ''^ ) 
 
 weary with toll, find that all their Induftry 
 can furnifh only a fcanty meal for themfelves, 
 their wives and their little ones; a meal quite 
 inadequate to the demands of exhaufted na- 
 ture, and barely lufficient to maintain the 
 dreary vacuity of exigence ! Difficult indeed 
 will it be found to peiluade fuch perfons that 
 they can have any interefi: in a conftant ad- 
 herence to the obligations of truth, ofjuftice, 
 and of mercy ! Great phyfical want, whofc 
 force on the mind is ftronger than any argu- 
 ments which you can apply, or any perfua- 
 fions which you can ufe, will fruftrate all 
 your endeavours ; and render all your in- 
 flrudbions as vain as addrefl'es to the winds 
 or to the waves. You, perhaps, fpeak to 
 one, whofe hungry ftomach, whofe wan and 
 faded countenance, whofe emaciated and fee- 
 ble frame tell him, that he has no fenfible, 
 no immediate intereft in the pradice of thofc 
 virtues, which it is mofl: the duty of the 
 preacher to niculcate ; and though you may 
 remind him of a day of retribution and a fu- 
 ture life, yet he will fay, and, if he fay not, 
 
( ^ ) 
 
 he will think, that that day is remote and 
 that hie uncertain I Hov/ few, how very 
 few are thofe, who do not Hve more by fight 
 than by faiih I and the poor, whofe mtional 
 faculties have been little cultivated and who 
 cannot meafure interefl by a calculation of 
 probabilities, are always governed more by 
 lenfation than by reafon. To combat fenfa- 
 tion, and, particularly, the lenfition of hun- 
 ger and thirft, of cold and nakednefs, by 
 abftract reafoning or barren generalities ; to 
 prove the fitnefs of what is by the probable 
 but uncertain Aatement of what will be; 
 muft, in mOit cafes, be found an unavailing 
 and fruitlefs tafk. Thofe perfons, therefore, 
 who are anxious to bring about a moral reform 
 among the poor, (liould endeavour to lay the 
 foundation of it in a phyfical alleviation of 
 their v/ants, and in a fenfible diminution of 
 their fufterings *. 
 
 * May I hope that, during the aihriinlilration of IVIr. 
 Addington, who appears to pCiTtfs no fmall portion of good 
 fenfe and a very large one of henevolerice, feme falutary 
 plan for the relief of the noor wii! not onty be debated but 
 carried into effect ! 
 
( xi ) 
 
 Religion ufuallv flourifhes mod where 
 there is the flrongeil: difpofition to thankful- 
 nefs ; but great want certainjy takes away 
 the motive and leffens the wiUingnefs to be 
 thankful. Gratitude will not live long with- 
 out aliment. Can any religious man, who 
 knows himfelf, and is fuperior to diffimula- 
 tion, affert that he does not feci a ftronger 
 inclination to be thankful, to love God and to 
 do good to his fellow-creatures after a refrefh- 
 ing meal than on an hungry flomach ? We 
 naturally love to communicate our feehngs to 
 others ; in happinefs and in mifery we want 
 lympathy : it increafes our blifs and dimi- 
 nifhes our fuffering. When we are in pain, 
 our afiii6tion is foothed by any artlefs expref- 
 fions of forrow, which we can trace in the 
 manner or the features of thofe around us. 
 A fort of calm but bland and fweet affedion 
 gets poffeliion of our bofoms ; and which 
 fufpends the adlion or leffons the preffure of 
 our woe. Again, when our own feelings are 
 pleafurable, when our nerves thrill with joy 
 
 7 
 
( xii ) 
 
 and our hearts beat with gladnefs, we are 
 ufually confcious of a ftronger defire to im- 
 part good than in a colder or lefs agreeable 
 flate of the fenfations. 
 
 Though the prefent increafing luxury in 
 one part of the community, with the in- 
 creafed and increafing diftrefs in another, do 
 greatly favour the corruption of public mo- 
 rals, I think that another very vigorous and 
 adlive caufe of the declenfion of virtue and 
 the increafe of vice will be found in thofe 
 polluted, unreafonable, and abfurd reprefenta- 
 tions of the Chriflian religion, which have, of 
 late years, been with too little confideration 
 patronifcd by the great, and with too much 
 facility liftened to by the populace. Of thofe 
 perfons, who ever think ferioufly of going to 
 heaven, the majority would fain travel thither 
 in company with that guide who requires 
 the feweft facrifices at their hands ; w ho 
 orders the leaft felf- denial and permits the 
 greatefl felf-indulgence. Thus they are pre- 
 
( xiii ) 
 
 difpofed to lend a willing ear to the inftruc- 
 tions of any religious juggler who endeavours 
 to perfuade them, that faith without holinefs, 
 grace without exertion, or righteoufnefs by "J 
 inciputation will fuperfede the neceffity of 
 perfonal goodnefs, and exempt the favoured 
 convert from the painful toils of pradlical 
 morality. Such admonitions, coloured over 
 with a great deal of cant, in order to dif2:uife 
 the rottennefs of the ingredients and the un- 
 wholefomenefs of the mixture, have been 
 called " Evangelical Preaching and, at 
 other times, emphatically " Preaching the 
 Go/pel and the great and everlafting prin- 
 ciples of moral duty have been fhamelefsly 
 libelled, and moft induftrioufly lowered in 
 the public eflimation, by men profeffing to 
 teach the holy dodlrine of the holy Jefus. 
 
 The attempts which have been made, of late 
 years, to bring what has been too contemptu- 
 oufly termed " moral preaching^'* into difre- 
 pute, are too notorious to be forgotten, and 
 
( xlv ) 
 
 too dellruftlve of iMtional virtue not to be 
 inentioneH with abhorrence. That kind of 
 preaching which has been called morale and 
 which confiders Chriftianity more as a rule of 
 life than a bone of contention, prevailed al- 
 moft univerfally among the clergy in this 
 country from the reftoration, till beyond the 
 middle of that century vi'hich we have lately 
 feen brought to a conclufion ; and I fliould 
 be happy to learn from the prefent numerous 
 venders of v.' hat is called Evangelical Chrif- 
 iianiiy, in what period of this country, truth, 
 juftice, and charity, were more refpecled by 
 the great mafs of the people, or when the 
 moral principle operated with more ftrength 
 and more fuccefs than when this mode of 
 religious inftrudion, which it is now the 
 fafhion to decry, was fo generally approved ? 
 To difcourage moral preaching is to blaf- 
 pheme morality. It is to make truth, juftice, 
 and mercy, appear bafe and worthlefs. It is 
 to degrade them in the opinions of mankind. 
 It is, befides, to deny Chrift ; it is to vilify his 
 
( ) 
 
 authority, and to deride his inftrudions ; for, 
 what did Chrift inculcate more than practical 
 goodnefs ? more than pure and genuine and 
 unfophifticated morahty ? If Chrift himfelf, 
 who ought to be unto the minifters of his 
 rehgion not more a pattern for the lives which 
 they lead than for the dodrines which they 
 teach, preached nothing more than pradical 
 goodnefs, or^the doing of good, what did he in- 
 culcate more than moral duty ? For, is it not 
 the perfection of moral duty to be zealous ia 
 doing good ? Thofe perfons, therefore, who 
 fcofF at moral preachings and vilify moral 
 preachers^ are enemies to goodnefs, and to 
 thofe who labour to promote the doing of 
 good. All preaching, which does not gravi- 
 tate towards moral duty, which does not 
 make the diminution of moral evil and the 
 increafe of moral good its objeft and its end, 
 its primary and its ultimate confideration, is 
 nnchriftian, unfcriptural, and profane. It is 
 diametrically oppofite to the dodrine of Chrift 
 and to the genius of Chriftianity. The reli- 
 
( xviii ) 
 
 On the motives to and the criterion of moral 
 a£tion, which I have occafionally mentioned in 
 the progrefs of this work, 1 may, perhaps, differ 
 from fome writers of great celebrity. Utility 
 is by many confidered as the only criterion of 
 virtue. Now, though an heathen or an in- 
 fidel may, in the blindnefs of their minds or 
 in the h^riditefs of 'their hearts, confider utility 
 as the fole teft of virtuous action ; I think, 
 that a Ghniiizin may appreciate virtue by a 
 teft, which .is lefs -fallible and precarious, lefs 
 liable to be produdive of error or of mifery. 
 By a heiiever in , Chriftianity the will of God 
 as declared- in tije fayings of Qhfift ought to 
 
 iinds no re!!:. In eftabliftimcnts which may for the mofl 
 part be confidered as bodies at eafe, there' is at fome periods 
 a certain " vis jobrtise a gravitating tendency to quief- 
 cence, lj)Ut which roufes in their opponerits all the energies 
 of aflion. The activity of thofe who are inimical to our 
 religious inftvtutions is ftimulated by interefted expeftation, 
 and all the malevolent paffions rufli in to increafe the flame. 
 But, whatever may be the zeal of their enemies, it muft 
 be confelTed that many, very many of the clergy have, of 
 late, difplayed no ordinary vigour and ability in the defence 
 of Qiriftianity againft unbelievers and of the eflablifhmertt 
 againft f6<Saries. - 
 
( xlx ) 
 
 be -confidered as the fovereign criterion of 
 moral a<fbion ; for, if he adopt arny other, he 
 will often be in danger of vidating the will 
 -of God, as it has be€n proclaimed in the 
 Chriftian revelation. 
 
 " If we confider utility, or, as an elaborate 
 .writer, whofe paradoxes have often excited 
 '■Jfo much furprife and afforded fuch ample 
 ■materials for controverfy and for ridicule, has 
 called it in other words a preponderance of 
 general good and an overbalance of pleafur- 
 able fenjation, to be the only teft of virtue, 
 '■what reftraint do we lay on the fecret 
 thoughts and intentions of the heart, which 
 are as fufceptible of the relations of vice and 
 virtue as our outward a£lions ? How is uti- 
 lity violated by indulging a fecret wifti to 
 feduce your friend's daughter or to deep with 
 your neighbour's wife ? Yet there is no 
 doubt that, confidering the true criterion of 
 virtue to be a conformity of the inward 
 thoughts as well as the outward actions to 
 
 b 2 
 
( XX ) 
 
 the will of God, fuch wifhes are heinous 
 violations of morality. Indeed cafes might 
 be adduced, in which the moll: nefarious ads 
 of falfehood and injuftice, in which the com- 
 miflioa of adultery and even murder, might 
 be quite confonant to the principle of utility ; 
 or, in which thefe crimes might produce a 
 general overbalance of pleafurable fenfation; 
 and, confequently, every enormity, at the 
 very thought of which our nature fhudders 
 and our blood runs cold, might thus, in par- 
 ticular inftances, be reputed virtuous. Such 
 are the errors into which we -might be led by 
 adopting this very unfafe and very unfcriptural 
 criterion of morality. Obedience to the will 
 of God, which, according to my notions as a 
 Chriflian philofopher, is the only genuine 
 criterion of virtue, may, in particular cafes, 
 be produdive of an overbalance of prefent 
 evil to the individual and perhaps to fociety ; 
 but prefent good or prefent evil, which are 
 inconfiderable in quantity and (hort in dura- 
 tion, are not fo much to be confidered as that 
 
C xxi ) 
 
 greater future good which is to be revealed. 
 The Chriftian feels the force of this queftion; 
 ** ivhat Jhall it profit a man to gain the whole 
 world and lofe his own foulV* 
 
 If we make utility or " « general over- 
 balance of pleafurable fen/atioti' the only teft 
 of virtue, we fliall foon denominate many 
 adlions to be virtuous which are contrary, 
 and many to be vicious which are agreeable 
 to, the will of God. There can be no doubt 
 but that, in the majority of inftances, virtue 
 is produdlive of a preponderance of prejent 
 good and prefent pleafure to the individual 
 and to fociety j but there are many particular 
 cafes in which, as Chriftians, we are exprefsly 
 commanded to facrifice the good which is 
 prefent for that which is future, to forego 
 pleafurable fenfation in this world for glory 
 and happinefs in the next. To his firfl fol- 
 lowers, Jefus faid, " Whofoever he be, that 
 forfaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be 
 my difciple," To his followers in all coun- 
 
( xxii ) 
 
 tries and all ages he exclaims, ** He that 
 loveth father or mother better than me, is not 
 worthy of me." " If thy right eye caufe 
 thee to offend, pluck it out, and caft it from 
 thee ; for it is better for thee, that one of thy 
 members perifh, than that thy whole body 
 (hould be caft into hell." 
 
 If moral aftion were, in all cafes, produc- 
 tive of an overbalance of temporal good or 
 pleafurable fenfation, who would be fo unwife- 
 as to offend ? What influences the conduct 
 of men fo much as prefent good or prefent 
 pleafure * ? But Chriftianity never makes 
 either prefent good or prefent pleafure the 
 right motive to or the right criterion of vir- 
 tuous adtion ; but, without the leaft allure- 
 ment of any good or pleafure to be expe- 
 rienced in this world, it uniformly and in- 
 
 * When I ufe the words prefent good or prefent pleafure 
 in this preface, I do not always mean that good or that 
 pleafure which may be immediately confequent on any ac- 
 tion, but any good or pleafure, which arc confined within 
 and not extended beyond the boundaries of this mortal life. 
 
( xxiii ) 
 
 flexibly enjoins obedience to the will of him, 
 whofe fervants we arc, whofe fayings we are 
 to obferve, and whofe exannple we are to imi- 
 tate. I do not, indeed, fay that in all cafes 
 a Chriftiah will refufe to a£l before he cdnfi- 
 ders what is the will of God, for, in the buflle 
 of the world, time will not always be found 
 fufficient for fuch deliberation ; nor, in the 
 common affairs of life, will fuch deliberation 
 be often necefiary ; for, when the love of 
 God or the fpirit of Chrifllan charity, which 
 is the perfedlion of Chriftian virtue, has ac- 
 quired a due afcendancy in the foul, a man's 
 general condudl in the little detail as well as 
 the great tranfadions of life, cannot but be 
 conformable to the will of God; and what- 
 ever may be the complexity of human mo- 
 tives, all virtuous action muft, at lafl, be re- 
 folved into conformity to the will of God. 
 Chriftianity allows no other criterion of vir- 
 tue ; and thofe who profefs themfelves Chrif^ 
 tians, only labour in vain to difcover any other 
 in fome barren abflraction or forae vague and 
 
 b 4 
 
( XXIV ) 
 
 indeterminate principle, when they have a 
 very plain and definite rule of right placed 
 before them in the fayings of Chrift ; to 
 which all the wifdom of the greateft amons: 
 antient or modern fages will be found but vain 
 babble and fruitlefs fpeculation. 
 
 An eafy and fafe and practical rule of vir- 
 tue, which individuals may readily confult 
 with refped: to their condud towards others, 
 is that recommended by our Saviour j *' what- 
 foever ye would that men fhould do to you 
 do ye even fo to them." He who, on any 
 particular occafion, feels that he has done to 
 another, what he could not reafonably judge 
 right to be done to himfelf in the like circum- 
 ftances, may be convinced, that he has aded 
 Avrong, and done whzt is not virtuous. Let 
 any individual apply this rule as a ftandard for 
 any part of his behaviour towards his fellow^ 
 creatures and he will find it invariably juft. 
 If I have told a lie to my neighbour, if I have 
 defrauded him in any matter, I cannot cer- 
 
( XXV ) 
 
 tainly compare my condudt with this rule 
 v/ithout condemning myfelf. With refpe6l, 
 therefore, to the judgments which we ought 
 reafonably to pafs on our own conduct towards 
 others, this faying of the Chriftian lawgiver, 
 " whatfoever ye would, &c." will, I think, 
 conftitute an uniformly and perfedlly jufl; cri- 
 terion of virtue ; but, perhaps, we cannot fo 
 invariably apply it to appreciate the condu(51: 
 of others towards ourfelves ; for ignorance of 
 their circumftances and of the intentions in 
 their hearts, may caufe their condud to be 
 differently modified towards us than we may 
 think that it ought to have been, or than we 
 feel that this maxim " whatfoever, &c." will 
 approve. 
 
 If we do that to others, which we fhould 
 think it unfair and unreafonable that others 
 fhould do to us in the like circumftances, we 
 condemn ouiielves ; we wilfully commit a 
 vicious adion. But, others may poffibly do 
 to us what we fliould condemn ourfelves for 
 6 
 
( xxvi ) 
 
 doing to them, and yet not offend againfl: this 
 criterion of virtue j for many httle circum- 
 ftances which do not conTie under our cognt- 
 zance, or the contemplation of things under 
 different relations from what we do, may 
 caufe their fenfations of redlitude in this par- 
 ticular cafe to be different from our own ; 
 and may thus induce them to approve what 
 we condemn. In judging the condufl of 
 others we cannot fafely decide on their merit 
 or demerit, by the varying teft of our own 
 fenfations. 
 
 But though this tefl of virtue " whatfo- 
 ever ye would, &c." may fometimes prove 
 • erroneous in its application to the conduct of 
 others, it would be found flriclly true and 
 jufl in all cafes, if we could reciprocally ex- 
 change fituations and fenfations. Thus, if a 
 perfon in need a{k me for a loaf of bread, 
 which I may have it in my power to give, 
 he may deem the refufal of his requeft a vio- 
 lation of this rule, " whatfoever ye would, 
 
 7 
 
( xxvii ) 
 
 &LC but it may happen, that I could not 
 confiply with the petition, without doing an 
 injury to thofe nnore near to me or more dear 
 to me ; and who have a reafonable claim to 
 preference in my regard. I may not, for in- 
 ftance, be able to fatisfy this perfon's hunger, 
 without caufing hunger in my own family. 
 In thefe circumftances let the perfon, who 
 folicits the benefa(5tion and he of whom it is 
 folicited for a moment change places ; and 
 then the former may not only fee but feel 
 that I do not offend asfainft the great Chrif- 
 tian law by not granting his petition. Thus 
 if people would for a moment reciprocally 
 endeavour to identify themfelves as it were 
 with each other's circumflances and fenfa- 
 tipns, this rule might become a very juft 
 criterion *, by which to eftimate not only 
 
 * I cannot help, in tliis place, intruding on the atten- 
 tion of the reader a remark, which forcibly ftrik.es me at 
 this moment, that this rule of doing to others whatfoever 
 \vc would that they fhould do to us, which our Lord fo 
 folemnly enjoins and fo forcibly applauds, as containing 
 the fubftance of the law and the prophets, proves in a mod 
 
( xxviii ) 
 
 their own goodnefs but the goodnefs of" their 
 fellow-creatures. 
 
 As man is made for immortality, and as the 
 greateft: good which he can enjoy in this life 
 is fo fmall in degree and fo fliort in duration, 
 
 fatisfa6tory manner, that he did not aflent to the modern 
 do£lrine of the original and radical corruption of human 
 nature ; for the precept itfelf could not be corredt and 
 would not ferve as a rule of a6lion, nor would fo much 
 ftrefs have been laid on it, if our feelings themfelves did 
 not atteji the obligations and ratify the praflice of morality, 
 Jefus, therefore, evidently fuppofes our frame to contain in 
 fome meafure within itfelf the rule of virtuous a£lion ; our 
 fenfations to bear teftimony to moral re6litude, and to 
 argue forcibly in favour of truth, juftice, and mercy. By 
 thus fuppofmg a rule of virtuous ailion in the human con- 
 flitution, he evidently intimates that the principle of virtue 
 is a predominant ingredient in the nature of man, and that 
 virtue itfelf is enthroned by the appointment of God, not 
 only in the outer courts but in the inmoft fandtuary of the 
 heart. This inference may to fome appear far-fetched ; 
 but thofe, who, not contented vvitli a fuperficial view of 
 things, have a capacity for profound inveftigation, will, I 
 truft, agree with me that this injun£lion of our Lord, 
 whatfoevcr, tsfc includes the flrongell, the moft rational, 
 and to a genuine Chriftian the moft convincing arguments 
 that can be adduced againft the do£lrine of original fin ; — 
 the fource of fo much abfurdity, fo much vice, and fo 
 much mifery ' 
 
( xxix ) 
 
 that it is notliing when compared with the 
 eternal good which is to be revealed, it is 
 plain that Chriftians who believe that an 
 eternal reward is referved for the righteous, 
 ought to regulate their conduct more by the 
 confiderations of the future than of the pre- 
 fent. The injundions of Chrifl: and his apof- 
 tles evidently tend to deter us from fin by the 
 fear of future torments ; and they incite us 
 to righteoufnefs by the affurance of an eternal 
 recompenfe. They threaten the finner with 
 the outer darknefs, where there is weeping 
 and gnajhing of teeth ; and they animate the 
 juft by the promife of an eternal weight of 
 glory. Chriftianity therefore certainly de- 
 rives our primary motives to virtuous a£liou 
 from the interefts of eternity. Virtuous ac- 
 tion will, indeed, in the majority of cafes, be 
 found produdive of prefent good * ; but cafes 
 may and fometimes will occur, in which it 
 may be produdive of prefent evil. On thefe 
 
 * My ufe of the word prefent has been already noticed 
 above. 
 
( XXX ) 
 
 occafions, if a man were virtuous only from 
 the hope of, or with a view to prefent good, 
 or in the expedation of an overbalance of 
 pleafure to accrue to himfelf or to others in 
 this nnortal life, he n',ight perhaps, at laft, 
 find virtue, like Brutus, unfatisfaclory ; and, 
 in the emotions of his impatience, be ready to 
 arraign the moral gpvernntent of God. 
 
 If we confider virtuous condu(5l as relative 
 to oviv future good, virtue will, when, beheld 
 under this afpedl, be found in all cafes 5ur 
 greatefl poflible good ; and, as in the majority 
 of cafes, our real prefent and our eternal hap- 
 pinefs will be found clofely conneded, and, 
 as the fame virtue, which always tends to the 
 acquifition of the laft will be found, in moji 
 in/iances, to promote the firft, virtue muft be 
 deemed our greateft good viewed only in its 
 relations to this fhort life; and, in thofe cafes, 
 in which the rigid performance of our duty 
 may expofe us to any temporal inconvenience 
 or diftrefs, that inconvenience and diftrefs 
 
( xxxi ) 
 
 will be endured with patience by him, who 
 places his truft in the promifes of Chriflianity. 
 
 The great perfe<SVion of Chriftian virtue is 
 to keep the fayings of Chrift, to be temperate, 
 jufl", beneficent, in oppofition to our prefent 
 profit or prefent pleafure. We are placed in 
 circumftances, in whidh fuch a derelidion of 
 prefent for future good will be occafionally 
 defltianded of usi If temporal pleafure or pro- 
 fit were the conjlant concomitant of virtuous 
 action, the obligations of virtue would be 
 performed with as little difficulty as any of 
 the animal fundions. We fhould follow after 
 truth, juftice, and charity, with as little re- 
 ludlance as we eat when we are hungry or 
 drink when we are dry. But the primary mo- 
 tive to virtuous avflion, which Chriftianity ap- 
 proves, is the defire of. and the truft in that 
 everlafting good, which Chrifl has promifed 
 to thofe who keep his fayings; and we may 
 find fecdndary motives in that prefent good, 
 that fatisfadtion and feif- complacency, that 
 
( xxxiv ) 
 
 th« rnqre thofe individual a6Vs which confti- 
 tute the habit of temperance, of truth, of 
 juftice, or charity are repeated, the more 
 they will be influenced by thofe motives 
 which are taken from the interefts of eter- 
 nity. Every fucceeding adlion will not only 
 borrow force from the preceding, but will be 
 more vigoroufly hifluenced by the motive 
 which produced the zdi that went before it. 
 Thus the flrongeft motive to virtue, by 
 which a true follower of Chrift will be di- 
 refted, is his greateft pofiible good ; and that 
 conftdered more with xi view to the future than 
 the prefent^ to eternity than to time. 
 
 If we adopt that criterion of virtue which 
 I have defended, becaufe it appears to me 
 moft accordant with the genius of Chrif- 
 tianity and with the fan£lions of its heavenly 
 founder, we (hall not try the morality of 
 adions by the degree of their utility, or by any 
 general overbalance cf pleafurable Jenfation.^ 
 accruing to the agent or to fociety, but by 
 I 
 
( XXXV ) 
 
 the degree of their conformity to the will of 
 God, as it has been made known to us in the 
 Chiiftian difpenfation. Chriftians are, in ge- 
 neral, too lax in their notions of moral obli- 
 gation. They dire^l the attention to a falfe 
 teft of moral duty. They do not adhere with 
 fufficient conftancy to this all-important doc- 
 trine that vioral adion is a jir 'tdi conformity of 
 the heart and mind, of the thoughts^ the affec^ 
 tions, and the whole conduB to the will of God, 
 
 Morality may be proved to be the will of 
 God by various indu6lions of reafon, and to 
 which recourfe may be had in order to eluci- 
 date or to ftreng-then the authoritative in- 
 junctions of revdation. It may be proved to 
 be the will of God, by the order of the moral 
 world, in which phyfical is made the correc- 
 tive of moral evil ; by the nice and curious 
 adaptation which there is in goodnefs to pro- 
 duce happinefs ; by the fitnefs which there 
 is iu temperance, truth, juftice, and charity, 
 to promote the good of the individual and the 
 
 c z 
 
( xxxvi ) 
 
 well-being of fociety j by the wonderful and 
 univerfal congruity which there is between 
 truth and juftice, and the natural unvitiated 
 fentiments of mankind ; by the prefent unea- 
 finefs and the trembling apprehenfion of thofe 
 who do evil ; and by the prefent fatisfa£lion 
 and the joyful hope of thofe who do good ; 
 even in countries where revelation is un- 
 known. Thefe confiderations, which natu- 
 ral reafon will fuggeft, may be adduced to 
 prove that morality is the will of God j but a 
 Chriftian is not fo much to inculcate moral 
 a£lion becaufe it is required by the fitnefs of 
 things, becaufe it is agreeable to the natural 
 fentiments, to the common fenfe and the 
 common feelings of mankind, as becaufe it 
 is confonant to the will of God, and com- 
 manded in the gofpel of his Son ; without 
 obedience to which we ftall perifh ever- 
 laiVingly. On this as well as other points 
 I have without any equivocation or difguife 
 laid before the reader the fober convidtion of 
 my reafon and the warm perfuafion of my 
 6 ^ 
 
( xxxvii ) 
 
 heart ; and though I hope that I have never 
 treated with fcorn,, I truft that I have never 
 copied with fervility, the opinions of any 
 writer, whether antient or modern, whether 
 among the living or the dead. 
 
 Chriftian divines often miftake through 
 ignorance, or miftate through prejudice, the 
 true meafures of Chriftian piety. They do 
 not fufficiently call the attention of the 
 young, of the old, and the middle-aged to 
 the eternal importance of praflical fobernefs, 
 righteoufnefs, and godlinefs. — Finding the 
 great indifference of Chriftians in general to 
 thefe moft interefting topics, finding fome 
 feparating religion from morals, or morals 
 from religion, making the gofpel of Jefus 
 contemptible or ridiculous, polluting it with 
 cant, or perplexing it with fophifms, lower- 
 ing its fublimity by their frivolous and un- 
 worthy glolTes, or burying its fimplicity 
 under an abyfs cf dark and doubtful dilputa- 
 tions, I have endeavoured in this work, as 
 
 c 3 
 
( xxxviii ) 
 
 well as in my Pidure o^' Chriftlan PhilofoT 
 phv *, to warm the hearts of men with the 
 fpirit of true righteoufiiefs, and to lead them 
 into a right track of thinking on the dodrines 
 and the duties, on the true character and 
 genius of Chriftianity, 
 
 ROBERT FELLOWES, 
 
 Curate of liarbury, near Southain, W^arivick/liire, 
 
 Harhury, 
 Augujl 3, 1801. 
 
 * My own feelings would convi6l me of ingratitude, if, 
 on this cccafion, I did not offer iny public thanks to my 
 much revered and much loved friend Dr. Parr, for the 
 earneft, ilie energetic, and affedbionate manner in which he 
 has vindicated the Pi£ture of Cliriftian Philofophy from the 
 ii)i(rc;prcfentations of the Britljh critics; and, perhaps, I 
 ought, at the fame time, to return mv thinks to thofe gen- 
 tlemen for having been the occafion of my receiving fo 
 much elegance of praife from one, who is equally diftin- 
 guifhed by the vigor of his intelleil and the fervor of his 
 benevolence; who is a philofopher without dogmatifm, a 
 critic without bitternefs, and a prieft without intolerance 
 and without guile. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 TEXT. 
 
 Faces 
 
 The fanatict unmajked ; fothe of their trilf- 
 chicvous tenets examined, illujirated and refuted ; 
 with various prafiical obfervatiom, I — ^2 
 
 Falfe teachers; how known, I. 2. * Their 
 dodlrines protludlive of immorality, 3 — ^5. 
 Grace of the fanatics ; their notions on, com- 
 bated ; the conditions of obtaining, 6 — 8. 
 Senfation no left of grace, g. Falfe confi- 
 dence reprobated ; our continual dependance 
 \3pon God, 10. Gradual increafe in holi- 
 nefs ; difficulties in the way of falvation, li. 
 Fanatics, their perverfion of fcripture, parti- 
 cularly of St Paul's e|)iftles, 12 — 14. Their 
 almoft exciufive worHiip of the Son; bar- 
 ren obfcurity of their inftrucSlior.s, J 5, ; 5. 
 Alarming decay of morality ; promoted by 
 the mifchievous dodtrines of ilie fanatics, 
 17 — 23. EtFedt of better inftruclions, 24, 
 
 • Tkefe figares refer to the parsgrtpM. 
 
 c 4 
 
( xl ) 
 
 Natural capacity of man to do good or evil, 
 25, 26. The fanatical reprelentations of ori- 
 ginal fin deflroy the moral government of 
 God ; de'poil him of his attributes of good- 
 refs and juft ce, 27 — 30. Preference of God; 
 the motives to it; the objedts of it, 31, 32. 
 The righteoufnefs and unrighteoufnefs of in- 
 dividuals not the fpecial appointment of God ; 
 the fuppofition irrational and abfurd ; piety 
 and impiety matters of free ele£tion, 33 — 35. 
 Do6lrines of the fanatics popular becaufe 
 unfavourable to pracSlical virtue ; the nature 
 and elFedls of their inftrudtions contrafted 
 with thofe of the fober mini(lers of the 
 cftabliftied church, 36 
 
 ][/[an was a free agent, accountable for his anions 
 
 before the fall, and has continued fo ever Jince^ 53 — 7^ 
 
 Man an accountable being, i, 2. Moral capa- 
 city of man, 3 ; freedom of its exercife, 4 ; 
 the contrary fuppofition refuted, 5, 6. Mo- 
 ral capacity of man not taken away by the 
 fall ; examination of that event ; the proba- 
 tionary ftate of our firft parents ; the nature 
 of their trial, 7 — 12; how they were over- 
 come, 13, 14. The moral powers of Adam 
 not flronger than thofe of his defcendants ; 
 original righteoufnefs a fi6lion ; arguments 
 againft it, 15 — 17. Man remains as upright 
 as he was created; natural integrity how 
 loft, 18. Our prefent ftate of trial; con- 
 trafted with that of Adam, 19, 20. Moral 
 corruption noj included in the fentence of 
 
( ) 
 
 tACE 
 
 condemnation pafled on our firft parents, 2i. 
 The puniftiment of Adam ; our prefent ftate 
 of difcipllne more favourable to moral im- 
 provement, 22 — 24. Through Adam we 
 become liable to fin, 25. Difference between 
 the condition of Adam and his defcendants, 26 
 
 ^he do^rine of faith, fpcculatlve and pranical, 
 phllofophlcal, theological, and moral. 
 
 IN THREE PARTS, 
 
 Part I. 79 — 96 
 
 PifFerent kinds and degrees of alTent, 1,2. 
 Practical iiluflrations, 3, 4. Adlual and mo- 
 ral certainty diftinguifhed, 5. Truth of reve- . 
 Jation a moral certainty, 6 ; faith in it an 
 affent to a highly probable truth ; inflanced in 
 the fail of the refurreilion, 7, 8. Unwife 
 in religious, as in other concerns, not to a£t 
 on the evidence of probability, 9 — 13. Re- 
 ligious belief infeparable from lome degree of 
 doubt and fome moments of diftruft, 14 — 16. 
 Diftruft to be refifted ; doubts not to be 
 cheriflied, 17. The lefs doubts and diftruft 
 prevail, the more vigorous and operative reli- 
 gious belief, 18. Goodiiels increafes with 
 the increafe of faith, 19. Religious intercft 
 exceeds every other ; its reality not dimi- 
 nifhed by diftance ; only more i'uited to our 
 (late of moral agency, 7,0 — 23 
 
( stiii ) 
 
 PAGES 
 
 i[%e doHrhie of faith. 
 Part II. 
 
 . The fanatical doflrine of faith defcribed and 
 refuted, i — 7. Many errors xd\pfi(X\x\gfaith 
 originate in the ignorance or mifapplication 
 of the term, 8 ; its feveral fcriptural fignifi- 
 cations, 9 — 14. Some degree and kind of 
 religious belief univerfal, 15. The heathen 
 capable of difcovering the true God, 16, 17. 
 Acquifition of religious knowledge favoured 
 ^ by the conftitution of nature and of man, 1 8. 
 The mind, daikened by the paflions, becomes 
 the flave of fin, 19. The moral corruption 
 and intelle£lual darknefs of the heathen 
 world, 20. Several manifellations of the will 
 of God, anterior to the Chriftian, 21 — 26. 
 Jefus the Chrift, the principal objeft of 
 Chriftian faith ; necefluiry to falvation, 27. 
 True Chriftian faith infeparable from prac- . , 
 tical righteoufnefs, 28, 29 
 
 The dolirine of faith. 
 
 Part HI. 116 — 149 
 
 Saving faith defcribed ; conned^ed with mora- 
 lity ; the genius ot Chriftian morality, I — 8. 
 The fenfations, not the proper ft at of faith, 
 9, 10. Real faith requires ftronger proof 
 than outwaid profeflion, 11,12; the genuine 
 proof of it, 13 — 15. True faith, the united 
 produdt of the reafon and alFedions, 16. 
 Speculaiive belief, with praflical irreligion ; 
 ajid pradlical piety witiiout rational convic- 
 
( xliii ) 
 
 tion, 17, 18. Tnftabilitv of faith, which is 
 not the prc(lu(£l of reafon, 19 — 21 1 lie • 
 faith moft fuited to tlie nature of man and 
 moft acceptable to God, 22. DifFerenl func- 
 tions of the affcdtions and the reaton in reli- 
 gious belief, 23, 24. Rational faith not 
 cafily lliaken, 25. In this country, the 
 means of rational convi6lion widely difFufed, 
 26. Stiong popu'ar arguments in favour of 
 the truth of revealed religion, iuitt-d to all 
 capacities, 27. Reafonable conviftion to be 
 affociated with pra£l:ical righteoulneis, 28. 
 In what fenle, faith necejjaiily productive of 
 righteoufnefs, 29. In the converfion of 
 Atheilh and Deifts, no pains tn be i pared to 
 promote the growth of pra6lical piety, 30. 
 Convidlion of the mind blended wit'i the 
 perfuafion of the heart, 31 — 33 Eflentials 
 and non-effentlals of religious belief, 34, 35. 
 Agreement in ejjentiah ought to be produc- 
 tive of harmony, 36. Points of dodtrine not 
 effential to godlinefs debated with too much 
 bitternefs, retained with too much obftinacv, 
 37. Why people are bewildered in religious 
 error, 38. bcoffing reprobated ; the fober 
 infidel not to he rafhly condemned or con- 
 temptuoufly reviled, 39. Diffuafion from 
 intolerance, 40 
 
 The dodr'ine of regeneration, rational, fcriptura!, 
 
 and p>aFr:c:tl. I50 — 180 
 
 Regeneration, tlu- f vourite doflr'ne of the fa- 
 natics, I. 1 hey luppofe it a change wrought 
 
( xllv ) 
 
 PAGES 
 
 without the concurrence of the reafon or the 
 will, -2. Sinfulnefs not innate; innocence 
 of little children ; confolation to parents ; 
 perfonality of guilt, 3 — 8. How fin prevails, 
 9. Regeneration when neceffary, 10 — 13. 
 Nature of the change required, 14, 15. 
 Perfons, in whom repentance is not required; 
 the exemption belongs to few, i6, 17. 
 Power of habit, 18. Progreflive converfion 
 of the finner, 19 — 24. Genuine token of 
 converfion ; fruitful in different degrees ; not 
 exempted from occafional offences, 25 — 30. 
 Sinlefs perfedlion not demanded of us ; 
 to ftrive after a continual increafe in good- 
 nefs, 31 — 34. Danger of making moral 
 comparifons in our own favour ; the true 
 ftandard of excellence, 35. NecefTity and 
 importance of moral exertion, 36, 37. The 
 power of fin ; how fubdued by the penitent, 
 38, 39. Cautions agajnft falfe judgments 
 on, or the fuperficial praclice of repentance, 
 40 — 43. Pure religion, 44 
 
 The do^rine of grace fcriptural, rational, and 
 
 f radical. 1 8 1 — 2 1 8 
 
 Grace ; its mode of operation and means of 
 obtaining, i — 17. Grace of the fanatics ; 
 their errors refuted, 18 — 26. Genuine fruits 
 of grace contrafled with the counterfeit, 
 27 — 29. Grace does not fuperfede moral 
 exertion ; or annihilate the freedom of the 
 will, 30 — 36. Not an exemption from mo- 
 , ral obligations, 37—40. The law and tlie 
 
( xlv ) 
 
 PAGES 
 
 gofpel compared, 41, 42. A ftate of grace 
 incompatible with a Jlate of fin, 43 — 45 ; 
 compatible with occafional offences, 46 — 48. 
 The difficulties of our trial ; pradlical re- 
 fle<Slions, 49 — 60 
 
 The prafl'ice of repentance plainly and affcc" 
 
 iionately recommended. 219 — 230 
 
 Self-deception ! 1,2, Repentance when ne- 
 ceffar}' ; practical remarks, 3 — 6. Late re- 
 pentance, 7 — 9 ; of the thief upon the crofs 
 no encouragement to finners, 10. Repent- 
 ance not fudden ; progrelTive ; arguments 
 againft deferring it, 11 — 17 
 
 Temptations ; hovu to comhaty and how to conciuer. 231 — 243 
 
 How temptations operate, i ; to be refifted by 
 realon and confcience, 2. Temptations not 
 irrefiftible, 3 — 5. Vigilance and precautions 
 againft temptations neceflary, 6, 7. Efficacy 
 of prayer, 8. We tempt ourfelves ; how ; 
 neceffity of reftraining the luxuriance of the 
 imagination ; importunity in prayer recom- 
 mended, g — 12 
 
 Caufcs of religious error and unbelief. 344 — 267 
 
 Caufes of religious error and unbelief, i. Our 
 Lord's cautions againfl intelleftual darknefs ; 
 benefits of a well regulated underftanding, 2. 
 Early acquifition of religious knowledge, 3. 
 Religious principles to be inftilled into chil- 
 dren ; cautions to be obferved ; force of reli- 
 
( xlv5 ) 
 
 PAGES 
 
 gious prejuflices, 4. Freefloin of religious 
 inquiry, cliecked by cowardice, 5 Religious 
 prejudices, pernicious diftinguiflied from ufe- 
 ful. 6. Natureof prejudices exemplified, 7, 8. 
 Prejudices of Chriflian fedls, 9. The fpirit 
 of perfecution not extinguillicd, ]o. Confi- 
 derations tending to al^ate intolerance, 11 — 6. 
 Supt-rftition defciibed, 17. Superflitions of 
 the Phanlees, of Chriftians, 18. 19. Some 
 caufcs hy which fnperllition is engendered, 
 rem. vks tending to couiUera(5l it, 20 — 22. 
 M^ual corruption a fiequent caufe of iufi- 
 dehty, 23 — Z5 
 
 Evils of dljftnjion. Temperate fuggeji'ions, Eccle- 
 Jlaflical union. The juji medium between indif- 
 ference and intolerance in particular diverjities 
 of opinion. 268 — 314, 
 
 Miferies of a contentious fpirit ; European wars ; 
 political diffeniions ; conciliatory remarks, 
 I — 7. Religious fadtions, contrafted with 
 political ; abfurdity of religious antipathy and 
 intolerance, 8. Agreement in the eflentials 
 of found dodlrine fhould prevent frivolous 
 difputes, 9. Eflential ai tides of belief con- 
 ne£\ed with pra6lical goodnefs , to be vigor- 
 oufly defended, lo. Unbelitt in the being 
 of a God, its pernicious e^'eds on the con- 
 du6l; an atheifl not an oijjct ot fyrapathy, 
 II. Fundamental I rinciple ot the Chriflian 
 religion ; no cordial ell -eio between a be- 
 liever and an unbelifv^r, 12. The ie<rard 
 due to the whole fpccies ot man j tlie ties^ 
 
( xlvn ) 
 
 which individuate and ftrengthen it, 13. 
 Particular attachments increafed by moral ap- 
 probation ; moral qualities a ground of pre- 
 ference, 14, 15. Communion in religious 
 tenets ftrengthens individual attachments, 16. 
 Particular differences of opinion which can 
 reafonably neither increafe nor diniinifh in- 
 dividual regard ; diniiniflied by tenets, which 
 caufe moral difapprobation, 17 — 19. Reli- 
 gious peace ; fin of Schifm, 20. Reafons, 
 which juftify fecefTion, not applicable to the 
 feceders from the church of England, 21. 
 Liturgy of the EngliHi church, eulogy on; 
 arguments for conformity, 22, 23. Multi- 
 plication of feilaries ; confideration tending 
 to eftablilh religious harmony, 24. Perfe- 
 cution reprobated, 25. Eflentials of pure 
 Chriftianity; the only reafonable grounds of 
 religious feparation, 26, 27. Peace not to 
 be preferved with any church authorifing 
 moral corruption, 28. The heft inrerefts of 
 religion and virtue promoted by the church 
 of England ; moderation and unanimity re- 
 commended, 29. Occafions in which a di- 
 verfity of opinions may juftify a diminution 
 of benevolent regard, 30,31. Men's prac- 
 tice in moft cafes conformable to their opi- 
 nions, 32. Force of public opinion, falutary 
 tendency of, 33 — 35. Self-approbation con- 
 nedled with the approbation of oth^'rs; con- 
 clufion, 36, 37 
 
( xlviii ) 
 
 PACJES 
 
 The genius of Chiijlian charity. 31^5 — 339 
 
 Chrift's royal law ; juftice and charity the fub- 
 ftance of true religion, i. 2. Charity more 
 inculcated in the gofpel than juflice ; charity 
 the greater virtue, 3, 4. Genuine charity, 
 genuine adoration, 5. Charity the bond of 
 perfeflnefs, 6 ; the perfe£lion of godlinefs, 7 ; 
 the perfe6lion of juftice, 8. Principle of 
 charity; its influence defcribed, 9, 10. Uni- 
 verfality of Chriftian charity, 11. Charitv 
 debafed by oft'entation, 12. Charity aflb- 
 ciated with a benevolent Jiate of the affec- 
 tions ; excludes perfonal animofity, 13. 
 Beneficence unavailing without forgivenefs 
 of injuries; the widow's mite, 14. Poverty 
 not exempted from the obligations of cha- 
 rity, 15. Aflive beneficence, to be exer- 
 cifed, where there is the capacity, 16. The 
 object of charity ; different meanings of the 
 jj^'ord neighbour under the Mofaic and Chrif- 
 tian difpenfations, 17. In the gofpcl ao in- 
 I vidious diftindlions national or perfonal ; dif- 
 tin6lions authorifed by Chriftian charity, 18^ 
 Prudent limitations of the principle of uni- 
 vcrfal philanthropy, ig. The refpecl:ive 
 claims of individuals to be confidered in the 
 diftributions of beneficence, 20. Univerfal 
 benevolence impofTible to be afled upon, 21. 
 Chriftianity does not enjoin promifcuous be- 
 nevolence, 22 ; allows religious prcfcrcncCy 
 %2 ; forbids indifference to the general good 
 qi mankind, 24. Particular attachment* 
 
( xlix ) 
 
 page: 
 
 confiftent with the unrellrained exercile of 
 the benevolent afFedtions, 25. Reciproca- 
 tions of pleafure and pain, power of in pro- 
 ducing and invigorating afFedlion, 26 ; in- 
 ftanced in maternal love, 27 ; in the affec- 
 tions between kindred ; wife provifion of 
 nature for the growth and expanfion of family 
 love ; the germ of the ibcial virtues, 28 — 31. 
 The benevolent principle invigorated and 
 matured by marriage, 32. Friendlhip pro- 
 motes benevolence ; benevolence friendfliip, 
 33. Happy effedls, individual and national, 
 promifed by the general dilFuiion of the bene- 
 volent afFedfions, 34 — 38. Wifdom of the 
 founder of Cliriflianity, in fo powerfully re- 
 commending the culture and enforcing the 
 praftice of benevolence, 39 
 
 Moral good the greatejt good ; cr the 7iature, teH' 
 dencies and effect •; of moral aflion, theologically 
 dcfcrlbed, philofoph'ually difcujpd, and prac- 
 tically enforced. 34C — 40C 
 
 Faculties of man, their right application, I ; 
 freedom of their operation, 2 ; laws to which 
 they ouglit to be conformed, 3 ; good clFeifls 
 of fuch conformity, 4. Connexion between 
 immoralitj^ and mifery, 5. Obedience to the 
 moral law produ£tive of happinefs, 6. Laws 
 of the flefh and the fpirit, 7. Animal excefs 
 moral depravation, 8 ; effeds of animal ex- 
 cels with and without confcioufnefs of moral 
 evil, 9—14; efFeds of individual ads of 
 good and evil, 15 ; importance .of the confw 
 
 d 
 
( 1 ) 
 
 deration, i6. Favour of God, means of 
 obtaining, 17. Will of God, extreme dan- 
 ger of deviating from, 18. Religious obe- 
 dience, occafional deflcftions from ; habitual ; 
 poJTibility oP the fmners return to righteouf- 
 ncfs ; difficulty of it, 19. Small tranfgref- 
 fions, neceffity of abflainiiig from, 20. In- 
 creafe in goodnefs an increafe in liappinefs ; 
 endlefs progreffion of, 21 — 23. The will of 
 God, the image of his perfedlions ; the mo- 
 ral law the efte6l of it ; moral improvement 
 depends on obeying it, 24, 25. PerfecElions 
 of God; imperfedlions of man ; duty of zeal 
 in moral improvement, 26, 27. Obedience 
 to the divine will our greateft good ; objec- 
 tion anfvvered, 28. Immutable difference 
 between moral good and evil, 29. Compa- 
 rifon between moral and fenfual pleafures, 30. 
 Moral good, an inflin6live propenfity to ; 
 natural approbation of, independant of afTo- 
 ciated circumftances, 31 — 33. Pleafures of 
 fin counteradled by moral diiratisfa6lion ; 
 benefit of conflancy in moral adlion, 34. 
 Chriftianity proves moral good the greateft 
 good ; future happinefs proportionate to the 
 meafure of our obedience, 35. Righteous 
 habits the aggregate efFecSt of particular afts 
 of righteoufnefs ; praflical application, 36 — 
 39. The recompence of the righteous rela- 
 tive to the degree of their righteoufnefs, af- 
 fedtionate exhortation, 40. Perfeilion of 
 the will of God contrafled with the imperfec- 
 tion of that of man, 41. Obedience to the 
 moral law not compulfory ; clofe connexion 
 
 7 
 
between virtue and happinefs here, indiflbla- 
 ble hereafter, 42, 43. Morality the perfec- 
 tion of natural and revealed religion, 44. 
 Imaginary model of moral excellence for'med 
 by reafon ; the real model exhibited by 
 Chriftianity, 45. Divine perfections incom- 
 prehenfible ; in the perfon of Chrlft reduced 
 to the level of our comprehenfion, 46, 47. 
 Perfeaion of Chrift's charafter, 48. Hif- 
 torical form of the Chriftian revelation, bene- 
 fit of ; unifon between the precepts and the 
 charafter, 49. Good efFedl of imitating a 
 virtuous chara6):er, efpecially of imitating 
 Chrift's ; his perfedlions imitable, 50,51. 
 Goodnefs of God, evidences of, in the natural 
 world, checqucred with apparent evil, 52. 
 The wife mixture of good and evil in the 
 world jufl: fuch as to excite the cheering ex- 
 pedlation of a happier life, i;^. A greater 
 portion of temporal good would increafe 
 worldly-mindednefs, 54. Chrift a corporeal 
 refemblance of the Divine Goodnefs ; imita- 
 tion of his charadler ; its tendency to make 
 us happy ; to conciliate the afFedlions of our 
 fellow-creatures, 55 — ^58. Chriftian morals, 
 tendency of to promote individual and gene- 
 ral good, 59, 60. Principle of gratitude ; its 
 operations; its produdlion favoured by the 
 Chriftian virtues, 61 — 64. Chriftian virtues, 
 their intimate connedtion with our future 
 happinefs ; goodnefs qualifies for admiflion 
 into the prefence of God ; the only recom- 
 mendation to his favour, 65 — 69 
 
 d 2 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 NOTES. 
 
 PAGE.^ 
 
 Fanatics among the Methodifts. Two divi- 
 fions of Methodifts. Methodifts in the church 
 of England ; duty of the unvitiated mini- 
 fters of the eftablifliment, 2, 3 
 
 Calvin plans and executes the deftrudtlon of 
 Servetus; judicious refleftion of Grotius. 
 Calvin juftities perfecution. Atrocious maxim 
 of the Calvinifts. The Jingular urbanity of 
 Calvin's ftyle ; he refolves to alter it ; and 
 does alter it, for the luorfe, ^ — 5 
 
 State of the foul fitting it for the infufion of 
 
 grace, 7—8 
 
 The caufe of falvation ; the conditions of, g 
 
 Obfcurity of St. Paul's epiftles noted by St. 
 Peter; caufes of that obfcurity briefly fug- 
 gefted; St. James endeavoux-s to correct the 
 miftakes which they had occafioncd. Dod- 
 well and Whitby remark St. Paul's allufions 
 to the heathen philofophy, 12 — 14 
 
 Sr. Paul wont to fpeak in the perfon of another, 14 
 
PAGES 
 
 Wide difFulion and rapid increafe of moral cor- 
 ruption, ex-tradts relative to, from Colquhoun, 17 — 15 
 The new morality ! Corruptions of the fanatics 
 and philofophifts compared. Cruehv and 
 lufl; charadierife fanatics antient and modern. 
 Confequences in the dark ages of prohibiting 
 matrimony to the Romilh clergy. The 
 Roniifh bifliops filled their coffers by grant- 
 ing licences to their clergy to keep concu- 
 bines ; fuch licences compulfory !! ! Great 
 want of chaflity in the monafteries and among 
 the Romifli prieilhood. Tender mercies of 
 fanaticifm ! Structure of the inquifitorial 
 prifons; the accumulated fufferings of the 
 prifoners ; the atrocities of the inquifitors ; 
 the place of torture ; the mode of torture ! ! ! 20 — 29 
 Machinations of the Methodifts, 30 
 Sunday fchools inflruments of evil in the hands 
 
 of the fanatics, 31 
 Jeremy Taylor quoted ; the doflrine of original 
 fui encourages perfonal depravity. Original 
 corruption not the doctrine of the church of 
 England. What conflitutes the church of 
 England. The dodtrine of the clergy the 
 tlo(Si;rine of the church. The right of pri- 
 vate judgment not taken away by fubfcrip- 
 tlon to the articles ; allowed by the articles 
 themfelves. Religious knowledge progref- 
 five. The clergy to exercife their reafon in 
 the iludy and explanation of the fcriptures. 
 Prejudices of the framers of the articles ; diffi- 
 culties they had to contend with ; the pru- 
 dence and moderation of their conduct. 
 Laws aboliflicd without being formally re- 
 ^1 3 
 
PAGES 
 
 ( liv ) 
 
 pealed; eftablirtied without being formally 
 ena6ted. General pra6lice. The greateft: 
 divines of the church of England have dire£l:ly 
 or indireflly oppofed the do£l:rine of the arti- 
 cles. Inference from their pra6lice and the 
 pradlice of the majority of the clergy. The 
 oath of fubfcription cannot always be taken 
 in the fenfe in which it Is adminiflered ; the 
 abfurdity of the contrary fuppofition. No 
 falfehood where no intention to deceive and 
 nobody deceived. The whole body of the 
 clergy can never agree in opinion on thirty- 
 nine complex proportions. Opinions of the 
 fame individual, liable to variations at different 
 periods of his life. Such variations impoffible 
 to be prevented. Opinions of a clergyman 
 may change without any change in his inte- 
 grity The real ufes and ends of an eftablifh- 
 ment ; not impaired by any latitude of con- 
 ftru£l;ion allowed in the oath of fubfcription. 
 The author's defign in thefe reflexions ; his 
 regard for the eftabliflied church, 32 — 42 
 
 Hiftory of the creation, tigurative expreffions 
 
 in. 56, 57 
 
 Whitby reprobates the do6trine of Imputed 
 
 righteoufnefs and unrighteoufnefs, 62, 63 
 
 Averfion to religious cant, proof of a genuine 
 
 regard for religion, 63 
 Extradls from Sir Matthew Hale and Bifliop 
 Butler on the moral conftitution of man. 
 Original fm declared by Jeremy Taylor con- 
 trary to the dodlrine of antiquity. Whitby 
 educated a Calvinifl, his opinion on the fub- 
 je£t. Mifs H. More commended and ceii- 
 
FACES 
 
 ( Iv ) 
 
 fured. Slanders on the fair fex by St. Auftin. 
 Vindication of the ladies by the author. St. 
 Jerom and Chryfoftom not friendly to wo- 
 mankind, 64 — 73 
 Hooker quoted ; fuppofed an advocate for ori- 
 ginal corruption ; his authority oppofed by 
 that of Jeremy Taylor. The latter repre- 
 fents the moral ftate of man improved by the 
 fall. Men made fuiners not by nature but 
 by habit, 88—9(5 
 Praftical influence of faith defeated by perverfe 
 
 notions on juftification, &c. 93, 94. 
 
 Evidence of Chriftianity fufficient for convic- 
 tion, 98, 99 
 Faith jujiifics, 101 
 Ceremonial and moral purity, 117 
 Popifli corruption the primary caufe of French 
 atheifm ; mifchievous efFedls attributed to 
 that atheifm ; favoured by the circumftances 
 of the revolution. Fanaticifm and atheifm 
 compared, 125 — 131 
 Extradt from Epifcopius hi favour of religious 
 
 toleration, 148 
 Senfelefs jargon of the fanatics, 150, 151 
 
 Pfalm li. 5. remarks on, by Jeremy Taylor ; 
 by John Taylor; by Grotius ; by Le Clerc; 
 Job xiv. 4. commented on by John Tavlor ; 
 the reading of the Septuagint, 1^3 — 
 
 Le Clerc on Prov. xxii. 6. i^g 
 Inflrudlions, what mofl: neceflary at the prefent 
 
 juncture, l8o 
 Cheerfulnefs an indication of goodnefs ; dejec- 
 tion of the Methodjfts ; their long graces, 196—198 
 
FACES 
 
 ( Ivi ) 
 
 Charafler of the fanatics in the time of Epif- 
 
 copius, 198, 199 
 
 Archbifhcp Newcome's tranflatlon of the new 
 
 covenant, aoi 
 Dr. S. Clarke's paraphrafe on Luke xxiii. 
 
 39—43, 225, 226 
 
 Extract from Jofephus on the fruits of Sodom, 237 
 Beliaviour of Jefus to the CanaanitiOi woman, 
 Matt. XV. 21 — 28. Efficacy of prayer fcrip- 
 turally and philofophically defcribed, 240 — 1243 
 
 Grotius and Rofenmuller on Luke xi, 35, 244 
 Koecher on Matt. vi. 22, 23, 245 
 Mifchievous tendency of cowardice, 248, 249 
 
 Obftinacy of prejudice defcribed by Degerando, 249, 25(5 
 ^'Tjo/f/owf prejudices commended ; cautions, 250 
 Some truly wife refleiStions of Grotius recom- 
 mended to the attention of Dr. Prieftley, 256 
 Moral corruption of the Jews the principal 
 
 caufe of their rejefting Jefus, 266, 267 
 
 Truth more often the fruit than the occafion of 
 
 the difputes of mankind, 270 
 Atheifts ; whence their zeal In making pro- 
 
 felytes, 278 
 Cicero's fentiments on the importance of reli- 
 gious impreffions. Locke defends intolerance 
 towards atheifts. Cafes, in which pernicious 
 opinions may be obje6ts of penal reftraint. 
 Two defcriptions of atheifts ; a remedy pro- 
 pofed, 279—282 
 Quotation from Dr. Parr's Spital fermon. 
 Slight differences of opinion between the 
 author and Dr. Parr. Dr. Parr's erudition, 
 &c. his flyle, 286, 287 
 
( Iv" ) 
 
 Ecclefiaftical divifions condemned by Clemens 
 
 Romanus ; charity extolled, 289, 290 
 
 Duty of governments to watch over the moral 
 culture of the people. Clofe coiine6tion be- 
 tween moral and phyfical good ; changes in the 
 moral aflbciated with analogous changes in 
 the natural world. Senfe of moral duty in- 
 vigorated bv religion. Different effedls of 
 penal law and religious perfuafion. Import- 
 ance of religious inftruction. Neceffitv of 
 an eftablifhed miniftry. Error of the French 
 legiflators. Beneficial alliance between church 
 and ftate ; an eftablifiied church favourable 
 to civil liberty, .292 — 299 
 
 Dr. S. Clarke's defcription of true religion. 
 Jeremy Taylor's definition of Chriflianity. 
 Cave's primitive Chriflianity, recommended 
 by the biftiop of Lichfield. A work entitled 
 " The Defign of Chrifiianity," 299, 300 
 
 Genuine piety, 303 
 
 Frivolous pretexts for religious feparation, 303, 304 
 
 Singular infiance of popifti impiety, 304 
 
 Danger to be apprehended from fanatics and 
 
 fanaticifm, 306, 307 
 
 Comparative evil of bad maxims and bad exam- 
 ples. ' Pernicious tendency of the new mora- 
 lity. Falfe theories of religion and morals to 
 be oppofed by reafon. The principles of 
 morals and the truth of religion cannot be 
 invalidated by difcuffion, ^oS 3T0 
 
 The ftate of public morals, means of afccr- 
 taining, 312 
 
 The moral lavsr the true bafis of civil policy, 342 
 
( Iviii ) 
 
 PAGES 
 
 Pradlical vvifclom taught by fenfation, 345, 346 
 
 Eternity of future punifhments ! 349, 350 
 
 Importance of religious impreflions made in 
 
 early life, 351 
 Moral perfedlioning of man, 355 
 Man progreliive in a future life, ■ 355 
 
 Moral improvement genuine fpiritual joy, 358, 359 
 
 Moral good happinefs ; moral evil mifery, 360 
 Natural relifli for virtue impaired by bad habit, 360, 361 
 Propenfity to behold fights of mifery ; opera- 
 tions of fympathy ; its beneficial tendency ; 
 ail'ive and pajfive habits, flriking difFerence 
 remarked in ; how the cruel charadter is 
 formed, 361 — 363 
 
 Argument againft innate corruption, 365 
 Habits of righteoufnefs relative to the time al- 
 lowed for the acquifition, 369 
 The charadler of Chrifi: the ftrongeft proof of 
 •the truth of ChrilVianity. Wakefield's evi- 
 dences of Chriflianity, 375> 37^ 
 The perfedions of the Godhead refident in 
 Jefus of Nazareth. Difficulty of the Trini- 
 tarian controverfy ; charity recommended, 376 
 TraHlcal more important than fpcculatlve theo- 
 logy, quoted from Epifcopius, 377 
 
 Pre-eminent excellence of the Chriftian theo- 
 t 
 
 logy, 378 
 Pain and mifery, why mingled in the conllitu- 
 
 tion of the world ; how a finite being is to 
 
 be made moil: happy, 384 — 386 
 
 The refurredlion of Chrill the moll convincing 
 
 proof of a future life, 387 
 The precepts of the gofpel philofophically juft, 389 
 
( li^-^ ) 
 
 PAGES 
 
 The love of God, the root of genuine benevo- 
 lence ; no true benevolence in an athcift ; 
 addrefs to Mr. Godwin ; fymptoms of his 
 converfion ; prayer for its confummation. 
 Mifs Seward of Lichheld, eulogy on, 390 — 392 
 
 Univerf.d propenfity to thankfulnefs on receiv- 
 ing favours, 395 » 39^ 
 
 Direct and indiredl a£tion of moral caufes, 397 
 
 The eflential conilituents of true pelitenefs re- 
 commended in the iermon on the mount, 398 
 
 Malevolence incompatible with the love of 
 
 God, 399, 400 
 
 Additions, 401 — 404 
 
 Notions of the Calvinifts on faith and juftifica- 
 tion, leading to the commHTion of the fouleft 
 crimes, 40 1 
 
 Profound reflections of Jeremy Taylor on the 
 
 dodtrine ofithe Holy Trinity, 401 — 404 
 
ERRATA. 
 
 Page 2, line 7, note, for Anti-Cal'vinifls read Anticalv'miji. P. 5, 1. ij, 
 note, after Ed. r. 1679. P. 5, I. 18, note, for lore>7i r. lonm. Ibid, for 
 Coronbertium r. Cornherrium. Ibid, for nebulori-m r. nebulor.em. P. 5, 1. 29, 
 note, for Wff r. wlVk, P. 6, I. 10. for cum que r. cumque. P. 6, I. 13, note, for 
 «beo r. aA rs. P. 14, I. 5, note, for crmcnte r. « mente. P. 21, I. 23, note, 
 for f'ppaiationt r. Jupp-.tatione. P. 21, 1. 30, note, for SEFELtERUNT r. 
 Sepeherunt. P. 22, 1.27, note, for tjLs t. talis. P. 23, I. 23, note, 
 for Juo T.fa. P. 23, 1. 4, note, for unaquaqua r. unaquaque. P. 23, I. 15, 
 note, {or pcrannos r. per atir.os. P. 24, i. 28, note, for retinendus -vt r. retinen- 
 duf-ve. P. 28, 1. 22, fjr utrumrue r. utramque. P. 35, I. 3, note, dele faliiblt. 
 P. 65, 1. I, for Jins r.Jin. P. 73, 1. 1 , dele i8, and confider the paragraph as 
 united with the preceding. P. 89, note, I have, unwittingly, conceded to 
 the advovjates for the doftrine of original Jin the high fan£lion of the 
 immortal Hooker; but, on a mo.e attentive perufal of the whole works 
 of this glorious defender of the Englirti proteftant eftablilhment, I am con- 
 vinced that he gave no more credit to the doftrine of hereditary guilt and" 
 imputed fin, than Jeremy Taylor of Down and Connor, the good and wife 
 churchman^ or than John Taylor of Norwich, the honeft and artlefs Pre/by- 
 terian. P. 147, 1. 13, for 40 r. 39. P. 149, 1. 3, for 41 r. 40. P. 155, 
 I. 6, note, for quitus r. qu'ibus. P. 174, 1. 8, dele 35 and confider the para- 
 graph as united with the preceding. P. 200, 1. I, note, for fpiiit r. jpirits. 
 P. 273, 1. I, for the r. they. P. 295, 1. 17, note, dele united. P. 255, 1. 10, 
 note, for a negative not a pojitiw quantity r. negatively not pojiiively, P. 303, 
 !• 12, for of the r. or the. 
 
RELIGION WITHOUT CANT, 
 
 The Fanatics mmajked^jome of their mifchieotus tenets 
 
 I 
 
 examined y illujlrated, and refuted; with various frac* 
 tical oh/ervations. 
 
 t. What our Lord faid of the falfe teachers of his 
 time, " by their fruits ye fhall know them" may, with 
 great propriety, be recommended as a teft, by which 
 to difcover the falfe teachers of the prefent age; who, 
 without any capacity to inftrudl, or any authority to 
 preach, are ruftiing into the Chriltian church, fubfti- 
 tuting the combinations of fraud for the truths of in- 
 fpiration, or making the abfurdities of fancy the bafis 
 of religion. 
 
 2. " By their fruits ye (hall know them.*' We 
 need no other teft by which to prove the falfchood 
 of thofe dark and complex, thofe fanciful and bewil- 
 dering doftrines, which the brawling votaries ofFa- 
 
 B 
 
{ 4 ) 
 
 haticlfm * are fpreading abroad, Inftead of the plain 
 and reafonable religion of the gofpel. The malignity 
 
 * Where. I ufe the word Fanatic and Fanaticifm, the reader 
 may, if he pleafes, in mojl places, fubftitute the words Methodift 
 and Methodihn. Fanatics are very numerous among that 
 mafs of people, who are called Methodifts, and who are di- 
 vided into two great fnftions, denominated, — the CalvinilHc 
 and the Arminian Methodifts; but who differ, as I have inti- 
 mated in the preface to the Anti-Calvinifts, little in the nature 
 of their do6trine, and nothing in the ml/c/iief of its tendency. 
 Both are furious fuppcrters of the deftruftive dodrine of innate 
 and hereditary depravity. — But in the firidt fenfe of the word, 
 ail Fanatics are not Mcthodifis; nor are a}l Methotlifis Fariatics ; 
 and, for this reafon, I have ufed, in the following pages, a 
 term of a larger lignification than the term Methodifts or Me- 
 thodlfm, and not circunifcribed within the pale of any par- 
 ticular feet of Chriftians. Moft of the pernicious tenets, how- 
 ever, which I have expofed and refuted in this work, if they 
 he not exclufmcly profeffed by the Methodifts, are yet more 
 generally embraced, and more ftrenuoufly defended by them, 
 than by any other Chiiftians in this country. — Perhaps I 
 might add, that there arfe many Methodifts in the church as 
 well as out of it. Thofe clergymen, who aftijme the I'plendid 
 title of Evangelical preachers, are, for the moft patt, Me- 
 thodifls,in the prefent acceptation of that word; and are united 
 in an ofTenfive and defenfive league with the ftationary and 
 the itinerant champions of Methodifm ; preaching the fame 
 do6trine, and employing both art and indii/hy to establish t/ie 
 faine impoflure. — Let the fober and ferious part of the Clergy, 
 who hold faith in a good confcience, who are friends to ge- 
 nuine and reafonable Chriftianity, exert all their diligence, and 
 all their zeal, to defeat the machinations, and to fruftrate thc 
 attempts of thefe Anti-Chriftian teachers. Let them endea- 
 vwiFto baniflv the deflroying Demon of Fanaticifm from the 
 
( 3 ) 
 
 t)f I^anaticifm, in order to be detefted, and when de- 
 tefted, to be abhorrred, requires only to be obferved 
 in its efFedls on the conduft of thofe, in whofe hearts 
 its baleful genius has fixed its dwelling, annulling the 
 fan6lity of their promlfes, imparting a fpirit of extor- 
 tion to their dealings, and fpreadlng the canker of 
 covetoufnefs over their affedions; for it feems as 
 irapoffible to gather figs on thiftles, or grapes on 
 thorns, as it is to find the obligations of truth, juftice, 
 and charity, refpe6led by thofe, whofe do6lrine, wbkb 
 is diametrically o-pfofite to the belief of their necessity, 
 neceflarily and uniformly relaxes their hold on the 
 confcience, and deftroys their influence on the life. 
 
 3. When the great moral duties, the weighty 
 matters of the law, which our Lord fo forcibly incul- 
 cated, and fo uniformly praclifcd, are affirmed not 
 to belong to the covenant of falvation, and when the 
 oppofite tranfgreffions are maintained to be the in- 
 herent propenfities of our nature, fuch doflrines 
 muft, unavoidably, caufe vice to flourifb, and virtue 
 to decay. — When iniquity is openly defended under 
 the banner of religion, and the fandions of heaven aro 
 forged to abet the lufl:s of fin, who can wonder that 
 the everlafting principles of truth, and juftice, and 
 mercy, are delpifed ? 
 
 bofotn of the Church of England; and purfue it with the 
 unrelenting warfare, not of artillery, but of argument, to tho 
 very ends of the earth. 
 
 B a 
 
( 4 ) 
 
 4- Religion affords the only folid bafis on which 
 to raife a fuperftrudture of pradlical goodnefs; but 
 the Fanatics make even religion itfelf the foun- 
 dation of unrighteoufnefs. They fubftitute what 
 they call faidi and grace; of which they entertain 
 the mod ftrange, confufcd, and unfcriptural notions, 
 for the fanftity of moral obligation. They do not 
 confider grace as a help to goodnefs j but a certain 
 -invifible fomething, which fuperfedes its neceflity. 
 It is rapturous fcnfation, not fober reafon, which efta- 
 blifhes their faith. They do not reprefent their con- 
 verfion as fpringing from the conviction of the mind, 
 and the perfuafion of the heart, working a flow and 
 gradual change in the flate of their affeftions, and in 
 the habits of their conduftj — they rather imagine it, 
 like the converfion of St. Paul, miraculous, fudden, 
 and inftantaneous. 'They pretend to know the very 
 hour when it took place j and thofe among them 
 who have not yet experienced this magic operadon 
 on their nerves, are continually waiting for its arri- 
 val] till impatient expedlation, working on the fancy, 
 and fermendng in the brain, at laft, in fome more 
 aufpicious hour, produces a thrill in their feelings * 
 
 * Calvin, no doubt, felt the fame rapturous vibrations at 
 his heart, when he fent Servelus to the ftake. The great ?iu- 
 mariity which the fiery zealot difplayed on that occafion, may 
 be learned from the following extrad from Grotius. " Cal- 
 vinus, qui antoquam Servetus (is autem ipfius judicium fitpev 
 fcriptis luis expetiverat) veniret Genevam, fcripfit (exfiat ipfius 
 lutetiK manus) ad Farellum fquid fun valcrtt auflor'uas, 
 
( 5 ) 
 
 more delicious or more violent than ufual, which 
 they afcribe to the agency, or mifbake for the defcent 
 
 ejfcilurum ?ie i>!tus ab'iret. Stetit pollicitisj nam eoquo fi*o 
 accufatore fuhmyjo ;de quo ipfe in epiftolis edttis fe ja6tat) qua 
 erat au^loritate facile effecit ut i>ivus ureretur Scrveius, exemplo 
 I'aldc periculofo et facile in llios aiidtores recafuro." On this 
 bloody tragedy Grotins nnakfs the following very judicious 
 remarks. At de Trinitate non per omnia bene fenfit Ser- 
 vetus : fieri poteftj fac'ilis cnlm lapfus in rebus adeb fupra hu- 
 manum captum pifitis At Ser-veii e.: riflor an ifio in argumento 
 fatisfecit omnibus ? Nihil iTiinus. Sorlonici plures herettcarum 
 opinionum, hutherani frope omnes Arianifmi cum accujant. JJrtn- 
 dus ergo fuit, Ji in judices incidijfet, apud quos tanta erat Sorbo- 
 nicorum out Lutheranoru>n, qiiaiHa ipjlus erat apud Allobroges 
 au£lortias. Grot. op. Ed. Tom. iii, p. 503. 
 
 Calvin not only felt no rcmorfe on this occafion, but affert- 
 ed, Non mode liberum cjje magijlratibus pmnas fumere de coelef- 
 tis doHrina: corruptoribus, fed, quod illis liccrc riolunt i>nperiti, 
 DiviNiTus ESSE MANDATUM. Grot. ToHi. iii, p. 655. No 
 doubt Calvin was vifiled with what his modern followers 
 would term an experience of Grace, -when he deliberated on the 
 murder, nhen hte fuborncd the accufcr, and fetfirc to the faggots 
 Lt was a maxim with the Calvinifts in the lime of Grotius, 
 and which they, no doubt, bequeathed to their pious defcend- 
 ants, that " nan aufer're Jlatum gratite adulteriit et homicidia." 
 
 Calvin was as celebrated for the urbanity of his fyle, and the 
 gentleriefs of his rebuke, at leaf, as much as he ivas fir the tender- 
 ncfs of his heart, and the purity of his conduit. For inftance, 
 when Caftellio oppofed his notions of predeftination, " nebii- 
 loretn et Satanam vocat ; Coronhertium et nebnlorem et ca- 
 rem; Scriptorem de officio pit viri in hoc religiowis diflidio, 
 qui erat Cafiander, ipfi autem putabatur ell'c Balduinus, ap- 
 pellat frontis ferrcae hominem, pietatis expertf:m, profiinum, 
 itnpudentem, impoflorem, aVr'Sty^v {^fne naturali af'ulu) p«- 
 
 B3 
 
( 6 ) 
 
 of the Holy Ghofl. When they have once (e'.i . . 
 tranfporting glow of devotional lunacy, or, as they 
 may term it, " experience of grace, " they fancy them- 
 felves new creatures, purged from the lees of the old 
 Adam J and delivered from the manacles of the flefh. 
 They then; for the moft parr, think their falvation 
 fure. The change," lay they," " has taken place j 
 and 7irJ0 liiht dawns on the darkncfs of our hearts." 
 
 5. Thefedelufionsof the Fanatics produce, as might 
 be expefled, an extreme careleffnefs about the mo- 
 
 tnlantiae deditum. Ei fcripto cum fe oppofuiflet BaWuinu?, 
 vocat eum hcminem nihili, obfcKnum canem, improbum fa!- 
 laiium, raulta fcelelte ac nequiter cogltantem, et confpirantera 
 cum improbis nebulonibus, cynicurn, fcurrara, perfiduni, 
 fatuutn, belluina rabie, Sacanae addictum. Caflaudrum dibdSr) 
 (jih't flaceniem) morofuru, lamism, larvam^ ferpentem, peftera, 
 carnificem." Grot, op Toin. iii, p. 655. Grotius contiuue's, 
 " banc maledicendi libidinem Calvinus in epiftola ad Bu- 
 cerum v.a.r, £v^ru:T[j.ov ffa- anvUitvmcmJ impatientiam vocat: 
 cum que ea magnam fibi ait efle lu6tam: et nonnihil fe pro- 
 ficere, fed nondum id cor.fecutum ut belluam domuerit." — 
 On this penitent confelEon of the fanguinary bigot, Grotius 
 makes this flirewd remark : " Si quis poft id abeo fcripta 
 leget, inveniet eum \ixciitVL^c fed in fejiis: adeo ei illud place- 
 bat. Quod NGN volo, facio." This, *' quod mn -volo, facto ^' 
 is a favourite fentiment in the mouth of his admirers of the 
 prefenl century; and I leave the reader to imagine to ivhat 
 furfofes it is co7»monJy atfUed. — I fliall conclude this note in 
 the words of Grotius: " Hascnon adfero quod mihicum mor- 
 tuis libeat lu6tari, fed, eviA video ita PLEKUMauE evenike, 
 UT auisauE mores imitetvr ejus, quem SIBI SUMS.1T 
 MAGisTKUM. Grot. op. ToHi. iii, p. 656. 
 
( 7 ) 
 
 rallty of their conduft; a contemptuous negle^l of 
 the pradlical duties of religion. Making holinefs to 
 confifc more in turbulence of fenfation than in redli- 
 tude of aflion; and meafuring the will of God by the 
 falfe and varying ftandard of their feelings: it is no 
 wonder that they think themfelves privileged from 
 the obfervance of truth, ofjuftice, and all the endear- 
 ing charities of life, 
 
 6. The grace of the Fanatics,* to which they 
 afcribe fuch marvellous efFecfls, operates on the fen- 
 timents, without the concurring agency of the reafon, 
 and changes the character without the confent of the 
 will. " With them, grace invalidates the ufe of reli- 
 gious inquiry, and fuperfedes the neccflity of moral 
 exertion. — Who can calculate the mifchief of fuch 
 opinions ? 
 
 7. By the new covenant of fclvation, and, pro- 
 bably, according to fixed and general laws, to which 
 the divine will may have made the fpiritual helps, 
 promifed in that covenant, fubfervient, good endea- 
 vours f, on the part of man, feem the conditions to 
 
 * The dodrine of grace is only flightly touched on here; 
 the reader will find it more fully difcufled in that part of this 
 work which is entitled. The Do6trine of Grace. 
 
 f In the parable of the fower we read tliat none of the feed 
 brought forth fruit but that which was fosvn in good ground. 
 
 B 4 
 
( 8 ) 
 
 which grace is appended on the part of Gcx], They 
 appear introdudtory to its infufion, and the medium 
 of its agency. Good endeavours are -aiTjciatcd with 
 the free gift of grace; and grace increafes their 
 ftrength, and faciUtates their execution. Wherever 
 there is an earneft ftriving after moral righteoufnefs, 
 a thirft of che affections, and a labour of the will to 
 perform the law that is impreffed on the confcience, 
 and infcribed on the heart (as in the cafe of Corne- 
 liuSj whofe prayers and alms had gone up as a me- 
 morial before God), the grace or favour of God is, 
 ihed upon the foul. 
 
 ~" t. Grace is not only a blefTing on the aflual exer- 
 tions of man to do the will of God, but a power giVen 
 us to do it more effeftually. When grace Is thus 
 u/edf it produces more grace ; and the right and rea- 
 fonablc application of the increafed and increafing 
 portions of grace, which the righteous receive, gra- 
 
 Goofl feed is no more fruitful than bad, unlefs there be, at the 
 fame time, goodnefs in the ground in which it is fown ; and 
 the better the foil, the more prolific the feed, and the more 
 abundant the harved. Grace is never operative and fruitful 
 fa anjf bui a good mid hrmefl heart. The foil of the heart mufl: 
 be prepared to receive it: and what preparation of the heart 
 does God require, as fitting the individual for the infufion of 
 bis favour, but the love of truth, of juftice, and of mercy; 
 and honeft endeavours, according to the utmoft of our natural 
 ability, to praflice the duties of truth, of juftice, and of mercy ? 
 
( 9 ) 
 
 dually promotes the growth, and matures the ftrength 
 of thofe habits of holinefs which lead to immortality. 
 
 9. If fenfaiion, according to the fanciful hypothefis 
 of the Fanatics, were the only channel through which 
 the communications of grace were m.ade to flow, and 
 to which its experience were confined; then it would 
 be rather a pleafure to be enjoyed, than a power to be 
 cxercifed ; it would rather be an appeal to our animal, 
 than our rational nature ; rather an agreeable impulfc 
 on the flefh, than a purifying afpiration on the foul. 
 But if moral goodnefs be the covenanted condition 
 to which grace belongs, not of right-, but hy the mercy 
 cf God*y and if an increafed defire of improving in 
 righteoufnefs, and an increafed adivity in doing the 
 will of God, be the only true fcriptural teft of its pof- 
 feffion, then grace muft, certainly, be net fo much 
 an ecftafy to ravifli, as a talent to employ; and it 
 appears, from various intimations in fcripture, and 
 from many analogies in the natural world, that grace 
 inuft be ufed if we wifh it to be increafed; and that 
 it will not be increafed if it be not ufed. 
 
 10. The more continually we labour to do good, 
 the greater averfion we lhall feel to do evil. — Many 
 
 * In the Chriftian covenant the cauft- of our falvation is the 
 Jove and mercy of God; and the curicVuions are our obedience io 
 hh larws.Jincerc, thougJi imjierfccl ; our honeji, though iveak, en- 
 Jeavours 3 our u^r'ighl, though, Jimtethnes, not ftnkfs lives. 
 
( ) 
 
 a penitent, of whofe return to rlghteoufnefs there has 
 been the happieft promife and the faireft hope, has 
 relapfed into fin, from indulging a falje confidence^ and 
 fuppofing that becaufe he had recovered from the 
 paft, he was fafe for the future. When a man's vigi- 
 lance againft temptation relaxes, he is almoft fure 
 of falling into a fnare. — It is dangerous to rely entirely 
 on our own ftrength. He, who does it, thinks the 
 help of God fuperfluousi and the temerity of this 
 vain imagination caufes that help not to be had, when 
 it is wanted; and not to be found, when it is fought. 
 Man muft, indeed, ftrenuoufly exert, and feduloufiy 
 ftrengthen his fenfe of right and wrong; he muft op- 
 pofe his natural power to do good to his wayward 
 inclinations to do evil, before God will afCft him 
 with fuccour from above. But he, who labours to 
 do good, ought always to remember with humility, 
 that he will labour in vain without divine co-opera- 
 tion. He fliould work ; but he Ihould work without 
 pride ; and ftrive without prefumption. He fhould 
 be animated with zeal, but his zeal fliould be temper- 
 ed with caution ; and he (houid be refolute, but his 
 refolution ftiould be moderated by a godly fear. Let 
 us never be unmindful of him who dwelleth on high ; 
 and without whofe favour all our thoughts are but as 
 air, and all our exertions only vanity. As we are to- 
 tally dependant, every moment of our lives, on the 
 will of him who made us, it is our duty in all that we 
 do, in all that we plan, or all that we attempt, to im- 
 plore him to vi^ork together with us, and to direfl 
 
( >' ) 
 
 ^yr- fteps in that way In which It Is bed for us 
 
 II. The growth of holinefs Into a habit, or into 
 a fettled, imdeviating difpoficion to beneficence, is 
 not the effcd of fome momentary glow of devotion, 
 c r of fame tranfient longing after Godi — it is, and 
 <rk of time j and thofe who know thcm- 
 feives, aad thofe who have fearched into the hearts, 
 and iui'veyed the c;. ndi. il of others, know that many 
 relapfcs and convaieicences, many deliverances from 
 fin, and many returns to unrighteoufnefs, ufually 
 happ: : before the good leed of the word is tho- 
 roughly rooted m the heart, and made fruitful in the 
 lif'. Salvation in the way in which 1 confider the 
 nai-.:re of the covenant to which it is attached, is a 
 work of more difficulty and danger than is con:monly 
 imagined J bacaufe it depends, condidonally, on the 
 habits of goodnefs which we form in this mortal lifej 
 and which, amid the temptations by which vv'c are 
 furrounded, and to whofe influence we are almoft 
 every hour expofed, feem difficult to acquire ; and 
 more eafy to lofe than to retain. — But if thofe no- 
 tions which the Fanatics propagate, be genuine 
 truths inftead of vain delufions, then the idle may 
 obtain admiffion into heaven, and the crown of glory 
 may be worn by the worthlefs, who can breathe the 
 ftream of felf-love upon their nerves, till they feem 
 to thrill with joys which feraphs feel. 
 
 1 2. To the fcoffer it may be amufing, but to the 
 
genuine Chriftian it mud be afflifling to obferve, how 
 the Fanatics garble the gofpel to promote their own 
 interefted ends. Whatever may be the meafure of 
 their underftanding, they certainly do not want in- 
 genuity in perverting the fcriptures to fupport their 
 prejudices, and in making diem utter a found in tune 
 with their whims. 'Neglefling thofe parrs of the cove- 
 nant of falvation, on which no clouds and darknefs 
 reft, they pay an almoft excliifive attention to the 
 moft obfcure and myfterious pafTages in the epiftles 
 of St. Paul. ' By the help of what they call inward 
 light, which thty think communicated exclufively to 
 their own fefc, they deem themfelves qualified to 
 interpret the abllrufeft dodrlnes without thofe aids 
 of erudition which more fober people think necef- 
 fary for the purpofe. The inward light of the Fa- 
 natics enables them to dive into the profoundeft 
 depths of theology, and to unfold its darkeft myf- 
 teries: — As in the writings of the Evangelifts, they 
 meet with truths, little congenial to their unhallowed 
 fpeculations, — truths eafy to be underftood, and con- 
 fequently difficult to be perverted; they cull moft of 
 the hard fayings, with which they puzzle the ig- 
 norant, and entrap the unwary, from the epiftles of 
 the apoftle to the Gennles. 
 
 13. Abufing the writings of St. Paul*, as fome 
 
 * Ka5wf y.xi 0 dya-jrrircc ijawv dhxifo; Us.vXo; xararijv a'jtuj 
 
( u ) 
 
 unlearned and unfteady perfons feem to have done 
 in the apoftolic age, they wreft them to their own 
 
 XaAwy £■/ xvtai; ■mEoI rif'^v, £v aT^ srti Svcrvorjtx Tiva, S. it a,[^d' 
 
 iUxv avT'Siy dTfc/jKstcc-/. 2 Ep. Pet. iii. ]5, 1 6. — In this pairage, 
 I know that the majority of editors and commentators read, 
 iv oTf, inflead of ev ccl;; but fuppofing sv oli to be the true 
 reading, which is by no means certain, then ol; muft refer to 
 rarwv; and the meaning will be, that, in the epiftles of Paul, 
 there are many*topics difcufled which are difficult to be un- 
 derftood; and which had been fatally perverted by fome, who 
 wanted knowledge, and by others, who wanted principle. — 
 Whether St. Peter allude to the obfcurity of the manner, or 
 to the obfcurity of the matter, is not very necefiary to in- 
 quire; but at prefent, it is certain, that many paffages in the 
 writings of St. Paul do contain rex. '/jTvWfta., both on account 
 of the obfcurity of the ftylc, and the obfcurity of the fubje6t. 
 The ftyle is tinttured with Rabbinical idioms} and the matter, 
 perhaps, in fome degree, wth the Rabbinical philofopby, 
 St Paul was brought up at the feet of Gamaliel; and, before 
 his converfion, he had made a great progrefs in the learn- 
 ing of the Jews.— To the fagacious, I need not repeat an 
 old obfervation, " JcrvaUt odorem Tejla dlu^' &c. Thofe who 
 know human nature, will immediately perceive the julinefs 
 of the remark J and I fiiall not wafte my time in endeavour- 
 ing to make it fatisfa6tory to thofe who do not. St. James, 
 in his epiftle, 11, 14, 26, evidently intended to combat, and 
 to countera6l fome of thofe erroneous and rfilfchievous notions 
 on the nature and efficacy of faith which begun to prevail 
 in his time, and which feem to have originated in the inno- 
 cent mifiake, or the wilful perverfion of the do6trine itfelf, 
 as it is laid down in the epifile to the Romans. In the pre- 
 face to his Five Points, Whitby refers to the learned Dodwell 
 
( 14 ) 
 
 defiTa6lion; deducing from them doctrines which 
 rhey do not countenance and encouraging themfclves 
 in iniquity, on the prefumed fanftion of their autho- 
 rity *. 
 
 14. If fotne things in the epiflles of St. Paul were 
 hard to be underftood in the age in which they were 
 written, as St. Peter himfelf confefles, they mufl: cer- 
 tainly be more obfcure after the lapfe of fo many 
 centuries, than they were in that period when the 
 fafls, to which they alluded, were recent i when 
 the diflenfions which they were intended to pacify, 
 the hcrefies they were to combat, and the fophifms 
 they were to refute, were matters of public notoriety, 
 
 {Proleg. ad I. Stearn de obftin. ^ 41) as faying, " that St. Paul 
 being bred a Pharifee, fpake there (in the gth chapter to the 
 Romans), and is to be interpreted, ermente Pharifaeorum, 
 according to the do£lnne of the Pharijees conccrmng fate, nxihich 
 tliey had borroivedfrom the Stoicks." On Rom. viii. 2. Whitby 
 lays, " Here the apoftle feems to fpeak according to the phi- 
 lofophy of the heathens, with which the Jews began to be 
 acquainted, that man was not to be denominated from his 
 body, or his feufual and carnal part, but from his mind, his 
 M»S or AoyiHT) havoia, which, in Philos' phrafe, is 0 sv SKCsio 
 ■ijjj.uiv 9^w7fos, the man luithin us.'' 
 
 * It is well known that St. Paul is very wont, ^sfa.<r'/Y,iutiit" 
 ^fiv, to fpeak in the perfon of another, whofe chara6ler he af- 
 lumes, and whofe fentiments he utters; as Rom. iii. 7> and 
 particulajly in Rom. vii. 14 — 25, and other places, luhich are 
 ahvm/s fervcrted by the Fanatics, 
 
 I 
 
( 'J ) 
 
 ahd topics of common converfation. — But the fta- 
 tioitary preachers, and the itinerant heralds of Fanari- 
 cifm, fome of whom can hardly read a fentence in 
 Englilh, and the majority of whom are ignorant of 
 the learned languages, think themfelves qualified, by 
 the excefs of nheir inward light, to make clear what 
 St. Peter pronounced dark, and to unravel what he 
 thought intricate ; and they pafs decrees as pcrem- 
 tory as the determinations of a Papal bull on points 
 of faith and doftrine, on which others, who are not 
 favoured with the fame miraculous penetration, think 
 with doubt, and talk with diffidence. 
 
 15. Where the gofpel is moft plain and moft for- 
 cibly practical, the Fanatics perplex it with fubtilties, 
 or make its energy of none efFeft by their interpola- 
 tions. In their devotions they pay much lefs ho- 
 mage to the Father than to the Son; and, indeed, 
 they often addrefs their petitions to the one, without 
 any reference to the other. They make the one 
 character ized by the inflexible Jeverity ofjujiice; and 
 to the other they aflign, exclufivcly, the winning at- 
 tribute of mercy. To the Lord's prayer they allow 
 little authority; — they either pafs it over in fullen 
 filence, or they repeat it v/ith unauthorized additions. 
 
 16. In their inftrudions, the paflors ofFanaticifm 
 labour more earneftly and more effedually to de- 
 f)refs the fpirits, and to bewilder the minds of their 
 audience, by the ravings of myfticifm, than to im- 
 
(16) 
 
 prefs them with thofe truths which, by coming hotnc 
 to their interefts and bofoms, may fave their fouls. 
 With fcrupulous- care they orerlook, or with con- 
 temptuous fcorn;they- dieride thofe paflages in the 
 fcriptures which are as, .clear as they are ufefulj and 
 which relate to thofe duties, of which the pradicc 
 will be neceiTary as long as the world endures. 
 Though they pay fo great a deference, and fo exclu- 
 fivc a regard to the authority .of St. Paul, theyliftcn 
 with- iijtje fatisfadion, even, to the teaching of their 
 favourite apoftle, when he extols charity above faith; 
 when he declares love to be the bond of perfedtnefs, 
 and the end of the commandment j when he exhorts 
 Chriftians to be ready unto every good work, and 
 denying ungodlinejs and worldly lujis, to live Joherlyt 
 righteoujly, and godly in this prefent world. 
 
 . /J 7. That moral corruption has experienced a 
 great and unparalleled increafe of late years is what 
 no obferving man can deny, and what every good 
 one muft deplore. Within the period of the laft 
 thirty years, the once frefli, and healthy, and vigorous 
 morality of Englifhmen has withered away; and the 
 principles of the people have undergone a rapid ' 
 and fatal deterioration. Almoft every tender feel- 
 ing is chilled ; and almod every generous fentiment 
 has decayed. The fandity of truth and honefty 
 fcem almoft effaced from the confcience of the peo- 
 ple ; and I have ftr ong reafons for believing that my 
 calculation is not exaggerated, when I fay, that the 
 
( 17 ) 
 
 pra6llce of thofe virtues, and the reverence for their 
 immutable obligations are, at lead, ten times lefs now 
 than they were about half a century ago *. 
 
 * The following extrafis from a book which prefents many 
 (diirious, but affli<5tirig details of the dying virtue of the peo- 
 ple, may afford feme faint idea of the prefelit flate of Etiglifti 
 morals. The fads themfelves are, for the moft part, confined 
 to the metropolis; but they will exhibit fome data, by which 
 we may form no very imperfeft guefs of the general morality 
 of the country. The moral or immoral chardtler of the people, 
 who arf placed more within the vicinity of the feat of govern- 
 ment, exhibits an innpcrfeft likenefs of the popular manners in 
 places more remote. For in the prefent ftate of luxurious civil- 
 ization, when the communication between the metropolis and 
 the diftant provinces of the empire is fo expeditious aad fo 
 frequent, corruption foon fpreads from the centre to the ex- 
 tremities; and the villages become infefted with the abomina- 
 tions of the capital. 
 
 " The number of the receivers of Jlolen goods in the metropolis 
 
 ahne HAS INCttEASEO WltHIN THE LAST TWENTY YEARS 
 
 PROM 300 TO 3000."— Cblquhourt on the Police of the Me- 
 tropolis, ed. 6th, p. 12. 
 
 " Scarcely a waggon leavfes London, which does not carry 
 boxes and paroles of bafe coin into the country; particularly 
 t the fea-ports, camps, &c. — In the feveral public houfes, 
 hawkers, pedlars, gamblers, Jews, Src. &c. are regularly fup- 
 plied with counterfeit money at an advantage of near 100 per 
 cent, in their favour." p. J 6. 
 
 There are in the metropolis and country at leaft 120 
 principal dealers in, and colliers of, bafe money, befides nume- 
 rous uttcrers; of whom more than 050 perfons have either 
 been profecuted or convided, within the laft 7 years." p. igi. 
 
 " In the courfe of 7 years, not lefs than 4262 perfons who 
 
 c 
 
( ,8 ) 
 
 1 8. Not many years have elapfed fince the inha- 
 bitants of moft of our villages might go to fleep, in 
 
 had been put upon their trial by the grand jury, were let loofe 
 upon the public by acquittals." p. 21. 
 
 " The drivers of gentlenrien's carriages are generally entruft* 
 pd to buy hay, ftraw, corn, &c. for their horfes; and they 
 tifually cheat their mailers of 5s. in every load of hay j of 
 2s. 6d. in each load of ftraw j and Is. in every quarter of corn," 
 ' — Middleton quoted by Colquhoun. 
 
 " It has been eftimated that 20,000 buftiels of ears of wheat, 
 and other grain, are carried off every Sunday morning, in the 
 neighbourhood of London, and 10,000 more during the other 
 fix days of the week, or one million and a half in a year j 
 which, valued at only 6d. each, would anaount to ^.37,500." 
 — Middleton, ut fup. 
 
 Mr. Middleton calculates that the depredations committed 
 on the landed intereft, amount to 4s. per acre per annum; or 
 eight millions fterling. 
 
 " The principal gaming houfes, at the weft end of the town, 
 have flated days on which they have luxurious dinners (parti- 
 cularly Sundays), when merchants' and bankers' clerks, and 
 other perfons, intrufled with money, are invited. The ex- 
 pences, attendant on fuch houfes, were fuppofed to amount to 
 jf. 150,000 annually." p. 140. 
 
 " The gambling and lottery tranfaftions of one individual 
 in the metropolis, are faid to be productive of, from 10 to 15 
 fuicides annually ! ! 1 " p. 325. 
 
 " The aggregate fums loft and won at the different gaming 
 houfes in the metropolis, in the courfe of a year, are fuppofed 
 to amount to 7,225,000." p. 143. 
 
 " The amount of fraudulent infurances in the lottery are 
 calculated at ^.I0,460,00O.'' 
 
 Such a hiftory of accumulated and rapidly accumulating 
 depravity, as Mr. Colquhoun's excellent work exhibits, is well 
 
( ^9 ) 
 
 pcrfeft fccurity, with their windows open, or their 
 doors unbarred, without any danger ofmoleftation, or 
 the hazard of a fingle depredation. At that time, 
 juftice and truth were more revered. An oath was 
 held inviolate; the rTieaneft mechanic, and the poor- 
 eft day labourer v/ere impreiTtd with an a^jofiil Jenje 
 of its importance: it was deemed an appeal to God; 
 and too facrcd to be trifled with; but at prefent, falfe- 
 hood is little more heeded, than if trutii were only a 
 pufF of air. 
 
 I o. The moral principles of the people have re- 
 reived a terrible fliock; they have, indeed, almoft 
 undergone a total revolution in favour of vice. The 
 great increafe of luxury, and the great prefllire of 
 taxation, a great luft of fplendour on the one hand, 
 and a great diminution in the means of lijbfiftence 
 on the other, have certainly confpired to pour a rank 
 pollution into the national manners; and to fpread 
 the gangrene of guik over the whole heart of the 
 community. But, among the other a^ive and •power' 
 ful caufeSy a caufe whofe influence is vaft and con- 
 ftantly increafing, is the wide diffufion of the deleterious 
 
 fitted to excite the reflexions of the contemplative, the forrow 
 of the good, and the difmay of the provident. The genuine 
 religious principle, which was once fo operative, which once fo 
 poweifuUy impelled to good and diflbaded from evil, feems to 
 be daily loling its influence on the heart, and its authority over 
 the confcience : and the 7?zore that falfe and mifchicvous JodrinCf 
 •which the Fanatics teach, ^re-vaih, the more nuill it decline. 
 C 2 
 
( c^o ) 
 
 tinets of the Fanatics ; which I am convinced, from 
 a diligent and difpaffionate obfervation of their effeds, 
 have a dired tendency to wither every Ihoot of inte- 
 grity on the confcience, and to accelerate the growth 
 of the mofl deftrudive crimes*. 
 
 * The propagation of* vice is, Hkewife, not much Impeded hy 
 the difFufion of what is called the nexv imral'ity, which is the 
 cld morality (I mean the morality of Jefus Chrift, whofe au- 
 thority is inconteltable, and whofe origin is divine) diverted 
 of its fan6tions ; its flrength wafted, its glory faded; a body, 
 full of animation and beauty, turned into a mafs of putrefcence 
 and corruption. The principles of the Philofophifts, and the 
 principles of the Fanatics are nnt very di/Jimilar in their iendcncy 
 to do 7Ttifchicf. The Tatter gravitate to the centre of hereditary 
 corruption ; the former to that of perfonal depravity. With 
 the Fanatics immorality is the decree of God; with the Philo- 
 fophifts morality is nothing but the whim of man. With the 
 Fanatics immoiality is a matter of necelfity; with the Philofo- 
 phifts niorality is only a matter of human convention. Tlie Fa- 
 natics think that the praftice of truth and juftice will have no 
 influence on our happinefs in another life ; the Philofophifts 
 maintain that there is no life beyond this; and,confequently, that 
 truth and juftice can have no relation to what has no exiftence. 
 In the agapae of the Fanatics defire is often indulged without 
 reftraint; becaiife it is thought to contribute to the perfefting 
 of the faints in love ; in the fchools of the Philofophifls pro- 
 mifcuous concubinage is licenfed for the general good; and 
 >s\i\c\\ general good meaTiS the wayward appetite of every indi- 
 vidual. 
 
 Luft and cruelty are very common features in the pi£ture 
 of Fanatics of all ages and countries. In thefe high dift:in6tions, 
 ihe Fanatics of the pvcfent day have, probably, been furpatfed 
 by the Fanatics of old ; but the for/ner only ivant, eircumjlances 
 
( 21 ) 
 
 ao. By decrying moralduties, or talking of them with 
 a contemptuous fneer (as if pure morality and pure 
 
 equally favourable, ignorance among their fcUouu-creatures equally 
 denfe, and power in their own hands equally strong, 
 to make the latter hide their dit/iinijlied heads; and yield to them 
 the froud pre-eminence in cruelty and lujl. The Fanatics of old 
 were fo much attached to continence, that they thought mar- 
 riage a crying fin ; but hiflory teaches us that their pompous 
 pretenfions to chaflity were a rank impofiure. Speaking of 
 the intolerant bigots and hypocritical religionifts of former 
 times, " Certum eft," fays a great writer, and one of the pureft 
 friends to pure chriftianity, " quoniam omne aeftuantis libi- 
 dinis remedium cafti matrimonii ufu ipfis interdi6tum eft, in 
 jUicitara venerem, omni abjefto pudore licentiofe proruerc, 
 ac in voluptatibus carnalibus focde volutari. Erafmus ad no- 
 tata Beddae, torn. ix. p. 401. ait : Eft apud Germqnos Epif- 
 copus quidam, qui ipfe dixit in convivio, u?io anno ad fe delata 
 undccim millia facerdotum, falam concubinariorum. Nam tales 
 fingulis annis pendunt aliquid Epifcopo. Item, in locis pie- 
 rifque, Epifcopi et eorum officiales, non folum facerdotum 
 tolerant concubinatum, dummodo certa perfolvatur pecunia : 
 fed et faccrdntes continentes, et qui ahfque concubinis degtint, con- 
 cubinatus cenfum perfolwre cogunt, aJJ'crcMcs, Epifcopwn pecuniae 
 indigu?n ejfc, qua folutd, liccre facerdotibus, ut ncl ceelibes pertw 
 ncant, vel concubinas alant. Idem Erafmus in fuppatatioce 
 errorum Beddas, torn. ix. p. 484. hffic habet. Quid mirunj 
 fi aetate Auguftini di(5lae funt aliquot virgines fandimoniales 
 nupfifle, cum hoc fsculo tot dicantur elfe monafleria, quee nihil 
 aliudfunt quampublica lupanaria, plura privaia; turn in his ipjjs, 
 quceviaxime probata difcifitna; funt, multo plures funt qua" velum 
 habeant, quavi quce virgiititatcm. — '^os'i quofdam, qui puellas, 
 quibus fuerant abufi, auo res premeretur, sepellerunt in 
 Monasterus. — Magnifice Bedda clamat, abfit, abftt, ut quif, 
 
 C3 
 
I 
 
 C 22 ) 
 
 religion could ever be divided), the bufy propagators 
 of Fanaticifm caufe morality to be an objed of deri- 
 
 quam admittatur ad facerdotii dignitatem, qui carnis In totum 
 non contemnit illecebras; q^ium hodie inveninntiir, qui quin- 
 quaginta habent concubinas, ne quid addam Iceleratius. lb. 
 p. 56q, et p. §85, de inlerdido cainium ufu. Inter facerdotes 
 quanta raritas eoium, qui cafte vivunt? De his loquor qui 
 domi palani alunt concubinas uxorum loco. Necenim atiingo 
 nunc fecretiorum libidinum myfteria. Tuntui/i ea Inquor, quee 
 •vu/go quoque noijjjijna funt. Sceleratius auteni eli quod narrat 
 p. 1380, refpons. ad quendam febricitantem : qoendam Theo- 
 logiae profelToren^ Donainicanum, nomine Joannem, fibi Ant- 
 verpiae, in aedibus Nicolai Middelburgenfis Medici, nominafTe 
 Theologum Lovanienfem, unde acceperat, quod quendam paf- 
 torem facrarum virginum, qui confeffus eft, fe cura ducentis 
 habuilTe ftupri confuetudinena, inabfolutuni dimifcrit. Sed 
 quid opus eft teftimonia ex autoribus fingularibus proferre? 
 Ipfae leges Inquifitionis, quoe Sacerdotibus, non tantum fiimi- 
 nas, fed proh feel us ! etiam pueros in facramentali confcflione 
 foUicitantibns, pcenas decernunt, indicium funt, crimina hsec, 
 in impuro ifto cselibatu, nimis efte vulgaria et frequentia." 
 Vid. Limborch. Hift. Inquifit, Amfiel. l6c;2, p. 33, 3-1. 
 
 That we may form fome faint conje61ure of the tender mercies 
 of Fanaticifm, let us enter the walls of the Inquifition, taking 
 I.imborch for our guide. 
 
 " Carceres hi in Hifpania et Lufitania vocantur /««<(2 cafa 
 hoc eft fau£la domus. Omnia, fcilicet, in hoc officio funt 
 fancta. Srruflura eorum, prout earn defcribit autor hiftoriae 
 Inquifitionis Goanae, tales eft, ut pluribus captivis alfervandis 
 lit accommodata. Conflant nempe variis porticibus, quorum 
 linguli in varias exiguas cameras funt diftribuli, figurae quad- 
 ratae; quarum laterafingula funt decern pedum, lllorum duo 
 funt ordines, quorum alter alteri fuperftrudtus eft; funtque 
 conftrufti opere fornicato, Superiores illuminantur per crates 
 
( i3 ) 
 
 fion rather than of reverence in the minds of their 
 converts. They are taught that heaven may be 
 
 ferreos, fed fupra vjri etiam proceri ftaturam elevates, Infe- 
 riores funt fiibterranca?, obfcurae, fine ulla leneftra, ct fuperio- 
 ribus anguftiores, Parietes funt craflitudinis quinque pedum. 
 Unaquaequae camera duobus ofliis clanditur; interius cratfum 
 eft et ferro obdudtumj pars illius inferior conftat crate ferreoj 
 in fuperiore parte exigua eft feneftella per quam captivo cibus, 
 liotea, aliaque neceftaria porriguntur, clauditurque duabus 
 ferreis obicibus. Exterius oftium foUdum eft line ulla aper^- 
 turaj illud ordinarie mane ab hora fexta, ufque undecimam 
 aperiri folet. ut aer carceris aliquatenus repnrgetur." Limb. 
 Hift. Inquis. 158. " In Hifpania, ut mihi narravit Ifaacus 
 Orobio nonnunquam dantur carbones, qui igne accenduntur, ut 
 ipfi cibum fuum coquant; aliquando conceditur candelaj fed 
 (jui in ccfrcere fulterraneo detineniur, plerumque fedcnt in tenehris ; 
 in iifqiu feranms aliquot dctincntur ; nemini cos adire aut alloqui 
 licet; nifi folis carceris cuftodibns; idque ftatis tantum horis 
 quando cibum porrigunt. Hon licet ullos halere (kvotionis li- 
 Iros ; Jed in tenehris et JoUtvchr.e detincntur, ut tam tetri carceris 
 horrore frangantur, i Hi usque tccdio ka coNFiTEANfUR Q.XSJE. 
 SJEPE NON COMMISEKUNT." p. VSQ. " NuUi in carccre mutirc, 
 ullunme fonum edcre licet ; fed ahum in eo fervatur Jilcntiu?n. Si 
 quis cjulet, aut infortunium fuum dcploret, aut, clara voce, 
 Deura precetur, aut cantet, five pfalmum, five hyninum fuo- 
 rum, mox adfnnt carceris cufiodes, qui in porticu continuas 
 agiint excubias; omnemquc etiam minimum fonum^ audire 
 poflTunt, monentque in domo hac filentium effe fervandum. Si 
 non pareat raptivn-i, iterato eum monent cullodes- Si nihil- 
 ominus pergr.t captivus, cuftos, aperto carcere, fufte eum egrp- 
 gie dedolat ; non tantum ut ipfum caftiget, fed et deterreat 
 alios; qui, quoniam camerjE funt contiguoe altumque fervatur 
 f}lentiura, et ejulatum et fonitum iduum qui infliguntur, 
 
 C 4 
 
( ) 
 
 obtained on eafier conditions, than thofe habits of 
 adtual goodnefs, which are (lowly acquired, and difR- 
 
 commode audire pofliint. Addam hie narratiunculam, quam 
 ex quorundani ore habui, undequam fevere filentium hoc ob- 
 fervetur, colligere licet. Cuftl'vus qui Jam tujfiebat: adfunt 
 excubhores ; vionent ut tiiffim oinlttat, quia il/icitum ejfet in dotno 
 hdc ulluin emittere Jonuni. Ille refpondit, hoc arbitrii fui non 
 effe : nihilominus, cum fecundo 7)ionitus tujfnii non omitteret, 
 ijifum denudatum pluribus idtihus viifcre coniundunt: cum hdc ra- 
 iione tujjis augeretur, aliquotics i-crheratus fuit ; donee tandem i>er- 
 lerum vehcmentid mortuus fuit." p. l6i, \62. The fcnfiti-ve 
 conjciences, and the refined 7noraUty of the Inqu'fttorial Fanatics 
 will be evident from the following relation: " Hifpali homo 
 quidam pauper ac ex fudore fuo quotidianum fibi et familiae 
 viftum parans, cui Clericus quidam usorem violenter abdiic- 
 tam detinebat, nalia, in'ierea, neque Inquifitione neqae alterius 
 tribunalis autoritate atrocem injuriaui vindicante. Is pauper, 
 dum inter alios ejufdem conditionis homines, de purgatorio, 
 forte, exoritur fermo, CKcepit ipfe rufticana potius fimplicitate, 
 quam certo confilio, fe fatis quidem habere purgatorii, cui 
 peflimus nebulo uxorem violenter averterit, Src. Is fcrmo ad 
 aures boni Clerici delatus, ingeminandi in pauperera injuriara, 
 occafionem obtulit; illumque, ut male de purgatorio fentientem, 
 apud Inquifitores accufat. Erratum hoc pauperis fanclo tribu- 
 nali digntus ejl habitum in quod autoritate inquijitorid •vindicaret, 
 quam Jcclus Clcrtci. Itaque ob illud tantulum verburn mifer 
 capitur, detruditur in inquifitoriis ergaftulis biennio toto ; ac 
 demum in triumphum edu(5lus damnatur ad geftandum San- 
 benitum per triennium, quod in private carcere exigat; eoque 
 cxaclo, an dimittendus liber, retinendus ve adhuc fit in carcere 
 dominorum Inquifitorum arbitrium efto. Neque qualibufcun- 
 que, pauperis alioquin hominis, fortunis eft parcitum, ut uxor 
 Clerico, quad verb fupererat tenuiffimarutn fortunarum, pofl; 
 
( 25 ) 
 
 Cukly retained ; wliich cannot be generated without 
 labour, and may be ioft without watchfulnels.— Buf- 
 
 diuturnnm ilium carcerem, inqnifitorio cederet Fifco," p. 328. 
 The wanton manner in which the Inquilitoiial Fanatics flied 
 the blood of the innocent, and afterwards endeavoured to atone 
 for the moft atrocious murders by the fouleli lies, will appear 
 from the following narrative, which no man can well perule 
 ■without horror: ' Ceperunt, eodem fere tempore, in eadem 
 Hifpaienli Inquifiticne nobilem quandam fcerninam Joannam 
 Bohorquiam, uxortm Francifci \'ai'quii, viii imprimis clai i ac 
 Higuerae Domini, filiam vero Petri Garfiae Xerelii Hifpalenfis 
 civis opulentillinii. Captivitatis caufa fuit, quod foror ipfius 
 Maria Bohorquia fpedtatoc pietatls virgo, quam poftea ob piam 
 ponfeffionem igni tradiderunt, in tornientis declaralFet, fe ali- 
 quoties, cum forore fua de ea doftrina contulifTe. Quumillam 
 in carcerem conjeceruntj gerebat uterum femeftrem ferme qua 
 de caufa neque adeo arete earn recluferunt, neque cum ipfa 
 agebant ea fa:vitid, qua cum aliis vindis folent, fa;tui nimirum 
 confulentes. Ottavo a partu die fxtum illi auferunt ; quiuto 
 decimo vero earn recludunt; eandeuique, cum aliis vinftis 
 omnibus, conditiunem cogunt experirij ac caufa ipfius quo 
 rigore quibufque folent aitibus agitari caepta. In tanta ca- 
 lamitate id tantum folatii sjffliiSloe contigit, quod virgo qua'dam 
 valde pia, quam ob pietatem poftea inquifitorius quoque ignis 
 abfumpfit tetri lllins carceris forte data eft comes. Earn puel- 
 Jam ad torturam quadarp die edyftam, atque in carcerem a 
 torturis reduftam, adeo quaffatam omnibufque membrorum 
 compagibus dillblutam, ut in ji'.nceo ledtulo ad laborem potius 
 quam ad quietem utrique concefib, vix ac nifi magnocum cru- 
 ciatu volveretur, fumma animi pietate, quando externis officiis 
 rullus, aut certe perexiguus ibi erat locus, profequuta eft. Vix 
 Jfta ca^perat a torfwrae quallatione convalefcere, quum ad eun- 
 dem ludum ilia educiturj ibi tanta atrocitate in burro torque- 
 
( i6 ) 
 
 the Fanatics reprefent their inward light as a better 
 guide no heaven, than purity of heart and holinefs 
 
 tur, ut chordis ad ipfas brachiorum, femorum ac crurura tibias 
 ufque penetrantibus, carceii moiibunda reftitueretur, fanguine 
 per OS affiuim e veftigio enimpcnte, difruptis baud dubie vif- 
 ceribus, ottavo demum a tortura die mortua fit. Quum ad 
 earn condemnandam fulticientia teftimonia, licet omnibus in-? 
 quifitcriis artibus conqnifita ac procurata, defeciffent, quando 
 accufata eo nata forct loco, ut negotii ipfius apud plebem 
 effet ominno aliqua reddeuda ratio, neque res ullp modo dif- 
 limTilari poU'et, in primo triumph! a6tu, qui ab ipfius morte 
 fuit indiftus, fcnientiam fuam pronunliari jubent in hffic verba, 
 Quoniam haec domina in carcere abierit (fuppreflis baud dubie 
 canfis) et ejus caufa infprfta et diligenter examinata innocens 
 fuerit deprehenfa, idcirco San£1:um Tribunal earn ab omnibus 
 gravaminibus, per Fifcalem illi intentatis, pronuntiare liberam, 
 licetque prori'us abfolutam in fua turn innocentla turn exifti- 
 matione reliituere jubereque bona infuis omnia quaelh Sequeftri 
 rationes venerant, eis reftitui ad quos ex jure pertinerent, &c. 
 Ac ita daiium foflquani earn in toriiiailh leliMna truculcntia 
 vecai'crunt, liberam pronuntiuruntr p. Sip. 320. Let us now 
 enter the chamber of torture in which the Fanatic Demons 
 ufed to feaft their eyes on the favage barbarities which they 
 perpetrated. " Locus torturac in Inquifitione Hifpana, ut 
 pluriraum folet cfie antrum q^ioddam lubterraneum, ac perob- 
 fcurum, ad quod, muilis oftiis praetergrellis, pervenitur. In 
 eo eft ereflum tribunal, in quo Inquifilor et Provifor et Scriba 
 fcdent. Accenfis luminibus et ingicffo torquendo carnifex, 
 qui alios omnes intus jam exfpeftat, inter omnes eft fpectaculo 
 et contcmpiatione dignus. Is totus tfl co-opertus nigra vefte 
 ex lino ad pedes longa adftrifla undique adh.xrente corpoii, 
 caput habet velatum oblongo nigroque raperone, quo faciera 
 totam contegit, relictis duobus modo parvulis aJ vifum ft-nef- 
 
( 27 ) 
 
 of life; and they make the d^lirhm of fenfation a 
 fubftitute for integrity of charafter. 
 
 tellis. Hkc omnia eo tendnnt, ut tnajore terrore concutiatnr 
 animo ac corpore inifellus, hac imprimis diaboli alicujus ima- 
 gine, cujns mauibiis torqneri debet." p. 321. " Ratio autetu 
 torquendi et tormentorum gradiis nunc in Hifpanica Inqiiifi- 
 tione ufitati. optime cognolci poffiint, ex Iiifloria Ifaaci Oiobio 
 Judsi Medicinne Doftoris, qui a quoriara Mauro lervo fuo, 
 ante iiac ob fiirtom juiru fuo veiberato, delatus fuit Inquifi- 
 tioni quafi Jiidaciisj et poft quadriennium ab alio inimico fiio 
 de alio t'afto, unde judrsus agnofceretur, iteriim delatus fuit; 
 quique fe pertinacidime Judaeum negavit. Hiftoriam torturae, 
 prout earn ex ore ipluis habui, breviter hie adfcribam. Polt- 
 quam, integro triennio, in carcere Inquifitionis detentus fuit, 
 et aliquoties examinalus, criminaque objefta ipfi indicata, ut 
 ea confiteretur, ipl'eque ea conftanter negaret, tandem ex 
 carcere fuo fuit eduftus, et per varies anfradus dedudtus, in lo- 
 cum tortura^. Fuit id circa vefperam. Erat locus fubterraneus, 
 fatis amplus, fornice (tru6lus, parictes undique velamine nigri 
 coloris tc6ti; muro atfixa erant candelabra, totumque conclave 
 illuminabant canddse iis impofitae. Ab una parte erat locus 
 quidam camerae inliar, feparatus; illic menfae alfidebat Inqui- 
 fitor cum Notario; ita ut locus hie ipfi vifus fuerit domicilium 
 niortis, tetro afpedu undequaquc terribilis. Hie eum Inquifi- 
 tor dcnuo monuil, ut veriuuem confiteretur, antequam inchoa- 
 rentur tormeuta ipfius. Ciim refponderet fe veritatera dixiflfe, 
 Jnquifitor giaviter proteltatus eft, quoniam ob pertinaciam ip- 
 fius ad torturam deveniendum effet, S. Officium innoxium fore, 
 fi inter tormenta fangoinem emitteret aut animam efflaret. 
 His didlis linteum corpori iplius obdu6lum efi, et, ab utraque 
 parte, adeo violcnter conftiiftum, iit tandem anhclitns ipO prap- 
 cluderetur: cum jam ammo deficeret, fubito lintei extremi- 
 tates fupt remiiiae, et cum jam denuo refpirare inciperet, maxi- 
 
 I 
 
( 28 ) 
 
 21. In whatever village the Fanatics get a footing, 
 drunkennefs and fwearing, — fins, which being more 
 
 mam, ex fubita ilia niutatione, paffus eft animi auguftiam ac 
 dolorem. Hoc tormento fiiperato, eadem monitio repetita fuit, 
 fatere veritatem, antequam inchoentur tormenta tua ; eaque 
 monitio, fuperato quovis tormento, antequam novo exponere- 
 tur, femper repetita fnit. Itaque cum in negatione perlifteret, 
 pollices illius funiculis exiguis arclifilme conftricti'funt, adeo 
 ut membra extrema admodum intumuerint, et fanguis inter 
 junfluras unguium expelleretur. Poftea muro fuit applicitus, 
 et exiguo fcabello impofitus. Muro affixze erant parvae troch- 
 leae ferreae, per quas funes du6ti variis in locis corpus ejus 
 amblebant, praefcrtim brachia et crura : tortor, magna violen- 
 tia, funiculos hofce trahens, corpus ipfius muro applicabatj 
 interim manus ac pedes, digitique manuum ac pedum ar6tif- 
 fime funiculis conftridi fummo percellebantur cruciatu, non 
 aliter ac fi flammis ■dilTolveretur, In mediis hifce cruciatibus 
 tortor fubito fcabellum pedibus ipfius fubtraxit ; adeo ut miler, 
 fme ullo fulcimento, pependerit funibus undique conftriftus, 
 et pondere_ corporis funium nodos arftius adftringente. Mox 
 novum tormenti gtnus fuccedit. Inftrumcntum exiguae fcalae 
 inftar, duobus conitans lignis ereflis, et quinque tranfverfis 
 anteriiis acuminatis illi ex adverlb oppofuit tortor, idque, motu 
 quodam accommodato, maxima vi in utrumque ejus tibiam im- 
 pegit, adeo ut utraque tibia, quinque idibus fmiul validiflime 
 percufla aftiigeretur doloreintolerabiii, adeo quidem ut in ani- 
 mi deliquium inciderit. Mox ad fe reverlb ultimum tormenti 
 genus inflictum eft. Funibus brachia ejus non procul a manu 
 aftrida fnnt 3 illis tortor fe implicuit, ita uc dorfo ejus corio 
 munito circumducerentur; turn ferefupinavit, pedibusqnemuro 
 oppnCitU i'utntna vi funes diftendit, donee brachiorum carnem 
 ufque ad offa penitus perciderit.; idque tormentum ter repe- 
 titum eft, funibus illis duorum circiter digitorum fpatia a priore 
 
( 29 ) 
 
 cxpofed to the eye of the world, would be ruinous 
 to their great pretenfions to fuperior fan^lity, will, 
 perhaps, be found to decline j but I am convinced, 
 from perfonal obfervation, that lying and difhonelly, 
 that every fpecies of fraud and falfehood, — fins, which 
 are not fo readily deteded, but which feem more 
 
 vulnere brachio appofitis, eademque vehementia conftridlis, 
 Contigit vero, cum fecundo funes conftringerentur ut in prius 
 vulnus relaberentur, unde tanta violentia fanguis elHuxit, ut 
 moriturus videretur. Mox vicino conclavi advocati I'unC. 
 Medicus et Chirurgus, quos femper praefto elTe oportet, ut 
 fimili in cafu, fententia eorum rogetur, an, abfque mortis peri- 
 culo, tortura continiiari poffit, ne irregulares fiant judices ecle- 
 fiatlici, fi forte reus in tormeutis moriatur. llli Orobio minime 
 inimici, rerpondent, virium fatis iuperelie, adreliqua tormenta 
 Inrtinendiim: < t fie eum praefervarunt, ne tormenta jam fupe- 
 rata denuo ipli infiigerentur, quia fententia fert, ut omnia ilia 
 tormenta fucceflive uno tempore infligaritur; fi ob mortis 
 periculum definendum fit, poitea rurfus omnia tormenta, ctiam 
 quae jam tolerata fuerant, fucceffivc infliguntur ut fententiae 
 fatis tiat. Mox veftibus fuis involutus, in priorem carcerem 
 deportatus ell: et fcptuaginta dierum fpatio, vix a vulneribus 
 luis fanatus. Quoniam in tormentis nihil confelfus fuerat, 
 condemnatus eft non ut Judaifmi convidtus, fed fufpedus, ad 
 infamem veftcm Sanbcnita, integro biermio, geftandum, eoque 
 elapfoad perpetuum e regno Hifpalienli exilium." p. 3^3, 324. 
 
 I have niaile thefe copious extrafts from Limborch, becaufe 
 the reader will, I trufl, find them both curious and intcreftirigj 
 and they will prob.ibly defcribe the geflius of Fanaticifm and 
 the temper of Fanatics, better than the moft elaborate tneta- 
 pliyfical diflertation. 
 
( 30 ) 
 
 clofely connefted with worldly advantage, will be 
 found, invariably, to increafc *. 
 
 22. Inftead of inculcating truth, juftice, brotherly 
 kindnefs, charity, all the domeftic and fecial virtues, 
 the Fanatics amufe their hearers with a great deal of 
 whining, unintelligible cant about their " dear fouls," 
 their " precious fouLsj" while' their bt-diesare cover- 
 
 * In feveral pariflies, when fome of- the fenfible and incor- 
 rupt niinifters of the eftabli'hment, have been inculcating frona 
 the pulp't ;he great obligaiions of truth, juftice, and mercy, 
 and enforcing thnr performaiice by every fandion which the 
 gofpel fupplies, aiid every perfuafion with which an Eternitjr 
 of good can operate on the hear;, — the champions of Method- 
 ifm, who happen to have erefled their ftandard in the fame 
 village, and who ufiially fend two or three fpies to the parifh 
 church to bring them intellif^f^nce of what has been faid, make 
 a common praftice of telling their audiences at the next meet- 
 ing, that difcourfes on truth, and juftice, and mercy, have 
 nothing to do with Chriftianity ; that moral works, beinj 
 only filthy rags (a favourite exprelRon with thofe enemies to 
 goodnefs), will not conduce to t!:eir falvation; and that they 
 muft rely on Chrift's righteoufnefs, without troubling them- 
 fclves about any righteoufnefs of their own. 1 leave the reader 
 to judge what eliecl fuch preaching, enforced by a great deal 
 of cant, and often the moft confummate art, mult have on the 
 ignorant and the credulous who are plainly told tliat fraud and 
 faliehood are no obftrudlions in the way to heaven, provided 
 they only go to that meeting within whofe unhallowed walls 
 the Anti-Chriftian jugglers circurafcribe the capacity of fal- 
 vation. 
 
( 31 ) 
 
 cd with rags, incriifted with filth, or wafting with 
 difeafe~a ftate of mifery and indigence, to which 
 they are too often reduced by neglsding their proper 
 calling, and the reafonable worfhip of their forefa- 
 thers, to liften to the pernicious jargon of fome jug- 
 gling fiend, who, inftead of edifying them by the 
 fimple truths, or cheering them by the fweet confola- 
 htions of pure Chriftianicy, ufually breathes the fteam 
 of delufion on their minds, the blafl: of diffenfion on 
 their homes, and the anguifh of fuperftition on their 
 hearts. 
 
 23. To teach the fimple and the ignorant as the 
 emilTaries of Fanaticifm teach them, that they come 
 from the womb utterly difpofed to evil and indif- 
 pofed to good, is in faft, to tell them that they are 
 born with an innate propenfity to commit theft, adul- 
 tery, murder, and every crime. When fuch a pre- 
 pofterous and moft pernicious docftrine has been 
 deeply rooted in their minds, and forcibly imprefled 
 upon their hearts, it mud necefiariiy exert the moft 
 mifchievous influence on their condufl*. 
 
 • The Fanatics are very induftrious in cftablifhlng Sundciv 
 fchools, in order to gangrene the principles of the country} 
 and to give an unkind, unfocial Calviniftic complexion to 
 the manners of the people. Sunday fchools are, in many vil- 
 lages, the fuccefiful medium of inftilling the poifon of Me- 
 thodiftic immorality into the young and innocent. 
 
( 32 ) 
 
 24. By teaching people as the Scripture, from the 
 beginning to the end, encourages us to teach them, 
 that they are born with a faculty to difcern good 
 from evil, and with a capacity to choofe which they 
 pleafe, by teaching them that the firfl: is their happi* 
 nefs, and the laft their mifery; that the firft is their 
 glory, and the laft their (hamej by teaching them 
 that God will punilh the one, and reward the other; 
 and that if they will, with finceriiy, exert their natural 
 power to do goodj the favour of God will ajfift them 
 in the performance, we certainly are more likely to 
 rrake them (for we take a more reafonable and fcrip- 
 tural method of making them) fober, honeft, and 
 true, of exciting the love of virtue, and the detefta- 
 tarion of vice, than by impreffing them with a belief 
 that they bring into the world a confticution imbued 
 with every evil, and devoid of every good propen- 
 fity *. By the firft, we excite their endeavours to 
 
 * " Sin," fays Jeremy Taylor, " creeps npon us in our educa- 
 tion ib tacitly and undilcernibly, that we miftake the caufe of 
 it; and yet fo prevalently and effeftually, that we judge it to be 
 our very nature, and charge h upon Adam, to JeJJcn ihe imputation 
 u^on us, or to incrcafe the licence or the confidence ; when every 
 one of us is tlie Adam, the man of sin and the parent of our 
 own impurities," Life of Chrift, fol. ed. 10/8, p. 38. — Thofe 
 Fanatics who are the moft zealous Iticklers for the doftrine of 
 original fin, are always moft remarkable for perfonal depravity. 
 Rejoicing in the footbing vanity of imputed righteoufnefs, or 
 patiently enduring the wounds and bruifes and putrefying 
 
( 33 ) 
 
 do good, by the laft we Increafe their inclination to 
 do evilj by the firft we animate the confcience to 
 
 fores of imputed guilt, they feel themfelves liberated from all 
 the rertraints of truth in their words, and all the reftraints of 
 honefty in their adtions. 
 
 The doftrine of original corruption is, indeed, in foine degree, 
 fan6tioned by the ninth articlej but that article admits of an 
 explanation, that will entirely do away the mifchievoufnefs of 
 the doftrine; and it muft be remarked that the do6lruie itfelf 
 is not at prefent, and never has been fince the reftoration, the 
 belief of the great majority, and particularly of the moft learn- 
 ed and upright members' of the Church of England. And 
 though the doftrine fhould be more exprefsly authorized by the 
 articles than it appears to me to be, yet it cannot well be called 
 the dodlrine of the Church of England, when it is not the doc- 
 trine of the majority of the members, who compofe that church. 
 For we muft remember that the Church of England is not 
 a non-entity, or an immaterial abftradion, but a vifible, palpa- 
 ble, corporeal reality. It is not a dead but a living body. 
 When therefore we wifh to afcertain the true dodrine and 
 belief of the Church of England, we are not to inquire fo much 
 what ivas the doftrine and belief of its clergy in part ages, as 
 what IS the do6trine and the belief of the clergy, or the church, 
 at the pref(;nt day. That which tvas the doftrine and belief 
 of the clergy in paft ages, was the doctrine and belief of the 
 church in their time; and that which is the doftrine and belief 
 of the clergy in this age, is the doftrine and belief of the church 
 in our time: for a church is not only a mafs of brick and mor- 
 tar, or of ftone and fand, but a coUeftion of faithful men, warm 
 with animation and life, inculcating the duties of the gofpel, 
 and inftrufting the people in the way of righteoufncfs. The 
 fermons of a clergyman of the prefent day may not entirely 
 accord with the tenets of the majority of the Clergy who lived 
 
 D 
 
( 34 ) 
 
 ftruggle agalnft iniquity, by the laft, we only dcprela 
 the fpirits, and make the natural frame of man. 
 
 two hundred years ago, and. fo far may differ from the doftrine 
 of the Church of England two hundred years {ago; and yet 
 they may not differ from the preaching of the great majority 
 of the clergy in his own time; and therefore may be conform- 
 able to the dodtrine of the church in his own time ; for as the 
 majority of the living members, and particularly the moft 
 learned, upright, and judicious members of the Church of Eng- 
 land, conftitute the Church of England, they may, without 
 formally repealing any of the artieles, put any conftruflion 
 upon them which they think beft; and that conftrufition is 
 the legal do6trine of the church in their time; and, in that 
 fenfe, and according to that conftrudtion, the articles may and 
 ought to be fubfcribed ; and he, who thus fubfcribes them, 
 maintains what it is foneceffary to maintain, an unity of doctrine 
 with the majority of his brethren ; and is, confequently, a letter 
 friend to the Church of "England, than lie is ivho may Jubfcrihe 
 the articles in a fenfe tmre agreeable to the letter, hut jnore ad'vcrfe 
 io the general confirudion of the clergy ; and confequently to the 
 received doctrine of the Church. As the Church of England is 
 not an union of dead men but of living, an unity of doftrine 
 muft mean not an accord of opinions with the dead fo much 
 as an accord of opinions among the living ; and as tlie creed 
 of the Church of England ought not to be confidered in any 
 other light than the general creed of its living teachers, thofc 
 •who oppofe that creed, though they may maintain opinions 
 more congenial to the articles, yet, as the opinions which they 
 maintain, are hoftile to thofe of the great corporate body of 
 the eftabliftiment, they muft be confidered rather as foes than 
 as friends to the real interefts of the church to whicli^ey be- 
 long. Confider this, ye Evangelical preachers, and t^ke to 
 
C 35 ) 
 
 which muft be the work of God, an invincible argu- 
 ment for the pradice of unrighteoufnefs. 
 
 yourfelves the reproaches with which ye are fo eager to opprefs 
 the reputation of others. 
 
 As the framers of the articles were fallible men, they were 
 liable to err; and as it is probable that, in fome few inftances, 
 they have erred through ignorance or prejudice, they cannot 
 be deemed infallible expofitors of fcripture. We are not to 
 interpret the fcripture by the articles ; but the articles by the 
 fcripture. Subfcription to the articles, by no means divefls 
 any minifter of the Church of England of all right of private 
 judgment; but every clergyman would be (tripped of this ina- 
 lienable right, if he were compelled to make the articles the 
 exclufive interpreters of theChriflian doftrines, the llandard of 
 their purity, and the meafure of their truth. In this cafe, we 
 had better throw the whole mafs of commentators, and fcholi- 
 afts, and critics into the fire; and even, inflead of ftudying the 
 fcriptures thenafelves, ftudy nothing but the articles; to whofe 
 dogmas we Ihould bow our heads and bend our knees. We 
 muft either furrender ourfelves paffive flaves to the Terdift of 
 the articles; or we muft allow thofe, who fubfcribe them, the 
 right of private judgment ; and, if private judgment be allow- 
 ed, we muft concede to individuals the privilege of differing 
 from the articles on any topics, in wliich thofe articles appear 
 to them to differ from the fcripture. The articles themfelves 
 do not appear to me to deny any one this right ; for the fixth 
 article fays, " Holy fcripture containeth all things neceffary to 
 falvation ; fo that ivhatJoevc r_ is not rea^ tliere'm, nor 7uay be proved 
 thereby, is not required of any man/that it fliould be believed as 
 an article of the faith, or he thought rcquifttc or nccejjury to fal- 
 vation" Here the framers of the articles undoubtedly intended 
 to give a tacit permitfion to the exercife of private judgment; 
 and to that freedom of inquiry which is fubfcrvient to the belt 
 
 D 2 
 
( 36 ) 
 
 2^. That man does pofiefs a capacity either to do 
 good or evil, and which the fall did not deftroy, may 
 
 interefts of religion. In tlie twenty-firft article, the framerg 
 filently confefs their own fallibility, when they fay, that general 
 councils tuay err, and fometinies have erred, in things fertainmg to 
 God. 
 
 Religious knowledge, like knowledge of other kinds, is cer- 
 tainly progreflivej and its progrefs has been very rapid of late 
 years. The ancient languages are better underflood, the nnan- 
 ners and cufloms of the eaft have been more accurately iuvef- 
 tigated, and, above all, a more juft, and liberal, and Chriftian 
 mode of thinking has taken place. Controverfy is condiidled 
 ■with more moderation ; and animated by a more enlightened 
 criticifm. The framers of the articles were wife and enlight- 
 ened men for the age in which they lived j but they did not 
 poflefs fagacity to anticipate the difcoveries and improvements 
 of future ages ; nor ought we to fiifFer their decifions to render 
 thofe difcoveries fruitlefs, or thofe improvements vain. 
 
 The fcripturcs cannot be properly interpreted without the 
 cxercife of our rational powers; and we are exprefsly enjoined 
 to ftudy the fcriptures ourfelves, and not be contented with let- 
 ting others ftudy them for us. We are not to embrace a doc- 
 trine, merely becaufe other fallible men, like ourfelves, have 
 embraced it before us j but becaufe we, on mature inquiry, be- 
 lieve it to be a fcriptural doGcrlne. Chrift only is the mafler 
 of our confcience upon earth} and we are to call no manmafter 
 but Chrift. We are not to abandon our private judgment in 
 religious matters; but are impartially and diligently to fearch 
 the fcriptures. This is the fovereign duty of every man vviio 
 underta'ces to inftrr.ft others in the way of righteoufncfs ; and 
 no fubftription to, any aiiicles upon earth can invalidate the 
 obligation or fuperfede the praftice. We are to pay all juft 
 and reafonable deference to the articles; and to the authority 
 of thofe great and good men who framed them ; but their de- 
 
( 37 ) 
 
 be proved by the plain and incontrovertible autho* 
 rity of Scripture, which no mutilated or perverted 
 
 cifions are no ineafnre for our confciences ; and their autlio- 
 rity is to be lefs valued than that of Chrilh 
 
 The framers of the articles lived at a period when mankind 
 werejuft emerging from ages of the grofieft ignorance, and 
 the mod cppreflive fnperftition. They had befides, for the 
 moft part, been nurtured in Popifli prejudices; and though 
 thofe prejudices had undergone a violent revolution; yet fome 
 portion of their influence ftems to have remained; and which 
 probably operated filently and imperceptibly on the concla- 
 fions which they drew, and the doftrincs which they taught. 
 The impreflions of youth are fcldom, perhaps never, entirely 
 effaced. We muft alfo confiuer that the framers of the arti- 
 cles living in a period when the human mind, difcerning the 
 impofture which the court of Rome had pra£tifed on it for fo 
 many ages, began to throw off the chains of fuperflition, and 
 when, as might be expe6ted, the mofl difTonant opinions pre- 
 vailed on the mof\ important doftrines, had a moft difficult 
 tafk to execute, in order to fleer clear of all extremes; and it 
 muft be confefled that they finiflied their work with lingular 
 ability and moderation. Though they yielded, as prudent mc n 
 will always yield, to the fpirit and genius of the times in which 
 they lived, yet compreheniion and charity are very remaikable 
 in their decifions. But though, when I compare the exem- 
 plary moderation and good fenfe which the fathers of the Eng- 
 litli Proteftant Eflablifliment difplayed in the formation of 
 the articles, with the darknefs and intolerance of the age in 
 which they lived, I am ready to pafs the higbeft encomiums 
 on their wifdom and their mildnefs; yet I am far from think- 
 ing that their notions in theology ought or wne intended to 
 bind their fucceflbrs to the end of time. This would be to 
 fuller them to eftablifh that dominion over the minds^and con» 
 
( 38 ) 
 
 texts that Fanaticifm can adduce, or fophiftry can 
 combine, can fet afide. 
 
 • 
 
 fciences of the rainifters of the gofpel, from which they had 
 refolutely attempted, and happily accompliflied their own 
 emancipation. 
 
 There is a general ufage in matters ecclcfiaftical as well as 
 civil, which aboUlhes feme laws, without formally repealing 
 them, and eftablifties others, without formally enadting them. 
 A law, like many in the Englifh ftatutes, is often fufFered to 
 die a peaceful death. The power of enforcing it is not taken 
 away J but general difufe fufpends its operations j and it be- 
 comes as if it did not exift. None of the articles of the Church 
 of England have been formally repealed ; but it is very certain, 
 that the literal fenfe of fosne of them has been, in a great mea- 
 fure, explained away by the conftruftions, and, if I may fo 
 exprefs it, abrogated by the unanimous confent of the moft 
 illuftrious divines. In the writings of Jeremy Taylor, Barrow, 
 Tillotfon, Clark, Whitby, Jeffery, Butler, Warburton, Balguy, 
 and other ornaments of the Church of England, we meet with 
 many paffages, which indireftly attack the fpirit, and with 
 others which are dircdly contrary to the plain fenfe and letter 
 of the articles. 
 
 Now, the pra£tice of the greateft divines gives to other 
 members of the Church of England the privilege of diflenting 
 and a right to difTent from thofe articles which they oppofed; 
 and which the majority of the living Clergy, whofe animated 
 bodies conftitute the corporate legal reality, and whofe avowed 
 opinions conftitute the aftual doflrine of the church, do not 
 approve. A literal repeal of any of the articles might, per- 
 haps, in the prefent temper of the times, be produdive of more 
 evil than good; but a lilent repeal of thern, fuch as has taken 
 place, is calculated to produce great advantage without any 
 material inconvenience. 
 
( 39 ) 
 
 c6. In Genefis iv. 7, the Lord is reprefented as 
 faying to Cain, whofe jealoufy was provoked by the 
 
 It will be faid, that oaths are to be taken in the fenfe in 
 which they are adminiftered. This is certainly true in moft 
 cafes 5 but it will not hold good in cafes where oaths are ad- 
 miniftered in terms, o« ivhich "very different co72jiru£iions iiiay 
 eonfcicntioujly he fut ; and are ufually confcientioully put by 
 the different perfons whom they are adminiftered. Thus, if, 
 for inftance, every clergyman v/ere obliged to fubfcribe to 
 the articles in the fenfe in which the oath of fubfcription is 
 adminiftered to him, the conftmdtion of the fame articles by 
 the fame perfon, might be made to change feveral times in his 
 life, in order that it might tally with the conftruftion of the 
 different parties, before whom the oath of fubfcription might 
 be taken. Thus, if a perfon were to be ordained deacon by a 
 Calviniftic biibop, he muft fubfcribe the articles in one fenfe, 
 and if ordained prieft by an Arminiau bifhop (fuch as a great 
 majority of the Engliih bifliops are), he rauft fubfcribe them 
 in a different. Before the firft he muft fwear to believe in 
 the doftrine of abfolute perfonal eleftion and reprobation, 
 &c. &c. and before the laft he' muft fwear that he does not 
 believe any fuch things. To avoid thefe embarrafttiients, and 
 this impiety, it feems right that the articles fhould be fub- 
 fcribed, not in that fpecific fenfe in which they are underftood 
 and believed by the perfon who adminifters the oath of fub. 
 fcription, but either in that particular fenfe which is moll 
 agreeable to the confcience of the individual who fubfcribes, 
 or in that general fenfe which is to be coUefted from the 
 writings of the moft learned and judicious members of the 
 Church of England who are dead, and its moft learned and 
 judicious members who are living. No fulfchood can le prac- 
 I 'ljcd iiuhere there is no intention to deceive on the one hand, and 
 'where nolody is deceived on the other, Thofe wlio are fo for- 
 
 D 4 
 
( 40 ) 
 
 diftinguifhing marks of the divine favour, which 
 Abel had received, " If thou doeft well, Jhalt thou not 
 
 ■ward to caft the moft flanderous imputations on the veracity 
 of the Clergy, would do well to confider this obfervation : 
 
 It is not to be fuppofed, that the minifters of the Church of 
 England fliould ever agree in the conlirudlion, or unite in the 
 belief of thirty-nine propofilions, fome of which relate to quef- 
 tions the moft dark and difficult in the whole compafs of hu- 
 man inquiry ; queftious, too, which agitate the liopes and the 
 fears of menj their deareft interefts and their fondeft expe«Sla- 
 tionsj queftions, in the difcuflion of which, the wifeft may be 
 perplexed, and the fearlefs be difmayed. On many abflrufc 
 and intricate topics in theology, men of the fevereft probity, 
 the greateft penetration, of profound rcfearch, and various eru- 
 dition, have often differed from each other, and have as often 
 differed from themfelves at different periods of their lives. 
 Any man may give an alTurance of what his belief has been 
 for the pafl; but, on any matters of uncertain fpeculation, no 
 man can fafely or confcientioufly fiipulate what his belief fliall 
 be for the future. If any man fiiould undertake to think on 
 any doubtful queftion ten years hence in precifely the lame 
 manner that he does at prefent, he undertakes more than he 
 can perform ; and no one is bound to impolTible conditions. 
 
 A man's prefent belief, as far as it is rational and fincere, 
 muft be always determined by the weight of evidence ; and it 
 will vary as the evidence varies j it will grow flronger as the 
 evidence grows more convincing ; and it will become weaker 
 as the evidence decreafesj or as the probabilities in favour of 
 a contrary opiniftn are increafed. On any doubtful queftions, 
 which admit of degrees of proof, or of probability, an honeft 
 and rational man will embrace that fide of the queftion, in fa- 
 vour of which the proofs are the ftrongeft ; or the probabilities 
 preponderate. Tims a degree of evidence, which at one period 
 
C 41 ) 
 
 h accepted-, and if thou dceJl 'net 'welUfin lietb ct thi 
 door,'' Here God himfelf, not long afcer the fall. 
 
 of life feems fnfficient to determine the choice and to fis 
 the aileiit may appear infufficient at another. No man can 
 bind over his confcience to believe, or his reafon to fupport 
 what he now believes, all the rell of his life; and no power on 
 earth can give him the capacity to do it ; or take from him the 
 right of not doing it. The attempt would be as vain and 
 fruitlcfs, not to fay as impious, as an attempt to fetter the 
 winds, or to flill the waves. 
 
 The knowledge ofevery man who reads and thinks, as every 
 clergyman ought to read and to think, is and rauft be in a 
 flate of continual progrcffion; and of courfc his opinions on 
 many matters of doubtful ffpeculaticn may undergo many 
 changes, without arty change taking place in the purity of his 
 confcience, or the integrity of his heart; without any diminu- 
 tion of his regard for the church of which he is a member^ 
 or any deduction from his ufefulnefs as one of its miuiflers. — 
 To diffufe a fpirit of good will between man and man, to con- 
 ciliate the aft"e6tions of the people to the government, and to 
 awaken in the government an attention to llie interefts of the 
 people; to promote the growth of all the domeftic and all the 
 fecial virtues, to melt the obdurate and to confirm the peni- 
 tent, to raife the weak hands and to f.rf ngthen the feeble 
 Icnees, to animate the righteous and to dircvt the eyes of the 
 wretched to the realms of immortality; — thefe are the great, 
 and noble, and worthy ends, and ufes of an eflabliflied church; 
 3nd thefe ends may be obtained, and this gooA may be pro- 
 duced, where there is not an uniformity of opinions among its 
 niinifters on topics of doubtful inquiry; or where fomeof them 
 fubfcribe the thirty. nine articles in their plain literal fenfe, 
 and others in one that is totally diti'crent. 
 
 In thefe. remarks, in which I have fpoken my mind clearly 
 
( 42 ) 
 
 cxprefbly intimates that Cain had a power to choofe 
 either good or evil; and that his happinefs depended 
 on the choice which he fhould malce. In conformity 
 to this paffage: St. John fays, i Ep. iii. 12, that Cain's 
 ivorks were evil ; and thoje of his brother's righteous. B ut 
 had the fallfo far vitiated the nature of man, as to have 
 ingenerated a permanent difpofition to evil, and in- 
 difpofition to good, the works of Abel muft have been 
 as unrighteous as thofe of his brother. In Genefis vi. 
 5, it is teflified of Noah, that he was a juji man, and 
 perfe5ly and walked with God," — a charader totally 
 incompatible with the fuppofition, that the fall ren- 
 dered human nature vicious and unfound to the very 
 
 and intelligibly, but I truft vvlthbecoming moderation, my wifli 
 is to defend the great and good Anti-Calviniftic majority of the 
 Clergy againft the malicious afperfions of the CalvinilUc mi- 
 nority; and to vindicate the rights of the former to freedom of 
 opinion, and freedom of inquiry; rights, which the latter, who 
 are enemies to truth and reafon, would willingly take away. 
 I love, I venerate the Church of England with all her imper- 
 feftions. Though I am not fo warm an admirer as to panegy- 
 rife her wrinkles ; oi^ fo infatuated a lover as to imagine that 
 her freckles add to her beauty ; yet I am confcious that flie has 
 qualities which deferve the etleem of her friends, and the rc- 
 fpe6t of her enemies. If her faults be many, t/iey are greatly 
 exceeded by her virtues. And who is there, even among her 
 bittereft foes, who can cenfure the fimplicity of her rites or 
 the folemnity of her fervice? Who is there, not callous to 
 every emotion of piety, that will not laud the beauty of her 
 liturgy, the devotion with which it glows, and the charity 
 which it iufpires? 
 
( 43 ) 
 
 core. Of Job, it is faid that he was " perfe^ and 
 upright^ one that feared God^ and efchewed evil-," and, in 
 another paflage, God himfelf is reprefented as calling 
 Job " a perfect and an upright man, one thatfeareth Gody 
 and ejcheweth evil." Surely nothing can more ftrongly 
 prove St. Auftin's favourite doifirine of innate cor- 
 ruption to be unfcriptural and erroneous; for had 
 Adam's guilt been infufed into his pofterity, fo as to 
 produce a continual averfion to good, and an unce-af- 
 ing converfion to evil, there could not, after the firll 
 tranfgrefilon, have been a fingle perfeCl and upright 
 man upon the whole face of the earth. But as there 
 have been, fince the fall, feveral perfefl and upright 
 men who feared God, and efchewed evil, thele exam- 
 ples prove, that men were under no natural or innate 
 biafs to unrighteoufnefs; and that there were fo many 
 finners in the world, not becaufe fin was a mechani- 
 cal necefllty, ^ut hecauje men grofsly cibujed their ca- , 
 pacity to do good, and not to do end. In Adls x. we 
 read of Cornelius, a centurion, " a devout man, and 
 one that feared God with all his houfe; 'wlio gave 
 much alms to the people, and prayed to God always." 
 Indeed, in all ages and among all nations, there 
 have been righteous as well as wicked; there have 
 been fome who have obeyed, though there have been 
 more who have tranfgreffed the law written on their 
 hearts ; the law whofe pra6lice reafon approves, and 
 whofe obligations confcience feels. 
 
 27. If God be a moral governor, man muft be a 
 
 6 
 
( 44 ) 
 
 moral agent; that is, capable of choofing good or 
 evil ; for, without fuch a capacity, human adlions 
 would be no more fufceptible of the relations of mo- 
 rality, than the movements of a machine. Moral 
 agency confifts in the voluntary preference of good to 
 evil, or of evil to good ; and without which, God can- 
 not be, with refpecl to man, a moral governo^^ for 
 the notion of a moral government is incompatible 
 ■y.'ith that of a mechanical neceflity. But the doflrinc 
 of original fin, which is taught by the Fanatics, de- 
 llroys the moral government of God ; for man could 
 not make a voluntary election between good and 
 evil, if he wei e, from the womb, indifpofcd to good, 
 and difpofed to evil. 
 
 1%. As the notions of original fin, which are en- 
 tertained by the Fanatics, invalidate the moral go- 
 vernment of God, they muft, of courfe, take away 
 all motives to righteoufnefs and devotion, to obedi- 
 ence and adoration. If God be not a moral gover- 
 nor, he muft be a carelefs fpcdator of human adions, 
 indifferent to vice or virtue; and hence mankind 
 could cherifh no hope of conciliating his favour ; and 
 need entertain no dread of exciting his difpleafure. 
 For, once fet afide the belief of God's moral govern- 
 ment ; and all actions, as they refpefl the relations 
 between God and man, become alike. They lofe 
 the chara6lerifl:ic difllndlions cf good and evil; and 
 God himfelf ceafes to be an objefl worthy of reli- 
 gious adoration. For v/e might as well worfhip 
 
( 45 ) 
 
 wood and ftone, as a God who does not concerri 
 himfelf about us ; and who, whatever may be our 
 condud towards him, regards us neither with pleafure 
 nor difpleafure, with fondnefs nor averfion. What 
 emotions of piety, of hope or fear, of love and gra- 
 titude, could the worfliip of fuch a being kindle in 
 the foul? 
 
 29. The great and glorious attribute of God, the 
 excellence of his excellencies, the perfc6lion of his 
 perfedlions, is his goodnefs; that goodncfs which is 
 every where manifefted in the works of creation ; and 
 in the pages of fcripture. But the genius of Fana- 
 'ticifm obfcures the unclouded funfhine of the divine 
 glory 5 for it fuppofes that God conllituted ail the 
 generations of men finners, appointed to damnation 
 before they were born ; and that of all thofe who 
 come into the world, only a very fmall portion is 
 eledled to falvadon, while millions and millions are 
 created on purpofe to be tormented for ever in fire 
 and brimftone. This dodlrine, which is not more 
 replete with abfurdity than with blafphemy, ap- 
 proaches nearer to the chilling fyflemofthe Atheift, 
 than to the cheering doflrine of the gofpel. The 
 Atheift denies the exiltence of God; the Fanatic 
 annihilates the fuppnfinon of his goodnefs; and what 
 fcntient and intelligent being is there who would not 
 prefer no God at all to a God zdthout goodnefs f 
 Strip God of his goodnefs, and the imagination in- 
 ftantly rcprcfents the Deity as a Devil; for the divine 
 
( 46 ) 
 
 pov-cr, abftracled from that goodnefs, which diredls 
 its operations, excites fenfations more allied to trem- 
 bling abhorrence, than to thrilling love, 
 
 30. What is the precife naure of juftice, as it re- 
 fpefts the government of God, it may be difficult to 
 define; but on this, I think, v/e may fafely rely, 
 that the proceedings of God towards man will not be 
 fuch as might reafonably be accufed of injuftice, if 
 they were the proceedings of one man towards ano- 
 ther, ' Our notions of juftice are, for the moft part, 
 diltindl and clear; and in which we ftldom err, unlefs 
 from the abufe of reafon or the contempt of con- 
 fcience. Our fenfations themfelves, in a meafure, 
 teach us to diftinguifh juftice from injuftice ; and that 
 fenfc of right, which is either innate in the heart, or 
 which the leaft exercife of reafon will difcover, will 
 prevent any confiderable miftake in queftions which 
 fo nearly concern our own intereft, and the intereft 
 of our fellow-creatures. Now, we cannot imagine 
 that God, in his dealings with us, will adt contrary 
 to thofe principles of juftice which he has made fo 
 evident to the mind, and fo genial to the heart ; and 
 which he has, moreover, exprefsly commanded us to 
 obferve in cur conduft towards each other. This 
 fuppofition would make God aft contrary to his own 
 will and his own decrees. No good and wife legiflator 
 who impofes laws on others will violate them hirnfelf; 
 nor can we, for a moment, believe, that God would 
 ordain laws, to which he hirnfelf would not conform. 
 
( 47 ) 
 
 If God tell man to do no wrong to his brother man, 
 we may fafely truft that He will not tranfgrefs his 
 own decrees by doing wrong to mankind. — But the 
 perverfe and wicked do6lrine of the Fanatics fup- 
 pofes that God is fallible, and inconfiilent with him- 
 felf; that he does not conform to his own laws, and 
 does not abide by his own decrees *. According to 
 our fenfe of right and wrong, which is the gift of 
 God, and according to the Ipirit and to the letter of 
 God's laws, it would be an acl of outrageous cruelty 
 in any human lawgiver, to punifh a man for crimes 
 which he never committed, or to hang him for a rob- 
 bery which was perpetrated by one of his remote 
 progenitors ; and in the guilt of which his defcendants 
 could not be involved. If any human legiHator 
 Ihould attempt to put in pradice fuch an opprelTivc 
 fentence, it would revolt every heart ; and every 
 hand would be raifed to refifl: the execution. If it 
 would be unjuft in any human tribunal to put the 
 innocent in the place of the guilty, a fimilar con- 
 du£t, if pradifed by God, would be contrary to the 
 laws ofjuftice, which he ordained; and it would be 
 reprobated by that fenfe of right and wrong, which 
 his goodnefs imparted to us j and by which we dif- 
 tinguilh good from evil, and mercy from opprelTion. 
 
 * The laws of God are the emanations of his wlfJom, of his 
 jnftice, and his goodnefs; and God can no more aft contrary 
 to them, than he can a6l contrary to w ifdom, to juftite^ and to 
 goodnefs. 
 
( 48 ) 
 
 jr. There feems no propofitlon in theology mortf 
 clear than this ; that God prefers the righteous to the 
 finner; that thofe who keep his laws are the objeds 
 of his regard, and thofe who violate them, of his dif- 
 pleafure. But if all men were, according to the hy- 
 pothefisofthe Fanatics, inherently and radically vi- 
 cious, utterly indifpofed to good, and difpofed to evil, 
 they would all be, in refpe£t to moral qualities, on 
 the fame level, and one could have no better claim 
 to preference than another. Whence then do the 
 fcriptures aflure us, that God docs prefer fome to 
 others; the juft to the unjuft; for if human nature 
 were as corrupt as the Fanatics reprefent it, there 
 could be none that did good, or efchewed evil ; and, 
 in this cafe, God would be made to prefer one in- 
 dividual, to another without a caufe for preference. 
 Such reafoning, with refpefl to God, is impious and 
 abfurd. 
 
 32. If fome individuals be more the objecfls of 
 God's love than others, it muft be becaufe fome ex- 
 cel in moral qualities mofe'than others; for a differ- 
 ence in moral qualities can alone form a ground of 
 preference in the fight of the moral Governor of the 
 •world. If moral qualities do form a ground of pre- 
 ference, and if God do, as the fcriptures fully aflcrr, 
 prefer fome men to others on this account, then all men 
 cannot be equally finners, or equally difpofed to evil, 
 and indifpofed to good; for this fl.ippofition would 
 leave no motive for a reafonable preference; and we 
 
( 49 ) 
 
 cannot fuppofe the preference of God to be unrea- 
 fonable. 
 
 23. But the Fanatics will pretend, that, though all 
 men are born finners, fome are made righteous by 
 the fpecial appointment of Godj that, though all the 
 defcendants of Adam do come into the world, reek- 
 ing with pollution, and infedled with guilt to the very 
 core, God does, of his own free will, give to fome 
 few chofen people, his own elegit a. power to become 
 righteous, which he denies to others. But this fup- 
 pofition will not bear examination ; for it makes the 
 Father of Spirits a6l with the fullennefs of bigotry or 
 the wantonnefs of caprice, arbitrarily creating fome 
 for happinefs and others for damnation. 
 
 34. If God give to fome a power to be righteous 
 which he withholds from others, this power muft be 
 either a conditional or an unconditional gift, either 
 granted with or without any endeavour to obtain ir. 
 If it be an unconditional grant, then, as fome are 
 made righteous by a divine appointment, others are 
 made finners by a divine appointment; — that is, they 
 are made righteous againlt their will, and finners 
 without their choice. This is entirely to confound 
 and to deftroy the diftiniSlions of good and evil: for, 
 without changing the language of morals, and abo- 
 lifhing every notion of right and wrong, a man can 
 no more be called a finner, who is made fo without 
 his concurrence, or righteous, who becomes fo againft 
 
 E 
 
( 50 ) 
 
 his inclination, than he could be called black who is 
 born white, or white who is born black. 
 
 35. If the divine fuccour, by which people become 
 righteous, be a conditional grant, if any previous 
 moral exertion be requifite to obtain it, or any pre- 
 vicus moral fitnefs to receive it, then righteoufnefs 
 and unrighteoufnefs become very diftinft things; for 
 the will is inftrumental in their produdlion; and there 
 is a caufe for preference in the one which is wanting 
 in the other. The firft, by a certain congruity which 
 feems invariably obferved in the economy of the 
 moral world, deferves the divine favour; and, by 
 the fame congruity, the laft incurs the divine dif- 
 pleafure. To the firft, which doeth good, belong 
 glory, and honour, and immortality j while tribulation 
 and anguilh are awarded to the laft, becaufe it doeth 
 evil. But the fuppofition, that the divine favour, 
 which ftrengthens the feeble and refrefties the faint, 
 is a conditional grant, is totally incompatible with that 
 fyftem, which the fanguinary zealot of Geneva ef- 
 poufed, and which fucceeding Fanatics have fupport- 
 cd. According to their dodtrine, men are made 
 righteous againft their will, and wicked without their 
 choice ; and God vouchfafes his regard to fome which 
 he denies to others; not becaufe the former ufe their 
 utmoft endeavours to obtain it which the latter do 
 not ufc, but becaufe He ads without motives, dif- 
 tingulfties without a caufe of diftinftion, prefers with- 
 out any rcafon for preference, punifhes where there 
 
( SI ) 
 
 is no guilt, and rewards where there is no integrity. 
 Such are the blafphemies which the Fanatics utter 
 againft the Moft High ! 
 
 36. That the Fanatics (hould make fo many con- 
 verts, is little to be wondered, w hen weconfider how 
 agreeable their dodtrines are to flcfh and blood, and 
 on what eafy terms they promife an eternity of blifs 
 to the dupes of their impofturc. They throw wide 
 the gates of heaven to the finner; and fhut them 
 againft the righteous. Their religion is popular and 
 pleafing, becaufe it requires fo litde felf-denial. 
 "With them falvadon depends on the impulfcs of feel- 
 ings; with us it is the confequence of righteous habit. 
 With them repentance is a miraculous infufion; vHth 
 us it is a forrow for fin, generating newnefs of life. 
 With them one tranfport of the nerves, beating with 
 devotional extravagance, is more likely to lift the fin- 
 ner to heaven, than a whole life fpent in the praflice 
 of virtue. Great religious formality, great aufterity 
 in the manner, and great fandity in the look canonize 
 their izxnis', while reckon among thejuft, only 
 thofe, who pofiTefs that inward purity which cleanfes 
 the thoughts, and that goodnefs which is manifeft in 
 the condudt. The Fanatics reft their entire hopes 
 on the fidion of imputed righteoufnefs ; but while 
 we judge the blood of the atonement the only caufe 
 of our falvation, we think that it is not that blood of 
 fprinkling by which individuals will be faved from 
 the wrath to come, unlefs it purify their fouls from 
 E 2 
 
( 5^ ) 
 
 aElualfin^ and render them a peculiar people zea- 
 lous OF GOOD WORKS. The Fanatics think grace 
 neceffary to perfevtrance in righteoufnefs ; and we 
 think the fanfie; but they fuppofe grace irrtfiftiblej 
 while we think thit it mav be quenched; they fay 
 that it operates againft, we affcrt that it works in con- 
 jundlion with, our will j and that it is a talent which 
 will be withdrawn if it be n(Jt turned to a good ac- 
 count. Their do6lrine is a chaos of myftery; in 
 \vhich the wife and the foolilh are alike bewildered j 
 our dodlrine is plain, and artlefs, and intelligible; 
 which the fimple cannot nr^iftake; and the way -faring 
 man may underftand. The religion which we preach 
 meliorates the heart; theirs only inflames the paflions. 
 H^e addrefs the underflianding ; they agitate the in- 
 temperance of the imagination. fFe are fedulous to 
 promote adlive ufefulnefs; they excite only a barren 
 confidence or a comfortlefs defpondency. Our fyflcm 
 is favourable to the growth of virtue and of happinefs; 
 theirs tends to the increafe of vice and mifery. We 
 deliver thofe inftruflions which are fitted to make 
 good hufbands, good fathers, good children, which 
 encourage all that is amiable in domeftic, and all that 
 is upright in civil life; while the counfels which thejr 
 give, and the leflbns they teach, produce either a 
 fullen indifference, or a fierce contempt for all thofe 
 ties which are the deareft to the heart, and the moft 
 binding on the confciencc. 
 
RELIGION WITHOUT CANT. 
 
 Aftf» was a free agents accountable for his anions before 
 the fall, and has continued fo ever Jince. 
 
 That man was made an accountable being at 
 the beginning, and that he has continued fo ever 
 fince, is a truth which the fcriptures fully cftablifh ; 
 and to which good and wife theologians of all ages 
 have aficnced. 
 
 2. An accountable being means, a being endued 
 with a capacity to difcern good from evil, and refpon- 
 fible for the ufe of it. The right ufe of this capa- 
 city conftitutes religious obedience; the wrong ule of 
 it conftitutes difobedience or impiety. 
 
 3. As we pofTefs a capacity to difcern good from 
 evil, that capacity is a law of our nature ; which we 
 could have derived only from him who gave us this 
 
 E 3 
 
( 54 ) 
 
 mortal life, and placed us in this probationary world. 
 To prefer moral good to moral evil, is to obey the 
 law of our rational nature; as to prefer phyfical good 
 to phyfical evil, pleafure to pain, and food to hunger, 
 is to obey the law of our animal conflitucion. To 
 obey the law of our rational nature, or rightly to ule 
 our capacity of difcerning good from evil, is, to obey 
 the will of God; who gave us the capacity and made 
 us refponfible for the exercife. 
 
 4. If we are conftitu^ed beings, accountable for 
 the morality of our aftions, or, in other words, for 
 the conformity of our condud; to the law of our ra- 
 tional nature which is the will of God, it fjllows, 
 that we poflefs not only the faculty of difcerning good 
 from evil, but alfo the free ufe of it, in choofing 
 either the one or the other, as it feemeth to us bed; 
 in either conforming or not conforming our adlions 
 to the law of our rational nature, or the will of our 
 Creator. We cannot be accountable for impoflibili- 
 ties. We cannot be refponfi'jle to the Judge of all the 
 earth for not ufing that which we do not poflefs j or 
 which is not fubjeft to tliC will, or the rational fa- 
 culty of man. 
 
 5. We either do poflefs the faculty of difcerning 
 between good and evil or we do not poflefs it. If 
 we do not poflefs it, we cannot be called to account 
 for not exerting the energies of a nonentity ; if we do 
 poflTefs it, we muft poflefs the power of calling it into 
 
( 55 ) 
 
 adion. If we pofllfTc l the faculty of difcerning good 
 from evil, or cf dillinguiflilng between the nature 
 anJ tendencies, the happy and unhappy confequences 
 of certain adlions, and yet did not poffcfs the faculty 
 of voluntarily exerting it, we could not be accounta- 
 ble for the voluntary exertion of it. If we poflefTed a 
 power of dillinguifhing between fweet and bitter, 
 between things noxious and things innocent, between 
 poiions and their antidotes, and yet when fugar and 
 ga y when a loaf of bread and a ftone, v/hen a fifli 
 aj,^ a fcrpent were fet before us, v;o eld not poflefs 
 the pow er of reaching out our hands and taking that 
 which we knew to be good and wholefome and nu- 
 tr'iious, in preference to that which we knew to be 
 dcflruiflive, the power of diftinflion would be ufelefs; 
 becaufe it could not be exercifedj and, in this cafe, 
 would it not be tyrannical, that we ftiould be punifli- 
 ed for not exercifing it ? In the fame manner, if we 
 poiTcfs a power of difcerning moral good from moral 
 evil w ithout the faculty of exerting it, the not exert- 
 ing it cannot juftly be laid to our charge by a rea- 
 fonable being, fuch as God muft be. 
 
 6. If, therefore, we do not poflefs the faculty of dif- 
 cerning between good and evil and next ot choofing 
 between them, we cannot be accountable foroui ac- 
 tions. And if we be not accountable for our actions, 
 then there is no fuch thing as a law of our rational na 
 ture, to which our conduft ftiould be conformable j for, 
 in this cafe, it would be a law, firft, which we could not 
 
 E4 
 
( 56 ) 
 
 know, and next which we could not obey. It would, 
 therefore, be no law at allj for how can that be a law 
 to us, or a law which we can be required to obey, or 
 refponfible for not obeying, either whofe obligations 
 we do not know, or which the lawgiver himfelf has, 
 by a conjtraint on our nature, prevented us from obey- 
 ing, and determined us to violate ? Such a fuppofi- 
 tion would be to make human nature and the whole 
 economy of the moral world a fyftcm of abfurdity, 
 and the author of it a capricious demon, charu6terifed 
 by injuRice, and delighting in torture. Such are the 
 inconfiftencies and impieties into which thofe per- 
 fons are neceffarily carried who maintain that man 
 is, from the womb, utterly indifpofcd to good and 
 difpofed to evil; and meriting eternal damnation for 
 a tranfgrefTion to which he was not acceffary i which 
 he had neither power to choofe or to refufe, to per- 
 petrate or to prevent. 
 
 7. As the advocates for the loathfome dodrine 
 of hereditary corruption pretend that the fall de- 
 ftroyed the capacity of man to do good, and left him 
 nothing but a capacity to do evil, that it extinguilhed 
 the life of religion in the foul, that it eftranged all 
 his affcdions from the law of God, and imprcffed on 
 his difpofition and habits an irrefiftible bias to all 
 manner of iniquity, let us carefully examine the brief 
 and, probably, in Jome degree, allegorical account*, 
 
 * Le Clerc fays, " banc hi loriam nafcentis orbis, licet (5in- 
 plici contextam, ut videtur, ftylo,- non carcre fcberaatibus ; 
 
( 57 ) 
 
 which the fcripture has left of that event, and wc 
 lhall find that it gives no authority whatever for fo 
 ft range a fuppoficion. 
 
 8. The original anceftors of mankind were no 
 fooner feated in paradife, than they found themfelves 
 in a ftate of trial. And the trial on which they were 
 put, at that time, was not the trial of their obedience 
 to the moral law, but to a pofitive precept, " Thou 
 jhalt not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and 
 evil:' 
 
 9. Our firft parents, when in paradife, where the 
 earth fpontaneoufly brought forth every thing to 
 fupply their wants, and where they were the only 
 inhabitants, were not tried by their obedience to the 
 law of moral obligation; becaufe they could, in that 
 ftate, be under no poflible temptation to falfehood, 
 to adultery, to injuftice, or any other immorality. 
 The violations of truth and juftice are ufually occa- 
 fioned by the force of temptations to which Adam 
 and Eve, placed in the garden of Eden, were inac- 
 ceffible. God, therefore, inftead of making thrir 
 enjoyment of his favour depend on their cbedicr.cc ' 
 to the llatutes of the moral law, which they h a-i no 
 temptation to violate, made it depend on their obe- 
 
 unde minus mirtim vtclclur, ft qutedam in fupcrioribus ut jaccntf 
 intelligendu non fint, quam-vis nuda ornamentis narralio, prirTO 
 intuitu videtur." Cleric in Genef. iii. 22, See Warb. Dtv. 
 Leg. b. ix. 
 
 6 
 
C 58 ) 
 
 dicnce to a fingle injundion, not to eat of the tree of 
 
 knowledge of good and evil; which did operate as a 
 charm upon their fenfes; which was grateful to the 
 eye, and pleafing to the fmell; and which, confe- 
 quently, exercifcd their felf-denial; and formed a fa- 
 tisfadlory teft of their obedience. 
 
 10. A ftate of temptation is neceffary to beings 
 accountable for their aftions. Accountablenefs fup- 
 pofes a capability of merit or demerit, or, in a reli- 
 gious fenfe, a power of obtaining the favour or of in- 
 curring the d fpleafure of God. But how can a 
 capability of obtaining, or a qualifying fitnefs for re- 
 ceiving the divine favour, exift in aftions, which did 
 not originate in preferetice? A ftate of moral proba- 
 tion, or a ftate in which we are capable of merit and 
 demerit, of obedience and difobedience to the divine 
 will, neceffarily fuppofes the encounter of oppofite 
 motives in the breaft of man ; and the fitnefs or right 
 application of moral agency confifts in making a 
 right choice between them; in preferring the motives 
 to obedience to thofe which incline us to difobe- 
 dience; and in regulating our conduft by the former, 
 rattier than by the latter. 
 
 1 1. Our firft: parents, though they had no tempta- 
 tion to violate thofe laws of moral obligation, in 
 obedience to which righteoufnefs now confifts, were 
 -yet placed in a fl;ate of moral agency, and capable of 
 merit or demerit, as far as they were capable of obc- 
 
( 59 ) 
 
 dience or difobedience. Even, in paradlfe, they 
 were, in fome meafure, operated upon by contend- 
 ing motives; and they were required to make a 
 right life of the freedom of their will in choofing 
 betwren them. They were liable, as the hiftory 
 proves, to the external agency and the internal in- 
 fiuence of temptation; and their moral agency con- 
 fiftcd in combating the one and repelling the other. 
 They beheld the tree of good and evil \\aving its 
 fair and beautiful fruit (probably more attradlive in 
 its appearance, than the fruit that grew on any of the 
 other trees in the garden} before their eyes. The 
 outward attradions of the fruit operated on their 
 fenfes; and concurred with the prohibition to eat, to 
 inflame defn e. In quenching the dcfire, and in obey- 
 ing the divine injundlion, their morality and their 
 happinefs confified. The command was poficive 
 not to eat of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of 
 good and evil; and obedience to it was enforced by 
 this denunciation, " In the day that thou eatefl thereof 
 thou Jbalt Jurely die.'' 
 
 12. Our firfl parents were thus placed in a ftate of 
 temptation ; and fubjeflcd to the influence of oppofite 
 ir.otives. 1 he forbiden fruit, adting on their fenfes, 
 inflamed their appetites, and inclined them to dif- 
 obedience; while the love of him, who had provided 
 for them luch abundance of delights, and gave them 
 full power to enjoy all the varied luxuries of paradife, 
 "uoith this fingle exception^ combined witli the fear of 
 
 3 
 
(, 6o ) 
 
 incurring the penaltv which he threatened, fecmed 
 more forcibly to impel them to obedience. 
 
 13. But our firft parent?, a good deal like their 
 defcendants, feem to have been vanquiibed by the 
 defire ofprefent gratification. Beguiled bv the immC' 
 diate pleafure, they difregarded the more diftant con- 
 feqoences. They perhaps pradifed upon themfelvcs 
 delufions of a felf-impofture, fimilar to that which 
 we are fo often accuftomed to pra6life upon our- 
 felves, in thofe cafes in which our appetites arc in- 
 flamed by the nearnefs of fome preient, but criminal 
 indulgence. They, perhaps, imagined, that if they 
 tranfgrefled, the tranfgreffion might be concealed j 
 or that the confcquences might not be fo bad as were 
 threatened. Confcious of the goodnefs of God, they 
 might fondly hope that one fingle offence would not 
 fo far provoke his wrath, as to caufe him to deprive 
 them for ever of all the happlnefs which his bounty 
 had provided j to drive them from his pre fence and 
 doom them to mlfcry and deftrudlion. Thus it is pro- 
 bable, that they liftened to the vain imaginations of 
 their own hearts j they fuffered the flame of fenfual 
 defire to make.its inroads into the foul, till it became 
 too violent to be extinguiflied. They ate of the 
 fruit which they were commanded not to eat; they 
 violated the injundion of God ; and brought death 
 into the world. 
 
 14. Hence we fee that our firft parents were no 
 
( 6i ) 
 
 Iboner created, than they were tempted like as wc 
 are; that they had, as we have, reafon and confcicnce 
 and freedom of will to vanquifh temptation; hue that 
 by not liftening to the fuggeftions of reafon and not 
 minding or not believing the denunciations of God, 
 and by abufing their natural freedom of moral agency 
 which his goodnefs had imparted, they fuffered a 
 temptation to overpower them, which they might have . 
 overpowered. 
 
 15. That the moral powers, or the powers of re- 
 fifting temptation, and of conforming to the law of 
 a rational nature or the will of God, were ftronger 
 in Adam, than they have been in many of his de- 
 fcendants, by no means appears from any fjggeftions 
 in the account of the fall, or in any other parts of 
 fcripture. The contrary is rather proved by the 
 hiftory ; for Eve feem.s, as far as can be gathered front 
 the relation of Mofes, to have yielded to the firfi tempt a- 
 tion, and to have been vanquifhed by the firft impulfe of 
 unlicenfed defire. Many of the frail and fair daughters 
 of Eve, who from her derive forrovv and travail in 
 the conception of children, fcem to have fuccefsfully 
 refilled temptations ftrongcr than thofc by which 
 their female progenitor was overcome. How then 
 can it be truly faid, that there was, in our fii fl: parents, 
 an original righteoufnefs which has been entirely loft 
 in their defccndants ? Let us not be deceived by 
 fine-founding words, or by the honeyed cant of 
 fafhionable authorities; let us examine the fcriptural 
 
( 62 ) 
 
 account of the creation and the fall, and we fhall find, 
 that that which i- called original righteoufnefs never 
 exifted; and, confequently, could never be loft. For 
 what does the word righteoufnefs mean in the language 
 of fcripture, or what can it mean in the language of 
 com.mon fenfe, but a habit of doing rights of obeying 
 the divine will, in preferring good to evil, and obe- 
 dience to difobedience ? Our firft parents could not 
 have been created in, or born with this habit of 
 righteoufnefs ; for if they had, they would have con- 
 tinued righteous. 
 
 1 6. When a habit is formed by repeated a61;s, it 
 becomes a permanent principle of acftion; that guides 
 us with eafe, and that we refifi: with difficulty ; and 
 much more powerful would be an habit of righteouf- 
 nefs, incorporated in the frame, and ingenerated in 
 the foul by the author of our being ; but that fuch a 
 habit was not ingenerated in Adam or in Eve, is clear 
 from this, that they appear to have embraced the 
 firft temptation to unrightecufnefs ; and to have tranf- 
 greflcd, almoft as foon as they had an opportunity 
 of tranfgreffing. Real righteoufnefs (not the coun- 
 terfeited righteoufnefs of imputation *) confifts in a 
 
 * Whitby calls the imputation of Chrifl's perfe6l and ac- 
 tive obedience to us, a very falfe and pernicious doftrine: and 
 he proves, that it is contrary both to fcripture and to reafon. 
 See his difcourfe on the imputation of Chrift's perfeft righte- 
 eufnefs in his Teftemeat. " In the holy fcriptures," fays 
 
( 63 ) 
 
 vigorous habit of refilling remptations to fin, and of 
 following the true motives to holinefsj but our firft 
 parents feem either not to have poflefledj or not to 
 have exerted, the power to acquire fuch a habit j for 
 they were no fooner tempted than they fell. 
 
 17. It appears then, from the records ofinfpiration, 
 that what is called original righteoufnefs, is a mere 
 fidtion, fit only for fome canting fanatic * to incul- 
 cate, or fome fuperftitious old woman to embrace; 
 for, even for a minute, fuppofing that man did ever 
 poflefs an ingenerate habit of righteoufnefs, fuch an 
 habit could not have been implanted in the human 
 nature without annihilating all ideas of merit or 
 demerit, without totally deftroying the freedom of 
 choofing between good and evil, and abolifhing the 
 ftatc of moral probation in which man is placed ; 
 
 Whitby, " there is no mention made of the imputation of any 
 man's fin, or righteoufnefs to another, lut o7ily of the hnputa- 
 t'lon of his oivn good deeds for righteoufnefs, or of his oivn evil 
 deeds for punifliment T See Whitby's N. T. vol. ii. p. 2JS. 
 
 * In proportion as a man is averfe to tlie cant of religion, he 
 is attached to the reality; and in the fame degree that he 
 pradifes the cant, he is eftranged from the reality. This re- 
 mark may, perhaps, delerve the attention of the evangelical 
 preachers whofe continual cant about faith, grace, imputed 
 righteoufnefs, and imputed fin, is a convincing proof that they 
 love darknefs better than light, and myftery better than com- 
 mon fenfc, lecaufe their deeds are evif. 
 
( H ) 
 
 and which fuppofes, in mofl: cafes at leafi:, fomething 
 like an equality in the motives, which incline the will 
 CO good or to evil. But an irrefiftible bias to good, 
 fuch as what is called original righteoufnefs, fuppofes 
 in our firft parents, would have counterafted any 
 bias to evil, and have annihilated the influence of 
 the motives to difobedience ; but that fuch a bias to 
 good was not imprefled on the firft anceftors of the 
 human race appears from this, that they wanted 
 ftrength and refolution to defeat one wayward in- 
 clination to unrighteoufnefs. 
 
 1 8. Man was originally created, as the fcriptures 
 afllire us, in the image of God and his image ftili 
 remains in all who are born into the world ; and no- 
 thing but a£is of difobedience to the divine will can efface 
 it in uSy any more than in our firfl parents *. Till a£ls 
 
 * Mr. Wilberforce feems to fuppofe, that the moral part of 
 human nature is a mafs of putrefadlion. But Mr. Wilberforce 
 will not, I hope, think his authority depreciated, if I prefume 
 to pay lefs deference to his opinions, than to thofe of Sir Mat- 
 thew Hale, the righteous and the wife, and thofe of Bifliop 
 Butler, the penetrating and profound. Sir Matthew Hale, in 
 his primitive origination of mankind, fays, " I come now tocon- 
 fider of thofe rational inflinds, as I call them, the connate 
 principles engraven in the human foul ; which, though they 
 are truths acquirable, and deducible by rational confequence 
 and argumentation, yet they feem to be infcribed in the very 
 crajis and texture of the foul, antecedent to any acquifitioK by 
 induftry, or the exercife of the difcurfive faculty in man j and. 
 
( 65 ) 
 
 of fins are committed, there is the lovely imprefs df 
 a divine charader upon the human nature ; fuch as 
 
 therefore, tliey may be well called anticipations, prenotions or 
 fentiments charadterifed and engraven in the Ibul, born with 
 it, and growing up with it, till they receive a check by ill cuf- 
 toms or educations, or an improvement and advancement by 
 the due exercife of the faculties. I fliall fl;iev/, firft, what they 
 are : fecondly, what moves nie to think that fuch are con- 
 natural. 
 
 " 1^ Touching the former, I think ihofe implanted and con- 
 natural anticipations are thefe; namely, that there is a God; 
 that he is of grcateft power, wifdom, goodnefs, and perfeflion; 
 that he is plea fed with good, and difp'.eafed with evil; that 
 he is placable ; that he is to be feared, honoured, loved, wor- 
 ihipped, and obeyed; that he will reward the good and punifh 
 the evil ; a fecret fentiment of the immortality of the foul, or 
 that it furvives the body to be capable of rewards and punifh- 
 ments, according to its deportment in this life ; certain common 
 notions of moral good and evil, of decorum and turpe; that faith 
 and promifes are to be kept ; that a man muft do as he would 
 be done by; that the obfcene parts and a6tions, though other- 
 wife natural, are not to be expofed to public view, obvelatio 
 pudendorum; that a man muft be grateful for benefit received. 
 Thefe, and fome fuch common notions or intimate propen- 
 fions, feera to be connaturally engraven in the foul antecedently 
 to any difcurfive ratiocination; and though they are not fo dif- 
 tinft and explicit, yet they are fecret biatTes, inclining the hu- 
 man nature primarily to what is ufeful and convenient for it, 
 in proportion to the flate of an intelledual nature : That, as 
 •we fee in brutes, befides the exercife of their faculties of fenli- 
 tive perception and imagination, there are lodged in them cer- 
 tain fenfible inftin6ts antecedent to their imaginative faculty, 
 whereby they are pre-determined to the good and convenience 
 of the fenfible life; fo there are lodged in the very crafts and 
 
 F 
 
( 66 ) 
 
 we behold in the innocence of fmiling infants j on 
 whofe conrciences is no fin, and in wiiofe hearts is 
 
 conflitution of llie foul, certain rational inftinfts whereby il is 
 pre-difpo^ed, inclined, and biafled to the good aud convenience 
 proportionable to a rational and infelle6tual life; a certain con- 
 geuite ftock of rational fentiments and inclinaiions, which may 
 go along with him, and fairly incline him to fuch a trade and 
 way as is fuitable to the good of his nature; fo that he is not 
 left barely to the undetermination, incertainty, and unfteadi- 
 nefs of the operation of his faculties, without a certain fecret 
 and gentle predifpofition of them to what is right, decent, and 
 ' convenient for their manage and guidance by thefe common 
 anticipations, inclinations, and connatural charafters engraven 
 in the foul. 
 
 " 2. And that which inclines me to believe this, is not only the 
 eongruity of the fuppofition to the convenience of the human 
 nature, and the inftance of the fenfible inftinds in the animal 
 nature proportionate to their convenience, and the great import- 
 ance of them to the convenience thereof ; but alfo that, which is 
 obfervabie in the attentive confideiation of the manners of 
 mankind in general, which feenis to have thofe common fen- 
 timents in them, and to accord in them in a very great mea- 
 fure : and though evil cuftoms and education much prevails 
 among men, yet it doth not wholly obliterate thefe fentiments, 
 at leaft from the generality of mankind. It mull be agreed 
 that thefe rational inftindls, as I call them, are not always fo 
 vigorous and uniform in their adings as the animal inftinds of 
 brutes are in their kind, which partly proceeds from that li- 
 berty of will that is in the human nature, which many times 
 fufpends or interrupts their energy and operation, partly from 
 that mixture of the fentient appetite with the adtings of the 
 reafonnble foul, which oftentimes tranfport it. Even the more 
 fimple and uncompounded any nature is, the more uniform 
 are its motions and adings; the natural inftinds and propor- 
 I 
 
( 67 ) 
 
 no guile. Innocence, or a freedom from any moral 
 taintt which is the true image of the divine nature 
 
 tions'even of things inanimate (as of heavy bodies to defcend) 
 are more uniform than the very inffinfts of brutes, who have 
 a more complicated form or nature: but as this accidental in- 
 terruption of rational inftinfts doth not difprove their exif- 
 tences, fo man hath a greater advantage by the exeicife of his 
 reafon and intelledive faculties, to remove thofe interruptions, 
 and improve thofe connatural feniiments or rational inftinds 
 to his Angular ufe and benefit, which abundantly recompen- 
 feth thofe interruptions." 
 
 " Again," fays Sir Matthew Hale, " I appeal to the mod 
 knowing men in the world that have but had the leifure to 
 think ferioufly and converfe with themfelves, and that have 
 kept their minds free from the fumes of intemperance and ex- 
 cefs, paflion and perturbation, whether next under divine reve- 
 lation their belt and cleareft fentiments of morality at leaft 
 have not been gpathered from the due animadverfion and in- 
 fpeftion of their own minds, and the improving of that ftock 
 of morals that they there find, and the tranfcribing of that 
 original which they found firft written there. It is true, that 
 it is with the connatural principles infcribed in our minds as 
 it is with our faculties, they lie more torpid, and inaftive, and 
 inevident, unlefs they are awakened and exercifed like a fpark 
 involved in afhesj and being either fupprefled or neglefted, 
 they feem little better than dead} but being diligently attend- 
 ed, infpe^ted, and exercifed, they expand and evolve them- 
 felves into more diftinftion and evidence of themfelves. And, 
 therefore, it was not without fome kind of probability that 
 fome of the ancients thought that fciencc was little elfe thau 
 memory or reminifcence, a difcovery of what was in the foul 
 before. But whatever may be faid of other matters, certainly 
 the firji draughts and ftriSures of natural religion and morality art 
 
 F 2 
 
( 63 ) 
 
 irnpreflcd upon the human, is born with us; and 
 if we die before wc have learned to difcern good 
 
 TtaturaUy in the iiibid." Se?. Hale's Prlmhlve OrlgiiiaLioli of 
 Wankind, fol. London, 16,7, p. 6j, Q'l, 63. 
 
 Ihe following are fome of Billiop Butler's notions of human, 
 nature : " There is not at all any fucb thing as ill will in one 
 man towards another, emulation and refentment being away, 
 whereas there is plainly benevolence or good-will : There is 
 110 fuch thing as love of injuttice, oppreflion, treachery, ingra- 
 titude, but only eager defires after fuch and fuch external goods ; 
 which, according to a very ancient obfervation, the moft aban- 
 doned would choofe to obtain by innocent means, if they were 
 as eafy and as efiedlual to their end : That even emulation 
 and refentment, by any one who will confider what thefe paf- 
 fions are in nature, will be found nothing to the purpofe of 
 this objection : And that the principles and palTions in the 
 mind of man, which are diftinft both from felf love and bene- 
 volence, primarily and moft d'lrcBly lead io right hehainour , and 
 imly Jeondarily and triors remotely to ivhat is evil" Bifliop Butler's 
 Sermons, p. 19, 20. 
 
 " There can be no doubt," continues this great philofopher 
 and divine, " that feveral propenfions or inftindls, feveral prin- 
 ciples in the heart of man, carry him to fociety, and to contri- 
 bute to the happinefs of it, in a fenfe and a manner in which 
 '110 inward principle leads him to evil. Thefe pruiciples, frnpen- 
 Jjons or ifiJiinLls, ivhich lead him to do good, are approved of by a 
 certain facidty ivithin, quite difliniz from thefe profenfions them- 
 J'elves, p. 26. 
 
 " Every bias, Inftlncl, propenfion within, is a real part of 
 our nature, but not the whole: Add to thefe the fuperior fa- 
 culty whofe oflice it is to adjuft, manage, and prelide over them, 
 and you complete the idea of human nature. And as, in cix il 
 government, the conftitutiou is broken in upon and violated 
 
( h ) 
 
 from evil, and have become perfonal tranfgrefibrs 
 by perfonal a6ls of difobedience, by not obe'ying the 
 
 by power and ftrength prevailing over authority; fo the con- 
 fiitution of man is broken in upon, and violated by the lower 
 faculties or principles within prevailing over that, which is, 
 in its nature, fu^ireme over them all. Thus when it is faid by 
 ancient writers, that tortures and dea(h are not fo contrary to 
 human nature as injultice; by this, to be fure, is not meant, 
 that the averfion to the former in mankind is lefs ftrong and 
 prevalent than their nverfion to the latter; but that the for- 
 mer is only contrary to our nature confidered in a partial view, 
 and which takes in only the loweft part of it, that which we 
 have in common with the brutes ; whereas tJic latter is contraiy 
 to our nature, confidered in a higher fcnjc ; as a lyjiejii and conjlitu- 
 iion, co7itrary to the luhole economy of man. And, from all thele 
 things put together, nothing can be more evident than, that, 
 exclufive of revelation, mankind cannot be confidered as a 
 creature left by his Maker lo act at random, and live at large 
 up to the extent of his natural power, as palhon, humour, wil- 
 fulnefs, happen to carry him; which is the condition brute 
 creatures arc in : But that from his make, corifiitution, or nature, 
 lie. is in the firiitefl and vioji proper Jerife a law to himfelf. He 
 hath the rule of right nvithin. What is ivanting is only that he 
 honeflly attend to it. 
 
 The inquiries which have been made by men of Icifure after 
 fome general rule, the conformity to or difagreement from 
 which fluould denominate our actions good or evil, are, in many 
 refpedts, of great fervice: Yet let any plain, honejl man, before 
 he efigages in any coutfe of action, ajk himfelf, is this, 1 am going 
 about right, or is it ivrong? Is it good, or is it evil? I do not 
 in the leajl doubt hut this ipuflion iLould be anj-ivcrcd agreeably to 
 truth and virtue, by ahnoji any fair man, in almojl any ctrcuin- 
 Jiance. Keither do there apj)car an}' cafes which look like 
 
( 70 ) 
 
 fbggeftldns of confcience, and by offending againft 
 what Sir Matthev*? Hale and Bifiiop Butler call the 
 
 exceptions to this, but thofe of fuperftition and partin'ity to 
 ourfelves. Superftition may, perhaps, be fomewhat of an ex'- 
 ception; but partiality to ourfelves is not, this being itfelf dif- 
 honefty. For m^n to judge that to be the equitable, the mode- 
 rate, the right part for him to aft, which he would fee to be 
 hard, unjuft, oppreffive in another j this is plain vice, and can 
 proceed only from great unfairnefs of mind. 
 
 " But allowing that mankind hath the rule of right within 
 himfelf, yet it may be alked, what obligations are we under to 
 attend to, and follow it ? I anrwcr; it has been proved, that 
 man by his nature is a law to himfelf, without the particular 
 diftinft confideratiou of the pofitive fantlions of that law, the 
 rewards and puniflnnents which, from the light of reafon, we 
 have ground to believe are annexed to it. The queftion then 
 carries its own anfwer along with it. Your obligation to obey 
 this law, is its being the law of your nature. That your con- 
 fcience approves of, and attefts to, fuch a courfe of aftion, is 
 itfelf alone an obligarion. Confcience does not oniy offer itfelf 
 to ftiew us the way we lliould walk in, but it likewife carries 
 its own authorily with it, that it is our natural guide, the guide 
 affigned us by the author of our nature. ■ It, therefore, belongs 
 to our condition of being, it is our duty, to walk in that path 
 and follow this guide, without looking about to fee whether 
 we may not poffibly forfake them with impunity," p. 45, to 4Q. 
 
 Thefe fentiments, both of Sir Matthew Hale and of Bifhop 
 Butler, are very adverfe to thofe of Mr.W.'and not very agreea- 
 ble to the doftrine of the ninth article, which fays, that " man 
 is, of Ms own nature, inclined to evilT Bnt, according to the re- 
 prefentation of Bithop Butler, man is, of his own nature, in- 
 clined to good, and the pradiice of mormliiy is viqft conformalle 
 to the principles and frame of his conflifuiion. 
 
( 71 ) 
 
 law of our nature, we die not fubjcdl to wrath and 
 damnation j but with the fame image of God en- 
 
 The prevailing opinions about original fin lefl principally 
 on the authority of St. Auftin ; whofe writings were, at the 
 tinae of the reformation, more read and better undcrftood than 
 thofe of the early Greek fathers, who give no countenance to 
 the do£lrine. Speaking on this fuhjeft, Jeremy Taylor fays, 
 *' There is nothing which, from fo Jhght grounds, hath got fo 
 great, and till of late, fo unqueltio-.ied fooling in the perfua- 
 lions of men. Origen faid eijough to be mifiaken in the quef- 
 tion. 'H Kfa -ri A?a/x x.5ivr; tsavrcov tVrr xat ra Kara ri;? 
 yuvai;4oV> sx fi^rn xa9' ij? a Acyzrai. Adam's cuifc is common 
 to all ; and there is not a woman on earth to whom may not 
 be faid thofe things wh'.ch were fpoken to this womnn (Eve). 
 Him St. Ambrofe did miftake, and followed the error about 
 explicating the nature of original fin, and fet it fomething for- 
 ward. But St.AuJiin gave it complement and authority by his 
 fierce difputing againft the Pelagians, whom he would over- 
 throw by all means. And if fuch a weak principle as his faying, 
 could make an error fpread overfo many churches, for fo many 
 ages, we may eafily imagine, that fo many greater caufcs, as I 
 before reckoned, might infedt whole nations, and confequently 
 mankind, without crucifying our patriarch or firft parent, and 
 declaiming ag-iintlhim (poor man) as the author of all our evil. 
 Truth is, we intend by laying load upon him to ex- 
 cuse OURSELVES; AND WHICH IS WORSR, TO ENTERTAIN 
 OUH SINS INFALLIBLYJ AND NEVER TO I'ART WITH THEM, 
 UPON PliRTENCB THAT THEY AKE NATUUAL AND IRRESIS* 
 
 TiBLE." Taylor's Practice of Repentance, p. 42-i, -i'li. 
 
 "Whitby, as famed for his lionefty as his erudition, and who, 
 like Jeremy Taylor, Clarke, and other great theologians, 
 thought it no deviation from truth and no violation of his 
 oath to deviate from the dodiiue of the articles, when they 
 
 F4 
 
( n ) 
 
 graven upon our fouls, with which we came into 
 
 the world- 
 
 deviated from the doftvine of fcripture, afTailed the unfcrip- 
 tmal hypoihefis of hereditary depravity, and other fiftions of 
 Calviniftic fiiperftition, with weapons vv liich the Ca'.vinifts of 
 his day could not eucomiter, and which the Calvinifls of our 
 times wifl find it impoffible to repel. 
 
 In the beginning of the preface to his Five Points, Whitby 
 fays, " They who have known my education may remember, 
 that I was bred up feven years in the univerfity under men of 
 the G^/w';?//?/V<a;/ perfuafion ; and fo could hear no other doc- 
 trine, or receive no other infiru6tions from the men pf thofe 
 times, and therefore had once firmly entertained all their doc- 
 trines. Now,*"that which fitlt moved me to fearch into the 
 foundation of thefe do£trines {viz. the imputatio7i of Adam s Jin 
 io all his pnjierity), was the ftrange conicqnences of it: this 
 made me fearch the more exactly into that matter, and by 
 reading Jojua I'laca:us, with the anfwer to him, and others on 
 that fubject, 1 soon tound cause to judge that thekb 
 
 WAS KO TRUTH IN IT." 
 
 I am furprifed, and not more furprifed than concerned, that 
 Wifs Hannah JJore, in her very fenfible, lively, and highly 
 polillied work on education, fliould have allotted a chapter to 
 the defence of the innate corruption of human nature-, a doc- 
 trine which is, I trull, fully proved in thefe pages to be con- 
 trary both to fcripture and to reafonj and which, as Jeremy 
 Taylor, the flower of Engliih theologians, has declared, is difa- 
 •voived by all antiquity prior to the timts of St.AuJirn\ in whom it 
 found a champion, who had zeal without difcretion, and know- 
 ledo-e without judgment. That St. Auftin fhouid have enter- 
 tained fuch unworthy notions of human nature, I the lefs 
 ■wonder, when I confider the atrocious flanders which he fabri- 
 cated againli the more amiahle fex, " De carbonibus," fays the 
 
( 7? ) 
 
 iS. Man did not originally pofTers any thing like 
 an ingenerate habit of rijoteoiijnsjs; but he pofiefled at 
 the beginning, as he hab done in ail ages and genera- 
 tions fince, certain tendencies to good, implanted in 
 his nature; and which he is required to invigorate 
 by cultivation. He brings into the world' certain 
 
 ungallant Father, whofe huge folios fupport the hereditary 
 depravity of the world, " ignis fcintillae profiliunt, de ferro 
 rubigo nutritur^ morbos afpides fibilant, et ynuUer funJh con- 
 cufijcml'ta; pejlilentiam; In rifum aliquanuo elij/lhilur; nunc blan- 
 dltias exhibet ; et, quod eji -venennjius fuper cunrta, pfaUcre Jelcc- 
 taiur aut cantare ; cujus canlu tolcrab 'tlius eft audirc halihjcum 
 ^bilantcm." — tK\ig. in lib. de ling, cleric. In another place he 
 fays, " Alul'ier ncc dacere ^otcft, ):cc tcjlh cffi, 7?cc fiJeiii d'ncre, 
 nec jhdicare." Many, many nre the ladies of the prefent day, 
 ■vvho have afforded a moft fatisfaftory refutation of thefe ca- 
 lumnies; and have fhewn that thf^y are able both to inflruft and 
 to delight to teach the purelt morality to others; and to fet 
 the brighteft examples of it themfelves. Nor can I beiieve, 
 that if the modeft Father could be again brought on earth to 
 hear fome of our EngliQi, and Scotch, and ]ri(h ladies war- 
 bling their fweeteft notes, he would any more compare the 
 harmonies of the fair creation to the venom of the afp, or the 
 hilErig of the bafililk. The Fathers, in general, feem to have 
 had no very favourable opinion of womankind. Jerom gives 
 this auftere, unfocial, and unnatural advice : " Hofpitioliim 
 tuum aut raro aut nunquam nnilierum pedes terant ; omues 
 puellas aut virgines Chritii aut, .-equaliter, ignora aut arqua- 
 liter dilige. Vide, ne fuh eodem tedo, manj'eris." Hier. in 
 Epift. ad Nepot. Chryfoftom on the beheading of John the 
 Baptift, calls woman a coiifuiumatc 7Ji':j\h:tf; and i/ie j/iarpcll 
 zveapon in the Devil's armourj !l! 
 
C 74 ) 
 
 powers, as thofe of reafon and the moral fenfe, which 
 are necefTary to him as a moral agent, accountable 
 for his aflions ; he poffeffes the power of difccrning 
 good from evil, and of choofing between them; and 
 on the right ufe of thefe powers, much of his prefent 
 and all his future happinefs depends. If he prudently 
 exercife and carefully improve thefe falutary faculties 
 of his nature, he doeth good ; if he mifapply them, 
 he doeth evil. If he do good, he continueth in fa- 
 vour with God ; if he do evil, he falls, as Adam fell, 
 under his difpleafure. 
 
 19. Our ftate of trial, at prefent, feems more dif- 
 ficult than that of Adam in paradife. He had only 
 one temptation to refifl: and one precept to obey j 
 but a thoufand temptations are every where fpread 
 around us; which ever way we turn, it requires vi- 
 gilance to efcape a fnare ; and our duties, inftead of 
 being limited to the obfervance of a fingle precept, 
 embrace a multiplicity of important obligations. 
 
 (zo. Our fphere of moral agency is wider and more 
 extended than that of Adam. We expofe, as it 
 were, a broader furface to the influence of tempta- , 
 tion; the obedience required at our hands fuppofes 
 the fubjei5lion of the will, and the conformity of the 
 conduct to a variety of injunflions; and in the cir- 
 cumftances in wliich we are placed, it requires vigor- 
 ous refoiution not to do amifs. It requires a fenfe 
 of dutVj not momentary, but permanent ; it demands 
 
C 75 ) 
 
 unwearied labour, and unceafing vigllarice. It may 
 cafily be conceived how we, who are placed in cir- 
 cumftances more dii'Hcuk than thofe in which our 
 firft parents were placed, fliould be frequendy over- 
 come by temptation, and yield to fin, without hav- 
 ing recourfe to the imputation of Adam's unrigteOuf- 
 nefs to his pofterity, or to the pernicious notion thai 
 our actual tranfgreflions are the fruits of an hereditary 
 depravity. 
 
 11. That no principle of moral ccrruption was 
 infufed into the nature of man aftc;r the fall, afid that 
 no irrefiftible bias to moral evil was impreffcd on the 
 human will, v/e are taught by the fentence of con- 
 demnation which was palTed on our firft parents; in 
 which we do not perceive, that the Lord took from 
 man the power of difcernlng between good and 
 evil, or making a free choice between themj and 
 certainly this part of the fentence, which would have 
 conftitutcd the moft grievous part of the puni{hn:ent, 
 would not have been paffed over in filencc if it had 
 been inflided. 
 
 22. The whole of the punifhment which Adam 
 fufiered, and in v.hich his pofterity are involved, was 
 an expulfion from paradife ; an expofure to bodily 
 toil and mifery, and a difiTolution into the duft from 
 which he was taken. Adam being deprived of para- 
 dife could not leave it as an inheritance to his pof- 
 terity, any more than, in common life, a parent can 
 
( 76 ) 
 
 tranfink to his children the patrimony which he has 
 wafted by his extravagance. The fentence pafled 
 on Adann, though certamly a punijhment on him who 
 had offended, appears to have been rather a difpenfa- 
 tion of mercy to, than an infliction of revenge upon, 
 his innocent pofterity. It placed them in a ftate of 
 difciphne, more fevere indeed, but, at the fame time, 
 more favourable to their improvement. The fliort- 
 nefs of this prefent life carries our hopes to another; 
 the frequent fpedacle of mortality in all around us 
 checks the extravagance of pride, and moderates 
 the intemperance of mirdii while the many afflic- 
 tions and cares with which life is ftrewed, tend to 
 foften the heart, and to teach us to fhew kindnefs to 
 others by the want of ic ourfeives. Moral improve- 
 ment is greatly accelerated by fufFering; it fobers 
 the thoughts; it exalts, it purifies, and, in fomemea- 
 fure, fanftifies the affeftions. 
 
 23. The eafe which Adam enjoyed v/as not fo 
 t^enial to the growth of habits of obedience to the 
 divine will, as the more arduous ftate of probation, 
 to which we are born; for Eve appears to have yield- 
 ed to a temptation which many of her fair and amia- 
 ble dcfcendants would now combat with iuccefs ; and 
 Adam complied with the wilhes of his partner wieh 
 more facility than fome of his children would comply 
 with the guilty wiflies of the woman they moft lo-i e. 
 
 24. As far, therefore, as I am competent to judge, 
 
( 77 ) 
 
 from a ferious inveftigation of the queftion, it ap- 
 pears to me, that the moral ftate of man, as he comes 
 from the womb, is, at lead, not worje than it was 
 originally; for moral improvement is proportioned 
 to the ftrength with which we can combat, and 
 the fiiccefs with which we can conquer temptation. 
 But the power of refifting temptation was certainly 
 not more inherently poffefied, or more vigoroufly 
 exerted, by our firft parents, than it has been by 
 their lateft defendants. The ftate of moral difci- 
 pline in v/hich man is at prefent placed, and par- 
 ticularly in thofe countries which are acquainted with 
 the revelation of Jefus, feems, in a high degree, fa- 
 vourable to his progrefs in moral obedience and true • 
 holinefs- Have we not, therefore, good reafon to 
 conclude, that man is born at prefent, as he was cre- 
 ated at the beginning, a being accountable for his 
 actions, endued with a faculty to difcern good from 
 evil, and capable of regulating his condu(5t by its 
 decifions; that the fall did not imprefs on the will a 
 bias to depravity; but placed man in a ftate of dif- 
 cipline, in which fufFering is nicely accommodated 
 to the perfeiflioning of his nature ; in v/hich he has 
 more temptations to combat, and more difficulties to 
 furmount; but where temptations vanqiiiflied, and 
 difficulties overcome, will be found eminently to 
 contribute to his improvement in righteoufnefs ? 
 
 25. If it be afterted, as it may with truth be af- 
 ferted, that, by the tranfgreffion of Adam, his pof- 
 
( 78 ) 
 
 terity became liahte to fin ; it muft, at the fsme time, 
 be remembered that Adam hiinjelf was made liable to 
 fin ; or he would not have finned \ and, as far as he was 
 the f^rjl fi.nner^ he may be truly faid to have brought 
 fin into the world. We are all born as Adam was 
 created, liable to fin ; but there is a very great differ- 
 ence between the being born liable to fin, and the being 
 born finnersy depraved to the very caret obnoxious to the 
 divine wraths and doomed to eternal perdition with- 
 out any PERSONAL ACT OF UNRIGHTEOUSNESS. 
 
 26. The great difference between the natural ftatc 
 and privileges of Adam and of his defcendants, is 
 this; that Adam was made capable ofhappinefs and 
 immortality on certain conditions, without even a tem- 
 porary extin^ion, cr fufpenfion of life ; bur, at prefent, 
 man is born to trouble ; and the grave is placed be- 
 fore him as a necefTary paffage to an endlefs life. 
 Man became fubjcct to death by Adam's fall; and, 
 therefore, many die almoft as foon as they are born : 
 and more before they are capable of difcerning good 
 from evil; and, confequently, before their hearts can 
 be imbued v. ith guilt ; for it is nothing but the taint 
 of aulual perfcnal guilt, that caufes us to forfeit the love, 
 cr to incur the wrath of Cod^ and to lofe the imprefs of 
 his image on oar fouls. 
 
RELIGION WITHOUT CANT. 
 
 THE DOCTRINE OF FAITH, 
 
 Speculative and praSlicaly pbilofophkalt theological 
 and moral. 
 
 IN THREE PARTS. 
 
 PART T. 
 
 1. Faith is an aflent of the mind to the truth of any 
 propofuion. Of this aflent, there are various degrees : 
 from that conviflion which is produced by aflual 
 certainty, to that which refts only on fome faint and 
 diftant probability. Of the truth of thofe things 
 which are within the cognizance of the fenfes, the con- 
 vidion is firm and undoubting. There are, likewife, 
 many truths which are capable of a6lual demonftra- 
 tion, or of which the reality may be made fo palpable 
 to our perceptions, that we can no more refufe our 
 aflent to them, than we can to the truth of our own 
 cxiftcnce. Of this kind, are thofe truths which are 
 called mathematical i and of which, when the terms 
 
( So ) 
 
 are iinderflood, and the feveral propofidons from 
 which they refuk are clearly and perfpicuoufly ex- 
 plained, and, as it were, brought home to the undcr- 
 ftanding, the belief amounts to certainty. 
 
 2. No one who rightly underftands the meaning 
 of the terms, can doubt that two and two make four. 
 Our affent, therefore, to the truth of this propofition, 
 that two and two make four, is firm and immovea- 
 ble. It is a certainty which excludes doubt. There 
 are other propofitions of which the evidence is not 
 fo clear and conclufive ; and to which the affent that 
 we yield is not of fo fixed and unchangeable a na- 
 ture. It does not exclude doubt, or rife up to cer- 
 tainty. Many of the truths, which are the objefls 
 of our afient, and the grounds of our practice in com- 
 mon life, are of this defcription : they are not ca- 
 pable of aftual demonftration ; their reality cannot 
 be rendered fo palpable to the fenfes as to produce 
 that conviftion of the mind which may be denomi- 
 nated aftual certainty. They are the refult of many 
 probabilities, which amount to what may be called 
 7noral certainty ; a certainty not like that which arifes 
 from mathematical proof, but which is fuited to a 
 rational nature ; and fufficient both to convince the 
 mind and to influence the condud. 
 
 3. In the autumn or in the fpring we bury the feed 
 in the earth, in order that it may produce a harveft 
 in the fummerj but that the one will be followed by 
 
( 8i ) 
 
 the other, is not an adual or a mathematical, but 
 only a moral certainty. At the time in which we 
 fow the feed, we cannot demonftrate the reality of 
 the future harveft; we cannot bring it before our 
 eyes, or make it palpable to our fenfes. All the 
 grain that is fown may perifli in the earth ; it may 
 be dcftroyed by infeds, or nipped by blights ; waft- 
 ed by too much rain, or withered by too much fun- 
 fhine. But, from the obfervations and dcdudions 
 of many years paft, the connexion between feed time 
 and harveft is rendered, as it were, infeparable in our 
 minds; and we commit the grain to the bofom of 
 the earth, under almofl: as ftrong a convidion that it 
 will take root downwards and bear fruit upwards, as 
 if, at the time of fowing, wefaw it waving over the 
 fields in the fulnefs of its beauty and the maturity of 
 its ftrength, 
 
 4. When we adopt any plan of conduft that has 
 a relation to the future, when we engage in any 
 exertions that have a reference to fomc diftant ad- 
 vantage, when we embark in any fpeculation that 
 requires fome facrifices of a prefent, and a certain, 
 for a great probable, but uncertain, intereft, that 
 convidion of the mind which induces us to adopt 
 this condu<5t, or to engage in rhcfe meafures, cannot 
 amount to an aclual, chough it may to a rational and 
 ■moral certainty of fuccels. It may be the refult of 
 £".ccumuiated probabilities, to which it would be un- 
 reafonable not to a0ent ; and on which it would be 
 
 G 
 
( 8. ) 
 
 unwife not to acl. In the moft interefling fcenes, 
 and the moft important undertakings of our lives, 
 we are often contented to aft on evidence, which is 
 very far removed from certainty; and, from the cx- 
 peftation of events of which the iflue cannot be 
 known or the reality afcertained. 
 
 5. Belief may, generally, be confidered as of two 
 kinds J that which is an aftual, and that which is a 
 moral certainty; that which depends on reafons, which 
 amount to a demonftrative proof; and that which 
 refts on thofe which are only the calculations of pro- 
 bability. When many probabilities are accumulated 
 in favour of any truth, when they are fo numerous 
 as greatly to exceed the probabilities in favour of a 
 contrary fuppofition, they amount to what may be 
 termed a moral certainty; and which, though it do 
 not exclude every particle of doubt, affords a juft 
 claim to affcnt and a right principle of adlion. 
 
 6. The truth of revelation is not a demonftrative 
 but a moral certainty ; a certainty arifing from pro- 
 babilities; to which no probabilities of a contrary 
 tendency and an equal weight can be oppofed. Any 
 fober and reafonable man, who Ihould fairly and 
 impartially examine the diff"erent degrees of credit 
 that are due to thefe two queftions, whether the Chr'if- 
 iian revelation be true orfalfcy will find fo many argu- 
 ments infupport of the former, and fo very fuperior, 
 both in number and in weight, to any that can be 
 
( 8j ) 
 
 brought to countenance the latter, that he will, even 
 after the clofefb compariron, and theminuteft inquiry, 
 aflent to' the, truth of the Chriftian religion, and con- 
 fide in the reality of the Chriftian miracles. 
 
 7. Faith, therefore, in the divine authority of the 
 Chriftian religion, is an alTent to a truth that is highly 
 probable ; fo probable as to be morally certain. The 
 truth of revelation is not a mathematical problem, 
 of which we can demonftrate the certainty, or make 
 its truth palpable to the fenfes. It is an hiftorical 
 fadj of which the truth or the falfehood mull be de- 
 termined by the weight of evidence. 
 
 8. Revelation is a record of fadls, which took 
 place in Judea about eighteen centuries ago,- and on 
 the truth and reality of thefe fads depends the truth 
 of the doctrines which they were intended to eftablifh. 
 If the miracles which are related in the gofpels be 
 fidions, then the whole fyftem is a fidion. If Jefus 
 did not rife from the dead, then the dodrine of the 
 refurredion of the dead, which is grounded on that 
 event, is nothing better than a vifion of the night. 
 Then our faith is vain, and our hope vain. Now 
 the refurredion of Jefus from the dead is not an 
 objed of fenfes nor can the fad be made vifible to 
 the eye, nor palpable to the touch. We cannot, 
 like Thomas, fatisfy our doubts by feeing the print 
 of the nails in his hands, nor the mark of the fpear 
 in his fide i but, nevcrthelefs, though the adual truth 
 
 G 3 
 
( 84 ) 
 
 of the refurreflion is not a mathematical certainty, 
 nor a felf-evident propofitionj though our faith can- 
 not be, like that of the eye-witnefles of the fad, a 
 fenfation which forces convi6lion on the mind, and 
 excludes every doubt from the heart, yet the faft 
 itfeif was fo well attefted at the time, and the tefti- 
 mony was fo ftrong and fo confiftent, and delivered 
 and maintained under fuch difcouraging circum- 
 ftances, and has been tranfmitted to us with fo little 
 alteration, that the reality of the miracle itfeif is a 
 moral certainty j to which it is unreafonable not to 
 aflent, and on which it is highly imprudent and peril- 
 ous not to a£l. For the probabilities in favour of 
 the truth of the refurreftion of Jefus from the dead, 
 and, confequently, in favour of a future life, are fo 
 much ftronger than any probabilities which the genius 
 of m.an can adduce to fupport the contrary, that not 
 to believe a fa6l, of which the evidence is fo clear 
 and convincing, and not diligently to feek to obtain 
 that intereft of which it demonftrates the reality, 
 would be called a folly, approaching to madnefs, in 
 the ordinary concerns of life, 
 
 9. When, indeed, we poflefs fuch an accumula- 
 tion of probabilities, amounting to a fatisfadory 
 proof of the truth of the Chriftian religion, it feems 
 as unwife and as unfafe not to regulate our prefenr 
 life with a view to a future, not to lay up a treafurc 
 of good works here, in order to promote our happi- 
 nefs hereafter, as it would be not to fow the earth in 
 
( §5 ) 
 
 autumn, that we may reap in fummer. The proba- 
 bilities in favour of this propofition, that our prefent 
 life is relative to a future^ are as convincing, as they 
 are in fupport of this more familiar truth — that feed 
 time is preparatory to harveft. — In our worldly con- 
 cerns, we often adl as if fome future, but diftant in- 
 tereft, at which we aim, were prefent to us; we do 
 not regard the uncertainties that may interpofe 
 between the day before us and the year to come, 
 when the chances of attaining the objefl of our wifhes 
 are greater than thofe of their being fruftrated* In 
 endeavouring to attain that happinefs which faith 
 propofes as the end of our labours, we are not to be 
 difcouraged by any intermediate obftacles j or to fuf- 
 fer doubts, arifing from the circumftances in which 
 we are placed, to undermine our conviftion, and to 
 fubvert our hopes. We fhould remember, that our 
 faith in revelation is an affent, not to what is a mathe- 
 matical, but a moral certainty; that it is a trufl: in the 
 truth of facts, which are fuppor^ed by highly credible 
 teftimony that it relates to an intereft which is not 
 feen, but hoped for ; and of which the reality is evinc- 
 ed by probabilities, fufficient to work conviftion in 
 the minds of beings endued with a power of inquiry 
 and a freedom of choice; with reafon to inveftigate 
 what is true, and with liberty to conform to what is 
 reafonable. 
 
 10. When men violate their duty, they cannot be 
 imprefled vath a juft fenfe of its importance or have 
 G-3 
 
( 85 ) 
 
 right notions of the good alTociated with It ; for all 
 men are governed by their intereft; and where there 
 is a juft fcnfe of the itnpoftance of religious obedi- 
 ence, there holinefs will be, in fome meafure, iden- 
 tified with felf-intereft; for" it will then be perceived, 
 that a greater intereft is connecled with the obfer- 
 vance of our duty than with the breach of it. A 
 ftrong fenfe of duty vv'ill always be blended with a 
 ftrong perfuafion of the intereft depending on its 
 pradlice. If nicn afl, as all reafonable men will do, 
 from comparifons of good, and calculations of in- 
 tereft, then the pra6lice of religious duty will always 
 be found gready to exceed the commiffion of fin in 
 intereft and advantage. 
 
 II. The truth of revelation is not fo certain as not 
 to admit of doubt ; but the probabilities in favour of 
 its reality are fo numerous, and fo greatly exceed the 
 probabilities in favour of the contrary, that every 
 man would be efteemed guilty of an imprudence 
 approaching to infanity, who, on any common occa- 
 fion, would not acknowledge a truth fo plain, or acl 
 on evidence fo convincing. When a merchant fends 
 out a ftiip on a diftant voyage, he compares the pro- 
 bable advantages that will accrue from it, with thofe 
 ■which he might derive from fending the 'fame fhip 
 on a voyage nearer home ; but if the chances- of fuc- 
 cefs gready outweigh, in his mind, the chances of 
 failure; if the probabilities of an eventual lofs are 
 dor^fiderably lefs than thofe of an eventual gain, he 
 
( 87 ) 
 
 will lubmir, like a wife and prudent man, to be go- 
 verned by the fair calculations of intereft, and conclu- 
 fions of probability. 
 
 12. Where the hope of advantage is ftronger 
 than the fear of lofs, the latter, though it may, in 
 fome degree, affed: the fenfations, will not alter the 
 condud. The merchant who fends out his Ihips 
 on dangerous ventures to remote and unfrequented 
 fhores, where they may be dafhed on the rocks, or 
 fvvallowed up in the waves, adls all the while on rea- 
 fonable probabilities ; which caufe him to defpife 
 uncertainties, and to truft to the future. In the com- 
 monefl: concerns in the every-day affairs of life, men 
 are continually trufting to contingencies, and fpe- 
 culating on uncertainty and yet the fame conducft, 
 which is thought reafonable in common life, is often 
 thought unreafonable in religious condud. Reli- 
 gion points, it is true, to a diftant intereft ; and as it 
 is not within the cognizance of any of our fenfes, it 
 is uncertain. But if its reality be highly probable, it 
 is unwife nojto regulate the condudtby the evidence. 
 
 13. Religion is as a voyage which we are defired 
 to make, in order to obtain an intereft which exceeds 
 calculation, and to which no prefent intereft in the 
 world can bear any comparifon. It is, indeed, a 
 voyage to eternity ; a voyage in which much felf- 
 denial is to be pra(5lifed, and our unruly appetites to 
 be moderated j and moft men prefer a voyage nearer 
 
 G 4 
 
( 85 ) 
 
 home, where fenfual pleafures may be more lavlfhly 
 enjoyed; and in which fewer facrificcs are required. 
 But this is the great and awful confideration : Is not 
 the good which religion fromijes to the righteous, greater 
 than that which any pleafures in this life can afford to 
 the/inner? None can deny the magnitude of reli- 
 gious intereft; yet, as it is uncertain, people flatter them- 
 fslves that it may be an illufion. But whether the in- 
 tereft may not poffibly be an illufion, is not what we 
 ought to confider; but whether it be not probable, 
 and in what degree probable, and if it be probable 
 only in a moderate degree, ftill the intereft is fo vaft 
 as to make that moderate degree of probability de- 
 ferve the attention of every ferious man ; and much 
 more will it be found to deferve attention when reafon 
 fhows us, that the intereft which revelation has un- 
 folded is, in a high degree, probable, fo probable as 
 if not to preclude doubt, to fatisfy the- inquifitive, 
 and aftonllh the profound. 
 
 14. In matters of religious faith, a certain degree 
 of doubt cannot be avoided *. As the human mind 
 
 * Hooker fays, " we have lefs certainty concerning things 
 believed, than concerning fenfible or naturally perceived. Of 
 thefe who doth doubt at any time ? Of them, at fame Ume,'who 
 doulteth not ? I will not here allege the fundry confeffions of 
 the perfefteft that have lived upon earth concerning thcfr great 
 imperfeclions in this ivay j which if I did, I fliould dwell upon 
 a matter fufficiently knoivn by every faithful man that doth know 
 himfelf" Hooker's Works, ed. Ox^ 17S3. vol. iii, p. 523. 
 
( 89 ) 
 
 is conftituted, and in the circumftances in which wc 
 are placed, fome degree of doubt is neceflary as a 
 
 After this quotation from Hooker, I cannot Iiclp remarking, 
 that this great divine appears to have believed in what he 
 fomewhere calls the " foggy damp of original corruption," 
 which he feems to have fuppofed fpread over all our faculties j 
 but of which little was Ihed upon his own. It was not a damp 
 that chilled the growth of virtue in his heart,, or that clou<Jed 
 the luflre of his inteiledual fight. .Had I not long ago, when 
 only a beardlefs boy, adopted the principle of" nuUius addidus," 
 &c. I might have fallen down in difmay, or have bent in paf- 
 five humiliation before the coloffal authority of Hooker. I 
 might have declined the combat with his mighty genius as 
 Paris retired at the approach of Meuelaus. "A-J/ r a.-jt'/m^-t^^v,', 
 'JJ^ooi re ^iv £t\s Tra^sia;. But. even if the quellion of ori- 
 ginal corruption were to be decided by authority, I might cer- 
 tainly, without any derogation from the merit of Hooker, op- 
 pofe to his decifions the great theological reputation of Jeremy 
 Taylor, who was by no means inferior to Hooker in vigowr of 
 intelled, in depth of erudition, or in ricbnefs of fancy. Jeremy 
 Taylor, the firft Englifh divine of the eflabliflied Church with 
 whofe writings I am acquainted, that opLnfy oppofcd tJ{c doilrlm 
 of the ninth article, fays, that " it is Jo far from leing tme, that 
 man after his fall did not forfeit his natural poiuer of eleiiion, thai 
 
 IT SEEMS RATHER TO BE INCREASED. For 33 9 msn's kUOW- 
 
 lodge grows, fo his will becomes better attended and miniflerc<J 
 unto. But after his fall his knowledge was more than before} 
 he knew what nakednefs was, and had experience of the dif- 
 ference of things; he perceived the evil of difobedience and thp 
 divine anger; he knew fear and flight, new epprehenfipHS, 
 and the trouble of a guilty confcience: by all which and many 
 other things he grew better able, and instructed wibh 
 
 A-ROUMEKTS, TO OBET GoD, AND TO REFUSE SIN FOR THE 
 
 TIME TO coMK. Acd it is cvety m^ii's csfe ; a repcDtiug tn30 
 
( ) 
 
 Jpecies of trial. If religion did not admit doubt, the 
 mind would not be a^ive in believing: faith would not 
 be, in any degree, an operation of the underftanding; 
 nor would it be different in different individuals. 
 
 15. In order to exercije the reafon, religious evi- 
 dence was wifely made an aggregate of many proba- 
 bilities, each of which dcferves fome confideration ; 
 and to each of which different individuals may give 
 different degrees of credit. Some will prefer the 
 hiftorical, fome the prophetic, fome the internal, 
 fome the external evidence j but the convidlon of ail 
 will generally be found to refl more on the aggregate 
 of evidence, than on the individual force of any par- 
 is wifer, and hath oftentimes more perfect hatred of fiti than 
 the innocent ; and is made more wary by his fall." Taylor's 
 Praftice of Repentance, ed. l655, p. 419. 
 
 " Men," fays Taylor, " fometimes by evil habits and by choof- 
 ing vile things for a long time together, make it morally im- 
 pollible to choofe and to love that good in particular which is 
 contrary to their evil cvjlonn. Cujlom is the devil that brings 
 in nevu natures upon us ; for nature is innocent in this particular. 
 Nulli nos vitio natura cofnciliat : nos ilia integros ac liberos 
 genuit (Senec. ep. gi). Nature does not engage us upon a vice. 
 She made us in tire ) Jhe made us free; hut ive male ourfelves 
 frijoners and Jlaves by vicious habits, or as St. Cyril (Catech, g). 
 exprelTes it EA^oxTfj ava^asrvjroi vuv sr. irpoxifiSTsuii a^x^uyO' 
 fisv. We came into the world without fin, but now we fm by 
 choice, and by eleftion bring a kind of neceffity upon us. But 
 this is not fo in all menj and fcarcely in any man in all in* 
 fiances." Taylor's Pra£tice of Repentance, p. 421, 422. 
 
( 91 ) 
 
 f icular part ; more on the accumulated probabilkles, 
 than bn d)iy fingle probability. 
 
 l5. The degree of affent which different indivi- 
 duals give to the truth will vary according to the 
 degree of underftanding, the power of inquiry, the 
 exercife of refearch, &c. j and the highefl: degree of 
 aflent will be that in which the'perfuafion of the truth 
 approaches the neareft to that ftate of mind which 
 is produced, not by the evidence of probability, but 
 by that of certainty ; not fo much by the dedudlions 
 of reafon, as the demonflration of fenfe. But though 
 religious belief may approach very near to the con- 
 viclion of certainty, yet it will never be found en- 
 tirely to reach it. The moft fincere believers arc 
 fubjedl to moments of dillruft ; the moft righteous to 
 emotions of defpondency. True faith will, indeed, 
 often make the future, as it "Ntrt frefent ; but there 
 will be ofcen other intervals, when clouds and dark- 
 nefs will refl upon it; when the apprehenfions of un- 
 certainty will fteal into the mind and fadden the 
 heart. Some degree of doubt will, therefore, in 
 fpite of all our endeavours to the contrary, be occa- 
 fionally mingled with the reality of our faith. Like 
 lhadows thrown acrofs our path, they will cafb a 
 gloom around us, and perplex and bewilder our way. 
 
 ■^ '■17. But though religious diftruft will fometimes 
 arife in the mind, it is always to be refifted. He v/ho 
 cherifhes doubts is weak and unfettled in the faith; 
 
( 92 ) 
 
 as he who cavils at the infirmities of humanity 13 
 ufually wanting in love to mankind. To fofter 
 doubts inftead of checking their growth, oppofing 
 their admiffion, and counterading their malignity, is 
 to give them an undue influence, and to incline to 
 fcepticifm. A good and fober-minded man will, 
 indeed, maturely weigh every reajonahle cbje£iion to 
 the truth ; bur he will always feel a ilronger difpofi- 
 tion to embrace the good than the evilj to fpread 
 his heart open to the arguments for belief, rather than 
 to give admiffion to the perfuafions of infidelity, . 
 
 18. As the truth of revelation is not a matter of 
 certainty, but only of probability, his faith is genuine 
 whofe conviflion of the truth is much ftronger than 
 his diftrufl: ; and the more the former fentiment pre- 
 vails, or the more conviflion precludes doubt, the 
 more will the pradice of the life correfpond with 
 the conclufions of the reafon, and the perfuafions of 
 the heart. The lefs doubt of The Truth that there 
 is in the mind, the greater will be the certainty of that 
 reward which it promifes, and the ftronger the en- 
 deavour to obtain it. The more doubts gather round 
 the mind and prefs upon the heart, to the greater 
 diftance will the intereft of religion recede into fu- 
 turity, and the more problematical it will feemj but 
 the more that doubts vanifh from the imagination 
 and the lefs they trouble the affecflions, the nearer 
 will the intereft approach ; till it comes, as it were, 
 almoft within the edge of the fight, and the grafp of 
 
( 93 ) 
 
 the touch. Thus faith, in a meafure, makes the fu- 
 ture prefent, and operates on the condudV, in propor- 
 tion to its ftrength. 
 
 19, As faith increafeSj goodnefs muft: increafe; but 
 as faith grows feeble, righceoufnefs will decay. For 
 the more lively faith is, the ftronger will be the af- 
 furance of that eternal intereft to which faith direfh 
 our attention; with which it ftrives to animate our 
 hopes and inflame our afFe<5tions. And the 'more 
 mindful people are of the ihterefts of eternity, the 
 Icfs they mufl: live for thofe of time; for the interefts 
 of eternity, when beheld by the eye of faith, will 
 fwallow up thofe of time. The two interefts will 
 bear no comparifon ; and as far as man is governed 
 in his conduct by reafonable calculations of inteieft, 
 fo far the faithful will make the gofpel a rule of life; 
 becaufe it will be the teft of their good and the ftand- 
 ard of their happinefs. 
 
 2.0. Aimoft every man has a certain ftandard pf 
 intereft in his own mind to which he conforms, and 
 by which he, for the moft part, regulates his actions ; 
 and happy, thrice happy, is that man, the ftandard 
 of whofe intereft and the bafis of whofe happinefs is 
 obedience to the revealed will of God*. All men are 
 
 * A man mzy, perhaps, have a ftrong conviflion of the truth 
 of revealed religion, and, in his way thrwigh life, may have his 
 
( 94 ) 
 
 governed by a fenfe of interefb, and, perhaps, none 
 more than he who entertains a proper JeJife of the in- 
 terejl which is connecled with the duties of religion ; for, 
 that inter efl is the greatejl in degree, the purejl in kind, 
 and the kngejl in duration. It exceeds every other in- 
 terefl; in quantity, in quality, in intention of degree, 
 and cxtenfion of time. Other interefts are often at 
 variance with a fenfe of duty; and cannot be ob- 
 tained without its violation. But religious interefl 
 and a fenfe of duty are never at variance. They are 
 indeed one and indivifible; and he who has a juft 
 jmprefiive fenfe of his religious intereft, will have 
 accurate, juft, and upright notions of every other 
 intereft. He will knovyf and feel that he can have 
 no intereft diftind from the obligations of morality. 
 
 21. The diftance at which our religious intereft 
 is placed does not diminifti its magnitude, though it 
 may lefien its credibility. Diftance does not really 
 lefien the fize of an obje6t, though it makes it appear 
 lefs to the eye. It does not deftroy its reality, or alter 
 its proportions, it only alters its relations to us in 
 point of fpace, and our relations to it in refpedt to 
 the capacity of apprehending it. The intereft of 
 
 heart confiantly and warmly affedted with a fenfe of his eternal 
 intereft; and yet, oiving to Jome perverfe and unfound notions of 
 jujlificatinn, or fome mijiake about the conditions of fahiation, this 
 titwiition may not have a j^ropcr influence on his conduH. 
 
 7 
 
C 95 ) 
 
 cLernlty, too vafl for our conceptions in our prefent, 
 finite, imperfed ftate, was wifely made remote j that 
 its proportions might, in fome meafure, be fuited to 
 our capacity, and accommodated to our fituation. 
 Bcholding it only at a diflance, it is but as a fpark- 
 ling ftar; to which if we could approach nearer, its 
 magnitude would appal our fenfes. To behold, in 
 its natural fize and its exad proportions, the vaft in- 
 tereft which religion promifes to the righteous, our 
 faculties muft be changed; our fenfes made more 
 vigorous; thi-. corruptible muft put on incorruption ; 
 and this mortal immortality. 
 
 12. Were the truth of revealed religion a matter 
 of demonftrative certainty, and the reward connedlcd 
 with obedience to its laws brought within the fphere 
 of our vifion, its brightnefs would be too ftrong for 
 our fight. It would, llkewife, be deftrudtive of a 
 ftate of moral probation. Men's motives would ail 
 incline one way; and a bias would be laid on the 
 will too ftrong to be counterafted. But the wifdom 
 of the Almighthy (thank the Lord, oh my fouj! 
 thank the Lord for all his goodnefs!) appears, in his 
 having fo arranged the evidences of revelation, as to 
 make faith a matter of choice rather than of neceftitvj 
 and in having caft juft fo much obfcurity about the 
 reality of the intereft, as is fitted to leave it in that 
 ftate of doubtful light which does not dazzle the eye, 
 nor put an end to that probationary ftate in which 
 
( ) 
 
 divine wifdom has placed us here-, and which would 
 be probationary no longer, if the affeftions were 
 more biaffed or the will more enflaved j if it were 
 not left to our unconftrained choice, either to em- 
 brace or to rejed the truth of Chriftianity, 
 
RELIGION WITHOUT CANT. 
 
 THE DOCTRINE OF FAITH. 
 PART ir. 
 
 I, That do(5trine of faith which the Fanatics are in 
 general fo loud to proclaim, and fo eager to defend, 
 is a fhamelefs calumny on the credibility of revela- 
 tion, and the rational powers of man. They repre- 
 fent faith as the immediate gift of God: a miraculous 
 infufion poured into the foul without the confent of 
 the will. They afcribe it to a power, fuperfeding 
 the neceflity of inftruflion, and the ufe' of inquiry. 
 
 a. That faith is the gift of God, no fober Chriftian 
 will deny; but then it is no more the miraculous gift 
 of God, than any other part of knowledge. If God 
 give us the faculty to acquire any thing, he never in- 
 terferes * to fuperfede its exercife, or to give us the 
 benefit without that exertion on which he made it 
 
 • Except on very extraordinary occafions, and for very fpe- 
 cial purpofcs indeed, 
 
 H 
 
( 9S ) 
 
 dependant. God has given us faculties to calculate 
 the revolutions of the planets, and to meafure the 
 diameter of the earth; but the pofleffion offuch know- 
 ledge is always pofteiior to and dependant on the 
 exertion of the power. The Almighty does not in- 
 fufe into the mind of man, either aftronomical, ma- 
 thematical, or any other kind of knowledge; but he 
 gives the capacity to obtain it; and the poflcflion is 
 the confequence of intelledlual application. 
 
 3. It Is God who gives us the bread which we eat; 
 but then, becaufe this is true, who ever imagined, 
 that bread was not the produ<5l of human induftry ? 
 Though it be a felf-evident truth, that God gives us 
 not the bread which perifhes, without much previous 
 labour and toil, yet, in fpite of this glaring analogy, 
 the Fanatics afieit, that lie gives us the better bread 
 which endureth unto everlafting life, without any 
 perfonal endeavours to obtain it; that he infufes it 
 into our fouls, whether we labour for it with dili- 
 gence, or crofs our arms in idlenels. 
 
 4. Thefe notions fuppofe, that God has communi- 
 cated a revelation to mankind, of which no man can 
 difcover the truth ; for if man, by the right exercife 
 of his reafon, can difcover the truth of revelation, why 
 fliould God make faith independent of its exercife*? 
 
 * If Chriftianity be fupported by fufEcient evidence, nothing 
 more can be wanting, on the part of man, to attain a reafonable 
 
( 99 ) 
 
 Thus the Fanatics entirely invalidate the ufe of reafon 
 ^ in matters of religious opinion. 
 
 5. If faith be, according to the fanciful notions of 
 the Fanatics, a miraculous infufion, our belief is not 
 a matter of choice ; and, then, wich what juffice can 
 we be called to account for not believing ? If reli- 
 gious belief be independent on the confent of the will 
 and the excrcife of the reafon, t'len certainly, with 
 refped to the morality of faith, the believer can pre- 
 fer no ftronger claim to the divine favour, than the 
 infidel. The believer being afted upon by a power 
 under whofe influence the will is paffive and the rea- 
 fon dumb, cannot help believing ; and the infidel not 
 enjoying the fame arbitrary intervention of a miracle, 
 cannot help not believing. 
 
 convidion of its truth, than a fober examination of the evi- 
 dence which fupports it. The evidence by which Cliriftianity 
 gained its firft footing in the world was that of miracles. To 
 thefe miracles Jefus of Nazareth appealed as the ftrongeft 
 proofs of his commlflion to declare the will of God to man- 
 kind. If thefe miracles were matters of fatt, and if the ac- 
 counts of them, which have been tranfmitted 10 us, be genuine 
 and authentic, which I fee no reafon to difbelieve, then, why 
 ihould faith in revelation be a miraculous infufion ? If God 
 wrought miracles at firft to confirm the teflimony, why fl^ould 
 he ftill be obliged to work other miracles on the mind of every 
 individual to make it credited ? This would be to fuperfede 
 the neceffity, or to deny the authenticity of the firft miracles; 
 for, if they be authentic, they are credible; and if credible, they 
 will produce belief, if their truth be rationally ioveftigated, 
 
 H 2 
 
( ICO ) 
 
 6. But the Fanatics found their notions of faith, as 
 they do their other tenets, on that rotcen and crum- 
 bling pillar of their theology, the innate depravity 
 of man. Did, indeed, man iffue from the womb, as 
 they pretend, a mafs of moral putrefaction, with his 
 heart ulcerated with guilt, and his mind darkened 
 ■with prejudice, he would, certainly, want capacity to 
 difcover; and honefty to confefs the truth. He would 
 not be able to comprehend the plaineft propofition 
 in morals or religion. A man born blind might as 
 eafily form juft and accurate ideas of the nature and 
 properties of light, as a man born radically corrupt, 
 and irrefillibly propelled, by the bias of his nature, to 
 the commifllon of iniquity, could form of the nature 
 and tendencies of moral obligation. No m.an could 
 have a tafte of what is fweet if God had fo organifed his 
 palate that he could tafte nothing but what was four; 
 and, in the fame manner, no man could acquire a 
 relifh for virtue, if the Creator had made him phy- 
 fically ravenous of vice. 
 
 7, How contrary Is this dodrine of the Fanatics 
 to the dodlrine of Chrift, which tells us tojearch the 
 Jcriptures? to inveftigate the matter of belief; and 
 which, in order to ftimulate our capacity to do good, 
 tells us, that he who doeth the will of God, fhall kno'W 
 of the truth whether it be of God. God feems to have 
 made a belief in the ChriOlan revelation dependant 
 on the right application of the reafon and the con- 
 fcience. If we will examine the evidence without 
 
any beam of prejudice obftru£ling the fight of the 
 mind, or any finful luft reigning in the heart, the 
 light is too clear not to be feen ; and the dodtrine 
 too pure not to be acknowledged as divine. 
 
 8. Many of the errors which are ufually enter- 
 tained on the dodrine of faith * feem to originate in 
 the miftake, or the perverfion of the term, which 
 
 * Faith lays the foundation of our juftincation. Juftifica- 
 tion in fcripture means, for the moft part, an adn^iffion into 
 covenant with God. As the Chrifxian covenant ftipulates cer- 
 tain privileges to be conferred and certain benefiis to be grant- 
 ed on the pai t of God, it requires certain conditions to be per- 
 formed on the part of man; and we muft fincerely believe the 
 former, before we can earneftly fet about the performance of 
 the latter. As the conditions which the new covenant impofes 
 on man require great felf-denial, and many things difagreeable 
 to flefh and blood, faith is necejfary to Jlimulate our exertinm, to 
 elevate our hopes, and to purify our hearts. In this fettfe, faith is 
 the only caufe of our jujiificuiion ; or it is the only condition of ad- 
 mijjion into covenant ivitli God. But though faith juftifies, it 
 does not, of itfelf, make us righteous; though it initiates us 
 into covenant with God, it does not make us partakers of its 
 privileges or its benefits, without the performance of the con- 
 ditions to which thofe privile;j,es and benefits are appended. 
 The performance of the conditions is an objett of our choice; 
 and faith, when it is fincerc and lively, will, ncceffarily, ope- 
 rate in favour of their performance. It will give a bias to the 
 •will in favour of moral good ; and will not permit that p(jvr,ij.x 
 crxsKo;, that fpirit of fenfuality which is planted in us, in order 
 to afcertain our moral obedience, to fubjugate the reafon, and to 
 reduce us under the fiavery of fin. 
 
 H 3 
 
( 102 ) 
 
 has various fignlfications; the confufion or the ig- 
 norance of which has caiifcd many diflVnfions in the 
 Chriftian world, and contributed only to perplex 
 thofe whoj without a critical knowledge of the lan- 
 guage of fcripture, have attempted to explain the 
 dodtrines of Chriftianity. Ignorant people fuppofe 
 the word faith to have only one particular and fpe- 
 cific fignification, which they apply promifcuoufly 
 to every paflage in which the word occurs. This 
 is, in a more cipecial manner, the pra<ft-ice of the 
 hardy champions of Fanaticifm, who transfer to the 
 term faith, in whatever part of fcripture it may be 
 mentioned, a conflrudion fuit^-d to their own illi- 
 beral prejudice3, and calculated to favour their grofs 
 and wicked perverfion of the Chriftian religion. 
 That we may not be impofed on by that fcnfelefs 
 jargon, which vifionariei and Fanatics, which the fu- 
 perftitious and the artful utter about fatth^ let us 
 examine fome of the principal fignificacions in which 
 the word is ufed by the facred writers. 
 
 9. Sometimes the worj^ faith is employed to fignify 
 the whole Chriftian dodrme, which is an objedl of 
 faith. Thus when Sr. Paul fays, " by whom we 
 have received grace and apoftlefhip for obedience 
 to the faith among all nations for his name." Rom. 
 i. 5. " He which perfecuted us in times paft, now 
 preacheth the faith which once he deftroyed." Gal. 
 i. 23. Before faith came, we were kept under the 
 law." Gal. iii. 23. " After that faith is come, we 
 
( ) 
 
 are no longer under a fchoolmafter." Gal. iii. 25. 
 ** Nourifhed up in the words of faithy' &c. i Tim. 
 iv.6. " A great company of thepriefts were obedient 
 totht faith" A(fts, vi. 7. "(Felix) heard him con- 
 cerning the faith in Chrift." Afts, xxiv. 24 — In all 
 thefe paflages, to which many more might be added, 
 the word faith is employed to repreient tlie whole 
 Chriftian dodrine, which is propofed for our belief. 
 In one comprehenfive term, it includes the tenets of 
 Chriftianity that are necelTary to be believed, and the 
 duties that are neceffary to be pradifcd. 
 
 10. Sometimes faith is taken, generally^ for any 
 ftrong perfuafion of the, mind, whether originating in 
 a divine revelation, or produced by the force of argu« 
 ment; as in- the paffages which follow : " He ftag- 
 gered not at the promife of God through unbelief, 
 but was ftrong in faith." Rom. iv. 20. " Haft thou 
 
 faith? have it to thyfclf before God." Rom. xiv. 22. 
 " Without faith it is impolTible to pleafe him; for 
 he that cometh to God muft believe that he is." 
 Heb. xi. 6. — In thefe places faith denotes nothing 
 more than a fincere perfuafion of a particular truth. 
 
 11. In other places, is ufed to fignify fimply 
 veracity or truth which deferves affent; and as op- 
 pofed to falfehood which deferves none. " Shall 
 their unbelief make thcfaith (truth) of God without 
 eflfe<5t." Rom. iii. 3. " The fruit of the fpirit is 
 love, joy, peace, long-fuffering, gentlenefs, goodncfs, 
 
 H 4 
 
( 104 ) 
 
 faith, meeknefs, temperance." Gal. v. 22, 23. In 
 this laft paflage, faiths which is mentioned among 
 the other virtues, of which the fpirit, or the word of 
 God, rightly underftood, and diligently pradifed, is 
 produflive, evidently fignifies veracity, or an in- 
 violable adherence to truth in our words, our pro- 
 niifes, in our dealings and intercouife with each 
 other. Hence, by the bye, we learn, that a lying 
 tongue is incompatible with the gifcs of the fpirit; and 
 that thofe who make fuch bold pretences to the pof- 
 feffion of thofe gifts, lay claim to what they cannot 
 pofTefs, whenever falfehood is pra6tifed by their lips, 
 or guile is cheri(hed in their hearts. 
 
 12. Faith is, occafionally, taken for thofe things 
 which are revealed by God, but are invifible to our 
 perceptions. In thisfenfe faith is the fubftance of 
 things hoped for, the evidence of things not feen." 
 Heb, xi. I. 
 
 15. Sometimes faith is put for a fimpJe and lifelejs 
 ajfent to things which are not feen 3 as to thefe pro- 
 pofitions, — that there is a God, that he made the 
 world, &c. &c. Such a faith is charadlcriftic of that 
 of devils, and is often mentioned by St. James in the 
 fecond chapter of his epiftle. '* What doth it profit 
 though a man fay, he hiiih. faith and have not works, 
 can faith fave him?" James, ii. 14. In this pafiage 
 faith is ufed for a barren and dead ajfent to the truth 
 of the Chriftian religion; without the fruits of that 
 
( ) 
 
 real goodnefs of heart and life which cannot be coun- 
 terfjeited; and without which faith is not faving. 
 The word is ufed in this fenfe in feveral other places 
 in this chapter of St. James. " Faith without works 
 is dead, being alone." " Thou believed that there 
 is one God, thou doeft well ; the devils alfo believe 
 and tremble ; but know, oh vain man, that faith 
 without works is dead." The apoftle afterwards 
 declares, that " by works a majj is juftified, and not 
 by faith only." In thefe pafiages St. James ufes the 
 word to denote a vain, a dead and fruitlefs, as oppofed 
 to a livins', a vigorous and fraElical ccnviofion of the 
 truths and it is highly neceffary that we fhould attend 
 to this diftindion, and, if poflible, afcertain the prc- 
 cife fignification of the word in thefe days, when Jo 
 many flrange dc^rines are broached about the nature of 
 faith \ and when the ignorant and the credulous are 
 tolTed about by the machinations of religious impof- 
 tors on a fea of errors. The apoftle James affec- 
 tionately and earneftly conjured the Chriftians of his 
 time to remember that fomething more than a bare 
 outward profcffion of the faith was cfltrntial to falva- 
 tion ; and that faith without works was as dead as a 
 body deprived of the principle of life. 
 
 14. Sometimes /i2/V>& is ufed to fignify trufl in the 
 divine promifes; and in the recompenfe referved for 
 the righteous; and, in this fenfe, the word is repeat- 
 edly employed in the eleventh chapter of the epiftle 
 to the Hebrews, which contains an animated recom- 
 
( io6 ) 
 
 mendatlon oUhisJpecies of faith i ill unrated by exam- 
 ples, and remarkable for the warmth of its piety, 
 and the ftrengch of its eloquence. 
 
 15. Few are the people among the fcattercd my- 
 riads of mankind who have not fome glimmering 
 and indefinite notions of Godj as the Reward of 
 thofe that diligently feek him (fee Heb. xi. 6). A 
 belief in a ftate of future rewards and punilhments 
 feems to conilitute one of thofe great objeifts of faith 
 about which all men are agreed i a truth which the 
 wife and the good, in all ages and nations, have con- 
 curred to inculcate; and which, indeed, is conge- 
 nial with the univerfal expedations of the human 
 race. The knowledge of this truth may have been, 
 at firlt, communicated by revelation ; but a certain 
 foreboding of the e'vent feems naturally to originate from 
 that fate cf things in which we are placed; and where 
 the often apparently confufed and fortuituous difpen- 
 fations of good and evil, of pain and pleafure, of fuf- 
 fcring and enjoyment, lead the mind of man to look 
 for a future life ; in which thefe irregularities will be 
 correfcedj and thefe diforders vanifh; when the finner 
 and the righteous will 'be recompenfed according to 
 their works. 
 
 16. St. Paul infinuates in the firfl: chapter to the 
 Romans, that the Heathen might, by the right ap- 
 plication of their reafon, have framed juft notions of 
 moral obligation and of the diltindions between vice 
 
( loy ) 
 
 and virtue; that they might have obtained fomc 
 wholcfome informati on about the being of a firft 
 caulc a: d a moral governor of the world, by the 
 liohc of nature and the ftudy of his perfedions, as 
 they arc uianifcftcd in the works of his treatiou. 
 And the apoflle informs us that the Heathen, by neg- 
 Icdling the right ufe of their natural faculties, had 
 incurred the divine difpleafure, and were without 
 excuie. " But let us hear St. Paul himfelf: *^ Thar," 
 fays lie, which may be known of God is manifeft 
 in them (the Heatiien)i for God hath Ihown it unto 
 them; for the invifibU things of him from the creation 
 of the -world are clearly Jeen^ being underfiocd by the 
 things that are made ; even his eternal power and Gcd^ 
 bead, lo that they arc wichout excufe; becaufe that 
 when they knew God, they glorified him not as God; 
 neither were they thankful ; but became vain in their 
 imaginations; and their foolifh heart was darkened." 
 Rom i 19 — 21. Hence we learn, on the authority 
 of St. Paul, that the Heathen, by the right applica- 
 tion of their reafon, might have difcovcred the being 
 of a God; and, confequently the knowledge of their duty i 
 for a right fenfe of the being of a God, of his power 
 and goudnefs, cannot exift in the mind without a. con- 
 comitant fenfe of our dependance upon him for all 
 that we pofiefs; and of our duty to give him thanks 
 for all that we enjoy. 
 
 17. But the Heathen v/orld, though they v/ere ca- 
 pable ot knowing God and of afce^taining his being 
 
 \ 
 
( 108 ) 
 
 and perfections, yet gave him not the glory that was 
 due to him as the maker of the v/orld. Neither 
 offering him the incenfe of their praife, nor the tri- 
 bute of their gratitude, they paid lefs homage to the 
 eternal -Creator than to the perifhable creature. 
 They changed the glory of the incorruptible God 
 into an iinage made like to corruptible man, and to 
 birds and four-footed beafts and creeping things. 
 Hence, their underflanding became darkened, from 
 not being properly afpied ; tneir diftindions of right 
 and wrong became confufed; and their affeflions, 
 devoted Oiily to t!ie plcafures of this vain world, be- 
 came corrupt. They were funk in idolatry and 
 wickednefs \ flaves to the vanity of their minds and 
 the lufts of their hearts. 
 
 i8. God never left himfelf without witnefs in the 
 world, even among thofe nations to whom he never 
 made known his will by a dire<5l revelation. The 
 great witnefs of the being of a God, and of his moral 
 perfections, exiits in the earth and the heavens; in 
 the reafon and the confcience of man. The reafon 
 of man can hardly be called into adion wichout dif- 
 cerning palpable traces of an invifible Creator in the 
 vifible creation. And the confcience of man, fo 
 nicely fenfible of the diftindtlons of right and wrong, 
 fo jealous, as it were, of preferving in our hearts a 
 jud fenfe of moral obligation, urging us to retain its 
 laws in our minds, and to praftife them in our lives, 
 fecretly imbuing our fcnfitions with pleafure when 
 
( ) 
 
 we do good, and with anguifh when we do evi!, 
 proves, that he who made us is a lover of moral e eel- 
 lencey by 'planting Jo powerful an advocate for its authority 
 and its practice in our hearts. 
 
 19. Our nature has, originally, a bias to moral 
 good, in preference to moral evil ; and when the 
 choice is offered to the will, reafon when it is not 
 darkened, and confcience when it is not depraved, 
 will always prefer virtue to vice, with as little hefita- 
 tion as we prefer fweet to bitter, pleafure to pai i, 
 and happinefs to mifery. But the misfortune is, 
 that inftead of repreffing and moderating our ani- 
 mal appetites and our fenfual defires, we Juffer them 
 to grow rank and luxuriant ^ to fiifie the confciencey and 
 impair the reafon. Then our foolifli hearts become 
 darkened; then we become the fport of wayward 
 lufts and unclean imaginations. Then we put good 
 for evil, and evil for good; then we think righteouf- 
 nefs our bane and fin our advantage. 
 
 20. This was the miferable condition of the Hea- 
 then world with refpefl to the knowledge of God, 
 and the praftice of their duty; a condition to which 
 tlicy were reduced by the negle6t or the abufe of 
 thofe powers which God had given them to employ 
 in the invefi-gation of his perfections, and in the 
 praftice of righteoufnefs. Though the Heathen had 
 fome perception of a ftate of rewards and punifh- 
 mcnts, and, confequently, of the importance of virtue 
 
( no ) 
 
 and theinterefl: which they had in being virtuous; and 
 though the knowledge of thcfc weighty t rutiis was never 
 entirely obliterated among them, yet their belief in them 
 Unas Jo faint that it had no influence on iheir lives. 
 
 21. In order to fupply the defefls of natural rea- 
 fon, and to give undeniable proof of the moral go^ 
 vernmcnt of the world; to awaken the dormant at- 
 tention of mankind to a right fenfe of their greateft 
 intereft, to difpel the clouds of fuperftition, and to 
 abolifh thofe impoftures which men in all ages have 
 been too prone too pra<fl:ife under the name of reli- 
 gion, the Almighty has, at feveral times, interpofed 
 in a more vifible and palpable manner, to declare 
 himfelf the maker of all things, and the only obje£l of 
 human adoration, 
 
 22. Thefe revelations of the Deity were, at firfl:, 
 partial or exclufive; made to particular perfons, 
 or confined to particular nations j but were all in- 
 tended to pave the way for the miraculous appear- 
 ance of Chrift Jefus, who was fent to manifeft his 
 will to all mankind ; and to pihlifh a religion Juited to 
 the wants and capacities of every ■people under heaven, 
 
 23. In the beginning, God fhewed himfelf as the 
 maker of the world, and the father of mankind, as 
 the lover of thofe that do good, and an avenger of 
 thofe that do evil. In the interval between the fall 
 and the deluge, God feems^more than once to have 
 
( III ) 
 
 manifefted himfelf to his creatures. After the de- 
 luge, the Lord appeared unto Abraham, defiring 
 him to forfake his kindred and his father's houle, 
 and to fettle in a land in which he was a ftrangerj 
 under an afTurance, that it fhould, at fome future 
 period, belong to his pofterity; and that, in the 
 courfe of time, the Vv'hole world fhould be bleiled ia 
 the perfon of one of his offspring. The faith of 
 Abraham which, on this occafion, was counted to 
 him for righteoufaefs, was an mjhaken truft in the 
 fromijes of God, producing a willing obedience 
 
 TO HIS COMMANDS. 
 
 24. We next read of the great Maker of the 
 world appearing under the partial name of the God 
 of Ifrael; and we behold him interpofing with a 
 mighty hand, and a ftretched-out arm to refcue the 
 defcendants of the favoured patriarch from the op- 
 preffion of the Egyptians. God, afterwards, chofe 
 Mofes as the fpecial inftrument of his providence 
 and the meffenger of his will. By him, he entered 
 into a covenant with the Ifraelites at the fame time 
 enabling fome laws, which were to have a perpetual, 
 and publifhing others which we're to have only a 
 temporary exiftence. The former are limited to 
 thofe moral obligations whofe truth and ufcfulnefs 
 are fupported by the univerfal confent and approba- 
 tion of the world; and one tittle of whofe importance 
 will never pafsaway; which find a protecftion, ftrong 
 as adamant, in the principles of reafon and in :hc 
 
C ) 
 
 common fympathles of humanity. The ceremonial 
 Jaws of the Mofaic difpenfition were intended merely 
 to preferve unbroken the barrier between Jew and 
 Gentile, till the coming of him who was to break 
 down the wall of partition between them j and to 
 teach that God is no refpeder of perfons; but that he 
 regardeth every man who worketh righieoufne/s in all the 
 'miions of the earlh, 
 
 25. In each of the partial revelations which pre- 
 ceded the Chriftian, the Almighty exhibited many 
 fignsofhis love for his creatures; and gave fome 
 obfciire prefage of that glorious plan which he had 
 formed for reconciling the world unto himfelf, in the 
 perfon of his fon, in whom he was well pleafed. In 
 the Mofaic law the great fcheme of redemption was 
 obfcurely infinuated, rather than diftindlly pourtray- 
 cd in types and figures, in the facrifices of the altar, 
 and the atonements of the prieft. The Redeemer 
 was, indeed, feen through the rites of the Mofaic 
 difpenfation, as through a veil or a glafs, darkly. 
 They were like the cloud that covered the taberna- 
 cle; through which the eye could not penetrate; and 
 which infpired fenfations of awe without exciting 
 any lively perceptions of form and charader. 
 
 26. The prophets who lived after the Mofaic dif- 
 penfation, particularly Ifaiah, .exprefsly foretold a 
 Redeemer to Ifrael; but the mode of redemption 
 was left involved in obfcuriiy and uncertainty) till in 
 
( IIJ ) 
 
 the fulnefs of time Chrid came manifcfted in the 
 flefli ; the fpotlefs fun of righteoufnefs difpernng the 
 fhadows of the law; clearing up the milts of the vi- 
 fion and the perplexities of the prophecy, and fhed- 
 ding the light of immortality over the darknefs and 
 mifery of the world. 
 
 lj. Hence Jcliis, The Chrift, The Mefllah, fore- 
 told by the prophets as our Redeedmer from the 
 grave and the future judge of all mankind, is the 
 principal objed of Chriftian faith. This is the moft 
 common acceptation and moft important fignification 
 of the word faith in the fcriptures of the new cove- 
 nant; and which we cannot too often remember, or 
 too carefully retain. Faith, in this fenfe of the word, 
 is neceflary to falvation *. St. Paul fays, " if thou 
 fhalt confefs with thy mouth the Lord Jefus," (that 
 is, if thou fhalt fincerely aflentto, and fearlefsly avow 
 this truth, that Jefus is the Mefliah fent to declare 
 the will of pod to mankind,) " and fhalt believe in 
 thine heart that God hath raifed him from the dead, 
 thou (halt be faved," Rom. x. 9. This belief muft 
 not only be confeflcd by the lips, but eftablilhcd in 
 the heart, fo as to be produdive of real goodnefs 
 and righteoufnefs. Faith, thus underftood, is the 
 
 * In thofc countries which enjoy the light of revelation, pr 
 among thofe whofe unbelief is more owing to the hardnafs of 
 their hearts, than to a defe^in tb« means^ or the opportupitiea 
 of convidion. 
 
 I 
 
( 114 ) 
 
 principle of a new life in the foul; it exalts the 
 thoughts, purifies the afFedions, and fandifies the 
 confcience. 
 
 28. " With the heart, " fays St. Paul, "man be- 
 lieveth unto righteoufnefs," (Rom. x. 10.) that is, 
 when the heart is really imprefled v;ith that faith 
 which the gofpei requires, it will invariably mani- 
 feft its invifible exiftence, by the outward fruits of 
 truth, juflice, and mercy. This faith is infeparable 
 from a right practical fenfe of moral obligation ; and 
 thofe who attempt to disjoin faith from a good con- 
 fcience, only make fliipwreck of their fouls. (See i 
 Tim. i. 19.) The end of faith is to make us careful 
 to maintain good works (Titus iii. 8.)i to perfuade us 
 that it is our greateft intereft to deriy " ungodlinefs 
 and worldly lufts, and live foberly, righteoufly, and 
 godly in this prefent world." (Titus ii. 12,) To 
 give any other explanation of faving faith is to quit 
 the word of God, and turn afide from the wholefom.e 
 preaching of Chrift and his apoftles, to the " vain 
 jangling;" to the " foolifli queftions and conten- 
 tions" of ignorant vifionaries or interefted impoftors. 
 
 29. We are, likewife, particularly to remember 
 that true evangelical faith is alzvays ajfociated with a 
 heneficent dijpofitioii ; a difpofition prone to fympathife 
 with the diftreffes, and, as far as we have opportunity, 
 to relieve the wants of our fellow-creatures. For it 
 is a conclufion, enforced by the precepts of our Sa- 
 
( "5 ) 
 
 vlour, by the whole tenor of his life and the fpirit of 
 his doflrine, that charity is the end of the commandment ; 
 and that no faith availeth but that "which worketh by 
 love, (See Gal. v. 6.) And the term love does not 
 fignify any grofs or licentious fenfations of affedtion, 
 but the fire of vital charity warming our hearts, ani- 
 . mating our lives, and (hewing its heavenly influence 
 in every part of the conduft of man, towards his 
 brother man. This is true Chriftian love; which is 
 not ftiewed in word, neither in tongue, but in deed 
 and in truth. 
 
 l2 
 
RELIGION WITHOUT CANT. 
 
 TliE DOCTRINE OF FAITH. 
 
 PART III. 
 
 I Faith, in its moft frequent acceptation in the 
 Chriftian fcriptures means a convidlion of this truth, 
 that Jefus is The Chrift, the Son of God, and the 
 Saviour of thofc who regulate their lives by his laws.' 
 It contains a firm perfuafion, that, if we obey him, we 
 fhall obtain remiffion of fins, and eternal life; and a 
 vigorous refolution to render him the obedience 
 which he has commanded. This is that faith which 
 may truly be called /aving; and the fcriptures by no 
 means warrant the fuppofition that faith, confidered 
 in any other fenfe, will conduce to our falvaiion. 
 
 2. That faith, therefore, which will form the 
 ground-work of our juftification before God, muft 
 be aflbciated wich moral goodnefs; for one of the 
 conftituent parts of faving faith is a perfuafion that 
 Jefus will be the Saviour of thofe who regulate their 
 
( n7 ) 
 
 lives by his laws ; and a right perfuaficn of this laft 
 truth, operating on the foul, will neceffarily produce 
 obedience, in the general adts and habits of the indi- 
 vidual. 
 
 3. Thofe laws of Chrift, to which true faith tends 
 to render us obedient, are not ceremonial but moral *. 
 They are laws whofe obligations are unchangeable, 
 which were written on tables of ftone and on the 
 flefhly tables of the heart before he came into the 
 world ; and of which he did not invalidate, but 
 increafe the importance, by eftablifliing their con- 
 nexion with the intereft of eternity. 
 
 4. The laws of Chrifl:, on our obedience to which 
 our eternal welfare is at (lake, inculcate nothing but 
 a pure, a vigorous, and an habitual morahty of con- 
 dud, without any of thofe fubtile refinements, thofe 
 qualifications and referves, in which fophiftry de- 
 lights; and with which the vain genius of human 
 philofophy has too often perplexed the plaincft truths, 
 and invalidated the moft forcible moral obligations. 
 
 * " Out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adul- 
 teries, fornications, thefts, falfe witnefs, blafphetnies. Thefe 
 are the things -which defile a 7nan; but to cat with unwaihen 
 hands defilcth not a man." Matt. x. 19, 20. Here we trace 
 the right diftinftion between ceremonial and moral purity. All 
 our Lord's fa) ings, by keeping which we are required to mani- 
 fcft our love towards him, have a moral tendency ; and his life 
 was one continual funflune of moral excellence. 
 
 I 3 
 
( ii8 ) 
 
 They are not made dark and ambiguous by equivo- 
 cations; they are clear, diftind, and comprehenfive; 
 not too obfcure for the apprehenfion of the mind, 
 nor too difficult for general praftice. They tend tO; 
 make trutli, ju:iicr, and benevolence the univerfal 
 rule of human a61ion and the unchangeable ftandard 
 of human interefl:^ 
 
 5 When truth and juftice and benevolence are 
 made rhe maxims of condudl and the tett of intereft, 
 we can experience little perplexity in, any. 9f.chofe 
 ficuations which might cmbarrafs our choice, or be^ 
 produdive; of crimes, if we adopted any other rule 
 for the government of our adions, and eftimated hap- 
 pinefs by mere felfifh calculations. Were the laws 
 of Chiift univerfally pra6lifed, treachery and falfe- 
 hood, violence and wrong, cruelty and injuftice 
 would be banilhed from the world; in one word, 
 morality would (hine with unclouded luftre; for the 
 will of God would be done on earth, as it is in hea- 
 ven. Such are the happy tendencies, and fuch 
 would be the beneficial operations of thefe precepts 
 of Chrift, to which it is one eflential part of faving 
 faith to adhere with inviolable afFedion and habitual 
 fidelity. 
 
 6. It Is obedience to Chrlft's laws which conftitutes 
 the moral goodnefs of a Chriflian. For the laws of 
 Chrift, of which he himfelf condenfed the fpirit 
 and the pradice into this one glorious and unrivalled 
 I 
 
( 119 ) 
 
 faying, " whatfoevcr ye would that men fhould do 
 unto you, do ye alfo unto them," comprehend th^ 
 whole circle of moral obligations. If, therefore, ge- 
 nuine faith do include, as I think the whole tenor of 
 fcripture proves, obedience to Chrift as a lawgiver: 
 and if his laws be moral laws, then moral goodnels 
 muft be an infeparable adjunft of faving faith j and 
 without which it is but an empty breath of air. 
 
 7. The precepts of Chrift differ, in a great mea- 
 fure, from thofe of other lawgivers, in being rather 
 pofitive than negative, in inculcating virtue rather 
 than prohibiting vicej in enjoining more what is to 
 be praftifed than what is to be avoided; in fpeaking 
 of duties more than of crimes ; in commanding bene- 
 ficence more than juftice; and in deterring from evil 
 by urging to good. Thus our Lord comprelTcs 
 into this one emphatic faying " thou lhalt love thy 
 neighbour as thyfelf;" the whole of the moral law; 
 and he who fulfils only this one precept, cannot be 
 wanting in any duty, or guilty of any crime. For 
 love worketh no ill to his neighbour; and, therefore, 
 love is the fulfilling of the law. 
 
 8. That beneficence which produces pofitive good 
 muft exclude pofitive evil; for the fame principle 
 cannot operate as an incentive to good and to evil. 
 True benevolence, therefore, muft prove deftrudive 
 to falfehood and injuftice, and every fpecics of moral 
 depravity. Hence w« fee why our Lord comprefTcs 
 
 I4 
 
( I20 ) 
 
 the whole fubftance of morality into one brief pre- 
 cept; "thou (halt love thy neighbour as thyfelf:** 
 and why he faid to his difciples, towards the conclu- 
 fion of his miniftry, " by this (hall ail men know that 
 ye are my difciples, if ye have love'one to another." 
 The love which Chrift enjoined is the perfection of 
 T^orality-, morality cleanfed from the lees of felfilh- 
 nefs, and refined into pure beneficence; that morality 
 which confifts not only in an abhorrence of falfehood 
 and injuftice, but which animates the vigorous ener- 
 gies of active goodnefs ; which not only indifpofes us 
 to do wrong to others, but which difpofes us, as far 
 as we have opportunity, to do good unto all men. 
 This is that moraUty of which the praftice is a ne- 
 ceflary aflbciate of faving faith. Thus faith, where- 
 ever it takes fuch a llrong poflefllon of the foul, as to 
 be, in fome meafure, the fubftance of things not feen, 
 will be not a frffive quality, but an a^ive principle ; full 
 of ftrength and life; urging us not only not to work 
 iniquity, but to bring forth the fruits of charity. 
 
 9. Many perfons confine the feat and habitation of 
 faith, the bounds of its exiftence, and the fphere of 
 its influence, to the fenfations; within whofegafeous 
 atmofphere they circumfcribc its power, and to 
 whofe invifible operations they reftridt its evidence. 
 But the fcriptures do not authorize, and reafon dif- 
 claims, any fuch vain, changeful, and pernicious teft of 
 religious belief; for both reafon and fcripture prove, 
 that the life is the only fatisfadtory evidence of it5 
 reality, 
 
( 121 ) 
 
 10. As far as faith is an invifible and inward prinr 
 ciple, confined to the impenetrable caverns of the 
 mind or to the unfeen chambers of the heart, we can- 
 not know that fuch a principle even exifts without 
 difcerning fome teftimony of its exigence in the out- 
 ward condu(fb. A mere profeffion of belief does not 
 conftitute belief, or make a man a Chriftian, any 
 more than a bare profcfljon of aftronomical know- 
 ledge makes a man an aftronomerj except fo far as 
 the profefllon anfwers to the fad, and the fad to the 
 profefllon. 
 
 1 1. The profefiion of a faith in the Chriftian reli- 
 gion is a profefllon of thefe truths — that Jefus, the 
 founder of the Chriftian religion, is the Mefllah fore» 
 fliewn to the Jews, and the Redeemer promifed to 
 all mankind; and that he will confer eternal life on 
 thofe who obey his laws. Genuine Chriftian faith, 
 therefore, implies a convidion of a future and eternal 
 life; with a perfuafion that its happinefs depends on 
 the conformity of our condud to the precepts of the 
 gofpel. Now have we any reafon to believe that 
 any profefllon of faith of this kind is true, where we 
 lee thofe, who make it, giving no proof of its reality 
 in their lives; where we fee them ading, as if this 
 life were the fum of their being, the termination of 
 their hopes and fears, and as if their prefent con- 
 dud had no relation to a ftate beyond the grave? 
 
 12. When we fee the profefllon of religious faith 
 
( 122 ) 
 
 uttcrl/ at variance with the outward a6tions, when 
 we behold it exerting no influence on the charafter or 
 the condudl, not producing temperance, juftice, and 
 righteoufnefs ; not making the heart kind and the 
 hand bountiful i can we believe, that the inward prin- 
 ciple exifts ? A man is not to make his own fen- 
 fations, however warm or rapturous they may be, a 
 teft of his believing in Chrift; when Chritl himfelf 
 allowed no fuch teft, but referred the evidence of. 
 faith to the conduft. Let us hear his own words, 
 and let them fink into our fouls: " Every good tree 
 bringeth forth good, fruit j but a corrupt tree bringeth 
 forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth 
 evil fruit; neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good 
 fruit: Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit 
 is hewn down, and caft into the fire." Matt, vii, 
 
 n- 19- 
 
 13. If the blood be contaminated by any principle 
 of difeafe or any matter of contagion, the efFedls foon 
 appear in the wafte of the ftrength, the depreflion of 
 the mind, or the ulcerationf:- of the flefh. Where the 
 body glows with the animating fiame of vitality and 
 health, there the limbs are vigorous, alert, adive; 
 the flefh is firm, and the fpirits gay. If a principle 
 of moral purity be fixed in the thoughts, if truth, and 
 juftice, and humanity be enthroned in the afFedions, 
 th^;ir inward reality will be vlfible in their outward 
 operations. If moral corruption have feized the 
 mind, and fpread its baleful putrefcence over the con- 
 
( 123 ) 
 
 fcience, the effeils will correfpond with the cajfc. 
 The conduft will be bafe, polluted with injuftce, 
 with cruelty, or luft. 1 he outward aftions of a nmn 
 are the btft mirror through which the ftate of His 
 thoughts and his heart can be feen. " Out of the 
 heartj" faid our Lord, proceed evil thoughts, mur- 
 ders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, falfe witnefs, blas- 
 phemies." Matt. XV. J 9. The outward conduit 
 diftindlly pourtrays the inward workings of the foul. 
 It (hews, if 1 may fo exprefs it, the true complexion 
 of the heart, and marks the fluff of which the con- 
 fcience is made. 
 
 14. Whenever the principle of genuine Chriftian 
 faith is alive, warm, and vigorous in the heart, it will 
 difplay its wholfefbme energies in the moral charader 
 of the man. There will not be occafion for an audi- 
 ble confefiion of the lips or any vifible infcriptlon on" 
 the forehead, to (how that faith animates the breaft. 
 True faith is its own evidence. It wants no emblema- 
 tic tokens nor factitious proofs. It manifefts its fpi- 
 ritual ftrength, and, if I may fo term it, its bodily ex- 
 jftence by figns beyond the reach of hypocrify or artj 
 and which bring conviclion home to the mind of 
 the fpeftator. Its fruits are the fruits of holinefs. Its 
 aftions are flamped with the facrcd imprefs of truth 
 and juftice and that vital warm beneficence which 
 cannot be counterfeited j and whofe tcftimony the 
 whole world cannot gainfay nor refill. 
 
( 124 ) 
 
 i;. He who really believes in the truth of the 
 Chiftian religion will not live for this fhort lifej he 
 wil not purfue the perifliable things of this world 
 w.th greedy impatience or intemperate defire. His 
 /aith will be " the fubftance of things hoped for ; 
 the evidence of things not feen." Negledting the 
 fordid concerns of time, his thoughts will be exalted 
 to the higheft heavens, and his affedtions rapt in 
 the bofom of eternity. 
 
 16. True faith, as far as it is the faith of a rational 
 being, muft be compounded of the alTent of the mind 
 and the perluafion of the heart. It fuppofes the un- 
 derftanding, from the inveftigation of the evidences 
 of religion, to be convinced of its truth; and the af- 
 fe<ftions to be interefted in the praftice of its duties. 
 "Wherever the didates of the reafon are thus in uni- 
 fon with the impulfe of the feniations, and the fenfa- 
 tions accord with the decifions of the reafon, there 
 rtligious faith flourifhes in its greateft beauty and its 
 utmoft ftrength. 
 
 I". It dees fometlmes, and, perhaps, more often 
 than is fufpefted, happen, that fpeculative belief is 
 united, if I may fo fpeak, with pra6lical infidelity ; 
 or, in : :her words, that the mind fometim.cs aflents 
 to the truth ot the Chriftian religion, when no warm 
 fer.G of its dunes touv.hes the heart; and the con- 
 fc!s"ce is callrus to its weighty obligations. As a 
 fpeculative belief in a God is by no means incompa- 
 
( ) 
 
 tible with pradical atheifm *, fo a rational convic- 
 tion of the truth of revelation is fometimes aflbciated 
 
 * The Atheifm of the French, to which feme have imputed 
 all the exccfles of the revolution, was engendered by the cor- 
 ruptions of popery J and confequenlly, thofe who afcribe fa 
 wide a fphere of agency to the firft, ought not to forget the 
 efFedts that originated in the lall. When they declaim on the 
 evil of the progeny, they fhould not pafs in filence over the 
 malignity of the parent. In inveftigating the caufes of thofe 
 great diforders which always accompany the revolutions of great 
 ftates, when an ancient government is overthrown ; when infti- 
 tutions, aflbciated with the affedtions of fome and the interefts 
 -of others, are fubverted ; when the prejudices and paffions of 
 men are engagedj as it were, in a furious warfare; when new 
 opinions are forced into a violent concuflion with the old ; when 
 the firft, full of youthful vigour, are labouring for dominion, and 
 the lafl are ftruggling with the dying energies of felf-preferva- 
 tion ; we muft beware of imputing thofe diforders which muft 
 neceflarily arife in fuch a complicated ftate of things, to any one 
 particular and exclufive caufe. Atheifm or irreligion had cer- 
 tainly a very extenfive influence in producing thofe accumu- 
 lated miferies, thofe afts of profcription, of injuftice, and 
 cruelty, which (lain the pages of the revolution : but Atheifm 
 itfelf was not equal to the produftion of fuch a mafs of calamity. 
 Atheifm met with a junfture of circumftances highly favour- 
 able to the explofion of its difaftrous principles; but the prin- 
 ciples themfelves would have been much circumfcribed in their 
 effefts, if a variety of other caufes, all blending their roifchiev- 
 ous influence, had not alTifted their operation ; had not increaf- 
 ed their ftrength, and diffufed their rancour. Atheifm is cer- 
 tainly a very powerful caufe of calamity; but we muft not inn- 
 pofe on Atheifm a'weight of efft€t greater than it can produce. 
 Thepraftical evils of atheifm are, generally, reftrained by the 
 direct intereft which men have, and always will have, in re- 
 
( 126 ) 
 
 wttTi glaring irrip'iety. A belief in the being of a 
 God is noc neceflarily or uniformly productive of 
 
 ftraining them. Whafever men may think of the fpeculative 
 principle, they muft, if they have a fpark of common fenfe, 
 know its pradical tendency as adverfe to the intereft of the 
 individual as it is to that of the community. Atheifm can 
 never exert any very general or extenfive influence, except in 
 the crifis of revolutions; vi'hen fo many other caufes confpire 
 to render it adtlvcly pernicious, and increafcjits will to deltroy 
 by arming it with the power of deftrudion. 
 
 The atheifm of the French owed its origin to the corrupt 
 ftate of Chriflianity in France before the revolution ; and, per- 
 haps, many of the evils, which we afcribe to atheifm, would, 
 with more juftice, be imputed to their primary caufe; that is> 
 the pollutions with which popifh fuperftition had adulterated 
 the Ghriftian dodrine. Men of leifure, of a highly fpe;culativd 
 turn of mind, and a morbid temperature of body, are fometimes 
 Atbeifts; but the poifon can never be difFufed through the bulk 
 of mankind. The former may not always be able to prevent 
 the intrufion of anxious doubts refpeding the firft principle of 
 religion; the latter do not theorize on the fubjed; and when 
 their adions are contrary to the principles which they profefs, 
 they do not proceed fo much from the want of religious belief 
 in the mind, as from the want of a religious fpirit in the heart. 
 Inhere are fezu ffeculdt'tve, but many practical Atheijls; there are 
 few who really difbelieve in the being of a God; but there art 
 many, Tcry many, In all countries ivko live ivithout any fear of God 
 leforc their eyes. The mob of Paris, by whofe hands mott of the 
 fangulnary deeds of the revolution were perpetrated, were not 
 properly fo much Atheifts as Fanatics; and as far as they were 
 Atheills, their Atheifm was certainly the effed of that corrupt 
 and polluted antichriftian fuperftition in which they had been 
 educated. The diftance between extremes, though it feern 
 long, is in fad fliort. The change in the mind from one to 
 
( ) 
 
 that fandlfying fenfe of his perfedions, that admira- 
 tion of his wifdom, and that love of his goodnefs. 
 
 tiie other is often rapid and inflantaneous. "From leVuvhig to* 
 much, men fnon come to helie^'e too little. 
 
 Superftuioii always, filently, favours the growth of infidelity; 
 and, after a certain period, always ultimately produces it. 
 Hence governments lliould beware of ordering the minifters of 
 an eflablilhed church to bewilder the minds of the ignorant 
 with uncertain dodtrlnes, and to -preach abfurd or pernicious 
 myfteries more than pra6lical godlinefs. 
 
 That Atheifm renders the fentiments ferocious and the heart 
 favage I can readily admitj but I believe it will be found that 
 religion, degenerated into Fanaticifm, is an enemy as deftrudjve 
 to tendernefs of feeling as the moft ftubborn Atheifm. The 
 Atheift, who really believes not in a God, is not reftrained in 
 the career of his crimes or the excefs of his lults by apprehen- 
 fions of a future judgment; but he is liable to fome reftrainP 
 from the invifible operation of thofe fympathies which nature 
 planted in the heart, and which Atheifm itfelf cannot always 
 eradicate. But Fanaticifm extinguilhes the benevolent affec- 
 tions, and it calls in the fuppofed lanftions of religion to coun- 
 tenance their e.xtinftion, and to encourage their violation. 
 When cruelty rages in the bofom of an Atheili, there is a total 
 want of any religious influence to affuage its fury ; but iv/icn it- 
 rages in the lofor/i of a Fanatic, the influence of rJigion, injiead of 
 rcprejfmg its force, only mcreajcs its ferocity. The Atheift may 
 be cruel from the violence of paffion; but the Fanatic is Hiore 
 fo from the fedalenefs of principle. 
 
 The Fanatic often perpetrates atrocities the moft revolting 
 in order to do God fervice ; for, from a ftrange hallucination of' 
 ideas, which turn the blood into gall and the heart into fton?*, 
 Eanaticifm makes the love of God compatible with the moft 
 luirelenting barbarity. The Atheift delights in crufliing; the 
 Eanatic in torturing his vittims; he thinks every groan whichi 
 
( laS ) 
 
 which engage the afFedions in his fervlce, and make 
 obedience to his will the law of the heart j the ftaid 
 
 they utter agreeable to God ; and he lengthens exit the linger- 
 ing agony to the longed capacity of fufFtring. The Atheift 
 braves the terrors of eternity; yet he does not always lofe the 
 tendernefs of a man: but the Fanatic gathers motives from 
 eternity to jaftify the moft atrocious violatioBs of humanity. 
 
 The refinements of torture and the aggravations of woe, 
 •which were pradiftfd in the Inquifition, give a ftriking repre- 
 fentation of the force, with which religion, corrupted into 
 fuperftitlon and Fanalicifm, tends to ftifle all the amiable fym- 
 pathies of the heart, and to fubflitute in their room the moft 
 favage cruelty and the moft implacable ferocity. The Atheifts 
 who, in September 1/92, wantonly fported with the lives of 
 their fellow-citizens, appear not to rank lower in the fcaleof 
 humanity, than the Fanatics who fhed the blood of the inno- 
 eent in the maffacre of St. Bartholomew. 
 
 Oar Lord makes religion to confift in the love of God and 
 the love of man. What ever kind of prepofterous love Fana- 
 ticifm may bear to God, it certaiply cherilhes very little re- 
 gard for its fellow-creatures; for it is affociated with hate, bit- 
 ter and implacable to all who have not fwallowed, or who will 
 not fwallow the poifon of its corruptions. The Fanatic fuppofes 
 that God delights in fuperftitious forms, and takes pleafure in 
 the mifery of his creatures. He fondly flatters his own heart 
 that the divine favour is exclufively appended to only one par- 
 ticular form of worfhip, and that every other incites the di- 
 vine abhorrence. The Fanatic is, thrrefore, inftigated by the 
 moft powerful motives, motives drawn from the interefts of 
 eternity, to exercife the luft of cruelty on all. who think not 
 as he thinks ; whofe devotion is not manifefted by the fame 
 proftrations, or whofe adoration is not affociated with the 
 fame forms. He feels no reftraint from the kindly influence 
 of the fecial principle, urging him to be mindful of the happi- 
 
C 129 ) 
 
 criterion of intereftj and the perennial fountain of 
 pleafure and of happinefs. 
 
 nefs of his fpecies; for the force of that principle is annihilated 
 by the invifiible demon that works within his breaft, chilling 
 the warmth of his afledlions, and infufinga deadly rancour into 
 his fenfations. 
 
 Fanaticifm perplexes ind confounds the diftindions of right 
 and wrong; it makes right to be wrong, and wrong to be right: 
 and, under its influence, religious belief which ought to be, and 
 which, in a well-educated mind, always is the ftvongeti ftay to 
 right, gives the moft powerful impulfe to wrong. The Fanatic 
 either imagines that he is exempted from the weighty matters 
 of moral obligation, or that God will permit their violation for 
 the fake of fome trifling penance or fome unfocial aufterity. 
 He deems them matters of eafy compenfation; and he, there- 
 fore, feels little compunflion in their infradtion. Thofe who 
 do not like to pradife the great duties of truth and juftice, are 
 always predifpofed to imbibe the delufions, and to embrace 
 the demoniac principles of Fanaticifm. 
 
 The Atheill who believes not in a future judgment, and 
 feeks not the approbation of a fuperior power, can have no juft 
 notions of moral obligation; he regards morality as a fort of 
 artificial contrivance, and truth and jufticeas mere matters of 
 human convention; and he deems them obligatory no farther 
 than as they promote his prefent views, or contribute to his 
 perfonal gratification. But Fanaticifm, while it relaxes all 
 moral reftraints, oftc7i inahcs ininmraVity a matter of cnnfcicnce. 
 It, therefore, often gives a greater encouragement and a ftronger 
 flimulus to the violation of truth, of juftice, and humanity, than 
 even the moft obflinate Atheilm. The Fanatic firips God of 
 his refplendent attribute of uuiverfal goodnefs, and makes him 
 a partial and capricious being : and it may be doubted whether 
 a belief in fuch a being, as Fanaticifm fuppofes God to be, be 
 not produ6tive of as touch mifchief as the non-belief in the 
 
 K 
 
( ) 
 
 1 8. We have only to caft our eyes around us to 
 behold many who are by no means infincere believers 
 
 exlftence of any God at all. The Atheift has no flandard of 
 moral excellencej the Fanatic has a falfe one. The principles 
 of the Atheift prevent his moral improvement; thofe of the 
 Fanatic promote his moral deterioration. The love of God, the 
 only genuine principle of practical religion, elevates the heart 
 towards heaven; it wafts the afFedions to the throne of mercy 
 in the perfume of prayer, from which they defrend again 
 upon the earth, frefh with the bloom, and warm with the glow 
 of univerfal charity. But of this principle of the love of God, 
 whofe fpirit is fo divine, and wliofe operations are fo benefi- 
 cent, the Atheift is as deftitute as the Fanatic, and the Fanatic 
 as the Atheift. 
 
 The heart of the Atheift is cold and favage; infcnfible to the 
 diftrefleS of thofe around him, as beings with whom he has 
 only a tranfient and accidental connexion here, and with whom 
 he is to hold no intercourfe hereafter. The heart of the Fana- 
 tic is not cold with apathy, but hot with hate; not fo much 
 infenfible to the diftrefles of others, as rejoicing at their inflic- 
 tion, when they are the diftreffes of thofe who are not of his 
 own perfuafion. He looks on all mankind, not only not as 
 brethren, but as people whom he has a ccmmiffion from hea- 
 ven to exterminate, and whom he perfecutes without mercy 
 whenever he has the power. The Fanatic puts the vi£lims of 
 his rage to every torture which he can contrive in this world, 
 and then breathes feruent iv'ijltcs to heaven for their eternal damna- 
 tion in the ?7ext ! 
 
 The Atheift perfecutes, perhaps tortures, his victims j and 
 then fends them to the grave as to a jiice of eternal lleep. 
 The Atheift is a brute, who, when his paflions are excited, 
 rends and lacerates his fellow-men like fellow brutes; the 
 Fanatic aggravates his cruelty by religious mockery, and fings 
 hallelujahs while the unfortUiiate obje£ls of his malice are 
 
( ) 
 
 in the being of a God, yet living, as it were, without 
 God in the world j and many might be obferved who 
 have themfelves a reafonable convidion that reve- 
 lation is no fiftion nor impoRure, that the miracles 
 recorded in the gofpels were aftually performed, and 
 even fome might be noticed who have laboured to 
 impart convidlion to others, by the ftrongefb rcafon- 
 ing and the mod ftriking arguments, but who, not- 
 withftanding, by the whole tenor of their lives, by 
 their intemperance in the purfliit of animal pleafure, 
 their eagernefs in the race of temporal difti :6:;ion, by 
 their ambition of praife and their luft of gain, by the 
 brittknefs of their frienddiips and the rancour of cheif 
 enmities, feem to acknowledge that that Jefus, whofe 
 religion they profels, never lived; that he never 
 preached temperance, humility, meeknefs, benefi- 
 cence, forgivenefs of injuries; that he never rofe from 
 the dead, and that this world terminates alike the 
 joys and forrows, the hopes and fears of man. On 
 the other hand, we do meet with many perfons, par- 
 wafting in the flames. Of the butchery which has been per- 
 petrated, and the defolation which has been produced both by 
 Fanatics and by Atheifls, hiftory will furnifti many a melaii- 
 choly recital; and if it be difficult to d'-termine on which (ide 
 the guilt preponderates, it ihould teach governments to labour 
 to prevent thefe hell-born fiends from fprejuing their venom 
 among the people; and this can only he done by compelling tlic 
 minijlers rif the ejlahlijliment to teach nothing hur that fubk 
 
 MORALITY, WHICH ChRIST TAUGHT, WITHOUT ANY CANT 
 OK ANY MVETEKY. 
 
 K 2 
 
( 132 ) 
 
 tlcukrly thofe who are placed low in the vale of 
 poverty, who have neither had leifure nor capacity 
 to examine the evidences of revealed religion ; who 
 have not what may be called a rational conviftion 
 of its truth, and who are unable to render to others 
 a reafonable account of the hope that is in them, but 
 yet whofe lives are an ornament to the religion 
 which they profcfs, whofe adions manifeft its fruits, 
 and whofe affedlions kindle with its holy flame. 
 
 19. But as it muft be confefTed that, where the 
 mind is convinced without the heart being perfuaded, 
 faith is dead, becaufe barren and unfruitful in the 
 knowledge of the truth j fo, on the other hand, v/e 
 mufl: acknowledge that where the afFecflions are en- 
 gaged in the pradlice of the duties, without the un- 
 derftanding being exercifed in the examination of 
 acquainted with the evidences of revealed religion, 
 faith refts on an unfafe and perilous foundation, eafily 
 undermined by the fubdeties of fophiftry, and fub- 
 verted by the fhock of argument. He who knows 
 not the flrong pillars of evidence on which the reli- 
 gion of Jefus refts, who is not able to give him who 
 afketh a reafonable account of the hope that is iv 
 him, will not long remain unmoved by the reafoning 
 of the infidel or the raillery of the fcoffer. The ig- 
 norant man almoft always receives his ftrongeft im- 
 preffion from the laft fpeaker ; and is liable to be 
 whirled about, here and there, by every eddy of 
 argument and every breath of folly. 
 
( »33 ) 
 
 20. Where a rational convidion of the truth is 
 wanting, faith is not eafily fixed j it flu<5luares with 
 every new opinion, and changes with every wind of 
 doflrine. Hence ignorant pe jple are always the 
 eafy prey of vifionarles or Fanatics ; whofe abfurd- 
 ities they have not judgment enough to fee, and 
 whofe crafty machinations they have not iagacity ta 
 penetrate. Hence they are fometimes perfuaded> 
 on the flighteft grounds, and the weakeft reafons, to 
 forfake a pure, and plain, and rational Worihip, for 
 one that is polluted with fuperftition to leave what 
 is fimple for \ hat is myfterious; to relinquifli truth 
 for error J and to prefer darknefs to light. Hence, 
 in the prefent age, we have feen multitudes of the 
 ignorant and the credulous led aftray, from the plain 
 paths of common fenfe, by itinerant impoftors for- 
 faking the fimple, the dignified, and the weil-digefhed 
 prayers of the Church of England, for the confufed 
 and crude abortions, the whining cant, and wild ex- 
 travagance of extemporaneous devotion; obandon- 
 ing the fimple morality of Chrift for unintelligible 
 doflrines, which have no foundation whatever in the 
 words of fcripture, critically underftood, and judi- 
 cioufly explained. 
 
 21. Where the mind is not furnifhed vmh true 
 fcriptural knov/ledge, folly will often triumph over 
 wifdom; and the fuffrages of t!ie illiterate crowd 
 will otten run ftronger in favour of thofe v,'ho inflame 
 their feelings, than in favour of thofc who fpeak 
 
 K3 
 
( U4 ) 
 
 plainly, but gently to their affetlions; of thofe who 
 addrefs the imagination, than of thofe who endea- 
 vour to convince by ftrength of argument. 
 
 12. The religious faith, as I have faid, of a rational 
 being, ought to confift of the a/Tent of the mind in- 
 corporated with the perfuafion of the heart. This 
 is that faith which is kaft liable to change or decay; 
 and on whofe faving efficacy the greateft dependance 
 may be placed. For it is that faith which God who 
 has given us a faculty to difccrn truth from error, 
 and who has fo difpofcd the evidence of revelation 
 as not to fuperfede, but to encourage its exercife, 
 requires at our hands. It is a faith, in the formation 
 of whic'h the mind concurs with the affeftions, and 
 in whofe operations reafon moderates and direfts 
 the energies of fenfatibn. This alone is the charac- 
 ter of that faith which is a reafonable fervice; which 
 is moft agreeable to the tather of fpirits, and to the 
 genius of Chriftianity. 
 
 23. In the formation and the operations of faith, 
 the reafon and the afFedlicns fhould, as much as is 
 poffible, go hand in hand, and aft in conjundion. 
 Thus faith is preferved from the extravagance of cn- 
 thufiafm and the mifchievoufnefs of Fanaticifm; 
 from the frothinefs of delufion and the barrennefs of 
 inaflion. If reafon lay the foundations of faith, the 
 bu'lding cannot rife into a fair and beautiful ftruilure 
 without the aid of the afFeftionsi but if the affedions 
 
( ^35 ) 
 
 alone are employed in rearing It, the edifice, wanting 
 the ftrong pillars of reafon, will hardly bear the beat- 
 ing of the ftorm. 
 
 24. The afFecStions give to faith its beauty and its 
 ufefulnefs; beauty that delights the eye, and ufefui- 
 nefs that cheers the heart ; but reafon gives it flrength 
 and folidity j ftrength that no blaft can fhake, and 
 folidity that is eternal. Reafon, uninngits force with 
 that of the affections, makes the prefence of religious 
 belief delicious to the individual and its operations 
 beneficial to humanity. 
 
 25. Without fome degree of rational convi6lion, 
 religious belief refts, as it were, on a cloud of vapour; 
 and it is fubjedl to all the alternations and capriciouf- 
 nefs of prejudice in fome cafes, and to its > bltinacy in 
 others. We cannot give a rational affent to what we 
 know not, any more than we can be faid rationally to 
 prefer one thing to another without knowing or in- 
 veftigating the right grounds of preference, Our belief 
 in revealed truth, like our belief in any other truth of 
 importance, Jhould be rational that it may he firm. It 
 fhould be the effedl of the underftanuing that it may 
 remain the fubjecfl of the will. From chat to which we 
 affent without knowing why, we are always liable to 
 diffent without knowing wherefore. We have fcen 
 this truth exemplified in many recent instances; and 
 it is to this principally that the Fanatics owe the pre- 
 fen;; magic of infatuation which they poffefs, and the 
 
 K 4 
 
( 136 ) 
 
 prefent harveft of popular delufion by which they are 
 fed. As it is irr-pollible to fee clearly when the 
 vifion is dim, or the nerve of fight fainr, or to hear 
 diftin6lly where the organ of hearing is paralytic \ fo it 
 is impoffible to believe juftly when the organ of con- 
 vidtion, which is the mind, is either incapable of a6t- 
 ing, or has never been called into action. 
 
 26. The faith of thofe, who have not leifure to 
 profecute a diligent inquiry into the evidences of re- 
 ligion, muft indeed always, in fome degree, reft on 
 the authority of others. But, thanks be to God, 
 that, in this enlightened period of this enlightened 
 country, the faith even of the peafant or the arcifan 
 need not be a blind aflent to they know not what, or 
 they know not why. Their belief may be grounded 
 on knowledge. Their minds may, without a wicked 
 negligence on their own parts, be inftrufled in the 
 evidences of Chriftianity, fufficiently to give a rea- 
 fonable account of the hope that is in them ; to com- 
 bat the arguments, and to penetrate the fophiftry of 
 the gainfayer. In a country in which there are few 
 Chriftians who cannot read, in which there are few 
 villages without fchools for the inftrudtion of the poor 
 in the rudiments, of learning, and none without a 
 church for their improvement in righteoulnefs, few 
 indeed muft be the perfons who can complain, with- 
 out injuftice, that they are deprived of the means of 
 religious information. 
 
( >37 ) 
 
 ay. In thefe days many books have been publifli- 
 eJ, and widely circulated, in which the evidences of 
 revelation have been briefly, clearly, and forcibly ex- 
 plained. And though the poor may meet with none 
 of , thefe treatift-s, thty may fupply the defedl by the 
 ftudy of the fcripturesj by comparing the prophecies 
 in the Old TePtament rcfpefling the MefTiah with their 
 completion in the New ; in the perfcn, the life, the 
 fuffeiings, the death, and the refurrevflion of Jefus 
 Chrift. They may diminifn their doubts, and in- 
 creafe their conviction by the ferious perufal of that 
 wonderful prophecy, relative to the difperfion of the 
 Jews, which occurs Deut. xxviii. and which they 
 may behold fulfilled before their eyes. They may 
 fee its exa6l and almofl literal accomplifhment in the 
 fate of that extraordinary people, who arc fcattered 
 over the whole world, living among all the nations 
 of the earth, but yet preferving the language, the 
 manners, and the inftituLions of their anccilors ; di- 
 vided from each other by kingdoms, by leas and 
 mountains, but maintaining a fort of national inter- 
 courfc like an united peoplej denying the Chriftian 
 fcriptures, but bearing their concurrent teflimony to. 
 
 the truth of thofe of the Old Teftament; bcli^vin"- 
 
 o. 
 
 in the divine original of rhe law of Mofes, in whofe 
 wridngs their prefent difperfion is threatened and. 
 defcribed, and, from many hints in t!;e lavv and 
 the prophets, dill expecting, with unfhaken confi- 
 dence, an end to their difperfion, and a refi oration ta 
 the country of their fathers. And if the prophetic 
 
( 138 ) 
 
 proofs of the divine original of Chriftianity fhould be 
 deemed vague, indefinite, and unfatisfactory, ftill 
 even thofe or the meineft capacities, who are not 
 wilfully rtmifs or criminally indifferent in a matter of 
 fuch great moment, may obtain a rational affurance 
 of the truth of revealed religion, by carefully perufing 
 only the Englifh tranflation of thofe memoirs of the 
 founder of Chriftianity, which are contained in the 
 writings of the four Evangelifts, of whom at Icaft two 
 were a£lual fpedtators of what they related, and the 
 reft drew their accounts from the infoimat'ion of 
 thofe who had been with Jefus from the beginning; 
 ■who were well acquainted with the dodrines which 
 he preached, and the miracles which he vs-rought. 
 In the narrative of thefe four independant witneffes, 
 in which there is every mark of honeft truth and art- 
 lefs fimplicity, let the unlearned inquirer confider 
 the perfefl doflrine and the finlefs life of Jefus; let 
 him compare the profound wifdom that is difplayed 
 in the one, with the patience, the gentlenefs, the be- 
 neficence that Were vifible in the other; kt him con- 
 traft the fublimity of his charaifter with the lowlinefs 
 of his condition; the fplendour of his miracles with 
 the humblenefs of his deportment; the fear which 
 he excited with the little powrr which he poffcfled ; 
 the popularity which he avoided, with that which, 
 had he harboured any ambitious views, he might have 
 acquired ; let him confider the total abfence of any 
 thing like equivocation, duplicity, or impofture in 
 every word that he fpoke; the prudence with which 
 
( 139 ) 
 
 he conduced hlmfelf in the mofl: embarradlng cir- 
 cumftances ; the fagacity of his anfwers to the moft 
 perplexing queftions ; the mecknefs with which he 
 endured the mofi: humiliating infults; the filcnce 
 with which he abafhed the fcorner; the force and au- 
 thority with which he rebuked the hypocrite; the 
 tendernefs and affection with which he inRrudled the 
 fimple; the- concern which he flic wed for the bodies 
 and the fouls of men; the readinefs with which he 
 relieved their wants, and the fympathy which hedif- 
 covered for their borrows; the love v/hich he mani- 
 fefted for his friends, and the fervour with which he 
 prayed for his enemies; the fortitude with which he 
 lufFered a moft ignoniinious death, and the glory 
 with which he rofe to an endlcfs life. Thefe confi- 
 derations are, I think, fufficient to prove, whether 
 to thofe who are funk in the vale of ignorance, or to 
 thofe who have icaled the heights of learning, that 
 Jefus was no impoftor, but was v^Iiat he declared 
 himfelf to be, — a man fent from God to reveal the 
 mofl weighty truths, and to inftru<5l and animate 
 the world in the way of righteoulnefs. 
 
 28, But when the rich or the poor, the peafant or 
 the phiiofopher have, by the inveltigation of the 
 evidences of revealed religion, or by the fludy of the 
 fcriptures, attained to a reafonable convitlion of che 
 truth of Chrirtianity, let them well confider that faith 
 is vain without works"; let them not endeavour to 
 fix the truth of religion in the underftanding without 
 
( HO ) 
 
 kindling its fpirit in the affeftions. Let them all 
 remember, that an aflent to the truth of religion 
 ought to lead to living righteoufnefs ; and let me 
 more efpecially admonilli -the philofopher to con- 
 fider, that the fubtle refinements, the profound de- 
 ducElions, the fplendid fyftems, or the lofty fpecula- 
 tions of learning and of genius, are but vain and ufe- 
 lefs thiDgs, unlefs they are ajfocia'ed with that wijdom 
 which mends the hearty and maketh wife unto Jalva 
 /ion, 
 
 29. Faith, when taken in its flri£t fcriptural fig- 
 nification, as comprehending, in one word, the ajjent of 
 the mind and the perjuajion of the heart, is necejfarily 
 and uniformly produ£iive of righteoufnefs. In this fenfe 
 the v^ord faith means not only the feed, but the fruits 
 of righteoufnefs ; it reprefents the Chriltian religion 
 not only as approved by the mind, but principled in 
 the heart, and manifefted in the condud. In this 
 fenfe the word faith is often appHcd in the fcrip- 
 tures, as including a belief in the truth of the mif- 
 fion of Jefus, and the practice of his precepts. Faith, 
 when it fignifies only the conviSlion of the mind, is not 
 uniformly and neceffarily produftive of righteouf- 
 nefs. The underllanding may be acquainced with 
 the evidences of religion, where the Ipirit of piety 
 is not excited in the heart. 
 
 30. When we endeavour to imprefs the mind of 
 an Atheift with a rational convidion of the being of 
 
( HI ) 
 
 a God, we fliould endeavour, at the fame time, to 
 animate the heart with fuch a truft in his moral go- 
 vernment, and fuch a lively fenfe of his fatherly 
 concern for the welfare of his creatures, as will cer- 
 tainly engender benevolence in the difpofition, and 
 morality in the conduct. V/hen v/e undertake to 
 bring the evidences of Chriftianity home to the un- 
 derftanding of a Deift, we fliould, at the fame time, 
 endeavour to bring its duties home to his affedlions. 
 We fliould endeavour not only to make him believe 
 that the founder of Chriftianity was a perfon fent 
 from God to reveal his will, but fhould earneftly 
 perfuade him to imitate the goodnefs of Chrift, and 
 to follow the example of his finlefs life. We fliould 
 afllduoufly fix the thoughts on this wholefome con- 
 clufion, without which the glory of the Chriftian 
 religion withers and decays, that faith is vain if it 
 be not fruitful in good works; and we fliould em- 
 ploy every exertion to produce fuch a juft fenfe of 
 the happinefs connedled with the practice of righte- 
 oufnefs, as may warm and intereft the foul in its 
 performance. 
 
 31. The great work of faith is but half-finiflied 
 
 where the mind is convinced without the heart being 
 
 touched, or where the heart is touched without the 
 
 fnind being convinced. The faith of a being like 
 
 man, highly intelledual and exquifitivcly fcnfitive, 
 
 flliould be the united effe£t of reafon and fenfation. 
 
 The reafon fliould be able to difcern, and to defend 
 
 o 
 
( 142 ) 
 
 the truth of religion, and the fenfations fhould glow 
 with the flame of piety. There fliould be a vital 
 principle of belief in the one, and a vital principle 
 of a6tion in the other. 
 
 32. The perfedion of faith confifts in the donvlc- 
 tlon of the mind blended with the perfuafion of the 
 heart; or, in other words, in a rational acknowledg- 
 ment of the truths to be believed with the habitual 
 performance of the duties to be praftifcd. The 
 truths to be believed were intended to favour the 
 growth and to promote the performance of the 
 duties to be praflifed ; and the one cannot be feparated 
 from the other without doing violence to both. 
 The truths to be believed are, the reJurreSlicn of the 
 dead, a future life, and a day of judgment, in order to 
 multiply and ftrengthen the motives to pra6tical 
 obedience; and unlefs, through the operation of the 
 reafon and the affections, thefc truths do deter from 
 evil and animate to good, they are believed in vain. 
 
 33. It does too often happen that the truth of re- 
 ligion is acknowledged, and its evidences approved 
 by the underftandii g, when its power is not prac- 
 tically evinced in the conduft. This melancholy 
 oppofition of the mind to the heart, and of the con- 
 du6l to the judgment, generally takes place when 
 the affedions, which ought to be engaged on the 
 fide of religion, are devoted to iefs v/orthy objefts ; 
 abforbed in the cares of the world or the pleafures 
 
( 143 ) 
 
 of fenfe, which wean rhe heart from God and caufs 
 thofc whofe opinions are by no means tainted with 
 the fpeculative tenets of infidelity to hold the truth 
 in unrighteoufnefsj and to live as if they -were really 
 infidels. ^ 
 
 34. While we are difcufTing the nature and incul- 
 cating the necefficy of faith, it will, [ think, be worth 
 our while to enaploy a little time in confidcring what 
 are thofe ejfentials of belief without a fincere aflent 
 to which true Chriftian faith cannot exift; and what 
 are thofe acceflbries of belief which may be adopted 
 or rejeded ; which may be believed or difbelicved, 
 without increafing the virtue of faith on the one 
 hand, or diminifhing it on the other. 
 
 35. The eflential matters of religions faith appear 
 to me to be thefe, — that there is a God ; that he 
 made the world by his power, and governs it by his 
 providence ; that the founder of the Chnftian rcli- 
 ligion was the favoured Son of God, who was put 
 to death by the Jews, and who rofe again fro:n the 
 dead. 'Thefe are truths effenllal to he believed; and 
 without an afjent to which, faith is imperfe!^ From 
 thefe flow other indifpenlable truths, which have a 
 near relation to the former, and are the great incen- 
 tives to praflical goodnefs ; and which are principally 
 thefe, — that this life is a ftate oftrial; and that there 
 is a fliate of retribution after death, when all man- 
 kind will be judged according to their works, and 
 
( 144 ) 
 
 tvhen the happinefs of individuals will be proportion- 
 ed to their improvement in righteoufnefs in the life 
 which now is. Thefe are the truths, both fpecu- 
 lative and prailical, moft neccflary to be imprefied 
 upon the mind, and to be cheriilied in the heart ; 
 and hCj to whofe confcience they are facred, and to 
 whofe affections they are dear, cannot but be in the 
 ftrait path to eternal glory, though he may not Tub- 
 fcribe to other points of doctrine which are lels 
 clearly revealed or more ambiguoufly expreffed ; 
 •which are more dark and dubious, and have no ne- 
 ceffary connexion with righteoufnefs. To dl thoje 
 ChrifAanSi cf all commmionsy who hold ihofe ejfentials of 
 faith "j^-hkh I have enurneratedy (and what sincere 
 Chriftian of what communion is there v.'ho rcjedts 
 them r) we may and ought to give the right hand cf 
 fellowjhip, however much we 'may differ from them about 
 fome abflrvje and myjlerious matters of fpeculation. 
 
 36. Chriftians are too prone to contend with each 
 other about points not effential to falvation and 
 many of the religious difputes among Chriftians are 
 mere difpur.es about words. Some ufe the words 
 faith and grace in one fenfe, and odiers in a different; 
 and then dicy fight about the word, when, perhaps, 
 they are agreed about the do(fLrine. Few indeed 
 are the Chriftians, except thcfe who deny the ncceffdy 
 cf moral goodnefsy and think that the righteoufnefs of 
 Chrijl, or the unrighteoufnefs cf Adam is made theirs 
 by imputation^ who do i:oc concur in opinion about 
 
( 145 ) 
 
 the eflentials of religion. They all agree in the be- 
 lief, that there is a God, that he is the moral gover- 
 nor of the world, that Jefus is the Chrift, the Mef- 
 fiah, the Son of God, that he was put to death, and 
 rofe from the dead ; that this life is a ftate of trial, 
 preparatory to another, in which every man will be 
 recompenfed according to his works. Thofe who 
 cordially acquiefce in thcfe tenets, ol^ghty in matters 
 oflejs moment t to hold the unity of the Jpirit in the bond 
 of peace; for thefe tenets are the main pillars of belief^ 
 on whofe adamantine ftrength genuine Chriflianity 
 will for ever refl ; defying the moft furious attacks 
 and the fierceft ftorms. 
 
 37. There are certain fubordinate articles of faith, 
 about which great heats have, at different periods, 
 been fomented in the Church, which have occafion- 
 cd bitter dillenfions and implacable animofitles ; but 
 of which the profciTors of a religion, that breathes 
 charity in every precept, would have done well to 
 abandon the difcuflion, in order to provoke one ano- 
 ther to love and to good works. It Is not a little 
 remarkable, that points of doflrinc which tend not 
 unto holinefs, and which cannot be Important, be- 
 caufe they are not diftinftly revealed, are ufually 
 difcufled as if they were of the lafl: importance; as if 
 the very cxlftence of religion depended on their fup- 
 port J and as if, were they removed from the Ciirif- 
 tian fabric, the foundations would give way, and tlae 
 wlTX)le building fall to ruins. 
 
 L 
 
( 146 ) 
 
 3 8. In religion, men are too much governed by 
 the force of imagination. Hence, they are fo much 
 captivated with the myfterious and the obfcure. 
 They are delighted with fomething vaft and invifible, 
 which they do not know and which cannot be known; 
 but whofe heights fancy exalts and whofe dimenfions 
 it expands. What appears before their eyes, they 
 think little and dwarfifli ; becaufe it is not too vaft 
 for their perceptions. What is removed beyond 
 the utmoft ftretch of the underftanding, they prize 
 beyond meafure, becaufe it is hid in darknefs. Thus 
 they think dodrines important in proportion as they 
 are obfcure. What is eafy and fimple they depre- 
 ciate ; what is difficult they extol ; what is obvious 
 they negleft j and where the wayfaring man would 
 not err, they are loft in an endlefs maze. Litde do 
 they confider that thofe^points of uncertain fpecula- 
 tion, to which as much confequence is attached as 
 if they alone divided the confines of heaven and of 
 hell, cannot be of fuch great importance, or they 
 would not have been Jo amhiguoujly exprejfed; that 
 God would not have left any tenets ejfential to Jalvation 
 liable to Juch a ftrange diverfity of opinions^ that the 
 mofl conjcientious Chrijiians have entertained fentiments 
 the mofi oppofite on their importance and their truth. 
 But, forgetting this plain inference, which common 
 fenfe fuggefts and found piety enforces, thofe Chrif- 
 tians who love darknefs better than light, and pre-, 
 fer one impulfe of imagination to a thoufand deduc- 
 tions of reafon, labour to explore the labyrinths, or 
 
( 147 ) 
 
 to traverfe the clouds of myftery, while they lofc 
 fight of truths which are as pure as they are plain, 
 and which come home to the interefls and the bo- 
 foms of all mankind. But there is, perhaps, to an 
 ill-regulated mind and a vitiated tafte, a certain irre- 
 fiftible attradion in the fhapelefs mafies of abfurdity 
 with which the myftic theology abounds; as, on 
 fome occafions, a certain degree of darknefs feems 
 to increafe, to an immeafurable bulk and ftature, the 
 vapours rifing from fome fpreading moor; making 
 the landfcape vanifli from the fight, and perplexing 
 the traveller on his way. 
 
 40. The Sceptic, who feoffs on religious fubjefts, 
 who derides all revelation as an impofture, who 
 ipeaks with contempt of its evidences and without 
 reverence of its author, who indulges himfelf in fool- 
 ifh jefting and impious blafphemy on fubjeds of 
 which every ferious man who does not aflent to 
 the truth will confefs the importance, is a wretch 
 unworthy the fociety of his fpecies, and hardly de- 
 ferving the common offices of humanity. There is 
 fuch a vaft accumulation of probabiliiies in favour 
 of the truth of revealed religion as may well make 
 the rafti paufe, and the fcorner dumb ; and even if 
 the evidences of Chriftianity were not half fo fatij- 
 fadory as they are, Itill the belief of it is fo nearly 
 connefted with the deareft interefls of mankind, with 
 their mofl refrelhing hopes and their fweeteft confo- 
 lations, that no unbeliever^ whofe hojom ^loms wUk 
 
 L2 
 
( H8 ) 
 
 o^ly one /park of tendernejs for his felhw-creatureSf 
 would dijcujs its truths with levity^ or load its fupporters 
 with injult. But a fober and humble diflcnt even 
 from the truth of revelation, though it may excite 
 our concern, ought not to provoke our rage. It 
 fhould rather awaken the feelings of compafllon than 
 the virulence of fcorn ; it fhould rather produce 
 gentlenefs of exhortanon than intemperance of abufe. 
 On any topics, and particularly on the weighty mat- 
 ters of religion, it is not becoming to fpeak unad- 
 vifedly with our lips. The unbelief of any man, as 
 far as he employs no fcurrility to revile, and no fo- 
 phiftry to fhake the belief of others, is fubjeift to 
 the cognizance of God alone*. As there is one 
 who judgeth we are not to pafs Jentence on the infidel 
 before his time ; but are to leave him, though with 
 
 * " Omnes in feipfum armat, qui in alios, quos eiTafe credit, 
 amiatur. Par omnium in omnes jus eft. Qui fibi jus tribuit coer- 
 cendi alios, idem aliis in fe ipfum idem jus ut concedat, neceffe 
 eft. Nulli homini aut ecclefiae judicium infallibile de errori- 
 bus aliorum delatum eft. Quare ft coercitiones ullae admit- 
 tuntur, quid erit Chriftianifmus aliud, quara gladiatorum in 
 lb inviceraconcurrentlum arena, ac mutuainque vicem rediens 
 incarceratio, relegatio et fl;igel!atio ? Hie itaque primus obex 
 ponendus eft, alioquin facile ulterius ad fanguinem et caedem 
 ibitur. Facilis ab una pcsna ad aliam progreftuseftj et ubi 
 femel horror pccnarum auimo exemtus eft, fanguis etiam tan- 
 dem vilis haberi incipit. Nee praetextus defunt. Crudelitas 
 dum fibi indulget, facile manlellum reperit, quo fe tegit." Vid. 
 Epifcop. op. torn, ii. Apol. Confefl". Remonft. p. 240, 241. 
 
( 149 ) 
 
 trembling apprehenfion, to the great day of account, 
 when the fecrets of all hearts lhail be revealed. 
 
 41. The confcioufnefs that men do not fometimes 
 notice what is placed before their eyes, and do not 
 always comprehend truths that feem to others too 
 plain to be miftaken, fnould check the rifing ebul- 
 litions of intolerance in the human breaft; fhould 
 make us bear with the froward, and condufl: our- 
 felves with gentlenefs toward thofe who oppofe 
 themfelves. 
 
 L3 
 
RELIGION WITHOUT Cx^NT. 
 
 The Doclrine of Regeneration, rational, Jcriptural, and 
 fraBicaL 
 
 T. The dodlrine which principally engrofles the 
 confideration of the Fanatics is that of regeneration ; 
 on which they are unfparing of their cant, and lavifh 
 of their impofture. It is the pillar of their hypo- 
 crify, and the corner-ftone of their fuperftition. 
 When they attempt to explain this important arti- 
 cle of the Chriftian religion, they utter only a con- 
 fufed heap of words without meaning. Indeed words 
 without meaning and founds, by which no certain 
 ideas are conveyed, are the props of their fraud, and 
 the engines of their extortion *. 
 
 * " If the trumpet," fays the Apoffle, " give an uncertain 
 found, who fliall prepare himfelf to the battle." The trumpets 
 which the Fanatics blow in our ftreets and villages, in our 
 churches and conventicles, are, indeed, very fonorous; but that 
 tbcy utter any very difl'in£l founds, I cannot take upon me to 
 
( ) 
 
 1 The Fanatics fuppofe regeneration to be a 
 change wrought in the foul in direct oppofition to 
 the will and the afFedions. According to their no- 
 tions, the rational faculties of the creature are as 
 little concerned in the produftion of the new birth 
 as they are in that of our original formation in the 
 womb. They feign that man is, by the conftitutioil 
 of his nature, fo prone to evil, and fo averfe to 
 good, that his depravity is inherent and incurable. 
 This depravity, they fay, expofes us, from the firft 
 moment of our exiftence, to God's wrath and dam- 
 nation. Thus they reprefent God as angry with us, 
 for no other reafon than becaufe we are born. 
 But this is fo grofs a perverfion of fcripture and 
 reafon, that it hardly deferves a confutation. God 
 cannot be angry with us merely for being born; for 
 we are born without our confent, and have no choice 
 given us either to be born or not, either to have or 
 not to have exiftence. 
 
 3. Our natural birth can be no tranfgreflion, for 
 there can be no criminality in any adl whatever to 
 which the will does not confent. All fin muft ne- 
 
 declare; and their hearers feem, in general, no more edified by 
 the noife, than by a dream arifing from indigeftion. St. Paul 
 (1 Cor. xiv. 19,) prefers five words fpoken with the under- 
 standing to ten thoufand words fpoken in an unknown lan- 
 guage. Let the Fanatics abandon their fenfelcfs jargon for 
 plain common fenfe, 
 
 L 4 
 
( ) 
 
 ccffarily be the violation of fome known law, and the 
 doing of fomething which our confcience or our rea- 
 fon tells ought not to be done ; but as we cannot be 
 the fubjedbs of any legal obligation before we have 
 exiftence, and, moreover, as we can do neither right 
 nor wrong, before we have any perception of right or 
 wrong, it is clear that weave not /inner s by bwth-, 
 and that we are not, and csnnot be created in guilt 
 or wickednefs. 
 
 4. It is God who makes us. It is his power 
 which fafliions us in the womb; and it is only by 
 his permifTion that we come into the world. As 
 our exiftence, therefore, is the gift of God, and our 
 birth is the exerdon of his will, we cannot fuppofe 
 that he, who direfls us to do good, would have given 
 us a nature incapable of doing it j or that he would 
 threaten us with punifhment for working iniquity, if 
 he had rendered our nature fo addidted to fin, that 
 we could not help finning. God defires us to work 
 righteoufnefs ; and he has given us a capacity to do it. 
 He has not by an arbitrary decree made us finners, 
 and then, by an a6h of tyranny, threatened to punifii 
 us for not obeying a law which he had previoufly 
 made us incapable of obeying. But, if we came into 
 the world, fuch vile, debafed, and corrupt creatures, 
 as the Fanatics tell us, with fo much depravity in 
 our flefh, and fo much guilt clinging to our fouls, fin 
 would be unavoidable on our parts. Sin would be 
 our infdndl, our nature j and it would be as natural 
 
( 153 ) 
 
 for us to commit all manner of crimes, as it is for a 
 horfe to eat grafs. We fiiould have as ftrong a bias 
 to moral corruptioHj as we have to drink when we 
 are dry, or to eat when we are hungry. But this 
 would be to deftroy the very nature of fin ; for fin is 
 an abule of our free vs^iil; and if the will were not 
 free to choofe either good or evil, we fhould no 
 longer be accountable for our aftions. But God, 
 evidently, fuppofes that we have a capacity either 
 to keep his commandments, or to break them j for 
 he would not otherwife have determined to judge us 
 according to our works, 
 
 5. The fuppofition that we are born finners makes 
 God the author of our fin ; for, as it is by his will 
 that we are born, it muft be his fimple Jici that con- 
 ftituted us finners, if we came into the world in a ftate 
 of fin. Thus this abfurd doclrine would throw the 
 blame of all our tranfgrefiions on our good Creator, 
 Let us beware of indulging fuch horrid blafphemy; 
 kt us bev/are of harbouring notions fo totally oppo- 
 fite to the goodnefs of God. If God had made us 
 finners, as he certainly would have made us if we 
 were finners from the womb, he could not with any 
 reafonable fiiow of juftice have propofed to punifh us 
 for our fins, or to judge us by our works *. For, 
 
 * The following text is frequently urged by the advocates 
 of original corruption as decifive in their favour: Behold 
 I was lhapen in wickednefsj and in fin hath my mother con- 
 ceived me." Pfalm li 5. " The words," fays Jeremy Taylor, 
 "are an Hebraifm} a;id fignify nothing but an aggranda- 
 
C 154 ) 
 
 would it not be not only rank injuftice, but revolt- 
 ing cruelty in any parent, to punifli a child for ac- 
 
 tion of his finfulnefs." " If David," continues tliis great Theolo- 
 gian, " had meant this of himfttlf, and that in regard of original 
 fin, this had been fo far from being a penitential exprejfion, or a 
 confejffing of his fm, that it had been a plain accufation of God, and 
 an excufng of himfclf. As if he had faid, " O Lord, I confefs I 
 have finned in this horrible minder and adultery, but thou, O 
 God, hnouucfi hoiv it comes to pafs, even by that fatal punijlwient 
 •which thou didjl, for the fin of Jidam, injlifl on jjie and all man- 
 icind ZOOO years before I tvas born, thereby making me to fall inla 
 fo horrible corruption of nature, that, unlefs thou didji irrefftibly 
 force me from it, I cannot abfiain from any fn, being 7nofi naturally 
 inclined to all." Who would fuppol'e David to make fuch a 
 confeffion, or, in his forrovv, to hope for pardon for upbraiding 
 not his own folly, but the decrees of God ?" See Pradlice of 
 Repentance, 394, 3g6, John Taylor, of Norwicji, makes many 
 obfervations on this text, fimilar to thofe of his name-fake 
 the Eilliop of Down and Connor. He calls it " an hyperbolical 
 form of aggravating fn, whereby he (the Pfalmift) loadeth him- 
 felf, and Urongly condemneth the impurity of his heart, and 
 the loofe he had given to his own unlawful inclinations." See 
 John Taylor's Scripture Doftrine of O. S. 4th edit. p. 137. 
 On this exprefiion of the Pfalmift, Grotius fays, " Senfus eft 
 iVoK nunc taniwn, fed et a pueritia mea fapius peccavi. Eft enini 
 loquendi genus •Jite^^oKmov (fuperjedivum) ut oftendit col- 
 latio." Job xxxi. 18. Pfalm xxii. 10, 1 1. Iviii. 4. Ixxi. 5, 6. 
 Efaiae xlviii. 8. Vid. Grot op. torn. 1. p. 231. The note of 
 the great Le Clerc on this paflage is well v/orth reading. I 
 thall extract a part of it. — " Earn refpicit astatem, qua delin- 
 quere potuit, non cum primum formanetur in utero matris, 
 quo tempore peccare requibat j omne enim peccatum, cum fit 
 violatio Itgis Divinae, notam earn neceflfario fiatuitj aut certe 
 noici potuiffe a delinqaente, nec nifi ejus culpa ignotum ; pof- 
 
( 155 ) 
 
 dons of which he himfclf was the author; or for a 
 mode of conduft which he had irrefiftibly compelled 
 him to purfue ? And, yet, if we fuppofe that we 
 are born finners, fo difpofed to evil that we rufh 
 into moral corruption from neceffity rather than 
 
 tulatque ut is rationis compos fit, hoc eft, norit quid agat, ab 
 eoque etiam abflineat, fi velit, fine quibus rebus, nemo reus 
 haberi queat. Haec, quae refta ratione et ufu fcriptnrae nitun- 
 lur, nunquam aliter intelleda fuillent; fi femper chriftiani 
 ratiocinandi et interpretandi artibus aeque polluiflent. Sed 
 tefftforihus, quitus Jice artes parum mice, aut negJeitce erant, free 
 dedam'itandi et argutandt facultate, nota funt dogmata fanes ra- 
 iiom flane contraria, mc mag'is fcr'ipturee confentanea, ad quts 
 Scriptorum facrorum ab imperitis pojlea detorta Junt. Et tamen 
 nobis ea facula, quaji norma veritatis, hodie proponuntur, eorurti- 
 que commenta, injiar religiorns Chrtftiame defenduntur /" Vid. 
 Cleric. Lib. Hagiog. fol. Amftel. 1/31. p. 314, 315. Another 
 paffage, on which much ftrefs is laid by the patrons of this 
 pernicious doftrine, is Job xiv. 4. " Who can bring a clean 
 thing out of an unclean ? Not one." John Taylor, in his maf- 
 terly book, fays, that " this is a fentence of the prov-erbial kindj 
 and ufed to fignify that nothing can be more perfect than its ori- 
 ginal. And, therefore, as it fuits all cafes, muft be underftood 
 according to the fubjeft to which it is applied. Here it evidently 
 Jlands in relation to our mortality. As if he had faid, Man is 
 born of a woman. We fpring from a mortal ftock, and there- 
 fore are frail mortals" Taylor, p. 142. 
 
 I mutt here flay to remark that, in this place, Job xiv. 4, the 
 feventy read r/j ydo jcaSap ij sdai ana cvTra ; literally, who fliall 
 be clean from poUu'.iou? A man that has told a lie cannot, in 
 refpedt to moral purity, be in the fame ftnte as if he had always 
 fpoken truth ; nor can he who has violated his integrity be as 
 if he had been uniformly juft. 
 
 1 
 
( 156 ) 
 
 from choice, we cannot help cafling the imputation 
 of injuflice and of cruelty upon God. But the fcrip- 
 tures, when rightly underftood, and not perplexed 
 and obfcured by thofe who make God the author 
 of fin, and ufe the gofpel as a cover for their un- 
 godly practices and pernicious doflrines, — the fcrip- 
 tures lead us to a very different conclufion. They 
 exprefily declare that man is born pure, upright, and 
 innocent ; fo innocent that our Saviour reprefented 
 righteous perfons under the emblem oflitde children. 
 Nothing can be more harmlefs, and fimple, and 
 lovely than little children; and inftead of being born 
 depraved, guilty, and objedls of God's indignation, 
 they are created unvitiated and finlefs, and more 
 efpeciaily objeds of the divine love and prote6\ion. 
 
 6. It is clear, then, from the authority of our Sa- 
 viour, who could not lie, and who muft have righdy 
 underftood the do6lrine which he had received com- 
 niiffion from his father to preach, that litde children 
 are born innocent ; and that confequently the nature 
 of m.an is not neceffarily, and by an arbitrary ap- 
 pointment made vitiated or depraved. If little chil- 
 dren were born, as the Fanatics affert, corrupt and 
 finful creatures, objeds of wrath, and fubjeft to pu- 
 nifliment, the unhappy parent might well mourn 
 over his offspring*; fome of whom are, perhaps, 
 
 » The Calvinifts will tell you that hell is full of little chil- 
 dren not a Ipau long. 
 
( 157 ) 
 
 hardly put into the cradle before they are carried to 
 the grave, or who do not arrive at years of difcre- 
 tion before they are covered with the darknefs of 
 death*. If guilt and wickednefs were the inherent 
 and cffential properties of human nature, well mighc 
 the parent lament the untimely deftrudion of his 
 children, who would be carried into a place of tor- 
 ment, and born only to be eternally miferable. 
 
 7. But as the doftrine of hereditary depravity is 
 an unfcriptural fiftion, and as the guilt of Adam is 
 not tranfmitted to his pollerlty, let no parent forrow, 
 as one without hope, for his little innocents who are 
 fuddenly nipped by the blaft of death j for the mo- 
 ment they expire^ they are conveyed by angels into 
 Abraham's bofom. They are only taken from the 
 evil to come, and dying before' they can diftlnguidi 
 right and wrong, they die without tranfgreflion, and 
 pafs from the realms of mortality into manfions of 
 glory. • 
 
 8. Before men can pofllbly deferve punlfliment 
 for fin, they muft be ferjonally finners. They muft 
 have wilfully violated fome divine law j for we can- 
 not fuppofe that God v^ould punirti one man for 
 the offences of another. God exprefsly declares 
 that every man fhall bear his own burthen ; fuffer 
 
 * If the clodniieof hereditary corruplion were true, it would 
 be a duty, paramount to all olhers,, not to miirry. 
 
( 158 ) 
 
 for his own fins ; and be recompenfed according to 
 his own righteoufnefs. Before men can be fubjedl 
 to the punifhment of human laws, they muft have 
 violated thofe laws; and before they can become ob- 
 noxious to the punifhment of the divine laws, they 
 mud have been guilty of acflual tranfgreflion. But 
 how can infants offend againft laws of whofe obli- 
 gations they cannot be fenfible ? No guilt can be 
 imputed where there is no capacity of diftinguifhing 
 good and evil, and of choofing between them. But 
 do any of us polTefs this capacity till we have been 
 fome years in the world, till reafon begins to dawn, 
 and confcience to expand ? Infants cannot, there- 
 fore, be born finners, nor fubjedl to the divine dif- 
 pleafure. Indeed the fuppofiiion is the abfurdeft of 
 all abfurdities, and can be entertained only by thofe 
 who are as ignorant of the fcriptures as they are 
 infenfible to the divine perfeflions. 
 
 9. But if men are not born finners, how do they 
 become fo ? The anfwer is eafy. By negleded 
 education, vicious example, and wilful infraftion of 
 the falutary di£lates of reafon and of confcience. 
 Sin is not an innate ftate of the difpofition, but an 
 acquired habit. Its growth is flow and gradual. So- 
 lomon, the wifeft of men, and_ whofe reafonings on 
 human nature prove him to have been intimately 
 acquainted with the human heart, has bequeathed 
 this prudent exhortation to thofe who have the care 
 of the early years of man. Train up a child in 
 
( '59 ) 
 
 the way that he fhould go, and when he Is old he 
 will not depart from it.* The king of Ifrael would 
 never have delivered this fage counfel, if the nature 
 of man were radically depraved and vicious; for it 
 would be impoffible, by the moft judicious educa- 
 tion or management, to make a child walk in the 
 right way, in whofe dipoficion the Author of nature 
 had planted an irrefiflible propenfity to go in the 
 wrong. But God has imparted no fuch bias to evil 
 to the human will; he has left man free to choofe 
 either good or evil. Sin is, therefore, not a matter 
 of neceflity but of choice. 
 
 10. If fuch be the nature of man, pure and in- 
 corrupt, free to choofe either good or evil, but lia- 
 ble to temptation and capable of corruption, it is 
 plain that man must be a sinner before he 
 IS A PENITENT; and that no change is mccjfary to he 
 wrought in the heart and dijpofition of man, till habits 
 of fin are incorporated in his frame. But, according 
 to the doctrine of the Fanatics, that change of mind 
 and affedions which is called the ne'iv birth, is full as 
 neceffary to the falvation of an infant that is born in 
 a ftate of innocence as of an old man that is harden- 
 
 * " Si malos h;ibitus anteverterimui?, bona educatione, ad 
 feneaiitem ufque, fint exclufi, certe magna ex parte. Non 
 leqnitur tamen hinc, ut male edncati femper fint nequam, aut 
 ^ene educati boui: fatis eft hoc ellb pleiuaique verum, aut 
 terte f>tpius." Cleric, in Prov. xxii. G, 
 
( i6o ) 
 
 cd in habits of fin. It* people came into the world 
 a rotten mafs, of corruption and depravity, their 
 doflrlne would be true ; but as children are born 
 innocent, and fpecial objeds of God's love and pro- 
 teftion, no change can be neceffary to be wrought 
 in their minds and affeflions, their difpofuions and 
 habits, till, by an abufe of their free will and their 
 rational faculties, they have tranfgrefred the divine 
 law, and become obnoxious to punifhment. For 
 if children be born innocent, their difpofition is as 
 pure as it can he, till it becomes tc.inted by depravity. 
 
 II. The innocence of litde children fits them for 
 heaven; for our Lord has declared "theirs is the 
 kingdom of heaven" This praves that no change is 
 wanting in the human heart till it is vitiated with 
 moral corruption ; for the great end of the new birth 
 is to promote that ivholefome change in the habits, which 
 makes the pofjeffor meet for the kingdom of heaven. Our 
 Saviour tells his difciples that unlefs they be con- 
 verted, and become as litde children, they cannot 
 enter into the kingdom of heaven. Here he is fo 
 far from declaring human nature to be originally 
 corrupt and vicious, that he fuppofcs depravity not 
 to be die efrcdl of our nature but the growth of our 
 habits ; and be makes true righteoufnefs to conjift in a 
 return to that fimplicity and innocence which we bring 
 into the world, and which we do not lofe till after 
 fome continuance in itj till a perverfe education, 
 evil examples, and bad habits have corroded our 
 
( i6i ) 
 
 original purity, and given us an unnatural bias to 
 iniquity. 
 
 12. But when we have loH: the purity, the fim- 
 plicity, and innocence in which we were born, then 
 a change in the mind and difpofition becomes nc- 
 ceHTary ; then we cannot be Javed unlefs^ in the language 
 of our l^ord u e he converted^ and become as little chil- 
 dren: that is, unlcfs tlie heart be cleanfed from ma- 
 lice and from guile. 
 
 13. A man muft be a finner before it is neceflary 
 for him to be a penitent. Repentance implies a 
 ftrong conviction of finfulnefs ; but a man cannot 
 repent of fins which he never committed, and which 
 confequently can make no imprefTion upon his con- 
 fcience. Moral guilt muft, therefore, be firft con- 
 trafted by fome aBual, perfonal tranfgreffionsy before 
 we can be accounted finners in the fight of God : 
 and when perfonal difobedience has made us finners, 
 it is neccfiTary that a change be wrought in our mo- 
 ral difpofition and habits, that we turn from fin unto 
 holinel's, and be renewed in the fpiritof our minds. 
 
 14. Thus the doflrine of regeneration becomes 
 clear and eafy ; for regeneration implies a reforma- 
 tion from bad habits unto good ; a return from the 
 paths of iniquity unto thofe of righteoufnefs : it is, 
 in fad, only another name for repentance confirmed; 
 that repentance, which cauleth not orily forrow for 
 
 M 
 
( l62 ) 
 
 fin, but produces newnefs of life. The change 
 which a repentance, thus genuine and fincere, ne- 
 ceffarily occafions in the mind and affedlions, is very 
 aptly reprefented in fcripture d. new birth. It is 
 a change which caufcs the finner to be fo difFerent 
 in his temper and condu(5t from what he was before, 
 as to deferve the name of a new creature. He is 
 ameliorated in heart and mind ; he loathes fin ; and 
 he glows with zeal in the purfuit of righteoufnefs. 
 The love of God, by degrees, becomes the ruling 
 palTion of his foul. He is warmed with a per- 
 fuafion that fin is his greateft: mifery, and goodnefs 
 his greateft advantage. Thus there is a total change 
 in his moral qualities. The outward form of the 
 man Continues the fame j but his inward difpofition 
 is altered. This is called in fcripture, a renewing of 
 the mind. Thus, for inftance, when a drunkard, 
 who has long lived in habits of intemperance, be- 
 ginning to fee his error, and to apprehend his dan- 
 ger, fummons up refoiution to forfake that fin which 
 fo eafily befets him, and in whofe fnares he has been 
 fo long entangled : or, when a liar returns to the 
 pradlice of truth ; a thief to the paths of integrity ; 
 when a mifer conquers his love of money, and in- 
 ftead'of being hard-hearted and felfilh, becomes 
 kind and charitable to his fellow-creatures j in thefe 
 cafes, thefe different tranfgrcfifors, by turning away 
 from their fins, their bad propenfitles and habits, to 
 habits, purfuits, and affections, more fuitable to the 
 Chriftian charader and the commands of the gof- 
 
( i6j ) 
 
 pel, become new creatures. Their hearts are purg- 
 ed, and their thoughts purified j their inclinations 
 improved, and the whole man ameliorated. Such 
 changes are abfolutely necejfary in fuch finners; for he 
 who dies hardened in habits of only a fingle fin, can- 
 not enter into the kiny;dom of neaven. Neither 
 fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effe- 
 minate, nor abufers of themfelves with mankind, 
 nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor re- 
 vilcrs, nor extortioners, fhall inherit the kingdom of 
 God. 1 Cor vi. 9, 10. 
 
 15. In the fcripture, inveterate habits of fin are 
 called the old man^ fee Eph. iv. 22. which we are 
 defired to put off, and, in its (lead, to put on the 
 new man, or habits of righteoufnefs and true holinefs. 
 While wc live in habits of fin, we are the fervants 
 of fin ; fin is our mafter, and rules us at difcretion : 
 but when we forfake our fins, and repent from our 
 dead works, or thofe works of ungodlinefs which 
 will end in eternal mifery, we become, as it were, 
 new creatures^ created again in Chrift Jefus unto 
 good works, which lead to glory and immortality. 
 
 16, The fcriptures feem to intimate that there 
 are fome perfons who need no repentance. See Luke 
 XV. 7. And our Saviour himfelf cxprefsly declares, 
 
 I came not to call the righteous, but finners to re- 
 pentance j" Luke v. 32. evidently fuppofing that 
 all men are not polluted with the guilt of tranfgref- 
 
 M 2 
 
( ) 
 
 fion, and that there are fome who are not Jlaves to 
 Jin. Such perfons are ufually thofe who are brought 
 .up under pious parents in habits of righteoufnefs, 
 and pafs from the cradle to the grave without any 
 flagrant or mortal fin. They make the divine law 
 the rule of their lives, the ftandard of their conduct, 
 and the meafure of their interefb and their happinefs. 
 They live free from all habitual offences, from drun- 
 kennefs, from uncleannefs, from lying and injuftice ; 
 and commit none of thofe immoralides, on account 
 of which men will be excluded from heaven. Now, 
 as repentance implies a total change of heart and 
 life, of the mind and affedtions, it is not required 
 in thofe whofe lives are regulated by the rules of 
 the gofpel, and in whofe affedions the love of God 
 prevails. But, neverthelefs, even the righteous y of 
 •whom the Jcripture declares that they need no repent- 
 ance, n^ill be fcund occqfwnally to offend but their 
 tranfgreffions will not be thofe which indicate rooted 
 depravity, but only human infirmity; and we may 
 fafcly belie vcj that a good and merciful God will 
 not lay to the charge of his creatures any trifling 
 and venial trefpaflTes, which do not indicate fo much 
 the perverfenefs of guilt, as the imperfedlions of 
 humanity. 
 
 17. Though there may be fome, who fo feldom 
 offend, or whofe offences are fo few and fo venial, 
 who are fo entirely free from all habitual fins, and 
 from all flagrant vices, as to be faid, in fcripture, to 
 
( ) 
 
 need no repentance; yet the, greater part of man-' 
 kind are fo imbruted in corruption, and fo fallen 
 from the uprightnefs of their nature, that, unlefs they 
 are renewed by the power of repentance operating 
 on the fpirit of their minds, they cannot efcape the 
 wrath to come. Moft men, from neglefted educa- 
 tion, vicious parents, and evil examples, are foon 
 imbued with moral pollution. They depart from 
 the innocence of their youth, and the integrity in 
 which they were created. They begin the career 
 of their unrighteoufnefs with fingle fins, which, by 
 being often repeated, ftrengthen into habits. Then 
 guilt grows entwined around their hearts, and fin 
 reigns in their members. As their affections be- 
 come depraved, their underftanding becomes dark- 
 ened. Their evil habits hold them in chains i they 
 are a law in their members, whofe force they find 
 it hardly pofTible to controul ; for nothing is fo def- 
 potic as habit, and the fcriptures reprefent it as 
 almoft invincible. 
 
 18. Habit is juftly called a fecond nature, and 
 we are told by the higheft authority, that it is as 
 difficult for an E.thiopian to change his fkin, or a 
 leopard his fpots, as for a tranfgreffor to depart from 
 the fins which have become rooted in his heart and 
 mind by long indulgence. Eur, woe to the habitual 
 finner, if he die unregenerate, if no change take place 
 in his habits before death hath made that change 
 
 M 3 
 
( i66 ) 
 
 impoffible! Woe, I fay, to the impenitent and 
 hardened tranfgrcfTor, for he will pafs into mifery 
 and tornaent ! 
 
 19. The change that is wrought in the mind and 
 affedlions of the finner muft not be fiditious, but 
 real j not diflcmbled, but fincere. Let us tht- reforc 
 fee how this change begins, and what are the figns 
 of its having taken place. 
 
 20. The firfi beginning of any faving change in 
 the breafl: of a finner is a forrow for fin; a lorrow 
 pricking the coniciehce, and troubling the foul. 
 This forrow will always be alTociiited with a ftrong 
 convidlion of having tranfgrefled the law of God, 
 and of deferving punilhment for our difobedience. 
 It is a forrow that, in its firft commencement, is 
 ufually excited more by the fears of hell than the 
 hopes of heaven. ' t is a ftronger fenfe of the juft- 
 ice of an offended, than of the tender mercies of a 
 reconciled and reconciling God. But as repentance 
 begins to ihew its fruits not only in the dereliction 
 of habits of fin, but in the performance of afts of 
 righteoufnefs, the terrors of a troubled confcience 
 gradually fubfide in peace of mind, and fear vanifhes 
 in joy of heart. 
 
 11. The law of God, as manifefled in the gofpel 
 of Chrilt, and which requires us to live foberly. 
 
( i67 ) 
 
 righteoufly, and godly, in this prefent world *, was 
 intended for our benefit. If we keep if, it will lead 
 us to happinefs ; if we violate it, to mifery. All fin 
 confifts in the tranfgreflion of this law, which re- 
 quires fincere obedience j and a Ready conviftion of 
 its jufhice, of our duty to obferve it, and of the pu> 
 nifliment that av/aits the violation, can alone lay the 
 foundation, and prepare the heart for the pra(fl:icc 
 of repentance. For we cannot repent without 
 knowing that we are firiners, or being confcicus that 
 we have fomething to repent of. We are finners 
 only fo far, and no farther than we have difobeyed 
 the divine will, or aded contrary to the. fober dic- 
 tates of our reafon and our confcience ; only fo far 
 as we have trefpafled againfb the law infcribed in the 
 gofpel, or the law written on our hearts. 
 
 22. We cannot violate a fingle precept in the law 
 of that gofpel whofe authority we acknowledge, or 
 of that unwritten law of confcience whofe obliga- 
 tions we feel, without offending God ; and when 
 God is offended, nothing but repentance can reftore 
 us to his favour i and we are ajfured that there will be 
 joy in heaven over one Jinner that repenteth. 
 
 23. No repentance can be acceptable to God, 
 but that which works not only contrition of heart, 
 
 * The gofpel of Chrifl is nothing more than a rtfle of life. 
 See Anti-Calvinift, Second Edit. p. 25 — 28. 
 
 iVI 4 
 
( ) 
 
 but newnefs of life. The confcience muft not only 
 be racked wich remorle, but a change mufi be ■pro- 
 duced in the praElical habits., equivalent to a new crea- 
 tion. To the regenerate man old things are palled 
 away. He forfakes his former habits ; his afFedlions 
 are fixed on new and better obic<5ls ; he becomes Icfs 
 grofs and lenfualj he learns to icfilt, ro combat, and 
 to conquer the vic-ous propcnfities ot his animal 
 nature ; a".d the more che outward man decayeth, 
 the more he is llrcngthened wirh mi^ht in the inner 
 man J h's mmd and affcdlions are renewed day by 
 day. As the great work of repentance proceeds, 
 the n:ind becomes more ftrongly imprefled with a 
 fenfe of ducv, and the affections more fervid and 
 zealous in the praftice When the affections are 
 fet on any thing, the prailice is eafy, becaufe it is 
 pleafant. When the heart is warmed with the ge- 
 nuine flame of holincfs, the praflice becomes de- 
 lightful ; for it is affociated with a pleafure that 
 paflcth knowledge. 
 
 , 24. He who is hardened in habits of iniquity, 
 thinks righteoufnefs a foe to pleafure and an enemy 
 to happinefsi but little does he know of the plea- 
 fantnefs that is to be found in her paths ; and little 
 can he imagine the joy of heart vvhich fhe fupplies. 
 But when the finner turns to God, he finds that he 
 had formed a very miftaken notion of the nature of 
 religion and the power of piety. For he foon learns 
 by experience, that the joy which flows from per- 
 
C 169 ) 
 
 Jeverance in goodnefs canno-: be compared with the 
 utmoft plean.irc that can fprina from habirs of un- 
 godlincls; and that ^he conlolation to be derived 
 from keeping the com andrnt-nts of God is fo great 
 as not to bear anv comparifon wii.ii that pleafure 
 which can in any circumuances accrue from their 
 violation. 
 
 25. The ftrongefl token of the reality of our con- 
 verfion to God, and of the dcftruction of the power 
 of fin in our hearts, is conftancy, and zeal, and de- 
 lignt in doing the will of God. For the righteous 
 are perfuaded and convinced that their greatefl: in- 
 tereft and happinefs confill in the practice of right- 
 ecu fnefs. 
 
 16 Obedience to the divine will, to the law of 
 reafon and of confcience, and to thofe rules of con- 
 du6t which our Lord inculcated, muft increafe the 
 fum of our earthly enjoyments; and it has the pro- 
 mife of eternal glory. But, though obedience to 
 the divine will be evidently our greateft gain, yet 
 men are too apt to imagine that it is their greatefl: 
 lofs. They plate their affections on pcrifhable 
 things ; on the gratifications of animal dcfire and 
 they forget that the carnal mind, or the mind, which, 
 inftead ot governing, is governed by the appetites, 
 is enmity againft God. 
 
 27. Before men who have long gone aftray in the 
 
C <7o' ) 
 
 fia'ths o'f urlrighteoufncfs, whofe hearts have bwn 
 depraved, or whofe minds have been darkened by 
 long continuance in iniquity, can be brought to 
 know that godiinefs is great gain, they itiuflr, in the 
 language of the fcripture, be horn again. The dif- 
 pofition of their minds mud be regenerated, and a 
 new fpirit infufed into their fouls. 
 
 1%. In fome finners, the change which is wrought 
 by the fpirit of holinefs is more complete than in 
 others. In fome the word of God brings forth 
 thirty fold, in others fixty, in others ninety, in pro- 
 portion to the fincerity and honefty of the heart to 
 •which it is communicated. And repentance has 
 different degrees of fruitfulnefs. In fome finners a 
 more thorough and radical change of the mind and 
 afFeftions takes place than in others; but no finners 
 can be faid to be eftabiifhed in repentance, or to 
 have had that change effcdted in their moral difpofi- 
 tion which (hall fave their fouls, in whom all habitual 
 fins are not forjaken^ and who do not abftain from the 
 commiffion of thofe tranfgreflions, of which St. Paul 
 declares, th it he who commits them fhall not enter 
 into heaven. 
 
 <1<^. Ex'en the regenerate will indeed fometimes 
 offend, but their offences will be few, and will favour 
 more of infirmity than of guilt. They will not tref- 
 pafs in any matter which fhews deliberate malice 
 and wickednefs, great obliquity of principle, of fet- 
 
( 171 ) 
 
 tied corruption of hearc. Trifling errors and venial' 
 imperfc(flions may dilcolour the purity of their con- 
 du<5l, but which will dilappear in the charity that 
 glows in their affeftions, in the truth that will cha- 
 rafterize their promifes, and the integrity that will 
 be manifefted in all their adlions. 
 
 30. For thofe little offences or cafual overfights 
 which the regenerate may at times commit, they 
 have a heavenly intercelTor conftantly fitting at the 
 right hand of God ; an intercelfor who has felt, and 
 who can compalTionate the wayward thoughts and 
 the unftable refolutions of humanity; and for whofe 
 fake the Father of Spirits will not be fevere to mark 
 the imperfedions of the humble, or the frailties of 
 the juft. 
 
 31. In the gofpel of Chrifl: finlefs peffe6lion is 
 not expected of us ; but we are dcfired to endeavour 
 to be perfe5l and the more we endeavour to attain 
 perfedion, the higher wf fhall rile above our prefent 
 ftate of imperfeflion, Abfolute and unqualified per- 
 fection belongs to God alone, and every created being 
 muft be comparatively imperfeft. But it is the duty 
 and the intcreft of all created beings, endued with 
 intelligence, to ftrive to make continual advances in 
 moral excellence. For this purpofc man is endued 
 with improveable faculties, and both his heart and 
 his mind are fufceptible of amelioration. Chrifti- 
 anity not only calls on us to labour to be perfed, as 
 
( 172 ) 
 
 our Father which is in heaven is pcrfeft, bui,-in 
 order to afiift our endeavours, and to animate our 
 hopeSj it has placed before us, in the life and cha- 
 ratter of Chrift, a pattern of pradical goodnefs, a 
 goodnefs that cannot be exceeded by any, but which 
 ought to be imitated by all. His example fhould 
 be the ftandard of our conduct ; and the more we 
 put on his likenefs, the nearer we fhall approach to 
 divine perfection ; for, in him, the goodnefs ^nd the 
 perfedions of God were incorporated in the human 
 form. 
 
 32. The more our difpofition and habits, the 
 benevolence of our afFedions, and the fpirit of our 
 minds, are conformed to the likenefs of Chrift, the 
 more will the image of God be imprefled upon our 
 hearts. In the charader of Chrift there was no- 
 thing vicious, nothing imperfed. It is, indeed, not 
 poITible for the moft upright amiong men ever to 
 attain the degree of his righteoufnefs. In thofe 
 perfons, in v.hofe habits the power of holinefs feems 
 to prefide, there will ftill adhere much imperfedion. 
 Though the general tenor of their lives may be pure 
 and finlefs, though juftice and charity may be the 
 ruling principles of their condud, yet many ftains 
 of corruption and depravity will fully the beauty of 
 their charader. But though the moft perfed among 
 the fons of men will retain fome blots of imperfec- 
 tion, we ought not to contend with the lefs zeal to 
 grow better and better every day of our lives. In 
 
C ^13 ) ' 
 the great work of acquiring habits of gnodnefs wc 
 flioLild never ftand ftill, but endeavour to advande 
 from one degree of perfection to a higher. 
 
 33. The life of the Chriflian Hiould manifcft a 
 great and unwearied, a continually increafed and in- 
 creafing aftivity in doing good. This is to grow in 
 grace ; it is to increafe in favuur with God, whofe 
 love and Jpritual affiftance iziill alxvays be ■proportioned 
 to our labours after real goodnejs. One portion of 
 grace rightly employed will produce another; and 
 the quantity befiowed will be increafed in proportion 
 as it is ufed. 
 
 34 Men are always very fedulous and eager in 
 improving their temporal condition j and happy 
 would it be for them, if they were but as earned, as 
 vigilant, as indefatigable in their endeavours to im- 
 prove their moral condition, and to grow in ftrength 
 and conftancy of obedience to the will of God. 
 Their temporal dcfires are vaft and rapacious, but 
 their fpiritual ones are eanly fatisSed. They think 
 that they can never accumulate too many of the 
 gifts of fortune, but they feel no warm defire to 
 attain the perfeft ftature of the goodnefs of Chrift. 
 
 35. We are too apt to meafure our own worth 
 by the ftandard of our neighbours' imperfe6lion. 
 If we fee many others more vicious or lefs uprigh'i 
 than ourfclvss, we rejoice in the fuperiority. Our 
 
( 174 ) 
 
 felf-love makes us imagine ourfelves as good as wc 
 need to be; and the illufion caufes us to relax our 
 endeavours to become better. The uncharitable 
 comparifons, or the fillacious calculations of our 
 own worth by the worthleflhefs of our fellow-crea- 
 tures, always jeffen the frequency, or palfy the vigour 
 of perfonal exertion. 
 
 35. Th'nking ourfelves fafe, we take no precau- 
 tions apainft danger. But Chriftians, inflead of 
 appreciating their excellencies by the defe6ls of 
 others, ought to meafure themfelvcs by no other 
 ftandard than that of the righteoufnefs of Chrifl:. 
 \Vhen we ailopt this ftandard of comparifon, and 
 this criterion of excellence, we fliall find more oc- 
 cafion for humility than for arrogance, for zeal than 
 indifference, for diligence than inaftion. If we con- 
 trail our virtues with t.'iole of Chrift, we fhall per- 
 ceive the former to be light as air upon the balance. 
 By frequently inftituting this comparifon, and by 
 examining how far our lives and condudl tally with 
 his precepts, or accord with his example, we (hall 
 be able to afcertain the degree of our obedience, 
 the extent of our tranfgrefiion, and the meafure of 
 our danger ; and at the fame time, a fenfe of infe- 
 riority will be felt on our minds, that will forcibly 
 impel our exertions, and accelerate our progrefs in 
 righteoufnefs. 
 
 36. The Chriftian life is reprefented as a warfare 
 
( 175 ) 
 
 and a race; expreffions which ftrongly enforce this 
 conclufion, that there is a necefiity on our . parts for 
 the moft ftrenuous aftivlty, for courage and con- 
 ftancy, for the glow of zeal and the thirft of excel- 
 lence, for vigilance on the one hand, and for perfe- 
 verance on the other. We are never to remit our 
 exertions, but are continually to endeavour to ex- 
 ceed in thofe genuine virtues which the gofpel re- 
 quires as the conditions of falvation, and on which 
 alone will be beftowed an incorruptible crown of 
 glory. 
 
 ^^7. But the Fanatics imagine that a very fmall 
 fhare of moral purity will fuffice for their falvation. 
 Alas ! little do they know, that God requires purity 
 in the inward parts ; and little do they think that 
 without real holinefs no man Ihall fee the Lord! 
 He who has long lived in habits of fin, does not 
 become righteous by an inftantaneous converfion. 
 The power of fin is not conquered by one fudden 
 blow. Great preparation of the heart is neceffary 
 before it can be fit to enter into heaven. This life 
 is a way intermediate to a better ; but if we perfift: 
 in tranfgrenion, we make it only a pafiTage to a 
 worfe. Inftead of leading to glory and happinefs, it 
 condudls the impenitent to deftruflion and mifery. 
 
 38. When habits of depravity have taken root 
 in our afFedions, they cannot be removed without 
 a long and painful ftruggle againft their dominion. 
 
( 176 ) 
 
 As they are formed by degrees, they can only be 
 relinquifhed by degrees. Sin is an obftinate enemy, 
 mighty in ftrength, and fertile in ftratagem. And 
 in order to fubdue his power, and fhake off his do- 
 minion, we miifl: not only exert our utmoft natural 
 energies, but mufi: ufe thofe means which are ap- 
 pointed in the gofpel, in order to obtain help from 
 above. For this piirpofe we mud gird on the whole 
 armour of God, taking the breaft- plate of faith and 
 love, and for an helmet the hope of falvarion. Dif- 
 trufting our own refokuions, we (hould earneftly 
 implore counlel from the Wife, arid fuccour from 
 the Mighty. 
 
 39. By contim^ally ftruggUng againft the arbitrary 
 fway of fin, and habitually fupplicatirig the Father 
 of all goodnefs for afllftance, the penitent w'll, by 
 degrees, be eftablilhed in the good work which he 
 has undertaken. He will be renewed day by day in 
 his mind and affeftions. The lefs corrupt and im- 
 perfedl he becom.es, the more he will ftrive after 
 incorruption and pcrfeflion. He will not remain 
 flationary at any point of obedience which he may 
 attain, but will confider one degree of holinefs only 
 as a ftcp to another ; and the nearer he approaches 
 the termination of his days, the more meet he will 
 become for the communion of the juft. 
 
 40. When we perceive the luft of fin becoming 
 lefs unruly and irrefiftible, when we find corruption 
 
 7 
 
( 177 ) 
 
 vaniftiing from our hearts, and puritv, and modefly, 
 and delicacy, gaining the afcendant in our thoughts, 
 and benevolence lighting its hallowed flame in the 
 afFeftions, it is a certain and undeniable proof that 
 our repentance is becoming effectual; that it is 
 taking root in the mind, and bearing fruit in the 
 foul. Let no man deceive himfelf, or attempt to 
 deceive others by vain words : let him not imagine 
 himfelf a new creature, or fit for heaven, while any 
 one fin reigns in his member enjlaving his reafon and 
 his ccnjcience. Let eveiy one who wilhes foberly to 
 calculate the chances of his fafety, or to know the 
 imminence of his danger, diligently compare his 
 condufl by thofe rules of life which were enforced 
 by the holy Jefus. If his actions are modelled by 
 this flandard, or if, after making all fair allowances for 
 huTian imperfeftion, they are found diametrically 
 oppofite to the fpirit and precepts of the gofpel, if 
 he find himfelf under the yoke of any one habitual 
 tranfgrefTion, let him confider that his danger is 
 great, and his ficknefs unto death. 
 
 41. Let no man think to fave his foul by merely 
 fkinning over the wounds of confcience, let him 
 rather probe them to the bottom, and be fatisfied 
 with nothing fhort of a perfect cure. The majority 
 of people leave the work of their repentance half 
 finifhed. Some apprehenfion of their danger makes 
 them anxious to amend their lives, but felflove 
 blinds them to the excefs of their iniquity. They 
 
 N 
 
( 17S ) 
 
 flatter themfelves that they arc not fo bad as they 
 really are j and they omit the proper meafures to 
 obtain a radical recovery. They, perhaps, perform 
 ibme few acts of obedience to the divine will, but 
 they violate it in more. They refrain from fome 
 individual or occafional fins, but they do not forfake 
 the habit of finning. And thus they remain fuf- 
 pended in a fort of middle ftate between impeni- 
 tency and repentance ; but, in the end, they become 
 the fervants of fin, and the children of the devil. 
 
 42. If we wifti in earned to fubdue the power of 
 fin, we muft not enter into any truce or compromile 
 with fo formidable an adverfary. We muft not con- 
 clude, as it were, a treaty of partition with him, or 
 think that there can be any fort of faving coalition 
 between iniquity and righteoufnefs ; for God admits 
 no half fervice ; he requires us to worftiip him with 
 all our ftrength, all our heart, and all our fouL 
 We cannot ferve God and the devil. If we cleave 
 to the firft, we muft abhor the laft. The fervant of 
 Satan muft be truly changed in his difpofition, and 
 thoroughly cleanfed in his affe£lions, before God 
 will receive him into favour ; or, bind his brow with 
 the crown that is referved for the righteous. 
 
 43. Let me then finally conjure the readers of 
 thefe pages, not to be deceived by that cant of re- 
 ligion which the fanatic, the fuperftitious, and the 
 hypocrite, are endeavouring to diflTeminate among 
 
( 179 ) 
 
 mankind. Let me conjure them not to be led far 
 and wide away from the light of truth to the dark- 
 nefs of error, from the path of fafety to the brink 
 of perdition, by that popular but fenfelefs jargon, 
 which is brawled abroad loud as the wind, and hi- 
 deous as the ftorm. Believe not, O Chriftian ! that 
 thou comeft into the world with a heart indifpoled 
 to good, and difpofed to evil, full of corruption and 
 iniquity; but rather know that thou art born inno- 
 cent and upright, and that it is only by perfonal afts 
 of fin, hardening into habits of fin, that thou be- 
 comeft a tranfgreflbr, fubjedt to the wrath of God, 
 and, without repentance, liable to damnation. Re- 
 member, that, like the firft parent of the human 
 race, thou art placed here in a ftate of trial i and that 
 thou wilt be happy or miferable after death, in pro- 
 portion to the habits of goodnefs or depravity which 
 thou acquireft in this mortal life. When thy heart 
 and affedlions are eftranged from the love of God, 
 and when habits of unrighteoufnefs are incorporated 
 in thy flefh, when fin becomes, as it were, a law in 
 thy members, fo that thy reafon is fubjugated by its 
 influence, and thy fenfe of right has become too 
 impotent to prevent the praflice of wrong; then 
 let me befeech thee to remember, that nothing but 
 true and unfeigned repentance can fave thy foul; 
 and that no repentance can be fincere or faving, that 
 does not purify the mind and affeflions, that does 
 not convince the mind of the necefTity of obedience 
 to the divine will, and intereft the affeftions in its 
 pradice, 
 
 N 9. 
 
( i8o ) 
 
 44. Religion, pure and undefiled, not fpoiled by 
 the wicked, nor perplexed by the fubcle, confifts in 
 loving God with all our mind and all our four; and 
 our neighbour as ourfelves. In whatever place, 
 and among whatever people, whether in London or 
 in Rome, in Paris or Jerufalem, this do6lrine is 
 preached, there pure Chriftianity is taught; but 
 wherever any notions are maintained contrary to it, 
 or fubverfive of it, there the religion of Jefus is 
 corrupted, there its defign is perverted, its precepts 
 are reviled, and its fpirit is unknown *. 
 
 * Inftruiflions, like thofe which I have here delivered, how- 
 ever adverfe they may be to the reigning fafte, and to that 
 fpirit of delufion which feehis to have feized the religions 
 world', cppear to me neceffary at all times, in order to abafli 
 the prefumption of the wicked, and to increafe the virtue of 
 the juftj. but they feem more efpecially neceffary. at this dif- 
 aftrous period, when deceivers, who turn the truth of God 
 into a lie, and make religion ati iuftrument of mifchief, and an 
 engine of corruption, are roaming among ns, fe'eking whom 
 they may devour, polluting the principles of the young, and 
 troubling the happinefs of the old. Like the fenleiefs Phari- 
 fees of old, whofe hypocrify our Saviour fo warmly rebuked, 
 and againft whofe accumulated immoralities he denounced 
 fuch heavy judgments ; they make a great parade about the 
 mere forms and externals of religion, while they neglect its 
 weightier obligations; and vainly think to atone by the excefs 
 of their fuperftition, and the fplendour of their hypocrify, for 
 the habitual contempt of truth, of juftice, and of mercy. 
 
RELIGION WITHOUT CANT. 
 
 The do5lrine of Grace, Jcripturaly rationaly and 
 fra5Jical. 
 
 H E doctrine of grace has been abufcd by the 
 wicked, perplexed by the fubtle, and miftaken by 
 the credulous. Some have employed it as an en- 
 gine of mifchief ; and others have made it minifter 
 to the propagadon of folly. I fhall therefore, per- 
 haps, be not wholly undeferving the gratitude of 
 the reafonable part of the Chriftian Church, if I 
 endeavour to refcue this wholefome dodtrine from 
 the delufions of vifionaries, and the artifices of im- 
 poftors, 
 
 2. Mofl: of the promifes of grace which occur 
 in the fcriptures, are reftrained to the apoftolical 
 age. At prefent, the operations of the Spirit, of 
 whatever nature they may be, are certainly carried 
 on in fecret. They are neither vifible to the eye, 
 nor palpable to the touch ; and they neither fuper- 
 
 - N 3 
 
( l82 ) 
 
 fede the exercife of the rational faculty, nor controul 
 the freedom of the will, 
 
 3. The firfl: Chriftians could afford demonftrativc 
 proof of their pofTefTion of fpirimal gifts by working 
 miracles, by the powers of prophecy, by different 
 kinds of languages, by the interpretation of lan- 
 guages. See I Cor. xii. 8 — 10. Such powers are 
 evidently no longer beftowed, however confidently 
 the fanatics may lay claim to the pofTefTion j and de- 
 ceive the credulous by the boldnefs of their pre- 
 tenfions. 
 
 4. The following exprefTions in St. Luke, though 
 more peculiarly applicable to the Chriftians of the 
 apoflolic age, have, probably, a relation to the faith- 
 ful in all future ages. " I fay unto you, afk, and it 
 fliall be given you ; feek, and ye fhall find ; knock, 
 and it fhall be opened unto you. For every one 
 that afketh, receiveth ; and he that feeketh, findeth j 
 and to him that knocketh, it fhall be opened. Now 
 if a fon fhall afk bread of any of you that is a father, 
 will he give him a flone ? or if he fhall afk a fifb, 
 will he for a fifh give him a ferpent? or if he fhall afk 
 an egg, will he give him a fcorpion ? If ye, therefore, 
 being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your 
 children; how much more fhall your heavenly father 
 give the holy Spirit to them that afk him?" Luke xi. 
 9—13- 
 
( i83 ) 
 
 5. Thefe words fhew the outward means by 
 which the grace or favour of God is to be obtained, 
 and which is reprefentcd as confequcnt on prayer and 
 ftrenuous exertion on the part of man. "y^, and 
 it Jhall be given you ; Jeek, and ye Jhall find ; knock, and 
 it Jhall be opened unto you." In the natural courfe of 
 things, man is condemned to labour-, he is to earn 
 his bread by the fweat of his browj but the world 
 is furnifhed with various powers and influences to 
 invigorate his induftry, and afilft his toils. 
 
 6. There are various powers in nature which 
 man, by the a£live force of his body or his mind, 
 may in fome meafure controul, and render fub- 
 ftrvient to the purpofes of life. The earth is full 
 of vegetable juices, but labour is required to elicit 
 their beneficial properties, and to make them fub- 
 fervient to the fuftenance of man. When man has 
 carefully tilled and fown the earth, he can do no 
 more •, then other powers, the fun, the air, the dew, 
 the rain, the meteor, and the ftorm, all ading under 
 the wife controul of a providential hand, combine 
 their varied influences to fuccour the varied opera- 
 tions of human art and human toil. In the moral 
 world, it is highly probable, that many fecondary 
 influences ar/2 made to contribute, under the fuper- 
 intending agency of the moral governor of the 
 world, to the moral welfare of man j and that his 
 moral endeavours are the conditions of obtaining 
 their afllftance. 
 
 N 4 
 
( i84 ) 
 
 7. The fpirit of God is univerfal. We live and 
 move and have our being, in the unfeen but infinite 
 orbit of its power . and it is probable that its favour- 
 able influence on every fentient and intelligent indi- 
 vidual bears a certain fixed relation to the right ufe 
 which he makes of thofe faculties that are given him 
 to profit withal, to the fincerity of his devot on, 
 the fervour of his charity, and the zeal of his obe- 
 dience. 
 
 8. If man will exert his natural (Irength, God 
 will fuccour his natural infirmities by ftrength from 
 above. If man will exert his moral powers, God 
 will further the growth of moral goodnefs in his 
 foul. In proportion as we labour to become fit for 
 heaven, God will work the fitnefs within us. Reafon 
 leads us to this conclufion, and revelation fanftions 
 it ; revelation teaches us that if we wifh to reap fpi- 
 ritual things, we muft: fow fpiritual ; that if we are 
 fmcerely zealous to improve in righteoufnefs, we 
 muft firft make a juft ufe of our reafon and our 
 
 * confcience; and that then God will favour our pro- 
 grefs, and invigorate our exertions. 
 
 9. When grace, or the favour of God, is fhed 
 upon us, we are not to confider it as an apology for 
 idlenefs, but an incentive to exertion. The more 
 our power of doing good increafes, the more we are 
 fenfible that the word of God is taking root in our 
 fouls, the more %ve Jkmld endeavour^ and with the 
 
( iB5 ) 
 
 greater fuccefs, we may endeavour to fulfil all righteouf" 
 nejs. . This is to ufc the manifeftation of the fpirit to 
 profit withal, to walk in the fpirit, to be worthy of the 
 vdcation whereto we are called, and fo prove that 
 wc are the workmnnfhip of God, created in Chrift Jefus 
 unto good zvorks. 
 
 lo. Let us not imagine that grace, in the fenfe 
 in whicli'l have explai -led it, is an imaginary ihing, 
 becaufe its fpecific agency is not the objeft of any 
 of our fenfes. We know that there are many 
 powers whoje mode of agency is injcrutabky but v/hoie 
 benefits are felt, and whofe effcils are feen. In the 
 natural world, heat, light, eleftricity, and, perhaps, 
 many other powers, whofe precife nature we do 
 not underftand, and whofe fpecific agency we can- 
 not difcover, have a very fenfible influence on the 
 frame of man, and the fruits of the earth. In the 
 moral world, it is probable, that there are various 
 influences employed, peculiarly fitted to a<5t on the 
 moral powers of men, and to give them firength in 
 proportion as they are fitted to receive it. The moral 
 government of God, in fome meafure, fuppofes the 
 exertions of fuch influence, for if God be a moral 
 governor, he muft prefer the righteous to the finner, 
 and is it not highly probable, that he has arranged 
 the moral order of things to favour moral, as he has 
 arranged the natural order of things to favour phy- 
 fical induflrry ? 
 
( i86 ) 
 
 1 1. The laws which regulate the moral world, 
 are probably, as regular and uniform as thofe which 
 regulate the natural. In the natural world, effeds 
 follow their caufes in a chain of connexion that is 
 not, except for moral purpo/es *, permitted to btf 
 broken. In the moral world, the connexion be- 
 tween caufe and efFed: is probably as clofe and in- 
 diflbluble. In the natural world, certain beneficial 
 effeds are the confequence of certain adionsj in 
 the moral world, good or evil feem to follow in a 
 determinate courfe, according to the previous con- 
 du61: of the individual. 
 
 14. The labours of piety, and the exercifes of 
 devotion, do not change the general courfe of moral 
 laws, any more than induftry alters the uniform 
 courfe of the laws of nature. But if, in the moral 
 order of things, mifery be aflbciated with vice, and 
 happinefs with virtue, he who avoids the firft, ne- 
 cefiarily attains the laft i as the induftrious derive 
 benefit from the laws of the natural world, of which 
 they would have been deprived, if they had pcrfe- 
 vered in idlenefs. Thus it may be underftood how 
 devotion and prayer, by exciting us to conform our 
 conduft to that moral order of things, according to 
 which, the difpenfations of good and evil are regu- 
 lated, operate on our improvement in righteoufnefs 
 and in happinefs. That portion of divine favour 
 which prat er produces, is not miraculous or fuper- 
 
 * As in the cafe of the Cbiiflian miracles. 
 
( i87 ) 
 
 natural, the one is afibciated with the other in the 
 moral order of things, as the fruitfulnefs of a field is 
 generally proportioned to the cultivation beftowed 
 upon it. 
 
 13. Devotion, when pure, fervent, and fincere, 
 naturally produces grateful feelings, and imprelles a 
 ftrong fenfe of duty upon the confcience. But though 
 devotion excite the moft agreeable fenfations, theft 
 
 Jenfations ought not to be efteemed fupernatural calls, or 
 miraculous experiences •, for they proceed from natural 
 caufes, and are generated by the moral organization 
 of man, as agreeable fenfations, arifing from nervous 
 excitement, are connected with, and flow from, his 
 phyfical conftitution. 
 
 14. Prayer is a help to holinefs; and when fer- 
 vent and fincere, procurer a refrefliing fupply of 
 thofe wholefome moral energies, thofe fpiritual gifts, 
 which, by whatever name they may be exprcflfed, 
 are certainly ultimately derived from the Father of 
 fpirits ; not by any immediate and miraculous interpoji- 
 tion of his power, but through the channel of that moral 
 order of things, which he eftablijhed, and the moral 
 conftitution of man, which he ordained. 
 
 15. If men are negligent in their worldly con- 
 cerns, they do not profper ; and the negleft of their 
 moral welfare is attended with fimilar efi^eds. The 
 firfi: produces poverty, the laft vices and, by the 
 
 6 
 
( 188 ) 
 
 conftitution of the natural and the moral world, both 
 are affociated with mifery and ruin. 
 
 1 6. Secondary means are neceflary in the natural 
 world, in order to derive advantage from the ge- 
 neral courfe of the laws of nature ; and fecondary 
 means are alfo neceffary in the moral world, in order 
 to profit by the moral economy of the univerfe. 
 Prayer is among the principal of thofe means which 
 we are to employ for this purpofe. " AJk, and ye 
 jhall receive." Prayer affifts the right culture of the 
 affedions j it is a mean of fixing the love of God in 
 our fouls, of invigorating the moral principle within 
 us, and of arming it againfl: the deftrudive influence 
 of tem.ptation. Prayer cheers the heart when it is 
 fad, foftens it when it is hard, and purifies it when 
 it is unclean. It fits it for die reception of grace, 
 and makes it a temple meet for the Father of fpirits 
 to inhabit. 
 
 17. It is not the mere adl or ceremony of devo- 
 tion, which caufes grace to be fhed on the foul, but 
 it is that devotion, which, by habitual exercifes, in- 
 creafes our love of God, our trufl; in his providence, 
 and our fenfe of his goodnefs, which makes us ob- 
 jects of his favour; which brings us, as it were, nearer 
 to his regard ; and places us in different relations to 
 him, than we could otherwije have been. It is, there-> 
 fore, prayer generating moral improvement 3 which caufes 
 
( 189 ) 
 
 God to give us the good things which we ajk^ hecauje 
 we ajk them according to his will. 
 
 1 8. If thefc notions 'of grace be true, and they 
 have the fandion of reafon and the warrant of fcrip- 
 ture; then thofe of the vifionaries and fanatics of the 
 prefent day, muft be falfe. They reprefent grace 
 as a mere matter of fenfatiqn, they affert that fenfa- 
 tion is the centre of its agency, that it is independent 
 on the will, and ' that the afredions are the utmoft 
 boundaries of its influence. They do not confider 
 grace as an energy to be procured by moral means, 
 and to be applied to moral ends. Hence they think 
 a ftate of grace compatible with a ftate of fin*; for 
 they confider it ndt as a bleffing given to good en- 
 deavours, according to any fixed laws of the moral 
 governor of the worJd, but as fome impulfe, inde- 
 pendent on any moral endeavours to acquire it, or 
 any moral fitnefs to receive it. Their grace is often 
 vouchfafed to the vileft of mankind, to thofe who 
 are hardened in long habits of unrighteoufnefs, and 
 from whofe confcience the very fenfe of moral ob- 
 ligation feems to have vanilhed for want of being 
 exercifcd. With them, ^r^zc^ is not the confequent 
 of devotion and alms, but is diftributed with a ca- 
 pricious and partial hand, often withheld from the 
 
 * Treading in the (laps of Calvin, they maintain that the 
 favour of God is not loft by the pollutions of the confcience } 
 non aufcrre Jlatuin graiite aduUeria et ho/mi iiUa, 
 
( 190 ) 
 
 contrite, and often lavifhly accorded to the hypo- 
 crite. 
 
 19. If grace be, according to their fyftem, a free 
 gift, independent on the exercife of the moral powers, 
 and, in the attainment of which, no previous exertion 
 is required, and no preparation necefifary, then it 
 is an unconditional grant j and in this cafe, why did 
 our Lord teach us the means by which it might be 
 obtained, and enjoin us to put them in pradtice ? 
 For, if God beftow the influence of divine grace on 
 man without any regard to his moral fitnefs, if he 
 require the performance of no conditions previous to 
 its infufion, then men cannot juftly be blamed for not 
 endeavouring to obtain it, nor juftly be condemned for 
 not poiTeffing it. But, if grace be a blefling on the 
 earneft and vigilant exertions of man to conform his 
 conduft to the will of God, if it be accorded to the 
 fervor of his prayers, and the liberality of his alms> 
 then it is, like other bleffings in the natural world, 
 dependant on caufes which it is our own fault if 
 we do not put in motion. In this caje^ grace of crates 
 by general law Si and Chriftians are juftly accountable 
 for not performing the conditions to which it is 
 appended, 
 
 20. Grace is one of the glorious privileges which 
 belong to that covenant into which we gain ad- 
 mifiion by baptifm and by faith. God (hows man 
 the means by which he may acquire fo ineftimable 
 
( ) 
 
 a blefllngi and, therefore, the perverfenefs of man^ 
 rather than the goodnefs of God, muft be accufed, 
 if the former negleft the right application of his 
 faculties. If any man^ faid our Lord, love me, he will 
 keep my words, and my father will love him, and we 
 will come unto him, and make our abode with him. John 
 xiv. 23. But the fanatics, in their dodrine of grace, 
 entirely negleft the previous moral endeavour and 
 the confequent moral fitnefs j and, by omitting thefe 
 important confiderations, their ideas on the fubjeift 
 are dark, myfterious, and deftrudlive. Inftead of 
 promoting goodnefs, they encourage finj they make 
 the tranfgreflbr rejoice and the righteous defpair. 
 
 11. As the fanatics do not confider grace as the 
 confequent on moral qualities, fo they do not regard 
 the pofleflion as produflive of them. With them, 
 grace is rather a glowing temperature of the feel- 
 ings, than an adlive ftate of the rational and moral 
 powers i rather agitating the paffions within, than 
 vifibly improving the conduft without. As they 
 confine its agency within the volatile gas of the fen- 
 fations, the tokens of its prefence vary with the phy- 
 fical temperament of the individual. 
 
 22.^ When moral qualities are regarded as a teji 
 of grace, it cannot be miftaken ; but if the warmth 
 or ecftafies of fenfation are made the figns of its 
 pofleflion, we are foon loft in the delufions of pride, 
 or perplexed by the tricks of impofture. We fet 
 
( 192 ) 
 
 the imagination to work, and that myfterious faculty, 
 when operated on by fo powerful a ftimulus as that 
 of religious intereft on one fide, and fpiritual ambi- 
 tion on the other, produces the moft furprifing 
 effeds upon the feelings When the fancy, per- 
 turbed with this delirium, caufcs any violent tranf- 
 port or tumult in the breaft, the fanatics call it an 
 experience of grace. But fuch feelings, unlefs as far 
 as their fruits are manifefted in the integrity of the 
 conduft, and in the purity and kindnefs of the heart, 
 favour more of madnefs than of leafonj of fuperfti- 
 tion, than of piety. 
 
 23. The power of fpiritual pride is well known, 
 and its delufions are very common. The inward 
 feelings of the fanatics are, for the moft part, either 
 the refult of an overweening pride, or an irregular 
 imagination, often operating in conjunftion and often 
 by themfelves. And as they refer the evidence of 
 grace to the invifible tribunal of their own fenfations, 
 the poffeflion may be readily counterfeited ; and the 
 ignorant, whofe credulity makes them eafy to be 
 duped, do not as readily difcover the deception. 
 
 24. Grace, of whatever nature it may be, is an 
 invifible power i biit the exiftenceof an invifible power 
 can be afcertained only by its vifible effeds. No 
 man in his fober fenfes, or who pretended to reafon, 
 would make the invifibility of the wind the criterion 
 of its exiftcnce j or affert that it is, only becaufe it 
 
( 193 ) 
 
 is not feen. He would rather refer to its vifible 
 cfFc£lsj he would fnow its agency in the heavens 
 above, and on the earth beneath j in the motion of 
 the clouds, and the agitation of the waters. But 
 the fanatics, who defpife every thing like plain com- 
 mon fenfe and fober reafoning, who think abfurdity 
 the teft of truth, and darknefs the proof of light, 
 pretend to demonftrate the exiftence of grace, not 
 by its outward properties, but by its Jecret and un- 
 known operations. They make their feelings the 
 centre and fource, the beginning and the end of its 
 agency. And thefe feelings, for aught any one 
 knows, may be fpurious or genuine, real or coun- 
 terfeit. 
 
 25. Grace, being an invifible power, can be known 
 only by its vifible effefts. Our Lord Jefus, who, 
 no impoftor himfelf, was an enemy to all impofture 
 in others, never authorized us to conclude that our 
 inward feelings were any proof whatever of the prin- 
 ciple of righteoufnefs abiding in us. He told us to 
 judge of the qualities of the tree by its fruits; and 
 I know of no other way in which the reality of 
 grace can be afcertained ; or any other fign, which, 
 can Jafely be trufted as the criterion of its pofleflion. 
 
 16. That grace does never operate on the fenfa- 
 tions as a vehicle of its agency or a medium of its 
 power, cannot be precifely determined ; but whether 
 it do or do not thus operate, the former hypothefis 
 
 O 
 
( 194 ) 
 
 is only a harmlefs theo*^y in theology, as long as we 
 agree that thofe renfationsare not that tcftimony of its 
 cxiftence in which we can rationally confide. What 
 then are we to confider as the evidences of grace ? 
 Certainly the onlycrcdible evidences are the poffcfTion 
 of thofe moral qualities, whofe effefts are palpable, 
 whofe chara£ler is fixed, and whofe imprefiions are 
 lafting. 
 
 27. A good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but 
 a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. Grace can 
 be known only by the fruit which it produces ; and 
 what the fruits of the fpirit are, St. t^aul has dif- 
 tinftly told us. They are " love, joy, peace, long- 
 fuffering, gentlenefs, goodnefs, faithfulnefs, meek- 
 nefs, temperance." Galat. v. 22, 2^. Thefe words 
 certainly chara^lerife the ordinary influence of the Jpirily 
 Juch as is probably floed on fincere Chriftians in all ages; 
 and as oppofed to thofe miraculous operations of the 
 fpirit, which are detailed 1 Cor. xii. 4 — 11. and 
 they well deferve our attentive confideration. They 
 intimate that a pleafurable ftate of the afi^edions, 
 that kindnefs and finglenefs of heart, with juftice and 
 beneficence, are indications that grace is prefent and 
 operative in the foul. A pleafurable ftate of the 
 afFedlions is included in the words " love, joy, feace, 
 meeknefsy gentlenejs" a ftate of mind very adverfe to 
 the uneafy terrors and chilling apprehenfions of the 
 fuperftitious, to the lowering brow of the fanatic, 
 to the impetuofity of the turbulent, and the rancour 
 
( 195 ) 
 
 of the malevolent. In goodnefsy faithfulnefsj tern" 
 ferance" we behold the energies of the fpirit brought 
 into adion, contributing to the well-being and the 
 happinefs of mankind. They increafe all the inno- 
 cent enjoyments of the individual, by keeping his 
 fenfations, his temper, and his pafTions, in a due and 
 reafonable fubjedion j and difpofing them to the 
 produilion of particular and of general good. They 
 infufe life and aflivity into the benevolent afFedtions, 
 and keep our moral powers alert and vigorous for 
 the pradtice of jufhice towards others, and of tem- 
 perance in the government of ourfelves. 
 
 28. Such are the charadleriftic marks of the ope- 
 rations of the Holy Spirit, as they are defcribed by 
 St. Paul ; and if thefe marks be genuine, thofe of 
 the fanatics muft: be counterfeit. The teftimony of 
 grace, to which the fanatics moft confidently appeal, 
 and the proofs on which they moft implicidy rely, 
 are, turbulence and fervour of fenfation, a wildnefs 
 of the imagination bordering on delirium, and of the 
 pafTions approaching to frenzy; while the benevolent 
 fympathies are extinguiihed by bigotry, or benumbed 
 in apathy; and the moral powers, without animation 
 or ftrength, are imbruted in corruption. 
 
 29. It may not be improper here to contraft the 
 tokens of grace which are enumerated by the apof- 
 tle. Gal. V. 22, 2j, with thofe which are difplayed 
 by the fanatics. For hve they fubftitute a frozen 
 
 O 2 
 
C 196 ) 
 
 apathy, or favage hate ; for joy, a weeping counte-* 
 nance *i for peace, fcdition and ftiifej for long-fuf- 
 
 * St. Paul faj's very emphatically, " Rejoice evermore." 
 Their. V. 16. " iiejoice in the Lord always, and again I fay 
 rejoice." Phil. iv. 4. A relirti for innocent cheerfulnefs and 
 a difpofition to harmlefs mirth are no uncertain indications 
 that the benevolent principle is prefeni and aftive in the heart j 
 but a fuUen dfjedlion of the Ipirits, and a cold averfion to 
 focial joy, are very credible tokens that the malevolent prin- 
 ciple has erefled its ftandard in the breaft; and that the affec- 
 tions are imbvied with its noxious influence. The fanatics, 
 and particularly thofe who belong to tiie fed of the metbo- 
 difts, forget the injundion of our Lord, " mt to be of a fad 
 countenance nor to disfigure ihcir faces; which they do by 
 twifting them into alt poffible contortions of woe of which the 
 mufcles are fufceptible. And like the heathen, they think to 
 be heard for their much fpeaking ; they feem to imagine that 
 they can never tell God enough; and, as if he were a corporeal 
 idol, and a little inclined to deafnels, they feldom fail to brawl 
 cut their petitions on the higheft poliible key. Their devotion 
 is one continued monotonous dia^afm. Religion, pure and 
 undefiled, is a cheerful fervice, and nothing is fo well fitted to 
 produce cheerfulnefs. It fpreads an artlefs fniiie of compla- 
 cency upon the countenance; and it cautes fvveet vibrations of 
 joy in the heart. It naturally generates that peace with God 
 which palfeih all underftanding j which is a fource of the moft 
 refined and rational delight; which baniflies impatience, bit-, 
 ternefs, diflrufl; and every emotion allied to malice and to mi- 
 ferj; and is a fo'retafle of that reward which is referved for the 
 juft. The dejeftion of the great mafs of the fanatics proves 
 that they either want the fpirit of true religion, or that they 
 are conlcious of not deferving the polfeffion. Whoever is ac- 
 quainted with the methodifts, muft have remarked their /ow^ 
 faces; and perhaps they are not lefs remarkable for their long 
 
( 197 ) 
 
 ferlng, a fierce impatience of controul ; a whining 
 cant about perfecucion when they are weak, and a 
 
 graces. As the Pharifees would not eat without firft wafhing 
 their hands, fo the methoditb will feldom eat, cxapt in pri- 
 •vate, without 7nany previous pjaculntions of their hypocrify. 
 I once drank tea with two nnethodid parfons, and an evange- 
 lical clcrgyii.aii, as much a methodift as the other two. Before 
 we were permitted to regale on this ealiern luxury, it was firft 
 neceflary that a pious oration ftiould be made. The perform- 
 ance of this ceremony, having been firft humbly declined by 
 me, was turned over to the evangelical preacher; who, rifing 
 from his feat, made no very brief addrefs ; and accompanied it 
 with fuch a forlorn caft of the eyes, and fuch hideous contor- 
 tions of the body, that I could hardly keep my countenance. 
 One limple benediflion, coming from the heart, is, in my opi- 
 nion, more impreffive, and more acceptable to the Father of 
 Spirits, thin a grace five minutes in length, with all the de- 
 vout accompanimerits of melhodiflic grimace. The intent of 
 grace before meals is, to elevate the heart to God as the giver 
 of all good things J and, after meals, tlie fenfe of his goodnefs 
 to us Ihould make us think of the wants of others. There is, 
 in good bifliop Wilfon's works, a grace to be faid after meals, 
 as near as I recoUedt, in the following words. " O God, who 
 hafl provided for our wants, make us mindful of the wants of 
 others, for Jefus Chrift's fake." This grace, though not very 
 long, would feem prolix and afFe£led in particular companies; 
 for graces mufl, in fome degree, be timed to perfons and places ; 
 but, of this prayer of the apoftolic biihop, I muft fay, that 
 every good man will always feel the feniiment in his heart, 
 though he may not p'onounce it wiih his lips; for it is the 
 immediate, nay, almoft the inllinclive feeling of every grateful 
 man, (and no ungrateful man can be a religious man), after 
 having tafied the goodnefs of God. But the metliodifts, as 
 far as I have had an opportunity of obferving them, intlead 
 
 O 3 
 
( 198 ) 
 
 fangulnary ferocity when they are ftrong*j for gcn- 
 tlenefs, the moft fupple adulation, veiling the moft 
 
 of endeavouring, in their verbofe fupplications, to flrengthen 
 the impreffions of thankfulnefs in the firft place, and to excite 
 the fpirit of beneficence in the fecond, ufualiy make long 
 prayers for what they call fpiritual things, when a good repaft 
 of animal food is fet before them. But though they implore 
 fpiritual bleffings with as much fanftity as if their bodies were 
 cut out of a cloud, inftead of being carved out of the clay, they 
 are not exceeded, even by Homer's heroes, in the carnivorous 
 capacity. Every Chriftian may, certainly, without any of- 
 fence, eat and drink in moderation : but I abhor that hypo- 
 crify, which, while it is inivardly as ravenous as a wolf, out- 
 wardly whines, and prays, and talks, as if a man could live on 
 air, or as if a focial being were defigned by the Almighty to 
 be debarred from all focial pleafures. 
 
 Gentle reader, after having faid fo much on graces, let us 
 leave the fubjeft; left, from the bufy intrufion of fome affo- 
 ciated ideas, thou or I ftiould begin to dream of hofpitality 
 which we cannot realize; and perturb our fpirits with the re- 
 colledtion of happier days, which, like the fwift waters, have 
 paffed away. 
 
 * Epifcoplus remarked the fame difpofitlon in the fanatics 
 of his time; while they were in the minority they were ftre- 
 nuous advocates for freedom of worfhip and liberty of con- 
 ibience; ihey exclaimed againft all reftraint as a breach of cha- 
 rity, and an unauthorized ufurpation; but they no fooncr be- 
 came the majority, than they praflifed an oppreffion on others, 
 greater than ever had been pra6tifed on themfclves. Profperiiy 
 made them injolent; tJie pojfejjion of power intolerant; mid no- 
 thing BUT AN UNCONDITIONAL ACaUfESCENCE IN ALL THEIR 
 POGMAS COULD APPEASE THEIR CRUELTY. " Tcmpor't (fayS 
 
 Epifcopius) etfceme fer-vith. Hinc varia et diffimilis eft veftra 
 oratio. Suh jugo gemenles, corporales cmnes coercitiones 
 
( 199 ) 
 
 malicious guile; for goodnejs, a bufy defire to do cviU 
 for faith, injuftice and deceit; for ^neeknefs, pride in- 
 fatiate lurking beneath the affefted extravagance of 
 humility; for temperance, a more than heathen excefs 
 in the gratification of their lufts. Such are feme of 
 the diftinguifhing features of fadlitious as oppofed 
 to real, of fanatic as contrafted with apoftolic grace: 
 features which are not exadly the fame in every fa- 
 natic i which vary in degree with conftitution and 
 circumftances ; but, of which, with a few exceptions 
 in favour of individuals, a general likenefs will be 
 found in the whole fraternity. 
 
 30. The fanatics feem to imagine that grace fu- 
 perfedes the ufe of the moral powers of man, of his 
 reafon and his confcience ; and this miftake caufes 
 them to negleft the culture of the one, and to delpife 
 the dilates of the other. Grace may indeed, and 
 always does invigorate our natural power to do good; 
 
 damnatis ut iUic'ttas et a Chnjliana car'ttaie Jirorfus alienas; ubi 
 jugo colla vejira Juhduxijlu, per fas et ncfas, ibi, Ji tempora atque 
 ingenia populi mn ferant Janguinar 'ia ovJiUa, Jupplic 'torum et poe- 
 narum nmnium jugum aliis imponitis, foh /anguine excepto. At 
 
 UBI, PRO VOTO KEllUM POTIMINI ET POPULORUM RECTORUM- 
 aUE VOLUNTATKS AD NUTUM VESTRUM HABETIS, IBi EXTREMA 
 OMNIA TKNTARE ET SANQUINEM H^RETICOROM EFFUNDERE 
 GLORIOSUM ZELUM DUBITIS } PLANE UT ALTEKUTRUM N E- 
 CESSB SIT FIERI, AUT MARTYRESVOS ESSE AUT FACERE. RcC- 
 
 te Seneca " Multonim, quia imbecilla I'unt, latent vitia, non 
 minus aufura, cum illis vires fuse placuerint." Vid. Epifcop, 
 op. torn. ii. Apol, pro Confeff. Remonft. p. 241. 
 
 O 4 
 
( 200 ) 
 
 but it by no means lays fuch a bias on the will as 
 prevents us from doirig evil. It ftrengthens the na- 
 tural capacity, but without annulling our moral re- 
 Iponfibilityj which it would do if it abolifhed our 
 capacity to difobey. It increafes the power to refilt 
 temptation ; but it does not hinder us from being 
 tempted. It kindles a ftronger third after holinefs; 
 but it does not clofe up every avenue through which 
 unrighteoufnefs may fteal into our hearts. In faft, 
 grace by no means alters our prefent ftate of trial, 
 though it infpires us with fortitude to combat its 
 dangers, and miniftet-s confolation to its forrows. It 
 accelerates our progrefs in goodnefs and happinefs, 
 without fuperfcding the voluntary powers of the 
 individual. 
 
 31. That grace, inftead of controuling the will, 
 is fubjecl to its fway, is the undoubted doftrine of 
 fcripture. For even the extraordinary gifts of the 
 holy Spirit, which were imparted to Chriftians of 
 the apoftolic age, were fubjed to the will of the 
 individual; or St. Paul would not otherwife have 
 recommended their fober ufe, or have reprehended 
 their vain-glorious, idle, and oftentatious exhibition. 
 See 1 Cor. xii. xiv. And indeed our Lord intimates 
 that many who had prcphefied*, caft out devils ^ and 
 done many wonderful works^ would yet be rejeiJed at 
 
 * The fpirit of the prophets are fubjed to the prophets. 
 J Cor. xiv. 32. 
 
C ) 
 
 the lajl day, becauje thev had worked iniquity. See 
 Matt. vii. 22, 23. Thefe had tafted the heavenly 
 gift, but had made an improper life of it*. 
 
 32. If the extraordinary gifts of the holy Spirit 
 were fubjeft to the will, and liable to abufe, we can- 
 not fuppofe that the ordinary operations are inde- 
 pendent of our volition. Grace, therefore, is a 
 power vouchfafed to us in order to be improved by 
 exercife, and ftrengthened by ufe. To this purpofe, 
 St. Paul fays, " the manifejicition of the fpirit is given 
 us to profit withal." All our phyfical faculties are 
 made capable of improvement, and their improve- 
 ment depends on their proper application. The 
 various faculties of our bodies and our minds are 
 capable of being invigorated by exercife. The ana- 
 logies of nature, independent of the cxprefs autho- 
 
 * A fimllar remark is made on Matt. vii. 22, 23, by arch- 
 bifhop Newcome in his revifed tranflation of the New Cove- 
 nant, printed at Dublin in 2 vols. 8vo. 1796, for J. Johnfon, 
 -London. I ftrenuoufly recommend the perufal of this excel- 
 lent work, by the late learned primate of Armagh. Dr. New- 
 come has made many improvements, and corrected many de- 
 fe£U in the old verfion; and he has followed the text of Grief- 
 bach. The notes are very fcnfible and judicious; the ignorant 
 will find them inftruftive, and the learned falisfatStory. Gra- 
 titude will not fuffer me to refrain from adding, that I owe 
 the pofleffion of this work, and many other favours, to the kind- 
 nefs of a Nobleman who has few equals among the great, many 
 infcrio rs among the learned, and no fuperior among the good. 
 
( ao2 ) 
 
 rity of fcripture, leads us to conclude that grace is a 
 pofleffion which we may either ufe or abufe; and 
 which, if it be not improved, will be withdrawn* 
 It is not a candle that is to be hid under a bufhcl, or 
 a talent that is to be laid up in a napkin. It is to 
 be vigoroufly exercifed, and applied to thofe great 
 moral endsy to which the Creator intended it to be Jub- 
 Jervient. St. Paul tells the Ephefians " to grieve not 
 the holy Spirit" Eph. iv. 30. the Theffalonians " not 
 to quench the Spirit Thefif. 'v, 19. and he enjoins 
 'Timothy to Jlir up the free gift of God." Hence it 
 clearly appears that grace is to be ufed j and that it 
 is fubmitted to the government of our reafonable 
 faculties. 
 
 33. If it be allied, how is grace to be ufed ? we 
 may reply that it is a moral power to be direded to 
 moral ends; and that, inftead of difcharging us from 
 a fingle moral obligation, it is beftowed that we may 
 fulfil thofe obligations with greater facility. It is Ihed 
 on the foul, that we may make a continual progrefs in 
 habits of juftice, of mercy, and of truth. And the 
 more we excrcife, or, in the language of fcripture, 
 fiir up this divine gift ofGod, the more will its energy 
 be increafed. 
 
 34. One meafure of grace, rightly ufed, will bring 
 us another. One temptation combated and van- 
 quilhed, brings ftrength to refifr a ftronger; till, by 
 degrees, the habit is formed, and the fierceft affauks 
 
 7 
 
( 203 ) 
 
 of the adverfary are derided. In the parable of the 
 talents, which refers to fpiritiial as well as natural 
 gifts, and for the 'plication of which God will cer- 
 tainly hereafter reckon with us, it is plainly intimated 
 that thofe talents, which, by vigilance and induftry, 
 we turn to a good account, will produce other talents ; 
 while the negledt of them will occafion our condem- 
 nation. To him who hath, to him fhall be given; 
 and from him that hath not, (hall be taken away even 
 that which he hath. 
 
 35. The fanatics will fay that grace of itfelf^ and 
 without any co-operation of our will or natural fa- 
 culties, enables us to perform our moral duties, and 
 to become wife unto falvation. That this is not 
 the cafe, we may learn from this, that fomc of the 
 firft Chriflians, to whom the grace of God was 
 vouchfafed in a far fuperior degree than to Chriftians 
 of the prefent age, were not free from immorality. 
 And the reafon was, that they abujed the talent that 
 was given them. The manifeftation of the fpirit was 
 given them to profit withal j but they did not profit 
 by it i hecaufe their moral -powers were not exercijed in 
 a way conformable to reafon, and agreeable to the will 
 of God. Grace was vouchfafed to them in order to 
 invigorate their natural capacity to difcern good 
 from evil; or their natural power to choofe the one 
 in preference to the other; but, by not duly exerting 
 the faculty they poflefled, they abufed the divine 
 gift which they had received. They fowed to the 
 
C 204 ) 
 
 flefh inftead of the fpirit. They negleifted the power 
 that was in them. They yielded to the lufts which 
 they fiiould have combated and fubdued; and they 
 worked iniquity when they might have praftifed 
 godlinefs. 
 
 36. That grace, without the free cooperation of 
 thofe moral powers by which we difcern good from 
 evil, does not enable us to perform our moral obli- 
 gations, we may learn from the conflant, uniform, 
 and energetic addreflfes of St. Paul, to tliofe whom, 
 though they poffefled the extraordinary gifts of the 
 fpirit, he did not ceafe to exhort to do the will of 
 God. He urges them to put away lying, not to 
 give place to the devil ; to let no corrupt communication 
 proceed cut of their mouths ; to put away all bitternejs-, 
 wraihy and anger, and clamour y and evil /peaking, with 
 all malice; to be kind unto one another, tender-hearted: 
 all which exhortations would have been vain and 
 fuperfluous, and indeed a refltdion on God, if the 
 gifts of his holy Spirit were as independent on the 
 will, as the fanatics, and particularly thofe among 
 them who pafs under the name of Calvinifts, main- 
 tain, and have long maintained. For, in this cafe, 
 thofe who poffclTed thefe gifts would have performed 
 thefe obligations, as if by a mechanical necelfity, 
 without any injunftion from the apoftle. But that 
 the grace which was fhed abroad even in this age 
 did not operate by neceffity, or work its effefts by 
 the fubjugation of the will, is fully proved by his 
 
( ) 
 
 earncft intreatlcs to the Chrldians then living, not 
 to quench the Tpiric which they had received, but 
 to ufe it to profit withal ; and by the examples of 
 thofe, who, inftead of thus ufing it, either hid the 
 light, with which they had been favoured, under a 
 buthel, or abufed it to their own dcftruflion. Hence 
 it is plain, that grace alone is not dcfigned by God 
 to deliver us from the power of temptation, or to 
 prevent the intrufion of evil into our fouls 3 and that 
 our will muft co-operate with the grace which is 
 given ; for if grace operated on the foul in any other 
 way, it would take us out of a ftate of moral refpon- 
 fibility for our condud. It would put an end to 
 that ftate of trial and probation, in which the fcrip- 
 ture univerfally fuppofes us to be placed ; and from 
 which, it will be found, that the influence of grace 
 does not deliver us. God will judge us according 
 to our works ; but if God overruled our anions by 
 any principle which we could not refift, he would 
 be the author of our anions ; and then, how could 
 it be affirmed by the apoftle, that, ez^ery man Jhall 
 bear his own burden j and that, whaffoever a man fow- 
 elhf that Jhall he alfo reap. Gal. vi. 5. 7. 
 
 37. But fome will go to fuch lengths of blaf- 
 pheniy, as to aflert that grace is a fpecial exemption 
 from moral obligations. Perverting to the word of 
 purpofcs, this declaration of the apoftle, that we are 
 not under the law, but under grace ; they make the 
 ignorant believe, thai grace fjper.^edes the import- 
 
( io6 ) 
 
 ance, and annuls the necefllty of praftical obedience. 
 They make grace a cloak for licentioufnefs ; to work 
 all iniquity with greedinefs. They do not confider 
 that St. Paul is not here fpeaking of the moral law, 
 but of the ritual ; which grace, or the gofpel, which 
 is the grace of God, abolifhed. The moral law ex- 
 ifted in the will of God before the foundations of 
 the earth were laid ; and it will certainly continue 
 till the heavens are rolled up like a fcroll, and the 
 elements fhall melt with fervent heat. 
 
 38. He who is under grace, that is, whofe life is 
 a teftlmony to the truth, and whofe condud is a 
 glorious manifeftation of the power of righteoufnefs, 
 is fo far not under the moral law, as that he is not 
 fubjed to its condemnation i for againjl righteoufnefs 
 there is no law ; but he is, and muft for ever be under 
 that law, fo far as he is not exempted from its obli- 
 gations. For, between being free from the con- 
 demnation of the moral law, and being releafcd from 
 obedience to it, there is a wide difference. A man 
 may be free from the penalties of injuftice, but can 
 never be privileged from the duties of jufticej he 
 may, by his good life and condudl, not be obnoxious 
 to civil punilhment ; but he cannot, therefore, be 
 exempted from the prohibition to fteal or to flay. 
 
 39. Thofe who are led by the fpirit are not 
 under the law. Gal. v. 18. and why? becaufe /^ify 
 "ooalk in the fpirit ; becaufe their faith ivorketh by love; 
 
( 207 ) 
 
 and they do not fulfil the lujls of the fejh. They are 
 not i-'uilty of " adultery, fornication, uncleannefs, 
 lafcivioufnefs, idolatry, hatred, variance, emulation, 
 wrath, Itrife, feditions, herefies, envyings, murders, 
 drunkennefs, revellings, and fuch like " which arc 
 exprefsly excluded from the kingdom of God : but 
 they fhow forth the fruits of the fpirit, in love, joy, 
 peace, long-fuffering, gentlenefs, goodnefs, truth, 
 meeknefs, temperance, againft which there is no law. 
 Thus grace does not exonerate us from fubjedlion 
 to the law, from the terror which it infpires, and the 
 penalties it denounces, only fo far as it gives us 
 ftrengrh to lead a more holy life, and to do thoje 
 things which no law condemns. 
 
 40. But if, inftead of ufing the grace that is given 
 us to profit withal, we ufe it only for a cloak of 
 licentioufnefs, and not as a help to our progrefs in 
 goodnefs, then we fall from grace given; we lapfe 
 into fin J and the law, from whofe rigorous fentence, 
 grace, rightly ufed, would have delivered us, feals 
 our condemnation. Grace is given us to fow to the 
 fpirit; that our hearts may yield the fruits of right- 
 eoufnefs and true holinefs, whofe end is everlafting 
 life; and to extirpate thefe vicious habits, and that 
 moral corruption, whofe confequence will be mifery 
 and torment. 
 
 41. The gofpel, as oppofcd to the law, is a voice 
 of glad tidings; a covenant of favour: the lav/, as 
 
C 208 ) 
 
 oppoftd to the gofpel, is a fyftem of implacable fe- 
 verity; it denounces death on the tranfgrelTor, and 
 without any promife of mercy to the penitent. But 
 grace comes wl:h healing in its wings; not aholiflAngy 
 hut ejlahlifoing the law, while it moderates its rigour 
 and mitigates its penalties. Grace does not grant 
 an exemption from any of the duties which the law 
 requires ; but, by helping our infirmities, it gives 
 ftrength for their performance; while, by more 
 powerful motives, more awful fan£lions, and more 
 interefting perfuafions, it injures -zeal to do thofe things 
 againft n^hich there is no law. Under the law we are 
 ftridly prohibited from doing evil; but, under grace, 
 we are excited to do good; the law ordains juftice j 
 grace infpires charity, which is the bond of perfefl- 
 nefs. CololT, iii. 14. The law inculcates duty from 
 motives of fear ; but grace from thofe of love. 
 
 42. The law is inflexible; it demands unerring 
 obedience; but grace is. mild and flexible; it calls 
 for repentance when we have done amifs; and, 
 though it do not demand. perfe6tion, yet it -will not 
 accen t imperfe5fion vnthout fincerity. Under the law 
 the finner had no pledge of fecurity in the day of 
 vengeance ; but, under grace, we have an advocate 
 with the Father, Jefus Chrift the righteous; and he 
 is the propidation for our fins. Thus grace rather 
 eftabliflies than annuls the obligations of the law, 
 by affording us help to fulfil them ; and by temper- 
 ing juftice with mercy v/hen we offend. Under the 
 
( 209 ) 
 
 law, every fin was utter deftruflionj but Under grace 
 charity " is made" to cover a multitude of fins, i Pet. 
 iv. 8. Under the law, the end of the command- 
 ment was unvarying obedience j but under grace, 
 the end of the commandment is charity out of a 
 pure heart, a good confcience, and faith unfeigned. 
 I Tim. i. 5. 
 
 43. What then, in the language of St. Paul, fhall 
 we fin, tjecaufe we are not under the law, but under 
 grace ? God forbid ! This cannot be ; becaufe when 
 we are admitted into covenant with God, by baptifm 
 and faith, we are fuppofed to be dead unto fin ; and 
 how fhall they, who are dead unto fin, live any longer 
 therein ? For we cannot, in the fcriptural fenfe of 
 the words, be dead unto fin, without becoming the 
 fervants of righteoufnefs. 
 
 44. The influence of the holy Spirit, which Is 
 given to help our infirmities, is defigned to mortify 
 the deeds of the body; Rom. viii. 13. Gal. v. 16— 
 25. and it is by this means alone, that " the fpirit 
 of life in Chrift Jefus makes us free from the law 
 of fin and death j" Rom. viii. 2. for there is " no 
 condemnation to them who walk not after the flefh, 
 but after the fpint." Rom. viii. i. 
 
 45. The genuine energy of the fpirit, when (hed 
 on our hearts, Infufed into our afFeftions, and vigo- 
 roufly exercifcd by the reafon and the confcience, 
 
 P 
 
( aio ) 
 
 not only does not fuperfedc, but eflablifhes the ne- 
 cefilty of moral righteoufnefs. For St. Paul uni- 
 fornily fuppofes a ftate of grace to be a ftate in which 
 the appetites and palTions are kept in a dut fubjeilion ; 
 and in which thofe qualities are acquired, which our 
 Lord fo uniformly difplaysd in his life, and fo ear- 
 neftly inculcated in his doclrine, A ftate of grace, 
 therefore, when grace is rightly applied, muft al- 
 
 V/AYS BE A PROGRESSIVE STATE OF Rl GHTEOUSN I SS J 
 
 for the right and wife ufe of one portion of the divine 
 favour brings another, and enables us to keep the 
 rnoral law perfeifted by the fovereign excellence of 
 Chriftian charity. 
 
 46. It muft not, indeed, be fuppofed, but that 
 thofe who are under grace, will occafiunally violate 
 the law. The moft righteous will fometimes offend. 
 But the tranfgreflions of thofe, who are really in a 
 ftate of grace, — of grace not quenched but ftirred 
 up, will never be marked by any flagrant violation 
 of the greater, or by any habitual deviation from the 
 fmaller commandments. In many things they may 
 and will offend ; on m.any occafions mortal infirmity 
 vrill be vifible in their conduft ; but notwithftanding 
 their accidental lapfes, the general tenor of their lives 
 will prove, that they are, really y dead unto ftny and alive _ 
 unto right eoujnejs. 
 
 47. It is not by fome occafional mlfdolngs that 
 we are to pafs fentence on any man. Habits of 
 
( 211 ) 
 
 righteoufiiefs, lik€ habits of fin, are not fo uniform 
 as to admit of no tranfien;: variations. A drunkard 
 may be accidentally fober; and a fober man may be 
 accidentally drunk But when we eftimate the 
 worth of the human charafler, we are not to form. 
 our calculations on the conduft of one fingle day, 
 but are to take the averag;e of many days and years, 
 and fee what proportion a man's violation of his 
 duty bears to its performance ; his virtues to his 
 vices ; or his fins to his righteoufnefs. In many 
 things we offend all : it is the condition of our im- 
 perfeft nature, placed in a ftate of arduous trial, and 
 conftantly afifailed by numberlefs temptations ; but a 
 few occafional offences, a few venial and tranfient 
 errors, will not countervail the merits of a life de- 
 voted unto righteoufnefs. 
 
 48. For the occafional mifdoings of the righteous, 
 the covenant of grace, lefs ftern and unbending than 
 that of the law, offers many means of reparation j 
 for, demanding fincere rather than finlefs obedience, 
 it promifes forgivencfs to the contrite j and it fees no 
 limits to the difpenfations of its mercy. It does not 
 fay that pardon can be obtained only feven times; 
 it rather fays feventy times feven. Did not the co- 
 venant of grace thus overflow with mercy, our hopes 
 of falvation would be precarious indeed i for even of 
 thofe who have tafted the heavenly gift, hov/ few 
 ever lay down their heads at night without having 
 fome little fins of omiffion, if not of commifTion, to 
 
 P 2 
 
( 212 ) 
 
 remember? But thofe, whofe faith is frefh, vivid, 
 and aftive, and on whofe fouls grace has been fhed, 
 and not {bed in vain, will no fooner feel a confciouf- 
 nefs of having offended, than remorfe, hearty and 
 unfeigned, will expiate the offence. And though 
 the righteous may fail into fins of infirmity, they 
 will efcape the fnarc of thofe tranfgrefTions which 
 indicate malignity of difpofition, in which malice 
 meditates deliberate revenge, or the confcience is 
 feared againft the obligations of truth, of juflice, 
 and of charity. 
 
 49. We are expofed on all fides to fo many 
 temptations, that it is lefs to be wondered that the 
 righteous fhould fometimes be vanquifhed, than that 
 they fhould fo often conquer. The only genuine 
 criterion of righteoufnefs is a power to refifl tempta- 
 tion; and the greater and more numerous the tempta- 
 tions we refifl, the greater the degree of our obe- 
 dience. The increafing ■power of conquering tempt a- 
 tiotif is a token that our faith is increafing^ and that 
 "due are growing in grace, 
 
 c^Q. Mofl fins fpring from fome temptation af- 
 fented to by the will ; as moft a6ts of real righteouf- 
 nefs fpring from fome temptation oppofed and over- 
 come by the will, affifled by the favour of God. 
 Temptations fuggefl motives of aflion oppofite to 
 righteoufnefs, and contrary to the will of God ; and 
 they place before us motives to do evil, in order to 
 
( 213 ) 
 
 counterad our inclination to do good. As, during 
 our ftay on earth, we are continually expofed to 
 their influence, our Lord enjoined us continually to 
 watch and pray that we enter not into temptation, 
 
 51. As our moral trial is made up of a variety of 
 temptations from within and from without, ading on 
 our fenfes, our thoughts, and affedions, produced by 
 the objects around us, or excited by the force of ima- 
 gination, it behoves us to be conftantly aware of our 
 danger, and to be on our guard againft the enemy. 
 It behoves us to beware of our danger, that we may 
 not be furprifed ; that a fenfe of duty may be always 
 prefent to our confcience and that we may have 
 grace to help in time of need. 
 
 52. Men are too apt to defpife temptations; and 
 confequently, to put themfelves in their way, when 
 ihey ought to get out of it; or to folicit their admif- 
 fion when they ought to fccure every avenue of the 
 heart againft their entrance. It is thus that they 
 fall, by thinking themfelves fafe ; and that they are 
 furprifed, by taking no precaution againft their dan- 
 ger. We ought conftantly to remem.ber, what we 
 too conftantly forget, and what none forget fo much 
 as thofe who believe, or pretend to believe in the 
 innate corruption of mankind, that we are here in 
 a ftate of probation, and on our trial for eternity. 
 
 53. He who had on the morrow to ftand at the 
 
 P 3 
 
( ) 
 
 bar of a human tribunal, would not neglect the 
 means of his defence, and the proofs of his integrity. 
 And while we are living, reaHv, everv mo.nerit, to 
 be called hence to anf-.ver for the talents committed 
 to our truft, fhall we waile the time in apathy and 
 inaflion? Shall we' not guard againft temptation; 
 and do thofe things, which for Chiift's fake, will 
 appear pleafing in the fight of God, when he fum- 
 mons us to judgment? 
 
 54. A ftate of life, like ours, in which we are 
 made accountable for our aftions, mul, nectiTi ily, 
 be a ftate of tempation ; a fta"e, in which diff rent 
 mod es urge us to aftions that have very different 
 tendencies and effects. Without this confliit of 
 motives and of interefts in our hearts, there would 
 be no morality in human attions; for without fome 
 inclina'"ions to good as well as to evil, and to evil 
 as well as to good, we could not be^ moral agents; 
 and it is the right choice between good and evil, 
 or the cherifhing and exercifing the inclination to 
 one, and countera6ling and refifting that to the 
 other, in which the principle of moral reflitude 
 refides, 
 
 55. The perfeflion of moral reflitude confifts in 
 ib regulating cur paflions and purfuits in life, as to 
 choofe that which is moft fitted to our own indi- 
 vidual good, as we are fentient and reafonable be- 
 ings j to the good of others, as we are fecial beings; 
 
( 215 ) 
 
 ihd to the v.'ill of God, as we are religious beings. 
 That, therefore, is morality, pure and undefiled, 
 which teaches us to conned our own good with the 
 good of others, and with the will of God. As we 
 are fentient beings, acceffible to the varied influences 
 of plcafure and pain, and as the love of life, or the 
 principle of fdf- prefervation is clofely incorporated 
 in our frame, we cannot help making what we call 
 /eif a part in mofr of our confiderations refpeding 
 the end and tendencies of our condudt. As we are 
 focial beings, we poffefs various fympathies which 
 tend to diminilli our felf-love, and to conne6t our 
 interefl with the intereft of others : and as we are 
 reafonable beings, not governed merely by inftinft. 
 Of the force of fenfation, we are to prove that our 
 own individual good is increafed by being fliared, 
 and multiplied by being divided. And as we are 
 religious beings for man is fo conftituted that reli- 
 gion is an cfTcntial part of his nature, and the only 
 folid groundwork on which he can reft his happi- 
 nefsj and particularly as we are beings, to whom 
 the light of revelation has made known the duties 
 of true religi;)n, we cannot feparate the confidera- 
 tion of the good which we do to others, or contri- 
 bute to fociety, from the will of God ; for what his 
 will decrees, muft be our good ; and what it forbids, 
 our bane ; both as we ftand in relation to ourfclves, 
 or as we form part of a large community. 
 
 f,6. As we cannot fuppofc that God would have 
 P 4 
 
( ) 
 
 enjoined any thing contrary to our real intereft, as 
 we are fentient and reafonable, or fecial and reli- 
 gious beings, it follows that pure morality confifts 
 in doing his vvill, as that will has been made known 
 to us, without (laying fcrupuloufly to calculate how 
 much fuch obedience may conduce to our own im- 
 mediate advantage, or to the advantage of others ; 
 becaufe, as God is infinitely wife and good, he cannot 
 have appointed laws for our ccndu£l, of iv.Jicb the ob- 
 Jervance is not relative to our own good, and the good 
 of others, 
 
 57. Pure morality then confifts in doing God's 
 will ; but here is our mifery, that we are often 
 powerfully tempted not to do it, and that various 
 caufes confpire to make us violate it. Though a 
 comprehenfive confideratlon of the fubjedl might 
 prove obedience to the will of God to be our pre- 
 fent intereft identified with our future, yet, expofed 
 as we are, to the fudden im.pulfes and violent agita- 
 tions of luft and pafllon, we cannot wait the refult 
 of fuch calculations, 
 
 58. Lufts and pa (lions are incorporated in the 
 frame of man, as antagonifts ro his reafon and his 
 confciencej that they may alFord opportunity for 
 reafon to exercife its ftrength, and for conicience to 
 ftruggle againft the enemy that oppofes it. In the 
 frame of man, fenfation is often at variance with 
 reafon j and appetite with confcience. Reafon calls 
 
( 217 ) 
 
 for felf-denlal; fenfation demands fclf- indulgence. 
 Senfacion regards merely the prefent ; reafon looks 
 to the future. The one is the flcfh lufling againft 
 the fpirit; the other the fpiric lufting againft the 
 flefh ; the one is the animal, the other the moral 
 part of man ; and theje fjuo are, for "jvife reafons, and 
 in order to injlruol man in the difficult art of felf- 
 government, for which no room could otherwife have 
 been afforded^ made often contrary the one to the other. 
 
 59. By refifting his pafTions, which call for im- 
 mediate gratification, and controuling his fenfual pro- 
 penfities, man is trained up to habits of obedience, 
 and fitted for a better ftate, in which, fenfe and luft 
 will have no fway. The lufts and paflions of men 
 (the flefh warring againft the fpirit) ftirup their will 
 againft the will of God. Intended to be a fubor- 
 dinate part of our nature, and to find exerclfc for 
 our moral powers, they often become, through the 
 negledt of a reafonable felf-government, the defpots, 
 to whofc influence we yield, and under whofe flavery 
 we crouch. They keep the little ftate of man in a 
 perpetual commotion. If they are not governed, 
 they foon govern. They fix in the very core of the 
 heart the ftandard of rebellion againft heaven. A 
 conftant watchfulnefs is neceflfary to keep them in 
 fubjedlion. Our fenfe of duty ftiould be always 
 burning; it is the oil, which ftiould never be want- 
 ing in ti;e Jamp of confcience j and it is that oil. 
 
( 218 ) 
 
 which we cannot borrow of others, but muft pro- 
 vide for ourfelves. 
 
 60. A fenfe of duty, fuch as will enable us to 
 quell the tumult of our lulls and paffions, of our 
 irregular dcfires and our inordinate appetites, muft 
 not be only a cold faint belief that Chriftianity is a 
 true religion ; a belief that will not banifh one evil 
 thought, or quench one uni uly defire, but it muft 
 be a convidlion operating on the mind, and a per- 
 fuafion warmine; the heart; whofe united ftrength 
 will, in fome meafure, bring the future and the pre- 
 fent into contadl ; that will identify the intereft of 
 eternity with that of time; and make the law of the 
 Lord our ftudv and delight, our glory and our hap- 
 pintfs. A j'enfe of duty, compounded of a con- 
 vidion fo rational, and a perfuafion fo afFeflionate, 
 can alone diiTolve that forcery which the flefti ex- 
 ercifes over the confcience, and arm the moral prin- 
 ciple with ftrength to combat the attacks and to 
 moderate the rage of fenfual defire. 
 
RELIGION WITHOUT CANT. 
 
 The fraHice of Repentance plainly and affenicnatelj 
 recommended. 
 
 i.Xlow little do we know ourfelvcs! how feldom 
 do we meditate on the nature or the number of 
 our fins ! We no fonner tranlgrefs fome law of God, 
 than we feek excufes to palliate ch.e offence; and if 
 confcience upbraid us we call in fophiftry to footh 
 the pang. Thus we pratflile the grofieft diffimula- 
 tion, even upon our own' hearts. 
 
 1. Few are they who do not know their duty; few 
 are they who cannot diftinguilh juftice from injuf- 
 tice, tTuth from fallehood, humanity from cruelty. 
 But, though we cannot plead want of knowledge, 
 how feldom do we a(5t on the knowlcilge we poflris? 
 Intent on the pleafures of fin, we blind our eyes to 
 the danger of finning. We ru li toward the brink 
 of ruin, confcious, but carelefs, whither we are going, 
 O ftrange infatuation I 
 
 I 
 
( 220 ) 
 
 3. Sin isj in the firft place, a violation of the 
 moral law. Chrillians cannot pretend ignorance of 
 that law, for it is not only imprinted on their con- 
 fciences, but is clearly, diftinftly, and authoritatively 
 made known to them by revelation ; and, as our 
 Saviour declared, though heaven and earth fhall be 
 dififolved, not a tittle of it (hall ever pafs away. The 
 dodlrine of Chrift is the eternal wifdom of the moral 
 law, enforced with the higheft fandions, and pro- 
 pofed to our obedience on the pain of damnation. 
 "Whenever we fin againft any of the precepts of 
 Chrift, we fin againft the moral law; and we cannot 
 trefpafs againft any part of the moral law, without 
 offending againft fome exprefs and revealed rule of 
 the gofpel. The moment, therefore, we have vio- 
 lated any one duty of truth, juftice, and humanity, 
 or any one faying of the perfedl law of Chrift, that 
 moment we are polluted with guilt; and, without 
 repentance, obnoxious to punifhment. Then we 
 have need of forgivenefs; then we ought to exclaim 
 with the publican in the parable, " Lord have mercy 
 upon me a finner 1" 
 
 4 . We ought frequently to meditate on the good 
 and perfedl law of God, that we may know how 
 oft we offend. We ought never to lay down our 
 heads on our pillow at wight, without refleding on 
 our tranfgreflions in the day. We ought, every 
 night, to try and examine our thoughts, words, and 
 actions, that we may know how far they have been 
 
( ) 
 
 regulated according to the rules of the gofpel. Wc 
 ought to fay to ourfelves, have I tranfgrefled this 
 day in thought, word, or deed ? and what was the 
 nature, and what were the circumftances of my tranf- 
 grefiion ? Let us put thefe queftions to our own 
 hearts, that we may diftinftly fee what we have done 
 amifs. This practice would aid our piety, and haften 
 our improvement. It would teach us to be on our 
 guard againfl: fin, and to know ourfelves. St. Paul 
 fays, " let not the fun go down upon your wrath 
 and, doubtlefs, we fhall moft effedlually confult our 
 prefent, and provide for our future happinefs, if we 
 do not fuffer the night to end and the morning to 
 dawn, while we have one fin, unrepented of, hanging 
 on our fouls. 
 
 5. Men are prone to forget their tranlgrefTions ; 
 they fin day after day wichout thinking of their fins, 
 or being aware of their danger; and they, perhaps, 
 continue this practice for many years, till they have 
 committed innumerable trefpafifes, which they have 
 forgotten, but which God will remember. He will 
 bring to light the hidden things of darknefs, and 
 difclofe to the trembling and impenitent culprit, tha 
 evil of all his days that are paft ! How much then 
 does it behove us to repent while Vve know what 
 we have to repent of ; and not to poftpone this moft 
 important duty, till our fins have become more in 
 number than the hairs of our heads, and our ini- 
 
( 221 ) 
 
 quities have accumulated till we knov/ not their 
 amount ? 
 
 6. It is always dangerous, even in our worldly 
 concerns, to run in arrears with time. It is always 
 dangerous to put off t'll the morrow what ought to 
 be done to day Much more dangerous is it, in 
 our fpiritual affairs, to run in debt with time, and to 
 defer the work of our falvation, which it is perilous 
 in the extreme to begm late, and which can never 
 be begun too foon. Let us not attempt to veil our 
 danger under the cover of that felf impofture, -which 
 cauftrs us to miftake the fidions of hope for a rock 
 of fafetyl I'hc impenitent (inner can never be fafe. 
 He is always (landing on the brink of the gulph of 
 perdition ; and he may be plunged into it in a mo- 
 ment ! In a moment he may pafs into that (late, 
 where repentance will be impoffibie, and tears will 
 be fhcd in vain. 
 
 7. Repentance, it is to be feared, is ufually begun 
 too late 1 People tamper with their foul's everlafting 
 •welfare. There are, perhaps, few perfons, however 
 profligate, who do not flatter themfelves with fome 
 hope of improvement. The7 fix on fome ima- 
 ginary period, in which they relolve to caTy it into 
 effccl ; but this period no foone: arrives than it is 
 found inconvenient, and the great work is deferred to 
 fome period (liil more Uiitantj and is thus fuccef- 
 
( 223 ) 
 
 fively poftponed from time to time, till life has 
 ebbed away ! 
 
 8. Some are fo improvident of their future hap- 
 pinefsj as to imagine that it will be time enough to 
 repent, when their hairs are grey with age, or fome 
 dangerous ficknefs indicates their approaching dilTo- 
 ludon. But, alas ! how vain and deceitful are thefe 
 expedations ! Few live to grow old, compared to 
 the many who perin:^ in their prime. On a reafon- 
 able calculation of the value of life, there is nor, 
 perhaps, more than one perfon in ten, who attains 
 his feventieth year. Many are cut off in their in- 
 fancy; fome in the flower of youth; others in the 
 vigour of manhood j and how many are there whofe 
 end is fudden and unexpcded ? Thele confiderations 
 ftiew the necefTity of beginning our repentance to- 
 day, while it is called to-day, and not putting it off 
 to the night J ijohen no man can ivork. 
 
 9. Repentance, begun late, is likely to be in- 
 effedlual. If we fuffcr habits of fin to grow with 
 our growth, and to ftrengthen with our ftrength, 
 they will become, as it were, incorporated in our 
 nature, and our exertions to eradicate them muft be 
 vain. We may, perhaps, imagine that the divine 
 ftivour will affift us in this arduous undertaking; 
 but we have no reafon to exped that affiflance. If 
 we have led lives, entirely repugnant to our fenfe of 
 right and wrong, and to the laws of the religion we 
 
( 224 ) 
 
 pfofefs; if we have flighted the words of eternal life 
 in that period Vvihen we had health and ftrength, and 
 all our faculties were in their full vigour, can we 
 think that God will be thus gracious when we re- 
 pent becaufe we can fin no longer ? Let us not in- 
 dulge fuch treacherous expedations. I do not, in- 
 deed, fay that a death-bed repentance was never fin- 
 cere, or never accepted ; but this I fay, that it is 
 always unfafe, and feldom pradicable. The fcrip- 
 ture, by no means, encourages us in trufiing to fo 
 precarious a ftay. It tells us to be wife in time. 
 It tells us to watch and pray; and fufFcr nothing to 
 put us off our guard againft the enemy of our fouls. 
 
 lo. Some finners afiume a falfc confidence from 
 the example of the thief upon the crofs, who was 
 forgiven when in the agonies of death. But his 
 example holds out little encouragement to Chriftians 
 at the prefent day. We are initiated into the church 
 of Chrift foon after we are born ; and who among 
 us can plead ignorance, unlefs it be a perverfe and 
 A^ilful ignorance of the truth, and the duties of Chrif- 
 tianity ? To us Chrift is known; to us he is preached ; 
 to us the words of immortality are proclaimed ; and 
 it is our own fault if we have eyes, and fee not ; ears, 
 and hear not; and do not make a wife and timely 
 application of the knowledge we poflefs. The poor 
 malefadtor on the crofs had probably but one op- 
 portunity of knowing Jefus, or at leaft, of being 
 convinced of his divine chara6ler; but he did not 
 
( ) 
 
 fuffer that opportunity to efcape: he made an Inftant 
 and faving ufe of it ; his heart was pierced with con- 
 trition i he implored pardon ; and obtained the par- 
 don he implored *. But in what a different fitua- 
 
 * As this paflage in Luke xxiii. 3g — 43, Is frequently mlf* 
 underftood, and encourages many in trufting, more than they 
 ought, to a death-bed repentance, I lliall give the whole paf- 
 fage in Dr. Clarke's admirable paraphrafe, " One of the rob- 
 bers alfo, that were crucified with him, being a man of a def- 
 perate and incorrigible temper, not duly fenfible of the great- 
 nefs of his own crimes, nor conlidering the tokens which Jefus 
 gave, in his whole behaviour, of his being an innocent and 
 holy perfon, faid to him, in a difcontented and fullen manner. 
 If you be the Messiah, ivliy do you not refcue yourfelf and us? 
 But the other, being of a meek and penitent difpofition, truly 
 fenfible of the greatnefs of his own crime, and of the juttice 
 of his punilliment ; and, obferving at the fame time, the ex- 
 traordinary marks which appeared in this whole tranfa6tion, of 
 Jefus's being a very great and good man, fo that he became 
 fully convinced in his own mind that Jefus was indeed the 
 expeftcd Mejfiah, he rebuked his companion, faying. How 
 can you be fo profane and impious, void of the fear of God, 
 and fo defperately infenfible of your own condition, as to in^ 
 fult over a dying perfon, at the fame time that you yourfelf 
 are aflually in the fame condemnation ? efpecially, when what 
 iDe fuffer is only the juft puniflinicnt of our crimes, and no 
 more than wedeferve: but this man does not appear guilty 
 of any fault at all. Then dinifing himfelf to Jefus, he faid. 
 Lord, I believe you to be the Mejfiah; and that, after all your 
 fufferings, God will exalt you to great glory and power 5 I 
 befeech you, when you come to be eflablifhed in your king- 
 dom, remember me with thoughts of mercy and compailion. 
 Jefus replied; Verily, I tell you, this day thou fhalt be with 
 
( 226 ) 
 
 tion are we from this criminal ? How niany oppor- 
 tunities have we of knowing Jefus ; of attending to 
 his inftrudions, and of keeping his fayings ! but, 
 how often do we flight thefe opportunities, and let 
 them glide by us like the waters of the brook ? 
 Alas ! this is the caufe of our ruin. We are not wife 
 in time ; we defpife the day before us, and let the 
 the fun of life fet before we think that it is going 
 down. 
 
 II. If we wifh to finifh that repentance, which 
 is not to be repented of, we muft begin it early. 
 Repentance, which implies a thorough converfion 
 unto holinefs, cannot be accomplillied in an hour, 
 or a day, or any fhort time. It is a work of years j 
 and its operations are flow and gradual. As no man 
 becomes profligate in an infl;ant; fo no one becomes 
 righteous on a fudden. It is only by degrees, that 
 
 me in the ftnte of happy fouls departed." " 'Tis probable," 
 fays Dr. Clarke, " from the admonition mentioned in verfea 
 40, 41, that this robber had been brought to ferious confider- 
 ation and true repentance fome time before he came to exe- 
 cution ; and that having formerly heard of Chrift, and com- 
 pai'ing what he now faw with what he had before heard con- 
 cerning him, he was convinced of his being the true Mefflah. 
 But, however that be, and whether he was a penitent before 
 his coming to execution, or notj 'tis certain //is ie/ie-ving in 
 Chrijl at this jirjl opportunity, lean no ftmilitudc to t/ie late re- 
 .pcntance of ChriJlianSf tuho have helieved and difoheyed him all 
 tht ir lives. 
 
( } 
 
 the finner is hardened in unrighteoufnefs ; and it is 
 only by degrees chat he becomes righceous. Habits 
 of fin, and propenfides to evil, cannot be fubdued 
 without a long and laborious conflid. They ftrug- 
 gle againft fubjeftion ; and even when they /eem ex- 
 tinguifhed, thev will fometinnes rife, as it were, from 
 their aihes, and lead us captive at their pleafure. 
 Thus we fee in what a fatal delufion thofe perfons 
 are enfnared, who imagine that their converfion is 
 fudden and inftantaneous ; that they hear a divine 
 call ; that they feel a cekftial impulfe ; that they are 
 finners one minute, and righteous the nexti that 
 this infiant they are in danger, and the next in fafety; 
 that this moment they tremble on the verge of hell, 
 and that the next they thrill with rapture in the hoft 
 of heaven. Such grofs impofitions only ferve to 
 engender a falfe fecurity, and to make thofe who 
 indulge them carelefs of their conduvSt, and utterly 
 negligent of all the great obligations of morality. 
 
 12. The penitent is never entirely fafe; he is 
 always in danger of falling j and the tempter is ever 
 watcliing an opportunity to entangle him again in 
 the fnares from which he has efcaped. Thus, then, 
 even the righteous have occafion for abundant watch- 
 fulnefs; and much more occafion have they, whofe 
 repentance is only begun, and not yac confirmed. 
 
 13. When the converfion of a finner firft com- 
 mences, there is a great inward ftrnggle between his/ 
 
 0^2 
 
( 11% ) 
 
 appetites, his paffions, and his confclence ; till, by 
 flow degrees, he learns to refift temptations, and to 
 replace evil habits by habits of goodnefs. But, 
 if repentance be a work of time, if the converfion 
 of the finner cannot, without the extraordinary grace 
 of God, be completed in an inftant, it is certainly a 
 flrong reafon, why none ought to put it off to a 
 diftant and uncertain period ; and much lefs ought 
 they to poflpone it, till the fand of life is almoft: run 
 out. A death-bed repentance is not to be trufted to. 
 It is madnefs in any man to hazard his falvation on 
 fo perilous and defperate a venture. 
 
 14. And let us not forget, what too few remem- 
 ber, that repentance means not only forrow for fin, 
 but Ibrrow producing newnefs of life. It means 
 contrition generating moral improvement. It means 
 a change trom fin unto holinefs ; a recovery from 
 the fnares of the devil to the fervice of the living 
 God. That repentance is not fincere or faving, 
 where the heart and life are not changed. The re- 
 pentance of the drunkard is not fincere, unlefs it 
 make him fober j of the liar, unlefs it generate the 
 love of truth ; of the hard-hearted man, unlefs it 
 infpire humane afTcftion j of the covetous, unlefs it 
 extinguifh the luft of wealth; of the ambitious, 
 unlefs it kindle the fpirit of humility; of the frau- 
 dulent, unlefs it end in habits of plain-dealing j of 
 the deceitful, unlefs it produce fincericy. 
 
( 229 ) 
 
 15. ir that repentance be vain, which bringeth 
 not forth good fruits meet for repentance, we more 
 forcibly fee the extreme danger of delaying it till 
 the clofe of life, when health and ftrength are gone, 
 and the foul is troubled with the fears of death. 
 At that period, when all the nobler faculties of our 
 nature are difordered, what reparation can we make 
 for a whole life of fin ? At that period, how can we 
 extirpate or reverfe thofe habits and afPeftions which 
 we have cherifhed from our earlieft years ? 
 
 16. As the repentance of a fick man feldom lafts 
 longer than the period of his ficknefs ; fo we have 
 too much reafon to apprehend that the repentance 
 of a dying man is fcldom real and fincercj and that, 
 if his life were fpared, his fins would not ceafe. He 
 would again return to his old ways, and perfift in 
 his former tranfgrefllons. 
 
 17. If we wifti to make our repentance effectual, 
 we ought not to truft to the uncertainties of the 
 future. We ought to begin the work of our falva- 
 tion to-day, while it is called to-day; as none of 
 us know how the day may end, or what the morrow 
 may bring forth. The prefent, that ineftimable 
 prefent, by which we fet fo little ftore, is the only 
 fafe and convenient feafon for repentance. Let us 
 then not wait till that feafon be over ! Let us not 
 forget how Ihort and uncertain life is ! Let us not 
 
 Q.3 
 
( 230 ) 
 
 forget the difficulty of correfting evil habits, when 
 they have been iuffTtd to grow rank by indulgence, 
 and to gather ftrength by age. Let us not fuffer 
 one day after another to pafs by us, without refledl- 
 ing ferioufly whicher we are going, and how great 
 will be our mifery if we peri(b in our fins ! 
 
RELIGION WITHOUT CANT 
 
 Temptations ; how to combat ^ and how to conquer. 
 
 I. Life is a ftate of trial; and, confequently, of 
 temptation. In the circumftances in which we are 
 placed, we find motives to very oppofite modes of 
 eondud. Temptations chiefly operate by oppofing 
 the animal to the rational nature of man ; they arm 
 his appetites and pafTions againft his confcience. 
 Addrelfing their perfuafions to our grofs fenfes, they 
 affail us in that quarter in which we ufually make 
 the leaft refinance. Under the form of fome pre 
 fent good, or the attradions of forne immediate 
 pleafure, they invite us to forego that conduft, which 
 is followed by no remorfe, and that intercft which is 
 more real, though it may be more remote. 
 
 2. Reafon and confcience are the great antago- 
 nifts, with which God has provided us, to combat 
 temptation. Would we but carefully cultivate our 
 
 0.4 
 
( 232 ) 
 
 rational faculties, and our natural fenfe of right and 
 wrong, and which are fo capable of improvement, 
 no temptation would be able to bring us into fub- 
 jeflion. The right exercife of our reafon will always 
 invigorate the feeling, and incline us to the praftice 
 of our duty. But if man, who poffeffes powers fitted 
 to exercife, and capable of exercifing a fovereign 
 fvvay over his inferior appetites, will neglcdt their 
 cultivation, or rebel againft their government, he 
 muft neceflarily become the flave of temptation, 
 and fall into fin and mifery. 
 
 3. When man does yield to the impulfes of 
 temptation, he can, juftly, blame no one but himfelf. 
 God places us in circumftances of temptation, in 
 order to prove our obedience, and to exercife our 
 reafon and our confcience ; but he never permits the 
 temptations which we meet with to be greater than 
 our flrength, or able to overpower us without the 
 confent of our will. Did God place us in circum- 
 ftances of temptation greater than our power to 
 refift, or more than the right ufe of our reafon and 
 our confcience could conquer, he would be the au- 
 thor of our fins ; and man would by no means de- 
 ferve to be accountable for his adtions, or punifti- 
 able for his offences. But the Father of fpirits deals 
 not fo cruelly and unreafonably with his creatures. 
 He never fuffcrs our temptations to be greater than 
 our ftrength or, in fcriptural language, he never 
 tempts us above that we are able to bear. He does 
 
( 233 ) 
 
 not permit the perfuafions to do wrong to be natu- 
 rally ftronger than the power to do riglu. 
 
 4. Motives to vice are continually offering them- 
 felves to our minds, fuggefted by the objefts around 
 us, the circumftances in which we are placed, or the 
 often-fhifting fcene of our lives; but thofe motives 
 are never fo powerful as that they cannot be refiftcd. 
 If we fuffcr them to overcome us, it mufl be by 
 our own free choice, and we are refponnble for the 
 delinquency. When God permits us to be tempted, 
 he always makes, with the temptation, a way to 
 efcape ; fo that we can never accufe him as the au- 
 thor of our mifcondudl. He has given us arms, 
 with which to refift, and by which 10 fubdue every 
 temptation that may affail us, through the infirmities 
 of the flcfh, or the circumftances of our condition. 
 
 5. Though the bleffed author of Chriftianity or- 
 dered us to make this one of our daily fupplications, 
 ** lead us not into temptation we ought not to con- 
 ftrue the petition as in the leaft implying that God 
 ever does, or ever will fufier any temptations to 
 occur, which we are too weak to refift, or too frail 
 to overcome. Such a notion of God is downright 
 blafphemyj and it is contrary to every idea which 
 we can form of his juftice and his goodnefs. Bur, 
 as we know that God, for wife and good purpofes, 
 hath dcfignedly placed us in a ftate of things which 
 offer frequer^t occafions of temptatioo, the peti- 
 
( 234 ) 
 
 tlon " lead us not into temptation," muft be fup- 
 pofed to contain a fervent fupplication that, in all 
 thofe temptations in which his wifdom places us, or 
 permits us to be placed, he would give us intima- 
 tions of our danger, and place the obligations of 
 our duty fo ftrongly before our eyes, that we may 
 be prevented from violating it, not only by the ap- 
 prehenfions of fear, but by a vivid fenfe of intereft. 
 And when we pray thus to difcern our danger, and 
 thus to know and feel that our duty is our intereft, 
 we take the moft efFedlual method to imprefs the 
 falutary perfuafion on our hearts. 
 
 6. If we duly confider the danger of fin, with the 
 great prefent, and the ineftimable future intereft, 
 ■which is connefled with the performance of our 
 duty, the confidcracion is furely enough to make us 
 paufe before we llften to the fuggeftions of tempta- 
 tion, even when it offers itfeif under the moft fpe- 
 cious and infinuating appearance. Temptations ge- 
 nerally operate by the lure of fome prefent grati- 
 fication ; and it is thus, for the moft part, that they 
 prevail againft us. Did they promife only fome 
 future and diftant good or pleafure, we might have 
 due time to reflefl on the danger of liftening to 
 them; confideration might come to our aid; and 
 we might preferve our integrity. But, by offering 
 fome immediate advantage or enjoynient, rhey ufually 
 take us, as it were, by furprife. They deny leifure 
 for reflcdlion ; they place themfelves within our 
 
( 235 ) 
 
 Teach J we think, that If we fufFer the opportunity 
 to efcape, it will no more return j and we infiancly 
 fwailow the bait without thinking on its pernicious 
 confequences. Thus the young and tl.e old are 
 feduced into fin. They fee the prefent opportunity 
 of fome finful gratification before them, and they 
 greedily feize it without flaying to refieifl how illufory 
 it is, or how deftruftive it may prove. Thus thou- 
 fands are led into a thoufand excefTes and crimes ; 
 exceffcs, which fometimes cannot be repaired ; and 
 crimes, which penitence itfelf can hardly wa(h away. 
 Hence, do we not lee the great wifdom of Him 
 who had duly confidered the circumflances of our 
 prefent fituation, and our many occafions of falling, 
 in direfling us to watch and -pray, left we enter into 
 temptation ? By watching againft the deceitfulnefs of 
 fin, in prayer and fupplication, we are kept con- 
 ftantly on our guard ; and temptations cannot take 
 us unawares. If they do attempt our confcience, 
 they find it a ftrong hold, fortified againft their ir- 
 ruption. They affail it when armed i i the panoply 
 of devotion, and prepared to make a vigorous re- 
 fiftancc. 
 
 7. When we are defired in fcripture to watch and 
 pray left we enter into tempMtions, the injundiion 
 teaches us to be vigilant, and prepared againft their 
 ingrefs ; to adopt prudent meafures of precaution 
 againft their open force, or their Iccret wile^. We 
 
• ( ) 
 
 are not fupinely to give them admiffion into our 
 hearts, and then imagine that we can flop their pro- 
 grefs, or prevent their vidtory. No, we are to (hut 
 the gates againft them. It is too late to oppofe an 
 enemy when he is already paft the walls. It is too 
 late to watch againft temptations when they have 
 found an entrance into our breafts. It is too late 
 to pray againft their enchantments, when they have 
 ported themfelves in our affedtions. 
 
 8. The advice of our Lord, " pray that ye enter 
 not into temptation," is in exa£t conformity to that 
 petition which he enjoined, " lead us not into temp- 
 tation j" that is, he exhorts us to implore Him who 
 reads our thoughts, and knoweth whereof we are 
 made, to difpofe our hearts and minds to have fuch 
 a firm perfuafion of our duty, that we may not wil- 
 fully enter into temptation, or unwarily Juffer temptation 
 to enter into us. By often ufing this petition, and 
 fervently feeking help from God againft the tempta- 
 tions of the world, we are kept conftantly on our 
 watch againft their inroads. We are prepared to 
 ftruggle with them on their firft approach, and to 
 extinguifta the fpark before it kindle into a flame. 
 As temptations are ufually bufy in working on the 
 imagination, and captivating the will by the allure- 
 ments of prefent pleafure ; prayer, by fanftifying 
 our hearts and invigorating our fiith, enables us to 
 difcern that the pleafures of fm are fallacious as the 
 
( 237 ) 
 
 apples of Sodom *. Prayer animates and freHiena 
 our hopes of immcrtalityj while it renders us lefs 
 fenfible to the fafcination of fenfual and (hort-lived 
 gratifications. It makes us fee injudice, intempe- 
 rance, and lufl:, in all their real deformity and dan- 
 ger; while it clothes juftice, temperance, and chaf- 
 tity, in all their native fimplicity and lovelinefs ; and 
 Ihows them conne(fted with lafting fecurity and hap- 
 pinefs. 
 
 9. Though many temptations to which we are 
 fubjefl, evidently originate from thofe circumfbanccs 
 in which God has placed us, yet it is probable, that 
 the principal part of them, and particularly thofe, 
 whofe venom is moft powerful, and whofe bite moft 
 mortal, originate more immediately from ourfelves. 
 St. James fays, " every man is tempted when he is 
 
 * " It (the country of Sodom) was of old a moft happy land, 
 both for the fruits it bore, and the riches of its cities, although 
 it be now all burnt up. It is related how, for the impiety of 
 its inhabitants, it was burnt by lightning; in confeqiience of 
 which there are ftill the remainders of that divine fire, and the 
 traces, or (hadows, of the five cities are ftill to be feen, as well 
 <is the ajlies groiving in their fruits; which fruits, if you pluck 
 them with your hands, they diftblve into fmoke and afties. 
 And tlius, what is related of this land of Sodom, hath thefe 
 marks of credibility, which our very fight affords us." See 
 Jofephus Jewifli war, B. IV. C. viii. § 4. I quote from Whif- 
 toii's tranflation. 
 
C 238 ) 
 
 cnfnared and allured by his own evil defire *.'* Evil 
 thoughts, whofe prefence we invite, whofe ftay wc 
 folicit, and whofe numbers we cherifh, till they fwarm 
 into a legion of fiends, that fhut up every avenue to 
 the confcience, feem the moft formidable emiflaries 
 of temptation, and the principal caufes of our falling. 
 "We think and ruminare on fin till it lofes its de- 
 formity, or till its mifhapen uglinefs appears grace 
 and beauty. 
 
 10. By indulging Impure and unrighteous thoughts, 
 though only for a fliort time, they often become too 
 ftrong to be refified. They attradl one another till 
 they gather into a hoft, which the reafon cannot dif- 
 perfe, nor the confcience withfi:and. Afling with a 
 fort of fatal forcery on the imagination, they magnify 
 the pleafures of fin to a degree fo intenfe, or give 
 them a form fo inviting, that defire becomes inflamed 
 beyond the power of reflftance, 
 
 ti. By meditating on injuflice or adultery, or 
 any unlawful gnuification, the fond hallucinations 
 of pleafure get fuch a firm pofiefllon of the pafilons, 
 that they banifii all concern about the danger, the 
 fhame, or the fin. The imagination, intercfted in 
 the pidure of feme ideal blifs, palfie^ the exertions 
 
 * " By his animal part, to which his rational part can always 
 be fuperior." Newconie on James i. 14. 
 
C 239 ) 
 
 of the confcience, and prevents all refleftion on the 
 confequences. Any man may eafily govern his ap- 
 petites, who can mafier the fenfual luxuriance of 
 his imagination ; but he who gives the reins to the 
 voluptuoufnefs of fancy, will foon find himfelf op- 
 prelTed by the more than iron bondage of his lufts. 
 He who will vigilantly avoid all evil thoughts, and 
 refolutcly oppofe his ideas when they feem difpofcd to 
 Aide into lafcivious combinations, m.ay prevent every 
 inordinate dcfire, and triumph over every unhal- 
 lowed paffion. 
 
 12. To contend, therefore, with fuccefs agalnfl; 
 temptation, we muft learn to keep the fancy in fub- 
 jeftion. Inflead of wantonly cherifhing one evil 
 thought, we ought to ftifle it at its birch, before its 
 aflbciates, obeying its call, and haftening to its aid, 
 fucceflively combine into images of enjoyment, from 
 which the attention cannot be withdrawn, and from 
 whofe fpells the affeflions c?nnci: be difentangled. 
 Thofe who have acquired tiiC habit of governing 
 their thoughts, of cherifhing the pure, and fupprefTing 
 the unclean, will feldom be wanting in ftrength to 
 fhut out temptation from their hearts. But as, not- 
 withftanding ail our endeavours, fome impure and 
 unholy ideas, the evil progeny of paft affociations, 
 will at times crofs the mind, as if endeavouring to 
 captivate the attention, recourfe mud often be had 
 to thofe fervent intreaties which piety will fuggreft, 
 and which the founder of Chriftiar.ity fo ftrongly 
 1 
 
( 240 ) 
 
 recommended. Thofe who, with a pure and up-* 
 right heart, afk fucccur of God, will never find it 
 to fail. But when, notwithftanding our firft in- 
 treati^^s, we feel evil thoughts gaining ground on 
 our attention and getnng the maftery over our will, 
 ■we rriuft not only pray, but be importunate in prayer. 
 Our firft fupplications are often not granted, to try 
 our faith, and, by increafing our devotion, to make 
 us better qualified to receive the favours we implore. 
 Difficulties, in the way of the refolute and the ftrong, 
 only increafe their exertions to overcome them ; and 
 many occafions there are, in which help refufed to 
 the righteous, will only add to the intenfity of defire 
 and the fervour of fupplication. Our Lord did not, 
 till after reiterated refufals, grant the prayer of the 
 Canaanitiih woman *, that he might try the conftancy 
 
 * See Matt. xv. 21 — 28. The bebavlonr of or.r Lord on 
 this occafion deferves our attention ; and it will in fome mea- 
 fure ferve to illutlrate the manner in which God often fries 
 our truft in his goodnefs, and our patience in prayer. To the 
 firft requeft of the unfortunate ftranger, Jefus anfuuercd not a 
 ivord. And ytt there feems to have been fo much dittrefs 
 painted in the manner and the cries of the fupplicant, as to have 
 excited the compaffion even of his difciples, who interceded 
 with their mailer to grant her requeft, and fend her home. 
 But Jefus, as if unmoved by the lamentation of the mother 
 forrowing for her child, and by the interceffion of his difciples, 
 replies fternly, "lam not fcnt but to the loft (beep of the 
 houfe of Ifracl." The woman then came and did him obei- 
 fance: oppreffed with grief, flie fell at his feet, and, cafting 
 up her eyes to his, endeavoured to intereft his fympathyj but. 
 
( 241 ) 
 
 of her faith, by the ardour of her importunity. To 
 pray coldly and negligently, with languor and dif- 
 
 " it is not right," fald Jefus, " to take the children's meat and 
 caft it to dogs." Did this harlh refufal provoke her fcorn, or 
 offend her pride ? No; endeavouring to foften his feveiity by 
 her meeknefs, the returns an anlwer which fhews the gentle- 
 nefs of her difpofition, and the lowlinefs of her heart. " Truth, 
 Sir, but the dogs eat of the crumbs that fall from their mafter's 
 table. " Jefus could hold out no longer; he fent the petitioner 
 away happy in his conamendation of her piety, and in the 
 recovery of her daughter. The reiterated denials which the 
 Canaanitilh woman experienced from him, whom flie knew 
 to be the teacher of truth, and the minifter of compaffion, 
 only made her intreaties more iiitenfe inftead of more remifs; 
 and rather invigorated hope than produced defpair ; till, at laft, 
 her faith and her piety fo ftrongly manifefted licr moral fitnefs 
 to receive the favour flie implored, that it could no longer be 
 denied. " Woman !" faid Jefus, " great is thy faith ; ie it uvto 
 thee as thou ihfireji" Prayer always tends to bring us what 
 we a(k, when it increafes our moral fitnefs to receive what we 
 pray for. And hence the necefiity of praying, and of praying 
 with earneft importunity. See Luke xi. 5 — 1 1. In order to 
 avert many of thofe phyfical evils which often make exiftcnce 
 fo deplorable, and whicli feem the immediate vifitation of God, 
 as fome cafes of ficknefs, and various misfortunes, lofTes, and 
 cafualties, which providence pours from the vials of his wrath, 
 it feems Jirfi necejfary to avoid thofe moral evils, ivith ivhich fuch 
 affiidions are ajfociated in the moral order of the ivorld. Perhaps 
 few fufferings are inflifled on us in the courfe of our lives, 
 which we do not deferve ; and certainly none by which we 
 might not profit, if we would ufe them well. When, then, 
 we pray to be delivered from thol'e harms which may happen 
 to the body, or impair our temporal happinefs, )c us not fail 
 to confider that the mofi efficacious method of averting them, is 
 
 R 
 
( ) 
 
 truft, is to make ourfelves unfit to receive the fa- 
 vour we afk, and, confequendy, to indifpofe God to 
 
 6y efcTiewing evil, and doing good. Righteoufnefs hath not only 
 the promife of the life which is to come, but of that which 
 now is. It is not, indeed, often allied to great wealth or dif- 
 tinguifhed honours; (for fuch things are a common fource of 
 corruption and miferyj) but it is feldom found connefted with 
 torment of body or anguifli of heart. Goodnefs is the fureft 
 way to happinefs; and as far as happinefs regards a pleafurable 
 ftateof the heart andconfcience, and which, perhaps, conftitutes 
 the pureft kind of earthly happinefs, it will, I think, be found 
 always nicely apportioned to our moral qualiiications. But, it 
 might be faid, if no fufferings be inflifted on us which we do 
 not deferve, and which have not, at the fame time, a benevo- 
 lent defign, why fhould we pray againft them ? The fame ob- 
 jeftion might be made to the ufe of prayer in general ; but we 
 are to confider that we do not pray, in the vain defign of 
 averting ills that have already happened, or which are in- 
 tended to happen; for this would be to pray in order to alter 
 the will, or fruftrate the plans of providence ; but we pray, in 
 order that the thoughts of fuftering, and the confcioufnefs that 
 God can inflift, and will inflidt it, ivhere there h a moral nccef- 
 Jity, may be fo ftrongly impreffed on our minds, that, l>y ailing 
 fo as not to deferve the punijlimcnt, ice ?»ay take the fureji way 
 not to Jiiffer it. Thus prayer enables us to profit by the general 
 operation of moral laws, as induftry enables us to take advan- 
 tage of the beneficial tendencies of the laws of the natural 
 world. Hence there is, therefore, a great and unfpeakable ad- 
 vantage in earneftly and habitually imploring a deliverance 
 from bodily fufFerings and temporal calamities; becaufe though 
 we do not thereby prefurae to change the courfe of the moral 
 fyftem, we give it a favourable direftion, as far as it refpe6ts 
 ourfelves; by altering, not its relations to us, but our relations 
 to it ; not turning it out of its courfe, but by putting ourfelves. 
 
( 243 ) 
 
 grant it. To fupplicate divine afliftance, if I may 
 fo fpeak, without the fpirit of fupplication animating 
 our requefts, and warming our hearts, is, inftead of 
 making prayer a protedion to ourfelves, to render 
 it an advantage to the enemy. Such refiftance will 
 not avail againft the ftrength of temptation ; but 
 ■warm, fincere, and earneft and devout appeals to 
 the throne of mercy, will banifh thofe impure ima- 
 ginations which labour to enfnare us ; and repulfe 
 thofe blafts of corruption that fcem fent from hell 
 on purpofe to fear and canker our virtuous fenfi- 
 bilities, and harden our hearts in unrighteoufnefs. 
 
 tur otvn hearts and djfpofit 'tons, in that Jlate, tuhtcA, being morally 
 good, is, in the ivije arrangements of that moral government imdir 
 •which lue live, invariably conneiied ivith, and froduSive of tem- 
 poral good, and prefent felicity. This appears to n?e the only 
 truly philofophical and fcriptural mode of explaining the effi- 
 cacy of prayer ; and henc€ we may fee how what is called a 
 particular and perfonal, is compatible with a general provi- 
 dence. 
 
 R 2 
 
RELIGION WITHOUT CANT. 
 
 Caiifes of religious error and unbelief, 
 
 I. The principal caufes of religious error and un- 
 belief, may be traced to the ignorance and preju- 
 dices of the mind, or the corruptions of the heart. 
 
 2. Our Lord, who was certainly a friend to the 
 free exercife of the rational faculties, was well aware 
 of the confequences, that would flow from their 
 abufe. He accordingly admonilhed his difciples: 
 " Take heed that the light which is in thee be 
 not darknefs." Luke xi. 35. * Let not thy reafon 
 
 * '2y.0'trBi ovv, fJ'Tj TO f wy, ro ir co}, tmoro; i<nly. Luke xi. 35, 
 Grotius fays, " Laudo eos qui vertunt, confidera an non lux tua 
 temlres fint. Many of the commentators have, as ufual, per- 
 plexed this paffage in their endeavours to find meanings that 
 were never meant. Rofenmuller is brief and clear. " Senfus 
 eft," fays the fober and judicious fcholiaft, "confidera an non 
 mens tua ignorantise et prsejudiciorum vitio laboret." May I 
 refer the reader to Dr. Clarke's paraphrafe? 
 
( 245 ) 
 
 wliich was given thee as a ftay to virtue and a guide 
 to truth, become the means of bewildering thee in 
 error, or of hardening thee in fin ! In another place, 
 our Saviour compares the underftanding to the eye ; 
 the organ of knowledge to the organ of fight. The 
 lamp of the body is the eye ; if, therefore, thine eye 
 be clear, thy whole body will be enlightened. But 
 if thine eye be dim, thy whole body will be in dark- 
 nefs. If, therefore, the light which is in thee be 
 darknefs, how great mujl be that darknefs*!" Matt, 
 vi. 22, 23. When the vifion is clear and vigorous 
 we fee our way diftindlly; we behold objefls as thejr 
 are, in their true figure and proportions. When the 
 underftanding is in a found and healthy ftate, neither 
 warped by prejudices, dimmed by fuperftition, nor 
 torpid through inaftion, it readily dirtinguilhes truth 
 from error. It examines queftions propofed to its 
 confidcration, with impartial feverity; it gives to op- 
 pofing arguments their due force j and its decifions 
 
 * I follow Dr. Newcome's tranflation. In his fupplement 
 to Wolhus, Koecher fays, on this palfage, Domini fententia 
 haec eft; lucerna corporis oculus exiftit ; qqod fi igitur oculus 
 tuus ffinus et integer eft, totum corpus tuuni rede movetur 
 ac regitur ; fin vero oculus tuus vitio laborat, totum corpus 
 tuum motibus et aftionibus rite perfungi nequit. Si, itaque, 
 quod in te exiftit lumen, nempe intelledus tuus, tencbris, id 
 eft, ignorantia et erroribus repletus eft; quantx hac tenebrze 
 mentis prac tenebris oculorum, quam perniciofae erunt, quan- 
 tum tibi damni afferent? Plus fane quam oculus male confli« 
 tutus." Koecher, Supplem. in Wolf p. 156, 15/. 
 
 R 3 
 
( -4^ ) 
 
 are influenced only by the weight of evidence. But 
 when the mind is under the mifrulc of prejudices, 
 when fuperftition has clouded its horizon, or floth 
 has numbed its energies, it fees objedls through a 
 falfe medium j a medium which changes their colour 
 and their formj and difturbs and confufes their rela- 
 tions. Then, things that are ftraight, appear crooked; 
 that are light, become obfcure ; propofitions that are 
 plain, feem abftrufe conclufions that are juft, irre- 
 gular. And thus, when that power, by which God 
 defigned to ftiew us the true relations of things, to 
 fix the limits of right and wrong, truth and error, 
 becomes itfelf darkened, how great, in the language 
 of our Saviour, muft be that darknefs ! The under- 
 ftanding, opprefled under a cloud of prejudices, can 
 no more difcern the truth, than a blind man can 
 behold the fun. 
 
 3. Some of our earlieft notions are, often, of a 
 religious caft. The curiofity of children is often 
 remarked, and is very remarkable j it fliows itfelf in 
 an infatiable defire to learn the caufes of the objeds 
 around them j and they are continually bufy in put- 
 ting queftions to their parents and others, to obtain 
 the information they defire. They afk, " whence 
 this or that came, who made this thing or that." 
 They are informed of one caufe after another, till 
 their inquiries end in God. They are told that God 
 is the author of all things ; that he made the fun, 
 the moon, and the liars j that he caufes the thunder. 
 
( 247 ) 
 
 the lightning, the wind, and the rain ; that he is the 
 great creator of every thing which they behold. 
 Thus fome kind of religious knowledge is often the 
 firfl: which children acquire ; and if their parents, or 
 thofe who have the care of their childhood, are of 
 a religious difpofition, they will naturally endeavour 
 to furnifli them with other religious information, 
 befides that which their own cafual inquiries might 
 fupply. 
 
 4. It is certainly neceflary that juft notions of 
 right and wrong fhould be impreffed on children 
 from their earlieft years ; and it is equally neceflary 
 that thofe notions fhould be ftrengthened and en- 
 forced by the fanftions and perfuafions of religion. 
 Children ought not to be left without the ftay of 
 moral principle or religious belief) till they come to 
 years of difcrction, and are capable of abftrad rea- 
 foning. They ought to be influenced by a lenfe of 
 moral duty, and a prrfuafion of religious truth, long 
 before they can inveftigate the grounds of the one, 
 or the evidences of the other. But as much care as 
 is poflible, ftiould be taken, not to impart to them 
 falfe and erroneous opinions; for, as religious notions 
 are generally among the firfl: impreflions which are 
 made on the mind, they are the mofl: difficult to 
 eradicate. They are often unalterable by the clcarefl: 
 dedudions of reafon, and defy the moft vigorous 
 excrcife of the underftanding. "When, therefore, 
 pernicious tenets on religious fubjeds have been 
 
 R 4 
 
( ^48 ) 
 
 infufed into the mind, and, as it were, identified with 
 the phyfical organization of the brain, in the period 
 of infancy, tenets fubverfive of found morals, of 
 jufl: notions of right and wrong, of God and provi- 
 dence, it may readily be conceived, how deftruflive 
 they mufl: become in their confequences, and how 
 difficult in their cure. 
 
 5. Even many perfons of quick apprehenfion, 
 penetrating fagacity, and powerful intelled, often 
 feel a trembling unwillingnefs to examine their re- 
 ligious creed, to fift it to the bottom, to feparate 
 falfe from right notions, to burn the chaff, and pre- 
 ferve the wheat. Religion is conncdled with fo vaft 
 and incalculable an intereft, and is often aflbciated 
 with fuch overwhelming fenfations of myfterious 
 dread, that many, who are attraded to the invefti- 
 gation by its importance, are yet withheld from 
 purfuing it by its awfulnefs. The facrednefs of the 
 theme makes them regard freedom of inquiry as a 
 fort of unlicenfed profanation j the pleafurable tran- 
 quillity of their faith is, befides, not undifturbed by 
 certain anxieties of fkepticifm ; and their veneration 
 for the truth, or their confcioufnefs of its connexion 
 with their happinefs, makes them loath to inquire, 
 Uft they Jhould inquire too far^ or di/cover more than 
 they would wijh to know*. Thus, if they are inclined 
 
 * Many timid people want refolution to caft their eyes to 
 that quarter which is expofed to danger, or from which danger 
 
C 249 ) 
 
 one moment to put forth their hand and touch the 
 ark of their creed, they draw it back the next with 
 fenfations of dread and uneafinefs. Thus, many 
 remain all their lives long, willing vidims to the 
 moft deftruftive errors, for want of courage to em- 
 brace a more falutary fyftem. If religious notions 
 operate thus on fome who poflefs a confcioufncfs 
 that they are erroneous, and have power to deteft 
 their erroneoufnefs, how mud they operate on others, 
 who feel that they are infallible, and who deem it 
 facrilege and blafphemy to fuppofe themfelves, or 
 to permit others to fuppofe, that they are in an 
 error * ? 
 
 is expedled ; and thus fear makes them negledl the means of 
 defence, while it deprives them of the pleafure of fecurity. 
 
 * II n'y a lien d'exclufif, d'affirmatif, comrae le prejugc ; 
 raoins il raifonne lui-meme, et moins il permet le doute des 
 autres. Tout a fes yeux eft evidence immediate, parce que 
 rien n'eft deduftion : il fe manifefte avec impetuofite, parce que 
 I'homme livre au prejuge, n'eft point maitre de fon efprit j il 
 s'irrite de la refiftance, parce qu'il fe lie fouvent aux paflions, 
 et que le mouvement des paffions crolt en raifon des obfiacles. 
 I>orfque le prejuge ne nait pas de la paffion, il devient bientot 
 unepaflion,lui meme. Car on fe paffionne pour une idee comma 
 pour un intcret. Une idee dominante devient un de nos be. 
 foins. Son triomphe fe lie a celui de notre amour-propre j 
 fouvent nous la perfonnalifons en quelque forte, nous nous 
 attachons a elle comme i un ami; les contradidions quelle 
 eprouve femblent intcreilcr en fa faveur la generofite de notre 
 cara6tere, du moins elles la font refTorlir plus vivement pour 
 notre efprit ; elles rendent done fon aftion fur I'imagination 
 plus energique. Que fera-ce done fi la perfecution de I'au- 
 
( 250 ) 
 
 6. Hence It may be conceived how much preju- 
 dices on religious fubjeds, when they have taken a 
 itrong hold on the confcicnce, and a deep root in 
 the afFedLions, tend to obfcure the light, and to 
 numb the exercife of the underftanding. By the 
 word prejudices, as I ufe it in this place, I mean 
 fo\dy,fai/d and erroneous notions on religion, notions 
 fubverfive of genuine piety and morality, which caft 
 a thick darknefs over the fight of the mind, prevent 
 it from feeing the cleareft truths, and from being 
 convinced by the ftrongeft arguments. There are 
 fome prejudices *, which were embraced from the 
 perfuafion, or adopted on the authority of others, 
 which will bear the teft of examination, and ftand 
 
 torite peut fe joindre a la contradiftion du difcours, fi des fen- 
 timents d'independance, li des pel fpedlives de gloire viennent 
 fe reunir a I'opinion que nous avons foutenue, et fi on nous 
 donne lieu de nous attacher a elle par les foufFrances qu "elle ' 
 nous coute !" Degerando, des fignes, &c. t. iii. p 326, 327- 
 
 * Any notions adopted on the authority of others, without 
 a rational inveftigation of their truth or falfehood, may be de- 
 nominated prejudices. Thus prejudices may be either good or 
 bad, ufeful or mifchievous. There is, if I may ufe an harra- 
 Icfs play upon the word, too great a -prejudice againfi prejudices. 
 Children ought to be nurtured in goodzud ivholcj'ome preju- 
 dices ; but, at the fame time, as much care as is poflible Ihould 
 be taken to invigorate the rational faculty, and to render its 
 exercife eafy and delightful j that when they come to years of 
 difcrciion, they may have the will and the capacity to analyfe 
 'the notions which they have taken up on truft) to examine all 
 things, and to hold faji that "which is good. 
 
( ) 
 
 the fcrutiny of intelleft. But fuch preiudices are 
 not falfe and erroneous, but true, and juft, and 
 wholefome : and too many Juch prejudices cannot 
 too foon be engraven on the memory, imprefied 
 upon the mind, or incorporated in the heart. By 
 the prejudices, therefore, which I am condemning, 
 I mean only thofe tenets, which are falfe, abfurd, 
 and pernicious ; which will not endure the teft of 
 impartial inquiry; which would not have been em- 
 braced by the undcrftanding in the maturity of its 
 power; and which no matured judgment, not afraid 
 of looking truth in the face, or irrefiftibly prejudiced 
 in favour of error, could poflibly fcrutinize without 
 being convinced of their mifchief, their falfehood, or 
 abfurdity. 
 
 7. The hiftory of the Jews, in the time of our 
 Saviour, clearly illuftrates the nature, and forcibly 
 demonftrates the malignity of religious prejudices, 
 ^heir prejudices, which had been tranfmitted from 
 their anceftors, and which were cherifhed and 
 ftrengthened by the whole courfe of their education, 
 ran, at the time of our Lord's birth, fo ftrong in 
 favour of a temporal Mefliah, a vidlorious chief^ 
 and a worldly potentate, that they rejected the pre- 
 tenfions of Jefus of Nazareth, without the leaft ex- 
 amination; notwith (landing the vaft, the multiplied, 
 and apparendy irrefragable proofs, which he gave of 
 the reality of his chara6ler, and the truth of his 
 pretenfions. In the {Grange infatuation of their 
 
 7. 
 
C ^^52 ) 
 
 hearts, they feem to have loft the right ufe of their 
 fenfes. They had eyes, and faw not; ears, and 
 heard not; and their power of difcrimination was 
 paralyfed by the poifon of their prepcflTciTions. Great 
 bhndnefs of mind had happened unto Ifrael; and fo 
 obftinate was it in kind, and fo excefTive in degree, 
 that it rendered them infenfible to the evidence of 
 miracles, and the glorious manifeftation of the power 
 of God. 
 
 8. St. Paul himfelf, is a ftrlking inftance of the 
 ftrength and the danger of rehgious prepofleffions. 
 By what ftrange delufions was he opprefled previous 
 to his converfion ! His prejudices in favour of the 
 Pharifaic ordinances and fuperftitions, and againft 
 the fimple doflrine of the gofpel, were fo violent 
 and fo invincible, fo full of rancour and acerbity, 
 that though pofTeflcd of a vigorous mind, and no 
 fmall ftiare of penetration, he could not only not fee 
 the truth, but laboured to ftop its progrefs by the 
 deftruflion of its advocates. The obfcuring power 
 of his prejudices is well reprefented by the fcales 
 that fell from his eyes at the period of his converfion. 
 Prejudices are, indeed, fcales that prevent the influx 
 of the light of truth into the mind. 
 
 5. Let us not fuppofe that the delufions of error 
 and the obftinacy of prejudice belong to the Jews 
 and the Gentiles only; they are often found rank 
 and full-blown even among Chriftians alfo. Chrif- 
 
( 253 ) 
 
 tians are, in general, too much bigoted to the notions 
 of the fe<5l to which they belong. They are too 
 prone to imagine that their peculiar notions are alone 
 agreeable to God, alone confonant to his nature, 
 alone worthy of his acceptance. They fuppofe that 
 none can be wrong who think as they think ; and 
 that none can be right who think otherwife. This 
 prcpofTeffion renders them ftubborn in their belief 
 and intolerant in their praflice. It makes them, 
 like the Pharifees of old, friends to the few who will 
 proceed to the fame lengths of bigotry, and enemies 
 to ail the world befides. People who are fo vio- 
 lently prepoflefTed in favour of their own opinions, 
 as to think their fyftem of theology alone juft, 
 their ordinances alone reafonable, or their tenets 
 alone true ; cannot but think the fyftems, ordinances, 
 and opinions of all others, erroneous. Hence, they 
 vainly fancy their worfhip exclufively entitled to the 
 divine regard ; and they confider the worfhip of 
 others as great an abomination in God's eyes, as 
 it is in their own. Hence, with fuch perfons, into- 
 ierance is a principle of faith, and an elTential ingre- 
 dient in their religion. If they cannot convert, they 
 think it juft to perfecute; and v/ich them a fpirit 
 of ferocity is fubfticuted for the fpirit of Chriftian 
 charity. 
 
 10. Let us not entertain fo fond a conceit of the 
 increafe of genuine philanthropy, as to fuppofe that 
 there is no wifh remaining to employ perfecution in 
 
( 254 ) 
 
 the fervice of religion. Clouded by innumerable 
 delufions, and hardened by the fuUen genius of fa- 
 naticifm, many are ftill living, and perhaps daily 
 increafing in ftrength and numbers, who, like the 
 Papifts of old, would forget the feelings of humanity 
 in the rage of their intolerance. Thinking their 
 own tenets alone true and infaUible, they cannot but 
 feel it a duty paramount to all others to bring the 
 whole world over to their communion ; nor will any 
 compunflious vifitings of confcience prevent them 
 from endeavouring to convince by force thofe whom 
 they cannot convince by argument. In the genuine 
 perverfenefs of bigotry, regarding only the imaginary 
 goodnefs of the end, they would be reftrained by no 
 favagenefs in the means of bringing it to pafs. 
 
 II. The tendencies to fuch diabolical intolerance, 
 and the tendencies to it, from the fuggeftions of 
 pride, or the imperceptible illufions of felf-love, arc 
 more frequent and more ftrong than we ufually 
 imagine, might be, In a great degree, counterafted 
 by the prudence of this confideration ; that while 
 many points of faith and dodrine are dubious, points 
 of ■practice are always clear; that confequently, he 
 who confults the gofpel only as a rule of faith, may 
 fometimes err ; but that he who confcientioufly Jludies 
 it as a rule of life^ can never go wrong. 
 
 1 1. All modes of faith, though they may not be 
 confbnant to each other, or agreeable to the deter- 
 
( ) 
 
 minations of fcripture, will, probably, be acceptable 
 to God, if they do not encourage immorality of 
 condudl ; for, while fome points of faith and doc- 
 trine feem too dark to be made clear, and too intri- 
 cate to be unravelled *, the duties of morality are 
 always fo ftrongly and plainly enforced, that any 
 faith^ zvhich is adverfe to moral obligation, muft necejfarily 
 be contrary to the doctrine of Chrift. For Chrift can- 
 not contradidl himfelf ; and as he has moft ftrenuouflyy 
 and diJlinSfly, and authoritatively ^ required the practice 
 of moral duty, he cannot , at the fame time, have com- 
 manded a belief defiruElive of ity or contrary to it. Of 
 two different modes of belief, therefore, that muft 
 be the beft, becaufe the moft agreeable to the ge- 
 neral fpirit of Chriftianity, and the general injunc- 
 tions of Chrift, which mofl encourages the growth of 
 morality. 
 
 13. If points of faith be left dubious, men may 
 embrace different opinions refpecfling them, and yet 
 not err in the fight of God. That many points of 
 faith are left dubious, appears from this, that while 
 different churches adopt different creeds, learned 
 and confcientious members of the fame church 
 often differ in certain fpeculative matters of beliefl 
 Some think that there are three perfbns in the god- 
 
 * From primary defign, or fubfequent corruption? 
 
( ) 
 
 head, others only one*; feme think that grace is a 
 miraculous infufion, others think tliat what is called 
 grace, is that divine bleffing, which, in the moral 
 order of things, and, according to fixed and efta- 
 blidied laws, as conftant and uniform as thofe in the 
 natural world, always attends on the operations of 
 goodnefs. On thefe, and many other knotty quef- 
 tions in Chriftian theology, individuals have differed, 
 and may, and perhaps always will differ ; but they 
 cannot fo eafily differ about the duties of Chriftian 
 praftice j becaufe thofe duties are not obfcurely ex- 
 
 * I wifli that Dr. Prieflley, inftead of lavifliing fo much 
 time and talents on a fruitlefs controveify, had profited by the 
 following remarks of Grotius. " Vix eft ut cum de Deo loqui- 
 mur, utamur vocibus, quae omnes incommodas interpretationcs 
 efFugiant. Scholae Graecne et Latinae, poft multas curiofas et 
 audaces difputationcs, in verbis tandem convenerunt, in eorum 
 cxplicatione faepe diffident. Gr.xci veteres quidam appellant 
 r^oifov; vird^^swg (fubfiftendi modos) id quod Latini Perfonas. 
 Casterum commodiffima ac minime intricata mihi videtur ex- 
 plicatio, quam ecclefia Groeca, quse erat Conftantinopoli, tunc 
 cum urbs ea caperetur, exhibuit Torcarum Sultano. Res fe- 
 cundas delicatos faciunt, res adverfae fobrios. Vcruntamcn 
 vocihus thcologicis, quce cnncUinrum unmerJaUian au^loritaie aut 
 magna conjenfu eruiUtoj-um reccpta: Junt, rchi£landum non ejl. 
 Non enim ita imprudenter fiftae i'unt, ut non commodara inter- 
 pretationem recipiant, atque etiam a multis commode fint ex- 
 plicatse. Quibus se addere, aut cekte taceke, multo 
 
 EIT SATIUS, aUAM OB RES SIBI NON MINUS UUAM ALUS OB- 
 SCURAS, ET NIHIL AD EMENDATIONEM MORUM PERTINENTES 
 TURBARE REM MAXIMAM PACEM ECCLESJ^." GfOt. Op. tom. 
 
 iii. p.6l5. 
 
( 257 ) 
 
 prefled, or of doubtful and equivocal conftruflion. 
 They do not admit of a diverfity of opinions on 
 their fandity or importance ; and that faith, there- 
 fore, cannot be agreeable to the will of God, or 
 confident with the gofpel of his Son, which generates 
 a practice oppofite to thofe rules of life, which the 
 author of chriftianity both taught and praflifedj 
 from whofe yoke no man is free ^ and whoje obligations 
 no many whatever may be his fpeculative belief, has a 
 ■privilege to violate. No man can be found in his 
 faith who is unfound in his morals. This fcems a 
 clear, fclf evident, fcriptural truth ; and the prefent 
 fcate of the world, and the foolifh difputes and per- 
 nicious errors at prefent prevailing among Chriftians, 
 require it to be fo univerfally known, that I wi:h I 
 had ftrengch of lungs to make it heard, and ftrength 
 of mind to make it underftood from one end of the 
 earth even unto the other. 
 
 1 4. All Chriftians fhould endeavour, as far as 
 they have capacity and opportunity, to form their 
 faith in the dodrines of Chriftianity, according to 
 the ftandard of fcripture ; but they fliould at the 
 fame time remember, that it is lefs incwnbent on them 
 to penetrate with Jcrupulous care and bujy curiofity into 
 the myfteries of faith j than to lead lives conformable to 
 that law of holinefs which Chrijl eflablifhed ; without 
 which no man's faith can be pure ; and with which 
 God will accept any mans faith, though it may be 
 
 S 
 
I 
 
 ( 258 ) 
 
 Jilled with involuvtary errors ; errors arifing from early 
 ■prejudice i a limited capacity^ or deficient information. 
 
 15. In matters of faith a man may err through 
 ignorance, but, in matters of pradice, no man can 
 well err without wilful ignorance, an ignorance for 
 which he is accountable, and for which no excufc 
 will be accepted in that awful hour when every man 
 fliall receive according to his works. In matters 
 of praftice, a man knows his duty without much 
 inftru6lion. He wants not much learning to know 
 that truth, juflice, and temperance, are his duty; and, 
 in this refped, the law, written on his confcience, 
 enforces and confirms the law which is written in 
 the gofpel. No man, therefore, can well offend 
 againft the great and facred duties of moral obliga- 
 tion, without doing violence to his own fenfe of 
 right and wrong, as well as violating the precepts of 
 Chriflian duty. 
 
 16. When any man has endeavoured, with a pure 
 and upright heart, to form thofe notions of faith 
 which are moft agreeable to the genuine fenfe of 
 fcripture, he may fecnrely truft, that, if his pradice be 
 conformable to the practical precepts of Chrift, his 
 faith will be accepted, though it Jhould happen to be 
 erroneous. No man can do more than exert his 
 utmoft ftrength to difcover the truth ; and if, after 
 fuch exertion, his endeavours fail, God, who is juft 
 and merciful, will not, certainly, punifli him for an 
 
( ) 
 
 involuntary overfight, or an harmlefs error. God 
 only knows the particular ftrength of mind which is 
 allotted to each individual; and he, certainly, requires 
 no more than its vigorous application. When man 
 has employed all the opporfuniLies which his Ilation 
 allows, and all the ftrength which his capacity admits, 
 in unfolding the obfcurity, or in feparatir.g the per- 
 plexities of religious truth, he has done his utmofl: j 
 and the Father of fpirits does not demand any more 
 to be done. To fuppofe that God will punifh a 
 man for forming a wrong judgment on matters of 
 faith, after the moft confcientious endeavour to form 
 a right, or for embracing any tenets that are falfe, 
 after the moft fcrupulous fearch for thofe which are 
 true, is to make God cruel and unjuft. For God, 
 as far as he is juft and good, cannot certainly make 
 any man accountable for talents which he never re- 
 ceived, or opportunities which he never enjoyed. 
 He, therefore, whofe religious belief, however he- 
 terodox it may feem, is the refult of a fair and honeft 
 and rational examination of the fcriptures, need be 
 under no alarm about the falvation of his foul : at 
 the folemn day of reckoning he will hear this com- 
 fortable fcntence, " Well done, thou good and faith- 
 ful fervanti enter thou into the joy of thy Lord." 
 
 17. Superftitlon is another frequent fource of 
 religious error. It is one of the charafleriftic pro- 
 perties of fuperftition, to fuppofe that a ceremonial 
 worftiip is more agreeable to God, than the worlhip 
 
 S 2 
 
( 26o ) 
 
 of the heart and life. Thus it afcribes extraordinary- 
 virtues to ceremonial obfervances, and praitifes them 
 to the negled of the weightier matters of religion, 
 juftice, mercy, and truth. It demands and obferves 
 a fcrupulous and inviolate exadnefs in litde and 
 unimportant matters, while it regards neither reafon 
 nor confcience in matters of greater moment. It 
 ftrains at a gnat, and allows a camel ; it puts the 
 means of religion for the end it clings to the forma- 
 lities of devotion, and fets the fanftity of moral 
 obligation at defiance. 
 
 i8.. Our Lord was, certainly, no friend to religion 
 degenerated into fuperftition, as any one may dif- 
 cover in the twenty-third chapter of St. Matthew, 
 which contains a moft animated invedive againft the 
 Pharifees. The exccfs of their fuperftition was ma- 
 nifclled in a punftilious attention to minute and 
 frivolous forms. It was feen and heard in the gaudy 
 fhow and the fugared cant of external adoration. 
 They made broad their phylafteries, and enlarged 
 the borders of their garments j they devoured wi- 
 dows' houfes, and for a pretence made long prayers ; 
 they fulfilled the ceremonial law; they made clean 
 the outfide of the cup and of the platter, while, 
 within, they were full of extortion and excefs ; they 
 refembled whited fcpulchres, beautiful outward, but 
 within, full of dead men's bones, and all uncleannelsj 
 they afFecled a ftudied reprefentation of righteouf- 
 nefs in the fight of the world, but, in the fight of 
 
( 26r ) ^ 
 
 God, they were polluted with hypocrify and iniquity. 
 Such were the diftinguifhing features of Pharifaic 
 fuperftition, and though fome of them may be varied 
 by lapfe of time, and the change of opinions and 
 manners, they will be found to bear a general re- 
 femblance to the charadler of fuperftition in all ages 
 and nations, 
 
 19, If we examine the fuperftitions which are 
 prevalent among Chriftians, we fhall find that they 
 do not differ in any confiderable degree, from the 
 fuperftitions of the Pharifees in the time of our 
 Lord. How many Chriftians are fiercely zealous 
 about forms and ceremonies, forms that are vain, 
 and rights that are indifferent, while they are coldly 
 negligent in matters of greater fanflity and impor- 
 tance ! How many Chriftians fet profefTions of faith, 
 and creeds, and fyftems, the mere fliidows and 
 colourings, above the practice of piety, pure and 
 undefiled ! 
 
 20. Falfe and irrational notions of God always 
 pave the way for the introdudion, and always aff-ird 
 materials for the ftruflure of fuperftition. If we 
 fuppofe God a corporeal, a fallible, or partial being, 
 which many feem to fuppofe by the vain mummery 
 of their adoration, by the infincerity of their homage, 
 and the intolerance of their opinions, we can hardly 
 help being fuperftitions. If God were a corporeal 
 being, if he were made of flefti and blood, if he had 
 
 S 3 
 
( 262 ) 
 
 any particular form, any appropriate outward per- 
 fonality, the artificial oblations of the fuperftitious 
 might be ple-afing in his eyes, fuited to his charafler, 
 and agreeable to his nature. When we addrefs an 
 earthly prince, we ufually approach him with the 
 fhow of great refpecl and reverence ; the inward 
 feelings may be concealed by the outward gefture, 
 and the effufions of flattery may be miftaken for the 
 homage of fincerity. But as God has no corporeal 
 (hape, and feeth not as man feeth, he cannot be thus 
 deceived ; and the mere external forms of devotion 
 will not recommend the worfbipper to his favour, 
 except fo far as they are unfeigned tokens of inward 
 adoration. He cannot be deceived by the trea- 
 cherous fmile, the unfclt thankfgiving, and the 
 mimic prayer. His eye penetrates the moft fecrec 
 recefles of the human breaftj he difcerns the exafb 
 correfpondence between the heart and the coun- 
 tenance, the thoughts and the profefllons ; and his 
 difpleafure cannot but be excited by the unmeaning 
 oblations of a counterfeited piety. 
 
 2 r. As God is not a fallible, neither is he a partial 
 being. He is fubjedt to no fudden changes of dif- 
 pofition, no unreafonable likings or diflikes ; no 
 violent afFeclions and antipathies. He is the uni- 
 verfal father, and the name by which Chrift himfelf 
 taught us to addrefs God, *' Our Father !" implies 
 that, naturally, all mankind are placed in the fame 
 ftate of relationfhip to him, and eq^ually entitled to. 
 
( 263 ) 
 
 his regard. As a good and wife parent will never 
 make any invidious or unreafonable diflindlions be- 
 tween his children, but where he does fliow any dif- 
 ference of love, will Ihow it moft to thofe who mod 
 excel in what is amiable ; fo we may be aflured that 
 God, who is the father of the univerfe, will Hiow no 
 unreafonable tokens of fondnefs to one, or of aver- 
 fion to another. And if he do fhew any preference 
 in his regard, it will not certainly be (hewn to thofe 
 who pay him only a formal worfhipi he will moft 
 prefer thofe who moft exceed in goodnefs. Of 
 Chrift, it is moft emphatically faid in fcripture, that 
 he ivoit about doing good; goodnefs was the caui'e of 
 his coming, and the end for which he came into the 
 world ; goodnefs was the drift of his inflrudlions, 
 the defign of his preaching, the motive of his mi- 
 racles, the pradice of his life; and thofe accordingly, 
 who make the neareft approaches to this perfecflion 
 of his character, will have many fenfible tokens of 
 the divine favour in this world, and will receive the 
 fulnefs of their recompence at the refurrcdlion of the 
 juft. 
 
 11. Thofe notions of God, which teach us that 
 he is not a corporeal, a fallible, or partial being; 
 that he delights not in forms and ceremonies, and 
 that real vital goodnefs is the facrificc moft agree- 
 able to his nature, and moft acceptable to his will, 
 muft tend to banifh thofe falfe, irrational, and mif- 
 chievous notions of religion, by which fuperftitioa 
 
 S4 
 
( ) 
 
 is engendered, which add malignity to its venom, 
 and violence. to its ferocity. 
 
 23. Immorality of conduft is another frequent 
 caufe of religious error and unbelief The under- 
 ftanding is not always prevented more by its dulnefs 
 or its prejudices from difcerning the truth, than the 
 heart is, by its corruptions, from embracing it. The 
 confcience is often as feared as the rr^ind is dark ; 
 and if a heart, hardened by vicious habits, be not 
 the univcrfal and infeparable, it is a common and 
 often affociated caufe of infidelity*. 
 
 24. The mind may, at times, without any falfe 
 bias given by the pafTions, be too dull to fee the 
 weight of evidence, or the force of thofe probabilities 
 on which religious truth depends, and by which 
 every fober and rational man will think it prudent 
 to regulate his condu6l. But it ufually happens, 
 that a man's unbelief is more to be imputed to his 
 vices than to his capacity, and that he is prevented 
 from believing and embracing the truth, rather from 
 fome perverfenefs in his temper, or fome obliquity 
 in his affections, than from the errors of his judg- 
 ment, or the weaknefs of his underftanding. A 
 man's vices cannot fail of prepofleffing him ftrongly 
 againft thofe truths by which thofe vices are con- 
 
 * Immorality is not always either the caufe or the confe- 
 quence of deifm. 
 
( 265 ) 
 
 dcmned. No one is willing to attend to that mo- 
 nitor who upbraids him with his folly and his fins j 
 who fternly commands him to abandon forae fenfual 
 propenfity, or fome imperious pafTion, which he 
 feels an intereft in retaining, or wants courage to 
 renounce. The Tinner cannot readiiy bring himfelf 
 to examine the evidences of that religion which 
 threatens him with punifnment, and which he could 
 not believe true v/ic!iout changing that courfc of life 
 which he may find productive of gain or pleafure. 
 He rather voluntarily (huts his eyes againfl: the light, 
 than opens them to behold it. The vicioufnefs of 
 his heart prevents him from making a right ufe of 
 the faculties of his mind. His afFedlions, entangled 
 in the fnares of tranfgreirion, impofe upon his reafon; 
 and he finds an intereft in inventing plaufible excufes 
 to conceal his danger, or to juftify his unbelief. He 
 is ever ready to liften to any objedlions, however 
 frivolous, v/hich add to the number of his doubts, 
 or increafe the ftubbornnefs of his infidelity. 
 
 25. Our Lord himfelf, evidently confidered im- 
 morality of conduct as the malignant principle that 
 generated and cherifhcd infidelity. Every one," 
 faich he, *' that doeth evil, hatcth the light, neither 
 cometh to the light, left his deeds fhould be re- 
 proved i" and as he thought badnefs of life paved 
 the way to fkepticifm, fo he thought that goodnefs 
 had a natural tendency to produce faith in revelation. 
 " He that doeth truth (righteoufntfs), cometh to the 
 
C a66 ) 
 
 light" and he likewife gives to a proper fenfe and 
 praflice of moral obligation, a full aflurance of be- 
 lief; for he fays, if any man will do his will, that 
 is, if any man will finccrely defiie, and ftrenuoufly 
 endeavour to work righteoufncfs, he Ihill, on a due 
 inquiry, know of the dodrine, whether it bcr of God. 
 Thcfe impreflive declarations of the author of Chrif- 
 tianity, certainly indicate that thofe, who perfift in 
 dilbelieving the gofpel, ought rather to accufe the 
 unrighteoufnefs of their lives, than the infufficicncy 
 of the evidence. Before, therefore, any man pre- 
 fume to deny the truth ot revelation, let him fe- 
 rioufly examine whether fome inordinate appetite, 
 fome tyrannifing fin, or fome unbridled luft, do not 
 give a falfe and undue bias to his opinions, clouding 
 the clearnefs of his judgment, and perverting the 
 reditude of his underftanding. Chriftianity requires 
 great purity and fclf-denial; and, therefore, it is not 
 much to be wondered, that it is fo often rejcdted by 
 thofe who do not only not refpecft the duties it en- 
 joins, but who burn with a vehement defire to com- 
 mit the fins it forbids *. To a perfon whofe eye is 
 
 * The hlflory of the Jews fliows the ftrong tendency which 
 great corruption of manners ;nid profligacy of condudt have 
 towards making men Ihut their eyes againft the moft plain 
 and ftriking truths. The Jews were not more blind of mind 
 than they were hard of heart. Their prejudices refpeding a 
 temporal P.IelTiah vi-ere one caufe of their rejeSing Chrift ; bat, 
 I think, that a Jironger and more powerful caufe may be dif- 
 covered in the emrmit\ of their vices, and the extent nf their cor- 
 
(.67) 
 
 jaundiced, the colours of ob)e»fls appear very diffe- 
 rent from what they are. To one whofe moral fen- 
 timents are corrupted, and whofe aflfedions are de- 
 praved, the truths of revelation muft appear of a 
 kfs lovely afpedt than they really are ; he naturally 
 feels indifpoied to embrace a fyftem which places 
 terror and dcftruction before his eyes, and which, in 
 his gayefl: moments, prefents the fatal hand- writing 
 on the wall, to the fight of his guilty confcience ! 
 
 rupt'ions- Their pride, their avarice, and, perhaps, more thaa 
 all, the libidinoufnefs and vindidlivenefs of their hearts, in 
 which, at the time of our Saviour, they feem to have exceeded 
 the ferocity «f the wildefl. favages, and to have furpafled the 
 exceffes of the moft intemperate voluptuaries, and which were 
 fo oppofite to the pure, the humble, liie Vienevolent, the gentle 
 and forgiving doftrines of the holy Jefus, made them loath a 
 preacher, all whofe fayings were deemed a reproach upon their 
 conduft, and a libel on their crimes. The eafy yoke of Chrift 
 feemed to them an intolerable bondage ; becaufe they could 
 not forego their lufts and paffions, and bring their hearts and 
 lives in fubjeftion to his dodrlne. The fame reafons which 
 operated on the Jews to reje6t the mitTion of Chrift, will, whcre- 
 ever they exift, operate on others of all fucceeding ages, to deny 
 the truth, and to fpnrn at the duties of the gofpel. 
 
RELIGION WITHOUT Cx^NT. 
 
 Evils of dtjfenfion. Temperate Juggejlions. Ecclefiafiical 
 union. The juft medium between indifference and 
 intolerance in particular diverfities of opinion. 
 
 I. A LARGE portion of human mifery originates in 
 the want of a peaceable difpofition. HencCj the 
 fword is unfhcathed to make widows and orphans ! 
 Hence, the 'attention of mankind is diverted from 
 the purfuits of induftry, which diffule cheerfulnefs 
 and plenty, to purfuits which occafion nothing but 
 famine and woe ! Hence, the progrefs of civilization 
 is fufpended, and the profperity of nations is de- 
 ft royed ! 
 
 1. The few (hort intervals of peace, which Euro- 
 pean policy allows to weary man, are feldom owing 
 fo much to an averfion to the principle of war, as 
 to the want of refources to carry it on. Pride, am- 
 bition, and revenge, the love of falfe glory, the jea- 
 loufics of power, and the lulls of domination, are 
 not extinguiflied the flame is fmothered for a fca- 
 
( 2^9 ) 
 
 Ion, but the next gufb of fortune blows it into another 
 bl.ize. Thus the peace that fubfifts between na- 
 tions, and particularly nations between whom jea- 
 louiv is occafiooeJ by p'-oximity of ficuation, and 
 war is prompre>i by the facility with which it may 
 be waged, is feklom any thing more than a fhort 
 ceffation of hoflilities. It is rather an exhauftion of 
 ftrength, than an extinftion of paflion ; rather too 
 great feebienefs to hold the fword, than a cordial 
 defirc to place and to keep it in the fcabbard. Thus 
 the peace of ftates, not originating in a peaceable 
 difpofition, nor in a religious dread of the guilt and 
 atrocities of war, but being occafioned only by fomc 
 temporary advantages, or fome momentary conve- 
 nience, is violated when they ceafe ; and the banners 
 of blood are again unfurled as foon as fome finifter 
 policy can generate or feizenew pretexts for deftruc- 
 tion. This perpetually-recurring ftate of favage 
 butchery and incalculable woe cannot be expefled 
 to have an end, till a fincere indifpofition to flrife 
 fhall be more prevalent in the world, and obedience 
 to the peaceful precepts of Chriftianity fhall become 
 the imperial guide of human conduct and human 
 intereft. 
 
 3. The love of peace always promotes an union 
 of affeflions, and often of opinions. An union of 
 opinions on all fubjedts, particularly on doubtful 
 queftions, on which different opinions may reafon- 
 ably be entertained, is impofiible. The topics on 
 
( 270 ) 
 
 which men mod frequently differ, and which engen- 
 der the moft bitter animofities, are political and re- 
 ligious. When political opinions are connefted 
 with temporal emolument, or are fpecial objeiSts of 
 public patronage, it is eafy to conceive why thofe 
 who profefs them, defend them with zeal, and why 
 thofe who oppofe them, oppofe them with violence. 
 In this cafe, the advocates of the different opinions 
 muft, in fome meafure, regard each other as per- 
 fonal enemies, and their affedlions are kept divided 
 by the divifion of their intercfts. In this confiid of 
 opinions, truth is feldom either the only objefl that 
 is fought *, or the only end that is purfued. For, 
 on all occafions, in which no fecret interefl: biaffes 
 the parties to any particular conclufions, the male- 
 
 * The following, remarks of one of the lateft, the mofl fober 
 and moft judicious of the French metaphyficians, are deferving 
 of attention, and are applicable to a very large portion of 
 thofe difputcs on which men wafte their talents and their time. 
 " Lii decowjertc de la 'verite a ete plutot encore Ic fruit que T occa- 
 fion dcs difputcs des homines; la verite efl audi lente lI fe montrer, 
 <]ue Terreur eft prompte a paroitrej sinfi la iutte des errears 
 oppofees entre elles, a da commencer avant celles des erreurs 
 contre la verite. L'opinion vraie confifte foment a douter la 
 ou I'erreur afiirme avec afTurancc; ainfi il femble qu'il y a une 
 oppofttion moins ouverte entre le fage et I'efprit erione, qu'en- 
 tre ceux qui s'abandonnent a des erreurs differentes, Enfin a 
 une feule verite correfpondent toujours un tres grand nombre 
 d'erreurs, comme i cote de la ligne direde, qui conduit au but, 
 fe trouvent mille autres lignes, qui en divergent dans tous les 
 fens." Degerando, vol. iii. 325. 
 
( 271 ) 
 
 volent palTions cannot intervene to perplex the quef- 
 tion, and to inflame the combatants. 
 
 4. Till the genuine, benign, and peaceable fpirit 
 of the gofpel of Chrift, (hall be more cherifhed and 
 more venerated by public men, we may hope, but 
 we (hall hope in vain, that the conflict of political 
 fentiment (hould occafion no coldnefsin their friend- 
 fhip, and no rancour in their enmity. But, more 
 ftrange it ieems, that individuals, who are placed 
 farther fro^n the brink of political contention, who 
 can hardly have any perfonal interefl; in the fubver- 
 fion of one faflion, or in the triuinph of another, 
 Ihould not be able to think differently on public 
 men and public meafures, without the moft furious 
 diffcnfions. Thofe who are unacquainted with the 
 great aftors on the political theatre, and who know 
 nothing of the very intricate machinery which is 
 required to keep the wheels of any government in 
 motion, that prefides over a rich and powerful, but 
 a corrupt and vicious people, can feldom judge with 
 tolerable corredtnefs, on meafures of policy, or the 
 charaflers of politicians. And yet, what company 
 do we enter, in which we do not hear fome men 
 applauded as if they were patriots, exempt from 
 every vice, and others reviled as ruffians deftitute of 
 every virtue ? On thefe occafions, we frequently hear 
 meafures, apparently intended by the advifers for 
 the public good, inveighed againft with as much 
 
( 272 ) 
 
 warmth, and as much bitternefs, as if they were piir- 
 pofely planned for the public deftrudion. Such are 
 fome of the rafh and unfair judgments, which men, 
 fometimes, peremptorily affirm, and paffionately de- 
 fend ; and of which they often hate, and even, as far 
 as their power extends, peiTecute thofe who queftion 
 the truth, or refufe an unqualified affcnt to their pre- 
 cipitate aflertions. In fpeaking of public chara6lers, 
 men are, ufually, lefs direded by the convi6lion of 
 knowledge, or the evidence of fadts, than by the 
 rumours of common fame, the bitter afperfions of 
 enemies, or the glowing encomiums of friends; the 
 virulence of flanderers, or the adulation of depen- 
 dants. Political judgments are feldom impartial or 
 corredl, becaufe the ideas, out of which they are 
 formed, are ufually made to diverge from the ftraight 
 line of truth, in paffing through the cloudy medium 
 of ignorance, prejudice, and malignity. 
 
 5. What is called the public good, which it is 
 the duty of public men to confider, and, as far as 
 they have power, to promote, is, from the intricacy 
 of the fubjed, and the multiplicity of particulars 
 which it includes, fo difficult to be known, and, 
 when known, from the chaos of jarring interefts that 
 are to be reconciled, fo difficult to be executed, and 
 fo many different ways of doing it may feem the 
 befl: to different individuals, that the meafures which 
 public men adopt, or the counfels which they give. 
 
( ^73 ) 
 
 ought not to be promifcuoufly cenfured becaufe the 
 happen to run adverfe to cur own opinions, or to 
 obftrudl our narrow and partial views. 
 
 6. It is very eafy for any one private individual 
 to determine what meafures he would judge moft 
 expedient for the national welfare j for rr»en in gene- 
 ral are too ready to imagine that what would be 
 beneficial to themfelves, could not be hurtful to the 
 community. But, is it not probable, that a council 
 of ftatefmen, raking a larger view of the fubjefl, and 
 confidering it not fo much in its partial, in its local, 
 or its perfonal, as in its general relations, will fuggeft 
 very different meafures, and more conducive to the 
 good of the community * ? 
 
 7. When fo few poffefs the ability to analyfe the 
 complex idea of the public happinefs, or to trace it 
 through only half its diverfified relations, we may 
 readily difcern how, without any finifter intentions, 
 or dilhoneft views, people may think very differently 
 from each other, on queftions which concern the 
 public welfare. The difficulty of afcertainin^ which 
 opinion is right, or which is wrong, which has the 
 ftrongeft tendency to promote, and which to coun- 
 
 • Different men, placed at different heights of the fame 
 mountain, will form different notions of the features, the pofi- 
 tions, and produce of the furrounding country. I lhall leave 
 the application to the reader. 
 
 T 
 
( 274 ) 
 
 teradl the public good, ought to teach their feveral 
 defenders diffidence and moderation. On fuch to- 
 pics, what fhould deter us from maintaining oppofitc 
 fentiments without the leaft diminution of our mu- 
 tual regard, or the leaft interruption of our domeftic 
 and focial intercourfe ? 
 
 8. Differences of opinion on religious fubjedts, 
 are another fruitful fource of animofity. Different 
 fe6ts, who efpoufe difPjrent doflrines, in a great 
 mcafure, refemble the different fadtions in a ftate, 
 in the fincerity of their mutual ill-will, in the ardour 
 of their ambition, and the purfuit of an exclufivc 
 intereft. Political fadtions hate each other, becaufe 
 each regards the reft as obftrudtions to the attain- 
 ment of fome temporal end ; and religious fadlions 
 glow with no lefs mutual hatred, as if the future 
 good, to v/hich each afpircs, were totally incom- 
 patible with the good of its competitors for eternal 
 happinefs. The firft feek to obtain the fole, un- 
 fhared poffeffion of the honours that perifh ; the 
 fecond feek to appropriate to themfelves the crown 
 of glory, that fadeth not away. They are both in- 
 flamed with the fpirit of monopoly; but while the 
 one is all greedinefs to engrofs the good things ot 
 this prefent world, the other is no lefs greedy to 
 engrofs thofe of another. In the ftruggle for tem- 
 poral and fpiritual dominion, the political fadlion 
 feems, on the whole, to difplay, though not, per- 
 haps, more benevolence, more fagacity than the re- 
 ligious. The temporal diftindtions, honours, and 
 
* 
 
 ( ^^75 ) 
 
 emoluments, which the firft purfues, are limited 
 both in number and in quantity, and there is not 
 enough to appeafe the ravenous appetites both of 
 themfelves and of their rivals. The richell mo- 
 narch on earth cannot fatisfy the demands of all the 
 candidates for his favour, or of all the petitioners 
 for his bounty. He cannot even gradfy every 
 moderate wilh, or every reafonable expedadon. 
 Hence we may readily conceive how envy and 
 jealoufy, and all the malignant paffions, arife 
 among the competitors for political preference ; and 
 why their different interefts, which are fo incompa- 
 tible, fhould be fo difficult to be reconciled. But 
 the rewards which are promifed to the juft in heaven, 
 are not fo circumfcribed in number, or fo fcant in 
 quantity. The favours which the Almighty has to 
 beftow are infinite ; and the regard which he fhows 
 to one, can be no deduction from, and no obftruc- 
 tion to that to which another may afpire. If the 
 area of a palace be capable of holding only a few 
 of thofe who are eager to- pufli them.felves into it, 
 there will be fpace enough in the courts of the man- 
 fions above, to contain all the generadons of all 
 nations and ages, who deferve admijfion. It feems, 
 therefore, not lefs the excefs of fclfifhnefs than of 
 folly, in the advocates for different creeds and doc- 
 trines, to deprive of happinefs thofe with whom they 
 do not agree, and to engrofs heaven to themfelves. 
 But if man be cruel, God is juft. Whatever opi- 
 nions individuals may entertain on fpeculative points 
 
 T 2 
 
( ii76 ) 
 
 of religion, the everlasting gates will not be 
 Ihut againft them, who, as far as they have capacity, 
 imitate God in his perfeftions ; and, as often as they 
 have opportunity, do good to their fellow-creatures. 
 Such confiderations, plain and fimple as thefe are, 
 may tend to afiiiage the rancour of religious animo- 
 fity, and to (how the abfurdity of thofe anathemas 
 which one feft hurls againft another. 
 
 9, Thofe religious opinions which are produdllvc 
 of the moft bitter diflenfions, ufually relate, not to 
 the weighty matters of religion, but to fome inex- 
 plicable tenets, or fome frivolous forms. Few are 
 the perfons who do not agree, at leaft in theory,^ 
 however much they may differ in practice, refpect- 
 ing the importance of purity of manners, and holi- 
 nefsof life; and thofe, who thus acquiefce in believ- 
 ing the ejfentials of found do5frine, fhould not contend 
 about thofe things which have no reference to right- 
 eoufnefs. 
 
 10. It is becoming, and it is neceflary, that Chrif- 
 tians fhould maintain with warmth, but without 
 pafTion, with zeal, but without intolerance, the ejfen- 
 tial articles of religious belief i becaufe fuch articles 
 have always an intimate connexion with the praflice 
 of piety. Thus, thofe articles of religion which are 
 effential, may be clearly diflingulfhed from thofe 
 which are not efTcntial. The firft will always be 
 found favorable to the growth of goodnefs ; while 
 
( 277 ) 
 
 the laft, ufually afford nothing but occafion for ftrlfe, 
 and fuel for diffenfion. Effential articles of religion, 
 fuch as thefe, that there is a God; that he is the re- 
 warder of thoje that diligently feek him; that the Chrif- 
 tian religion is a revelation of his will, cannot be dif- 
 believed without faith being imperfeft ; while thofe 
 articles which are not elTential, fuch as thefe, that 
 the rc/iirreclion of the dead will be a corporeal rejur- 
 re£iion; that the Jiate of the foul in the interval between 
 the death of the individual and the laji judgment, will 
 he a fiate of inconfcioufnefs, may be either believed or 
 dilbelieved, without any addition to, or any deduction 
 from, the fubftance of religious faith j which, if I may 
 fo fpeak, may be believed without gain, and dif- 
 believed without lofs. Our regard for the un- 
 changeable and eternal obligations of morality, fhould 
 caufe us vigorouOy to defend the effential articles 
 of religious belief ; while the fpirlt of peace fhould 
 incline us neither pertinacioufly to fupport, nor fu- 
 rioufly to oppofe, thofe articles which are not elTen- 
 tial, becaufe they have no connexion with vital 
 righteoufnefs. 
 
 II. If a man believe that there is no God, which 
 is the fundamental principle of natural religion, on 
 which all its truth depends, and all its importance 
 refls, it is more than probable, that the unfoundndfs 
 of his faith will be manifefted in the impurity of his 
 conduft. Dilbelieving that which is the great fpring 
 of pradtical goodnefs, his unbelief will become a 
 
 T 3 
 
( 278 ) 
 
 fource of pradical corruption. As morality confifts 
 in a conformity of the conduft to the divine will, 
 it is abfurd to fuppofe that he will take any pains 
 to conform his condufl to the will of God, who 
 does not believe in his exigence, or who denies his 
 fuperirrtending providence. The difference of opi- 
 nionj therefore, that muft exifl: between a man who 
 difbelieves, and another who fincerely believes in the 
 being of a God, mull be fuch as will neceffarily 
 occafion 2. ftriking difference in their mutual con- 
 du£l, and forcibly tend to alienate them from each 
 other in affedion as well as in fentiment *. The 
 opinions and the feehngs of an atheift, cannot accord 
 with thofe of a religious man i nor can the fenfations, 
 the fentiments, the emotions and dcfires of a reli- 
 gious man, be in unifon with thofe of an atheift. 
 The warm, the artlefs, the fincere regards of friend- 
 (hip, can never be extended towards him, who Jays 
 in his heart that there is no God ; for friendfhip can- 
 
 * It v/Ill generally be found, that a man who does not be- 
 lieve in a God, never entertains any hearty good will towards 
 thofe who do believe j and, probably, becaufe he thinks them 
 more happy and more fafe. A fecret confcioiifnefs of bis own 
 infecurity, an undivulged, a perpetually ftifled, but a con- 
 ftantly corroding and corrofive perception of his own wretch- 
 cdnefs, impel the efforts of the atheift to drive others from 
 the rock of their confidence, and to plunge them Into mifery 
 as hopelefs as his own. Henre we difcern why atheifts often 
 exceed even the moft bufy fe^laries in the zeal of making 
 profelytes. 
 
( ^79 ) 
 
 not fiourifli without confidence ; and can he ever 
 be an objedl of confidcncCj or ever ceafe to be an 
 objedl of diflruft, who, wanting the only folid prin- 
 ciple of fidelity, muft excite an habitual dread of 
 perfidy and infincerity ? With feelings of commife- 
 ration an atheifl may be regarded i but the warm 
 fentirnents of our efteem he can never fhare. Caq, 
 we enter into a bland communion with his thoughts, 
 with his forrows, or his joys ? Can we fympathife 
 with his fpirits in their loweft depreflion, or their 
 higheft exaltation ? Is he not placed either too far 
 above, or funk too deep below the ordinary level- 
 of human interefts, ever to be interefting to our 
 affections ?• Does he not deem happinefs or mifery 
 as mere fortuitous combinations of events that are 
 uncaufed, or of caufes that do not originate in intel- 
 ligence ? Does he not receive good without thank- 
 fulnefs, and fuffer evil without hope ? Does he not 
 deride the paternal affedion of Jehovah ? Docs he 
 not defpife his juftice, and flight his mercy* ? 
 
 * There is great juftnefs in the following remarks of one 
 of the wifeft of the heathen philofophers. " Sunt," fays he, 
 " philofophi, et fuerunt, qui omnino nuilam habere cenferent 
 humanarum rerum procurationem decs. Quorum fi vera fen- 
 tentia eft, quae poteft effe pietas ? quae fandtitas ? quae religio? 
 haec enim omnia pure ac cafle tribuenda deorum numini ita 
 funt, fi animadvertuntur ab his, et fi eft aliquid a diis immor- 
 talibus hominum generi tributura: fin autem dii ueque poflunt 
 DOS juvare, neque volant, nec onanino curant, nec quid aga- 
 IJius, animadvertunt, nec eft quod ab his ad hominum vitam 
 
 T4 ' 
 
( iSo ) 
 
 1 2. The great and primary principle of the Chrlf- 
 tian revealed religion is this, that Jefus, the founder 
 
 pertnaiiare poflitj quid eft quod ullos diis iramortalibus ciiltus, 
 lionores, preces adhibeamus? In fpecie autem fidae fimula- 
 tionis, ficut reliquae virtutes, ita pietas inceffe non pofcft ; cum 
 qua liraul et fanditatem et religionem tolli necefle eft 5 quibus 
 fublatis perturbatio vitse fequitur et magna confufio. Atque 
 haud fcio, an, pietate acbverfus deos Juhlatd, fides etiam et focietas 
 humani generh, ct zina exccllcntijjima i/irlus jicfihla tollatur^ 
 Cicero de Nat Deor. lib. i. § 3. ed, Lallemand, p. 131. See 
 Grot, de Jur. Bell, et Pac. lib. ii. § 44, 47. 
 
 Locke goes fo far as to fay, " tJiofe are not at all to he toht 
 rated, ixiho deny the being of a God. Promifes, covenants, and 
 oaths, can have no hold upon an atheift. The taking away of 
 God, though but even in thought, diftblves all. Befides alfo 
 thofe, that by their atheifm undermine and deftroy all religion, 
 can' have no pretence of religion, whereupon to challenge the 
 principle of a toleration." Locke's Works, fol. vol. ii. p. 251. 
 In another place, this warm friend to civil and religious liberty, 
 declares, " JVb opiniam contrary to human Joc 'tety, or to thofe moral 
 rules ivhich are necejfary to the prefer-vation of civil focicty, are to 
 ie tolerated hy the magifrate " lb. 250. When Mr. Locke faid 
 that thofe ought not to be tolerated tuho deny the being of a God, 
 he certainly did not mean that they fhould either be ftran^led or 
 burnt alive, but only that they ihould be reftrained in the pro- 
 pagation of their pernicious tenets, and excluded from all places 
 of civil truft and power. Few are the opinions which ought, or 
 n hich can reafonably be the objeiSt of penal reftraint, till they 
 are embodied in fome overt a£t; yet cafes may occur, in which 
 the diffufion of mifchievous principles ought not to be en- 
 couraged by impunity. A man may entertain an opinion that 
 there is no God ; and fuch an opinion is certainly not a fair 
 fufajeft of judicial cognizance or civil punifhment; but, if an 
 individual, not contented with the undifturbed pofleflion of 
 
( 28l ) 
 
 of it, was a perfon commifTioned by God to declare 
 his will to mankind to fhew what fpecies of wor- 
 
 this notion, {hould travel up and down the country to make 
 profelytes to it, and to fpread it abroad among the ignorant 
 multitude, he would, certainly, deferve an exemplary puniih- 
 ment; nor do I think, that in this cafe, it would be either 
 juft or prudent to fufpend the puniUunent till the evil effeds 
 of the opinion had become vifible and palpable in fome open 
 violation of the laws. If I find a man fowing thirties in my 
 field, am I to fufFer him to proceed till the ihiftles come up 
 and choke my corn ? That an atheift ought to be excluded 
 from all places of civil and ecclefiaftical truft and power, every 
 friend to piety will allow j but then, what teft ftiall we frame, 
 by which to diltinguifli him who really is an atheift, from 
 him who really is not an atheift? An atheift is a man who 
 denies the being of a God ; and the being of a God may cer- 
 tainly be denied in two ways; in -word, and in deed. Now, 
 to deny God in praftice, is certainly worfe than to deny hint 
 in word only ; but if we were to rank as atheifls all thofe who 
 deny God in pradice, that is, iv/io /i-ve as if there was m God 
 in the world to -whom they ivcrc accountable for their adions, I 
 fear that fome of thofe who now pafs for ftrift rcligionifts^ 
 would themfelves be obje£ts of the very intolerance which they 
 defend ! And yet what letter tefl can you have of a man's 
 belief or unbelief, his religion or irreligion, than his conduft? 
 Let, therefore, no man be admitted to any flation of power 
 or truft, to civil or ecclefiaftical honours, luhofe life is fuch as 
 to prove that fie has no fear of God before his eyes ; who has been 
 convided of perjury, fraud, extortion, adultery, or any heinous 
 violation of morality. And as all punilhment ought, as much 
 as is poffible, tend to the reformation of the criminal, let the 
 exclufion continue only for a certain period, or till con- 
 trition of heart is manifefted in a reformation of conduft. 
 Such regulations, adopted by the legillature, would be more 
 
( 282 ) 
 
 fnip was mofl: agreeable to the divine pleafure, and 
 mod conducive to tiieir own eternal happinefs. He 
 who denies this, is not a Chriftian ; and we cannot 
 regard him with the fame affedion as we (hould if 
 he belonged to the fold of Chrift. Such a divifion 
 in our fentiments, will prevent a thorough union in 
 our hearts. We love, and we cannot well help 
 loving thofe mofl, whofe principles are moft con- 
 genial to our own, whofe modes of thinking and of 
 aclion we mofl approve, and with the varied char^gcs 
 in whofe afFeflions and circumftances we feel the 
 ftrongeft propenfity to fympathife. A fincere be- 
 liever in the Chriftian revelation, may contemplate 
 a deift without averfion and without fcorn ; but how 
 can he regard with unmingled fatisfaftion and un- 
 alloyed efteem, one who regards that fyftem, in which 
 he finds a perennial fource of prefent confolation, 
 and from which he derives a cheering afiiirance of 
 future glory, either as an artfully contrived or a well 
 defigned impofture; who looks not unto Chrift with 
 affedion and with reverence, as the beloved fon of 
 God ; who imitates not the perfedions of his life j 
 who venerates not the memory of his death ; and 
 
 likely to flop the fpread of atheifm, than all the laws that were 
 ever framed, and, perhaps, all the fermons that were ever 
 preached. In vain fliall we endeavour to ftem the torrent of 
 irreligion which is rapidly- fweeplng away all the virtuous- 
 principles of the people, while we heap riches and honours on 
 thofe who, if they do profefs great zeal for the glory of God 
 with their lips, do fhew //^e ranJcrJl afhajin in their lives! 
 
 7 
 
( ) 
 
 who rejoices not in the hope of his refurreftion ? 
 Though in all who glory in the profefiion of Chrif^ 
 tianity, and in whom that profefiion is aflbciated 
 with vivid feelings of refped, of admiration, and of 
 gratitude for the beloved name of Chrift, fuch dif- 
 ferences of opinion may, and muft produce a dimi- 
 nution of our perfonal regard, yet they ought not to 
 exclude the individual from that degree of regard 
 which the genuine phihnthropift will feel for every 
 particular member of the human fpecies. 
 
 13. As God made of one blood all the nations 
 of men that dwell on the face of the who. . earth, 
 every fingle member of the univerfal family of man- 
 kind has a claim to certain fenfations of humane 
 regard ; a claim which is indefeafible and inalienable; 
 which he cannot part with, and which we ought not 
 to caft away. The fentient nature of man alone, 
 without any reference to his religion or his country, 
 to the nearnefs or the remotenefs of his relation to 
 us by any particular, any local or moral ties, ought 
 to be his protedion from cruelty, and his ftiield 
 againfl: injury *. But at the fame time, the na- 
 tural claim to regard which any individual has, as 
 a being pofleffing the fame common properties of 
 the fame common humanity, is greatly increafed by 
 the ties of kindred, friendfhip, neighbourhood, which 
 
 Injury is here ufed as any barm done with a malicious 
 intention. 
 
C 284 ) 
 
 render the general feeling more lively, didin^l, par- 
 ticular; and in proportion as thefe endearments of 
 family, friend lliip, neighbourhood, of the fame civil 
 and religious inilitutions are diminifhed, our afFedion 
 for the individual decreafes till it fubfides into a fort 
 of ferene complacency, which will often border on 
 indifference, and, in fome cafes, approach averfion ; 
 but which ought never to be fufFered to fvvell into 
 rage, or inflame into rancour. 
 
 14. Whatever ferves to increafe or to ftrengthen 
 our particular attachmentSj invigorates and multi- 
 plies the motives to preference, becaufe it renders 
 that general good-will which we feel towards the 
 iiniverfal fpecies of man, more exclufively appro- 
 priate to the individual. And thefe attachments, 
 thus individuated by family, friendfhip, neighbour- 
 hood, by affinities domeftic, local, civilj and reli- 
 gious, are greatly heightened by the moral approba^ 
 tion of the perfon. 
 
 15. If a man be our brother, our friend, or ac- 
 quaintance, he may reafonably have a particular 
 claim to our regard, merely upon the fcore of kin- 
 dred, friend(hip, acquaintance, but thefe claims will 
 be found, in ail cafes, to be ftrengthened, and, in 
 fome degree, hallowed by our moral approbation 
 of the individual •, and which, in calamity, increafes 
 ,the willingnefs to relieve, and the pleafure in re- 
 lieving. If a man be connected with us by no 
 
( ) 
 
 particular relations, but only as he is a being of the 
 fame fpecies, fubjcdl, like ourfelves, to pain and 
 pleafure, to imperfeftions and uncertainties, his 
 claim to any preference in diftrefs, muft depend 
 almoft folely on the moral eftimation of his charac- 
 ter. In the operations of beneficence, moral qua- 
 lities will perhaps, in fomc cafes, demand a pre- 
 ference even in the prefence, but always in the 
 abfence of other motives. 
 
 1 6. A communion in religious opinions has a 
 ftrong tendency to increafe our good-will towards 
 the individual ; and this increafe of affection may 
 very reafonably be expedled to take place, when 
 thofe opinions have a dire6l and intimate affociation 
 with goodnefs of conduft ; and confequently raife 
 the perfon in the fcale of moral eftimation. Moral 
 approbation may, indeed, often neither be dimi- 
 nifhed nor augmented by a difference or agreement 
 in particular tenets of religion; for the tenets in 
 which we differ or agree, may have no real or ap- 
 parent connexion with moral worth j may neither 
 favour its growth, nor promote its decline; and, 
 confequently, ought not to make any addition to, 
 or any deduction from, our moral approbation of 
 him, by whom they are efpoufed. 
 
 17. An individual may differ from me in be- 
 lieving that the day of judgment, as mentioned in 
 fcripture,' is not to be liberally conftrued, but to be 
 
( 286 ) 
 
 underftood as an adaptation to human forms of 
 fpeech*i but fuch a difference ought not, and can- 
 
 *• Since the greater part of this work was written, and the 
 fornoer fbeets printed off, I have been favoured with the pe - 
 rufal of Dr. Parr's Spital fernaon, in which he fays with his 
 accuftoined moderation, " Numerous and weighty indeed are 
 the reafons which induce far the greater part of enlightened 
 Chriftians to believe, that the fcriptural pafTages in which 
 1} rrj; y.cis-Eu;; rjWecx, or what is fometimes equivalent, -^u^scx 
 is mentioned, fhould be interpreted literally, and that the re- 
 Trards and puniflimcnts of another life will be difpenfed judi- 
 cially. There are, however, fome perfons, who, with equal 
 folicitude for the intereft of virtue, and equal reverence for 
 the authority of fcripture, contend, that the well-known prin- 
 ciple of ayc^a-ffO'jra5c(5s may be applied to fuch paffages ; and 
 that the jujiice of the Deity will be adminiftered by a regular 
 feries of caufes and effedsy producing happinefs to the righteous, 
 and mifery to the wicked." p. 152, 153. There may be fome 
 few queftions, political, moral, and religious, in which I do 
 not coincide in opinion with Dr. Parrj but, on all the great 
 and fundamental principles of policy, morality, and religion, 
 I truft that there are only fuch fliades of difference be- 
 tween us, as there muft neceffarily be between perfons, who, 
 equally attached to the interefts of truth, will not furrender to 
 others the right of thinking for themfelves. 
 
 Whatever be the fubjeft which engages the attention of Dr, 
 Parr, whether it relate to the delicate refinements of philology, 
 the intricate abftradtions of metaphyfics, the plaineft truths in 
 morals, or the loftieft fpeculations in philofophy, we never fail 
 of receiving equal inftru6tion and delight fiom the variety of 
 his erudition, the depth of his refearch, the largcnefs of his 
 views, the warinefs of his conclufions, and the richnefs of his 
 eloquence. The ornaments of his (iyle are often coftly, and 
 fplendid, and gorgeous} but exquifitely wrought, nicely pro- 
 
( ) 
 
 not, reafonably, detrad from our moral approbation 
 of each other; for it is of very little confequcnce to 
 the great interefts of morality, and it can neither 
 add to, nor take from the common perfuafions to 
 moral obligation, whether the lafc judgment be un- 
 derftood, according to the popular opinion, in the 
 ftriflnefs of the letter, or wlicther, as intimating that 
 every individual will be perfonally judged, if I may 
 fo fpeak, the moment that he dies ; that is, will pals 
 immediately after his difiblucion, into that condition 
 of happinefs or mifery, for which he is fitted by the 
 pafl: habits of his mortal life. 
 
 1 8. Whether the laft fentence be pafled colknively 
 and at the fame time, on all the individuals of all 
 countries and ages, or whether every particular in- 
 dividual be, Jeparately^ fentenced to receive accord- 
 ing to his works, is a queftion more curious than 
 important ; a nd the intercfts of morality will not 
 fuffer, whichfoever opinion we embrace. But when 
 any individual profeiTes tenets which are entirely 
 adverfe to the fundam.ental principles of true reli- 
 gion, the cafe is altered ; our moral approbation of 
 the perfon vindicating fuch opinions is diminilhed ; 
 we regard him not only as an alien from die houfe- 
 hold of faith, but an enemy to the happinefs of 
 
 portioned, and happily combined ; they refemble the exuberant 
 magnificence of an eaftern pnlace, difpofcd with the fiuiple 
 tafte of a Grecian artifl. 
 
( 288 ) 
 
 foclety. The moral diflatisfaflion, which We feel^ 
 chills the warmth of benevolent fcnfation, and re- 
 prefTcs the adlivity of the benevolent principle. The 
 claim to compaffion is more weak, and the motives 
 to fuccour are lefs ftrong. But we are to remember 
 that benevolence may be cooled, without malice 
 being inflamed j and that an union of the fentiments 
 can never be effeded by an oppofition of the paf- 
 fions. There is no tendency, in the genius of con- 
 tention, to refute errors, to extirpate prejudices, to 
 fettle principles, or to harmonife opinions. Reafon 
 difallows, humanity profcribes, and religion forbids 
 fuch methods of vanquilhing falfehood, or of aiding 
 the triumphs of truth. 
 
 19. Thofe differences of opinion among Chrlf- 
 tians, which create fuch deadly animofities, feldom 
 relate to effential matters of belief, but to points, 
 about which we may differ, without erring from the 
 way of righteoufnefs. As the members of the fame 
 family may think very differently on many little 
 points of domefl:ic intereft, without any reafonable 
 deduflion from thofe tender regards which the ties 
 of family prefcribe ; fo, among Chriftians, diverfities 
 of fentiment on many queftions of uncertain doc- 
 trine, as the co-eternity and co-equality of the three 
 perfons in the godhead, the formalities of the future 
 judgment, or the duration of future punifhments^ 
 ought not to produce diffenfions, feparations, and 
 fchifms in the great family of Chrift. 
 
( 2?9 ) 
 
 20. In order, as much as pofTible, to prevent 
 divifions in the church of Chrift, the apoftles car- 
 ncfUy enjoin us, "to follow peace/' Heb. xii. 14. 
 to endeavour to " live peaceably with all men>" 
 Rom. xii. 18, to "follow righteoufnef-.,. faith, (chat 
 is, truth,) love, peace, together with thofe that call 
 on the Lord out of a pure heart." 1 Tim. ii. 22. In 
 this lad paffage it particularly deferves our attention, 
 that peace, or the prcfervation of amity and fellow- 
 fhip with all good Cnriftians *, is clalTed among the 
 primary Chriftian virtues, and placed by the fide of 
 juftice, truth, and charity. And hence we may learn 
 the crying and damning fm of difturbing the peace 
 of the houfehold of Chrift by mifchievous divifions 
 and invidious diftindions. The guilt of fchifm (for 
 fchifm, being a violation of Chriftian charity, is cer- 
 tainly a fin) is incurred, when thofe, who ought to 
 agree in one communion, ereft hoftile churches, and 
 form feparate congregations, without fufiicient rea- 
 Ibns f. 
 
 * Msra rwv sTfiy.a.Xov(j.EV'Juv fov Kvpiov ey. xvAupx; KCtp^la;. 
 
 f May I addrefs the prefent champions of ecclefiaftical 
 diflenfion in the eloquent interrogatories of the venerable Cle- 
 ment, the companion of St. Paul, and the fucce(for of St. Peter? 
 " '^Iva ri ipiii, KCci, ^ujw-o/, xa/ JiKOcrrac-f'ai, koa (Tyjcrii.oi.ra, TToAgju-Of 
 rz iv \j[i.iv, n O'jyj \ya. ©il-/ iyoiJ.£v, kcli 'iva. Xpi<rrov; kui tv 
 !i(vliilt.x rrj; yd^tTo; TO sKy.^av eip' r^[J.xs, xai ju.ia H/.-^cnj eV Xpurrw, 
 ^vx ri Sts/^y.ou.sv y.xi Siaa-Tru}u.sv rd (x-eaij t8 Xsicra, xat a-rxiTix^o^Uv 
 irpoi ro (TM^x TO '/Jiov, xai ej: roffxvTr^v xttovoixv spyofj.e^x, lia-re 
 airtka^ia-^xi yjiJ.xs on jasA'^j iir/AEy aAAijAwv}" Vid. S. Clem, ad 
 
 u 
 
( 290 ) 
 
 ai. The only reafons which can juftify a fecefllon 
 from the bofom of that church, or houfehold of 
 faith, which is eftabliftied in the country in which 
 t*e live, are either great and notorious corruptions in 
 its dodtrine, or in the praflice of its members, fuch 
 as caufed our anceftors to feparate from the com- 
 munion of papal Rome. But can any reafons, fimi- 
 lar in kind, or equal in ftrength, be alleged to ex- 
 cufc the prefent numerous feparations from the Pro- 
 teftant Church of England ? Is her do<flrine defiled 
 Vvith the fame pollutions ? Are her rites encumbered 
 with the fame mummeries, or her minifters dif- 
 graced by the fame enormities ? If there be fome 
 fuperfluities in her liturgy, or fome erroneous con- 
 clufions in her articles, are they of fuch a nature as 
 to afford a reafonable pretext to the majority of dif- 
 fidents, for the defertion of her communion ? 
 
 22. No liturgy can well be fo framed as to appear 
 blamelefs to men of different opinions, or to fuit the 
 taftes and wilbes of all feds-, but though the Englifh 
 liturgy may be, and certainly is, liable to particular 
 objedions, does it, notwithllanding, not deferve the 
 fincere, if not the unqualified approbation, of all 
 feds of Chriftians ? In its detached parts, faulty paf- 
 
 Corinth, Epift. i. 40, Coteler Patr. Apoftol. vol. i. p. 174, 175. 
 Ed. Amftel. 1724. May I, at the fame time, and on the fame 
 authority, add? that " 6./6xr^ cryriviMX ovy. £%£<, a.yir.r^ o» 
 <yra<ni^si, ayaffij vxvra. ttoie; £•/ o^ovo/a* and that J('%a dydifi^s 
 ov?|y sCdf'Sa-Toy icTi fw Qsw." p. j 76. 
 
( ) 
 
 fages may appear ; fome prejudices may be remarked 
 which were not fo much the erroris of the authors, 
 as of the age in which they lived ; but, confidrred 
 as a whole, it breathes the moft liberal fentiments, 
 the moft enlightened piety, and the moft compre- 
 henfive charity: it contains petitions fuited to all the 
 necelFities, and to all conditions of mankind ; not a 
 fupplication is wanting that we can ever have oc- 
 cafion to utter, for our own good, or the good of 
 others ; and it can never be devoutly read, or at-ren- 
 tivcly heard, without the moft beneficial influence 
 on our thoughts and adions, our hearts and lives. 
 None of the prayers are polluted by cant, or embar- 
 rafled by hypocrify; they afford the ftrongeft internal 
 teftimony, that thofe who compofed them did not 
 write what they did not feel j they are charaflerifcd 
 by fimplicity and fincerity; and hallowed by the 
 genuine afpirations of unafFcfttd piety. In fuch a 
 liturgy, fo far fuperior to all the extravagances of 
 extemporaneous devotion, fo falutary in its tendency, 
 fo benign in its fpirit, and fo fublime in its compo- 
 fition, the particular defedls are loft in the general 
 beauty; and fome few paffages, which deferve cen- 
 fure, may well be forgotten in the many, on which 
 it would be rank iinpiety not to beftow unqualified 
 approbation. 
 
 23. Thofe fefls who pretend that the partial 
 blemifties or the particular dcfedls, which they defcry 
 in the Church of England, are the grounds of their 
 
 U 2 
 
( ) 
 
 reparation, ought furely to confider whether its ge- 
 neral excellence and its general ufefulnefs might 
 not, with more reafon, become the grounds of their 
 conformity. The latter fiirnifli ftronger arguments 
 for fupport, than the former for oppofuion ; the one 
 ftronger motives for affent, than the other for dif- 
 fenfion. If the evil be more than balanced by the 
 good, the eftablifhment * is not to be reprobated, 
 
 * No rational man will, I think, deny, that a ftate ought to 
 guard the, nioral, with as much tendernefs and vigilance as the 
 temporal welfare of its fubjeds; to proted their hearts from 
 the inroads of vice, with as much circumfpedion as to preferve 
 their property from injuftice, or their lives from deftrudion. 
 Indeed, that government, which does not attend with fcrupu- 
 lous anxiety to the morals of its people, appears to me crimi- 
 nally indiftercnt to their profperity, and its own fecurity. In 
 th^ providential economy of the world, moral and phyfical 
 good feem intimately connededj and, though this wife order 
 of the divine government may often elude our fearch, or 
 efcape our obfervation, in the aflairs of individuals, it is very 
 apparent in thofe dil'penfations which regard the fortune of 
 nations. In the viciflitudes of nations, in their ebbings and 
 Sowings, their elevations and depreflions, a moral government 
 of the world is too ftriking not to be remarked; and, accord- 
 ing to the eftablithed laws of that government, the profperity 
 will, generally, be found to bear a certain relative proportion 
 to the virtue of any people. Ancient hiftory, and more efpe- 
 cially, the divine records of the Old Teftament, will furnilh us 
 with many memorable and imprell'ive examples of this falutary 
 truth. Coulider the fate of Sodom and Gomorrah, the deftruc- 
 tion of Nineveh, of Babylon, and of Tyre ; the depreffion of 
 Egvpt, the fubverfion of the Perfian and Macedonian empires; 
 the defolation of Jerufalem ; the declenfion and the fall of 
 
( 293 ) 
 
 bccaufe the good is not greater than it is, or fo great 
 as it might bci for, of what civil, or what religious 
 
 confular, of imperial, and of papal Rome ! Even the phyfical 
 flate of the atmofphere feems, according to fome fixed but in- 
 fcrutable appointment of divine wifdom, to fympaihifc, if I 
 may fo exprefs it, with the moral ftate of man ; and where 
 fuperfiition has defcribed the miilign influences of the planets, 
 the operations of genii, or the ravages of demons, the Chrif- 
 tian philofopher, who labours to inveftigate the affinities of 
 the moral and the natural world, fees awful manifeflations of 
 the moral government of God. How any changes in the 
 moral, do produce any thing like correfponding changes in the 
 natural world, it may be impoffible to explain ; but hillory and 
 obfervation will furnifli fome ftriking analogies to countenance 
 the fuppofition. Indeed 1 hardly fee how any fober and con- 
 templative man who has, for the laft few years, compared the 
 ftate of the earth with the figns in the heavens, the convulfed, 
 difordered, and corrupt ft ite of the nations, with the unwhole- 
 fomenefb of the air, the unfruitfulnefs of the feafons, the 
 llorms and tempefi?, the droughts and rains, the ^blights and 
 mildew, the dearth, and fever and difeafe, that have prevailed 
 in different parts of the world, can doubt but that moral and 
 phyfical evil are more clofely connefted than is commonly 
 imagined. The hifiory of the Jews (if we ftippofe that hif- 
 tory true, and what hiftory is true if that be falf ?) proves the 
 intimate connexion fubfifting between the moral and the 
 natural world ; we fee the heavens opened or fiiut, the feafons 
 fruitful or unprodudlive, the air wholefome or peftilential, the 
 land pnrched with drought or rcfreflied with rain, according to 
 the righteoufnefs or the depravity, the moral good or the 
 moral evil of the people. And, if there be, at prefent, any 
 connexmi fubfifting between the mgral flate of man, and the 
 natural ftate of the feafons, the air, the earth, and the ocean^ 
 it is certainly an argument of no fmali weight to prove how 
 
 U 3 
 
( 294 ) 
 
 inftitutions, that ever exifted in the world, was the 
 good produced entirely anfwerable to the expeda- 
 
 important it is for thofe governments which regard the bappi- 
 nels of their lubjeas, and the profperity of their country, to 
 make the interelts of morality a primary objeft of thdr policy. 
 It (Lies not feem pollible for any government to keep up a 
 lively fenfe of moral duty among the great mafs of its fubje^ts, 
 without giving to moral precepts the authority of religious 
 fan6tions, and invigorating the pradice by the force of reli- 
 g-ous motives. Neiiher the blanriifliments of philofophy, nor 
 rhetorical pictures of the beauty of vice or the uglinefs of vir- 
 tue, nor even the terrors of penal law, can, independent 
 of the motives and fandions of religion, give ftrength and 
 energy, animation and conjlancy, to a fenJ'e of moral duty. 
 Without fo7ne aid from the devotional habits of religion^ our no- 
 tions of moral duty will, notwithftanding the molt affiduous 
 endeavours to prevent it, wither and diej fall off from the 
 heart, and fade from the confcience. 
 
 It is not fo much by a dread of punifliment, as by a fenfe 
 of duty, that a good and wife government will labour to check 
 the increafe of crimes, and to promote the growth of virtue. 
 But can a fenfe of moral duty by any artifice or fophiftry be 
 rendered frelb, vigorous, and lafting, without alTociate feelings 
 of religious reverence, without any iruft in the being of a God, 
 who -.viil reward the righteous, and punifti the wicked ? It is this 
 perfuafion of thefe truths, that gives flrength and confiftency 
 to virtuous conduft ; that makes men fearful to tranfgrefs, and 
 anxious to do the will of God. Penal laws, for (he moft part, 
 operate as preventives of evil j but religious perfuafions as in- 
 centives to good. The hrft deter from crimes, the laft prompt 
 to afts of virtue J perjury and injuftice may be difcouraged by 
 the one, but truth, and righteoufnefs, and charity, are enli- 
 vened by the other. And the influence of religious belief is 
 more conftant and permanent than that of penal law. When 
 
( 29S ) 
 
 tion, to the capacity or the pofiibllity? If it be 
 objedtd by fome icQ.s, that th^y cannot continue 
 
 a criminal fees the gallows before his eyes, on which fome 
 delinquent has pai-u the forfeit of his crimes, -the image may 
 amprefs a momentary terror on his heart, b'lt it leaves no 
 wholefi me imprr Ilion on his confcience. It produces fenfa- 
 tions of danger, but it does not trouble his loul with a fenfe 
 9f gujlt ; it dues noi ex. ite his abhorrence of moral evil, nor 
 a convidion of moral good. It may generate caution, but it 
 does not favour the growth of virtue. Penal laws may be, 
 indiredly, but are never direttly, beneficial. They contribute 
 a negative, not a politive quantity, to the fum of moral good- 
 nefs. On the other hand, right perfuafion.i of religious duty 
 never deter from e^il without inciting to good. Thev not 
 only fhovv us that we have no interelt in doing evil, but that 
 we have a great intereft in doing good. They opemf on the 
 foul of man by the dread of fufFering, and the hope of blifs. 
 Taking hold of our ftrongeft feelings, hope on one fide, and 
 fear on the other, whole united ftreng th, when combined in 
 due proportions, produces the greateft wiil to zQ:. and the 
 greateft energy in adion, they operate on the condud by the 
 ftroogett poflible motives, and render us unwearied in well 
 doing. Hence it will, I tliink, be evident of what vaft and 
 inconceivable importance it is, to furnifh fucli a being as man 
 with religious motives to moral adion. But. is it poflible to 
 furnilh religious motives without religious inftrudion ? and 
 how can any llate diffeminate religious belief, or fpread reli- 
 gious inftrudion among the great mafsof its fubjeds, without 
 the iiiterraediaie aid of an order of men fpecially educated for, 
 and Ipecially devoted to, that important purpofe? As if aware 
 of thefe intereliing truths, few have been the governments, 
 •which hiftory records, who have not inliituted ;md maintained 
 a particular clafs of men to keep up the fear of God among 
 the people, and to ftreiigthen the precepts of morality by the 
 
 U 4 
 
( ) 
 
 in communion with the Church of England, becaufe 
 ftie holds tenets which they deem unfcriptural j may 
 
 fanSions of religion. And thofe governments which have not 
 been blelTcd vjdth the light of true religion, have, ufually, found 
 it expedient to inveot a f ile; and forge divine fan6lion^ 
 to give ftability to human inftiuitions. All religion has for 
 its bafis the moral governintnt of God, or, at leati, fuppofes 
 that there are powers above which interelt themfelves in the 
 affiiirs of the woild below. Such a pei fuahon, whether it be the 
 produce of hdtion or of truth, muft be falutary; but, in thofe 
 countries, in which the will of God has been clearly evinced 
 by the glorious light of revelation, it is incun-.bent on every 
 government to make the truth of that revelation univerfally 
 known, and its precepts univerfally relpeded. It may be laid, 
 that religious truths are fo congenial to the re;ifon, and reli- 
 gious feelings fo entwined around the .heart, that the belief 
 and the praftice of Chriftianity would be as prevalent without, 
 as it is with an etlabliHied minifliy. To this, I would anfwer, 
 that the fa£t might j">Jfibly be fo; but, that it fmbubly would 
 not ; and that no government feeling a fatherly concern for tire 
 good of its fubje£ts, ought to leave a matter of fuch infinite 
 importance, as the knowledge of religious truth and moral ob- 
 ligation, to uncertainty and accident. And we are to confider 
 that it is not only the duty of every government to communi- 
 cate religious inftruflion to its fubjeds, in order to prevent 
 the growth of immorality, but of fuperftition ; that their hearts 
 may not be depraved, nor their minds bewildered by religious 
 jugglers; that they may be taught to conlider religion, not as 
 a topic of contention, but a rule of life: not as fupplying ali- 
 ment for diffenfion, but motives to righteoufnefs. I fliall be 
 told, that religion, being entirely a perfonal concern, indivi- 
 duals fhould be at liberty to choofe a religious paftor for them- 
 felves. Enlightened people may do this; but are the majority 
 thus enlightened Axe ^hey capable of determining what are 
 
( 297 ) 
 
 we not, without offence, exhort them to confider 
 that " charity is the bond of ■pcrfeElion,^'' and " the end 
 
 the qualifications beft fiiited to a minifter of the gofpel of 
 Chiift? Certaiuly not. If the religious miniftcis of the diffe- 
 rent parirties throughout the kingdom were appointed by 
 the fuffrage of the muhitude, v\e lliould have all our churches 
 filled, not with fober Chrifiian teachers, but with brawling 
 fanniics and car;ting hypocrites, who ufually poffcfs thofc qua- 
 lifications which are moft likely to win the attention, and to 
 impole on the credulity of the multitude. Such preachers, 
 intlrad of infirucLing the people in moral duty, would caufe 
 them to wander far and wide from the flraight track of com- 
 mon ffufe, till they were loft in the wilds of myftery. Mo- 
 rality would be driven, as feme profane and merely nominal 
 Chriftians have attempted to drive it, from the Chriftian fanc- 
 tuary; and the religion of Jefus would be evaporated in the 
 heat of controverfy, or burled under a mafs of Pharifaic forms. 
 The finiple fayings and reafonable djscrecs of the Chriftian 
 lawgiver, would be forgotten in a rigorous devotion to fuper- 
 ftitious ordinances J and the milk of the gofpel would be 
 converted into the poifon of the afp. 
 
 The French philofophers committed a fignal error in policy, 
 and fliewed an aftonifliing ignorance both of the nature and 
 the hiftory of man, when they fuppofcd that the ftrength of 
 their civil, would be diminilhed, or their purity defiled by aa 
 alliance with religious inftitutions. Political power is always 
 mofl ftaiile and fecure when it refis on the columns of religion. 
 Eeli^ion, I mean not corrupt, but piue, undefiled religion, ren- 
 ders it venerable, and gives it an influence over the public 
 will and arttdtions, which nothing elfe can bcftow. It ferves 
 to convert the political into a moral government \ it arms the 
 fovereign with a power, in fome mealure, moie than human ; 
 and makes obedience to the civil magiftrate a part of our duty 
 to the God of heaven. The Chriftian rehgion, I am well con- 
 
( ) 
 
 cf the dGm'iStandinent " and that ecclcfiaftical peace, 
 -jvi^iph is 4ifturbed by their Ichifms and broken by 
 their divifions u a pare of charity ? 
 
 "vinced, dops not need the frnil ftny of civil power; but it is 
 quite another thing to fuppofe th.w a ftate needs a religious 
 efrabliJhmentj and that religion needs a ftate eftabliJhment. 
 The latter pofuion may be falfe, ..nd the former true; for 
 iiuman power and human inllitations may want the aid of 
 religion, tbongh religion may nor want ihc'u- aid. The alliance 
 between church ar.d fiate is tor ihe benefit of both ; but the 
 advnntages of the union preponderate greatly in favour of the 
 latter. An eftnblillitd church muli conduce to the preferva- 
 tion of civil liberty. It fpre^.ds over the country jiift and true 
 and rational notions of the natural equality of tnankmd ; it 
 teaches the prince that, in the eyes of the Father of fpints, he 
 is no greater than the meancft of his fubjefts ; and it tends to 
 make the peafant cont-^'nted by imprefling his fuperiors with 
 humility. It repreffcs the two extremes of behaviour, which 
 are equally adveife to public liberty, abjefl fer\ ilny on the one 
 fide, and hard-hearted infolence on the other. It inlpires fen- 
 timents of independance ; it cherifhes in every mind right 
 notions of the efllntial dignity of human nature; it brings the 
 rich and the poor together, and by teaching them their com- 
 mon origin, and their common end, their mutual wants and 
 infirmities, their relative dependance on each other, and their 
 abfclute dependarxe upon God, it promotes the growth and 
 €xpanfion of all the fecial virtues, which are the fource of fnch 
 a variety of happinefs. The remarks, which I have here made, 
 on religious eitablilhments, maybe conlidered as fupplement.'.l 
 to thofe which I have inferted in " Morality united with Po- 
 licy*." At feme future period, if a convenient opportunity 
 
 * I particularly retcr the reader to that pamrhkt irom page S5 line 17, to 
 page 91 line iz.. 
 
( 299 ) 
 
 24* If the multiplication of fe£l againft fed and 
 church againft church keep on increafing in the 
 fame rapid ratio in which it has increafed for the laft 
 few years, ChriQians will at laft be fplit into almoft 
 as many fc6ts as there are individuals; and the ge- 
 nuine fpirit, and the effcncial duties of Chriftianity 
 will be loft and forgotten under the cloud of their 
 diflenfions *. In order, as much as pofTible, to ftop 
 the prog'-efs and to coun:era6l the mifchief of theie 
 endlefs dlvifions, let the fpirit of rr.utual charity and a 
 bond of univerfal concord be eftablifned among Chrif- 
 tians of all fedls and denominations by this important 
 and tranquillizing confideration, thatCHRisTiANiry is 
 
 NOTHING MORE THAN A RULE OF L1F£ and that, 
 
 fhall occur, I fhall not ftiiink from a more firll difcufllon of 
 this important fiibjed. At prefent I cannot help cxprefling 
 my ardent wifli, that evtry national church were founded on 
 truly catholic principles, fuch as would allay the jealoufies of 
 the fectary, and appeafe the violence of religious animotity. 
 
 * If the well meaning and honeft diflenters of different feiits 
 and opinions fliould, inllead of erecting hoftile churches, think 
 it more accordant with the fpirit of Chriftian cliarity, to af- 
 femble ihemfelves together in the bolbm of the Church of 
 England, tlrict orders Ihould be given to the mmifters of the 
 eflablifliment never to preach on any uncertain, difputed, and 
 unprofitable doctrines 5 but to forlake the fpurious and pole- 
 mical, for the genuine practical theology; and to make it their 
 primary ftudy to illuftrate and to enforce thofe great Chriftian 
 virtues which relate to the government of the thoughts, the 
 afFedlions, and the conduct. 
 
 t See Anti-Calvinift, 2J edit. p. 2.5 — 28. Perhaps the 
 reader, who may not like to aflVnt to this moft interefling 
 
( joo ) 
 
 confequently, thofe only are nieet to receive the 
 favour of God in this world and in the next, who 
 
 condiifion on the authority of the bumble curate of Harburjr,' 
 may gi\e it his cordial affent when it is prele ited to him in 
 the V. ords of Dr. Samur! Clarke. " Since," fays this great or- 
 ran fnt nnd fupport of the Euglifn protetiant church, "God 
 truly and fiiic-rely defires to make men happy by the exercife 
 of virtue; ai^d fince tiut virtue, which is the condition of this 
 happinefs, is no other than the pratlice of thofe great moral 
 dutiea of godliuefs, righieoufuefs, and temperance, which are 
 the eternal and unch,:ngeable law of God ; it follows necef- 
 farlly, that the great and ultimate clefgn of all true religion can 
 be no other than to rccojumcnil thcfc I'lriueS, and to enjorce their 
 praQice. Other things may be heJpz and ojjijlances of religion j 
 many^cKternal obfervances may, for wife reafons, be pofitively 
 comiTianded ; and may be of exceediiig great ufe as means to 
 promote devotion and piety: but the life and substance 
 
 OF ALL TRUE RELIGION. THE END AND SCOPE IN WHICH ALL 
 THiNGS ELSE MUST TERMINATE, CANNOT, POSSIBLY, EE ANY 
 OTHER, THAN THE PRACTICE OF THESE GREAT AND ETERNAL 
 
 DL'TiLS." Clarke's Works, vol. iii. p. 58,", 588. 
 
 " The beft definition," fays Jeremy Taylor, I can give of 
 it (Chriflianity) is this; It is the wisdom of God brought 
 DOWN AMONG US TO DO GOOD TO MEN." See Supplem. to 
 Taylor's Sermons, p. 5. That the Chriftians of the primitive 
 times, conlidered Chriitinnity as nothing more than a rule of life, 
 the render will readily di (cover by a perul'al of Caves' primitive 
 Cht';ltian'"ty, parts 2 and 3; a book which I once heard very 
 llrenuoufiy recommended in a plain, judicious, and unafTtiSted 
 charge, delivered to the clergy by the Bifliop of Lichfield and 
 Coventry. In Bifliop "VVatfon's excellent colle£tion of theolo- 
 gical tradt";, the reader will find, in vol. vi. a work entitled, 
 "The Defign of Chriftianity ;" which may be perufed with 
 advantage by thofe who think that CbrilVianity is either fome- 
 thing lep or foujelhing tnore than a ru.e of life. 
 
( 301 ) 
 
 Ihow greater zeal in running the race of goodnefs 
 than the more vain and inglorious race of fpeculative 
 altercation. When Chriftians fhali embrace and 
 hold fall: this great reaf^nabic and fcriptural truth, 
 to which the diligent ftudy of the doctrine of Chriil, 
 as it is intimated in the ailions of his life, and de- 
 clared in the vvords of his difcourfes,^ "will inevirably 
 lead every honeft inquirt-r; the different fects of 
 CKni^ians, feeing the Htclc profit, and feeling the 
 great impiety of their mutual contentioas, will agree, 
 notwithftanding the countlefs variety of tiieir opi- 
 nions, to hold the ujiicy of the fjnrit in the bond of 
 peace. Inftead of fomenting idle and caufelefs 
 fchifms in the body of the church of Chrii'l, and 
 needlefs and infiJious feparations from each other, 
 they will coalefce into a benevolent and holy union, 
 lifting up their hands in the fame houfe of prayer, 
 bending their knees at the fame altar, cheriih- 
 ing in their hearts the precious recoUeftion of the 
 founder of their faith, breathing the true fpirit of 
 righteoufnefs, and animated with the flame of uni- 
 verfal charity. 
 
 25. Though it be our duty to endeavour, by every 
 argument which reafon approves, and every pcrfua- 
 fion which charity fuggefts, to bring all Chriftians 
 of all denominations, into the fellowlhip of one com- 
 munion, we are to ufe no compulfory meafures what- 
 ever in order to promote fo definable an end. Their 
 fellowfhip muft not be the effeft of force, but the 
 
( 302 ) 
 
 fruit of affedion ; it muft be voluntary, that it may 
 be lafting. We have no right whatever to the leaft 
 dominion over the private judginent of the meaneft 
 individual in matters of re^gion. All attempts to 
 fetter the confcienccs of men is the ufurpation of a 
 power, which it is arrogance to claim, and impiety 
 to exercife. We are rather to condud ourrelvcs 
 with gentlenefs towards thofe who oppofe them- 
 felves ; we are to bear with the froward, and to fticw 
 patience toward the ftubborn. 
 
 26. When Chriftians come rightly to diftinguidi 
 the eflentials of true religion from things indifferent, 
 they will carefully avoid foolifh and unlearned quef- 
 tions, which do gender ftrifes*. The eflTentials 
 of the pure unfophifticated Chriftian religion confift 
 in Jobernefs, righteoufiiefs, and godlinefs j ; to the habi- 
 tual exercife of which we are incited by the awful 
 profped: of a day of judgment, and ihe hope of a 
 happy immortality. Sobernejs relates to the preven- 
 tion of all excejs in the indulgence of our appetites 
 and paffions j to the due obfervation of temperance 
 in act and in defirej right eciifnejs includes truth and 
 juftice, and all thofe duties which cannot be violated 
 without wrong being done to others; godlinefs com- 
 prehends ail our afls and exprelTions of religious 
 adoration ; and it more particularly implies the 
 imitation of God in the operations of his benefi- 
 
 * Ses 2 Tim. ii 23, 
 
 t See Tit. ii. ! I, 12. 
 
( 303 ) 
 
 ccnce *. He, therefore, and he only, can he cifnn- 
 minated truly religious, whofe appetites and palfior s> 
 whofe mind and aff"r6tions, are under '•He heavenly 
 government of temperance, of ttuta, of juflioc, and 
 of charity. 
 
 Qj. If Jobernefs, riihteov.Jnefs^ and gndlinefs, be the 
 only eflential p inciples of the true Chriftian religion, 
 it will, I think, be f/und that all feparations are 
 grtundlefs, and all fchifms contr.iry to the genius 
 and teTper of the Chriftian religi n, which are not 
 occafioned by fome glaring difference of opinion 
 rcfpedling the faudity of the performance of thefc 
 eternal obligations. If ftlefnefs, rigbteoufnefs, and 
 godlinefs; if temperance, truth, juftice, and mercy, the 
 weighty matters of tl>e Mofaic law, and tiie weightier 
 matters of the Chriftian gofpel, be the caufe for 
 which we feparate from any national church, the 
 ground of our feparation is well founded, and ought 
 to be maintained. Not to feparate for fuch reafons 
 is impiety j to feparate on any other account feems 
 a want of charity f. 
 
 * True and genuine pifly, s'jcrs^sio., is the aflive imitation 
 of the goodnefs of God. Hear St. James; "The religion 
 which is pure and undcfiled before our God and Father is this; 
 to take care of orphans and widows in their affliction, and to 
 keep one's felf unfpotted f rom the world." 
 
 + To feparate from any church becaufe the facrament Is 
 received knet-ling inftead of ftanding, or (landing inftead of 
 kneeling, becaule there happens to be a pi£ture of the cruci- 
 
( 304 ) 
 
 28. If any national church authorize or exciife anf 
 corruptions, which are contrary to the immutable 
 precepts of the moral law, which tend to rckx its 
 hold on the confcience, or its influence on the life, 
 it becomes a duty in every faithful follower of Chrift 
 Jefus to abjure the communion of fuch a church, 
 in which fuch immoralities prevail. If any church 
 affume a right to difpenle with the obligations of 
 truth, juftice, and charity, if fhe grant fpecial ex- 
 emptions from the punifhment due to perjury, to 
 injuftice, to brutal cruelty, or brutal lud*, flie be- 
 comes an enemy to the glory of God, and the hap- 
 pinefs of mankind. She violates her vows, and be- 
 trays her truft. Then, the voice of confcience will 
 exclaim to us, as it did to our anceftors of old, when 
 they renounced tlie church of Rome, " come out of 
 her, my peoples that ye be- not partakers of her 
 plagues, and drink not of the cup of her abomina- 
 
 fixion over the altar, becaufe the minifter wears a hood or a 
 furplice, or becaufe the fo'm of church difcipliiie is not accord- 
 ing to the Ca'viiiitHc reprefentatioiis of primitive feverity ; — to 
 feparate for thefe. reafons, or reafous fimilar to thefe, fhews 
 great imbecility of ' mind, and great contraction of heart. 
 
 * It is well known that when the corruptions of the Romiili 
 church were at their highell, a licence might be pnrchafed 
 for the comm'illion of the moil atrocious crimes. I friall men- 
 tion only one inftance, but a little fearch would eafily furnidi 
 a thoufand. The Cardinal of St. Lucia reqneited of Pope Six- 
 tus IV. permilTioii for himfelf and his family to commit 
 ****** during the three hot months in the year: to which 
 moJeJi petition the indulgent father replied; " Fiat ut pct'ilur" 
 
C 305 ) 
 
 tlons." On fuch occafions, the prefervation of peace 
 with a fociety fo polluted and fo polluting, is to be 
 facrificed to the vital interefts of righteoufnefs. 
 
 29. But, can it be pretended, with any colouring 
 of reafon, even by the moft inveterate enemies of 
 the church of England, that her dodbrine or her 
 prayers, her inftitutions or her practice, do, in any 
 way, difcourage the interefts of real virtue, or the 
 pradice of real piety? Her errors, whatever may be 
 the errors for which fo many abjure her fellowfliip, 
 are not fubverfive of true righteoufnefs and godli- 
 nefs} and confequently, are infufficient to juftify 
 their feparation. Though every good and every 
 x^ife man muft' fincerely wifh that fuch alterations 
 were made in our articles and our liturgy, as to re- 
 move every ftone of ftumbling and caufe of offence, 
 yet, I think, that even at prefent, there is not one 
 fingle fe6t of difTcnters, who can, on any broad and 
 and liberal principles of reafon or of confcience, 
 fquared by the meafures of Chriftian charity, refufe 
 to addrefs the great Father of Spirits in our churches, 
 and to celebrate the memory of his crucified Son at 
 our altars. In the Englifh ritual all the weightier 
 matters of religion are powerfully recommended to 
 the attention, and imprefTed upon the confcience, by 
 the; moft fublime efFufions of devotional piety ; and 
 if^ on fome myfterious points of faith, all feds can- 
 not afTent to the tenets of the Englifh church, yet, 
 very different opinions on thofe tenets being clearly 
 
 X 
 
( 3o6 ) 
 
 compatible with the culture and the praflice of thefe 
 Ibvereign Chrlftian virtues, fobernefs, righteoufncfs, 
 and godlinefs, which are the alone conditions of fal- 
 Vation, ought neither to alienate their afFedions from 
 her, nor her affcflions from them. Inftead of 
 making every trifling cavil a pretext for diffenfion, 
 the feparatifts from the church of England ought 
 rather to forego their prejudices, and to facrifice their 
 fcruples, when they are not j'cruples felative to points of 
 moral obligation, in order to preferve the relations of 
 amity and good neighbourhood with the efl:abli(hed 
 houfhold of their feiiow Chriftians j and to grow 
 ftrong in the fpirit, and the praflice of that love 
 which is the fulfilling of the law. Eager contentions 
 about forms that are infignificant, and myfteries that 
 are infcrutable, profit nothing ; hut, by cherifinng per- 
 verfenefs and engendering malignity^, they may Iring de- 
 ftru^ion cn the foul ; while ecclefiaftical peace, at the 
 fame time that it contributes largely to prefent hap- 
 pinefs, is one of the modifications of that heavenly 
 temper which v/ill cover a multitude of fms*. 
 
 * It mull be conftfTpd tbat, \^iihont any breach of chari- 
 table fiippofnion, till rc are rtrong realbns for believing that 
 many late feparations from the Church of England have not 
 originated fo much in honeft- fcruples of confcience, as in the 
 wanton pride of oppofition ; not fo much in the love of truth, 
 as the luft of fingularityj not fo much in the fervour of artlefs 
 pitH) , as in the extravagance of a certain wild and prurient 
 coriof-.ty. From thefe caufes, and caufes fimilar to thefe, reli- 
 gious dilTenfions have been begun in our towns, and fcatlered 
 
( J07 ) 
 
 30. Some occafions there are, but they will rarely 
 occur, in which a diverfuy of opinions can reafon- 
 ably juftify a diminution of our benevolent regard. 
 The opinions of an individual may, indeed, be fo 
 hoftile to the bed interefts of fociety, as to give our 
 fentiments and affedlions a tendency to averfion, 
 greater than any tendency in our nature to more 
 
 through our villages. Hence has arifen an hoft of fanatics, 
 who are grown powerful by our fupinenefs, and ftrong by out 
 divifions ; and who have lately become objects of fearful appre- 
 henfion to the friends of rational Chriftianity, from the increafe 
 of their numbers, and the clofenefs of their union. Such ter- 
 rors may feem ideal ; but they are ideal only to thofe who 
 have not analyfed the genius of fanaticifm ; who have not efti- 
 mated its energies, nor calculated its refources, Fanaticifm is 
 always dangerous; but when her votaries, inftead of being 
 only a few individuals, thinly fcattered over a large expanfe of 
 country, incapable of co-operation, and without ftrength to co- 
 operate with effeft, are condenfed into large malfes in different 
 parts of the kingdom J when the detached parts, obeying one 
 centre of a6lion, may be made to combine with the greateft 
 facility in the moft deflrudlive projects j then the terrors of 
 fanatics and fanaticifm are not imaginary. They are not the 
 terrors of hobgoblins or apparitions, of (hadows on the wall, or 
 of warriors in the fire; they are the terrors of vifible, tangible, 
 corporeal realities. The fpirit of fanaticifm, particularly when 
 religious emotions give it birth, and the enrapturing vilions of 
 eternity increafe the delirium, imparts incredible excitement 
 to the phyfical and the moral powers of the individual ; to the 
 faculties of the body, and the paflions of the foul j and per- 
 haps, one fanatic, thus excited, poifefles greater capacity to do 
 mifchief, than can be counterafted by five ordinary men, not 
 fo fublinied by airs from heaven, or by blafls from hell. 
 
 X 2 
 
• ( 308 ) 
 benevolent emotions, can counterad. But no opi- 
 nions fhould chill our affe<5tion towards the indivi'- 
 dual, but thofe which indicate not only error in the 
 judgment, but depravity in the heart; opinions which 
 are adverfc to the virtue and the welfare of fecicty *. 
 
 * It was well faid, that one bad maxim is capable of doing 
 more mifchief than a hundred bad exjmples. The influence 
 of a bad example is confined to the narrow fphere of agency 
 which almort every individual occupies. The fpace is very 
 limited in which it can become an object of imitation, or over 
 which its baneful influence can be fpread. But one bad 
 maxihi may difFufe its poifon over a wider circumference; it 
 riiay pat in motion an indefinite number of agents, and em- 
 brace a vafl extent of a6tion. It may find admiflion into the- 
 minds and hearts of thoufands, who may not have fagacily to 
 deteft its falfehood, to difcern its tendency, or to meafure its 
 ©flefls. Made attraftive by eloquence, and captivating by its 
 favourable appeal to the flrongeft paffions of human nature, it 
 may do mifchief which cannot be calculated, and, perhaps, 
 never be repaired. Such a principle as that which is dignified' 
 with the name of the general good, would, if it were generally 
 afted upon, In the -May that Mr. Godwin recommends, be found 
 more deltruftive to the peace and happinefs of the v.'orld, than 
 all the plagues that ever defolated the earth. 
 
 The wnu moraluy, as it is called, though its progrefs has been 
 checked, and its virulence correfted by the united exertions of 
 feveral writers, has, I fear, been the ruin of thoufands. It may 
 be agreeable to the tafie, it may be beautiful to the eye, but it' 
 is no fooner fwallowed than death enfues; the death of every" 
 principle that is upright or amiable, or praifeworthy in thefout 
 of man. Falfe theories of religion and of morals, ought to be 
 oppofed by every meafure ivhich. is conJJJlent ivith juJHce and 
 tvith charity; but the only force which, in fueh a fervice, wc 
 can employ with prudence and fuccefs, is the moral force of 
 
 7 
 
( 309 ) 
 
 31. If we meet with thofe, who think that pro- 
 miles arc not binding any longer than while they 
 
 rearon; andreafon certainly can never be exerted in a caufe more 
 agreeable to thewill of him, bywhomit was bellowed, than when 
 it is exerted in the defence of genuine religion and morality. 
 The principles of morals, and the truth of religion, can recei\"e 
 no hilling injury from the fulleft and the freelt difculTion. The 
 principles of morals are lb fixed in the immutable relations of 
 things, and fo congenial to the natural feelings and fympathies 
 of human nature, that, though they may be occafionally ex- 
 punged from the confcience of individuals, they can never be, 
 entirely, erafed from the mind and the heart of the fpecies of 
 man. Thry have been in exigence fince the world began; 
 and they will laft while the world lafts. The intrinfic value 
 of revelation depends entirely on its truth; and that truth, 
 being a well-grounded probability, its approximation to cer- 
 tainty can be afcert;iined only by a fober calculation of the 
 weiglit due to the different arguments which have been, or 
 which can be adduced againft it, or in its fupport. When the 
 evidences are thus compared with the objections, the degree of 
 probability is, in fome meafure, reduced to a definite idea, and 
 we fee more diftindtly and more forcibly the preponderance of 
 the proof. The writers in favour of revelation, are ufually 
 retrained, as if by timidity, from Hating in a plain and candid 
 manner, the objeftions of their adverfaries. Are thefe writers 
 fearful of the ground on which they tread ? Have they any 
 fecret fufpicion, any lurking dread that Chriftianity is an illu- 
 fion ? Do they not know that objeftions againft the truth of 
 Chrifiiantiy, if i/iey are weak, will give ii ftrength; and tiint, 
 if they are ftrong, they will have the fame effedt, if they can 
 be fubverted by arguments which are flronger. Chriflianity 
 is not valuable only becanfe it is imagined to be true; but 
 becaufe it is aftually true; and the adtual truth can be made 
 known only by a full, and fair, and unreferved invelligation 
 
 X 3 
 
( ) 
 
 have an intereft in keeping them ; that gratitude for 
 benefits received is not to be cheridied; that reduc- 
 tion is no fin ; and that chaftity may be violated as 
 often as any wayward appetite prompt to the vio- 
 lation ; we are not to fufter a falfe delicacy, or a 
 fpurious politenefs, to prevent us from flighting their 
 intercourfe, and fhunning their fociety. In imita- 
 tion of our Divine Mafter, we may, and ought, not 
 only not to refufe, but to feek admiffion into the 
 company of the profligate, when there feems a fair 
 probability of reclaiming them by counfcl, or of 
 relieving them by charity; but when we poflTefs no 
 
 of the whole evidence. If Chriftianity be true, no arguments 
 can overturn it ; they can only make the degree of the proba- 
 bility more definite; and the more definite the probability is, 
 the better will people in general be able to efiimate the danger 
 of not making its precepts the rule of their conduit, and the 
 ftandard of their intereft. If the accumulated objeftions againft 
 the truth of Chi ifiianity can be proved, as I am of opinion 
 that they might be proved, by a fair comparifon of the num- 
 ber and weight of oppofing probabilities, to be only as 
 then the probable truth, or the approximation to certainty in 
 the evidences of revelation, would be as ^p-, or there would be 
 ninety nine chances in favour of the truth to one againft it. 
 Would not fuch an argument, fully made out, and perfpi- 
 cuoufly ftated, have a great influence on the private and the 
 public condu6t, on the thoughts and aiSlions of mankind ? 
 Would they be fo ready to do evil in thought, word, or deed, 
 when they were convinced that there were fo many probabi- 
 lities in favour of a future judgment, when every fecret thing 
 fliall be revealed, and men fliall receive according to the mea- 
 fure of their righteoufnefs ? 
 
C ) 
 
 power to do, or fee no chance of doing them any 
 moral or phyfical good, the love of virtue will-caufe 
 us to fhun the ways in which they walk, and the 
 houfe in w'lich they dwell. To live in habits of 
 familiarity with men, who contemptuoufly deride or 
 violate the known laws of Gel, is to countenance 
 their principles, and to be accelTary to their impiety. 
 
 32. It is a falfe notion that a man's condufl is 
 not, in moft cafes, affimilated to his opinions. If 
 the principles and the pracftice of men be often at 
 variance, they v/ill, 1 truO:, be found more often to 
 agree. But, as we mark the variations more than 
 the agreement, we are too apt to draw general con- 
 clufions from particular fails, and to imagine that 
 a man's condudb is not regulated by his princi- 
 ples, becaufe ic does not accord with them in all in- 
 jlances. A good man may occafionally a£l wrong; 
 and a bad man may occafionally aft right. But if 
 a man's heart and confcience be imprefTed with right 
 notions of moral obligation, his aftions will, in a 
 great majority of cafes, accord with his opinions. 
 He will adhere to what he deems morally good, and 
 fhun what he thinks morally evil. But, if a perfon 
 really believe the obligations of truth, juftice, gra- 
 titude, chaftity, to be only empty names, and not 
 binding on the confcience \ what fruits can we expedt 
 to be the produfl of fuch opinions ? Muft we not 
 cxped to find favours received without thankfulnefs, 
 
 X 4 
 
( 312 ) 
 
 promlfes broken without relu'^anc?, juftice violated 
 without remorfe, and chaftity without (hame ? 
 
 ; 33, To greet with the fmile of a^Fe6tion, or the 
 right hand of friendfhip, men profefTing opinions 
 inimical to the interells of religion and morality, is 
 to lend our individual aid to counteradt the public 
 opinion *, by which they are oppofed. Public opi- 
 nion, when wifely direded, is one of the ftrongeft 
 barriers which virtue pofiefics againfl: the inroads of 
 vice J for, hardened indeed muft be the offender, who 
 can endure the general difapprobation of his fellow- 
 creatures. Thofe violations of the will of God, or 
 of the decencies of fociety, againft which the public 
 opinion fets fo ftrong, that he who commits them 
 becomes the theme of public reproach, and the mark 
 of public fcorn, will always be lefs frequent than 
 they would be if no fuch difcouragement operated 
 in favour of their prevendon. 
 
 34. Some offences are, perhaps, punifhed more 
 feverely, and prevented more effeflually by the 
 public difapprobation, than by any other mode of 
 punilLment, or means of prevention. Public dif- 
 approbation condemns the culprit to the worft kind 
 of folitudp. It renders him, in a meafure, folitary 
 
 * The flate of public morals may generally be afcertained 
 by the ftate of the public opinion refpefting any particular 
 violations of moral duty. 
 
( 3^3 ) 
 
 in the confluence of fociety; and his fLifferlngs arc 
 more excruciating than if he were placed in a defcrt, 
 barren of inhabitants, where he could trace no foot- 
 Heps but his own j but where he could not read in 
 ihe countenance of others the fentence of his conr 
 demnation * ! 
 
 35. The feeling of fhame is for the mpfl part 9 
 painful confcioufnefs of degradation in the eyes of 
 others ; a confcioufnefs pf inferiority deferved, and 
 brought on ourfelves by the contempt of rules, to 
 which we ought to have conformed our condudl. 
 And this feeling is the ufual afibclate of thofe a<5lions, 
 which, being contrary to the public opinion, expe- 
 rience the public difapprobation ; for, if thefc very 
 aflions, inftead of being the objefls of public aver- 
 fion, were the topics of public praife, they would 
 in all cafes, be perpetrated with lefs reluftance, and 
 often with perf<;Ct felf- approbation. 
 
 36. Self-approbaiion has, ufually, Jome reference to 
 (be approbation of others. In fonie licentious com- 
 panies, an unprincipled man will boafl:, with no 
 fmall degree of felf-approbation, of the number of 
 virtuous women he has feduced. In this cafe, the 
 felf-complacency which the perfoo feels in recount- 
 ing the fuccefs of his ftratagems, or the fkilfulnefs 
 of his addrefs, is, in a great meafure, occafioned by 
 
 * See Adam Smith's Moral Sentiments, v. i. p. 210, 6th ed. 
 
( 314 ) 
 
 the applaufes of his aflbciates. But> place the fame 
 man in any company where a juft fcnfe of moral 
 reflitude prevails; not one around him wiU fympa- 
 thlze with the vain recital of his guilty pleafures; 
 not one will echo the filthy jeft, or applaud the 
 wanton tale. Inftead of the fmiles of bafe congra- 
 tulation, he will fee on every forehead the frown of 
 abhorrence, and in every eye the flafli of indig lation. 
 Hardened, indcdd, muft he be in iniquity, if, in fuch 
 a fituarion, fome emotions of fliame do not agitate 
 his heart; and though his countenance may not be- 
 tray any outward figns of remorfe, yet certain it is, 
 he will experience a fecret, inv^ard felf difiacisfaftion. 
 There will be a fenfation of felf-loathing ; a painful 
 feeling of unworthinefs I 
 
 37. Thefe confideratlons fliew how important it 
 is for individuals, who regard the welfare of fociet)', 
 and who confider juil: notions of religion and virtue 
 necefiary to the peace and the happinefs of the v/orld, 
 not to encourage, direflly or indireftly, by their ap- 
 probation avovved or implied, any anions, or any 
 principles, which are adverfe to genuine religion 
 and found morals, to the endearing charities, or r^en 
 the elegant decencies and modefi p-oprieties cf fecial life. 
 
RELIGION WITHOUT CANT. 
 
 The Genius of Chrijlian Charity, 
 
 I. JL HAT part of piety which regards our duty 
 towards each other, is comprehended in two words; 
 juftice and charity. Juftice and charity united, 
 conftitute the perfedion of morality; and the obli- 
 gations of both are contained in that golden rule, 
 which tells us to do to others what we would that 
 others (hould do unto us. We cannot experience 
 injuftice or inhumanity, without fenfations of pain and 
 averfion ; nor can we adt unjuftly or cruelly towards 
 others, without their feeling as we fhould feel in the 
 like circumftances. As this law of the gofpel teaches 
 us to make our perceptions of fufFering, or fenfations 
 of mifery, the ftandard by which we eftimate the 
 fufFerings of our fellow-creatures, it ftiows us how, 
 in the beft pofTible manner, to refrain from every 
 violation of juftice and humanity; and, at the faiT.e 
 time, by enjoining us, in the varied tranfadions of 
 life, to place ourfelves in the fituation of our neigh- 
 
( ) 
 
 bour, it pcrfuades us not to be rcgardlefs of his 
 happinefs and incerefl:, when we are purfuing our 
 own. It identifies the relative obligations of jufticc 
 and charity in the mind i and it confecrates their 
 union in the heart. 
 
 1. Juftice and charity are the fubftance of the 
 law and the prophets. They are the pillars, on 
 which the great fabric of piety is erected; and which 
 mull inevitably crumble into duft when rhey are 
 taken away. For, once erafe juftice and charity 
 from the duties of religion, and what will religion be 
 but a mifchievous fuperftition ? The praftice, there- 
 fore, of juftice and of charity, are the moft eflentiai 
 parts of religion. They are the fundamental prin- 
 ciples of that law which God hath written on the 
 confcience of man, and eftabliihed in the gofpel of 
 Chfift:. 
 
 3. The duty of charity is more often mentioned, 
 and more ftrenuoufly inculcated in the gofpel, than 
 that of juftice, becaufe charity cannot exift where 
 juftice is violated. When, then, our Lord and his 
 apoftles, infift on the obligations of charity, they 
 always fuppofe that thofe of juftice are already ful- 
 filled. Charity, as it is the greater duty, neccfTarily 
 includes juftice, which is the lefs. For this reafon, 
 charity is called in fcripture the bond of perfe5ine/St 
 becaufe it contains in its capacious bofom all thofe 
 duties in which true righteouinefs confiftsj while its 
 
( 3^7 1 
 
 prefence gives them a luftre in the eye of man, and 
 a favour in the fight of the Father of Spirits, which' 
 they could not ocherwife pofTefs. 
 
 4, Charity is, as it were, the funflhine of moral 
 excellence; it gives it radiance and beauty; it in- 
 vigorates its growth, and multiplies its fruits. Thus, 
 St. Paul, defcribing the comprehenfive efficacy of 
 charity, fays, all the law is fulfilled m me 1^07 d, — 
 thou Jhalt love thy- neighbour as thyfelf." Gal. v. 14, 
 111 another place he fays, " he that loveth another^ 
 bath fulfilled the law ;" Rom. xiii. and the reafon is^ 
 that love worketh no ill to his neighbour; therefore 
 love is the fulfilling of the law." Rom-, xiii, 10. Cha- 
 rity excludes all moral corruption;' adultery, murder, 
 injuftice, falfe witnefs, covetoufnefs, every evil^ 
 thought, and every malevolent defire. 
 
 5. Our Lord, on being alked which was the great- 
 commandment in the law, anfwered. Thou fhalt love 
 the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all 
 thy foul, and with all thy mind ; this is the firfl: and 
 great commandment; and the fecond is like unto it ; 
 Thou fhalt love thy neighbour as thyfelf On thefe two 
 commandments hang all the law and the -prophets. Matt* 
 xxii. 37 — 40. Here, it is well worth our obferving, 
 that Jefus makes the love of our neighbour and thei 
 love of God one and the fame indivifible principl© 
 of piety. He fays, the fecond commandment is like 
 unto the firfii" thus makes charity not an adventi^ 
 
( 3i8 ) 
 
 iious party hut the Juljlance of true religion. He fiip- 
 pofes that the love of God cannot exift in the foul 
 apart from the love of mankind. Genuine charity, 
 therefore, is genuine adoration; and the worfliip thac 
 is offered to the Father of Spirits, is acceptable only 
 when it is breathed from a heart which benevolence 
 warms with its prefence, and hallows with its flame. 
 
 6. Charity is denominated the bond of perfeElnefSy 
 bccaufc it contains, in one word, the fubftance of 
 the two tables of the decalogue. The firft table of 
 the commandments is incomplete without the fc- 
 cond; the firft table points to the fountain; the lall 
 exhibits the beneficent effe<5ts of true religion. The 
 firft exclaims glory to God ; the laft pronounces 
 good-will to man ; but charity, pure and undefiled, 
 embraces both tables; it bows to God while it em- 
 braces man ; it gives honour to the firft, while it 
 does good to the laft ; it places its hopes in the 
 heavens above, while it ftrives to diminifti the mifcry 
 of the earth below. 
 
 7. Charity is the perfeftion of godlinefs. As God 
 does not need our homage, as he is not glorified 
 by our prayers, nor benefited by our devotion, he 
 commands our worftiip, that it may, by producing 
 juft notions of our dependance on his will, make us 
 poor in fpirit; and, by exciting a juft fenfc of his 
 goodnefs, reader us kind in heart. The end of 
 thankfgiving is to melt us with compaflion, and to 
 
( 3^9 ) 
 
 increafe our fympathy for the wants of others. Thus 
 the worfhip of God tends to infpire the fpirit of 
 benevolence ; and thus charity is the perfection of 
 godlinefs ; without which the adoration of God is 
 vain ; which is the beft hymn of praife for his good- 
 nefs, and the beft fong of thankfgiving for his 
 mercies. 
 
 8. Charity is the perfeftion of juftice. Juftice 
 confifts in giving to every one his due ; charity im- 
 parts to others that which belongs to itfclf, and to 
 which others have no juft claim. Juftice teaches us 
 to do no wrong to our neighbour; charity excites us 
 to do him all the good in our power. Juftice con- 
 fifts in preventing mifery; charity has a direfl ten- 
 dency to promote happinefs. Juftice regards only 
 the obligations of ftrift right j charity confults the 
 fofter obligations of humanity. Charity is gratui- 
 tous ; juftice is compulfory. The laws of focicty 
 may force us to be juft ; but charity is a matter of 
 dilcrecion. Jufiice is the fatisfadion of a debt; 
 charity the conferring of a favour. Juftice may 
 produce veneration ; but charity conciliates love. 
 Juftice may fatibfy the confcience ; but charity caufes 
 hope and joy and tranfport in the foul. Juftice 
 defervts the meed of human refpeft ; but to charity 
 more efpecially belongs the promife of eternity. 
 Juftice receives the applaufe of the wife and the 
 goodoneajth; but charity furvives the grave, and 
 will be welcomed into heaven by the hofannas of 
 angels. 
 
C 32<5 ) 
 
 9. Charity, in fcripture, denotes the external afls 
 of beneficence, and the internal principle from which 
 thofe adts fpring, and without which, they are vain. 
 By the internal principle of charity I mean the love 
 of God ; which is the true benevolent principle, alive 
 and vigorous in the foul, diffufing its influence over 
 the whole furface of the affections, and warming the 
 very core of our hearts. It is this principle of cha- 
 rity which produces patience and meeknefs j that fweet 
 complacency of manner with which vanity is never 
 mingled, and which envy does not canker j that fen- 
 fitive, affedVionate fympathy with the feelings, the 
 interefts, with the hopes and fears, the joys and for- 
 rows of our fellow-creatures, which befpeaks the 
 abfence of every unkind thought and every male- 
 volent fenfation. This is the true charity, which 
 never faileth j and which may flourifli in the heart 
 in all fituations and circumftances ; in the ftorm of 
 misfortune, and the fun(hine of profperity. 
 
 10. Charity is that love of God, which excludes 
 ill doubt concerning his providential care; and 
 which, confequently, generates refignation under fuf- 
 fering, equanimity in danger, and hope in afflidlion. 
 To charity belongs that fenfe of dependance upon 
 God, which produces humility of foul; that con- 
 fcioufnefs of his protection, which makes us feel 
 that vengeance is his ; which renders us placable 
 when we have been offended, and eager to malcc 
 reftitution when we have given offfncc. To charity 
 
C 321 ) 
 
 belong thofe exalted notions of the great Father of 
 the univerfe, who maketh his fun to fhine and his 
 rain to fall upon the jnft and the unjuft; which make 
 us willing to return blcffing for reproach, and to do 
 good, even where -we have received evil. 1 his is 
 that charicy, without which, even the tongue of 
 ansels would be but as a founding brafs, or a tink- 
 ling cymbal ; without which, though we had faith lo 
 that we could remove mountains, we fliould be as 
 nothing. 
 
 11. The charity which is fo highly extolled by 
 St. Paul, in the thirteenth chapter of his firft epiftle 
 to the Corinthians, as the fummic of Chriftian per- 
 fection, and the crown of moral excellence, does not 
 belong exclufively either to the mean or to the noble, 
 to the poor or to the rich. A man may be oppreffed 
 with want, without a mite to bellow in alms, and 
 yet be animated with the flame of a purer charity 
 than he, who, having thoufmds, lavishes them on 
 others with indifcriminate profufenefs. A man may 
 even give his body to be burned for the benefit of 
 others, and bellow all his goods to feed the poorj 
 and yet, wanting the true principle of charity, may 
 fail qf his rev/ard. 
 
 12. Anions, apparently the moft generous, and 
 exertions of beneficence the moft extenfive, ftriking 
 the mind with admiration, and impreffing the heart 
 with gratitude, may fpring from motives which true 
 
 Y 
 
( 322 ) 
 
 charity difclaims. The dream may look clear, and 
 yet fome deftrudive mixture may be diflblved in 
 the waters ; the air may feem pure and refreftiing, 
 when fome peftilential vapour floats in every gale. 
 Vanity or malignity, the advancement of fome tempo- 
 ral end, or the indulgence of fome unlicenfed defire, 
 may lurk at the bottom of the moft fplendid efforts 
 of human charity. He, who (hould endow alms- 
 houfes or build hofpitals, as he would ere£t temples 
 or grottos, merely to gratify his vanity, or to attract 
 the gaze and admiration of the world, is not rich in 
 charity towards God. That charity which is de- 
 figned for a public fhow, is charity reviled. It wants 
 that elementary principle of religious love which 
 confecrates its worth. The very oftcntatioufnefs of 
 beneficence may give it a value, and gain it a cur- 
 rency among men ; but it is the fecret gift which is 
 moft acceptable to God. He values not the offering 
 of him who is panting for the noify breath of praife, 
 fo much as that alms which is beftowed in filence, 
 and is beftowed by him who looks not to man for 
 his recompence. Our Saviour ftrongly forbad his 
 difciples to make vanity the groundwork of their 
 beneficence, by this forcible injunftion. Let not thy 
 left hand know what thy right hand doeth. He made 
 the love of God, as the father of mankind, the foun- 
 tain of charity; that we might do good to each 
 other, not to obtain the applaufe of men, which is 
 vapid and tranfient, but to conciliate his favour, 
 which is everlafting. 
 
( 323 ) 
 
 ij. When the love of God is the root of chanty, 
 it excludes every evil thought and every malevolent 
 fenfation. Genuine charity, therefore, whether re- 
 garded as a fingle a6l, or an accumulation of ads 
 wrought into a habit, is infeparable from a benevo- 
 lent ftate of the afFcftions. He would not be truly 
 charitable, who fhould make fuch a facrifice of felf- 
 love, as to give his body to be burned for the fake 
 of fome, while he cherilhed any ill-will in his heart 
 towards others. Charity loves its friends; but cha- 
 rity is not vindiflive towards its enemies. It pro- 
 motes the interefl: of the one ; but without obftru6l- 
 ing the welfare of the other. It fmothers its ani- 
 mofities ; ftifles its refentments ; it feeds its enemy 
 when he is hungry ; fuccours him wlien opprefled ; 
 and refrefhes him when faint. 
 
 14. A<51:s of beneficence are fpurious, where the 
 malevolent principle is not extinguifhed. One fingle 
 aft of charity, performed when the fpii it of forgive- 
 nefs has got entire poffenion of the heart, afcends to 
 the throne of mercy with a fragrance more fvveet, 
 and an influence more availing, than a thoufand alms 
 which are bellowed when one malevolent wifh refts 
 brooding on the foul, or one particle of rancour pol- 
 lutes the heart that pities, or the hand that gives. 
 The mite of the widow was accepted more than all 
 the coftly offerings of the rich, becaufe the bene- 
 volent principle that prompted the aft was ftronger 
 in her foul than it was in theirs. In her no bitternefs 
 
 Y 2 
 
( ) 
 
 was to be found ; the love of God reigned fole fo- 
 vereign of her mind ; breathing on every thought 
 flie enrertained, and every dcfire flie cheriHied, 
 good-wiil unfeigned, and charity undefiled. 
 
 15. Let no man, therefore, vainly fuppofe that he 
 is excufcd, or can be exempted by the meannefs of 
 his condition, or the penury of his circumftances, 
 from the obligations of Chriftian charity. That 
 immortal principle of benevolence, without whofe 
 fanvftifying prelence all external ads of beneficence, 
 are, in the fight of God, nothing worth, may be 
 cherifhed in as much purity, and burn with as much 
 luftre, rn tlie affeftions of the peafant, as of the 
 prince. Though the poor man may not have it in 
 his power to beftow one mite upon one fuffering 
 fellow-creature, yet it is in his power to exercife that 
 charity, ^^ivhich Jiiffereth long., and is kind ^ "johich doth 
 not behave itjelf' unfeemly ^ which is not eqfily provokedy 
 which thinketh no evil" that charity, in fhort, which 
 preferves the mind from pollution, and prevents the 
 heart from being cold 5 which cleanfes the thoughts 
 of the one, and mollifies the fcnfations of the other. 
 
 16. Wherever wealth gives the means, there no 
 plea can exempt from the exertions of a6lual bene- 
 ficence. Where providence has provided the re- 
 fources, there nothing can privilege us from thofe 
 fpecific a6ts of charity, by which the wants of the 
 poor are relieved ; by which the naked are clothed. 
 
C 325 ) 
 
 and the hungry fed j by which the facherlefs are 
 comforted, and the widow's heart is made to fin.g 
 for joy. Thefe are the fruits which the genuine 
 benevolent principle will always produce, wherever 
 it finds a foil capable of their produflion. Thefe 
 are the fruits, by which it will delight to (how its 
 life, and to manifcft its reality. He, who is warmed 
 with the fpotlefs flame of Chriftian benevolence, will 
 not only do good, but will take pleajure in doing it. 
 He will not eftimate his own enjoyments like the 
 fclfiih man, by their exclufivenefs ; he v^ill appre- 
 ciate them by the degree in which they are made 
 fubfervient to the enjoyments of others; he will mea- 
 fure his happinefs by the happinefs which he im- 
 parts, and the m.fery which he alleviates. He will 
 not flrive to engrofs, but to diffufc blifs ; and the 
 pleafurable fenfations that thrill in his own bofom 
 will be increafed in proportion to the number of 
 perfons with whom they are fiiared, and the wide- 
 nefs of the furface over which they are fpread. 
 
 17. The objeft of our afts of charity is our neigh- 
 bour ; a name, of which the fignification is fomcwhat 
 different under the Mofaic and the ChriRian difpen- 
 fations. Under the former, it more particularly de- 
 noted an Ifraclite, a perfon of the fame religion and 
 nation ; though, on fome occafions, it was extended 
 to the ftranger, the fatherlcfs, and the widow of orher 
 countries. But, under the Chrillian difptnfnrion, 
 the diftindions of Jew and Gentile are abuhlhcd, 
 
 Y 3 
 
( 326 ) 
 
 and all national differences done away. The term 
 neighbour, therefore, as it is employed in the new 
 covenant, has no partial, no local, nor circumfcribed 
 meaning; but relates, as we may infer from the 
 parable of the good Samaritan, to every individual 
 among the fcattered thoufands of mankind, who 
 wants our relief, and whom we can relieve. 
 
 1 8. The God of the Chriftians is no refpe6ler of 
 perfons-, but, in every nation, he that feareth him, 
 and worketh righteoufnefs, is accepted with him. 
 Afts X. 34, 35. Under the difpenfation of the gof- 
 pel there is no invidious diftindion made between 
 Jew and Greek, bond and free, male and female j 
 for we are all one in Chrift Jefus. See Gall, vi 28. 
 But though, according to the Chriftian fcheme, there 
 is no difl:in6lion between perfons, places, and nations, 
 though there is neither Jew nor Greek, circumcifion 
 nor uncircumcifion, bond nor free, but Chrift is all 
 in all } though Chriftian charity, animated by the 
 enlarged views of the founder of Chriftianity, will 
 embrace all who want its fuccour; yet, in its adual 
 operations, it will make thofe wife and prudent dif- 
 tindions between kindred and ftrangers, friends and 
 enemies, which the genius of Chriftianity does not 
 difclaim ; and to which we are impelled by the dic- 
 tates of reafon, and the fympathies of humanity. 
 
 19. The glow of univerfal philanthropy will be 
 warm and vigorous in every Chriftian heart ; and he 
 
( 3^7 ) 
 
 IS no Chriftlan, whofe bofom is infenfible to its ani- 
 mated and animating flame. But, as the means of 
 adual charity, even in the moft opulent individuals, 
 are fcanty indeed compared to the aggregate of hu- 
 man woe, fo it is neccffary for every individual, in 
 the diftributions of beneficence, to pay a more efpe- 
 cial regard to the ties of family and of kindred, of 
 friendfhip, of religion, and of country. Where other 
 circumftances are the fame, and where, in other rc- 
 fpedls, the degree of want or the claims to com- 
 pafTion may be equal, thcfe ties are rational grounds 
 of preference, which it is inhumanity to violate, and 
 impiety not to reverence. Thefe grounds of pre- 
 ference we are not contemptuoufly to deride, but 
 afFedionately to cherilh ; not coldly to negle<fl, but 
 diligently to obferve j as we are conncdted with each 
 other by the endearments of blood and friendfhip, 
 or the more diftant affinities of a common religion, 
 or a common country. 
 
 20. We cannot do good to all men we muft, 
 therefore, be contented with doing good to indi- 
 viduals ; and, in fuccouring the wants, relieving ttic 
 neceffities, promoting the interefls, or alleviating the 
 miferies of individuals, we muft pay a juft attention 
 to the ftrength of their refpedive claims. Wc mufl 
 regard the degree of their relationfhip, and, if I may - 
 fo exprcfs it, of their proximity to our affedlions ; 
 and, often, even to our homes. In the diftributions 
 of beneficence, we are to regard thofe firft who are 
 
 Y 4 
 
( 328 ) 
 
 poor and deftitute in our own family j then among 
 our friends; then among our acquaintance. We are 
 to fuccour a diftrefled citizen of our own country 
 before a foreigner, and a Chriftian (liould relieve a 
 fuifering Chriftian before a fufFcring Heathen. 
 
 21. That boafled praflice of univerfal philan- 
 thropy, which has been extolled as the perfcilion of 
 morals, is vain in theory, and impoffible in praftice. 
 He who forgets the fufFcring individuals to whom 
 nature or fyrripathy has given a claim on his affec- 
 tions, while he is vainly attempting to embrace a 
 wider fphere of beneficence, or is fpeculating on 
 fome airy fcheme of univerfal good, is like a man 
 who fhould abandon the wife of his bofom, or the 
 friend of his heart, to perifh with hunger, while he 
 vainly attempted to convey food to all the nations 
 on the globe, by fcattering a few baflcets of bread 
 upon the ocean. 
 
 22. Chriftianity, wifely attending to the narrow 
 limits of our capacity, and to the vaft fum of human 
 wants, enjoins us, not only, as far as we have oppor- 
 tunity, to do good unto all men ; but, especially, unto 
 them who are of the houfhold of faith. While it 
 enjoins us to do univerfal good in the degree in 
 which we are capable of doing it, it does not fanc- 
 tlon the illufions of promifcuous benevolence. It 
 orders us to attend to the diftindlions of family and 
 religion. We are to calculate the claim upon our 
 
( 3^9 ) 
 
 companion not only by the degree of dlftrefs, but 
 by the degree of relation and affinity. 
 
 23. As the apoflle tells us more ejpectally to do good 
 to thofe, who are of the houjehold of faith, we fhould 
 beware not to make this exhortation a pretext for 
 chenlhmg religious animofity. Though we are to 
 prefer thofe who profefs the Chrlftian faith to thofe 
 by whom it is oppofed, yet we are not to fofler a 
 narrow fpirit of feularian antipathy and bitternefs. 
 We are not only to cherifli fentiments of regud for, 
 but are to live in habits of amity with all Chriftians 
 of all fefls and denominations, however diffimilar 
 their ir.odes of worlhip or of do6trine may be from 
 our own, as Icng as their tenets are not repugnant ta 
 the genius., or their lives do not refiecl a Jcandal on the 
 profejfion of Chriflianity . 
 
 24. Though thofe who profefs the Chriftlan re- 
 ligion will generally have a claim to our fympathy, 
 and, if diftreffed, to our alms, fuperior to thofe who 
 do not profefs it, we are not to permit our zeal for 
 Chriflianity to make us iudifferent to the happinefsor 
 to the interefts of the reft of mankind* Though 
 Chriflianity, by incorporating us as members of the 
 fame body, under one head, Chrifl Jefus, has forroed 
 a clofe bond of relationfhip among Chriftians ; yet we 
 are to remember that Chriftianily was not Jent to make us 
 aliens from the great and univerfal family of mankihd.— 
 We are to confider that God made of one blood. 
 
( 33^ ) 
 
 all nations that dwell on the face of the whole earth ; 
 and that, confequently, we are not to look with fuUen 
 averfion or malignant fcorn on the followers of Con- 
 fucius or of Mahomet. We are to love without hy- 
 pocrify, even Jews, Turks, and infidels j we are to 
 behold with a compaffionating regard all thofe, who, 
 in the blindnefs of their minds, or in the folly of 
 their hearts, bow the knee to idols made of wood 
 and ftone j or who worfhip the fun by day and the 
 moon by night. We are to pray, with that fervor 
 of charity, which will give to the fupplications of 
 man the eloquence of cherubim or feraphim, that 
 fuperftition may be banifhed from the earth j that 
 all mankind may at laft come into one fold, under 
 one Ihepherd, Jefus Chrift the Lord. 
 
 25. Chriftianity, though it direds the free and 
 unreftrained exercife of the benevolent affeflions, 
 requires them to be exercifed in their due order and 
 cherifl^ed in their due proportions. Our affedlions, 
 as if by a law of our nature, gravitate moft forcibly 
 toward thofe with whom we have the clofeft com- 
 munion of interefts and fenfations ; in whofe good 
 or bad fortune, in whofe joys or forrows, we are in 
 fome meafure perfonally concerned. The interefts 
 and fenfations of our relations, of our parents, our 
 wives, our children, are moft nearly identified with 
 our own. Their profperity or adverfity, their fick- 
 nefs or their health, come, if I may fo exprefs it, 
 more in contadt with our feelings, than the profperity 
 
 3 
 
( 331 ) 
 
 or the adverfity, the ficknefs or the health of others. 
 Hence they have and ought to have a ftronger hold 
 on our affedtions, than thofe, in the variation of 
 whofe circumftances, or interefts, or fenfacions, we 
 are lefs concerned. 
 
 iG. Affections are generally the ftrongeft where 
 the reciprocations of pleafure and pain are th.e mofl: 
 frequent, where they are the fooneft excited and 
 the moft forcibly felt. Hence, in moft cafes, accord- 
 ing to the common courfe of nature, which it has 
 often been the aim of metaphyfical fubtiky to invert, 
 or of falfe philofophy to deftroy, the reciprocations 
 of pleafure and pain muft generally be more frequent, 
 and coniequently more forcible, between kindred 
 than between friends, between friends than between 
 ftrangers, between the inhabitants of the fame town 
 than the inhabitants of the fame country, between 
 the inhabitants of the fame country than foreigners, 
 between fubjedls of the fame government than thofe 
 of a different, between members of the fame, than 
 thofe of a contrary communion. 
 
 27. The power of w hat I call the reciprocations of 
 pleafure and pain in producing affedbioi , and in in- 
 vigorating it when produced, is very vifible in the 
 growth of maternal love. The mother who fuckles 
 her child at her own bread, and often fondles ir in 
 her own arms, who watches its deeping and its wak- 
 ing hours, who plays with it in health and tends it 
 
( 332 ) 
 
 in ficknefs, has alwavs a warmer and Wronger affec- 
 tion for it, than that more unnatural mother, who 
 commits her ofFbpring to be reared at the breafl: and 
 nurfed in the arms of a ftranger. The affection of 
 the firfl: has a fource of ftrength and a means of in- 
 creafe which the other wants. The one reciprocates 
 more with the pleafures and the pains of its child 
 than the other. 
 
 28. Where ftrength of benevolence is mcft 
 wanted, there Providence has taken moft care to 
 favour its produciion ; to render its growth moft 
 eafy and its increafe moft certain. We fee this, par- 
 ticularly in the afFcdion between parents and chil- 
 dren ; for the relation between parents and children 
 occafions fuch a continual reciprocation of pleafures 
 and pains, of hopes and fears, of joys and forrows, 
 fuch an unremitted interchange of fympathies, as 
 muft neceftarily produce parental love on one fide, 
 and filial on the other. Family love was intended 
 as a fta'y to the helplcfliiefs of individuals, as a ftafF 
 to the aged and a pillow? to the young ; as a fuccour 
 to the indigent, and a confolation to the miferable. 
 Strength of benevolent affcdion is therefore highly 
 necefikirv among kindred ; and the providential dif- 
 poficions of nature tend to plant it in our bofoms, 
 and to fix it in our hearts. It begins in the early 
 intercourfe of brothers and fifters, and it is gradually 
 diffufed to the remoteft branches of relationftiip. 
 Brothers and fifters foon learn to fympathize with 
 
( 333 ) 
 
 each others wants and embarrafTnents. Their fuf- 
 fcrings, their pains and pleafures are often mutual ; 
 and the happinefs of the one is generally aflbciated 
 with that of the other. Hence, by degrees, they 
 learn to feel for and with each other, in circum- 
 ftances in which there could be m participation of 
 aftual fuffcring between them ; in circumftances, in 
 which fympathy could not be prompted by fclfifhnefs, 
 or by any dread of wanting the aid We give, and the 
 confolation we beftow. 
 
 29. The feeds of kindred love, which are fown in 
 the nurfcry, when properly cultured, fpring up into 
 a tree of luxuriant verdure an J {lately growth, from 
 which depend the-bloffoms and the fruits of all the 
 benevolent affedtions. Though kindred love may 
 be contratled in its expanfion, nipped in its buds, 
 or withered in its leaves, by injudicious management 
 or unpropitious circumftances ; yet it is a plant of lb 
 hardy a nature, and the circumftances of life in which 
 we muft be placed do necefiarily fo favour its pro- 
 dudlion, ic takes fuch deep root in the heart, and 
 fpreads its fibres fo clofcly over the fui face of the 
 afFedlions, that there is rarely a bofom on which it 
 has not made fome imprefiions or on which it exerts 
 no influence. 
 
 30. There can hardly help being more frequent 
 reciprocations of pleafure and pain, ftronger aflbcia- 
 tions and fympathies, and confequently ftronger af- 
 
( 334 ) 
 
 feflions between relations than between ftrangers. 
 The interefts and fenfations of kindred muft come 
 more into contaft with our own than thofe of per- 
 fons not allied to us by blood, nor connefled with us 
 by intercourfe. Family love commonly fows the 
 firfl: feeds of benevolence, which are afterwards ma- 
 tured into all the focial virtues. 
 
 31. Before the benevolent afFeftions can flourifh, 
 the felfiih principle muft be brought under proper 
 regulations. The felfilli principle counterafts the 
 growth of the benevolent affedlionsj and the bene- 
 volent affedtions abate the rancour and prevent the 
 increafe of the felfilh principle. The more our in- 
 terefts are, as it were^ divided, the more the fenfations 
 of our hearts are communicated to others ; and the 
 more the fenfations of others vibrate in our own, the 
 lefs we are abforbed in the purfuit of exclufive gra- 
 tifications. Family love makes the firfi divifion in our 
 interejls and Jenfaiions, by mingling them with the in- 
 terejls and fenfations of others. 
 
 32. The maturation of the benevolent principle 
 is greatly afllfted by marriage, by friendfhip, and 
 fociety j till the foul, animated with the flame of be- 
 nevolence, is difpofed to fympathize with the interefts 
 of all mankind. Marriage, on Chriftian principles, 
 in a more efpecial manner encourages the expan- 
 fion of the benevolent affections. It weakens the 
 force of the felfilh principle, by making our own 
 
( B35 ) 
 
 intereft one and indivifible with diat of anodier j and 
 when it gives birth to children, it ftill farther pro- 
 motes the increafe of benevolence, by rendering 
 our intereft one and the fame with that of many 
 others. The benevolent principle will, in genera], 
 for thefe reafons, be feldom found fo ftrong in un- 
 married as in married people. 
 
 33. Friend Qiip is another foil very genial to the 
 growth of the benevolent afFeflions, and, indeed, 
 true friendfhip never warmed a heart that true be- 
 nevolence did not warm. True benevolence gives 
 birth to the moft fincere, the moft ardent and lafting 
 friendfhip. A benevolent man muft have friends, 
 becaufe he muft be friendly. The benevolent man 
 loves his kind ; and even the experience of treachery, 
 of favours ill requited, or kindnefs not returned, will 
 not chill his bof^m, or indlfpofe it to delight in the 
 good of others. The benevolent affections teach us 
 how to overcome evil with good j they teach us 
 how to conquer without fighting for viftory, to con- 
 ciliate the vindidtive, to bend thi; ftubborn, and to 
 appeafe the paffionate. 
 
 34. The happinefs of nations muft be the greater 
 the more that the benevolent affections warm the 
 breafts of individuals. Nations are only families on 
 a larger fcale ; and the happinefs of the great family 
 of nations is only an aggregate of the happinefs of 
 all the individuals who compofe it. The more in- 
 
( 336 ) 
 
 dividuals are happy, the greater is the public happi- 
 nefs. The benevolent affedions infpire the indivi- 
 duals whom they animate, with zeal and vigour ia 
 promoting the happinefs or others, of their kindred, 
 of their friends, of thofe conneded with them by 
 blood or acquaintance, by the ties of religion, of 
 neighbourhood, or country ; or by any of thofe 
 lympathies that bind man with man in all the na- 
 tions of the earth, and through the whole circum- 
 ference of humanity. The more individuals there 
 are in a fingle family, in whofe bofoms the benevo- 
 lent afFeflions glow, the lefs ftrife, the lefs envy, and 
 the lefs ill-will there will be in each conftituent part ; 
 and confequendy the greater tendency to promote 
 the happinefs of the whole. If every member of a 
 family were animated by the benevolent afFetlions, 
 no mifery could well be felt. One would be a ftay 
 to the other. The bitternefs of family hate would 
 be loft in the fweet intercourfe of family afFeflion. 
 Jealoufy between brothers and fiders, between near 
 and more diftant kindred, and which fpring from a 
 divided intereft, would be at an end. They would 
 be united by a reciprocity of interefts and fenfations. 
 The rich would not (hun the intercourfe, or be in- 
 fenfible to the wants of their relations in diftrefs. 
 The profperity or adverfity of the one, would in 
 fome meafure be the profpqrity and adverfity of the 
 other. They would be feen together in the fun- 
 ^ine and in the ftorm. 
 
( 337 ) 
 
 35* True benevolence, though it will bear pref- 
 fure, loves expanfion. It breaths the moft exhila- 
 rating fweetneis over the adjoining region of the af- 
 fedions; but in alfo fcatters its fragrance far and 
 wide, from thofe who have the neareft claims on the 
 heart, to thofe vvhofe claims are more remote. It 
 fpreads from the wife of our bofom, or the child of 
 our hope, from the father, who was the ftay of our 
 infancy, or the brother who was the companion of 
 our youth, to the friends, with whom we have taken 
 fweet counfel together, to the companions with 
 whom we have travelled in the road of life ; to thofe, 
 whofe fields and homes border on our own j to thofe, 
 who kneel with us at the fame altar ; or who are 
 united in the intereft or endeared by the name of 
 one common country, till it embraces the whole 
 peopled world. 
 
 36. "Whenever a fpirit of benevolence ILall ani- 
 mate the councils of nations, and the governments 
 of the earth, public opprelTion will ceafe^ and wane 
 will be felt no more. Liberty, pure and genuine, 
 fuch as is worthy of a rational nature, that liberty 
 which impofes no reftraints on harmlefs or innocent 
 gratification, which allows freedom of fpeech and 
 liberty of inquiry, which encourages the growth of 
 reafon and the growth of virtue, which protects the 
 rich from the ravage of the poor, and the poor from 
 the infults and extortions of the rich; this liberty > 
 would flourifli in all its beauty, not like that tree of 
 
 Z 
 
( 338 ) 
 
 liberty, which, in thefe calamitous days, has fo often 
 been planted by the fword ; which has been watered 
 by the tears of the widow and the orphan j whofe 
 trunk has been fattened with flaughter •, and whofe 
 boughs have been hung with the trophies of outraged 
 humanity and violated jufticc. That liberty which 
 would naturally grow out of the fovereign fway of 
 the benevolent affedions, would fhelter the father- 
 lefs and the widow ; under its fpacious boughs the 
 rich and the poor might dwell fafely; humanity 
 would tend its growth, juftice would prune its 
 branches, and the favour of heaven, fmiling on fo 
 fair a plant, would proteft its leaves from the canker, 
 and harden its trunk againft the ftorm. 
 
 37. Under a government where the benevolent 
 affe6lions prefided, fwaying the fceptre of policy 
 and moderating the feverity of juftice, infurredlions 
 could not happen j for mankind, by a fort of in- 
 ftinflive impulfe, neceffarily love a government 
 that confults their happinefs, that protefls their pro- 
 perty, that is tenderly alive to the fecurity of their 
 rights and the prefervation of their freedom. A 
 people, that was animated by the true principle of 
 benevolence, would cherifh fuch a government with 
 a more than filial affection, and would be ready to 
 fpend their laft Ihilling for its neceffities, and fpill 
 their laft drop of blood for its fupport. 
 
( 339 ) 
 
 38. In whatever nation a fpirit of benevolence 
 an'niitcd the people and the governn^ent, the hearts 
 of individuals and the councils of the ftate, that na- 
 tion would, as far as in it lay, remain at peace with 
 all the world. It would not lightly or wantonly un- 
 ftieath the fword ; it would engage in no wars of 
 aggrefTion or ambition j and, if attacked by another 
 power, it would not carry on hoftilities with rancour 
 or malevolence ; but would efteem the reiloration 
 of peace of more importarice to the happinefs of its 
 people, than the vain boafts of conqueft, or the idle 
 trophies of ambition. 
 
 39. The Divine Author of Chrlftianity, by en- 
 joining the benevolent affcftions fo forcibly in his 
 doiflrine, and, above all, by his example, by fo power- 
 fully enforcing their cultivation, and by lending the 
 fandtions and promifing the blefTings of eternity to 
 their pradtice, afled as the befl friend of man. Con- 
 fcious of our wants, fenfible of our diflrtffcs, and un- 
 equalled in wifdom and in goodnefs, he propofed in 
 his counfels, and recommended by his li'e, t!~at 
 remedy, which alone can wipe ail tears fro n ail eyes, 
 and drive heavinefs from all hearts. Whenever 
 Chriftianity fhall be univerfally profcfled in all its 
 truth, and praftifed in all its purity, the world will 
 be one univerfal monarchy under the reign of Love, 
 Truth and Juftice will dwell among the nations ; and 
 Benevolence will cover the earth as with a (hield. 
 
 Z 2 
 
RELIGION WITHOUT CANT. 
 
 Moral good the greateft good ; or the nature^ tendencies^ 
 and effects of moral a^iion, theologically dejcrihedy 
 philcjophically dijcujfed, and fraSlically enforced. 
 
 I. God gives to his intelligent creatures various 
 faculties, of which he requires a right ufe. The right 
 ufe of the faculties, which we poflefs, confifts in their 
 conformity to the end for which they were defigned ; 
 or, in other words, in their conformity to the will of 
 him by whom they were beftowed. 
 
 2. Of the faculties which God gives to his intelli- 
 gent creatures, he does not interfere, by any imme- 
 diate a£l of power, to controul the agency; for this 
 would render the faculties of intelligent beings like 
 the wheels of a piece of machinery, which are put in 
 motion by a power foreign to the machine itf;lf. 
 
 3, Of thofe laws, according to which God diredls 
 but does not compel our faculcies to be employed. 
 
( 341 ) 
 
 he gives us reafon to difcover the utility, or he 
 makes their exiftence fo plain by their effefls, that 
 they cannot be unknown. It is in conformity to 
 thefe laws, or in obedience to the will of the lawgiver, 
 that our happinefs confifts and we cannot violate 
 them, without taking fomething from the fum of 
 our happinefs, or adding fomething to that of our 
 mifcry. 
 
 4. We cannot violate thofe laws of temperance, 
 to which God defires the faculties of our bodies to be 
 kept fubfervient without impairing our health ; and 
 though the effefl of a fingle aft of intemperance may 
 not be apparent, it is not the lefs real ; it feems not to 
 admit the relations of quantity, but, if often repeated, 
 it foon accumulates to a fum of phyfical evil, under 
 the preflure of which the health difappears and the 
 body decays. It is probable, in like manner, that 
 we cannot violate the great laws of truth and juftice, 
 by whofe immutable decrees our words and a£tions 
 ought to be governed, even in a fingle inftance, 
 without deducing fomething from the fum of good, 
 which would otherwife be our portion. Though 
 the efFedt be not immediate nor palpable, its influence 
 operates, though it operates unfeen. It falls in, as it 
 were, with the great and powerful ftream of moral 
 caufes, which are in a ftate of continual motion ; and 
 which invariably tend to carry evil to him by whom 
 evil has been done. 
 
( 342 ) 
 
 5. Every immoral ad, or a«51; of difobedience to 
 the divine will, (for I confider morality in no other 
 light than the will of God,) has a nectrflary and uni- 
 form tendency to bring us, as it were, within the con- 
 fines of mifery *. As phyfical evil is hurtful to the 
 body, fo moral evil is deilruftive to the foul of 
 man. 
 
 6. Why does God require us to obferve the moral 
 law, but becaufe he wills us to be happy ? And why 
 does he require us not to violate it, but becaufe he 
 wills that we fliould not be miferable ? The moral 
 law is an emanation of his goodnefs, and the praflice 
 of it was commanded for the good of his creatures. 
 The good of his creatures is the objcfl of the will of 
 
 * Oh that kings and governments would remember this ! 
 That they would confider themfelves as the fervants of God 
 upon earth, whofe duty it is to execute his will raiher than 
 their o-u n I Let the defpot, before he ilTues his arbitrary " fiat," 
 confider whether it be agreeable to the law. of the moral Gover- 
 nor of the world. No governments ftould enaft any laws, ad- 
 verfe in their fpirit, or hoftile in their tendency, to thofe of the 
 Great King of heaven and earth. They fliould make the 7noraI 
 liiiv the bafis of the civil and criminal laws of the land. They 
 fliould make a conformity to it, the flandard of their intereft 
 and the pillar of their policy. Then nations would be happy, 
 and the governors of nations would ereS their power on the 
 immoveable rock of truth, of juftice, and of mercy; inflead of 
 raifing it on the fhifting fand of Machiavelian ftratagem.cruelty, 
 and injuftice. See " jNIorality united with Policy," pp. 49 — 52. 
 Printed for White, Fleet Street. Price 2s. 6d. 
 
( 343 ) 
 
 God ; for God in fcrlpture is ftiled love, to denote 
 his benevolent concern for his creatures, and his dif- 
 pofition to contribute to their happinefs. And as 
 the moral law is the will of God, a conformity to its 
 decrees muft tend to make us happy ; for God, who 
 is love, cannot will his creatures to be miferable. 
 
 7. God has appointed laws for the government of 
 the flefli and of the fpirit ; laws to dired our agency, 
 as we are animals, fufceptlble of pleafure and of 
 pain ; and laws to govern us, as we are moral agents, 
 refponfible in another life for our behaviour in this. 
 On our conformity to thefe laws, our prefcnt and 
 our future happinefs depends. The firft relate to 
 good, circumfcribed within the period of this life ; 
 the lafl: to good, that extends beyond it. 
 
 8. Every deviation from the laws of the fielh, or of 
 our- animal conftitution, muft indeed, in fome mea- 
 fure, be a deviation from the laws of the fpirit or of 
 our moral conftitution, for both originate from the 
 fame divine will, and a deflexion from one is an 
 offence againft the power that appointed the other. 
 What finks us lower in the fcale of animality, de- 
 prefTes us proportionally in that of intelligence ; the 
 excefs of the animal is the depravation of the moral 
 man. 
 
 9. Every fenfual excefs, as far as it is the afl of a 
 rational being, poflefling a diftin^l fenfe of right and 
 
 Z4 
 
( 344 ) 
 
 wrong, is a deduftion from the fum of prelent and of 
 future good ; from that good, which is bounded by 
 the horizon of mortality, and that which awaits the 
 righteous after death. A man may, indeed, deviate 
 from the laws of his animal nature, he may be guilty 
 of excefs in eating and drinking, and in criminal plea- 
 fures, and which may have a direct influence on his 
 prefent phyfical good ; but he may not be confcious, at 
 the time, that he is d(;ing any thing morally wrong j 
 and therefore, the aft, not being a wilful breach of 
 any moral obligation, may have no connexion with 
 his condition in another life. It may not be a tranf- 
 greffion for which he will be called to account j for 
 a man may offend againft thofe laws, by which a 
 due moderation of all the appetites is made fubfer- 
 vient to his prefent interefl:, without knowing that he 
 is finning againft the will of a fuperior power, which 
 it is his duty to obey ; and therefore the tranfgrefTion, 
 though it may be phyfically irjurious, may not be 
 morally deftruflive J though it may, from the natural 
 alTociation of caufe and efFed, be hurtful to the body 
 in this world, it may not afFedt the flate of the foul 
 in the next. 
 
 lo. Nothing will operate againft the happinefs of 
 man in another life, but moral difobedience in this ; 
 and moral difobedience implies a perverfe applica- 
 tion of that faculty by which we difcern evil from 
 good, and good from evil. A man may trefpafs 
 againft the wife laws of his animal conftitution, by 
 
C 345 ) 
 
 which pain is affociated with excefs of indulgence, 
 and yet not fin againft the moral law, becaufe he may 
 not know, or be capable of knowing, that there is 
 fuch a law in being. 
 
 11. Before any man, as a being accountable to 
 God for his actions, can do what is morally wrong, 
 there muft be a fcn^■ of what is morally right and 
 morally wrong upon his confcience ; or he mult have 
 a faculty of difcerning their differences, which it is 
 his duty to exert ; or the differences themfelves 
 muft have been obliterated by long continuance in 
 iniquity. No man can be excufed for doing what is 
 morally evil, becaufe he neglefts the ufe of the power 
 which he poffeffes to difcover what is morally evil ; 
 or becaufe he has fuffered the moral fenfe to waftc 
 away through difufc, or to be paralyfed by wicked- 
 nefs, 
 
 1 2. The laws which relate to the prefent animal 
 economy of man are inflexible and univerfal in their 
 operation. Neither the rool nor the wife man can 
 trefpafs againft them with impunity. When anidioc 
 tranfgrefles the laws of health, the efFcd foliows the 
 courfci the aggregate of phyfjcal good, which he 
 could otherwile have enjoyed, experiences a certain, 
 though not an immediate and vifible diminution *. 
 
 * The idiot wants reafon, but be pofTefles fenfation ; and 
 feafation alone will teach the necelTity of temperance. The 
 
( .H^ ) 
 
 But, if another perfcn, who has a right ufe of his 
 rational faculties, and on whofe confcience the dif- 
 tindions of right and wrong, of moral good and 
 moral evil are engraven, fhould be guiky of the 
 fame offence, the confequences may be extended 
 beyond this fphere of things. 
 
 13. Wherever there is a uculty of making juft 
 diftinflions between right and wrong, there moral 
 and phyfical good are the fame ; there prefcnt is 
 identified with future good ; there the interefts of 
 time are incorporated with thofe of eternity. The 
 intemperance of the idiot, vvho has no right fenfe of 
 moral obligation, may affedl only his- prefent good i 
 but the intemperance of a wifer man may be a de- 
 dudlion from his future. 
 
 14. The laws which relate to the government of 
 the fiefn, or the animal economy of man, embrace 
 the whole fentient human race ; but thofe laws 
 which relate to the governm.ent of the fpirit, of the 
 thoughts, the affeflions, and the whole moral eco- 
 nomy of man, can concern only thofe who know the 
 differences between good and evil, and underftand 
 the weighty matters of moral obligation. But, as in 
 
 ignorant may, in many cafes, draw conclufions from fenfation 
 vithout any intermediate fteps of rtafoning, as well as the 
 philofopher can by the more laborious procelb of ratiocination. 
 Senfation often difcovers wife axioms of conduft, by bringing 
 tt«, as it were, into contatl with their benefits. 
 
( 547 ) 
 
 the firfl: cafe, every deviation from the laws of our 
 animal nature, takes fomethlng from the fum of 
 phyfical good, which we fhould otherwife enjoy, fo 
 it is highly probable fro-n analogies in nature, and 
 from the intimations of fcrlpture, that every indivi- 
 dual deviation from the laws of our moral nature 
 muft fubtracl fomething from the fum of our future, 
 or what I call moral and eternal, in oppofition to our 
 prefent, phyfical, and tranfient good. 
 
 15. It feems the exprefs doftrine of fcrlpture, 
 that the more righteous, or the more obedient to 
 God's will men are in this life, the more happy they 
 will be in another. Now, as every individual aft of 
 difobcdience takes fomethlnc^ from the fum total of 
 our righteoufnefs, and confequently fomething from 
 the fum of our future happinefs, fo every individual 
 ad of obedience adds fomething to the fum total of 
 cur righteoufnefs, (for a righteous life is only an ac- 
 cumulation of many particular a6ls of obedience,) 
 and confequently will make fomc addition to the 
 fum of our blifs, in that ftate to Vv'hich this life is 
 leading us. Thefe are weighty confiderations, and 
 highly neceffary for us to cherifh, that wc may not 
 make a mock of fm, and count any one ait of difo- 
 bcdience to the divine will a matter of little mo- 
 ment. 
 
 16. A righteous life is only an accumulation of 
 many particular ads of obedience and, on the con- 
 
( 348 ) 
 
 frary, an unrighteous life is only an accumulation of 
 many particular afts of difobedience. How many 
 particular a6ls of obedience or of difobedience will 
 caufe us, through the mercy of God operating in 
 the atonement of Chriftj to appear juft in his divine 
 prefence on the one hand, or will occafion our ex- 
 clufion from his favour on the other, we cannot af- 
 cerrain, nor does it become us to inquire but this 
 weighty truth it is highly important for us to know 
 and to remember, that every individual adl of good 
 or of evil, of obedience or of difobedience, vs^ill have 
 ibme influence on our eternal deftiny. Oh that we 
 ■would lay this truth to heart ! That we v/ould medi- 
 tate on it ere we fleep at night ; and ponder it well 
 when we wake in the morning ! 
 
 17. The greatefl: good which man can feek on 
 earth, or enjoy in heaven, which can animate his ex- 
 ertions here, or rev/ard his labours hereafter, is the 
 favour of God. And the only condition, by which 
 this perfedt gift can be obtained, or to the perform- 
 ance of which it is appended, is a conformity to the 
 moral law, the law of righteoufncfs and true holinefs. 
 Every aft of immorality, being a tranfgreffion of 
 the will of God, muil caufe a diminution of his fa- 
 vour cowards us. As God is a perfesft being, and 
 all his perfcdlions of power, of wifJom, ofjudice, 
 and goodncfs, though confidered feparately by us, 
 in order that they may be brought more within the 
 grafp of our narrow apprehenfions, are, in fad, only 
 
( 349 ) 
 
 one and indivifible, the will and the favour of God 
 muft coincide. The only way to obtain his favour 
 is to do his will; and thofe who moft zealoufly 
 ftrive to perform the one, will enjoy the greateft por- 
 tion of the other. 
 
 1 8. The will of God, confidered as operating in 
 the moral world, fuperintending its government, and 
 difpofing its whole economy for the encouragement 
 of moral good, and the punifnment of moral evil, 
 may be confidered as a ftraic line, pointing to our 
 greateft happinefs, and ftretching through this life 
 into eternity. The more we violate the divine pre- 
 cepts, the more we recede from this line, and the 
 farther we depart from happinefs ; and, if inftead of 
 fteering our way through life by its diredion, we 
 keep removing farther and farther from it, from the 
 time when the power of making juft diftindions 
 between right and wrong commences to the period 
 when it ends, we may lofe the favour of God, with- 
 out being reftored to it again for ever * ! 
 
 * If this fuppofition be true, the punifliments denounced 
 in fcripture againft the wicked, may be not only figLuatively 
 but literally accompliflied. They may be eteriial ! Hero, O (inful 
 rnan! paufe and confidcr thy danger before thou ruiheft into 
 irretrievable deftrnftion ! 
 
 In the Pidture of Chrifllan Philofopiiy, 3d edit. pp. 58 — 60. 
 t have fuggefted that the puniihment of the wicked in another 
 world will probably bte of long, but not of infinite duration; 
 and I have faid that an eternity of piuiirtinient for temporal 
 
( 350 ) 
 
 ig. Continual acfts or habits of goodnefs caufe us, 
 as it were, to keep a courle parallel with the will of 
 
 offences appears repngpant to a^y enhrged notions of the 
 juftice apd the go. dncf-^ of God. At the moment I am wrliing 
 this note, \^FriJa)- morning, Jan. 2d, ISOl,) 1 do earneftly hope 
 that all, even ihe greateft liniiers may, and I do furmife that 
 they W//7 be faved. I have many rcafons for believing that 
 the punifhmf-nt of the wicked will tend, though llowly, and 
 through a long feries of lufFcring, to extirpate the evil habits, 
 which they have formed, and to bring about their reconciliation 
 si-ith the God whom they have offended. But then this belief 
 is rather the expreffion of hope, than the affurance of certainty; 
 rather a conjedture which I love to indulge, than a polition 
 which the fcripture gives me any exprefs authority to fupport. 
 The language of the facred writers upon the fubje6t hardly 
 •warrants the conclufion which I wifli to draw ; and though 
 that language may poffibly be, and probably is, only the cora- 
 iDon inflation of the eaftern idiom^ yet when I confider that 
 this life is a (late of trial for eternity, and that when this pro- 
 bationary fcene of things is over, it may never be fucceeded by 
 another, in ivhich there ivill be any room left for repentance or for 
 fardon, and that, confequently, in this cai'e, the finner would 
 retain to all eternity the corrupt habits in which he left the 
 world, and would thus remain for ever unfit for the communion 
 of the jull ; when T confider this, I dare not pronounce rathly 
 on fo weighty a queflion. And this truth it behoves us feri- 
 fiufly to weigh, and attentively to remember, that whether the 
 punifliment referved for the finner in another life be temporal 
 or eternal, goJIincfs in this ivorlJ rnujl be great gain ivith refpe^l 
 to another. Reader, whoever thou art, or to whatever fed thou 
 mayeft belong, if thou haft turned afidefrom the path of good- 
 nefs, which, believe me, is the only path of happincfs, let me 
 conjure thee as a friend, interefted in thy welfare, to meafurc 
 back tl; y way, ere the long night fet in, and the thick darkneL 
 ovcrvvhelin thee ! 
 
( 351 ) 
 
 God ; or, at lead, with only fome occafional and 
 tranfient deviations from it, fuch as are hardly to be 
 avoided by human imperfeiSion. But from fuch de- 
 viations to moral evil, a return is eafy to moral good, 
 when the principle of righteoufnefs is fixed in the 
 mind and engraven on the heart. And even the fin- 
 ner who has made not only fome few and occafional 
 defleftions, but who has long continued in a (late of 
 defledlion from the ftrait line of obedience, though 
 he may never, in this life, be able to attain to that 
 point of obedience, at which, if he had not fo often 
 or fo long erred, he might have arrived *, yet he 
 may approach it in an indefinite degree; fo as to 
 cfcape the being carried after death into the abyfs 
 of mifery. But every ftep that a finner removes 
 farther from the line of religious obedience, the 
 
 * How great, how incalculable is the importance of early 
 impreffions of piety ! Impreffions, which, by a careful culture, 
 may be confolidated into habits that the company of the diiTo- 
 lute cannot afterwards deprave, nor the arts of the infidious 
 undermine. A man may turn to God in his old age ; but habita 
 of righteoufnefs begun at that late period, though they may 
 deliver from the wrath to come, cannot be fo produftive of 
 future happinefs, as thofe habits of righteoufnefs, of which the 
 feeds were fown in youth. Ye guardians of ihe young, before 
 all other acconiplifliments, labour to inftru6l their minds in the 
 knowledge, and to imbue their affections witii the fpirit of 
 true religion ! Ariftotle fays with great truth, a (^.iv.^cy «y ciaips^H 
 to y'ruj; rl tiTMS bv^v; b-a vs'jjv s^i'l^sct^cxi aX>.a. ■tfajU-TTcAt;, jj.(x/.Xov Ss 
 TO Trav. Ariftot. Eth. Nicom. lib. ii. c. 1. Ed. Pet. Viftor. 4to. 
 Francufurti 1684, p. 22. line 17. 
 
( 352 ) 
 
 more difficult it will be for him to retrace his way to 
 the point of deviation; for the momentum of bad 
 habit increales as he proceeds, and the more his pace 
 is accelerated towards deftrudlion. 
 
 20. Every fingle a6l of fin is a defleflion from the 
 ftrait line of duty, and confcquently deduds fome- 
 thing from the happinefs which we ftiould other-* 
 wife enjoy ; for duty is conformity to the will of 
 God, and to this conformity his favour is appended, 
 in which alone true happinefs confijls. Hence we fee 
 the neceffity of abftaining, with all the vigilance, 
 vi'hich we can exert, even from thofe fmall indivi- 
 dual tranfgreflions which we are too apt to regard 
 as matters of little moment ; which feem not at the 
 time to fubtrad any thing from our happinefs, or 
 add any thing to our mifery. But, habitual fins, 
 though they may be habitual violations of only one of 
 the leaf of the commandments.^ are a continual infra6lion 
 of the w ill of God j a continual turning from our 
 duty, and, confcquently, a continual facrifice of our 
 only real and fubftantial intereft and glory. 
 
 21. The mofl righteous in this world will make 
 fome occafional dePicilions from their duty j but 
 thofe muft be the happieft who make the feweft. 
 The nearer we approach that line of perfedl obe- 
 dience and abfolute fubmilTion to the will of God, 
 where true glory and happinefs begin and end, or, in 
 other words, the more our habits of goodnefs in this 
 
 1 
 
( 353 ) 
 
 life advance in ftature and increafe in ftrength, tht 
 greater will be our portion of blifs in the life to 
 come ; and if the righteous grow, as they probably 
 will grow in goodnefs to all eternity, they muft in- 
 creafe in happinefs to all eternity. 
 
 12. The felicity of the righteous muft keep pace 
 with their moral improvement ; and the one may ad- 
 vance perpetually like the other. Eternity does not 
 admit the relations of time ; but as it is pofiible to 
 fuppofe any given portion of time capable of end- 
 lefs accumulations, fo it is poflible to imagine any 
 particular portion of virtue or of happinefs to be 
 increafed, and to go on increafing through all eternity, 
 
 23. The perfeftions of God, being infinite, can 
 never be changed ; they admit of no limitations or 
 additions ; they cannot be enlarged or diminiftied in 
 number or in fize ; but the perfeftions (perhaps I 
 ought rather to fay the imperfedions) of man being 
 only a finite quantity, may be continually augmented, 
 or continually diminifhed ; continually ameliorated 
 or continually depraved. The increafing perfections 
 of man bear a conftant relation to his paft imper- 
 fecftions. And the comparative perfedions of the 
 creature may keep continually growing in vigour and 
 in fize, without ever becoming infinite ; they may 
 be extended to an immeafurable diftance from the 
 point of imperfedtion at which they fet out, and yet 
 attain no nearer to the infinite perfedlions of God, 
 than they were at the beginning. What is finite, 
 
 Aa 
 
( 354 ) 
 
 however vaft It may feem to what is, if I may fa 
 exprefs it, more finite than itfelf, can bear no poffible 
 proportion to what is infinite ; no, nor fo much as 
 a mite does to the fubftance of the world. 
 
 24. The will of God, in a conformity to which 
 morality confifts, is the perfe<f1:ion of his power, of 
 his wifdom and his goodnefs. When God, by his 
 fimple volition, created light, his will was the 
 image of his attributes, of his power, his wifdom, 
 and his goodnefs. The moral law, by which he 
 governs the intelledual world, and the relations 
 of which muft have exilled in the divine mind 
 from the beginning of time, was as much the refuk 
 of his fimple volition, as the creation of light, 
 or the eftablifhment of the laws which regulate the 
 univerfal fyftecn. The moral law fhews his wifdom 
 in contriving it, his power in fixing and perpetuating 
 its relations, and his goodnefs in fo arranging the 
 wonderful economy of caufes and effects, of aftions 
 and their confequences, as, without controuling the 
 free agency of man, makes obedience to its decrees 
 always ultimately produftive of good and afiTociated 
 with happinefs. 
 
 25. The more we obferve the moral law, the 
 more we do the will of God ; and the, more we do 
 his will, the more we approach his perfe6lions 5 for 
 •the divine will and the divine perfeflions are identi- 
 fied. The will of God, according to the different 
 lights in which it is wiewed, is the abfl:ra(5t idea, the 
 
( 3SS ) 
 
 colleflive fum or the aftive force of all his perfec- 
 tions. And the moral law, according to the differ- 
 ent relations in which it is confidered, may be re- 
 garded as a provifion made by the divine wifdom, 
 power, and goodnefs, for the happinefs of the whole 
 rational creation. The moral perfe£lionnlng* of man 
 confifts in the increafing conformity of his condudt 
 to the moral lav/, or in his increafing obedience to 
 the will of God. We cannot do all his will, for that 
 fuppofes infinite perfe£)ionj but we may keep on, 
 through all eternity, improving in the faculty of 
 doing it f . 
 
 26. In the whole univerfe, there can be but one 
 perfect :{: being, and that is God j for every created 
 
 * Had the philofophers Condorcet, Godwin, an<J others, 
 confidered perfeclibiUty not as an acquilition of phyfical and 
 intelledtual powers, which can never be attained by individual 
 man in his mortal ftate; but as a gradual growth in goodnefs, 
 a continual increafe in our fingle afts of obedience to the 
 divine will, and a confequent approximation to the divine 
 image ; a ?nora/ perfeftionning begun in this world and con- 
 tinued in the next ; who could have objeded to their hypo- 
 thefis? Who could have derided fuch a fpeculation ? Who 
 could have difputed its great pradlical utility ? The mind of 
 man can entertain few refleftions more ufeful or more juft. 
 
 f We are not to fuppoCe that man will continue ftationary 
 in that ftate to which death will lead him; it is more reafon- 
 able to fuppofe, that he will keep through all eternity advan- 
 cing from one ftate of intelligence to another, and from one 
 degree of glory to a higher. 
 
 J Here the word perfect is taken in its abfolute fignification, 
 as excluding every idea of imperfeflion j and not as before, 
 
 A a 2 
 
(35^) 
 
 being (and every being is and rnufl be created, 
 God alone excepted) rnufl: be imperfeft ; and though 
 there may be many, nay infinite degrees of imper- 
 fedion, when one created being is viewed in its re- 
 ladons to or confidered in comparifon with another, 
 yet as the difference between that which had a be- 
 ginning, and that which had none, is infinite, all 
 created beings muft be placed equally difliant from 
 his perfections, in whofe eyes die heavens are not 
 clean, and who chargeth his angels with folly. 
 
 27. But though the imperfeftions of man, con- 
 fidered in their ftricft philofophical relation to the ab- 
 folute perfedionsofGod, may always continue in the 
 fame ftate of inferiority, though no created nature 
 can, in any period of its improvement, though that 
 improvement fhould be carried on through an endlefs 
 fuccelTion of ages, ever approach within any given 
 difimce of the infinite power by which it was pro- 
 duced ; yet the perfections of man, viewed either as 
 relative to the paft ftate of the individual, or in com- 
 parifon with the ftate of other created natures, may 
 keep continually improving i and it is in the perpe- 
 tual accumulation of that improvement that moral 
 perfe6tionning confifts. We are to ufe the utmoft 
 endeavours, and make the moft ftrenuous exertions, 
 
 when I was fpeaking of the perfeftlons of man, where the 
 word is taken as relative to fomeltiing greater or fomething 
 lefs. 
 
( 357 ) 
 
 never to be ftationary in the race of moral improve- 
 ment. Not looking back, but preffing forward, we 
 are to labour continually to go beyond that point in 
 the race of goodnefs, at which we laft arrived. We 
 are to ftrive to excel both ourfelves and others, who 
 are running the fame courfe, and panting to reach 
 the fame goal, in the great work of obedience to the 
 will of God i and we are to confider that obedience 
 as the greateft good, which we can purfue, or which 
 we can attain. 
 
 28. It may be objected, that obedience to the will 
 of God does not always conftitute our greatell good, 
 but is often produdtive of great pain and inconve- 
 nience. If, indeed, the connection between morality 
 and intereft were terminated by the grave, obedience 
 to the will of God might not always be our intereft; 
 for circumftances may occur, in which one a£t of 
 juftice or one exertion of humanity may coft a man 
 his life. But, as the relations between morality and 
 intereft are carried beyond the grave, and though they 
 are very clofe and eafily difcoverable here, they will 
 be indiflbluble and felf-evident hereafter j and though 
 they are fubjed to certain contingencies in this world, 
 they will be liable to no interruptions in the next ; the 
 conformity of our condudt to the moral law or the 
 will of God, muft always, in all circumftances, and 
 under all pofiible combinations of pefent good or 
 evil, be our greateft good ; for the greateft good, 
 which it is poflible to attain in this ftiort life, can 
 
 A 
 
( 35^ ) 
 
 bear no proportion to the effential and endlefs good, 
 that is promifed in another, 
 
 29. The more narrowly and attentively we look 
 into the moral economy of the univerfc, a field of 
 ipeculation well fitted for the rational pov.xrs of man, 
 where they may range with the greateft fi-eedom, ^.nd 
 exert their vigour with the greateft fuccefs ; where 
 truths of the higheft importance to the welfare of the 
 world are to be explored j and where alone that true 
 philofophy is to be found which conne£l:s earth with 
 heaven, and elevates rational man to the precindls of 
 pure intelligence j the more we lhall find that God 
 has, in the moral order of things, made as immutable 
 diftinftions between right and wrong, between truth 
 and falfehood, juftice and injuftice, as he hasjuade 
 in the phyfical order of things, between fweet and 
 bitter, pain and pleafure, mifery and happinefs. 
 
 30. Pleafurable fenfatlon in a moderate degree 
 is always phyfical good j but animal pleafure may 
 be fo long continued as to cloy, or fo often repeated 
 as to produce a pain greater than itfelf can counter- 
 a£l i but obedience to the will of God, which is 
 iTiOral good *, can never be too long in duration, or 
 
 * Moral good in this acceptation of the words, is fplritual 
 joy J and joy so truly spiritual, never springs from any 
 OTHER SOURCE. ThcCalvinlfts think that fplritual joy can 
 flew only from the wild orgafras of devotion 3 but; in the moral 
 
 7 
 
( 359 ) 
 
 loo In ten fe in degree. It teems with delight that 
 never tires ; mih pleafure that never cloys. Moral 
 pleafures, or pleafures refulting from the praflice of 
 truth, of jiiftice, and of charity, are not fubjeft to 
 any repletion of enjoyment. They admit an infinite 
 augmentation, and the more often they are tailed, 
 the greater becomes their capacity to give pleafure 
 and ours to receive it. Senfual pleafures are ufually 
 greater in the fond illufions of anticipation than in 
 the reality of poffeffion. But moral pleafures, l/eittg 
 no illufiony the reality only can delight ; they are there- 
 fore litde known till they are experienced, and the 
 experience always furpaffes the higheft expedation. 
 Senfual pleafures flourifh moft in the bloom of youth, 
 but moral pleafures increafe with increafing years. 
 Endued with an immortal principle, they charm 
 when the glow of phyfical fenfibility expires j they 
 extend their delight even to our hoar hairs j and 
 promifc to the dying an eternity of blifs. 
 
 31. Our nature is fo conftituted, that, as what is 
 fweetis agreeable to the tafte, or what is fmooth to 
 the touch, fo what is morally good, Inftantly, and 
 without any labour of preparation, gratifies both the 
 mind and the heart. As a tafte for what is fweet is 
 natural, and a tafte for what is bitter artificial, fo a 
 
 improvement of their conduit, they ivouhl find joys more fweet and 
 more genuine, raptures ynore delicious but more reafonabJe ; and, 
 though more tranquil, more fnblime. 
 
 A a 4 
 
( 36o ) 
 
 tafte for moral good is the inftinflive propenfity of 
 the foul, and a tafte for moral evil is the product of 
 habit. 
 
 32. Pleafurable fenfation is the primary object of 
 man ; but pleafurable fenfation, the pureft in kind 
 and the greateft in degree, is conne-d:ed with and 
 refults from adlsof goodnefs. Thus God has given 
 to our nature a bias to moral good in preference to 
 moral evil * ; and our fenfations themfelves are, in 
 fome meafure, capable of dillinguifhing their differ- 
 ences. The practice of truth, juftice, and mercy, 
 feems a natural fource of agreeable fenfation, to 
 which the reafon cannot deny its aflent nor the heart 
 its fandion. But the pradice of falfehood, of in- 
 juftice, and of cruelty, is a natural caufe of painful 
 feelings f, for it is abhorrent to the plain dictates 
 
 • Juft in the fame manner as he has given us a dcfire of 
 
 happinefs in preference to mifery. Moral good is happinefs, 
 moral evil mifery ; though perverfe alTociations and a rapa- 
 cioiifnefs of prefent pleafare make ns blind to this truth, and 
 indifferent to the confequences. 
 
 t If painful feelings be not always produced by falfehood, 
 injuftice, &c. it does not follow that they have not a natural 
 tendency to produce them. For, the tafte of tobacco and of 
 many other things has a natural tendency to produce naufea 
 and excite averfion j though it fometimes produces neither the 
 one nor the other, but quite the contrary. In the laft cafe, the 
 phyfical tafte is impaired, or a new and unnatural one has been 
 fupcrinduced by habit j and whenever vice is relilhed, or virtue 
 
( J6i ) 
 
 of common fenfe, and the unvitiated fenfibllitles of 
 humanity *. 
 
 loathed, the natural healthy moral tajle h.is been corrupted from its 
 original fimplirity. 
 
 * There feems a ftrong propenfit)' in mankind to be fpedla- 
 tors of fcenes of mifery Ciuldren, as I have often obfei ved, 
 affemble in greater crowds to fee a funeral tt^an a wedding, 
 and the populace will always quit a puppet fliow to attend a 
 criminal to the gallows. Sympathy, when it is flrong and 
 vivid, always forcibly attraSs us towards the object; and it is 
 this fympalhy which carries men to witnefs an execution in 
 preference to other fcenes apparently more agreeable. It maft 
 not be fuppofed, that becaufe men are thus powerfully im- 
 pelled, by a certain principle in their nature, to be fpe6tators 
 of others fufterings, they feek to derive, or that they a6tually 
 do deiive pleafurable fenfations from the fufferings of their 
 fellow-creatures; for the principle of fympathy which, if I 
 may fo fpeak, accelerates our fteps to fome fcene of mifer)', 
 luas made thus operative in our breajis on purpofe to Jltmulate us to 
 relieve it. It may be afked, how can fympathy impel us to be 
 fpeclators of mifery, which we have no profpedl of relieving, 
 to fee pain inflifted and anguilh felt, which we can neither 
 prevent nor alleviate ? But the principle of companion, which is 
 one of the aboriginal principles of the human nature, always 
 poifeffes a general tendency to attraft us towards objects of 
 mifery; and this pallive ftate of compaflion ufually precedes 
 its a£live operations. In a populous city, when the news of 
 any terrible accident or calamity is made known, multitudes 
 inflantly rufli tothefpot; but in this cafe, I do tiot believe that 
 the majority are actuated more by emotions of curiofUy, than 
 by the principle of compalTion. When compaflion impels us 
 to take a near view of the pains and fufferings of others, it 
 feems to do it in order that thofe pains and fufferings inay excite 
 our benevolence into aftion. Mifery which is feen, is more 
 
33* We derive pleafure from the pradlice of 
 truth, of juHice, and of mercy, abftrafled from the 
 
 likely to make iis Itrive to relieve the fufFerer, than that raifery 
 which, being out of our light, does not fo powerfully a6t on our 
 fenfations. A few, indeed, will gaze idly on the fufFerer and 
 pafs on, but the many will make fome eSbrt to relieve him, and 
 where circumllances render relief impoflible, the defire of afford- 
 ing it will be expreffed on the countenance and felt in ihe 
 heart. The minifir.= tion of co.nfort to the dejedted, or help to 
 the needy, affords pleafure ; and the fimple but heart-fcit de- 
 lire of adminiftering it, produces a pleafarable ftate of felf-fa, 
 tisfaftion. Thus fympathy feeras the principle which fo forci- 
 bly impels men to hs fpectators of executions, of hgbts of 
 .w retched nefs, and fcenes of v. oe ; aad ia general, except in 
 cafes of atrocious guilt, or in one or two individuals, who may 
 feek to gratify the paffion of revenge in beholding the fuU'er- 
 ings of an enemy, it will be found, tliat the fpeclators do not 
 Ciily compaflionate the fufferer, but feel a llrong defire to avert 
 or to abate his fufferings. 
 
 In beholding the fufferings of others, we may, in fome cafes, 
 involuntarily feel a fort of negative pleafure in the confciouf- 
 nefs of perfonal fecurit}'^ for the fight of mifery may induce 
 us to maV;e agreeable comparifons ia our own favour. But 
 though the motive which impels men to be fpectators of the 
 lufl'eriijgs of others may often be of a very mixed and complex 
 kind, compalJion is always, in the great majority of cafes, one 
 
 its principal conftituents ; and perhaps its force is more than 
 equal to that cf all the reft. Thus the wifdom and goodnefs 
 of God are very obfervable in his having made compaffion one 
 cf the raafter principles of our nature, and to the influence of 
 which fo many others are fubfervient. 
 
 It has been faid tiiat our active habits are ftrengthened, and 
 our pafiive weakened by exercife. Thus the pain which is 
 iek at the fight of miferable objefts, is diminilhed by the fre- 
 
( 3^3 ) 
 
 confideration of any perfonal advantage, to which 
 they may tend, or with which they may be con- 
 
 quenCy of the fpeSacle; but if the a£live principle of com- 
 paffibn be excrcifed as well as the paffive, the willingnefs to 
 relieve obje£ts of mifery is increafed in proportion as the paia 
 which they caafebrcomes lefs, or as the difagreeableimprefTions, 
 which they make on the fyftem, wear away. Hence it is right 
 not only to indulge a pafiive fympathy, but, as much as pcflible, 
 to cherifh and to exert the principle of active beneficence ; for, 
 by this means, the painful feelings which a niiferable object 
 caufes, will become lefs in degree, while the pleafurable feel- 
 ings derived from active goodnefs^ will increafe as the habit 
 is matured. But if we cherilh only the paffive feeling, with- 
 out exerting the aSive energies of compaflion, the difpofition 
 will receive a tendency to cruelty 5 for the isnpreffions which 
 fights of wretchec^nefs make, being diminilbed in ftrength by 
 familiarity, and the decay of the paffive not being affociated 
 with a proportionnte incrrafein the adive habit of benevolence, 
 the perfon will at laft come not only to be afFefted with no 
 painful feelings from, but to take pleafurein the fpeftacle, and 
 perhaps even in the produ6lion of mifery. Hence we may 
 eafily learn, how, in many cafes, that charafter which is termed 
 cruel is formed. The feeling of compaflion is, by degrees, 
 weakened, and the adi^e principle of beneficence is not pro- 
 portionably fttengthened, till the mifery of others ceafing to 
 excite pain, caufes at laft pofitive pleafure. I need not, I truft, 
 anticipate the fagacity of the reader, in applying fome of the 
 remarks, which I have made in this note to the pradlice of 
 education ; nor need I remind him, that they tend to fliow in 
 what manner the habit of fentiraental and pathetic novel- 
 reading, while it feems to foflen, tends in fad to harden the 
 heart; and I think that they will furnilh a clue to difcover 
 why Roufleau, Sterne, and other writers, who were fo remark- 
 able for a palfive fcnfibility, were fo deficient in pradical bene- 
 ficence. 
 
( 3^4 ) 
 
 nefted; but when we derive pleafure from the 
 pradice of falfehood or injuftice, the pleafure is not 
 produced by the tranfgreffion, but by the emolu- 
 ment with which it may be conneded, or the interefl: 
 which it may promote. The mind always difap- 
 proves the praftice of falfehood or injufticcj though 
 its difapprobadon may have lefs influence on the 
 will, than the gratification with which the vice flatters 
 the fcnfes. We never approve falfehood as falfe- 
 hood, or injuftice as injuftice, though fome tempo- 
 rary advantages connected with the practice, or fome 
 animal pleafure refuking from it, may make us blind 
 to their deformity and infenfible to their tendency. 
 But, on the other hand, we always approve juftice as 
 juftice, and truth as truth they want no aflxiciated 
 circumftances to give them an interefl: in our hearts ; 
 they need no adventitious ornaments to make them 
 pleafe, no artificial luftre to make them captivate j 
 and pleafures, pure and exquifite, always flow from 
 an inviolable adherence to their obligations. 
 
 34, All the pleafure that can be derived from the 
 inofl: fuccefsful violations of truth and juftice, is ani- 
 mal pleafure ; and which is always diminifhed, if not 
 entirely deftroyed, by moral diJfatisfa5lion. On the 
 other hand, when, refifting the allurements of falfe- 
 hood or injuftice, we make any confiderable facri- 
 fices at the Ihrine of truth and juftice, our fenfations, 
 ruffled, perhaps, for a fhort feafon, always ultimately 
 fettle into that pkafurable ftate of moral fatisfatflicn, 
 
( 365 ) 
 
 which converts the lofs into gain *, and infpires that 
 feeling ofconfcious retftltude, of which the poflelTion 
 is better than ail the accumulated interefts of unright- 
 eoulhefs. And though, on fome occafions, we may 
 be required to cut off an arm, to pluck out an eye, 
 or to part even with life itfelf, for the fake of truth, 
 ofjuftice, and humanity, we ought not to fhrinic 
 from the facrifice; for if it diffolve our connedion 
 with the fleeting intereils of time, it will confolidate 
 it with the interefts of eternity. Hcy fays the Lord, 
 ivho lofes his life for my Jake fhall fave it ; that is, he 
 
 * If God, have made morality our intereft, if he have im- 
 planted in the mind, fuch a ftrong fenfe of its utility, that we 
 never can, rationally, approve falfehood and injuftice, and never 
 rationally condemn truth and julHce, how can it be faid that 
 we are born altogether corrupt and abominable, radically dif- 
 pofed to evil and indifpofed to good ? For, it appears, that if 
 any conftitutional bias be laid on our choice, it is rather in fa- 
 vour of virtue than of vice. When pain and pleafure are 
 righily diftinguiflied, we always prefer pleafure to pain; and 
 when moral right and wrong are offered to the choice, the 
 mind always prefers moral good to moral evil, unlefs when it 
 is corrupted by the dominion of fenfual appetites and perverfc 
 affocialions. Moral good, rightly coiifidered, is the higheQ and 
 moft refined corporeal pleafure ; and it is the fwecteft pleafure 
 which we can tafte, for it is pleafuie, in conformity to thofe 
 laws of the author of our being, in whofe favour is life, and 
 iv'ilhout ivhufe regard there can hem lajiing pLafure. Confider 
 this, ye fticklers for the innate moral corruption of man I Con- 
 sider this, and no longer make the great Father of fpirits the 
 contrivrr and abettor of human deprnvity ! 
 
( 366 ) 
 
 who keeps my faylngs, and is obedient to my laws, 
 even unto death, fhall receive his recompenfe in a 
 better world. Blefied, therefore, thrice b'eiTed are 
 thofe, who are undefiled in the way, and walk in the 
 law of the Lord. Truth and juftice, faifehond and 
 injuftice, are no!; mere matters of human convention; 
 they are not the random conjeftures of the i _'norant, 
 or the barren fpecuktions of the wife; their relations 
 do not originate in the mind of man, but in the will 
 of God ; and inftead of being dependant on the ver- 
 fatile changes of opinion or of policy, they have been 
 eftablifhed and incorporated in the nature of things, 
 by a decree which cannot alter, which has been fixed 
 from the beginning, and will continue to the end of 
 time. 
 
 35. Chriftianity, by 'placing human conducl in 
 its true relation to the interefts of eternity, proves 
 that moral good is our greateft good, and moral evil 
 our greateft: evil. By promifing to reccmipenfe us 
 according to cm works *, it (hows that the ftate which 
 we fhall pafs into after death, has a clofe conneftion 
 with our prefcnt habits j for when Chrift declares 
 that he will judge us according to our works, we 
 cannot fuppofe that the fentence which he will pafs 
 upon us, will be determined fo much by a few fingle 
 ads as by the general habits of our lives. He will 
 take a large and impartial furvey of our whole con- 
 
 * Matt. xvi. 27. Kom, xl Q. 
 
( '367 ) 
 
 du£t from the beginning to the end of our days. The 
 more perfeil therefore our habits of obedience to the 
 law of God have been, the greater will be our hap- 
 pinefs after deafh. He that foweth Jparingly, jhall reap 
 alfo Jparingly. Now the only feed which we can fow 
 in this life, preparatory to a rich harveft of future 
 glory in tlie next, is adts of obedience and righteouf- 
 nefs gradually ftrengthening into an habitual confor- 
 mity of the condufl to the will of God. The more 
 numerous our a£ls of obedience are, or the lefs inter- 
 ruption they experience from acfls of a contrary ten- 
 dency, the more robuft and vigorous is the habit ; 
 and confequently the greater will be the capacity of 
 ihe individual for immortal blifs. 
 
 36. Every fingle ad of obedience to the divine 
 will may probably have fome influence on our fu- 
 ture happinefs, as far as it adds fomething to the in- 
 tenfity of thofe habits of righteoufnefs, which arc con- 
 ditional qualifications for eternal glory. An habit of 
 religious obedience may be confidered as formed of 
 many particulaf and individual a6ts of obedience, 
 each of which has Jorne /hare in its formation. Thus, 
 therefore, the power of the habit muft increafe in 
 proportion to the number of the particular adls of 
 obedience from which ic refults, of which it is the 
 colle(ftive growth and the accumulated force. 
 
 37. Every particular a6l of religious obedience 
 carries on the increafe of the liabit in the foul, and 
 
( 363 ) 
 
 caufes our moral energies to expand more and more 
 to the fulnefs of the ftature of Chrifl:. Habits of 
 truth, of juftlce, and of temperance, grow, as it were, 
 out of the many particular occafions in which truth 
 has been fpoken, and juftice and temperance prac- 
 tifed ; or in which the temptations to falfrhood, to 
 injuftice, and intemperance, have been refifted. The 
 habit of righteoufnefs advances with an accelerated 
 pace, according to the number of the individual adls 
 of lighteoufnefs that we have performed and the 
 ftrength and number of the temptations which we 
 have fubdued. 
 
 38. Every temptation withftood by the reafon, 
 and made fubjeft by the confcience, is not only fo 
 much power taken from the ftrength of fin, but fo 
 much added to that of righteoufnefs ; and, in the 
 fame manner, every particular a£t of obedience to 
 the law of righteoufnefs tends to augment the force 
 of the habit, and confequently to aboliih the law of 
 fin which may reign in our members. Hence, it 
 may be readily underftood, how every particular adl 
 of religious obedience adds fomething to the inten- 
 fity of the habit of obedience ; and hence, we fee the 
 necelTity of ufing our utmoft endeavours to abftain 
 from every particular violation of the law of righ- 
 teoufnefs, and even from the infraftion of thofe fmaller 
 moral obligations, which we are wont to tranfgrefs 
 with indifference, and think to tranfgrefs with impu- 
 nity. But as every fingle a<ft of obedience adds fome- 
 
( 369 ) 
 
 thing to the intenfity of the habit, and every aft of 
 difobedience takes fomething from it, fo the infrac- 
 tion of what our Lord calls the leafl: commandments 
 muft have fome influence on the moral chara6ter 
 and confequently on the preparation of the heart for 
 another life. 
 
 39. The more intenfe our habits of religious obe- 
 dience are, the greater muft be our fitnefs for future 
 happinefs ; for a future life will be, according to the 
 intimations of fcripture and the fuggeftions of reafon, 
 a fiate of moral retribution ; when glory and honour 
 fhall be rendered to him who hath done good, and 
 tribulation and angui(h to him who hath done evil. 
 A future life being therefore a flate of moraj retribu- 
 tioHy its happinefs muft be proportioned to the de- 
 gree of moral obedience in the individual, or to the 
 intenfity of his habits of righteoufnefs *. The more 
 intenfe and vigorous the habit is, or the nearer ap- 
 proach that the individual makes, proportioned to the 
 cpportunities which he enjoys, to the goodncfs which 
 was manifefted in the life of Chrift Jcfus, the greater 
 
 * The intenfity of the habit muft bear a certain determinate 
 relation to the time allotted to the individual to acquire it. 
 Thus, habits of righteoufnefs acquired by an individual, who 
 perifties in his youth, may be conddered in relation to the time 
 allowed for the acquifition, as intenfe, and contain a reafonable 
 fitnefs for as high a Hate of future happinefs, as the habits of 
 righteoufnefs acquired by another who lived to a good old age. 
 
 B b 
 
( 370 ) 
 
 will be his capacity for happincfs in the life to 
 come. 
 
 40. The word of God bears fruit, in different 
 degrees, in different perfons j in fomc it brings forth 
 thirty, in others fixty, in others ninety fold ; but 
 thofe who, with equal opportunities^ make it yield the 
 greateft increafe, will receive the largefl recompence 
 at the refurreflion of the juft. Thofe in whom the 
 doflrine of Jefus has been moft prolific of righteouf- 
 nefs, will occupy the higheft ftation among the fpirits 
 of good men in heaven. Though there feems no 
 truth lefs regarded, yet there is none in the whole 
 compafs of fcripture more clear than this. In the 
 parable of the ten pieces of money, (Lukexix.) he 
 who had converted the one pound which he had re- 
 ceived into ten pounds, received authority over ten 
 cities; he, who with one pound, had gained five 
 pounds, received authority over five cities ; while he 
 who kept his pound laid up in a napkin, not only 
 received no reward, but was deprived of all that he 
 had ; as in the parable of the talents, (Matt, xxv.) 
 the unprofitable fervant was caft into outer darknefs, 
 where there is weeping and gnafhing of teeth. So 
 "-jiiiU it he at the great day of retribution ! O ponder 
 this ! ye, who either make a mock at fin, or do not 
 ftrive with that diligence and zeal, which become 
 men who are one day to give an account of their 
 thoughts, words, and a{5lions, to improve in habits of 
 obedience, to the will ofche o.nly Juft, the only 
 
( 371 ) 
 
 Wife, and the only Good ! O ponder this ! ye who 
 hold (he truth IN unrighteousness! Confider, bef-jre 
 it be too late ! that every a<5t of difobedience is a 
 ftep towards mifcry and deftruftion. O ponder 
 this ! and labour to advance in the race of righteouf- 
 nefs ; the only race in which true happinefs is to he ob- 
 tatned or lajiing glory to be won ! 
 
 41. The more we do the will of God. the more 
 wc become like God •, for to do the will of God, is 
 to imitate the perfeftions of God, whofe will is the 
 fumofhis perfe6lions. In whatever he wills, his 
 infinite wifdom, power, and goodnefs, are engaged. 
 All his works are contrived with wifdom, executed 
 with power, and perfedted in goodnefs. The voli- 
 tions of man are often feparated from wifdom, power, 
 and goodnefs. Man often wills to do that which he 
 has not fagacity to devife, or ftrength to execute, or 
 of which the execution anfwers no good end. There 
 is often folly in the beginning, weaknefs in the pro- 
 grcfs, and deftrucSion in the confummation of his 
 fchemes. When man wills any thing, fome interval 
 of time, greater or lefs, always elapfes between the 
 volition and the accomplifh'ment; but when God 
 wills any thing, we cannot imagine the interventioa 
 even of a fecond time between his fiat and the exe- 
 cution. 
 
 42. When we fay that God wills our obedience to 
 the moral law, we do not mean that God has, by any 
 
 B b a 
 
( 372 ) 
 
 abfolute decree, impofed on man the necefllty of 
 obeying it, any more than he has impofed the necef- 
 ficy of violating it. This would be to enflave the 
 human will, and to deftroy the morality of human 
 aclions, by making them the refult of a mechanical 
 compulfion. We do not therefore affert that God 
 willed our obedience to the rnoral law in the fame 
 manner as he willed the Creation of light, (" let 
 there be light, and there was light ;") but that he 
 has appointed to the moral agency of man barriers, 
 ivhkb cannot be pqjfed with impunity ; that he has efta- 
 bliftied an order of things, by which obedience to the 
 moral law becomes the intereft, and difobedience to 
 it the bane of man ; that He has made a clofe and 
 permanent connexion between truth, juftice, bene- 
 volence, and happinefs ; ^and between falfehood, in- 
 juftice, malevolence, and mifery j and that thefe re- 
 lations which the All Wife, and All Good, has or- 
 dained for the promotion of human virtue, and the 
 extenfion of human happinefs, though they fome- 
 times appear imperfeft, broken and difordered here, 
 will take place without any confufion, any failure or 
 imperfedion hereafter. 
 
 43. Morality, or a conformity of our condud to 
 the will of God, does not, in this world, for wife and 
 good purpofes, always condud to prefent happinefs; 
 but the occafional mifery which it experiences 
 fhould be regarded as the fatherly correftion of the 
 moral Governor of the univerfc, defigned to extend 
 
( 373 ) 
 
 the expeftatlons of the individual towards another 
 life, and at the fame time to increafe the fitnefs for 
 its enjoyment. Though God has eftabUfhed the 
 moral law, he does not fo conftrain the human will, 
 as to force the performance of its obligations. He 
 gives man a faculty to difcern between right and 
 wrong, and an inward monitor to keep their differ- 
 ences alive in his fenfations, and he then caufes his 
 happinefs to depend on the choice which he makes. 
 If God have fixed a clofe, and eafily perceptible 
 connection between morality of conduft and prefent 
 good, and an indiffoiuble connexion between righ- 
 teoufnefs and future good, it is plain that he wills 
 the morality of our adions, as a kind father wills 
 the welfare of his children, without controuling their 
 choice, or annihilating tl*eir freedom. Morality 
 muft therefore be our greateft good ; end every aft 
 of immorality muft be a derelidion of our greateft 
 intereft. 
 
 44. True, plain, rational morality *, whofe obli- 
 gations, when clearly explained and forcibly incul- 
 cated, come diredly home to the bufinefs and the 
 bofoms of all m.ankind, is the perfedtion of natural 
 Religion, which confifts in the imitation of God and 
 
 * I do not mean the morality of the metaphyfician or the 
 cafuift, of which the praftical efficacy is loft in the clouds of 
 fpeculation, in the fubtleties of evafion, or the perplexities of 
 ingenious impofture. 
 
 B b3 
 
( 374 ) 
 
 the fame morality is the perfedion of revealed re- 
 ligion, which confifts in the imitation of Chrift. 
 
 45. Natural reafon, by inveftigating the attributes 
 of God, as they are dlfpiayed in the natural, or as 
 they may be deduced from the order of the moral 
 world, may form a fort of abftrad model of excel- 
 lence, in the imicaiion of who(e virtues the beauty 
 ar,d perfection of natural religion will confift ; but 
 in revelation we behoki, as it were, all the divine per- 
 fc(5bions embodied in an individual. In revelation, 
 we fee exhibited a diftindt, corporeal model of prac- 
 tical righteoufnefs, exciting the admiration of the 
 mind, and warming the fenfibilities of the heart. It 
 is a model on which the virtuous look with love, and 
 which the vicious cannot hate. The moft illiterate 
 cannot be infenfible to its beauty, and the wifeft are 
 difm.ayed in the contempUtion of its majefty. It is 
 a fpedtacle interefting to the philofopher, who, like 
 Newton, has furveyed the fpacious heavens, or who, 
 like Bacon and Locke, or Hartley and Butler, has 
 invefbgated the moral economy of man ; and it is 
 equally interefting to him, whofe ideas do not foar 
 above the preffure of his animal necefficies, and 
 whofe affeclions are in a great degree circumfcribed 
 by his privations. It is, in one word, interefting to 
 all, who poflTcfs the common feelings of humanity. 
 It is a model of perfedion, not too deprelTcd for the 
 high, nor too elevated for the low ; it is fuited to the 
 imitation of man in all regions and climes, under all 
 
C 375 ) 
 
 changes of manners and opinions, and all pofTible va- 
 rieties of laws and governments *. In the imitation 
 
 • Nothing can more ftrongly (how the truth of Chriftianity, 
 than the lingularly ftriking adaptation of Chrift's character, as 
 a pattern of excellence and a model of imitation to univerfal 
 man. Had thecharader been fiflitious, taken from no living 
 archetype, copied from no corporeal reality, can we imagine it 
 poffible for ignorant people, like the Evangelifts, to have fa- 
 fliioned it with the nicelt philofophical accuracy and difcrimi- 
 nation, fo as to fuit all the neceffities of man ? — a pattern of 
 excellence for the human race in all ages and nations, and abf- 
 trafted from all confiderations of place and time 3 whofe pradti- 
 cal ufefulnefs can never befuperfeded by the progreflion of the 
 world in wifdom, or by its improvement in virtue; which is 
 calculated to excite love the more it is (ludied, and to diffufe 
 happinefs the more it is imitated. All the accumulations of 
 hiftorical proof that have been fo induftrioufly coUcfted by 
 Lardner, and fo judicioufly arranged by Paley, do not amount 
 to half that fulnefs of proof in fupport of the truth of revela- 
 tion, as the confideration of Chrift's charafter alone will furnifh 
 to a thinking mind. Were I alked on what particular part of 
 the evidence 1 would reft the truth of Chrillianity, 1 Ihould 
 inflantly reply, on the tranfcendaut excellence of Chrift's cha- 
 rafter, confidered as an inimitable reprefentation of every imi- 
 table virtue ; and compared with the circumftances of the 
 authors, by whom it was drawn, and with the manners and genius 
 of the people, among whom the glorious original lived and 
 died. On the imitation of this charadter, which we not only 
 read, but fee, in the memoirs of the Evangelifts, the moral per- 
 feftionning of man depends; and the more its virtues are ab- 
 forbed into the maimers, the difpofilion,. and the condu6t of the 
 human fpecies, the lefs muft be the fum of its iinpi-rfeflinns. 
 And in proportion as the pradtical excellencies of Chrift's cha- 
 rafter are receded from, the greater muQ be the deviatioji of 
 
 B b 4 
 
( 376 ) 
 
 of this chara6ter, the character and the virtues of 
 Ji fus of Nazareth, wtio is God with us the per- 
 feciion of revealed religion confifts ; and thcfe who 
 
 individuals and of nations from fhe path of true bappinefs and 
 glory. 
 
 On the external evidence of Chrifiianity all feems to have 
 been faid that can be fdid ; but the internal evidence has not 
 yet been exhaufted by the refearch of the learned, or the re- 
 flections of the wile. Some juft, and inllru6tive, and acute 
 obfervatiODS, may be found in Wakefield's Evidences of Chrifti- 
 anity. I do not coincide with Mr. Wakefield in all his theo- 
 logical or political opinions, but I admire his learning, and I 
 revere his virtues. 
 
 * Without meaning to enter into the dark controverfjr 
 about the do£lrine of the Trinity, which I leave to older theo- 
 logians, and more recondite fcholars, I cannot help remarking, 
 that all the perfe6tions of the Godhead, power, vvifdom, good- 
 nefs infinite, did refide in a bodily form, in the perfon of Jefus 
 of Nazareth j and that, confequently, hew^s, according to the 
 do6trine of the church of England, perfeft God and perfeft 
 man. But whether the divine attributes which he exercifed 
 were hypoftically and eternally inherent, according to the Tri- 
 nitarian, or only delegated according to the Unitarian fcheme, 
 whether he were God per fe, or invefted with the power, and 
 wifdom, and goodnefs of God, as his reprefentative, ftill it muft 
 be confefled that he was God manifested in the flesh. 
 On this fubject, the mofl; difficult in the whole compafs of 
 theological inquiry, let us not be bitter towards others for think- 
 ing difierently from ourfelves. Let the zealous Trinitarian con- 
 fider, that though he underfland all myfteries, and have not 
 charity, he is nothing. 
 
( 377 ) 
 
 endeavour to make it conjijl in any thing e'fe, will only 
 mar its beauty and deftroy its ujefuhiefs *. 
 
 46. The divine pcrfeflions, as they are difplayed 
 in the vaft and magnificent fyftern of creation, are 
 beyond the utmoft ftretch of mortal cotnprehenfion. 
 Of the works of God, of the operations of his. pro- 
 vidence, the exertions of his power, the contrivances 
 of his wildom, and the confummations of his good - 
 nefs, it may truly be faid that their effulgence dazzles 
 
 • May I evprefs a few fentiments very genial to my heart, 
 in the words of Epifcopius? " Veram theologiam credimus 
 mere prafticam efle, et proinde quaecuiique in ea traduntur, eo 
 unice referenda, ut ad officium fuum fedulo faciendum, et 
 inandata Jefu Chrifti obfervandum acrius aptiufque homo in- 
 flammetur atque animetur. Arida enim, effjeia, fteriiis, et pro- 
 inde fpuria eft theolngia, que intra inanem fpecnlationem, et 
 contemplationem merani confillit, quaeque poftquatn diu mul- 
 tumque vigilantifRmi cujulque indultriam faiigavit, atque inge- 
 Iiium folum operofe exercuit, ad voluntatem lanien r.on peiie- 
 trat, et debitum Deo obfequium in ea non gignit ; eoque nec 
 veram ac falutiferam Dei ChnlHque notitiam in nobis efficit. 
 *' Qui enim dicit, fe D<-um noff', et mandata ejus non fervqt, 
 mendax eftet in eo »eritas noi) eft." Prima igitur ac praecipua 
 theologiae laus in eo lira eft, li animum hominis in obfequium 
 Dei fleftat, et earn noftri partem, quam libertate naturali dona- 
 vit Deus, et quafi fui juri,-> aique arbitrii ftcit, ita inclinet, ut 
 Deo fefe totam fponte fua iterum fiibjiciat, et abdicato priftino 
 libertatis luae abufu, du6tum divina; tautum voluntatis feqna- 
 tur Cetera ot/miu, mfi ad hunc jcopum airigantur, coram Deo 
 •nana funt et frivola. et per fe minimi precii, adeoque pene ni/iili 
 dfic^nda:' Prefat. ad Confeff. Remo^ift. p. 73. 
 
( 373 ) 
 
 our fight, and their obfcurlty mocks our penetra- 
 tion j that their variety eh:des our fearc'.i, and their 
 fublimity exceeds the utmoft elevation of the human 
 faculties. But, in the perfon of Chrift, we behold, 
 as it were, thefe inconceivable perfeflions reduced 
 to the fize of our apprehenfion, and brought within 
 the angle of our fight. We behold a pattern of ex- 
 cellence, of which we can, in fome degree, meafure 
 the dimenfions, and which we arc capable of imi- 
 tating. 
 
 47. In the chara6ler of Chrift, we fee the higheft 
 abn;ra(5lions of goodnsls, which the mind can feign, 
 moulded into a certain diftind figure and (hape j in 
 his life and in his doflrine we obferve every fpecies 
 of moral excellence, that can be attained in praftice, 
 or imagined in fpeculation *. 
 
 48. If there be any part in Chrift's charafter, 
 where all is purity without a fpot, and fplendour 
 
 * Hence the great fuperioritj of the Chriftian over every 
 ether fyftem of theology. Tn all other fyftems, fuch an ex- 
 ample is wanting, and no other fyftem befides poflelTes the 
 effeutial charafteriftics of, and the neceffary fitnefs for an uni- 
 verfal religion. True religion admits not the narrow limita- 
 tions of time and place, of cuftoms, manners, &c. ; but on what 
 religion but the Chriftian can this pi aife be beftowed? AJl the 
 rations and governments of the earth may live, and move, and 
 have tlieir being, under its influence. It puts nytliing out of 
 its place, it promotes good will inftead of ftrife, and calm 
 acquiefcence inftead of factious difcontent. 
 
( 379 ) 
 
 without a cloud, which more particularly excites 
 our love and engages our efteem, it is the conftancy 
 of his benevolence. The benevolent afFeftions give 
 morality its fragrance, virtue its attraflions, and re- 
 ligion its ufefulnefs. There is no place, and there 
 can be no circuroftances, in which their cultivation 
 is not required for the good, and in which their 
 pratlice is not effcntial to the happinefs of mankind. 
 They produce content, and cheerfulnefs, and mirth, 
 in the filent hamlet and in the oblrcperous city in 
 the vale of feclufion and in the throng of fociety; 
 in the affairs of families and in the councils of nations. 
 They alone make the eye to fparkle with genuine 
 joy, and the heart to thrill with lafting pleafure. 
 Thefe affedions, fo aufpicious in their influence, 
 and fo inexhauftible in their benefits, fhone with an 
 inimitable ludre in the fentiments and in the con- 
 duct of Jefusi and nothing can fo powerfully pro- 
 mote their growth in the heart, and their diffufion 
 through the world, as the vigorous and general imi- 
 tation of his charafler. 
 
 49. Chriftianity, by being delivered in the form of 
 a hiftory, and that hiftory containing the delineation 
 of a perfedl charafter, (bowing the man Jefus an un- 
 fivalled example of humility, meeknel;, and every 
 virtue, enduring infuits with gentlenefs, ii)juries with 
 forbearance, fubduing oppreffion by patience, and 
 malevolence by charity, endeavours to keep a pat- 
 tern of righteoufncfs conftantly fixed before cur eyes. 
 
( 3So ) 
 
 Had the precepts * been delivered in a more dry 
 and abftiadt form, without being fo diftinflrly per- 
 fonified in a corporeal reality, or had they been tranf- 
 mittcd to us in the (hape of a philofophical treatife, 
 diftinguifned by the nicety of the arrangement, and 
 the juflnefs of the reafoning, by the eloquence of 
 the ftyle, and the conclufivenefs of the dedudions, 
 and had this treatife even been confirmed, at its ori- 
 ginal publication, by certain miraculous appearances, 
 yet it could not have excited fo much intereft, or 
 been affociated with fo much good, as the fimple 
 narrative of the Evangelifts ; in which we meet with 
 hiftorical relation inftead of elaborate difcuffion j 
 with accidental difcourfes inftead of premeditated 
 orations; with ftiort authoritative fayings inftead of 
 logical argumentation. The charadler gives weight 
 and dignity to the precepts, and the precepts add to 
 the intereft and the authority of the character ; the 
 force and juftnefs of the one, and the beauty and the 
 fitnefs of the other, imprefs a convidlion on the 
 mind, and gain an afcendency in the heart, which 
 could not eafily have been prodliced by the more 
 abftrufe and lefs popular method of philofophical 
 inquiry. 
 
 50. Chrlftianity, by holding a model of fuch per- 
 fedlion before our eyes, takes the fureft and the 
 
 * The precepts are a perfect rule of life ; but it is the cha- 
 ratStcr v, inch gives them fo much beauiy and effect, which len- 
 ders Lhera fo perfuafive and fo interefting. 
 
( 38f ) 
 
 ihorteft way to facilitate our improvement in rlgh- 
 teoufnefs, to animate our exertions, and to accelerate 
 our pi ogrefs. The view of a charader fo excellent 
 tends to produce that juft fenfe of our own inferio- 
 rity, which generates humility, and, at the lame time, 
 it infpires an honed zeal, and inftigates to vigorous 
 efforts to attain perfetlion. 
 
 51. The imitation of any individual, confpicuous 
 for wifdom or for virtue among our fellow-creatures, 
 tends to improve the charafler. It generates a 
 hearty defire to get rid of our own imperfedlions, to 
 amend what is evil, and to improve what is good; 
 to ftrengthen what is weak, and to eftabiifh what is 
 ftrong. But, in the wifeft and the beft of men, 
 though there may be much to imitate, there will be 
 fomething to fliun. There will be fome blemifhes to 
 abate our admiration, and to excite our compafilon, 
 if not our fcorn. But, in the charafler of Chrift, 
 which is perfe£lion abfolute, integrity without blemifh, 
 and innocence without guile, there is nothing which 
 we may not love and ought not to imitate. There 
 is nothing to extenuate regard or to produce difguft; 
 there is no littlenefs to take off from the greatnefs j 
 the goodnefs is not debafed by one particle of evil ; 
 and the wifdom is not blurred by the prefence of a 
 fingle abfurdity. We behold a perfon like ourfelves, 
 a man pofTcfllng all the characlcriftics of humanity, 
 v/ithout any of thofe defefts which excite averfion,and 
 with all thole virtues which generate cordial cfte»;m 
 
( ) 
 
 and every pleafurable fcnfation. We fee nothing 
 but perfeftion ; but it is the perfeclion of mortality. 
 Ic is a perfeflion exiflly fuited to our apprehenfions; 
 it is not an indefinite, imaginary fomcthing, which 
 our minds cannot grafp, or with which our hearts 
 cannot fympathize. We behold Jefus endued with 
 that wifdom which bears with the froward and in- 
 ftrucls the fimple, and with that beneficence which 
 -condoles with the fad and rejoices with the happy. 
 He appears, indeed, inverted with the fceptre of 
 the power of God, but his power does not excite 
 dread fo much as love, for he exerts it only in doing 
 good. 
 
 5 '2. In the natural world, we may difcern nume- 
 rous appearances, from which to deduce and colletfl 
 numerous arguments, by which to eftablifh the good- 
 nefs of God ; but we do likewife obferve fome things 
 which feem to indicate an indifference to the happi- 
 nefs of mankind. We behold evident marks of a 
 dtfign to impart happinefs; but do we not difcover 
 fomethi.ng like the features of a being that delights 
 in mifery ? We fee, and we feel a great deal of good, 
 but it is, at leall to our grofs perceptions, mingled 
 with a great deal of evil. We behold the wifeft and 
 the kindeft arrangements made for the prefervation 
 of man j but there are others which feem contrived, 
 as if, in mere wantonnefs, for his dcftruftion. In 
 contemplating the Deity, in the natural and moral 
 economy of the world, we meet with certain mani- 
 
( o83 ) 
 
 feftations of great regard for his creatures ; but we 
 fometimes obferve good and evil difpenfed with a 
 Ibrt of fortuitous extravagance. We fee all things 
 happening alike to all, and the rain and the* dew 
 falling on the righteous and the finner. The fields 
 of the liberal are fomecimes parched with drought ; 
 while thcfc of the covetous are fertilized by conti- 
 nual fhovi'ers. The property of the fimple and in- 
 duftrious peafant is fwept away by a torrent, while 
 that of his corrupt and luxurious neighbour feems 
 purpofcly exempted from its violence. We fee the 
 iiopes of the upright withered and decayed, while 
 the fraudulent flourifh beyond their moft fanguine 
 cxpe6tatlons. The earth is decorated with flowers 
 and enriched with fruit ; but whole cities are fome- 
 times buried under the eruptions of volcanoes j and 
 the innocent are not fpared in earthquakes and con- 
 vulfions. Man occafionally enjoys, as it were, the 
 full funfhine of the divine benevolence; but he often 
 mourns under the fhadow of advcrfity, and groans 
 under the oppreffion of the Moft High. In ftiort, 
 the goodnefs of God, many as are the proofs of it, 
 which are pilpable to fenfe and obvious to inquiry, 
 is liable to objedtions, which may well prevent ac- 
 quiefcence in his decrees and refignation to his will ; 
 mlejs we take a future life into our vie-w of this, and 
 confider the prefent evil world as a fojfage to a better. 
 
 53. li the good which there is in the world, and 
 which IS fufljcienc to prove the benevolence of the 
 
( 384 ) 
 
 Creator, were more predominant than it is, men could 
 not reafonably cxped a future lifej and if the pro- 
 portion of evil were much greater than it. is, they 
 could feel little pleafure in the contemplation. For, 
 if the evil abounded much more than it does at 
 prefent, the proofs of the divine benevolence would 
 be proportionally diminifhed j and in this cafe, even 
 on the fuppofuion that there were a future life, fo 
 far would the probability be decreafed of that life's 
 being a ftate of happinefs. But, under the prefent 
 fyftem of things, the good is juft fo predominant as 
 ftrikingly to dcmonftrate a difpofition to produce 
 happinefs, and juft enough evil is mingled with it, 
 to cherifii the expeftation of a better, a lefs preca- 
 fious, and lefs miferabie exiftence *. 
 
 * It is a vain attempt to reafon men out of their fenfations 
 by abftra£t propofitions. That there is much pain and mifery 
 in the world cannot be denied , but then I think that every one 
 will acknowledge them to be terms of degree and of compa- 
 lifon j and that in the individual they may be confidered as 
 relative to what is paft and to what is to come. A greater 
 pain abforbs a lefs, and a lefs following a greater is comparative 
 pleafure. Whether the Deity could not have conftituted this 
 world without any intermixture of pain and mifery it is ufelefs 
 to inquire ; nor does it belong to us to meafure the pofFibilities. 
 But, taking the world as it is, we are to confider whether 
 marks of benevolent defign be not widely fcattered through the 
 whole fyftem, and whether the portion of pain 'and forrow 
 which we do experience, and under which creation often feems 
 to groan, do not, on the whole, increafe the balance of enjoy- 
 ment ; and, by diverfifying the fenfations of man augment his ha^ 
 
( 38s ) 
 
 54. Were there much lefs mifery than there is in 
 the world, were the good lefs allayed with evil, were 
 
 ftnefs. It may, indeed, very fairly be afked, whether, in a 
 being fo confiituted as man, there could be a feiife of happi^ 
 nefs without any acquaintance with mifery, or a confcioufnefs 
 of pleafure, if there were a total inconfcioufnefs of pain ? But 
 however this may be, certain it is, that the experience of pain 
 always heightens the relilh for pleafure. The fcheme of the 
 univerfe is probably fo ordered, that every intelligent being is 
 rendered capable of a continual and endlefsprogreflion in hap- 
 pinefs ; and this progreffion, with refpeft^to the individual, 
 may be an interminable fcries of comparifons in the experience 
 of fucceffive ftates of happinefs. In our future exiftence, there 
 may be always fomething beyond us to animate exertion; 
 and this fomething obtained, new defires may fucceed as the 
 old are gratified. Thus we may keep on for ever and ever 
 advancing from one degree of excellence and of blifs to another, 
 in a perpetual and never-ceafing approximation to the un- 
 clouded funfliine of the glory of God. The ftate of the fpiri- 
 tual man in heaven, of the mortal cloathed wiih immortality, 
 cannot be fuppofed a ftate of torpid quiefcence but of increafed 
 aftivityj a ftate in which dcfire lhall never ftagnaie and im- 
 provement never end. 
 
 Happy would it be for us, if we would confider the feveral 
 degrees of pain and mifery which we meet with in this world, 
 as relative to pleafure and happlnels, either in the life whicli 
 now is, or in that which is to come. This would teach us to 
 bear affliftions with patience, and to be cheerful when all looks 
 difmal around us. It would keep hope frelh and the fpirits 
 gay. We fliould refleft that the various forrows and troubles 
 which we meet with in life (thofe only excepted which are 
 owing to our vices) are necefiary ingredients in our condition ; 
 and that in the difpenfations of providence, niift ry often be- 
 comes the fhorteft way to the temple of blifs. In this world, 
 we begin our being, in a ftate of things in which there is a 
 great mixture of afflidion, and of wliich no fon of man eve«r 
 
 C c 
 
( 386 ) 
 
 this mortal life lefs chequered with uncertainty and 
 misfortune, this ftate of things would furnilh fuch 
 ftrong arguments for, and fuch powerful perfuafions 
 to prefent acquiejcence and unmingled Jatisfa^Horiy as 
 would make the mind too well contented, and the 
 heart too much delighted with its prefent fituation. 
 There would not be that longing after immortality, 
 that bufy expeftation of fomething to come after 
 death, which there now is. Man finding this world 
 a ftation of cafe and reft, not opprefifed with diffi- 
 culties nor faddened with care, would take up his 
 reft here. He would fay to his foul, " Soul 1 take 
 
 falls into the grave without experiencing his (hare. But when 
 this life is confidered as connedted with, and preparatory to 
 other happier modes and ftates of exiflence, all, even its fe- 
 vereft miferies, dwindle into infignificance, and become lighter 
 than air upon the balance. Thefe confiderations prove that 
 the mifery which there is in the world, viewed in the light in 
 which 1 have placed it, inftead of being any argument againft, 
 is one of the ftrongel^ arguments for the divine benevolencej for 
 the goodnefs of God muft be infinite, even as exerted towards 
 the leaft unit of intelligent nature, if he have fo arranged the 
 economy of the unlverfe, that every individual intelligent 
 being is made fufceptible of an endless progression in 
 HAPPINESS. That a created being cannot, like the one un- 
 created God, enjoy infinite happincfs, i.s a truth that will not 
 be contefted. How then is fuch a being to be made moft 
 happy ? Certainly not by being allotted to his greateft degree 
 of happinefs at once, and there kept flationary ; but, by being 
 rendered progreffive in blifs, and fo progrellive, that though 
 ever tending to, he may never arrive at that point where blifs 
 will no more increafe. In this note I have attempted to give 
 a plain and intelligible folution to many difficulties, which 
 have often perplexed the moralift and the divine. 
 
( 38? ) 
 
 thv fuil glut' of pleafure ; ear, drink, and be merry, 
 for there is nothing to come hereafter !" But the 
 vexations and uncertainties of this prefent life do not 
 permit this unclouded tranquillity of the mind, and 
 this unruffled joy of the heart. Man is born to 
 trouble i and feeing no Jure refuge from forrow on 
 this fide the grave, he naturally looks to one beyond 
 it. Obferving virtue often diftrefled and vice prof- 
 perous, the wicked riding in triumph, and the righ- 
 teous proftrate in the dud, and yet beholding amid 
 all this apparent confufion, ftriking and irrefragable 
 proofs of the moral government of the world, he can 
 difcover no end to his perplexity, and no refolucion 
 to his doubts, but in the fuppofition of a future life. 
 The prefent (late of things, therefore, furnifhes ar- 
 guments for a future life, in which the mind may 
 reafonably acquiefce ; by which the incredulous may 
 be fatisfied, and the (oirowful conloled*. 
 
 * The reader will obferve that, in this paflage, I am confider- 
 ing the probabilities which natural renfon may difcover in 
 favour of a future and happier life j where good Ihall be lefs 
 chequered with evil, pleafure lefs balanced wiih pain; where 
 the wicked (hall ceafe from troubling and ihe weary be at reft. 
 But all the mod profound dedudions of reafon on this import- 
 tant fubjeft, are very inferior in ftrength to convince, and in in- 
 tereft to perfuade, to that palpable proof of it, which the refur- 
 re£tion of Jefus affords ; and the probabilities in favour of the 
 faft of his refurredion, greatly exceed any prob ibiiities which 
 reafon can adduce in favour of a futyre ftate, when unailifled 
 by that light which the Chriftian revelatiou has fpread over 
 the world. 
 
 C C 2 
 
( 388 ) 
 
 55- In fending his fon into the worldj the exprefs 
 image of his perfon, the fchechlnah of his prefence, 
 and the reprefentative of his glory , God has diltimflly, 
 palpably, and incontrovertibly, manifefted the per- 
 fedion of his goodnefs. In Jefus we behold good- 
 nefs which no argument can invalidate, and no fails 
 or occurrences in his hiftory can diminish. Chrifl, 
 therefore, is the Divine Goodnefs, difplayed in a 
 vifible and tangible model of perfedion. And as 
 goodnefs is the effential principle of morality, with- 
 out which it is rotten and lifekfs j fo the perfedlion 
 of morality mud confift in the imitation of the cha- 
 radter of Chrifl:, who is perfed goodnefs j in whofc 
 heart was no malice and no guile, 
 
 56. That morality which confifts in the imitation 
 of Chrifl, in the pradice of his virtues, and the ob- 
 lervance of his faylngs, while it is more pleafing to 
 God than all the fubtle fpeculacions of all the wife 
 men of this world, has likewife a ftronger tendency 
 than any fyfl:em of morality, formed on any other 
 model, or regulated by any other laws, can have to 
 make us happy. Of the Chrifliian virtues, while the 
 principle forcibly inclines us to love our feilow-crea- 
 tures, the exertion naturally inclines them to love 
 us. It is not fufHcient to objed that the proud will 
 trample on the humble, that the infolent will opprefs 
 the meek, the vindidive the forgiving, and the hard- 
 hearted the benevolent; for the pradice of that pure 
 morality which confiflis in humility, meeknefs, for- 
 givenefs, brotherly kindnefs, charity, muft, by the 
 
( 3^9 ) 
 
 powerful operation of natural caufes, by the invifible, 
 but in a g^eat meafure irrefiftible agency of the com- 
 mon fympathies of humanity, in a vaft majority of 
 inftances, occafion the warm and artlefs reciproca- 
 tions of efteem and love *. 
 
 57. The Chriftlan virtues, having no tendency to 
 excite envy or fear, but tending to produce a ftate of 
 the lenfations, totally oppofite to the experience of 
 thofe baleful paffions, pave the way for the intro- 
 duftion of all the kind fentiments into the heart. 
 Where neither hate, nor envy, nor fear, have fhed 
 their mildew on the breaft, benevolence will eafily 
 kindle its holy flame. Thofe amiable and inoffen- 
 five qualities j thofe ferene, unoftentatious, and in- 
 terefting graces, the culture of which the Chrirtian 
 dodrine cherifhes and matures, and the praflice of 
 
 * There is nothing like what is commonly called philofophical 
 reafoning in the gofpel; yet the rules of life there delivered are 
 all fhthfophically juft ; and the more they are analyfed into their 
 elementary principles, and the more they are traced through all 
 their ramifications and tendencies, through their near and their 
 remote confequences, the more they will be found conformable 
 to the moft elaborate abftraftions of philofophy. By the phi- 
 lofophy here mentioned, 1 do not mean fuch philofophy as that 
 of Voltaire, Diderot, or Godwin ; but that philolophy which is 
 confecrated by the illuftrious names of Bacon, Locke, Clarke, 
 Hartley, Butler, &c. Thefe men were true philofophers, and 
 their writings are a fpacious, and I truft a lafting refervoir of 
 Jalubrtous philofophy. The term philofophy has of late been 
 greatly abufed j but let not therefore the thing itfelf be held 
 in derifion. 
 
 C c J 
 
( 39^ ) 
 
 which our Lord fo ftrenuoufly recommended by the 
 captivating eloquence of his difcourfes, and the more 
 eloquent captivations of his example, by cleanfing 
 the affc(flions from every fenfation of ill-will towards 
 others, muft operate, with no ordinary efficacy, to 
 extrude every fenfation of ill-will from the hearts of 
 others towards us *. 
 
 * The love of God is the only firm and lafting foundation of 
 benevolence. The love of God is not like the principle of the 
 general good, a cold abftra6tion, but a warm reality. The fenfe 
 of the Divine Prefence, as Bifliop Butler has moft ably taught 
 us, may be realized, 6xed in the mind, and embodied in the 
 heart J and when it is thus brought, as it were, into contaft 
 with the thoughts and fenfations, who can doubt the falutary 
 influence which it muft exercife on the benevolent affeftions? 
 Where benevolence does not reft oa this immutable principle, 
 (the love of God,) it is fubjeft to the moft capricious variations, 
 liable to be chilled by ingratitude, and to be extinguilhed by 
 pcrfecution. It is not, it cnnnot be fixed or permanent; it 
 may lubfide into apathy, or be converted into hatej but the 
 love of God gives it vignur and conftancy, breathing into it 
 the fpirit to a6t, and producing confiliency in adtion. Ani* 
 mated by love divine, cherilhrd by its flame, and hallowed by 
 its prefence, the benevolent principle lofes its frail and perilh- 
 able nature. It ftrikes root in the foul, and it bears fruit in the 
 condudt. No blaft withers its leaves, and no ftorm fliakes its 
 trunk. 
 
 Hence, we fee the wifdom of our Lord in commanding us 
 firft to love God and then to love mankind; thus making the 
 religious principle the root of the benevolent, makmg that 
 principle which prompts our adoration and binds our hearts to 
 the Faiber of fpirits, give life and flrength to the benevolent 
 aiFeftions; w hich attach us to the intereft of our fellow-crea- 
 tures; wh'ch perfuade us to niinifler comfort to the wretched 
 and relief to the diftreffcd. 
 
( 391 ) 
 
 58. The genuine principles of Chriftianity, 
 whether in their immediate operations, or their in- 
 
 The love of God, particularly when aflifted by thofe increafed 
 motives to love him, which are furniflied by revelation, re- 
 frefties the benevolent affedions with a fecret but conftant 
 afpiration. Natural religion, or that theory of our intereft and 
 our duty, which reafon forms from the light of nature, urges 
 us to love God as the author and preferver of our being; but 
 revelation teaches us to love him, not only as the giver of life, 
 but a deliverer from death ; not only as the author of all the 
 good things which we enjoy here, but of a glorious immortality 
 which is referved for us hereafter. Revelation fliows us in a 
 manner more clear and by arguments more convincing than 
 unaffifted reafon could fuggeft, that the regard which God has 
 for man, is not coniined to this ihort life, but extends through 
 all eternity. 
 
 Without the pervading, the cheriQiing, and preferving flame 
 of theopathy, the benevolent afi'edions foon expire. Hence the 
 benevolence of an atheift, if, from fome hafpy imprijfions made 
 on him in his infancy, ivhofe influence remains luhen the cauje is 
 forgotten, it be poffihle for an atheifi to be benevolent, can be only 
 an occafional emotion of goodnefs, in which the favage fpecu- 
 lations of his reafon difappear in the fympathies of his huma- 
 nity. But the benevolent principle iifelf, in the heart of an 
 atheift, mufl want vigour and conftancy; one ill requited kind- 
 nefs, or one fpark of enmity, will wafte its ftrength or fufpend 
 its operations. The majority of atheifls, of whom, happily, 
 there are not many in the world, are feldom warmed even by 
 one glow of the benevolent principle ; their hearts are either one 
 tranfient chill and uniform expanfe of apathy, or one torrid mafs 
 of malicioufnefs. They are either totally infenfible to themHery 
 of others, or they delight in beholding, and glory in promoting 
 it. Were the world governed by atheift rulers and legiflators 
 for about a century, more than half the human fpecies would 
 probably be exterminated by the end of it, 
 
 C c 4 
 
( 39'^ ) 
 
 dire(5l influence, have a tendency to extinguidi hate, 
 and to kindle love, and confequently to diminilh 
 
 let not Mr. Godwin, the terror-ftriking fceptick of the day, 
 who has attempted to rear a fyltem of benevolence on a meta- 
 phyfical abltradion, imagine that any fyrtem which will effec- 
 tually counteradl the m-levolent, and diftufe the benevolent 
 fpirit among men, can be ere£ted on any other principle than 
 that which the Divine Fouad^ r of Chriliianity recommended. 
 Let Mr. G. Itudy (and, as a miuitier of the gofpel, I moft atfec 
 tionately exhort him to liudy) the motives to adion, and the 
 incitements to beneficence, which are to be found in the limple 
 and incorrupt doctrine of Chrilt j let him confider the perfua- 
 lions by which it prompts to the produdion of irJividual and 
 general good ; and he will then difcover that the peafant of 
 Galilee, who was not inftru£ted in the fnbtleties of logic, or 
 in the refinements of metaphyfical fpeculation, in the art of 
 obfcuring what is clear, or perplexing what is plain, was a 
 greater philofopher than Helvetius, Voltaire, Diderot, RoulTeau, 
 D'Alembert, Condorcet, or any of his favourite French authors. 
 
 In Mr. Godwin's St. Leon, I perceive, and I perceive with 
 pleafure, traces of a difpofitipn to return from the wilds of 
 metaphyfics into the regions of common fenfe ; and to retraft 
 thofe pernicious tenets which he once propagated with fo much 
 indullry and fo much zeal. God grant that the converfion of 
 Mr. Godwin, which feems begun, may be happily finiflied! 
 May he look on Him, whole religion he has pierced with infults, 
 whofe name he has loaded with reproaches! May repentance 
 touch his heart ! and may the angel of favour minifler peace to 
 his troubled foul 1 
 
 Refpecting the literary merits of Mr. Godwin's St. Leon, I ani 
 happy to coincide in opinion with Mifs beward of Lichfield; a 
 lady, whofe genius can furnifh amufement for the idle, refleflion 
 for the ferious, and inftruftion for the wife; whofe poetry unites 
 delicacy of feniiment with vigour of expreffion; the fimplicity 
 of nature with the polilh of art; a taRe fenfitive, difcrimina- 
 tive, correft, with an imagination various, expanded, and 
 fublime, i , 
 
( 393 ) 
 
 fnifery and to generate happinefs. The experience 
 ofbenevolence always gives an agreeable flow to the 
 current of our fenfations ; whofe frcfhnefs malevo- 
 lence taints, and whofe ferenity it difturbs. That 
 difpofition of the foul, which befl: fits us to commu- 
 nicate happinefs to others, at the fame time beft 
 prepares us for the perception of happinefs ourfelves. 
 True benevolence, therefore, which moft favours the 
 produflion of focial, mofl: favours the increafe evca 
 of fclfifh blifs. What tends to make the individual 
 contribute largely to the happinefs of his fellow- 
 creatures, will be found, when rightly underftood, 
 moil: inftrumental to his own. Hence, when the 
 founder of Chriftianity gives us this rule of life, to 
 hve our neighbour as ourfelves y he delivers a precept, 
 which, whenever it be generally afled upon, will be 
 found to contribute more to the Iblid enjoyment of 
 him, who pradifes it, than any other more fcififh 
 mode of conduct, or more exclufive and narrow 
 fcheme for obtaining happinefs. 
 
 5q. The Chriftian morals, which in their begin- 
 ning originate, and in the whole circumference of 
 their action gravitate to this great principle, " '7hou 
 Jhalt love thy neighbour as thyjelf" or what, in its 
 pradical tendency, comes to the fame thing, " Thou 
 Jhalt love the Lord thy God, with all thy heart, and all 
 thy foul*" are nicely adapted to produce not only 
 
 * Matt, xxii. 36—39. 
 
( 394 ) 
 
 individual but general good, to make every man ad- 
 vance his own intereft and the intereft of his fpecies. 
 Hence we fee the profound intelligence of Jefus, 
 The Chrift who has exhibited in theChriftian fcheme, 
 that comprehenfion of view, and that minutenefs of 
 detail, that vaftnefs of defign in the whole, and that 
 nicety of proportion in every part, to which we find 
 many correfponding analogies in the conftitution of 
 the natural world ; and which may well incline us to 
 believe that He who made the ftars in the firmament 
 above, and arranged this fair and beautiful order of 
 things on the earth below, was likewife the provi- 
 dential author of the Chriftian revelation. His 
 wifdom planned it, his power eftablifhed it, and his 
 goodnefs will bring it to a happy confummation. 
 
 60. That goodnefs of heart and life which the 
 principles of Chriftianity, whenever tbey are aEled 
 tipcn, uill invariably produce, muft tend, in all in- 
 ftances, to promote the good of others ; and in the 
 majority of inftances, it will be found, even in the 
 prefent de-gencrare flate of public morals, to be moft 
 favourable to the increafe of our own individual fa- 
 tisfadion and enjoyment. Goodnefs, which tends to 
 diffufc happinefs, not only gives the individual a 
 greater capacity for happinefb, but greatly multiplies 
 the probabilities of his being happy. 
 
 61. The principle of gratitude is natural to man; 
 it is homogeneous with his frame and fhoots up fpon- 
 
( 29S ) 
 
 Mneoufly in his foul ; and, much as may be faid 
 about the rarenefs of the virtue, or the infrequcncy 
 of the pradice*, it will, I believe, be found in ninety- 
 nine inftances out of an hundred, that men never re- 
 ceive any benefits from others, without having fen- 
 fations of gratitude excited in thtir biealls. 1 hefe 
 fenfations may not indeed always ripen into aflion; 
 they may die away with the pleafure which the be- 
 nefit produces but if they be always, or almoft 
 always felt, th-s fa<5t alone is fufficient to prove that 
 there is in the heart of man a natural tendency to gra- 
 titude \. The fenfation of gratitude which is occa- 
 fioned by any benefit received, is aff jciated with a 
 certain pleafurable idea of him who conferred it; 
 and this idea is thus brought into contafl with the 
 affedtions, and Jome defire of remuneration is excited. 
 Such a defire muft not be luppofeJ not to be felt, 
 when it is not exprcded by words or indicated by 
 any outward figns ; for though when there is a fcnic 
 of favours received imprefied upon the heart, it will 
 ufuallyhm^ from the lips inpraifcs, and acknowledge- 
 nients, and good wilhcs J, yet the true feat of grati- 
 
 * The complaint will be found mofl common with ihofe, in 
 whofe difpofiiioii there is an acerbity, w hith favours ot mi.an- 
 thropy ; or who c>pc6t more than a quid pro quo, a fair retrthu- 
 t'ton proportioned to the means of the inJi'ViJuul. 
 
 •t May 1 refer the reader to my Pidure of Chrifiian Philo- 
 fophy, 3d edit. p. 105. 
 
 I I do not mean the cant or mechanical acl<nowledgments of 
 beggars and vagrants; but mankind in gineral, when they re- 
 ceive favours, can feldooi relraiu from the vocal expreHion of 
 
( 39^ ) 
 
 tude is in the affefllons, and that gratitude, is fome- 
 times moft forcibly felt, which works in fecret in the 
 foul, but which the tongue wants eloquence to utter. 
 
 62. Many are the caufes which confpire to prevent 
 the pofitive remunerations of beneficence, and the 
 adive operations of gratitude; but there is a princi- 
 ple in what Sir Mathew Hale calls the era/is of man, 
 which gives birth to the fenfation, and which nothing 
 can dertroy. It is interwoven with the phyfical or- 
 ganization, and it is a conflituent part of the moral 
 economy of man. The alleviation of our wants, or 
 the removal of our pains, the increafe of our happi- 
 nefs, or the diminution of our mifery, muft necefla- 
 rily caufe pleafurable emotions in the mind, and 
 pleafurable feiifations in the heart; and thefe plea- 
 furable fenfations and emotions can feldom be un- 
 connefted with a kind difpofuion towards the author 
 of them; and what is gratitude but a kind difpofition 
 towarcis its objed ? The fenfe of benefits conferred 
 on us, does, in mofl: cafes, except where fome per- 
 verfe affociacions of pride or envy interpofe, work 
 as agreeably on the moral part of man, as food taken 
 into the ftomach does on his phyfical conftitution. 
 
 63, True Chriftian goodnefs, whether confidered 
 in its palTive influence on the heart and as aflbciatcd 
 wiih meeknefs, humblenefs of mind, an unwilling- 
 
 praife and love, of a confcioufnefs of happinefs imparted, and 
 a reciprocal ciefirt- of imparting happinef-, e^'enii.hen the lene- 
 faiior is not preftnt, and uuhen there can he no prJptbU temptation 
 to Make a Jhoiv of ikankfulnefs tuhich is not felt. 
 
( 397 ) 
 
 nefs to offend, and a readinefs to be reconciled, or 
 confidered in its adive Rate, as roufing the vigorous 
 exertions of beneficence, muft diredly tend to in- 
 creafe our own happinefs and the happinefs of 
 others*. And whatever produces or aflTifts in the 
 produdlion of happinefs, favours the growth of gra- 
 titude. Gratitude feems, in its incipient ftate, nothing 
 more than a certain agreeable feeling of kindnefs 
 towards its objefl; but, as its influence is fpread over 
 the affedlions, it calls forth, as opportunity offsets, 
 the acflive reciprocations of beneficence, 
 
 64, The Divine Founder of Chriftianity, whofe 
 plain authoritative fayings, whether we confider their 
 philofophical juftnefs, or their pradical ufefulnefs, 
 the accumulated wifdom of ages will never excel, 
 was well acquainted with that tendency, which there 
 is in the human heart, when not incrufted by pride, 
 by jealoufy, and prejudice, to abforb fenfations of 
 gratitude, and in the human mind to call them into 
 adlion ; and it is very obfervable, that he lays the 
 greateft ftrefs on that morality, whofe operations, 
 manifefting our good- will towards others, do, by 
 their natural influence on the moral organization of 
 
 • What maybe called, or what is often called the indire6t ac- 
 tion of moral caufes, is often ftronger than the direft. Thus 
 the exertions of a charitable difpofition dire6tly tend to the 
 good of others ; but they probably always, though indiredlly, 
 and by a fort of re-attion, do a greater good to ourfelves. He 
 that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the Lord. The inference 
 is plain j but the confideralion of this fubjecSl in all its relations 
 and bearings would lead me into too wide a field of difcuflion. 
 
( 398 ) 
 
 man, naturally excite the good-will of others towards 
 us. Thus the Chriftian graces, meeknefs, gentlenefs, 
 foibearance, humblenefs of mind, complacency of 
 manners *, and love unfeigned, which diffufe a plea- 
 furable influence over the whole fphcre of their 
 agency, do tend, in mofl indanceSy to produce a ■prefent. 
 remuneration to the individuaL 
 
 65. If the Chrirtian virtues will fcldom be found, 
 in re^pe(5l even to the produ6lion of prefent happi- 
 nefs, nut to yield an ample compeniation to thofe 
 who cultivate them, their cultivation muft be highly 
 neceflary as a means of increafing our prefent good j 
 (for nothing elfe will be found to yield fcnfations fo 
 pleafurable or blifs fo exquifue,) but mod important 
 muft it be to us to cherifh their growth and to en- 
 courage their expanfion, when wc confider their in- 
 timate connedion with our future glory and happi- 
 ncfs in that world, of which every moment that glides 
 away is carrying us nearer to the confines. 
 
 * In the fermon on the mount all thofe qualities are recom- 
 mended which conliitute true politenefs; that peaceablenefs 
 and ferenity, and unaffefted mildnefs of behaviour, whiih pre^ 
 vents firife and conciliates affe6lion. The more man becomes 
 civilized, the more he will fee the ncceffity of cultivating, and 
 the more he villi cultivate the paliive but truly ma^jnanimous 
 qualities by which our Lord was fo eminently diftinguilhed, 
 and by which be enjoined his followers to labour to atiain dif- 
 tindtion. We muft learn of him, who was mf-ek and lowly in 
 heart, if we with to hnd reft to ourfoiils; if we wifti to lafte or 
 to communicate unmingled latisfadion. 
 
( 399 ) 
 
 66. Every individual z6t of obedience to the 
 Chriftian precepts has probably fome influence on 
 our happinefs; but individual ads of obedience, 
 ftrcngthened into habits of righteoufnefs, muft pro- 
 mote our happinefs in a high degree here, and in the 
 higheft degree hereafcer. As our ficnefs for the bhls 
 of another life will be proportioned to the goodnefs 
 which we manifeft in mind and heart, in thought, in 
 word, and deed, in the life which now is, our capa- 
 city for future enjoyment muft be greater the more 
 perfe(5t our habits of obedience have been, or the 
 fewer tranfgreffions we have committed, by which 
 their continuity has been broken and their operations 
 interrupted. 
 
 67. In another life we fliall probably have a 
 nearer view of the divine perfedlions ; but it is only 
 that goodnefs which is an approximation to the na- 
 ture of God, that can enable us to enjoy hi^prefcnce, 
 or to behold him as he is. " Without holinefs no 
 man fliall fee the Lord." God is love ; he is good- 
 nefs abfolute and perfe6l ; and goodnefs is the only 
 object of love ; but nothing but goodnefs can really 
 love goodnefs *. In proportion as a man grows in 
 goodnefs the love of God will expand within his foul ; 
 and the more God is loved, the more beneficent will 
 the individual become. 
 
 • For this reafon, a malevolent man cannot love God; and 
 if ever he do love him, he muft ceafe to be malevolent, for ma- 
 levolence and the love of God are two fenlations that can never 
 
( Aoo ) 
 
 6R. In the perfon and charafler of Jefus of Na- 
 zareth we behold the divine goodnefs, as it were, in 
 a bodily fhape ; and therefore to love God with all 
 our heart and all our foul, is to endeavour with all 
 our heart and all our foul to imitate the condufl of 
 his earthly reprefentative, or, in other words, to put 
 on the Lord Jefus. This is that morality, which is 
 the fum and fubftance of Chriftianity, and which 
 alone can recommend us to the favour of God, be- 
 caufe it alone can generate a condudt agreeable to 
 his will. 
 
 69. Let us confider that in the favour of God 
 our only true happinefs confitts and that every in- 
 dividual tranfgreffion is fome deduction from that 
 portion of his favour, which we (hould otherwife 
 enjoy, and that if individual tranfgreffions be re- 
 peated till they harden into habits of fin, our cafe is 
 defperate.. If wc die in habits of unrighteoufnefs, 
 we die in a ftate of difpleafure with God \ and, after 
 death, we fhall be aliens from hisprefence, and ftran- 
 gers iyithe outer darknejs, 
 
 ex'ijl In the fame heart, at the fame time. Our I/Ord was well ac- 
 quainted with this truth, and there feems to have been a moft 
 powerful perlujlion of its importance on the heart of thedilciple 
 whom he loved ; for throughout the lirft epiftle of [ohn, there 
 is a conftant and earneft endeavour to impreis it on thofe whom 
 he addrLlil;d, 
 
 THE END4 
 
 T. Benfiey, Printer, Bolt Court, Fleet Street, 
 
( 40I ) 
 
 ADDITIONS. 
 
 To C07}ie after " homicidia," p. 5, /. 23, note. 
 
 " Hjec cfr, piorum confolatio," faid they, 
 non ilia pecca fortiter, fed crede fortius ; et 
 nihil tibi nocebunt centum homicidia et mille 
 flupra." Peccata ilia, qualia Davidis, id eft 
 homicidia et adulteria ele6tis non imputari verba 
 funt Marlorati. Dicitis quidem," fays Grotins, 
 addrefling the Calviniftic champions of religious 
 difcord, " in juftificatis omnibus poenitentiam 
 femper lequi : quod ego verum non arbitror. 
 Et deinde qujE eft ilia poenitcnlia ? vivere ut 
 lubet : deinde inftante morte diccre Miniftro, 
 Nollem factum, et credo juftitiam Chrifti mihi 
 imputari, idque verum effe, quia id credo. Cum 
 hoc viatico ftatim ille in ccelum evolat : deque eo 
 dubitare Stygise eft incredulitatis." Vid. Grot, 
 tom. III. 6/6. 
 
 Additions to the note printed p. 256. 
 On the do6trine of the Holy Trinity the reader 
 will, I think, derive both inftrudion and delight 
 from the following paftiiges in the works of Jeremy 
 Taylor ; and which fhow at once the depth of 
 his refearch, and the Iblidity of his judgment. 
 " As the docftrine of the Holy Trinity is fet down 
 
 D d 
 
( 402 ) 
 
 in fcripturc, and in the Apoftles creed, I know- 
 no difficulties it hath ; what it hath met withal 
 fince, proceeds from the too curious handling of 
 that which we cannot underftand. The fchool- 
 men have fo pried into this fecret, and have fo 
 confounded themfelves and the articles, that they 
 have made it too unintelligible, inexplicable, in- 
 defcnfible in all their minuits and particularities ; 
 and it is too fadly apparent in the arguments 
 of the jiniiirinitarians, whofe Jophifms againft the 
 article itfelf, although they are moft ealily an- 
 fwered, yet as they bring them againfl the 
 minui'ia jind impertinences of the fchool, they 
 are not fo eafily - to be avoided. Concerning 
 God w^e know but very few things ; and con- 
 cerning the niyJleriQus Tr'mliy that which is re- 
 vealed is extremely little ; audit is general, with- 
 out defcending to particulars : and the difficulty 
 of the feeming arguments againft that, being 
 taken from our philofophy, and the common 
 manner of fpeaking, cannot be apportioned and 
 fitted to fo cireat a fecret ; neither can that at all 
 be mcafured by any thing here below. When 
 the church, for the underftanding of this fecret 
 of the Holy Trinity, hath taken words from 
 metaphyfical learning, as ferfon, hypojiajis, conjiib- 
 Jlantiallty, o/xobVto,-, and fueh like, the words of 
 themfelves were apt to change their fignification, 
 ^nd to put on the fenfe of the prefent fchool. 
 But the church was forced to ufe fuch words as 
 
 6 
 
( 403 ) 
 
 Hie had, the higheft, the ncarefl, the moft fepa- 
 rate and myfterious. But when flie ftill kept 
 Ihefe words to the fame myftery, the words 
 fwellcd or altered in their fenfe ; and were ex- 
 afted according to what they did lignify among 
 men in their low notices; this begat difficulty in 
 the do61rine of the Holy Trinity. For better 
 words fhe had none, and all that which they did 
 lignify in our philofophy could not be applied to 
 this myftery ; and therefore we liave found diffi- 
 culty ; and fliall for ever, till, in this article, the 
 church returns to her ancient limplicity of ex- 
 prcffion." Taylor's Polem.vDifc. third edition, 
 p. 242, 243. " He that goes about to fpcak of 
 and to underfland the myfterious Trinity, and 
 does it by words and names of man's invention, 
 or by fuch which ftgnify contingently, if he 
 reckons this myftery by the mythology of num- 
 bers, by the cabaJa of letters, by the diftin6lions 
 of the fchool, and by the weak inventions of dif- 
 puting people i if he only talks of eliences and 
 exiftences, hypoHaTes and pcrfonalitics, diftinc- 
 tions without difference, and priority in cocqua- 
 lities, and unity in pluralities, and of fuperior 
 prsedicates of no larger extent than the inferior 
 fubjects, he may amul'e himfclf, and find his 
 tmdcrftanding will be like St. Peter's upon tlie 
 m.ount of Tabor at the Transfiguration : he may 
 build three tabernacles in his head, and talk 
 fonicthlng he knows not what. But the good 
 
(404) 
 
 man, that feels the power of the Father, and he to 
 whom the Son is become wifdoniy righteoufnefs, 
 fandificatlon, and redemption \ he in vohofe heart 
 the love of the Spirit of God is fpread, to whom 
 God hath communicated the Holy Ghoji, the Com- 
 forter ; this man, though he underftands nothing 
 of that which is unintelligible, yet he only under- 
 ftands the rayfierioufnefs of the Holy Trinity. 
 No man can be convinced well and wifely of the 
 Article of the Holy, Bleffed, and Undivided Trinity , 
 but he that feels the mightinefs of the Father 
 begetting him to a new life, the wifdom of the 
 Son hiulding him up in a mofi holy faith, and the 
 love of the Spirit of God, making him to become 
 like unto God." Taylor's Suppl. Seim. p. 91. 
 Of this laft paflage I trufl I may affert, without 
 exaggeration, that ue is deftitute of piety who is 
 not impreffed by its devoufnefs; and of tafte, who 
 is not ravilhed with its eloquence. 
 
 Lately publi/hcd by the fame Author, and printed for 
 J. Vv HITE, Fleet Street, 
 
 A Pi£tciie of Chriftiatl Philofophy, Third Edition, Price 
 6s. Boards 
 
 Tiie Anti-Calvinlft, Second Edition, printed in the fame 
 form as the above. Price is. 
 
 Morality united with Policy. Price 2s 6d. 
 An Addrefs to the People. Price is. 6d, 
 
 T. Bcnfley, Printer, Bolt Court, Fleet Street, London. 
 
mm 
 
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