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God did not primarily intend to appoint this way of wor fhip, and to impofe it upon them as that which was most proper and agreeable to him; but that he condefcended to it as most accommodate to their present state and inclination. And in this fenfe alfo fome understand what God fays to the fame people by the prophet Ezekiel, that he gave them ftatutes that were not good, Ezek.

xx. 25.

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And as the Chriftian religion gives a more perfect, fo a more amiable and lovely, character of the divine naNo religion that ever was in the world, does fo fully reprefent the goodness of God, and his tender love to mankind; which is the best and most powerful argument to the love of God. The Heathens did generally dread God, and looked upon him as fierce, and cruel, and revengeful; and therefore they endeavoured to ap pease him by the horrid and barbarous facrifices of men, and of their own children. And all along in the Old Teftament, God is generally reprefented as very strict and fevere. But there are no where fo plain and full declarations of his mercy and love to the fons of men as are made in the gofpel. In the Old Testament, God is ufually styled The Lord of hofts; The great and the terrible God: but in the New Teftament, he is reprefented to us by milder titles, The God and Father of our Lord Jefus Chrift; The Father of mercies, and the God of all confolations; The God of all patience; The God of love and peace: nay, he is faid to be love itself, and to dwell in love. And this difference between the ftyle of the Old and New Teftament is fo remarkable, that one of the greatest fects in the primitive church (I mean that of the Gnofticks) did upon this very ground found their herefy of two Gods; the one evil, and fierce, and cruel, whom they called the God of the Old Teftament; the other good, and kind, and merciful, whom they called the God of the New. So great a difference is there between the representations which are made of God in the books of the Jewish and the Chriftian religion, as to give at least some colour and pretence for an imagination of two Gods.

Secondly, Chriftian religion hath given us a more certain and perfect law for the government of our lives. It hath made our duty more plain and certain in many inftances,

inftances, than either the philofophy of the Heathen, or the precepts of Mofes, had done. It commands univerfal love, and kindness, and good-will, among men ; a readiness to forgive our greatest enemies; to do good to them that hate us, to bless them that curfe us, and to pray for them that despitefully ufe us, and perfecute us : and does inculcate thefe precepts more vehemently, and forbid malice, and hatred, and revenge, and contention, more ftrictly and peremptorily, than any religion ever did before; as will appear to any one that does but attentively read our Saviour's fermon upon the mount.

And as Christianity hath given us a more certain, fo likewise a more perfect, law for the government of our lives. All the precepts of it are reasonable and wife, requiring fuch duties of us as are fuitable to the light of nature, and do approve themselves to the best reafon of mankind; fuch as have their foundation in the nature of God, and are an imitation of the divine excellencies; fuch as tend to the perfection of human nature, and to raise the minds of men to the highest pitch of goodness and virtue. The laws of our religion are fuch as are generally useful and beneficial to the world, as do tend to the outward peace and health, to the inward comfort and contentment, and to the univerfal happiness of mankind. They command nothing that is unneceffary and burdenfome, as were the numerous rites and ceremonies of the Jewith religion, but what is reasonable, and useful, and substantial; and they omit nothing that may tend to the glory of God, or the welfare of men; nor do they re ftrain us in any thing, but what is contrary, either to the regular inclinations of nature, or to our reason and true intereft. They forbid us nothing but what is bafe and unworthy, to ferve our humours and paffions, to reproach our understandings, and to make ourselves fools and beafts; in a word, nothing but what tends either to our private harm and prejudice, or to public diforder and confufion.

And that this is the tenor of the laws of the gospel, will appear to any one from our Saviour's fermons and difcourfes; particularly that upon the mount; wherein he charges his difciples and followers to be humble, and meek, and righteous, and merciful, and pure, and peace

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able, and patient under fufferings and perfecutions, and good and kind to all, even to thofe that are evil and injurious to us; and to endeavour to excel in all goodness and virtue. This will appear likewife from the writings of the holy apostles. will inftance but in fome few paffages in them. St Paul reprefents to us the defign of the Chriftian doctrine in a very few words, but of admirable sense and weight: The grace of God that bringeth falvation, hath appeared to all men; teaching us, that denying ungodliness, and worldly lufts, we should live fo berly, and righteously, and godly in this prefent world, Tit. ii. 11. 12. The fame apoftle makes this the main and fundamental condition of the covenant of the gospel on our part: Let every one that names the name of Chrift, depart from iniquity, 2 Tim. ii. 19. St James defcribes the Christian doctrine, which he calls the wisdom that is from above, by these characters: It is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and eafy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrify, Jam, iii. 17. St Peter calls the gofpel the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue; whereby (faith he) are given unto us exceeding great and precious promifes; that by thefe you might be partakers of a divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through luft, 2 Pet. 1. 3.4.3. and upon this confideration he exhorts them, to give all diligence to add to their faith the feveral virtues of a good life; without which he tells them, they are barren and unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jefus Chrift, ver. 5. 6. 7. 8. I will conclude with that full and comprehenfive paffage of St Paul to the Philippians, Whatfoever things are true, whatsoever things are honeft, (ösa orμva, whatfoever things are of venerable esteem), whatfoever things are just, whatfoe ver things are pure, (or chaste), whatfoever things are lovely, whatfoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, if there be any praise, think on these things, Phil. iv. 8.

But the perfection and the reasonableness of the laws of Christianity will moft plainly appear, by taking a brief furvey of them. And they may all be referred to these two general heads. They are either fuch as tend to the perfection of human nature, and to make men fingly

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and perfonally good, or fuch as tend to the peace and. happiness of human fociety..

I. Such as tend to the perfection of human nature, and to make men good fingly and perfonally confidered. And the precepts of this kind may be diftributed likewife into two forts; fuch as enjoin piety towards God, or fuch as require the good order and government of ourfelves in refpect of the enjoyments and pleasures of this life.

1. Such as enjoin piety towards God. All the duties of Christian religion which refpect God, are no other but what natural light prompts men to; excepting the two facraments, which are of great ufe and fignificancy in the Christian religion, and praying to God in the name and by the mediation of Jefus Chrift. For the fum of natural religion, as it refers more immediately to God, is this, That we fhould inwardly reverence and love God; and that we fhould exprefs our inward reverence and love to him, by external worship and adora-tion, and by our readiness to receive and obey all the revelations of his will; and that we should teft:fy our dependence upon him, and our confidence of his good.. nefs, by conitant prayers and fupplications to him for mercy and help for ourfelves and others; and that we fhould acknowledge our obligations to him for the ma ny favours and benefits which every day and every mi nute we receive from him, by continual praises and thanksgivings and that, on the contrary, we fhould not entertain any unworthy thoughts of God, nor give. that honour and reverence which is due to him, to any other; that we should not worship him in any manner,. that is either unfuitable to the excellency and perfection of his nature, or contrary to his revealed will; that we fhould carefully avoid the profane and irreverent ufe of his name, by curfing, or cuftomary fwearing, and take: heed of the neglect or contempt of his worthip, or any thing belonging to it. This is the fum of the first part of natural religion; and these are the general heads of thofe duties which every man's reafon tells him he owes. to God and these are the very things which the Chri ftian religion does exprefsly require of us; as might be evidenced from particular texts in the New Teftament..

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So that there is nothing in this part of Chriftianity, but what agrees very well with the reafon of mankind.

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z. Such precepts as require the good order and government of ourselves in refpect of the pleasures and enjoyments of this life. Chriftian religion commands whatfoever things are pure and chafte; all manner of fobriety, and temperance, and moderation, in reference to our appetites and paffions; and forbids whatever is unnatural, and unreasonable, and unhealthful, in the ufe of pleasures, and of any of God's creatures. Hither belong all thofe texts which require of us, that we should not walk after the flesh, but after the fpirit, Rom. viii. .; that we fhould cleanfe ourselves from all filthiness of flesh and fpirit, 2 Cor. vii.. I.; that we fhould be ho by in all manner of 'converfation, 1 Pet.i. 15. St John di Atributes the lufts and irregular appetites of men into three kinds; voluptuoufnefs, covetoufnefs, and ambition; answerable to the three forts of tempting objects that are in the world, pleafures, riches, and honours: All that is in the world; the luft of the flesh, the luft of the eyes, and the pride of life, &c. 1 John ii. 16. Christianity doth strictly forbid all thefe: Take heed; and beware of covetousness; (fays our Saviour; and he adds this excellent reaton), for a man's life confifteth not in the abundance of the things which he poffeffeth, Luke xii. 15. It forbids pride, and ambition, and vain-glory; and commands humility, and modefty, and condefcenfion to others: Learn of me, (fays our Saviour); for I am meek and lowly in fpirit, Matth. xi. 29. Mind not high things, but condefcend to them that are of low degree, Rom xii. 16. Let nothing be done through vain. glory, but in lowliness of mina let each efteem other bet ter than themselves, Phil. ii. 3. And in reference to fen fual pleafures, it forbids all irregularity and excefs, and ftrictly enjoins purity and temperance; cautioning us, to take heed left we be overcharged with furfeiting and drunkennefs, Luke xxi. 34.; charging us, to walk decently as in the day, not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonnefs, Rom. xin. 13.; to abftain from fleshly lufts, which war against the foul, 1 Pet. ii. Now, all thefe precepts do not only tend to beget in us fucir virtues and difpofitions as are reasonable, and Taitable to our nature, and every way for our temporal convenience.

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