Let us then do our Part, which we plainly understand, and let us truft in God that he will do his; though it exceeds the Strength of human Wifdom to comprehend the Length and Depth and Breadth of that Wisdom and Mercy, which God has manifested to the World thro' his Son Chrift Jefus, our Lord,

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DISCOURSE I

PART IV.

S, with refpect to the Health of. the Body, there is one Regimen proper to preserve and maintain a found Constitution, and

another to affift and restore a broken and distempered one; the one Cafe requiring little more than wholesome Food and Temperance, the other calling for all that the Help and Skill of the Physician can furnish: So it is in Religion. An innocent Man has nothing more to do than to preferve his Innocence, which is his Title to the Favour of God; and therefore his Religion is only a Rule of Life, directing him in all Things how to preserve his Integrity, and walk uprightly with his God. This is the

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firft and the natural Notion of Religion; because the first and natural State of Man kind was a State of Innocence, and required no other Religion than this. Here indeed there is no room for any thing myfterious, this Religion being founded merely in the natural Notions of Juftice and Equity, and the neceffary Difference between Good and Evil Nor is it at all to be wondered at, that, whilft Men confider Religion under this fingle View, and imagine that whatever is to be done for their Salvation is to be done by themselves, and that Religion is only the Rule directing them how to do it, they fhould fee no Ufe of Myfteries, nor, confequently, any Reason to admit them.

But, upon Suppofition of Men's becoming Sinners, and liable to the Displeasure and Wrath of God, Religion itself becomes a new Thing. Innocence, which once was all the Care Religion had, is now vanifhed, and with it all our Hopes of Glory and Immortality. The natural Attributes of God, which to the Eyes of Innocence afforded a pleasant Profpect, to the Eyes of Sinners are exceeding dreadful. What then fhall the Sinner do? Shall he feek to natural Religion in this Diftrefs? But, if this Religion be nothing but a Rule of living well, what is that to

him, who has already lived fo ill as to be obnoxious to Condemnation? As well may you fend the condemned Malefactor to study the Law by which he dies, in order to fave his Life, as the Sinner to the perfect Rule of Life, which he has tranfgreffed, in order to fave his Soul. The more he ftudies the Rule by which he should have lived, and compares it with his own Tranfgreffions, he will but the more fully comprehend how much he deferves Punishment, and how defperate the State is to which his Sin has reduced him. In a Religion, which is barely a Rule of Life, there is no fure Comfort or Support to be had against the Terrors of Guilt and Sin.

Unbelievers may think we ask too much of them to be granted, when we argue upon this Suppofition, That all are Sinners, and are fallen fhort of the Glory of God: But, as this is the Suppofition upon which the Gospel uniformly proceeds, pretending to no more than to provide Means of Salvation for Sinners, whoever takes upon himself to queftion the Reasonableness of the Gospel, must confider it as being what it pretends to be; otherwife he will not argue against the Gospel, but against fomething else form'd in his own Imagination. If, upon Examina