"other than the house of God, and this is "the gate of heaven."

Secondly, Let us view the effect of religious inftitutions upon men, with regard

to their moral character.

Whatever brings men together, and connects them in fociety, has a tendency to civilize and improve them. Especially when they affemble together for such important purposes as the worship of a Deity, this will be the effect. There is fomething in the very idea of drawing nigh to God, that inspires virtue. When men accustomed to meet together as bufy and as focial creatures, affemble at stated times as rational and immortal beings, a sense of propriety will prompt them to act up to that high character. When the sons of God come to present themselves before the Lord, whatever is displeasing to God, and hostile to men, will vanish from their mind. The connection between fuch exercises of piety, and the practice of virtue, is nearer and more intimate than fuperficial reasoners are apt to imagine. There

are

are indeed pretences to religion, without any virtue, as there are pretences to virtue without any religion; but whoever in reality poffeffes the fear of God, will be thereby determined to keep his commandments. It must be obvious at first view, that the sense of a Supreme Being, the inspector of human affairs, the patron of virtue, the avenger of fin, and the rewarder of righteousness, has a powerful tendency to strengthen moral obligation, to annex a new fanction to the laws, and to inspire purity into the manners of a people.

By the operation of fuch a principle, open violence will be reftrained, and fecret enmity will be checked. Society will affume a happier form, the infolence of the oppreffor will be humbled, and the wild paffions of the licentious be fubdued. What the scripture calls, "the power of "the world to come," is felt strongly through every corner of this world. Heaven improves the earth, and the life which is to come, is a fource of happiness to the life which now is. There are, indeed, I acknowledge, to the honour of the human

kind, there are perfons in the world who feel that the poffeffion of good difpofitions is their best reward, who would follow goodness for its own fake, and do their duty, because it is their duty, although there were neither rewards nor punishments to come. But I know as well, that the world is not compofed of fuch perfons. Men in general are governed by their pas fions, their intereft, the prevailing bias of their minds; and whenever their paffions, their intereft, or the bias of their mind ftand in one scale, and their duty in the other, it is very evident where the balance will incline. To fuch perfons you might declaim for ever to no purpose, on the beauty of virtue, and the harmony of a well governed mind; they hear you not; they are deaf to the voice of the moral charmer: nothing less than "thus faith "the Lord," will influence their conduct. The unjust steward in the parable reprefents and characterifes the great body of mankind; if they fear not God, neither will they regard men.

Thus,

Thus, if the public inftitutions of religion were laid afide, private virtue would not long remain behind. Men in general have no principle of moral conduct but religion, and if that were taken away, they would work all impurity with greedinefs, whenever they could withdraw from the public eye. Human laws would often be of little avail, without a sense of divine legislation; and the fanctions of men have little force, unless they were enforced by the authority of God. There would then be no fecurity for the public peace; the mutual confidence between man and man/ would be destroyed; the bond which keeps fociety together would be broken; oaths would become mere words of course, and an appeal to the Great GOD of Heaven, no more regarded than if he were an image of ftone. Human life would be thrown into confufion, the fafety of mankind would be endangered, and the moral world totter to its ruin, if fuch a pillar were to fall. And what is it that maintains and spreads religious principles in the world? What is it that keeps alive on the minds of the people, the fear of God and the be

lief of his providence? It is the public institutions of religion; it is the observance of the Lord's day; it is our affembling together in this place, for the celebration of divine worship. The people, in general, have no religious principles, and no rule of life, but what they learn here; and if these churches were once fhut up, the hand of the civil magiftrate would foon force them open, in order to reclaim the criminals that would thus be let loose upon the world.

In the third place, let us view the effect of religious inftitutions upon men, with regard to their political ftate.

The political systems that take place in the world, the facility with which the many are governed by the few, is one of the most wonderful things in the history of man. That mankind in all ages, and in all countries, fhould allow a few of their number to divide this globe among them; to appropriate to themselves the poffeffions, diftinctions and honours, and leave nothing to the majority but burdens

to