them, religion as I take it, is of the firft confequence; for the choice few only mind a natural Virtue, or benevolence flowing from the reafon, nature, and fitness of things; and civil government cannot always fecure the happiness of mankind in particular cafes but Religion, rightly understood, and fixed upon its true and its true and proper foundation, might do the work, in conjunction with the other two principles, and fecure the happiness of Society. If mankind were

brought to the belief and worship of one only true God, and to a fincere obedience to his Will, as we have it difcovered in Revelation, I think, appetite and paffion would cease to invade by violence or fraud, or fet up for private intereft in oppofition to the publick ftock or common good. But, alas! Religion is fo far from being rightly underftood, that it is rendered by fome explainers the most doubtful and difputable thing in the world. They have given it more phases than the moon, and made it every thing, and nothing, while they are fcreaming or forcing the people into their feveral factions. This deftroys the moment of Religion, and the multitude are thereby wandered into endless mazes and perplexities, and rendered a hairing, ftaring, wrathful rabble; instead of being transformed into fuch chriftians as filled the first church at

Jerufalem; chriftians who acknowledged and worshipped God the Father Almighty, in the name of Chrift, that is, under a belief of that authority and power which the Father of the Universe has, for the good of mankind, conferred upon him; and in humility and meeknefs, in mortification and felf-denial, in a renunciation of the Spirit, wisdom, and honours of this world, in a love of God, and defire of deing God's will, and feeking only his honour, were by the Gofpel made like unto Chrift. Golden Religion! Golden Age! The Doctrine of Chriftianity was then a Reftoration of true Religion: the practice of Christianity, a Reftoration of human Nature. But now, alas! too many explainers are employed in darkening and making doubtful the reveled Will of God, and by paraphrafes, expofitions, commentaries, notes, and gloffes, have almost rendered revelation useless. What do we fee in the vast territories of Popery, but a perfect Diabolism in the place of the religion of our Lord; doctrines the most impious and abfurd, the most inconfiftent and contradictory in themselves, the moft hurtful and mischievous in their confequences; the whole fupported by perfecution, by the fophiftry of learned knaves, and the tricks of jugling priefts? And if we turn our eyes from these regions of imposture and cruelty, to the realms of proteftants, do we not find fome learned chriftian critics and expofitors

pofitors reducing the inspired writings to a dark fcience? without regard to the nature and intrinsick character of their doctrines, do they not advance notions as true and divine, which have not one appearance of divine Authority; but, on the contrary, mililitate with the reafon of things, and the moral fitness of actions; and are fo far from being plain and clear, free from all doubtfulnefs, or ambiguity, and fuited to the underftandings and capacity of men, that the darknefs of them renders fuch pretended revelations of little fervice; and impeaches the veracity, wisdom, and goodness of God? Alas! too many explainers are clamorous, under the infallible ftrength of their own perfuafions, and exert every power to unman us into believers. How the apostles argued for the great excellency and dignity of Chriftianity is not with them the queftion; fo far as I am able to judge from their learned writings; but the fathers, and our fpiritual fuperiors have put upon the facred writings the proper explications; and we must receive the truth as they difpense it to us. This is not right, in my conception. I own it does not seem to answer the end of the Meffiah's coming, which was to restore Reafon and Religion to their rightful authority over mankind; and to make all virtue, and true goodness, flourish in the earth; the most perfect bleffing to

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be fure that God could beftow on man, or man receive from God. This bleffing we must mifs, if human authority is to pin us down to what it pleases to call fenfe of fcripture, and will fet up the judgment of fallible men as the teft of Chriftianity. The Chriftian Laity are miserable indeed, if they be put under an obligation to find that to be truth which is taught by these Leaders. In truth, we should be unhappy men, with a revelation in our churches and our closets, if the leaders had a right to make their own faith pafs for the faith of the Apostles; or, if we refufed it, might lance the weapons of this world at their people. What must we do then as true Chriftians? I think for my felf, that we ought to form our judgment, in matters of faith, upon a strict, ferious and impartial examination of the Holy Scriptures, without any regard to the judgment of others, or human authority whatever: that we ought to open the facred records, without minding any systems, and from the reveled word of God learn that, Christianity does not confift in a jingle of unintelligible founds, and new fundamentals, hewn out by craft, enthufiafm, or bigotry, and maintained with an outrage of uncharitable zeal, which delivers Chriftians to the flames of an eternal hell: but that, the heavenly religion of our Lord confifts in looking on the promised Meffiah,

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as the most confummate bleffing God could bestow, or man receive; and that Jefus is that Meffiah; in acting according to the rules of the Gofpel, and in ftudying to imitate God, who is the moft perfect understanding nature, in all his moral perfections; in becoming the Children of God by being (according to our capacity) perfect as he is perfect, and holy as he is holy, and merciful as he is merciful; and in our whole moral behaviour as like to him as poffible.

In a word, to flee injuflice, oppreffion, intemperance, impurity, pride, unmercifulness, revenge: to practife juftice, piety, temperance, chastity, humility, beneficence, placability to turn from our iniquities to the practice of all virtue: and through the alone mediation of the only-begotten Son of God, believe in and worship the eternal mind, the one fupreme Spirit, in hope of a glorious immortality, through the fanctification of the Holy Ghoft: These are the things the Lord came down to teach mankind. For the New Teftament itself then we must declare, and look upon it as the only guide, or rule of faith. It is now the only deliverer of the declarations of our Lord: And the rule in our enquiry is, that every thing necessary to be believed by a Chriflian, is in those Books not left to be gathered by confequences, or implications; but the things neceffary to

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