1 World, through many Centuries, we have no one Inftance of any public Teaching, much lefs any moral Difcipline, attending their Worship. And indeed, when Julian attempted to fet up Preachers of Heathenifm, in Oppofition to thofe of Christianity, it was immediately foretold him, and the Event verified the Prediction, that what had proved fo effectual to establish Truth, would only ferve to expofe and ruin Error. Such then being the Nature of our holy Religion, and fuch the Methods taken to preferve it from Corruption, and make it a perpetual Inftrument of prefent and eternal Happiness to Mankind; whoever fincerely honours God, loves his Fellow-Creatures, or wishes well to his own Soul, muft fee and feel himself deeply concerned to embrace and refpect the Gofpel of Chrift; which God cannot have revealed for fuch noble Purposes, and left any one at Liberty to flight a fingle Part of it. But then we must remember, that neither profeffing nor admiring it, will serve for any Thing but our Condemnation; unless we receive it into an honest and good Heart', and bring forth the Fruits of it in pious and virtuous Lives. Little Children, P Mark iv. 20. Luke vili. 15. let let no Man deceive you: he that doth Righteoufnefs, is righteous: he that committeth Sin, is of the Devil. For this Purpfe the Son of God was manifefted, that he might destroy the Works of the Devil; and hereby we know that we know him, if we keep his Command SERMON X. I PETER iv. 8. And above all Things have fervent Charity among yourfelves: for Charity fhall cover the Multitude of Sins. A Religion, the Precepts of which are all juft and good, must immediately be acknowledged to be fo far true; but if, befides, the general Temper from which it appoints every particular Duty to be done, be the proper and right one, then the Argument in its Fayour ftrengthens. And if, laftly, the Means which it prescribes to form this Temper, be well adapted to produce it in the worst of Men, and raise it ftill higher in the best, nothing more can be wanting to prove the practical Part of fuch an Inftitution, which is always the most important Part, worthy of him, who alone perfectly knows both the Obligations arifing from our original Nature, and the Affistances needful in our present Circumstances. Now Now this is evidently the Case of Christianity. Its Injunctions comprehend every Dictate, the very purest and sublimest, of natural Piety and Virtue, without any fingle Article contradictory to them: whereas all Religions of human Invention have both omitted right Things, and commanded wrong ones. The Precepts it hath added, peculiar to itself, are few and unexceptionable. And the Motives from which the Whole is to be practifed, are two, the most rational and excellent that can be conceived: the first and great Commandment, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy Heart; and the fecond like unto it, thou shalt love thy Neighbour as thyself: both which have one original Source; that inward Esteem of moral Goodness and Rectitude, which muft incline us to adore it in our Maker, cultivate it in ourselves, and exercise it towards our Fellow-creatures. This is the genuine Spirit of the Gofpel: and it is plainly the worthiest and nobleft that our Nature, or any Nature, is capable of: too noble, indeed, for human Minds, weak and depraved as they are, to be wholly influenced by at first. And therefore we are trained up to it a Matth. xxii. 37, 38, 39. gradually, |