Thirdly, That the Coming of Chrift has fupplied these Defects, and has perfected and completed the Hopes of Nature.

It must be allowed, That the original Religion of Nature was agreeable to the original State of Nature: And confequently, if Natural Religion is founded in the Confideration of Man's Sin and Weakness, it follows, That Man was originally formed a Sinner and weak. But farther,

Suppofing Men made originally to be what we fee they are, upon what Grounds are we to hope for an Alteration for the better? For, if it was confiftent with God's Goodness to put Men into this State originally, how is it inconfiftent with his Goodness to continue that State, which was at firft his own Appointment? He could no more act inconfiftently with his Goodness at the Be ginning of the World, than he can at the End of it. If Reafon therefore admits the prefent State of the World to be of God's Appointment, it must never afterwards pretend to entertain Hopes of being delivered from it; and without fuch Hopes all Religion is vain and useless.

It may be thought perhaps, That, fuppofing the present State of Things to be of God's Appointment, we cannot be answerable N 2

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for what we do; for why should he blame us for doing the Work he has appointed? Allow this Reasoning; yet no Religion can be built on it; for it can go no farther than to fay that we ought not to be punished for our Doings: It can never fhew that we have any Title to be put into a better State: The utmost it can pretend to prove, is, that we are abfolutely unaccountable; and, if so, there is nothing we can do to lefs Purpose, than to trouble our Heads about Religion.

Farther, If the Laws of Nature are the Precepts of Natural Religion, as without all doubt they are, it follows, That Natural Religion can be nothing elfe but Obedience to the Laws of Nature; and, confequently, the genuine Hopes of Natural Religion must be founded in Obedience. This must neceffarily be the Cafe; for all Laws are made to be obeyed. No Prince was ever fo abfurd as to make Laws with this View, that his Subjects might break them, and he fhew his Goodness in pardoning their Tranfgreffions: And yet this must have been the Scheme of Providence, if Natural Religion was nothing else from the Beginning but an Expectation of Pardon for Sin.

Secondly, Let us take a View of our prefent State, without inquiring whether any

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and what Change has happened to put us into this Condition; and let us confider what may be expected from our prefent Circumftances. Two Things may be affirmed with Certainty of the prefent Condition of Mankind: One is, That they have a Sense of their Obligation to obey the Laws of Reason and Nature; which is evident from the Force of natural Confcience: The other is, That very few do in any tolerable Degree, and none perfectly, pay this Obedience.

Let us examine then how Religion will ftand upon these Circumftances. It is impoffible to found the Hopes of Religion on Innocence and Obedience; for Obedience is not paid. On the other hand, absolute Impunity cannot be claimed for all Sins; much lefs can any Degree of Happiness, either prefent or future, be claimed in behalf of Offenders. The utmost Probability to which human Reason can arrive in this Cafe, is, That, the Goodness of God and the Weaknefs of Man confidered, God may favourably accept our Endeavours, how imperfect foever our Attainments may be. But is this Reasoning built on infallible Principles? Can any Certainty or Security arife out of this? any that can give Reft or Peace to the Mind of Man, ever inquifitive after Futurity? Will

you promise Impunity to Offenders upon Repentance? Impunity, mere Impunity, is not the Thing that Nature feeks after: She craves fomething more. But can the Argument from the divine Mercy be carried farther? Is it not great Mercy to pardon Sinners? Can you with Decency defire a Reward for them? Our Saviour has told us, that, when we have done our best, we must ftill own that we are unprofitable Servants: And, if we reflect that all our natural Powers are the Gift of God, and, confequently, our best Services are but a Debt paid to the Donor; if we confider that in all we do there is no Profit to the Moft High, that His Power and Majesty are not exalted by our Service, nor leffened by our Neglect; we fhall find that our own Reafon teaches us the fame Leffon, and that, when we confefs ourselves unprofitable Servants, we give greater Evidence of our Understanding than of our Humility. And, if this be truly the Cafe, what are the Claims of Natural Religion? Are they not the Claims of unprofitable Servants? the Claims of thofe to whom nothing is due?

Thirdly, Let us now take a View of the Conditions and Promises of the Gospel, and fee whether we have any Reason to be offended

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offended at them. As to the Laws which are made the Conditions of our Happiness, they are not new Impofitions, but as old as Reason itself, and the very fame which Natural Religion stands bound to obey. Here then can be no Complaint, at least no just So far then we are quite fafe, that we can be no Lofers by the Gofpel, fince it lays no new Burden on us. In all other Respects our Cafe is extremely altered for the better. We feel ourselves eafily tempted to do wrong, and unable to pay the Obedience we owe to Righteoufnefs. Hopes therefore from our Innocence we have none, but are forced to have recourse to the Mercy of God. Now this Mercy, which we hope for, the Gofpel offers us in the Name of God. Have we any Reason to suspect the Offer? or to reject that very Mercy, when promised by God, which our own Reason teaches us to expect at his Hands?

If we fin, Nature has no Refuge but in Repentance; and how far that will go, we know not: Nature has not, cannot teach us this Knowledge. From the Gospel we learn, that true Repentance fhall never be in vain ; fhall not only protect us from Punishment, but shall also set open to us the Doors of Life and Immortality.

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