But if Sacramental Inftitutions and Moral Duties may be over-valued, if rested in separately, and pleaded in Prejudice to each other, much more may an Over-Regard be expreffed for other Ufages, though in themselves innocent, and in their proper Order and Degree useful. If Ceremonial Appointments are heightened beyond their inflrumental Ufe, and advanced as effential Duties; if human Rules are made as neceffary as Divine ones, or any outward Obfervances trufted in, not to exprefs or promote but to fupply the Place of inward Piety, in all these Cafes the Divine Scheme for our Salvation is altered, the Cause of Religion and Virtue is injured, and the Happiness of Mankind in a future State endangered.

Upon the Whole, there is not any Mischief of any kind, but what has been occafioned by Superftition, though not in the fame Manner or the fame Degree by every Branch of it. It is in moft Inftances injurious to the present or future, the temporal or spiritual Interests of Mankind, and it is in almost all an Affront to the Deity, and as great an Injury as Creatures are capable of offering to their Creator. It is often an exprefs Contradiction to his Authority, and always a falfe Pretence to it. In the most important Branches of it, in idolatrous or immoral Wor

ship, it is alienating our Devotion from the only true Object of it; or robbing Him of that Honour, which would arise from a true Sense of his Attributes; or cafting Afperfions on Him inconfiftent with his Divine Perfections; and in the most inconfiderable Inftances, in the Addition of vain and trifling and unprofitable Observances, it supposes fome Imperfection in the Divine Laws, and violates the Liberty with which the Deity has indulged his Creatures. And whatever Turn it takes amongst Men, for Superftition varies not only in different Ages and Countries, but even in different Conftitutions and Tempers in the fame Time and Place, yet some unhappy Effect it always has upon their Enjoyments or their Expectations, upon their Comfort in this Life, or their Felicity in that which is to come. If it prohibits innocent Indulgencies, it adds to the neceffary Troubles which We daily experience; If it leads to injurious Severities towards Others, it deftroys all focial Happiness; and whatever imaginary Satisfaction and Triumph it may yield in particular Instances, must yet find or form a Temper infenfible to the highest Delights which a rational Nature is capable of. And if it flatters Men in Continuance in their Vices, (and Cruelty to our Fellow-Creatures is a Vice of the most malignant Aspect and

moft criminal Kind) then it is ruinous to their Hopes in the other World, and, which is the moft terrible of all Reflections, will lead from a tranfitory State of Probation to an endless State of Punishment.

The Remedy against an Evil fo extenfively injurious is the remaining, and a very important Head of Difcourfe on this Subject. Many have been fo fenfible of the Mischiefs occafioned by Superftition, as to attempt the Relief of Mankind from so heavy an Oppreffion. Some have tried the Force of Wit and Raillery; Others the fober Admonitions of Reafon; and there have been Men who have attempted to root out all Fear of God and Apprehenfions of Futurity, in order effectually to remove all unreasonable Fears and ill-grounded Apprehenfions. But there is one and one only Remedy, againft this fore Calamity, and the Pfalmift, who complained of the Evil, has not left us to feek for it, but has diftinctly specified it in his own Resolution and well-grounded Confidence. I have hated them, fays He, that hold of fuperftitious Vanities, and my Truft hath been in the Lord. The Lord had from the Beginning made known his Will by Revelation, had from Time to Time difcovered it till He committed it to Writing for the Benefit of the Jewish Nation, and had favoured the Pfal

mift with fome Manifestations made more immediately to his own Perfon. To these He faithfully adhered, and whilft He thus put his Truft in the Lord, nor fwerved or departed from the Divine Directions, He was fecure from the Power of any fuperftitious Vanities.

And This is at all Times the only real Security from Religious Delufion. A firm Confidence in the Wisdom and Power of God, and in particular, a ftrict Adherence to his revealed Will is the only poffible Prefervative from the Mischiefs of Superftition. It removes the Causes and prevents the Effects of all erroneous Worship, and alone enables us to offer a reasonable Service to our Maker. For What have in all A

ges and Places been the Causes of Superftition, but Guilt and Ignorance; a Consciousness of Tranfgreffion, and an entire Uncertainty how that Tranfgreffion might be rendered capable of Pardon? This Senfe of Sin and Apprehenfion of Vengeance, and Want of Direction as to the Methods of averting it, led Men into various Follies, and fometimes into farther Degrees of Offence, to atone for paft Guilt and to reconcile themselves to the Divine Favour. Either according to the Custom of their refpective Countries, or fome new Devices of which They had the Self-Satisfaction of being the Authors; either as I 2 the

the Example of Others directed, or their own Caprice led them, They fell into the most diverse, and often into the most contradictory as well as most abfurd Ways of appeafing the Deity. And what Remedy offered? Raillery never convinced any serious Person; and might be applied against Truth as well as Falfhood. Reason and Philofophy interpofed with better Pretence, but what could They do? Why They often fhewed, and that very convincingly, the Abfurdities of the fuperftitious Customs introduced amongst the People, and proved to Satisfaction, that they were indeed unworthy of God and unprofitable to Men. The Effect, which This had, where it had any Effect, was only to drive them to new Conjectures, to remove some particular Follies, and to leave one Superftition for the Invention of another. But they could not remove the Ground of the Difficulty, nor fhew in what Atonement Men might with Truth and Peace and Security rely for the Remiffion of their Sins.

Leaft of all, could Atheistical Principles relieve Mens Doubts, or guard them from Superftition. The Epicureans attempted somewhat of this Kind in Oppofition to Paganish Superftitions, and Modern Unbelievers have feconded their Endeavours under Pretence of eafing Men from

the