them from God, and receive them as his Gift and Favour: And confequently, if eternal Life be the End of Religion, and likewife the Gift of God, Religion can be nothing elfe but the Means proper to be made ufe of by us to obtain of God this most excellent and perfect Gift of eternal Life: For, if eternal Life be the End of Religion, Religion must be the Means of obtaining eternal Life ; and, if eternal Life can only be had from the Gift of God, Religion must be the Means of obtaining this Gift from God.

And thus far all Religions, that ever have appeared in the World, have agreed: The Question has never yet been made by any, whether God is to be applied to for eternal Happiness, or no; but every Sect has placed its Excellency in this, that it teaches the properest and most effectual Way of making this Application. Even Natural Religion pretends to no more than this; it claims not eternal Life as the Right of Nature, but as the Right of Obedience, and of Obedience. to God, the Lord of Nature: And the Dispute between Natural and Revealed Religion is not, whether God is to be applied to for eternal Happinefs; but only, whether Nature or Revelation can beft teach us how to make this Application.

Prayers,

Prayers, and Praises, and Repentance for Sins paft, are Acts of Devotion, which Nature pretends to inftruct and direct us in: But why does he teach us to pray, to praise, or to repent, but that fhe efteems one to be the proper Method of expreffing our Wants, the other of expreffing our Gratitude, and the third of making Atonement for Iniquity and Offences against God? In all these Acts Reference is had to the overruling Power of the Almighty; and they amount to this Confeffion, That the Upfhot of all Religion is to please God in order to make ourselves happy.

This will fhew us what muft neceffarily be understood by any Perfon's, or by any Religion's, having the Words of eternal Life: For, fince eternal Life can only be had by pleafing God, no Perfon, no Religion, can be faid to have the Words of eternal Life upon any other Account, than because it teaches and enables us fo far at least to please God, as to obtain eternal Life from him.

If we confider God as the Ruler of this World as well as of the next, Religion indeed will be as neceffary a Means of obtaining the Bleffings of this Life, as of that which is to come. But this will make no Alteration in the Nature of Religion: For,

if the Bleffings of this Life are the Gift of God, they must be obtained by pleafing God; and the fame Services muft intitle us to the Bleffings of this Life and of the next, unlefs you can fuppofe that there are different Ways of pleasing God; one Way to please him, in order to obtain the Bleffings of this World; and another, in order to obtain the Bleffings of Heaven.

From this Account of the Nature of Religion, That it is the Knowledge of pleafing God, and ferving him acceptably, (I speak of Religion now confidered only as a Rule) there are fome Confequences which naturally follow, that may be of great Service to us in directing us in our Choice of Religion.

First then; Since it is the Perfection of Religion to inftruct us how to please God; and fince to please God, and to act according to the Will of God, are but one and the fame Thing; it neceffarily follows, that must be the most perfect Religion, which does most perfectly instruct us in the Knowledge of the Will of God. Allow then Nature to have all the Advantages that ever the greatest Patrons of Natural Religion laid claim to on her behalf; allow Reason to be as clear, as uncorrupted, as unprejudiced, as even our fondest Wishes would make it; yet still, it

can

can never be fuppofed, that Nature and Reason, in all their Glory, can be able to know the Will of God fo well as he himfelf knows it: And therefore, should God ever make a Declaration of his Will, that Declaration muft, according to the Nature and Neceffity of the Thing, be a more perfect Rule for Religion, than Reafon and Nature can poffibly furnish us with. Had we the Wisdom and Reafon of Cherubims and Seraphims to direct us in the Worship and Service of our Maker, nevertheless it would be our highest Wisdom, as it is theirs, to fubmit to his Laws, that is, to the Declarations of his Will.

Secondly; From hence it appears, how extremely wrong it is to compare Natural Religion and Revelation together, in order to inquire which is preferable; for 'tis neither more nor less than inquiring, whether we know God's Will better than he himself knows it. Falfe Revelations are no Revelations; and therefore to prefer Natural Religion before fuch pretended Revelations, is only to reject a Forgery: But to suppose that there is, or may be, a true Revelation, and yet to say that Natural Religion is a better Guide, is to say that we are wifer than God, and know better how to please him C 4 without

without his Directions than with them. Upon this State of the Cafe then, a Revelation must be entirely rejected as a Forgery, or entirely fubmitted to; and the only Debate between Natural Religion and Revelation must be, whether we'really have a Revelation, or no; and not whether Revelation or Nature be, in the Nature of Things, the best and surest Foundation of Religion: Which Dispute but ill becomes our Condition, and is a vain Attempt to exalt ourselves and our own Reason above every Thing that is called God.

Since then Revelation, confidered as such, must needs be the fureft Guide in Religion, every reasonable Man is bound to confider the Pretenfions of Revelation, when offered to him; for no Man can juftify himself in relying merely on Natural Religion, till he has fatisfied himself that no better Directions are to be had. For, fince 'tis the Business of Religion to please God, is it not a very natural and a very reasonable Inquiry to make, whether God has any-where declared what will please him? at least, 'tis reasonable when we are called to this Inquiry, by having a Revelation tendered to us, fupported by fuch Evidence, which, though it may be