Then faid Jefus unto the Twelve, Will ye alfo go away? Then Simon Peter anfwered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou haft the Words of eternal Life. And we believe, and Chapter we read, that the Doc- trine of our Saviour had given fuch Offence to his Hearers, that many even of his Disciples went back, and VOL. I. B Twelve, Will ye alfo go away? To which St. Peter, in the Name of all, made answer, Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou haft the Words of eternal Life. And we believe, and are fure, that thou art that Chrift, the Son of the living God. In this Anfwer there are three Things expreffed, or implied, as the Ground of their Conftancy and Adherence to Christ : I. The first is, The miferable Condition they should be in, if they did forsake him, having no other in whom they could trust: Lord, to whom fhall we go? II. The fecond is, The Excellency of his Religion, and the certain Means it afforded of obtaining that which is the great End of Religion, a bleffed Life after this: Thou haft the Words of eternal Life. III. The third is, The Authority and divine Commiffion of Chrift, upon which their Faith and Confidence were built: We believe, and are fure, that thou art that Chrift, the Son of the living God. To believe, because we have fufficient Reason to determine our Belief, is a rational Faith; and this is what is meant in the Word yvwnauer: We believe, because we have, from the Things we have heard and feen of you, determined with ourselves, That thou art the Chrift, the Son of the living God. Thefe These three Reasons, which St. Peter gives for Adherence to Chrift, refer to as many general Principles or Maxims : As first, That Religion, the only Means by which Men can arrive at true Happiness, by which they can attain to the last Perfection and Dignity of their Nature, does not, in the present Circumstances of the World, depend on human Reasoning or Inventions: For, was this the Cafe, we need not to go from home for Religion, or to seek farther than our own Breast for the Means of reconciling ourselves to God, and obtaining his Favour, and, in confequence of it, Life eternal. Upon fuch Suppofition, St. Peter argued very weakly, in saying, To whom fhall we go? For to whom need they go to learn that which they were well able to teach themselves? The second Principle referred to is, That the great End of Religion is future Happinefs; and consequently the best Religion is that which will moft furely direct us to eternal Life. Upon this Ground St. Peter prefers the Gospel of Chrift: Thou haft the Words of eternal Life. The third Thing is, That the Authority and Word of God is the only fure Foundation of Religion, and the only reasonable Ground for us to build our Hopes on. Thus St. Peter accounts for his Confidence in the Religion which Christ taught: We know, and are fure, that thou art that Chrift, the Son of the living God. In this State of the Cafe the Neceffity of Religion in general is supposed; and the only Question is, from what Fountain we must derive it. The Dispute can only lie between Natural and Revealed Religion: If Nature be able to direct us, it will be hard to justify the Wisdom of God in giving us a Revelation, fince the Revelation can only serve the fame Purpose, which Nature alone could well fupply. Since the Light of the Gospel has shone throughout the World, Nature has been much improving; we see many Things clearly, many Things which Reason readily embraces, which nevertheless the World before was generally a Stranger to. The Gospel has given us true Notions of God and of ourfelves, right Conceptions of his Holiness and Purity, and of the Nature of divine Worship: It has taught us a Religion, in the Practice of which our present Ease and Comfort, and our Hopes of future Happiness and Glory, confift; it has rooted out Idolatry and Superstition; and by instructing us in the Nature of God, and difcovering to us his Unity, his Omniprefence, and infinite Knowledge, it has furnished us even with Principles of Reason, by which we reject and condemn the Rites and Ceremonies of Heathenism and Idolatry, and discover wherein the Beauty and Holiness of divine Worship confift: For the Nature of divine Worship must be deduced from the Nature of God; and 'tis impoffible for Men to pay a reasonable Service to God, till they have just and reasonable Notions of him. But now, it seems, this is all become pure Natural Religion; and 'tis to our own Reason and Understanding that we are indebted for the Notion of God and of divine Worship: And whatever elfe in Religion is agreeable to our Reason, is reckoned to proceed entirely from it: And, had the Unbelievers of this Age heard St. Peter's piteous Complaint, Lord, to whom shall we go? they would have bid him go to himself, and confult his own Reason, and there he fhould find all that was worth finding in Religion. But let us, if you please, examine this Pretence, and fee upon what Ground this Plea of Natural Religion can be maintained. If Nature can inftruct us fufficiently in Religion, we have indeed no Reason to go any-where else; so far we are agreed: But whether B 3 |