at all: it might be faid with the fame reafon (though very profanely and wickedly) that because the chriftians are not reported to exceed the other nations of the world, in probity, and good living; but are faid to be rather inferior in this respect, to the civilized people, whether Pagan or Mahometan, lying round them; that therefore the chriftian religion is of no effect at all, nor any ways operative upon the lives of its profeffors.

But, if we confider this as becomes us; and not perverfely, as many do; it will be found that we are, even in this fenfe, the most highly indebted to christianity; and fhould look upon it as the greatest bleffing imaginable; not only for its fpiritual advantages, which are unfpeakable; but for its temporal benefits and fecurities; in as much as that mankind being fo inclinable to ill, we should have a religion fo full of all good precepts, and fo enforcing with refpect to all the duties of morality and juftice. So that our amazement ought rather to be; how men, with fuch a religion, fhould lead fuch lives; and how malice, hatred or divifion, fhould have place in fuch focieties as thefe; which we might expect to fee diftinguished from all others, rather by a perfect harmony and agreement, than by the fierceft quarrels, contentions and animofities.

And, indeed, when we confider the nature of preaching; how excellent an order and establishment it is; how highly raifed and magnified in the chriftian world when we confider numbers of holy men fet apart for this great work; having all advantages given them, the better to fet forth those glorious truths of revelation, and to create a reverence of religion in the minds of men when we confider the folemnity of a church-affembly, and the awful prefence and authority of the chriftian orator; we may be apt to wonder perhaps, why we fee not greater and more happy effects hereof, in the

world.

world. However we must of neceffity conclude, that this inftitution being undoubtedly fo powerful a fupport of our religion; if fuch affemblies as these were not upheld, if fuch authority as this did not fubfift, the confequence would be, that as in a little time there would be no more christianity left in the world, fo neither any morality; fince, notwithftanding all the helps of preaching, and the affiftance and fupport which virtue receives from hence, the lives of men are still so far from being reform'd, and the world fo little improved in thefe latter ages.

But, how reverently foever we have cause to think concerning this inftitution, and the undoubted good effects of it upon mankind; and, whatever high opinion and efteem we may justly have of their performance in whofe hands this power is placed; it feems not wholly impoffible, but that there be fome defect in this may great affair and that the causes of ill fuccefs may not lie altogether in the depravity, perverfenefs, or ftupidity of mankind, who are the hearers and readers of these doctrines.

;

In fome countries, and amongst some forts of chriftians, we have feen, that the whole of this inftitution has not been appropriated to spirituals; but that a great part of those divine exhortations have had fomething in common with the policies of the world, and the affairs of government, and, of whatfoever benefit this may have been to mankind, or to the peace of the chriftian world; it must be owned that preaching itself, will be fo much the lefs apt to make any happy revolution in manners, as it has at any time been ferviceable to revolutions in ftate, or to the support of any other interest than that of Chrift's kingdom.

Nor do we find, fince the arts of government and myfteries of religion, have been thus fuited together, that either has been much advantag'd by the union; it having never yet appeared, that divinity has been

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greatly

greatly bettered by policy; or that policy has been any where mended by divinity.

Amongst thofe writers who have been forward in making this unprofperous alliance, and building a political chriftianity; there has been one of our nation (in the time wherein our author liv'd) who, whether he may have been serviceable any way to the civil government, or chriftian church ; it may be concluded, at leaft, that he has done but very ill fervice in the moral world. And however other parts of philofophy may be obliged to him, ethicks will appear to have no great fhare in the obligation. He has, indeed with great zeal and learning, been oppofed by all the eminent and worthy divines of the church of England: and had the fame industry been applied to the correction of his moral principles, as has been bestowed in refuting fome other of his errors, it might perhaps have been of more fervice to religion in the main.

This is be, who reckoning up the paffions or af-. fections by which men are held together in fociety, live in peace, or have any correfpondence one with another, forgot to mention kindness, friendship, fociableness, love of company and converse, natural affection, or any thing of this kind; I fay forgot, because I can scarcely think fo ill of any man, as that he has not by experience found any of thefe affections in himself, and confequently, that he believes none of them to be in others. But in the place of other affections, or good inclinations, of whatever kind, this author has fubftituted only one mafter-paffion, fear, which has, in effect, devour'd all the reft, and left room only for that infinite paffion towards power after power, natural (as he affirms) to all men, and never ceafing but in death ‡.

So much lefs good nature has he left with mankind, than what he allows the worst of beafts having allotted to us, in the way of our nature, fuch mifchievous paffions as are unknown to them; and not so much as allowed us any degree of their good ones, fuch as they all are known to have, and are never wanting to exert towards their own kind: by which excellency of nature (fo little reckon'd upon in the case of mankind) their common intereft is duly ferved, and their fpecies propagated and maintain'd.

Had not the poifon of thefe immoral, and (in reality,) Atheistical principles been diffused more than 'tis eafy to imagine, (at that time especially when Dr. Whichcote appeared) we fhould, perhaps, where morality was.concerned, have heard lefs of terror and punishment; and more of moral rectitude and good nature. At leaft, it fhould not have grown cuftomary to explode good nature, and detract from that good which is afcribed to natural temper, and is accounted natural affection, as having ground and foundation in meer nature on the contrary; it would have been the business of thofe who had managed the cause of religion, to have contended for thefe better difpofitions; and to have fhewn, how deep a root and foundation they had in human nature; and not, juft contrary-wife, to have built on the ruin of thefe. For, with fome people, this was then become a method to prove chriftianity. Revelation was to owe its establishment to the depref-, fion and lowering of fuch principles as thefe, in the nature of man: and the weakness of these was made the ftrength of religion. As if good nature, and religion, were enemies a thing, indeed, fo unthought of, amongst the heathens; that piety (which was their beft word to fignify religion) had more than half its fenfe, in natural and good affection; and stood not only for the adoration and worship of

:

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God,

God, but for the natural affection of parents to their children, and of children to their parents; of men to their native country; and, indeed, of all men in their feveral relations, one to another.

It must be confefs'd, that it has been the feproach of fome fects of chriftians amongst us; that their religion appear'd to be in a manner, oppofite to good nature; and founded in morofenefs, felfifhnefs, and ill-will to mankind; things, not eafily reconcileable with a christian spirit. But, certainly, it may be faid of the church of England, if of any church in the world, that this is not her spirit: but, it is by characters and features juft contrary to thefe, that this church fhews herself, above all others, moft worthily and nobly chriftian.

It is certain, that there is nothing more contended for, by thofe who would not willingly admit a Deity ; nor is there any thing of greater use to them, in their way of reafoning, than to have it pafs as current, that there are in man, no natural principles inclining him to fociety; nothing that moves him to what is moral, juft and honest; except a profpect of fome different good, fome advantage of a different fort from what attends the actions themselves. Nor is it ftrange, that they, who have brought themselves off from fo much as believing the reality of any ingenuous action, performed by any of mankind, meerly through good affection, and a rectitude of temper; fhould be backward to apprehend any goodness of that fort, in a higher nature than that of man. But it is ftrange to conceive, how men who pretend a notion and belief of a fupreme power, acting with the greateft goodnefs, and without any inducement but that of love and good-will, fhould think it unfuitable to a rational creature, derived from him to act after his example, and to find pleasure and contentment in the works of goodness and bounty, without other profpact.