Difcourfe, from any necessary or natural Principles, but wholly depend upon the Counsel and Good-will of God. And where things depend entirely upon God's Will, and their being or not being lies wholly in his free Dif pofal, it is impoffible that our natural Reason fhould ever arrive at the Knowledge of them, without fome Revelation of his Will concerning them. For in fuch Matters as thefe, where the Will of God is abfolutely free, Reafon without Revelation has neither necessary nor probable Caufes and Principles to argue from, and therefore can make neither certain Conclufions, nor fo much as probable Gueffes concerning them. Man muft neceffarily remain entirely in the dark, 'till fuch time as God had reveal'd to him which way his Will is determin'd; and of fuch Matters as thefe confifts all reveal d Religion, ftrictly fo call'd. For tho' God has made feveral Revelations of his Will, yet the Subject Matter of them was for the main always the fame, the Doctrine of the Mediation of Jefus Chrift, and the Duties that are fubfequent to it, which from the Promise that God made to Adam upon his Fall, The Seed of the Woman shall break the Serpent's Head, to the laft Promulgation of the Gospel, has been the great Theme of all divine Revelation. For what else was that Revelation which God made to Abrabam, In thy Seed fhall all the Nations of the Earth be bleffed, but only the dawning of the Gospel? which is nothing but glad Tidings of the Mediator. What was the Law of Mofes, but only the fame Gospel shining thro' a Cloud of Types and fymbolical Reprefentations? And what are all the fucceeding Prophecies of the Old Teftament, but only the fame Gospel ftill fhining clearer and clearer, 'till at last it broke forth in its Meridian Brightnefs? It might be eafily demonftrated, that from Adam to Mofes, from Mofes to the Prophets, from the Prophets to Jefus Chrift, the main Scope and Design of all divine Revelation has been the gradual Difcovery of this great Mystery of the Mediation. Thus reveal'd Religion was, for the Matter of it, always the fame, tho' it was not always

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always reveal'd with the fame Perfpicuity, but clear'd up by Degrees from an obscure Twilight to a perfe&t Day. Wherefore Chriftianity, which in Strictnefs is nothing but the Doctrine of the Mediation, together with its appendant Duties, ought not to be look'd upon as a new Religion of 1700 Years Date, for in Reality 'tis as ancient as the Fall, and was then preach'd to Adam in that dark and myfterious Promife. After which it was a little more clearly repeated, tho' very obfcurely ftill, in God's Covenant with Abraham; and again, after that, it was much more amply reveal'd in the Types and Figures of the Law of Mofes; which yet, like painted Glafs in a Window, did under their pompous Chew ftill darken and obfcure the holy Myfteries within them, which were nothing but the Doctrines and Laws of the Chriftian Religion. Judaifm was only Chriftianity veil'd, and Chriftianity is only Judaifm reveal'd.

Thus, you fee, the Religion of the Mediator was the principal Subject of all Divine Revelation; and this, without Revelation, natural Reafon could never have difcovered, because the whole of it depended upon the Free Will of God. For whether he would admit of any Mediator or no, whether he would admit his own Son to be our Mediator or no, whether he would depofit fuch inestimable Blessings for us or no in the Hands of our Mediator, was entirely left to his free Determination; and there was no neceffary Caufe, either within or without him, nor any probable one neither, that buman Reafon cou'd ever have discovered, which could incline or determine him one way or other. Till fuch time then as he reveal'd his Will to us, we were left entirely in the dark as to this Matter, and had no manner of Principles to argue from, or fo much as to guess by. This therefore is ftrictly the reveal d Religion, as it is diftinguish'd from the natural. But fince, together with reveal'd Religion, God has put forth a fecond Edition of natural, which was almoft loft and grown out of Print, thro' the wretched Negligence and Stupidity of Mankind; and

fince he has not only reveal'd them together, but also incorporated them into one, Religion as it is now fram'd and conftituted, by this happy Conjunction of natural with reveal'd, may be thus defin'd: It is the obligation of rational Creatures to render fuch Als of Worship to God, thro' Jefus Chrift, as be himself hath inftituted, and are in their own Natures fuitable to his Excellencies and their Dependence upon him. By which Ats of Worship, I do not mean such only as are immediately directed to, and terminated upon God, as all thofe are which are contain'₫ in the first Table of the Decalogue, but all those Acts in general which God has commanded, and being perform'd on a religious Account, out of Homage and Obedience to God's Will and Authority, are as truly and properly Acts of Worship, to him, as Prayer, Praise, or Adoration.

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It will be eafy from this short, Account of the Nature of Religion, to collect what Principles are neceflary to the founding and securing its Obligations.

God being the great Object of all Religion, it must be abfolutely neceffary, in order to our being truly religi ous, that we believe that God is.

Religion being an Obligation of us to God, that this Obligation may take Effect upon us, it is neceffary we should believe that he concerns himself about us, and confequently that he governs the World by his Providence.

Religion obliging us to render all due. As of Worship to him, to enforce this Obligation upon us, it is neceffary we should believe that he will certainly reward us if we render thofe Acts to him, and as certainly panif us if we do not.

Thefe Acts of Worship, which Religion obliges us to, being fuch as are fuitable to the Excellency of God's Nature, to enable us to fulfil this Obligation, it is neceffary we should have right Apprehenfions of the Nature of God.

Religion obliging us to render all thefe As of Worship to God, in and thro' Jefus Chrift, to our performing this, it is neceffary we should believe in his Mediation. B 4

Thefe

Thefe Reflexions, as little as they feem to be adapted to the Sex to whom they are addreft, will eafily be brought within their reach by Application; and the Satisfaction it may give their Minds to fee on what Foundation Religion in general, and the Chriftian Religion in particular, is eftablifh'd, will more than recompenfe the Pains they may at firft take in fo ferious and uncommon a Study. Twill require their Attention, but then what Subject can deserve it fo much as that which is the fureft Guide to eternal Life?

If Men were not very ingenious in framing Excufes for their Folly, and in the Contrivance and Purfuit of Ruin, it wou'd feem very firange that the Gospel, which was defign'd to be the great Inftrument of our Happiness, fhould be alledg'd to difcourage and damp our Endea vours for it: That the Gospel, whofe great End is to fill Our Minds with Joy, Peace, and Hope, fhould be traduc'd as an Enemy to our Pleasure. But fo it is; and there fore, as little Colour or Appearance of Argument as there is in this Objection, we will not pafs it by without examining it.

Religion ever had, and always must have, the Character of its Author visibly stampt upon it. Nothing that is not infinitely kind and infinitely wife can be found in any part of Revelation truly Divine; from whence we may rationally conclude, that the great aim of God, in the establishing Religion, is to advance the Happiness of Man, and to advance it in a Method confonant to thofe Principles he has implanted in them. Nor did any one infpir'd Author ever think otherwise. He that keepeth the Law, fays Solomon, happy is be: Great Peace have they that love thy Law, fays the Pfalmift, and nothing shall offend them: And again, fays Solomon, Happy is the Man that findeth Wisdom, and the Man that getteth Understanding. That this was to be understood of actual and prefent Happiness, in this Life, is apparent from what follows a little after: Length of Days is in her right Hand, and in her left Hand Riches and Honour: Her ways are ways of Pleasantness,

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and all her Paths are Peace: She is a Tree of Life to those that lay hold upon her. And tho' the Gospel, as a higher and more perfect Difpenfation, does propofe to us, as our great and chief End, Life and Immortality; yet it does by no means exclude us from Happiness here, but rather establishes it upon proper and firm Foundations, and fences it about with impregnable Bulwarks. Peace I leave with you, my Peace I give unto you; not as the World gives, give I unto you. Let not your Heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. Now the Fruit of the Spirit is Joy, Peace, &c. Again, Now the God of Hope fill you with Joy and Peace in believing, and make you abound in Hope, thro' the Power of the Holy Ghoft. Godliness is profitable to all things, hav• ing the Promife of the Life that now is, and of that which is to come. Nor can I indeed conceive how the State of a righteous and holy Soul fhould be other than a happy and bleffed one. The Belief, and confident expectation of a Heaven, muft needs be more transporting and ravifhing than the richest fancy of a Sinner; and that Security, both in respect of this and a future Life, which a good Man enjoys in the protection of God, and the affurance of his Favour who is Almighty, Immutable, &c. muft infinitely exceed any thing that a Sinner can attain to, and must exclude thofe uneafy Fears which frequently interrupt the Sinner's Enjoyment, and overcast his Hopes.. He who loves God and Virtue, cannot but be happy in the daily Practice and Enjoyment of what he moit delights in; and he who has fubdu'd his Paffions, and overcome the World, cannot choose but reap the daily Fruits of fo glorious a Conqueft, and be conftantly entertain'd with pleafing Reflexions and delightful Profpects. If he fhould enjoy nothing else, that Sovereignty, Liberty, Magnanimity, and Divine Charity, and enlargement of Soul which he thereby gains, were an abundant Reward of this Victory. A good Man has the best Title to the Bleffings of this Life, and the Glories of another. He enjoys this World with as great Security as Wifdom and Moderation, and has an affur'd Hope of a

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far