I.

ty and Holiness, particularly by giving us the SER M. fulleft Affurance of a future State, the steady Belief of which is of the greatest consequence in many Circumflances of Life, and fufficient to make a Man adhere to Virtue in the worst Condition, to which it can be expofed in this World. These are the chief Improvements which Religion has received from Revelation, and they are certainly very confiderable and important, and have rendered it a great deal more effectual in making Mankind univerfally and uniformly virtuous, than without them it would have been: And therefore, as the Perfection of natural Religion, fo far as its containing every thing that is neceffary for acquainting Men with their Duty, and enabling them to do it, is to be acknowledged and afferted, fo likewife is the Usefulness of Christianity, as a more fure and powerful Means of improving Men in Knowledge and Virtue, than any of the mere Advantages of Nature are: And none who wifely confider things, will ever conclude from the acknowledged Perfection of the natural Law, and the Sufficiency of the human Faculties, when well employed, for making Mankind wife and good, that the Christian Institution is vain and fuperfluous; fince through the Frailty and Impotency of their Nature, Men are very apt to

abufe

8.

SERM. abuse their natural Powers, and to fall into

I.

both great Ignorance and Corruption, and in
Confequence of that, to ftand in need of much
Inftruction, and many Awakenings and Aflist-
ances to recover them to a juft and steady fenfe
and care of their Duty; which things Chrifti-
anity is much better calculated to afford them,
than any
Scheme of Philofophy, and than any
other Institution whatsoever; fo that it may
be justly accounted the Effect of the tender
Mercy and Love of God to Mankind, and
one of the greatest Bleflings that could have
been bestowed upon them.

4. Laftly, we may obferve how much we Chriftians are concerned to live in the ftricteft Exercife of all Virtue. This is what we are obliged and prompted to by the ties and inftincts of Nature, which are common to all Mankind, and which we are likewife excited to by the additional Force and Influence of Christianity: And if after all we neglect our Duty, and indulge ourselves in Wickedness, we are the moft unworthy and inexcufable of all Men. We may be justly faid, in the

1 Tim. v. words of St. Paul, to deny the Faith, and to be worfe than Infidels, to act in direct oppofition to the whole Defign of the Chriftian Religion, which is in effect to renounce it; and not only fo, but to contradict the cleareft Prin

ciples of the Light and Law of Nature, which SER M. prevail among the unbelieving Gentiles, and

engage many of them to an obfervance of the Duties of natural Piety, Honesty, and Humanity. It may indeed be naturally expected of those who make Profeffion of the Gospel, that they should go beyond the rest of the World in the Innocence and Purity of their Behaviour, in proportion to the fuperior Advantages which they have for leading holy and virtuous Lives; that they should be, according to the Character which our Saviour gives of his Difciples, the Light of the World, and the Salt of the Earth; Perfons who by an unblameable and exemplary Conversation instruct, purify and reform Mankind. But when, instead of this, they live just as carelefly as other Men; when they do not diftinguish themselves from the Profeffors of the moft falfe and corrupt Religions, unless by exceeding them in Impiety and Vice; when they fall into Crimes, as they too often do, which are shocking to human Nature, and which all the wife and honeft Heathens would abhor, this is furely a dreadful Cafe, full both of the greatest Guilt and Danger. If our Saviour had not come into the World, we should have had no Sin in comparison of what we have, when we conVOL. I. tinue

D

I.

SER M. tinue impenitent and wicked, after the Light

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I.

of his Gospel has shined among us, and we have enjoyed the peculiar Privileges of his John iii. Religion: Now we can have no Cloak for our Sins, and this will be our Condemnation, that Light has come into the World, but we have loved Darkness rather than Light; because our Deeds are evil.

SERMON

SERMON II.

The true Excellency of Men.

PROV. XII. 26.

The Righteous is more excellent than his Neighbour.

I

T must be evident to all who have made

any juft Reflections on Human Nature,

and what paffes within themselves, that Perceptions of Beauty, Worth, and Excellence, neceffarily arife in us upon the view of certain Qualities, Characters, and Actions; and that they have a very great Influence upon us, both in the Management of ourselves, and our Behaviour towards others. The Power or Faculty by which we receive these Perceptions would probably exert itself very uniformly in all Perfons, and lead them to the fame Conclufions, if they were all equally unprejudiced, and careful to examine the Na