clear it must needs be of all fraud and artifice: But both reason and experience are ready to shew us our mistake.

Fanaticism is a fire, which heats the mind indeed, but heats without purifying. It stimulates and ferments all the passions; but it rectifies none of them and thus leaving the appetites unsubdued; pride, vanity, and ambition, insinuate themselves into the impotent and disordered mind, under the disguise of purity, holiness, and perfection. And while they are at work, Religion, which lent them these more honest appellations, will be so far from curbing the owner in the use of oblique means, that the strongest influence of fanaticism will be naturally directed to push him upon them, as the best instruments for the ready introduction of what he calls the truth.

Nor does the PHYSICAL state of the Enthusiast's mind give any stronger check to fraudulent practice than the MORAL. For when this passion or affection hath taken possession of a great genius, who, if he chance to have a lively imagination, is as subject to its controul as the meanest, the violence of his fervours makes him impatient of stop or defeat, in what he takes to be the cause of God; and consequently, to cast about for any kind of means to remove or repair it readily persuading himself, that any means are lawful And his superior genius will enable him to find them; and when found to improve them to their utmost use, by all the arts of fraudulent address. Hence, if we examine the history of mankind, we shall see, that the Founders of empires and false religions,

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religions, which these Artists contrived should support one another, were frank Enthusiasts: But, at the same time, sufficient masters of themselves, to turn, with proper address, that spirit which they had catched and communicated, to the advancement of their proper schemes. And it is observable, that wherever one of these personated actors was not perfect in both his parts, he was soon hissed off the stage. The reason is evident: it arises from the nature of things. Without Enthusiasm, the adventurer could never kindle that fire in his followers, which is so necessary to consolidate their mutual interests for no one can heartily deceive numbers, who is not first of all deceived himself; or, in other words, seem to be in earnest. But then, on the contrary, when the spirit of fanaticism is sufficiently spread and inflamed, it can never produce any great or notable issue, unless the raiser and director of the machine be so far master of himself as to be able to turn the point of this powerful instrument to the objects of his project, and keep it constantly directed to their advancement. Indeed (as hath been observed above) the successful Directors of this exhibited more of art in more of enthusiasm in the which too is not less evident. Fanaticism is a kind of ebullition or critical ferment of the infected mind which a vigorous nature can work through, and by slow degrees be able to cast off. Hence, history informs us of several successful Impostors who set out in all the blaze of fanaticism, and ended

Drama have generally their latter scenes, and former. The reason of

their career in all the depth and stillness of Politics. A prodigy in our nature; but not the rarest; and exhibited with superior splendor by the famous Ignatius Loiola. This illustrious person, who verified the observation of one that almost equalled him in his trade, "that a man never rises so high as when he does not know whither he is going," began his ecstasies in the mire; and yet ended with the direction and execution of Councils, that even in his own life-time began to give the Law to Christendom.

Amidst all these distractions of human reason and obliquities of worldly politics, we see a spiritual Empire suddenly arise; we mark its progress; we trace its extent; we examine its establishment; and comparing all its parts with their reference to a whole, we find it in effect to have, what was fancied of old Rome, every essential character of eternity. Yet was this surprizing Revolution brought about by means entirely different from those by which all the great changes and establishments amongst mankind have been introduced, I mean FRAUD and FANATICISM, What, then, are we to conclude, but that the Religion of Jesus is as divine in its origine as it is pure and perfect in its essence: and that its Author was as free from all the visions and obliquities of Enthusiasm as he was replete with all the wisdom and virtue of Heaven?

SERMON VII.

THE CHARACTER AND CONDUCT OF THE MESSENGERS OF THE GOSPEL.

MATT. V. 16.

LET YOUR LIGHT SO SHINE BEFORE MEN, that THEY MAY SEE YOUR GOOD WORKS, AND GLORIFY YOUR FATHER WHICH IS IN HEAVEN.

UR Blessed Saviour, as we may collect from

OUR

the foregoing chapter, had delivered to his Followers the great Principles of the Gospel Dispensation; which consist in a clearer knowledge of the true God; the lost and forfeited condition of man; and restoration to life and immortality by faith in the Messiah.

Having thus taught them what they were to believe, he proceeds in this, and the following chapter, to shew them what they were to practise; introducing his Sermon on the Mount with the words of my text, Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in Heaven. As much as to say, The use you are to make of your superior knowledge is to compleat and recommend your practice; that, from thence

may