be did not know for a certainty, was a doctrine, which in general had not manifefted itself to mankind under natural religon.

While I have been thus endeavouring to fet forth the imperfections of this law of nature, an objection may perhaps arise in the minds of fome hearers, at least it has been raised by fome writers, who have made it a question, whether natural religion, which certainly came from God, and which certainly was the firft religion, was worthy of him to establish, if, before Christianity came, it had fo many defects, fome of which, as I faid, were even neceflary and unavoidable. But there is a fufficient answer which may be given to this objection. The objection is grounded only on that state of wickednefs which now prevails,, and has indeed almost through all ages prevailed, in the world. God made man at firft upright, and natural religion was defigned by him for fuch innocent creatures.

Now, if men had continued innocent, they would have had none of that ignorance, none of those prejudices, which rendered authority in the teachers of moral duties neceffary, and therefore there would have been no room for the firft VOL. I.

H

natu

natural defect which I mentioned. Again, if men had continued innocent, they would have been of themselves more inclinable to virtue than to vice, or rather all their bias would have leaned towards virtue, and then there would have been no need, at leaft not that degree of need, of grace or divine affiftance, which I called the fecond neceffary defect in natural religion. And, laftly, if men had continued innocent, the third natural defect would have been fuperfeded; because, where there is no guilt, there is no occafion to feek for any method of pardon and reconciliation. And as to the accidental defects of natural religion, these are fo plainly owing to men themfelves, that no one can imagine God's honour to be concerned in any account, which can be given of the weaknefs of human reafon, or of the law of nature with regard to these.

And now, if this view, which I have fhewn you of natural religion, be the true one, may we not justly fay, that the man who profeffes himself a deift, that is, who profeffes to follow no law but that of nature, without receiving the gofpel of Chrift for the improvement and enforcement of it, acts a part both unsafe

for

for himfelf, and ungrateful to Chriftianity? unfafe, because his religion, as I have proved, gives him no affurance, nor even hopes of pardon after tranfgreffion. Could he be fure, that he shall pass a whole life without fin, fomething might be faid in his favour. But this is not to be found or expected from men in fuch a world, and fo befet with temptations; much less is it to be found or expected in men of this unhappy turn of mind towards unbelief, of many of whom it may be faid without breach of charity, that they will not come to the light of the gofpel for this very reason, becaufe their deeds are evil. Were their minds well prepared to do the will of God, the revealed as well as the natural, we Chriftians muft think, because our divine Mafter has faid it, that they would be enabled to know the will of God, and whether the doctrine of the bleffed Jefus was his own, or that of him who fent him3.

The deift is likewife ungrateful to Chriftianity; for he makes ufe of fome, as he might make ufe of all the advantages, which revelation has given him, for improving his reafon in religion, without making any acknowledg

ments to, nay, at the fame time with rejecting, that gospel from whence all those improvements are derived. He believes nothing but what is taught him by his reason, by his own reason, whether well or ill employed in the enquiry: whether he has a wrong bias upon his mind through his ignorance or his vices, it matters not in his account of things: he fets up for his own guide, and trufts entirely to his own guidance, neglecting all the truths, how advantageous foever, and all the rules of practice, how useful foever, which are discovered in the gospel.

A fhip cannot move without her fails, nor can man be religious without the exercise of his reafon; but as the further affiftance of fkill in navigation is neceffary to the feaman, fo is the help of divine revelation of absolute neceffity for our making a safe voyage to that heavenly .country, to which all religion was ever intended to bring us, but to which now, fince the preaching of the gofpel, none but the Chriftian religion can give us any certain hopes of arriving.

SERMON VI.

JOHN i. 17.

The law was given by Mofes, but grace and truth came by Jefus Chrift.

EASON is fo excellent a gift of God

RE

to man, that he, who tries to point out any great defects in it with regard to religion, may be thought at first fight to stand in need of an apology. But truth has always a right to be heard and attended to, though it meets with ever so strong prejudices in men to oppose it.

In my laft difcourfe I endeavoured to fhew you, that, as the world is now corrupted, as men's meer understandings under natural religion are darkened, their wills biaffed to evil, and their paffions not fufficiently controlled, there

H 3