firft and the natural Notion of Religion; because the first and natural State of Mankind 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 Justice 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 vanished, 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 shall the Sinner do? Shall he seek 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 studies 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 deserves 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 afk 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 question the Reasonableness of the Gofpel, must confider it as being what it pretends to be; otherwise he will not argue against the Gospel, but against fomething else form'd in his own Imagination. If, upon ExaminaE 4

tion

tion of the Gospel, it appears to be indeed, what it pretends to be, a Means for faving Sinners, you must neceffarily come to one or other of the following Refolutions: If you are confcious to yourself that you are a Sinner, you must gladly receive the Remedy provided for you, and which upon Examination you find to be proper for your Cafe; or, if you are fatisfied with yourself, and want no Help, you must reject it as unneceffary and improper in your Cafe, and trust entirely to your own Merit; and must appear before God, and demand Life and Immortality as due from his Justice and Equity, which you will not accept as a Gift from his Grace and Merey.

Let us then confider what is neceffary to be done for a Sinner, in order to restore him to eternal Life; and that will teach us the true Notion of that Religion mentioned in the Text, and which are the Words of eternal Life; and will enable us to judge what Weight there is in the Objection raised against such a Religion from the Additions which it makes to Natural Religion,

First then, 'Tis neceffary, in order to reftore a Sinner to eternal Life, That God be reconciled to him;

Secondly,

Secondly, That the Sinner be purged from the Impurity contracted by Sin:

Thirdly, That for the future he be enabled to obey the holy Laws of God, without which his Reconcilement to God would be fruitlefs and of no Effect.

I think there needs but little to be faid to prove the Neceffity of thefe Conditions: If the Sinner's Cafe be defperate, because God is provoked by his Iniquity, and justly angry. at his Offences; there can be no Foundation. for him to hope, till God be reconciled to him: If Sinners are impure and odious in the Sight of God, because of their Sins; their Impurity must be cleanfed, before he can again take Pleasure in them, and delight to do them Good: If the Tranfgreffion of the Laws of Reason and Nature, which are the Laws of God, was that which loft him the Favour of God; that he may not lose it again, after being reconciled to him, 'tis neceffary that he fin no more, or, if he does, that a Remedy be provided to reftore him,

Allowing then these Conditions to be neceffary to the Salvation of a Sinner, and likewife that Religion must contain the Words, or Means, of eternal Life; it neceffarily follows, That the Sinner's Religion must con

tain

tain the Means by which he may be reconciled to God; the Means by which he may be purified and cleanfed from Sin; and the Means by which he may be enabled for the future to obey the Will of God: For these are the neceffary Means by which a Sinner must be saved; and therefore they must neceffarily be contained in the Sinner's Religion. How imperfect a Notion then have we of fuch a Religion, when we confider it only as a Rule of Action! and how weakly must we argue against it, when our Arguments are pointed only against this Notion or Idea of it!

A Rule of Action must be plain and intelligible, or else it is no Rule; for we can neither obey nor difobey a Law that we cannot understand: And therefore from this Idea of Religion, That it is a Rule of Action, there lies a very plain Objection against admitting Myfteries in Religion: And let the Objection have its full Force, the Gospel is fecure from the Blow; for the Rule of Life contained in the Gospel is the plaineft, as well as the pureft, that ever the World was acquainted with. In the Precepts of Chriftianity there is no Mystery, no Shadow of a Mystery, to be feen; they are all fimple, and to Men of the lowest Understandings