SECT. I. That there is such an Intrinsick Good in some Humane Actions as render them for ever Necessary and obli­ging to us.

GOOD is twofold, Absolute, or Respe­ctive, or the Good of the End and the Good of the Means. The good of the End is that which is the Perfection and Happiness of any Being; the good of the Means is that which tends and conduces thereunto. As for Instance, the absolute Good of a Brute Animal consists in [Page 9] the Perfection and Satisfaction of its Sense, or in having perfect Feeling and Sen­sation of such things as are most grateful to its Appetite and Senses. Its respective Good is the Means by which its Senses are perfe­cted or rendred lively and vigorous, and by which it's provided for with such things as are grateful and pleasing to them. For there being in every animate nature a Principle whereby it's necessarily inclined to pro­mote its own Preservation and Well-being, that which hath in it a fitness to promote this End is called Good, as on the contrary that which is apt to hinder it Evil. Now Man being not only a sensitive but a ratio­nal Creature, hath a twofold Good be­longing to his Nature, the first Sensitive which is the same with that of brute Ani­mals, consisting in the Perfection and Sa­tisfaction of his bodily Senses and Appe­tites, and in those means which conduce thereunto; and this for distinction sake is called his Natural Good: the second Ratio­nal, which consists in the Perfection and Sa­tisfaction of his Rational Faculties, and in those means which tend thereunto; and this is stiled his Moral Good, though in re­ality 'tis as much Natural as the former. For Man being naturally as well Rational as Sensitive, that which promotes his Ra­tional [Page 10] Perfection and Happiness, is no less naturally good for him than that which promotes his Sensitive: Nay his Rational Nature being the much more noble and ex­cellent part of him, that which naturally promotes the Perfection and Happiness of it, is in it self a much greater good to his Nature and ought to be preferred by him before any of those Natural goods, which conduce only to the happiness of his sensi­tive Nature; and he who indulges his sensi­tive Part in any Pleasure which his Rational disallows, doth thereby create a torment to himself, and raise a Devil in his own mind. For tho Reason and Religion doth allow that the Sensitive nature should be gratified in all its natural Appetites and Desires, yet neither allow that it should be pampered and indulged in any such Excsses as are pre­judicial either to it self or to that Rational Nature whereunto it is joyned; and he who indulges his Sense in any such Exces­ses, renders himself obnoxious to his own. Reason, and to gratifie the Brute in him displeases the Man, and sets his two Na­tures at variance. So that there is nothing can be naturally good for us, that is any way inconsistent with what is morally so, i. e. with what conduces to the Perfection and Happiness of our rational Nature; and [Page 11] tho this Natural and Moral Good are no way inconsistent with one another, yet it is the Moral that is the Supreme Good of a Man, because it is the good of his most excellent Nature. Having thus premised what I mean by Good in general, and par­ticularly by Moral Good, I proceed to shew that in some Humane actions there is such an intrinsick moral Good as renders 'em for ever obliging to us. And this I shall endeavour in these following Propo­sitions.

First, THAT the Happiness of Humane Nature is founded in its Perfection.

Secondly, THAT the Perfection of Hu­mane Nature consists in acting suitably to the most perfect Reason.

Thirdly, THAT the most perfect Rea­son is that wherein all reasonable Beings do consent and agree.

Fourthly, THAT there are certain Rules of Moral Good, wherein all Reaso­nable Beings are agreed.

Fifthly, THAT to act suitably to those Rules hath been always found by univer­sal experience conducible to the Happiness of Humane Nature, and the contrary mis­chievous thereunto.

I. THAT the Happiness of Humane Nature is founded in its Perfection. For [Page 12] the Perfection of Beings consists in their be­ing compleatly disposed and adapted for the End whereunto they are designed. Now the End of all Beings that have Life and Sense, is that sort of Happiness that is sutable to their Natures; for 'tis thither that they all of them naturally tend, and therein that their Faculties do all concenter. When therefore their Faculties or Powers of A­ction are compleatly disposed to enjoy the proper Happiness of their Natures, then are they perfect in their Kind. Thus for instance, the End of Brutes which have only Bodily Sense, is Sensitive and corpo­real Happiness; and thererefore then is the Brute Creature perfect in its kind, when it hath not only all the Parts and Senses that are necessary to procure and en­joy its Happiness, but hath them also per­fectly sitted, tempered, and qualified to pur­sue and relish it. And supposing that all the pleasure or happiness of a Beast consisted in the Taste and Smell of its Pasture, it could never be compleatly happy so long as the Organs of its Smell or Taste were imperfect. So that the perfection of eve­ry Sensible Nature consists in being perfe­ly disposed to enjoy its Natural Happiness. And accordingly herein consists the Perfe­ction of Humane Nature, in being perfe­ctly [Page 13] fitted and disposed to enjoy and relish Humane Happiness. For this being its proper End, it is impossible it should ever be perfect in its Kind till 'tis compleatly contempered and adapted thereunto. So that our Happiness must necessarily be founded in our Perfection, which is no­thing else but the perfect Disposition of our Natures to relish and enjoy those Goods wherein the Happiness of our Nature con­sists; and till our Nature is perfectly dis­posed to enjoy them, all the good things of Heaven and Earth will be insufficient to render us perfectly happy.

II. THAT the Perfection of Humane Nature consists in acting sutably to the most Perfect Reason. For Reason being the top and Crown of Humane Nature, hath a natural Right to Command and Dispose of its Motions; to be the Eye of its Will, and the Guide of its Affections, and the Law of all its Powers of Action. And indeed, for what other use serves the Reason of a Man, but to prescribe Rules to his unrea­sonable Affections, to light and direct them to their proper Objects, and as they are moving towards them to moderate their Excesses and to quicken their Defects and to lead them on to true Happiness in an even Course through all the wild Mazes [Page 14] of popular Mistakes? And unless it be thus imployed, the man is Reasonable in vain, and his light like a Candle inclosed in a Dark-Lanthorn burns out in wast and spends it self in an useless and unprofitable blaze. And whilst to please our Appetites and Passions we run counter to the advice of our Reason, we forsake the rule of our Natures and act like Beasts and not like Men; in which course of Action if we per­sist, we must necessarily degenerate from our selves, and sink by degrees into the most sordid Brutality. For when once our Appetites have gotten the Command of our Reason, and not only dethroned but inslaved it, the very Order of our Nature is transposed and we are become our own Reverse and Antipodes. If therefore we would arrive at our own Perfection it must be by following our Reason, and submit­ting all our Affections and Appetites to its Government. For what else can be the Perfection of a Rational Nature, but to be perfectly Rational; and what is it to be perfectly Rational, but to have our Minds throughly instructed with the Principles of Right Reason, and our Will and Affections intirely regulated by them? For herein consists the Supream Perfection not only of Men, but of Angels, yea and of God [Page 15] Himself, the Crown and Glory of whose Nature it is, that he always knows, and chuses and acts what is fittest and best and most reasonable. And when once our Under­standing is so far inlightned as that it al­ways dictates right Reason to us; and our Will and Affections are so far subdued as that they always freely and chearfully comply with it, we have arrived to the very top of our Nature, and are Commenced perfect Men in Christ Jesus.

III. THAT the most perfect Reason is that wherein all Reasonable Beings do consent and agree. For if there be any such matter as True and False, Reasonable, and Vnreasonable in the Nature of things, and if there be any such thing as Vnderstanding among Beings, whereby they are capable of distinguishing between the one and the other; either that must be True and Reaso­nable which all Understandings do consent and agree in, or all the Understandings that are in the World must be under a fatal Cheat and Delusion. Which later be­ing supposed inevitably destroys all Know­ledge and Certainty, and lays a foundation for the wildest Scepticism. For supposing all Understandings to be deceived and impo­sed on, it is impossible for us to be certain of any thing, and for all we know, a Part [Page 16] may be bigger than the Whole, two and two may make twenty, and both parts of a Contradiction may be true. Nay we can never be certain whether we are not Dreaming when we think we are Awake, and whether we are not Awake when we think we are Dreaming. Either therefore we must renounce all Certainty whatsoever, and fluctuate in eternal Scepticism, or al­low that to be True and Reasonable which all Understandings do unanimously vote so.

IV. THAT there are certain Rules of Moral Goodness concerning the immu­table Reason whereof all Understandings are agreed. For such are all those which prescribe the Dueness of Worship and Vene­ration to God, of Obedience and Loyalty to our Parents and Superiours, of Temperance and Fortitude to our selves, and of Justice and Charity to one another; to the Good­ness and Reasonableness of which Rules, all Understandings do as unanimously con­sent, as to the truth of any Proposition in the Mathematicks. Now of all the orders of Reasonable Beings, that which we most converse with and with whose Consent and Agreement in any matters we are best ac­quainted, is that of Men; and therefore if among Men we can discover such an Uni­versal [Page 17] Agreement concerning the Goodness of these Rules as will warrant us to con­clude all other Rational Beings to be con­senting with them, this will be a suffici­ent Demonstration of the Truth of the Proposition. These two things therefore I shall endeavour to make out, 1. That the Reason of Men is Vniversally consent­ing in this matter, viz. That there is an immutable Goodness in these Rules of Mo­rality. 2. That this Universal Consent of Mens Reason in this matter is a sufficient Demonstration that all other reasonable Beings are consenting with them.

First, THEREFORE there is nothing more evident than that Men are Universally agreed in this matter, that to Worship God, to Honour their Parents and Superiours, to be temperate in their Passions and Appetites, and just and charitable towards one an­other, are things in their own nature im­mutably good; that this is not an Opini­on peculiar to such an Age, or to such a Nation, or to such a Sect of Religion, but the Vniversal Judgment of all Mankind of whatsoever Age, Nation, or Religion. For 'tis upon this judgment that all that Conscience is founded which approves of or condemns mens actions; which Con­science is nothing else but a Sense or Feel­ing [Page 18] of Moral Good and Evil; and is every whit as natural to Mens minds, as the Sense of pleasant or painful touches to their Bodies. Since therefore general Effects must spring from general Causes, it neces­sarily follows that the Pain and Pleasure which Mens minds generally feel upon the Commission of bad and good Actions, must be resolved into some general Cause; and what else can that be, but the ge­neral Consent of their Reason concerning the immutable Evil of the one and Good of the other? I know 'tis pretended by some of our Modern Navigators that there are a sort of People in the World who have not the least sense of Good and Evil, and do own neither God nor Religion nor Morality. But considering the short Con­verse and imperfect Intercourse which these our new Discoverers have had with those Barbarous Countries, it is fairly suppose­able that the Inhabitants may have Noti­ons both Religious and Moral, of which Strangers who understand not their Lan­guage and Customs, and Manners, can make little or no Discovery. But sup­pose that what they report were true; yet by their own confession these wretched Barbarians are in all other things so ex­treamly Brutish, that they discover no [Page 19] other token of their Humanity but their Shape. For they live altogether regard­less of themselves; of the Conveniences of their Lives, and of the Dignity of their Na­tures; without making any Reflections on their own minds, or any Observations from their own experience. Since therefore all Knowledge is acquired by Attention, it is not at all impossible for Creatures so utter­ly supine and negligent to be ignorant of the most common Notions. But for any man to question the truth of this general Rule, because there are a few Exceptions from it, is every whit as absurd as if he should question whether Men are general­ly two-legg'd Animals, because there have been some Monsters with three. And what if among men there are some Mon­sters in respect of their Minds, as well as others in respect of their Bodies? This is no more a prejudice to the standing Laws of Humane Nature, than Prodigies are to the Regularity of the constant course of Vniversal Nature. Specimen naturae cujus­libet, saith Tully, à natura optima sumendum est, i. e. The true sample of every Nature is to be taken from the best Natures of the kind. Since therefore the men of all Na­tions and Ages and Religions who have in any measure attended to the Nature of [Page 20] things, and made but any tolerable use of their Reasons, are, and always have been universally agreed that there is an immuta­ble Good in Vertue, and Evil in Vice; it is no Argument at all that this is not the gene­ral Sense of Mankind, supposing it true which is very questionable, that there are some few such inhumane Barbarians in the World as make no distinction at all be­tween 'em. But then

Secondly, THIS Universal Consent of Mens Reason in this matter, is a sufficient Demonstration that all other Reasonable Beings are consenting with them. For it shews that God himself is of this mind; and if He be, we may be sure that all other Reasonable Beings are. For if we believe that God made us, we must be­lieve that he made us for some End; and if he made us for any End, he must esteem those Actions good which promote it, and those evil which obstruct and hinder it. And what other End can an infinitely hap­py and blessed Being have in making o­ther Beings; but only to do 'em good and according to their several Capacities to make them partakers of his own Happi­ness? And if this be the end for which God made us, to be sure those Actions must be good in his esteem that are be­neficial, and those evil that are hurtful [Page 21] and mischievous to our Nature. And therefore since he hath implanted in us not only a natural Desire of Happiness; but also a rational Faculty to discern what Actions make for our Happiness and what not, we may be sure that whatsoever this Faculty doth Vniversally determine to be good or evil for us, is good or evil in the Judgment of God. 'Tis true when the Rea­son that is in one man judges contrary to the Reason that is in another, there must be a Disagreement on one side or the other from the Reason and Judgment of God; but when all mens Reason is agreed that this is good and that evil, it is plain that this is is the Judgment of the Rational Faculty which naturally makes such a Di­stinction of things. For there is no man that uses his Reason can possibly think that Truth and Falshood, Justice and Injustice, Mercy and Cruelty are equally good in themselves; his Rational Faculty being so framed as that at the first glance and re­flection, it naturally distinguishes 'em into Good and Evil. When therefore God hath created us with such a Faculty as natural­ly makes such a Judgment of Good and Evil, that Judgment must be Gods as well as the Faculty which made it. That there­fore which is the unanimous Judgment of [Page 22] all Men, must be the Natural Language of the Rational Faculty; and that which is the natural Language of the Rational Fa­culty must be the Language of the God of Nature. For he who created me with such a Faculty as naturally judges this Good and that Evil, must either have the same Judgment himself, or create in me a Con­tradiction to his own Judgment; and that Judgment which he hath created in me, he must be supposed to create in all other Be­ings that are capable of Judging; other­wise he would be the author of Contradi­ctory Judgments. For, should one Ratio­nal Faculty naturally judge this, and ano­ther the contrary, they must necessarily be so framed as to contradict each other, and consequently he who framed both must be the Author of the Contradiction. So that this universal Consent of Men con­cerning the Good and Evil of Humane Actions is a plain Evidence that God and all other Rational Beings are consenting with 'em.

V. AND Lastly, that Mens acting con­formably to these Rules of Moral Good­ness, in which they are thus universally consenting, hath by long and constant Ex­perience been found most conducive to Mens Welfare and Happiness. For the [Page 23] Proof whereof I shall need urge no other Argument than this, that the great Design of all Humane Laws and Constituti­ons hath been to secure and inforce these Rules of Morality; which is a plain Argu­ment that Men have always found by Ex­perience that they are naturally good and productive of their Happiness and Well­fare. For how can it be thought that af­ter men have had so many thousand years Trial of Piety and Justice and Mercy and Temperance, they should still be so solici­tous to fence and guard 'em with Laws, had they not found 'em highly advanta­gious, and their Contraries as mischievous to Mankind. For do but suppose that the Contraries to all Vertue were for Experi­ment-sake imposed for some time upon Mankind, and it were made as Penal by the Laws of Nations to be Pious, and Just, Merciful, and Temperate as it is now to be the contrary; is it imaginable that that which we now call Vice should in process of time acquire the same Universal Repu­tation that Virtue hath always had among men? Or at least, is it probable that af­ter some thousand years Trial and Experi­ence of such a Law, Men should still be as much concerned to guard and inforce it, as they are and always have been to se­cure [Page 24] the Laws of Piety and Virtue? No, it is most certain they would not. For the very injoyning of Impiety, Injustice, and Cru­elty would be in effect to injoyn men to render themselves most wretched and mi­serable; to surrender up all the Supports of their Hope, the Peace of their Consciences and the Tranquillity of their Minds; to live in everlasting Broils and Discords, and turn Robbers and Cut-throats to one another, and utterly deprive themselves of all the Comforts and Securities of Humane Socie­ty. So that there is no doubt but after a few Years Experience of the mischievous Consequents of such a Law, the whole World would groan under it as an insup­portable Tyranny, and even the most Vi­cious would soon grow quite weary of it, and heartily wish that it were for ever Repealed, and the good old Laws of Piety and Virtue restored and inforc'd up­on Mankind. And if so, it is plain that Virtue and Vice are distinguished by their Natures into good and evil; and that the Obligations we lie under to practise the one, and abstain from the other, are not founded in any Arbitrary Constitution, but in the essential Goodness and Malignity that inseparably adheres to them.

[Page 25]AND if we consult the Experience of particular Men, we shall always find, that whereas Impiety and Injustice, Fraud, and Malice do naturally torment mens Minds with Anguish and Confusion, haunt their Breasts with fearful Thoughts and dire Ex­pectations, harrass their Souls with per­petual Malecontentedness, and intricate their whole Lives with everlasting Shifts and Intrigues; Piety and Justice, Truth and Benevolence do as naturally sooth and ravish their Minds, fill 'em with blessed Hopes and▪ chearful Reflections; compose their Passions, strengthen and invigorate their Hearts, and render the whole Course of their Lives plain and direct, even and easie. And hereby Vertue doth sensibly recommend it self to our Natures in all its Capacities, as being suted to the Satisfa­ction of all its reasonable Desires, and so by consequence designed to make up the compleatest and most intire Enjoyment. All which is as plain and obvious to the Rea­son of Mankind as any Matter of Fact that is before us. So that 'tis not only the Reason, but also the Experi­ence of Mankind that universally a­grees and consents in this great Truth, that there is such a Good in Virtuous and such an Evil in Vicious Actions, as doth [Page 26] eternally and inseparably cleave to their Na­tures.

AND therefore since our Nature is to continue the same for ever; the same Ver­tues and Vices which are now the Perfecti­on and Depravation, and consequently the Happiness and Misery of it, will be so for ever. From whence it necessarily follows, that our eternal Happiness and Misery is founded in the Course of our own Actions. So that as in the Course of a virtuous Life we are growing up into a State of fixed and everlasting Vertue, wherein we shall be everlastingly Perfect and Happy; so on the contrary, in a course of vicious Actions we are sinking into a state of everlasting Viciousness, wherein we shall be everlastingly wretched and misera­ble. For since Virtue is good for and Vice evil to us in its own Nature, it necessarily follows that according as we remain Vir­tuous or Vicious for ever, our Condition must be good or evil for ever. And this being so, of what unspeakable Conse­quence are the Actions of Men, that thus draw after 'em a Chain of Joys or Woes as long as Eternity? And how careful ought we to be, to what course of Life we deter­mine our selves, considering that our eter­nal Fate depends upon what we are now [Page 27] doing; that every Moral Action we per­form is a step Heaven or Hell wards; that in every bad or good Choice we make, we are planting our Tophet or our Para­dise; and that in the Consequents of our present Actions we shall rue or rejoyce to eternal Ages? O would to God men would at last be so wise as to consider these things before it be too late, and not live at Random, as they do, without any Regard to the certain and unavoidable Fate of their own Actions! For doubtless would they but throughly weigh the Nature and Event of things, and look before they leap into Action, they would see infinitely more Charm and Terror in that Good and Evil which inseparably adheres to virtu­ous and vicious Actions, than in all the Temptations in the World. Wherefore in the name of God let us look about us, and for once resolve to act like Beings that must for ever feel the bad or good effects of our own Doings. Which if we do, we shall not only live well and happily here, but to all Eternity experience the blessed Consequents of it.

SECT. II. That God hath sufficiently discovered to us what those Humane Actions are, which are Morally Good, and upon that account perpetually obliging.

THE Truth of which will evidently appear by considering the Particu­lars, what it is that God hath done in or­der to the making this great Discovery to us; the most considerable of which are re­ducible to these six Heads,

First, HE hath implanted in us a natu­ral Desire of Happiness.

Secondly, HE hath given us Reason to discern what Actions they are that make for our Happiness, and what not.

Thirdly, HE hath so contrived our Na­tures as that we are thrust on by our own Instincts and Passions, to those Actions which make for our Happiness.

Fourthly, HE hath taken care to excite and oblige us to those Actions by annexing natural Rewards to them and en­tailing natural Punishments on their Con­traries.

Fifthly, To strengthen and inforce this Obligation, he hath frequently superadded to these natural Rewards and Punishments supernatural Blessings and Judgments.

[Page 29] Sixthly, THAT to enforce all this he hath made sundry supernatural Revelations wherein he hath plainly told us what those things are that carry with 'em this intrin­sick Good and Necessity,

I. GOD hath taken care to discover to us what is Morally Good by implanting in us a natural Desire of Happiness; which is so inseparable to Humane nature, that 'tis impossible for us to forbear desiring what is good for us, or at least what appears so. For tho through our own Ignorance and In­consideration we many times mistake Evil for Good, and Misery for Happiness, yet such is the Frame of our Nature, that we cannot desire Evil as Evil, or Misery as Mi­sery; but whensoever we imbrace a real Evil, 'tis either under the Notion of a less Evil, or of a real and substantial Good. Now by this unquenchable Thirst and Desire of Happiness which God hath implanted in our Natures, we are continually importu­ned and excited to search out and enquire by what Ways and Means we may arrive to be happy. So that as Hunger and Thirst and the sense of bodily Pain and Pleasure forceth men upon the invention of Trades and civil Occupations to supply their Necessities and Conveniences: So this vehement Hunger and Thirst after Happiness, which God hath created in our [Page 30] Bosoms, doth almost necessitate and constrain us to pry into the Nature of our Actions; that so we may discover what Trade and Course of life it is that tends most direct­ly to our own Felicity. And by thus im­portuning us by our own self▪love to en­quire into the Nature of our Actions and into their natural tendencies to our Weal or Woe, he hath not only expressed his good will towards us by taking Security of our selves for our own Welfare, and obliging us to be happy by the most tender and vigorous Passion in our Natures, but hath also taken an effectual Course to dis­cover to us the Good and Evil of our own Actions; Considering,

II. THAT he hath given us Reason to discern what Actions they are that make for our Happiness and what not. 'Tis true, had he only implanted in our Breasts a blind Desire of Happiness, without any Eye of Reason in our Heads to guide and direct our Actions towards it, we must have wandered in the dark for ever, till we had pined away our wretched Beings with a hungry and unsatisfied De­sire. But by giving us a quick-sighted Fa­culty of Reason to guide and conduct this our blind Desire, he hath taken sufficient care not only to excite our Enquiry after the Way to Happiness, but also to inable [Page 31] us to find it. For the natural tendencies of our Actions to our Happiness or Mise­ry are so very obvious and visible, that we can scarce open our Eyes and look abroad without observing them. For how can any man who makes any observations up­on things, be so stupid as not to discern the vast Difference there is between Truth and Falshood, Justice and Injustice, as to their natural tendency to the Good and Hurt, Happiness and Misery of Man­kind? 'Tis true, if men will neglect using their Reason, they may be ignorant of the plainest Propositions; but if they be, 'tis their inexcusable Folly. But if men will be so true to their own Interest, as calmly to reflect upon their Actions, their Sense cannot more readily distinguish between Honey and Gall, than their Reason will beween Virtue and Vice; the fundamental Reasons of which are so legible in all the Appearances of Nature, so necessary to the Being and Preservation of Mankind, and their equity is so apparent, and their Con­venience so obvious, that a man can hardly reflect upon any thing either within or without him, without being convinced of their Force and Obligation. So that for a man that hath the use of his Reason not to observe the Difference of his Actions, as [Page 32] to their intrinsick Good and Evil, and ne­cessary Tendency to his Happiness and Misery, would be as gross and unexcusable a Stupidity, as if he should pass through the World without ever taking notice that two and two make four. God therefore by giving us a Reasonable Faculty to dis­cern the nature of things, upon which the Differences of Good and Evil are so plainly and legibly imprinted, hath hereby taken sufficient Care to shew us the difference of our own Actions. For, to inspire us with a Faculty of Reasoning, by which we can form true Notions of things from sin­gle Experiments and infer one truth from another, and immediately to inspire this Faculty with Divine Truth, are only two different Modes of Divine Revelation; and God did as really reveal himself to us when he gave us Reason to understand his Will, as when he sent to us his Messen­gers from Heaven to make known his mind and Will to us. For God hath so framed our Understandings, as that whensoever we impartially reason about things, we are forced to distinguish between Good and Evil, and cannot persuade our selves without doing infinite Violence to our own Faculties, that to Blaspheme God or to Re­verence him, to lie or speak Truth, to [Page 33] honour our Parents or to scorn and despise them are things of an indifferent Nature; but as soon as ever we open the Eye of our Reason we discern such an essential Diffe­rence between them, as forces us to con­demn the one and approve the other. And accordingly as for the great strokes of Ini­quity, we find they have as much the U­niversal Judgment of our Reason against them as any false Conclusion in the Ma­thematicks; whilst the Goodness of their contrary Vertues is as universally acknow­ledged by us as the Truth of any first Prin­ciple in Philosophy. Since therefore God hath so framed our Understanding as that it cannot calmly reflect upon our Actions without distinguishing between the good and bad, he hath hereby sufficiently reveal­ed to us what that good is that immutably binds and obliges us.

III. GOD hath so contrived our Natures as that we are thrust on by our own In­stincts and Passions to those Actions which are morally Good and do make for our Happiness. For we are framed and con­stituted with such Passions and Affections as do naturally point and direct us unto vertuous Actions; and tho by the Con­stitution of our Natures, our Passions are subjected to our Reason, and all our Ver­tue [Page 34] consists in being reasonably affected, yet in the very Nature of our Passions there is a certain Tendency and Direction to Vertue, antecedent to all our Reasoning and Discourse. Which Theages the Pytha­gorean stiles a [...], a certain natural Impetus or Enthusiasme by which with­out any previous Discourse or Delibe­ration we are forcibly carried on towards vertuous Actions. For some Affections there are in our Nature, which do in the general plainly signifie to us that there is such a thing as Moral Good and Evil in Humane Actions; and others that do as plainly point out what those Actions are wherein this moral good and evil is sub­jected. Of the first sort are the Affections of Love and Hatred, Complacency and Horror, Glory and Shame, Repentance and Self-satisfaction; which plainly de­clare that there are answerable Objects in the Nature of Things and Actions; that there is a Good to be beloved and an Evil to be hated; a Deformity to be abhorred and a Beauty to be delighted in; an Ex­cellency to be gloried in and a Filthiness to be ashamed of; a Well-doing to be satisfied [...] an Ill doing to be repented of. For [...] the [...]e were no such real Distinctions in [Page 35] the Nature of Things and Actions, all these Affections in us would be utterly vain and impertinent. And as these Affe­ctions of our Nature do signifie in the ge­neral that there is a moral Good and Evil in our Actions, so there are others which do particularly point out what Actions are morally Good and what Evil. Thus for Instance, the Passions of Veneration and Disdain do plainly direct us to Honour God and our Superiors, and to be con­stant in good Courses out of a generous Scorn of all Temptations to the contrary. Thus Commiseration and Envy direct us to Charity and Justice, to lament and assist those who are undeservedly unfortunate, and to be displeased with the Advancement of base and undeserving People; and con­sequently to be just and equal in our Distri­butions, and to proportion them to mens Merit and Desert. For by this Passion of Envy Nature teaches us that there is such a thing as just and unjust, equal and unequal, and that the former is to be embraced and the latter to be shunned. And to name no more, thus Sorrow and Joy doth by a silent Language disswade us from injuring and perswade us to benefit one another. For so by the mournful Voice, the deject­ed Eyes and Countenance, the Sighs and [Page 36] Groans and Tears of the sorrowful and op­prest, (all which are the powerful Rheto­rick of Nature) we are importuned not only to forbear heaping any further Injuries upon them, but also to commiserate their Griefs, and by our timely Aids to succour and relieve them. As on the contrary the florid and chearful Looks, the pleasant and grateful Air which we behold in those that rejoyce, are so many Charms and Attra­ctives by which Nature allures us to mu­tual Vrbanity and Sweetness of Behaviour, and a continual Study to please and gra­tifie one another. By these and many o­ther Instances I might give, it is evident that tho by our own ill Government we too often deprave our Affections and cor­rupt them into Vices, yet their natural Drift and tendency lies towards Vertue. Thus by their own natural Light which they carry before us, they direct our steps to the Way we are to walk in, and point out all those Tracts of eternal Goodness that lead to our Happiness. For since these Affections are in us antecedently to all our Deliberations and Choices, it is evident they were placed there by the Author of our Natures; and therefore since 'tis He who hath inclined them to all that they naturally incline to, He doth in Effect di­rect [Page 37] and guide us by their Inclinations. So that their natural Tendencies and Di­rections are the Voice of God in our Natures, which murmurs and whispers to us that na­tural Law which our Reason indeed doth more plainly and articulately promulge. And from this natural Tendency of our Affecti­ons to Good proceeds that pleasant and pain­ful Sense of good and bad Actions which we experience in our selves before ever we can discourse. For thus before we are capable of reasoning our selves into any Pleasure or Displeasure, our Nature is rejoyced in a kind or just Action either in our selves or o­thers, and we are sensibly pleased when we have pleasured those that oblige us, and as sensibly grieved when we are con­scious of having grieved and offended them. We love to see those fare well who we imagine have deserved well; and when any unjust Violence is offered them, our Nature shrinks at and abhors it. We pity and compassionate the miserable when we know not why; and are ready to offer at their Relief when we can give no Reason for it; which shews that these things pro­ceed not either from our Education or de­liberate Choice, but from the Nature of our Affections which have a Sympathy with Vertue, and an Antipathy to Vice im­planted [Page 38] in their very Constitution. And hence it is that in the Beginnings of Sin our Nature is commonly so shy of an evil A­ction; that it approaches it with such a modest Coyness, and goes blushing to it like a bashful Virgin to an Adulterers Bed; that it passes into it with such Regret and Reluctancy, and looks back upon it with such Shame and Confusion; which in our tender years, when as yet we are not arri­ved to the Exercise of our Understandings, cannot be supposed to proceed from Rea­son and Conscience, and therefore must be from the natural Sense of our Affections, which by these and such like Indications do signifie that they are violated and of­fended. Now this natural Sense of Good and Evil which springs from the Frame and Nature of our Affections, was doubtless intended by God to be the [...] guide of Humane Nature; that so when as yet 'tis not capable of following Reason and Conscience, it might be di­rected to what is Good and be preserved from wicked Habits and Prejudices by its own Sense and Feeling, till such time as it's capable of the Conduct of Reason; that so when this leading Faculty under­takes the Charge of it, it may find it [...] to its [...] and [Page 39] be able to manage it with more Ease and Facility. And thus by the natural Drift and Tendency of our Affections God hath plain­ly revealed to us what is good and what not.

IV. GOD hath also entailed upon our Actions natural Rewards and Punishments, and thereby plainly declared which are good and which evil. For it is easily de­monstrable by an Induction of Particulars, that every Vertue hath some natural Effi­cacy in it to advance both our publick Good and our private Interest. That Tem­perance and Charity, Righteousness and Fi­delity, Gratitude and Humility are not only convenient, but absolutely necessary to our Joy and Comfort, our Peace and Quietness, our Safety and Contentment; to the Health of our Body and the Satis­faction of our Mind, and the Security and Happiness of our Society with one another. Whereas on the contrary, Vice naturally teems with mischievous Effects, and is ever productive of Horror in the Conscience, Anguish in the mind, Discord in the Affe­ctions, Diseases in the Body, and Confusi­ons and Disturbances in Humane Society. Since therefore the Divine Wisdom and Contrivance hath thus inseparably coupled good Effects to good Actions and evil ones to evil, it hath hereby very plainly and [Page 40] sensibly declared to us what it would have us do and what not. For seeing it hath so constituted things as that in the Course of Nature such Proportions of Happiness do necessarily result to us from such Actions, and such Proportions of Misery from their Contraries, what can be more evident than that its Design was hereby to encourage us to the one and affright us from the o­ther? So that by these natural Rewards and Punishments which in the Course of things God hath chained to our Actions, he hath as expresly prescribed us what to do and what not, as he could have done if he had spoken to us in an audible voice from the Battlements of Heaven. For since the whole Train of Natural Effects is to be resolved into the Providence of God, and since his Providence hath so or­dered and contrived things as that in the ordinary Course of them good Effects do spring out of good Actions and evil out of evil ones, what else could he intend by it but to allure us to the one, and terrifie us from the other? For it is by Rewards and Punishments that all Lawgivers declare their Will and Pleasure concerning those Actions which they command and sorbid; and therefore since God in his Providen­tial Government of the World hath [Page 41] thought good to link natural Rewards to such Actions, and natural Punishments to such, these are to be lookt upon as the great Sanctions of the Law of Nature, whereby he commands what pleases and prohibits what displeases him. For when God had no otherwise revealed himself to the World than only by the establsht Course and Nature of things, that was the great Bible by which alone Mankind was in­structed in their Duty; and there being no revealed Threats or Promises annexed to good and bad Actions, Gods Will and Pleasure concerning them was visible only in the good and bad Consequents which they drew after them; which are so plain and obvious to the Observation of Man­kind, that 'twould be the most inexcusable Inadvertency not to take Notice of them. So that the moral Good and Evil of all A­ctions, finally resolves into the natural Good and Evil that is appendant to them; and therefore are our Actions morally good because they are naturally beneficial to us, and therefore morally evil because they are naturally prejudicial and hurtful; and those which in their own nature are nei­ther good nor evil, are indifferent in them­selves, and left altogether undetermined by the Law of Nature, which commands [Page 42] and forbids nothing but under the Sancti­on of those natural Rewards and Punish­ments which in the Course of things are made necessary to Humane Actions.

V. TO these natural Rewards and Pu­nishments which God hath entailed upon good and bad Actions, he hath thought good many times to superadd supernatural Blessings and Judgments. For tho he had before sufficiently expressed his Will con­cerning Humane Actions in the great Bi­ble of Nature, and by their natural Effects had plainly enough distinguished the good from the bad; yet considering what heedless and inobservant Creatures we are, and how apt to overlook the or­dinary Consequents of our Actions, he hath not altogether abandoned us to the easie Instructions of Nature, but out of his superabundant Care to shew us what is Good and lead us to our Duty and Hap­piness, he hath from time to time second­ed the natural Rewards and Punishments of our Actions with supernatural Favours and Judgments; that so by these he might awake our drowsie Attention, and revive in us the languishing sense of our Duty. Of which we have infinite Instances in the several Ages of the World; there be­ing scarce any History either Sacred or [Page 43] Prosane that abounds not with them. Se­veral of which both Blessings and Judg­ments do as plainly evince themselves to be intended by God for Rewards and Pu­nishments, as if they had been attended with a Voice from Heaven proclaiming the Reasons for which they were sent. For how many famous Instances have of we mi­raculous Deliverances of Righteous Persons, who by an Invisible Hand have been res­cued from the greatest Dangers, when in all outward appearance their Condition was hopeless and desperate; and of won­derful Blessings that have hapned to them not only without, but contrary to all secon­dary Causes; of some that have been so eminently rewarded in kind, as that the Goods which they received were most vi­sible Significations of the Goods which they did; of others who have received the Blessings which they have asked, whilst they were praying for them, and obtained them with such distinguishing Circumstan­ces as plainly signified them to be the An­swers and Returns of their devout Addres­ses to Heaven? And so on the contrary, how many notable Examples are there of such miraculous Judgments inflicted upon unrighteous Persons, as have either exceed­ed the Power of secondary Causes or been [Page 44] caused by them contrary to their natural ten­dencies; of men that have been punished in the very Act of their Sin, and sometimes in the very Part by which they have of­fended; that have had the evil of their Sin retaliated upon them in a correspon­dent Evil of Suffering, and been struck with those very Judgments which they have imprecated on themselves in the Justi­fication of a known Falshood? All which supernatural Judgments and Blessings of God are only his Comments on the Text of Nature, by which he farther explains to us the Meaning of those natural Re­wards and Punishments which Vertue and Vice draw after them, and shews us what clear Indications they are of his Almighty Pleasure and Displeasure. For when he rewards men supernaturally it is for those Actions that carry a natural Reward with them, and when he punishes them super­naturally it is for such Actions as do carry a natural Punishment with them; so that his supernatural Rewards and Punishments do speak the same Sense and Language with his natural, only they speak plainer and louder to rouse and awake those stupid Souls that are deaf to and regardless of the soft and still voice of natural Rewards and Punishments. Thus when the old [Page 45] World by not attending to the natural Consequents of their own Actions had al­most extinguished their Sense of Good and Evil, God by a supernatural Deluge in which he drowned the wicked and preser­ved the righteous, consigned to all future Generations a standing Monument of his Hatred of Sin and Love of Righteousness; that so by the Remembrance of it he might keep Mens heedless Minds more attentive to the natural Rewards and Punishments of their Actions. And when the Remem­brance of this was almost worn out, and with it mens natural Sense of good and evil, God by raining down Fire and Brim­stone upon Sodom and Gomorra, and rescu­ing the Righteous Lot from that dire Con­flagration, alarmed the World with a new Declaration of the wide Distinction he makes between Vertue and Vice. And lastly, when the Vertue of these great Ex­amples was almost spent, God raised up the People of Israel, and by the miraculous Blessings he bestowed on them when they did well, and the stupendous Judgments he inflicted when they did wickedly, exposed them to all the Nations round about for a standing Demonstration of the vast Difference he makes between Good and Evil. For so the Psalmist tells us, [Page 46] Psalm 98. verse 2. compared with Psalm 102. verse 15. The Lord hath made known his Salvation, his Righteousness hath he openly shewed in the sight of the Heathen; that the Heathen might fear the Name of the Lord, and all the Kings of the Earth his Glory. Thus by frequent Examples of supernatural Rewards and Punishments God hath been always instructing the de­generate World in the essential Differences between Good and Evil.

VI. AND lastly, To inforce all this God hath made sundry supernatural Revelati­ons, wherein he hath plainly instructed us what Actions are good and what evil. That he hath made sundry Revelations to the World is evident in Fact, because there are sundry Revelations extant, which by those many miraculous Effects of the Di­vine Power that attended the Ministration of them, have been sufficiently demonstra­ted to be of a divine Original. And such are those contained in the five Books of Moses, and the Prophets, which have been all most amply confirmed, both by the Mira­cles which were wrought by their inspired Authors, and the exact Accomplishment of the several Predictions contained in them. And such is also the last and best Revelati­on contained in the New Testament; which [Page 47] both by the Types and Predictions of the Law and Prophets, and the infinite Mira­cles wrought by Jesus and his Followers, together with its own inherent Wisdom and Goodness, hath been so effectually proved a divine Revelation, that nothing but Ignorance or inveterate Prejudice can cause any man to disbelieve or suspect it.

NOW if you consult these several Reve­lations, you will find that the main Drift and Design of them is to detect and expose what is morally evil, and explain and re­commend to us what is morally good. For thus the several Revelations made to A­braham and his Children, were only so many Repetitions of that Covenant of Righ­teousness which God had struck with them, to encourage them to persevere in Well-doing. Thus the Law of Moses consisted partly of Ceremonial Rites, which were either intended for Divine Hieroglyphics to instruct that dull and stupid People in the Principles of inward Purity and Good­ness, or else for Types and Figures of the holy Mysteries of the Gospel: and partly of Precepts of Morality, together with some few of Policy, suited to the Genius of that People; and partly of such Pro­mises and Threats as were judged most apt to oblige them to the Practice of Piety. [Page 48] And as for the Prophets, the substance of their Revelations was either Reprehensions of Sin together with severe Denunciations against it; or Invitations to Vertue and Piety together with gracious Promises to encourage them to practise it; or Predicti­ons of the Messias and of that everlasting Righteousness which was to be introduced by him. And then as for the Gospel, all the Duty of it consists either in Instances, or Means and Instruments of Moral Good­ness; and all the Doctrins of it are nothing but powerful Arguments to oblige us to the Practice of those Duties. Thus the great Intendment of all Gods Reve­lations is to explain and enforce the Du­ties of Morality; to discover the Nature, and lead us on to the Practice of them by the most powerful Obligations. And in this most perfect Map of the Road to Hap­piness, all the Tracts of Piety and Vertue are so plainly described and delineated to us, that no man can possibly miss his Way, that sincerely inquires after it. For tho in matters of Opinion men may be inno­cently mislead and deceived, yet there is no Article either of Doctine or Duty upon which our Happiness necessarily depends, wherein it is possible for an honest and di­ligent Mind to be mistaken. And thus you [Page 49] see by how many excellent Ways God hath discovered to us which of our Actions are good and which evil. So that if after all this we proceed in any sinful and immo­ral Courses, we are utterly inexcusable. For if after God hath thus plainly made known his Will to us, we still persist to contradict it in our Practice, we do there­by in effect declare that we regard not the Almighty, and that we will do what we list, let him will what he pleases. And what an unpardonable Insolence is it for us who depend upon his Breath, and hang upon his Providence every moment, to treat him as if he had nothing to do with us, and were the merest Cypher and most insignificant ▪ Being in the World? For though 'tis true he hath not made so full a Discovery of his Will to some as to o­thers, yet he hath so sufficiently discove­red it to all, that none can pretend to the Excuse either of invincible or unaffected Ig­norance. For as for the Heathen, though they have no Revelation of Gods Will without them, yet they have the Bible of Conscience within them, and the large and legible Bible of Nature that lies continu­ally open before them, in which they may easily read the principal Differences be­tween Good and Evil, and all the great [Page 50] Principles of Morality. And if notwith­standing this they will be so regardless of God as not to attend to and comply with those natural Discoveries of his Will, what Pretence can be made for them why they should not perish for ever in their Obsti­nacy? For as the Apostle tells us, though they had not the Law, that is, the revealed Law, yet they did, or at least might have done, by nature the things contained in the Law; and therefore as many of them, saith he, as sinned without this revealed Law, shall perish without the Law, that is, by the Sentence of the Law of Nature, Rom. 2.12, 14. And then as for the Jews, be­sides those natural Indications of Gods Will which they had in common with the Hea­then, they had sundry supernatural ones; they had sundry great and notorious Ex­amples of Gods rewarding good men, and punishing bad; and besides they had the Law of Moses, the Moral part of which was but a new Edition of the Law of Na­ture; as for the Ceremonial Part of it, it was though an obscure, yet an intelligible Representation of all those sublime Motives to Piety and Vertue, which the Gospel more plainly proposes. So that would the Jews but have heedfully attended either to the spiritual Sense of their Law, or to [Page 51] the Sermons of their Prophets which very much cleared and explained it, they could not have been ignorant either of any ma­terial Part of their Duty, or of any conside­rable Motive by which it is pressed and in­forced. And if notwithstanding, they would be so regardless of God, as to take no no­tice of his Judgments and Mercies; so rude to his Authority as not to mind either his Law within or his Law without them, upon what reasonable Pretence can they excuse themselves? But then as for us Christians we have not only all those natural Discoveries of our Duty which the Heathen had, and all those Supernatural ones which the Jews had, but a great deal more. For in our Revelation the Laws and Motives of Vertue are set before us in a much clearer Light, and are neither wrapt up in Mystical Senses, nor overcast with typical Representations, but laid before us in the most plain and easie Propositions. For that which was the Mystical Sense of the Jewish Law, is the literal Sense of the Christian; in which all those Precepts and Promises and Threats which were delive­red to the Jews in dark Riddles, obscure and typical Adumbrations, are brought forth to us from behind the Curtain, and pro­posed in plain and popular Articles. So [Page 52] that if we still continue in our sinful Cour­ses, we are of all men the most inexcusable. The Heathen may plead against the Jews, that their Law of Nature was not so clear in its Precepts, nor yet so cogent in its Mo­tives as the Law of Moses; the Jews may plead against us Christians, that their Law of Moses was neither so express in its Precepts, nor yet so intelligible in its best and most powerful Motives as our Gospel; but as for us Christians, we have nothing to plead, but by our own Obstinacy a­gainst the clearest Discoveries of our Duty do stand condemned to everlasting Silence. So that when it shall appear at the dread Tribunal of God, that we have persisted in our wickedness notwithstanding all these Advantages, we must expect to be reproach­ed by all the Reasonable World, to be ex­ploded and hiss'd at, not only by Saints and Angels, but by the Jews and the Gentiles, and the Devils themselves, who will all con­spire with our own Consciences to second our woful Doom with the Loud Acclama­tion of Just and Righteous art thou O Lord in all thy Ways. Wherefore as we would not perish for ever without Pity and Excuse, let us make hast to forsake all ungodliness and worldly Lusts, and to live soberly, and righteously, and godly in this present World.

SECT. III. That those Actions which carry with them this perpetual Obligation are the main and principal Parts of Religion.

THE truth of which is most evident from the abovenamed Text, Mic. 6.8. and what doth the Lord require of thee but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God? Which Interrogation tho it implies not an absolute Negation, viz. that the Lord required nothing else of them (for under the Law he required Sacrifices and sundry other positive Du­ties, as under the Gospel he requires Sa­craments and Reading and Hearing his ho­ly Word, &c. which are positive Duties as well as those legal Institutions of Moses;) yet it plainly implies a comparative Nega­tion, viz. that the Lord requires nothing else so principally and affectionately, so for the sake of the things themselves and upon the account of their own inherent Beauty and Goodness, as he doth these Moral Duties here specified. He did indeed require the Jews to offer Sacrifice to him and to perform those other Ceremonial Rites specified in the [Page 54] Law of Moses; and for them wilfully to have neglected those Duties would have been such an avowed Defiance to his Au­thority as would have rendred them justly obnoxious to all the Judgments threat­ned in their Law; but yet he did much more earnestly require them to be just and merciful and humble, and manifested him­self to be far better pleased with one Act of Moral Goodness than with a thousand Sacrifices. And thus he requires of us Christians that we should communicate with him and with one another in our E­vangelical Sacraments, and dutifully con­form to all those sacred Institutions and Solemnities of Religion which are contain­ed in the Gospel; and if we wilfully neg­lect them we justly incur all that everla­sting Vengeance which is there denounced; but yet our sincere compliance with the immutable Obligations of Piety and Ver­tue, is a thousandfold more acceptable to God than our strictest Observation of these his positive Institutions. So that the Que­stion in the Text what doth the Lord re­quire of thee plainly implies this Propositi­on, that tho God doth exact of us cer­tain Duties which are not moral, i. e. have no intrinsick necessity in them, yet it is the Moral Duties, such as Justice and [Page 55] Mercy and Humility which he principally requires at our hand. Thus concerning Sa­crifice, God plainly tells us, I will have Mercy and not Sacrifice, i. e. I will have Mercy rather than Sacrifice, Hos. 6.6. And the Wise man assures us that to do Justice is more acceptable to the Lord than Sacrifice, Prov. 21.3. And to the same purpose our Saviour himself pronounceth, even before that Ceremonial Worship was Abolished, that to love the Lord with all our heart, with all our understanding, with all our Soul, and with all our strength, and to love our neighbour as our selves is more than all burnt-Offerings and Sacrifices, Mark 12.33. But for the clearer Demonstrati­on of this great and necessary Truth, I shall endeavour, First, to prove the Truth of it by some Scripture Arguments, Se­condly, to assign the Reasons of it. As for the Proof of it, the following Particu­lars will be abundantly sufficient,

First, THAT the Scripture plainly de­clares that the great Design of all the Doctri­nals of Religion hath always been to move and perswade men to the practice of Mo­ral Goodness.

Secondly, THAT the main Drift and Scope of all the positive Duties of Religion hath been always to improve and perfect men in Moral Goodness.

[Page 56] Thirdly, THAT God expresses in Scri­pture a great Contempt of all the positive Duties of Religion when ever they are se­parated from Moral Goodness.

Fourthly, THAT where ever we find the Whole of Religion summ'd up in a few Par­ticulars, they are always such as are Instan­ces of Moral Goodness.

Fifthly, THAT wherever such Persons as have been most dear and acceptable to God are described in Scripture, their Cha­racter always consists of some Instances or other of Moral Goodness.

Sixthly, THAT the Scripture plainly declares that at the great Account between God and our Souls, the main Inquisition will be concerning our Moral Good or Evil.

I. THE Scripture expresly declares that the great Design of the Doctrins of Religion is to move and perswade men to Moral Goodness. For so the Apostle speaking of the Grace of God, i. e. the Gospel, assures us that its great Design is to teach men to deny all ungodliness and Worldly Lusts, and to live soberly, righteously, and Godly in this present World. Tit. 2.12. And if we consider the Doctrines in Particular, we shall find that they all conspire in this great Design. For so the Doctrine of eternal life is proposed by God to perswade us to [Page 57] cleanse our selves from all filthiness of flesh and spirit, and to perfect holiness in the fear of God, 2. Cor. 7.1. So also the Do­ctrine of our future Punishment is levell'd against all unrighteousness and ungodliness of men, Rom. 1.18. And as for those Doctrines which concern the Transacti­ons of our Saviour, they are all proposed to us as Arguments to perswade us to Pie­ty and Vertue. For 'twas for this cause that Christ was manifested, to destroy the works of the Devil, 1 John 3.8. 'twas for this purpose that he bore our sins in his own body on the tree, that we being dead to sin should live to Righteousness, 1 Pet. 2.24. 'twas for this end that he rose from the dead, that thereby he might prevail with us to walk in newness of life, Rom. 6.4. and 'tis for this end that he intercedes for us at the right hand of God, that thereby he might encourage us to come to God by him, Heb. 7.2. and in a word, for this cause he hath told us he will come to Judgment, to re­ward every man according to his works, that thereby he might stir us up to Sobrie­ty and Vigilance and to all holy conversa­tion and Godliness, Mat. 24.42. compa­red with 2 Pet. 3. verse 11. Thus you see all the Doctrines of Religion are only so many Topics of divine Perswasion, whereby God addresses himself to our [Page 58] Hope and Fear and every other Affection in us that is capable of Perswasion, to ex­cite us to comply with the eternal Obliga­tions of Morality; and there is no one Article in all our Religion, that is matter of mere Speculation, or that entertains our Minds with dry and empty Notions that have no Influence on our Wills and Affe­ctions. For since the Design of Religion in General, is to bind and fasten our Souls to God, we may be sure that there is no Part of it but what doth in some measure contribute hereunto. Since therefore 'tis moral Goodness that God chiefly recom­mends to us by the Perswasions of Religi­on, we may be sure that what his Argu­ments do chiefly perswade us to, that his Commands do chiefly oblige us to.

II. FROM Scripture it is also evident that the main Drift and Scope of all the positive Duties of Religion is to improve and perfect men in moral Goodness. We find the Jewish Religion exceedingly a­bounded with positive Precepts; for such were all those sacred Rites and Solemnities of which the Bark and Outside of that Re­ligion consisted; of all which 'tis true what the Psalmist saith of Sacrifices in particular, thou desirest not Sacrifices, thou delightest not in burnt Offerings, Psal. [Page 59] 51.16. that is, thou takest no delight in them upon the score of any internal Good­ness that is in them, but desirest them merely as they are instituted means and In­struments of Moral Goodness. For so ma­ny of the Rites of the Mosaic Law were instituted in opposition to the Magical, Vnclean and Idolatrous Rites of the Eastern Heathen. As particularly, that Prohibi­tion of sowing their Fields with mingled Seed, Lev. 19.19. in Opposition to that Magical Rite which the Heathens used as a Charm for Fructification. So also that Command of sprinkling the Blood of their Sacrifices upon the Ground like Water and covering it with Dust, in Opposition to that Idolatrous Rite of gathering the Blood into a Trench or Vessel, and then sitting round it in a Circle, whilst they imagined their gods to be licking it up. And to name no more of this kind, the Prohibi­tion of seething a Kid in his Mothers Milk, Exod. 23.19. was in Opposition to a Custom of the Ancient Heathen, who at the Ingathering of their Fruits were wont to take a Kid and seeth it in the milk of its Dam, and then in a Magical Procession to sprinkle all their Trees and Fields and Gar­dens with it, thereby to render them more fruitful the following Year. Besides all [Page 60] which you may find a World of other In­stances in Maimonides More-Nevoch. lib. 3. who tells us, that the Knowledg of the Opinions and Customs of these Eastern Heathens was porta magna ad reddendas praeceptorum causas, the great Rationale of the Mosaic Precepts; and that multarum legum rationes & causae mihi innotuerint ex cognitione fidei, rituum & Cultus Zabio­rum; i. e. that by being acquainted with the opinions and customs of those Eastern Heathens he understood the grounds and rea­sons of many of the Laws of Moses, More-Nevoch. lib. 3. cap. 29. So that tho these Precepts were not Moral, yet were they set up as so many Fences by God, to keep his People from stragling into those Hea­then Immoralities.

AGAIN, there are other Rites of their Religion, which were instituted to shadow out the Holy Mysteries of the Gospel; the great Design of which Mysteries was to invite and perswade men to comply with the eternal Laws of Morality. Thus their Laws of Sacrifice were instituted to repre­sent to them the great Transactions of their future Messias; his Incarnation and immaculate Life, his Death and Resurre­ction, Ascension and Intercession at the right hand of God. So also their Festival Laws, [Page 61] and particularly their Laws of Jubilee, were made to shadow out the Doctrines of our Redemption and eternal Life; and their powring out Water in their Sacrifices, and their Ritual Purgations from uncleanness, were intended for obscure Intimations of the Effusion of the holy Spirit, and the Doctrine of Remission of Sins; all which Doctrines carry with them the most preg­nant Invitations to Piety and Vertue.

Lastly. THERE are other Rites of that Law which were appointed to instruct them in Moral Duties. For God finding them not only a perverse but a dull and sottish People, as those generally are that have been born and bred in Slavery, ap­prehended that the most effectual way to instruct them would be by Signs and ma­terial Representations, even as Parents do their Children by Pictures. And accor­dingly in Isaiah 28.10. he tells us that he gave them line upon line, and precept upon precept, here a little and there a little, with a stammering tongue; i. e. he look'd upon them as Children, and so condescended to their Weakness, and spake to them in their own Dialect. And this way of instructing them by outward and visible Signs, being much in use in the Eastern Countries, and more especially in Egypt, whose manners [Page 62] they were infinitely fond of, was of all o­thers the most probable and taking. And accordingly a great part of the Jewish Rites consisted of Hieroglyphics, or visible Signs, by which their minds were instructed in the Precepts of Morality. Thus by Circumci­sion God signified to them the necessity of mortifying their unchast Desires; by their Legal Washings he intimated to them their Obligation to cleanse themselves from all Impurities of Flesh and Spirit; yea this, as St. Barnabas in his Epistle tells us, was the Intent of all that Difference of Meats in the Jewish Law, which pronounced Swines flesh unclean, to instruct them not to live like Hogs, that wallow in the Mire while they are full, and whine and clamor when they are empty; which forbid them to feed on Eagles and other Birds of Prey, to in­struct them to live by honest Industry, and not by Rapine; which prohibits Fish with­out Scales, that generally live in the Mud, to teach the evil of Sensuality and earth­ly-mindedness, &c. From all which it is evi­dent that Moral Goodness was the con­stant Mark at which all the positive Pre­cepts of their Law were levelled.

AND then as for the Christian Religi­on, all the positive Precepts it contains are directed to the same End. It requires us [Page 63] to believe in Jesus Christ, and in his Me­diation to draw near unto God; the Design of which Faith it expresly tells us is to Sanctifie our natures, Acts 26.18. and to purifie our hearts, Acts 15.9. It enjoyns us to be Baptized into the name of Jesus; and for what purpose? but to oblige us thereby to die to sin and to walk in newness of life, Rom. 6.4. It requires us to com­memorate our Saviour's Passion in a Sacra­mental Communion of his Body and Blood; and to what End? but only to excite us to Love and Thankfulness to God, and Cha­rity towards one another, 1 Cor. 5.7, 8. In a word, it requires us to live in Vnity with the Church, and not to separate our selves from her sacred Assemblies; and for what other reason? but that we might be­come an holy Temple, and an habitation of God, by being compacted together into an uniform and regular Society, Eph. 2.21, 22. Since therefore all the Precepts both of the Old and New Testament which are purely positive, do bear a Respect to Moral Goodness, and were imposed by God in subserviency thereunto, it is evident that that is the principal Mark which he designs and aims at.

III. ANOTHER Evidence from Scri­pture that Moral Goodness is the principal [Page 64] Matter of our Duty, is the great Contempt which God expresses of the positive Duties of Religion when ever they are separated from moral Goodness. For thus concern­ing the Positives of the Jewish Religion, we are told that the Sacrifice of the wicked is an Abomination to the Lord. Prov. 15.8. And concerning the Whole of their positive Religion, the Prophet thus pronounces in the Name of God, to what purpose is the multitude of your Sacrifices to me saith the Lord? I am full of the burnt-Offerings of Rams, and of the fat of fed Beasts, i. e, so full as that I loath them; and I delight not in the Blood of Bullocks, or of Lambs, or of He-Goats. When ye come to appear before me, who hath required these things at your hands, to tread my Courts? bring no more vain Oblations, Incense is Abomination to me; the new Moons and Sabbaths, the cal­ling of Ass [...]emblies I cannot away with; it is Iniquity, even the Solemn meetings. Your new Moons and your appointed Feasts my Soul hateth, they are a trouble to me, I am weary to bear them. And when you spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes, yea, when ye make many Prayers I will not hear. And what I beseech you is the reason that God should thus dislike his own Instituti­ons? why he plainly tells you, your hands [Page 65] are full of blood, your Cruelty and Oppres­sion doth prophane your Worship, and turn it all into Impiety, Isai. 1.11. to the 16th. For so Isai. 66.3. he plainly tells them, he that killeth an Ox, is as if he slew a Man; he that Sacrificeth a Lamb, as if he cut off a Dogs neck; he that offer­eth an Oblation, as if he offered Swines blood; he that burneth Incense, as if he blessed an Idol; and why so? why they have chosen their own ways, i. e. of Impiety and Wickedness, and their Soul delighteth in their Abominations. Nor doth God ex­press a less Contempt of the Positives of Christianity, when separated from Moral Goodness. For thus St. James tells us even of our Faith or Belief in Jesus, that without Works it is dead; that is a sens­less, squalid thing that hath neither Life nor Beauty in it, James 2.17. And S. Pe­ter compares Baptism to the washing of a Swine when it is separated from Purity of Life and Manners, 2 Pet. 2.22. And our receiving the Lords Supper without Cha­rity and Devotion is by St. Paul stiled coming together to Condemnation, 1 Cor. 11.34. All which is a plain Demonstration that moral Goodness is the principal mat­ter that God insists on; since 'twas this that sanctified the Sacrifices of the Jews, [Page 66] and crowned all their Ceremonial Obser­vances with the divine Acceptation, and without this all their other Services were noisom and offensive to him; and it is this that perfumes our Faith and our Sacra­ments, our Prayers and Religious Assem­blies, and renders them a grateful and sweet smelling savor in the Nostrils of God, and without this they are all a hateful stench and Annoyance to him. Doubtless there­fore the principal Matter of Duty which God requires of us, is that which he e­steems the Grace and Fragrancy of all our other Duties.

IV. ANOTHER Evidence from Scri­pture that moral Goodness is the princi­pal matter that God requires of us, is, that where ever we find the Whole of Re­ligion summed up in a few Particulars, they are always such as are Parts and In­stances of moral Goodness. Thus in the above cited Mic. 6. what doth the Lord require of thee? but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God. Thus also the Prophet Isaiah giving an ac­count to his People what they were to do in order to their Reconciliation with God, thus directs them, wash ye, make ye clean, put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes, cease to do evil, learn to do well, [Page 67] seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judg the Fatherless, plead for the Widow; come now, and let us reason together saith the Lord, Isai, 1.16.17, 18. So also our blessed Sa­viour sums up the Whole Duty of Man into two Particulars, and what are they? why thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy soul, and with all thy mind; this is the first and great Com­mandment. And the second is like unto it, thou shalt love thy Neighbour as thy self; on these two Commandments hang the Law and the Prophets, Mat. 22.37, 38, 39, 40. Thus St. James, True Religion and unde­filed before God and the Father is this, to visit the Fatherless and Widows in their Af­fliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the Word, James 1.27. And elsewhere the Apostle sums up the whole Law in­to one leading Head of Morality, and that is Love, for love, saith he, is the fulfilling of the Law, Rom. 13.10. So this Observati­on generally holds true, that in all those Summaries of Duty mentioned in the holy Scripture, only such Duties are taken No­tice of as are Parts and Instances of Mora­lity. Which is a plain Demonstration that 'tis this which God principally re­quires, since 'tis this which he most takes notice of; and it may be reasonably sup­posed [Page 68] that in those Summaries of our Du­ty wherein but a few Parts are enumera­ted, they are such as are the Chief and principal; it being contrary to all Rules of Language to express the Whole of any thing, by the meanest and most inconside­rable Parts of it.

V. ANOTHER Evidence from Scri­pture that Moral Goodness is the principal Matter of Duty that God requires of us, is, that wheresoever such Persons as have been most dear and acceptable to God are described, their Character is always made up of Instances of Morality. Thus the Description of Job is, that he was a man perfect and upright and one that feared God and eschewed evil, Job 1.1. And in the 15th. Psalm the Description which David gives of the man who should abide in the Tabernacle of the Lord, is this, that he walketh uprightly, and worketh righteous­ness, and speaketh the truth in his heart; that he backbiteth not with his tongue, nor doth evil to his neighbour, nor taketh up a reproach against his Neighbour, &c. he that doth these things, saith he, shall never be moved. And the greatest Character that is given of Moses the Darling and Favorite of God, is, that he was very meek above all the men that were upon the face of the [Page 69] Earth, Numb. 12.3. Thus also the Cha­racter of Cornelius by which he was so in­deared to God, is, that he was a just and de­vout man, one that feared God with all his house, who gave much Alms to the people and prayed to God always, Acts 10.2. And in a word, the general Character of those whom God accepts, is, in every Nation he who doth righteousness is accepted of God, Acts 10.35. Thus moral Goodness is the great Stamp and Impress that renders men cur­rent in the Esteem of God; whereas on the contrary, the common Brand by which Hypocrites and false Pretenders to Reli­gion are stigmatized, is their being zealous for the Positives, and cold and indifferent as to the Morals of Religion. For so our Saviour Characters the Pharisees; woe un­to you Scribes, and Pharisees, Hypocrites; for ye pay tyth of Mint, Annis, and Cummin ▪ which yet was a positive Duty, and have omitted the weightier matters of the Law, Judgment, Mercy, and Faithfulness; these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. Ye blind Guides, ye strain at a Gnat and swallow a Camel, Math. 23.23.24. plainly implying the Morals of Religion to be as much greater than the Positives in weight and moment, as a Ca­mel is than a Gnat in bulk. Since there­fore [Page 70] Moral Goodness is always mentioned as the great Character of Gods Favourites, and the Neglect of it out of a pretended zeal to the positive Duties of Religion is always recorded as a Mark of the most odious Hypocrites; this is a sufficient Ar­gument how high a Value God sets upon the Moralities of Religion.

VI. and Lastly, ANOTHER Evidence from Scripture that moral Goodness is the principal Part of Religion, is, that at the great Account between God and us, his main Inquisition will be concerning such Actions as are morally good or evil, For so Rom. 2.6. we are told that God will render to every man according to his deeds; to them who by patient continuance in well doing, seek for honour and glory and immortality, eternal life. But to them who are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrigh­teousness, tribulation and wrath, indigna­tion and anguish. And accordingly Enoch as he is quoted by St. Jude verses 14.15. declares this to be the Occasion of the Lords coming with thousands of his Saints, viz. to execute Judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them, of all their ungodly deeds which they have un­godly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken [Page 71] against him; all which are matters of Fact against the eternal Rules of Morality. And our Saviour himself in that Popular Scheme and Description he gives of the Proceed­ings of the Day of Judgment, plainly de­clares that one of the principal Matters, he will then inquire into, will be our Neglect or Observance of that great moral Duty of Charity towards the poor and needy, Mat. 25.32, 46. Which is a plain Evidence that our obeying or disobeying the eternal Laws of Morality, is that by which we do most please or displease God; since 'tis upon this that he will most insist in his final Ar­bitration of our eternal Fate. For since his last Judgment is only the final Execution of his Laws, we may be sure that what­soever it is that he will principally insist on in his Judgment, that is the principal mat­ter of his Laws. And now having suffici­ently proved the Truth of the Proposition, I proceed to the Reasons of it; upon what Accounts it is that God hath made moral Goodness the main and principal Part of our Religion. The chief Reasons of which are these four.

First, BECAUSE 'tis by moral Good­ness that we do most honor him.

Secondly, BECAUSE 'tis by this that we do most imitate him.

[Page 72] Thirdly, BECAUSE 'tis by this that we advance to our own Happiness.

Fourthly, WHEN all our positive Du­ty is ceast, this is to be the eternal Work and Business of our Nature.

I. GOD hath made moral Goodness the principal Part of our Religion, because 'tis by this that we do him the greatest Honour. It is an excellent saying of Hie­rocles [...], i. e. the best honour we can do to a self▪sufficient be­ing is to receive the good things he holds forth unto us; and therefore 'tis not by gi­ving to God that you honour him, but by rendring your selves worthy to receive of him; for, saith he, [...], i. e. whosoever gives ho­nour to God as to one that wants, doth not consider that he thereby sets himself above God. For by his own self-sufficiency he is infinitely removed above all Capa­city of Want, and so can never need any additional Contributions of Glory and Hap­piness from his Creatures. For Glory be­ing nothing else but the Resplendency of Perfection, which always reflects its own [Page 73] Beams upon it self, where ever there is infinite perfection (as to be sure there is in the Nature of God) there must an in­finite Glory proceed from it; and therefore being infinitely glorious in himself, it is impossible that any thing we do should add any further Glory to him. So that if we would truly honour and glorify him, it must not be by giving to, but by receiving from him. Now the best thing we can receive from God, is Himself; and Him­self we do receive in our strict compliance with the eternal Laws of Goodness. Which Laws being transcribed from the Nature of God, from his own eternal Righteous­ness and Goodness, we do by obeying them, derive Gods Nature into ours. So that while we write after the Copie of his Laws, we write out the Perfections of his Being; and his Laws being the Seal upon which he hath ingraven his Nature, we do in o­beying them take Impression from him and stamp his blessed Nature on our own. For all those virtuous Dispositions of mind which we acquire by the Practice of Vir­tue, are so many genuine Signatures of God, taken from the Seal of his Law, and Participations of his Nature. For so Holiness which consists in a Conformity of Soul with the eternal Laws of Goodness, is in Scri­pture [Page 74] called the Signature or impression of the Spirit of God, whereby we are sealed unto the day of Redemption, Eph. 4.30. and such as do righteousness, are said to be born of God, 1 John 2.29. which implies their deriving from him who is their divine Parent, a divine and Godlike Nature, even as Children do their humane Nature from their humane Parents. So that by the Pra­ctice of moral Goodness we receive from God the best thing he can bestow, viz. a di­vine and Godlike Nature; and consequent­ly by so doing, we render him the highest Honour and Glory. For since we can no otherwise honour him but by receiving from him, we doubtless do him the great­est honour when we receive Himself, by partaking of the Perfections of his Nature, which are the greatest Gift he can communi­cate to us. Herein, saith our Saviour, is my Father Glorified, that ye bear much fruit, John 15.8. [...], saith the afore­named Philosopher, i. e. he only knows how to honour God who presenrs himself a Sacrifice to him, carves his own Soul in­to a divine Image, and composes his Mind into a Temple for the Entertainment of God, and the Reception of the divine Light and Glory. 'Tis then therefore that [Page 75] we best honour God, when by the Practice of true Godliness we conform our Wills and Affections to him; and derive into our selves his Nature and Perfections; and should you erect to him a Temple more magnificent than Solomons, and load its Al­tars with Hecatombs of Sacrifices, and make it perpetually ring with Psalms and resounding Choirs of Halelujahs, it would not be comparably so great an Honour to him, as to convert your own Souls into living Temples, and make them the Ha­bitations of his Glory and Perfecti­ons. For he values no Sacrifice like that of an obedient Will, delights in no Choir like that of pure and heavenly Affections, nor hath he in all his Creation an Ensign of Honour so truly worthy of him, as that of a divine and God-like Soul; a Soul that reflects his Image, and shines back his own Glory upon him. Wherefore since 'tis by the Practice of moral Good­ness that we receive God, and copie his Nature into our own, it is no wonder he should make it the principal Part of our Duty. For how can it be otherwise ex­pected but that he should exact that chiefly of us, which most conduces to his own glo­ry. Since then nothing we can do can con­duce to his Glory but only our receiving [Page 76] Benefits from him, and since no Benefit we receive from him can so much conduce to it as our receiving Himself, and since we can no otherwise receive himself but by practising that Goodness which is the Per­fection of his Nature, we must hereby doubtless render him the greatest Honour and Glory.

II. GOD hath made moral Goodness the principal Part of our Duty, because 'tis by this that we do most truely imitate him. For so you find in Scripture, that wherever God is proposed to us for a Pat­tern of Action it is by some Act or other of Morality that we are required to transcribe and imitate him. So 1 Pet. 1.16. be ye holy, for I am holy; and Luke 6.36. be ye merciful as your Father is merciful; and Mat. 5.48. be you perfect as your Father in Heaven is perfect. And indeed 'tis only in Moral Goodness that God can be the Pattern of our Imitation; as for those Per­fections of his which for Distinction-sake we call natural, viz. his Omniscience, and Omnipresence, Omnipotence and Eter­nity, they are all beyond the Sphere of our Imitation, and therefore were never proposed to us as the Copies of our Action. But as for his moral Perfections, viz. his Goodness, and Righteousness, and Purity, [Page 77] and Mercy, they are the Fundamental Rules and Standards of all moral Action. For the Nature of God, as it is infinitely good and righteous, is the eternal Fountain whence all the Laws of Morality are de­rived; and all those moral Precepts by which he governs his rational Creation, are only so many Exemplifications of the mo­ral Perfections of his own Nature. For the Holiness of God, which comprehends all his moral Perfections, consists in that essential Rectitude of Nature, whereby he always chooses and acts conformably to the Dictates of his own infallible Reason; and 'tis to this Rectitude of choosing and acting that all his moral Laws do oblige us. For moral Laws are only the Dictates of right Reason, prescribing us what to do and what to avoid; so that in our Comply­ance with them, we follow the Rule of Gods own Will and Actions, and there­by imitate the eternal Rectitude of his Nature. For tho in those different States and Relations of God and Creature, right Reason cannot be supposed to oblige him and us to all the same particular Choi­ces and Actions, yet it obliges us both to act reasonably in our respective States and Relations; it obliges God to act reasonably and as it becomes the State and Relation [Page 78] of a God and Creator; and it obliges us to act reasonably and as it becomes the State and Relation of men and Creatures. And as for God, He is invariably inclined to do all that right Reason obliges him to, by the essential Rectitude of his own Nature; and herein consists all his moral Perfection, which is nothing else but the immutable Inclination of his Nature to do whatever is just and good and reasonable. So that while we live according to the Dictates of Reason, or, which is the same thing, the eternal Laws of Morality, we trace and imitate the moral Perfections of God; and in our Place and Station, live at the same Rate and by the same Rule, that He doth in his. We do what God himself would do, if he were in our Place, and what the Son of God did do when he was in our Nature; and there is no other Dif­ference between his Life and ours, but what necessarily arises out of our different States and Relations. Since therefore Moral Goodness is an Imitation of God, 'tis no wonder that he so much prefers it before all other matter of Duty. For he must needs be supposed to love that above all things, which is the true Copie and I­mage of those Perfections of his Nature, for the sake of which he loves Himself [Page 79] above all. For he loves himself not mere­ly because he is Himself, but because he is in all respects morally Good, and his Will and Power are perfectly compliant with the infallible Dictates of his own Reason; and hence arises his infinite Complacency in himself, that there is nothing in him but what his own Reason perfectly ap­proves, no Inclination in his Will or Na­ture but what is exactly agreeable to the fairest Ideas of his own Mind. And since it is for his own Goodness-sake that he loves himself as he doth, we may be sure that there is nothing without him can be so dear to him, as that in us which is the Image of his Goodness. Every like, we say, loves its like, and the righteous Lord, saith the Psalmist, loveth Righteousness, Psal. 11.7. i. e. being righteous himself, he loves Righ­teousness in others by an invincible sympa­thy of Nature. His greatest Heaven and Delight is in his own most righteous Na­ture, and next to that in righteous Souls that imitate and resemble him. [...]; God hath not a more grateful Habitation upon Earth than in a pure and vertuous Mind; [...] saith Apollo that Mimick of God, by his Pythian Oracle. i. e. I rejoyce as [Page 80] much in pious Souls as in my own Heaven. Which is much what the same with that gracious Declaration that God himself makes by the Prophet Isaiah 57.15. thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose Name is Holy, I dwell in the high and holy place; with him also that is of a contrite and humble Spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones. Since therefore moral Duties are all but so many Copies and Exemplifications of Gods Nature, this is a sufficient Reason why he should pre­fer them before all the Positives of Reli­gion.

III. GOD principally requires moral Goodness, because 'tis by the Practice of this that we advance to our own natural Happiness. For the natural Happiness of reasonable Creatures, consists in being entirely governed by right Reason; i. e. in having our Minds perfectly informed what it is that right Reason requires of us, and our Wills and Affections reduced to an entire Conformity thereunto. And this is the Perfection of moral Goodness, which consists in behaving our selves to­wards God and our selves and all the World as right Reason advises, or as it becomes rational Creatures placed in our Circum­stances [Page 81] and Relations. And when by pra­ctising all that true Piety and Vertue which moral Goodness implies, we are perfectly accomplished in our Behaviour towards God, our selves, and all the World, so as to render to each without any Reserve or Reluctancy what is fit and due in the Judg­ment of right Reason, we are arrived to the most happy State that a reasonable Na­ture can aspire to. 'Tis true, in this Life we cannot be perfectly happy; and that not only because we live in wretched Bo­dies that are continually liable to Pain and Sickness, but also because we are imperfect our selves, and have none to converse with but imperfect Creatures. But were we once stript of these natural and moral Im­perfections, wheresoever we lived we should necessarily be happy. Were I to live all alone, without this painful Body, I should necessarily be in a great measure happy while I followed right Reason, tho I lived in the darkest Nook of the Creati­on. For there I should still contemplate God, and while I did so, my mind would be always ravish'd with his Beauty and Perfections; there I should most ardently love him, and while I did so, I should sympathise and share with him in his Hap­piness; there I should still adore and praise [Page 82] him, and while I did so, I should feel my self continually drawn up to him, and wrapt into a real Injoyment of him; there I should be imitating his Perfections▪ and while I did so, I should enjoy an unspeak­able Self-satisfaction, perceiving how every Moment I grew a more Divine and Godlike Creature; there I should intirely resign up my self to his heavenly Will and Disposal, and while I did so, I should be perpetu­ally exulting under a joyous Assurance of his Love and Favour; in a word, there I should firmly depend upon his Truth and Goodness, and while I did so, I should be always triumphing in a sure and certain Hope of a happy Being for ever. Thus were I shut up all alone in an unbodied State, and had none but God to converse with, by behaving my self towards him as right Reason directs me I should always, enjoy him, and in that Injoyment should be always Happy. And if while I thus behaved my self towards God, I took care at the same time to demean my self towards my self with that exact Prudence and Temperance and Fortitude and Humi­lity which right Reason requires, I should hereby create another Heaven within me; a Heaven of calm Thoughts, quiet and uni­form Desires, serene and placid Affections, [Page 83] which would be so many everflowing Springs of Pleasure, Tranquillity and Con­tentment within me. But if while I thus enjoyed God and my self, by behaving my self as right Reason directs, I might be admitted to live and converse among per­fect Spirits, and to demean my self to­wards them with that exact Charity and Justice and Peaceableness and Modesty which right Reason requires, the Wit of man could not conceive a true Pleasure beyond what I should now enjoy. For now I should be possest of every thing my utmost Wishes could propose; of a good God, a Godlike, joyful and contented Soul, a peaceable, kind and righteous Neighbourhood; and so all above, within, and without me would be a pure and perfect Heaven. And indeed when I have thrown off this Body, and am stript into a naked Ghost, the only or at least the greatest goods my Nature will be capable of enjoying, are God, my self, and blessed Spirits; and these are no otherwise injoyable, but only by Acts of Piety and Vertue, without which there is no good thing beyond the Grave that a Soul can tast or relish. So that if, when I go to seek my Fortune in the World of Spirits, God should thus bespeak me, ‘O man, now thou art leaving all these Injoyments [Page 84] of Sence, consult with thy self what will do thee good, and thou shalt have what­soever thou wilt ask to carry with thee into that spiritual State;’ I am sure the utmost I should crave would be this, ‘Lord give me a heart inflamed with Love, and winged with Duty to thee, that thereby I may but enjoy thee; give me a sober and a temperate mind, that thereby I may but enjoy my self; give me a kind, a peaceable, and a righteous Temper, that thereby I may but enjoy the sweet Socie­ty of blessed Spirits; O give me but these blessed things, and thou hast crowned all my wishes, and to Eternity I will never crave any other Favour for my self but only this, that I may continue a pious and a vertuous Soul for ever; for while I continue so, I am sure I shall enjoy all spiritual Good, and be as happy as Hea­ven can make me.’ So that the main Happiness you see of Humane Nature consists in the Perfection of moral Good­ness; and it being so, it is no wonder that the good God who above all things desires the Happiness of his Creatures, should above all things exact of us the Duties of Morality. He knows that our supreme Beatitude is founded in our Piety and Ver­tue, and that out of our free and constant, [Page 85] sprightly and vivacious Exercise of these a­rises all our Heaven both here and hereafter; and knowing this, that tender Love which he bears us, that mighty Concern which he hath for our Welfare makes him thus ur­gent and importunate with us. For he re­gards our Duty no farther than it tends to our Good, and values each Act of our Obe­dience by what it contributes to our Hap­piness; and 'tis therefore that he prefers moral Duties above positive, because they are more essential to our eternal Welfare.

IV. and Lastly, GOD principally re­quires of us moral Goodness, because when all positive Duty is ceast, this is to be the eternal Work and Exercise of our Natures. For Moral Good is from everlasting to ever­lasting, its Birth was elder than the World, and its Life and Duration runs parallel with Eternity; before ever the Mountains were brought forth 'twas founded in the Nature of God, and as an inseparable Beam of his all-comprehending Reason it shines from one end of the World to the other. For as soon as ever there was a rational Creature in being, the obligations of Mo­rality laid hold on him, before ever any positive Duty was imposed; and as long as ever there remains a rational Creature, the Obligations of Morality will abide on [Page 86] him, when all positive Duty is expired. For moral Obligations are not founded like positive ones upon mutable Circumstances, but upon firm and everlasting Reasons; upon Reasons that to all Eternity will car­ry with them the same force and necessity. For as long as we are the Creatures of an infinitely perfect Creator, 'twill be as much our Duty as 'tis now, to love and adore him; as long as we are reasonable Creatures, 'twill be as much our Duty as 'tis now, to submit our Will and Affections to our Reason, and as long as we are related to other reasonable Creatures, 'twill be as much our Duty as 'tis now, to be kind and just and peaceable in all our Intercourses with them. So that these are such Duties as no Will can di­spense with, no Reasons abrogate ▪ no Cir­cumstances disanul or make void; but as long as God is what he is, and we are what we are, they must and will oblige us. So that what the Psalmist saith of God, may be truly applied to moral Goodness, the Hea­vens shall perish, but thou shalt remain, they all shall wax old as doth a garment, and be folded up and Changed, but thou art the same yesterday▪ to day, and for ever, and thy years shall have no end. But as long since the positive Parts of the Jewish Reli­gion were cancell'd and repealed, the Vail [Page 87] of the Temple rent in twain, the Temple it self buried in Ruins and all its Altars thrown down and their Sacrifices abolished, whilst the moral Parts of that Religion still stand firm as the everlasting Moun­tains about Jerusalem; so the time will come whem the positive Parts of Christia­nity it self must cease, when Faith must be swallowed up in Vis [...]on, and Sacraments be made void by Perfection, and all the sta­ted times and outward Solemnities of our Worship expire into an everlasting Sab­bath; but then when all this Scene of things is quite vanished away, Piety and Virtue will still keep the Stage, and be the everlasting Exercise of our glorified Natures. For as I shewed before, all posi­tive Duty is instituted in subserviency to moral, and like a Scaffold to a House is only erected for the Convenience of Building up this everlasting Structure of Morality; and when this is once finished, must be all taken down again as an unnecessary Incum­brance that now only hides and obscures the Beauty of that Heavenly Building that was raised on it, and shall abide without it for ever, to entertain our Faculties through all the future Ages of our Being, and to be the everlasting Mansion of our Natures. Wherefore since positive Duties must all [Page 88] cease and expire, and only moral Goodness is to be our Business for ever, 'tis no won­der that God, who is so good a Master, takes so much Care in ths short Apprenti­ship of our Life to train us up in that which is to be our Trade for ever. He knows it is upon Piety and Vertue that we must live to Eternity, and maintain our selves in all our Glory and Happiness; and that if when we come into the invisible World we have not this blessed Trade to subsist by, we are undone for ever; and therefore out of a tender Regard to our Welfare, he makes it his principal Care to train us up in this everlasting Business of our Natures.

WHAT then remains but that above all things we take care to apply our selves to the Practice of moral Goodness: to con­template and love and adore and imitate God; to depend upon him and resign up our selves to his Disposal and Govern­ment▪ to be sober and temperate in our Affections and Appetites, and just and Charitable and modest and peaceable to­wards one another. These are the great things which God requires at our hands, and without these all our Religion is a fulsome Cheat. 'Tis true the positive Parts of Religion are our Duty as well as these, [Page 89] and God by his Sovereign Authority ex­acts them at our hands; and unless when Jesus Christ hath been sufficiently propo­sed to us we do sincerely believe in him, unless we strike Covenant with him by Baptism, and frequently renew that Co­venant in the Lords Supper; unless we di­ligently attend on the Publick Assemblies of his Worship, and use an honest Care to avoid Schism and to persist in Vnity with his true Catholick Church, there is no Pretence of Morality will bear us out when we appear before his dread Tribunal. But then we are to consider that the pro­per Use of all these positive Duties is to improve and perfect us in moral Goodness; and unless we use them to this Effect we shall render them altogether void and insignificant. Wherefore as we would not lose all the Fruits of our positive Duties, let us take care to extend them to their utmost Design, to improve our Sacrifice to Obedience, our Sacra­ments to Gratitude and Love, our Hearing to Practice, our Praying to De­votion, and our Fasting to Humility and Repentance. For if we rest in these Duties and go no farther, thinking by such short Payments to Compound with God for all those Debts we owe to the eternal Laws [Page 90] of Morality, we miserably cheat and befool our own Souls, which notwithstanding all this Exactness about the Positives of Re­ligion are by their own immoral Affecti­ons still enslaved to the Devil; to whom it is much one what our outward Form of Religion is, whether it be Christian or Heathen or Mahometan, provided it doth not operate on our minds or give any Check to the Current of our depraved Natures. For whether we bow to God or to an Idol, is all one to the Devil, so long as our souls remain Profane and indevout; whether we Communicate in the holy Sacrament of Christ's Death, or in the impure Rights of Venus and Priapus, is indifferent to him so long as our Hearts continue putrid and corrupt, steaming with unchast Desires and Affections; whether we Celebrate the Christian Festivals or the bloody Satur­nals or Barbarous Bacchanalia is no great matter to him, provided our Minds be but canker'd with Wrath and Malice and Cru­elty and Revenge. These are the Sinews of his Goverment, and the Bands of our Allegiance to his Throne; and whilst they are preserved, he knows his Kingdom is safe, and so long he doth not much regard what our outward Religion is. Nay there is nothing can be a higher Gratification to [Page 91] his Ambition, than to behold Himself ser­ved in Christs own Livery and Worship'd in a Form of Godliness; by which he hath the Pleasure of dividing Empires with God, and ravishing the better share from him; of beholding his hated Creator mockt with the Shell and Outside of a Worshiper, whilst himself is treated with the Kernol and Inside. For whilst we continue wicked under an outward Form of Religion, we do in Effect Sacrifice our Beast to God, and our selves to the Devil; who above all things loves those unnatural Commixtures of Hearer and Slanderer, Worshiper and Deceiver, Communicant and Drunkard, Sa­crificer and Oppressor; by which we only exalt and sublimate Impiety, which never looks so Glorious as when 'tis Gilded with Fasts and long Prayers. Wherefore as you will answer it at your eternal Peril, do not Cheat and abuse your selves with the Name and Shadow of Religion; lest when you have superstructed your Hopes of Happi­ness on a rotten Foundation, it should fi­nally miscarry and sink underneath you into everlasting Wretchedness and Despair.

SECT. I. Of the Causes of Atheism; shewing the great Absurdity and Unreason­ableness of them.

CONSIDERING how loudly the Voice of Nature, the Consent of Nations, and the beautiful Structure and Contrivance of things do proclaim the Be­ing of God, one would think it impossible there should be any such Monster as an Atheist among reasonable Beings; and in­deed it hath been warmly disputed among the Learned whether there be any such or no? A Question, which these later Ages have determined in the Affirmative, by an Induction of too many woful Instances. But doubtless had men impartially attend­ed to the Dictates of Reason, and not de­livered themselves up to the Infatuations of their Lusts, and the inveterate Prejudice of a corrupt Imagination, it would have been impossible for so many gross Absurdi­ties as Atheism implies, to have entred in­to their minds; but when once mens Wills and Affections have espoused a Proposition, [Page 107] they will make one shift or other, be it never so absurd, to impose it on their Vn­derstandings; and considering how many Causes there are leading men to Atheism who are predisposed thereunto, I cannot think an Atheist to be so great a Wonder. For so long as mens Vnderstandings are led by their Wills, and their Wills are byassed with inclinations to Impiety, they can hardly forbear wishing there were no God; and then from wishing there were none to believing there is none, will be a very short and easie Transition. Since therefore their Atheism proceeds not so much from the Defect of their Reason as from the fault of their Wills, perhaps the most effectual way to cure it, is rather to detect and remove those faulty Causes in their Wills, than to attempt upon their Reason with the Proofs and Demonstrations of a Deity. And accordingly you see that when God had once erected this good­ly Theatre of Beings, and imprinted on it so many glorious Characters of his own Power, and Wisdom, and Goodness, tho from time to time he hath wrought innu­merable Miracles, to reduce men from Su­perstition, Idolatry and Wickedness, yet he never wrought one to reduce them from Atheism. And indeed to what purpose [Page 108] should he? it being highly improbable that they who will not be convinc'd of the Being of God by this standing Miracle, the World, in which there are so many ample Demonstrations of his Being, should be convinc'd of it by any other Miracles; for other Miracles are only the Disorders and Interruptions of Nature; and certainly the regular Course and standing Order of Na­ture, is a much more glorious Evidence of Gods Wisdom and Power, than the most miraculous Interruptions and Disorders of it. And therefore if men will be Atheists notwithstanding God hath imprinted so many Proofs of his Being on this visible Creation, 'tis plain it is not their Reason but their Wills that make them so; and if so, to what purpose is it to urge their Reason with the Arguments of Gods Being? since if they will not listen to those that are round about them, and are every where to be found in this great Volume of Nature, it is highly improbable that e­ven Miracles themselves, which are Gods peculiar Arguments (and are there­fore called the Demonstrations of his Spirit) should ever be able to perswade them. Wherefore to put a stop to this Pestilential Disease, which in these later Ages hath been so fatally propagated a­mong [Page 109] all Degrees and Orders of men, I conceive the most proper way is to disco­ver and remove those faults in their Wills which have such a malevolent Influence on their Vnderstandings; and the princi­pal ones may be reduced to these nine Heads,

• 1. A perverse Opposition of Will to the Will and Nature of God.
• 2. Superstitious Misapprehensions con­cerning God.
• 3. Precipitant Rashness in prescribing to, and prejudging the Divine Provi­dence.
• 4. Vain Affectation of Singularity in Opinion.
• 5. Custom of Drolling on, and Ridicu­ling the most serious things.
• 6. Taking up our Religion, or Opini­ons in Religion, without Examination.
• 7. Measuring the Truth or Falshood of Religion by the Practice of such as make high Pretences to it.
• 8. Placing Religion in the little Opini­ons that constitute the Sects and Parties we are engaged in.
• 9. Profane and careless Neglect of Pub­lick Worship.

[Page 110]I. ONE great cause of Atheism is the perverse Opposition of mens Wills to the Will and Nature of God. For the natu­ral Notion which men have of God is, that he is a most pure and holy Being, in­finitely removed by the Perfections of his Nature from all Inclinations that are con­trary to the Dictates of right Reason. And accordingly in all those Declarations which he hath made of his Will, they find him expressing an high Detestation of all Immora­lity and Wickedness, and commanding them to abstain from it under the most dreadful Penalties, which they know he hath both Right and Power to inflict when he pleases. Notwithstanding which, pre­suming on his Goodness and a future Repen­tance, they suffer themselves to be tempt­ed and seduced into wickedness; the plea­sure of which tolls them on from one Wickedness to another, till their Wills are captivated by Custom to inveterate Habits of Sinning. So that now their Sense of God, and of his Almighty Displeasure be­ing no longer able to master the stubborn­ness of their Wills, only serves to fret and disturb them, to raise Terrors and Anxieties in their Consciences, and there­withal to imbitter the Pleasure of their Sin. For so long as this Sense remains alive in [Page 111] their Bosoms, they can never hope to sin quietly for it; and it being so, they have no other Remedy but either to part with that or their Sins. For while thy retain their Sins, the Belief of a God will grow an intolerable Vexation to them, unless by sophisticating their Belief with false Noti­ons of Religion they can temper it into an amicable Compliance with their Lusts. And this is usually the Artifice of the dul­ler sort of People whose Understandings are more easily imposed on, viz. to inter­mingle with their Belief of a God such Notions of Religion as may render it fa­vourable and propitious to their Lusts. And hence I doubt not sprang most of those wicked Doctrines which from time to time have been foisted into Chri­stianity, from the Desire which men have to accommodate the Difference between their Consciences and their wicked Wills, and reconcile their natural sense of God to their Sins. But alas these Artifices are all so thin and transparent, that 'tis a hard matter for men of Wit to impose them on their Understandings; and tho they have an equal Good-will to these wicked Do­ctrines with the duller sort of sinners, yet their Reason is too sharp-sighted to be Chouc'd and deceived by them. And there­fore [Page 112] usually they go another way to work, and being sensible that they can never en­joy their sins in quiet, while they are aw­ed with the Sense and Belief of a Deity, and yet obstinately resolved that they will enjoy them, they have no other Expedient but to muster up all their Wit and Reason to dispute the belief of a God out of their Minds; and being stifly resolved to persist in their Wickedness, they are obliged by their own Interest to wish there were no God to observe and punish them. And then facilè credunt quod volunt, they easily believe what they would have, and the slenderest probability will sway their Un­derstanding to vote on the side of their Interest and Affections. So that when men are resolved to be wicked, Atheism is their Interest and Refuge, to which they are many times forced to fly in their own Defence, to avoid the Clamors and Per­secutions of their Consciences. Had these men lived in those Good Pagan days where­in they might have rioted with Devotion, Sacrificed to the gods in drunken Bowls, and Worshipt in the Arms of a Strumpet, no men would have been more Religious than they; and could they now but Com­pound the matter so as that God should let them alone to enjoy their Lusts, there is no [Page 113] doubt but they would be well enough content to let him alone to enjoy his Be­ing. But because their sense of him frets and galls them, they first grow impatient under it, and then set their Wits at Work to raise objections against it, and either to laugh or dispute it out of their Minds. And accordingly Plato makes mention of a sort of Atheists [...]; who in consequence of their Opinion that all things are void of Gods, have plunged themselves into intemperance of Pleasures and Pains being otherwise persons of great Memories and quick Understandings, De Leg. Lib. 10. But alas, how unreasonable is it in a matter of such vast importance for men to be­lieve by their Interest and Affections! 'tis true could men put out the Sun with wink­ing, or extinguish the Nature of things by an obstinate disbelief of them, it would be very justifiable for those men to believe there is no God whose Interest it is that there should be none. But alas, the Na­tures of things are unalterable and will be what they are whatsoever our Opinion is a­bout them. If there be a God, there will be one, whether we think fit to believe it [Page 114] or no; and tho when the Interest of our Lusts requires it, we may possibly dispute our selves out of the Belief of his Being, yet he is not to be disputed out of his Be­ing. We may indeed secure our selves from the Dread of his Vengeance by dispu­ting our selves into a disbelief of him, but we can never secure our selves by it from the danger of his Vengeance. And what a sensless thing is it for a man to shut his eyes against an unavoidable danger, mere­ly for fear of being frightned by it; and when he might shun Gods Vengeance by dreading it, instead thereof to shun the dread of it? What is this but to set his Reason at work to rock his Conscience a­sleep, that so he may destroy himself without fear or Disturbance.

II. ANOTHER great cause of Athe­ism is superstitious Misapprehensions con­cerning God; which tho they are Lodg­ed in the Mind, yet are most commonly exhaled from the Affections, that like im­pure Bogs do generally breath up all those Meteors that darken and disturb the Region above. And indeed most of our ill apprehen­sions of God are transcribed and copied from our own Affections; which be they never so irregular, our own self-love will be apt to celebrate for Perfections. And then what­soever [Page 115] we esteem a Perfection in our selves, we naturally attribute to God, who is the Source and Standard of all Perfection; and those Affections of our own Nature which we most injuriously attribute to God, we love or hate in him according as we love or hate them in other men. Thus the fond and indulgent, who are apt to doat upon others without reason, and to hug even their Vices and Deformities, are prone to attribute their own temper to God, and to look upon him as a Being that is infinitely indulgent to those whom without any reason he hath chosen for his Favourites. And because he who is fond of others, loves others should be fond of him, to be sure he will love his fond God too, and be far more devoutly affected towards this Idol of his own temper, than to the true God himself cloathed in all the native Glory of his own Attributes. But on the contrary, those who are stern and peevish and implacable can by no means indure their own temper in others; and therefore 'tis no wonder if they hate it in God to whom they are wont injuriouslly to attribute it. For how is it possible for them to affect a Divinity whom they have pictured in their own Minds with such a stern and terrible Aspect, with an Imperious [Page 116] Self-will that bears down all things before it by irresistible Might without any Re­spect to Right or Wrong, with bloody hands and a Vengeful heart, and a testy, peevish and unaccountable Nature that loves and hates without any reason, and is pleased or displeased as the [...]oy takes it. And ha­ving thus set up such a grim Idol of God in their Minds as they can by no means affect, they secretly wish there were no such Being, which is the brink of Atheism. Thus their ghastly Apprehensions of God meeting with the surly and churlish tem­per within them, instead of moulding them into Devotion to him, commonly inrage and canker them with Malice against him; and accordingly Plutarch well observes [...], i. e, the Atheist thinks there is no God and he who hath dreadful Appre­hensions of him wishes there were none; and he who wishes there were none is but one remove from believing there is none. Thus you see in what a direct Line Vice leads to Superstition, and Superstition to Atheism. For Pride and Wrath, Malice and Revenge are naturally apt to ingender in mens Minds horrid and frightful Ap­prehensions of God; which working on those sour and rugged Passions that begot [Page 117] them are as apt to exasperate and inrage them against him; and then their Reason immediately takes part with their Passion, and to gratifie its wish that there were no God, sets it self industriously to argue him out of his Being. But alas, what an un­reasonable procedure is this, for men to pin their faults upon God, and dress him in their own Deformities, and when they have thus disguised him by putting upon him their own frightful tempers, as the old Persecutors did the Christians by wrapping them in Lions Skins, to set on their Wit and Reason to worry him out of his Being; what is this but to make a God as the Hea­thens did their Mercuries, and then fling stones at him; to transform him into a Monstrous Idol and then dislike him, and then dash him in pieces? But be not de­ceived, God will be what he is, a most per­fect, glorious, and amiable Being, how in­glorious soever he may appear to you through the false Medium of your own Diabolical temper, which like Crimson-co­loured Glass will represent the fairest Ob­jects to you bloody and terrible; But for you to hate God for no other reason but because your own hateful Passions do re­flect to you such an inglorious Idea of him, and then to deny him because you [Page 118] hate him, is equally impious and unreasonable.

III. ANOTHER great cause of Athe­ism is Rashness and Precipitancy in prescri­bing to and pre-judging the divine Provi­dence; and this also most commonly arises from some great Irregularity in mens Wills and Affections. For generally the rash Judg­ments which men make of the divine Pro­vidence, are grounded on those unequal Di­stributions it makes of the good things of this World in prospering the Bad and affli­cting the Good, upon which we are too of­ten ready to Charge it with being an un­equal Arbitrator of mens Fates. The oc­casion of which is our immoderate Estima­tion of the Goods and Evils of this World. We so inhance the Goods of it in our Opi­nion, as to think them great enough to be the Crowns and Rewards of Virtue; and have such horrible Apprehensions of of the Evils of it, as to imagine them great enough to be the Plagues and Punishments of the most obstinate and notorious Offen­ders. Whereas by the whole Course of his Providence it appears that God hath a different esteem of them both; that he thinks the best things of this World to be bad enough to be thrown away upon the most despicable persons; and therefore to express his Scorn of these admired Vani­ties, [Page 119] he many times scatters them with a careless hand, as not thinking it worth the while to be so exact in the Distribution of them, as to put them in Gold Scales and weigh them out to Mankind by Grains and Scruples. And as for the worst things of this World he thinks them not so bad but that they may be indured without a­ny considerable Damage to the Sufferer; and therefore many times suffers them to befall his own Favourites, as not thinking it of Moment enough to interpose his Pro­vidence to shield them against their impo­tent Impressions. And upon this difference of Judgment men too often ground an in­veterate Quarrel against God, and because they doat upon this World, and thing the Goods of it good enough to be the Portion of good Men, and the Evils of it bad enough to be the Punishment of bad, they are an­gry with God for not being of their Opini­on, and are ready to arraign his Providence, and to conclude that this World is govern'd by a blind Chance that drops her Favours at random, as the full plumed Hawk mews her loose Feathers and never cares who stoops to take them up. And this Ovid ingeniously acknowledges of himself.

So also there are others, who beholding themselves in the flattering Mirror of their own self-conceit, are so taken with the Re­flections of their own Merit and Excellen­cy, as that they cannot see how 'tis possi­ble but that if there be a God he must love and reward them; and therefore if instead of so doing, God either deprives them of those worldly Goods which they doat on, or frustrates them of those carnal Hopes for whose Accomplishment they have ear­nestly supplicated, they presently begin to murmur against him, and thence proceed to arraign the Justice of his Providence, and thence to deny both that and his Being. For thus it comes to pass, saith Simplicius, that such who have no grounded Belief of a Deity, when they observe the Miseries of good Men, and the Prosperities of bad, are without any Regard to the common Notions of a God, ready to cry out with [Page 121] with him in the Tragedian [...], i. e. I dare affirm there are no Gods, because the wicked prosper that hurt me. Thus from their fond Affection to these worldly Goods, men frequently take occasion to quarrel with Gods Providence, for not appropria­ting them to be the Rewards of Virtue; and being once engaged in a Quarrel a­gainst his Providence, their next attempt is to dispute him out of his Being.

But what an unreasonable way of con­cluding is this? I value this to be best and that to be worst, and therefore God ought to be of my Opinion, and to pro­ceed accordingly in his Providence over the World; for there is nothing can be better or worse within the Prospect of an infinite Wisdom than what I apprehend to be best and worst for Mankind; and there­fore if he will do good to the Good, it must be in the Method that I shall pre­scribe him, that is to say, he must crown them with Rose-buds▪ and cloath them in Purple, and feed them with the fat of the Land; and if he punish the Wicked he must give me leave to give aim to his Ar­rows, and to direct him how, and what, and when, and where to shoot, and so long [Page 122] I am contented to allow him a Being in the World; but if he will presume to cross my Opinion of things, and steer his Acti­ons by the unerring Compass of his own in­finite Wisdom; if he will rather choose to do good to the Good by chastening than by prospering them, and to avenge himself upon the Wicked by fattening them with Prosperity for Slaughter, I shall look upon it as such an Affront to my judgment as will admit of no meaner Expiation than the stripping him out of his Providence and Being. And what can be more ridicu­lous than for men to deny the Being of God, because his Providence sometimes crosses their foolish Opinion of things, and doth not Govern it self by the crooked Rules which they are pleased to prescribe it.

IV. ANOTHER great cause of Athe­ism is vain Affectation of Singularity in O­pinion; a Vice that hath been always in­cident to men of Speculation, who valuing themselves upon the stock of their Know­ledg and deep Insight into the Nature of things, have always affected to start new Notions and advance contrary Hypotheses to the received Opinions of Mankind, that so they may be vogued for men of singular Knowledg, and seem to [Page 123] have taller Understandings than the rest of their Brethren, And this I doubt not hath been one great cause of speculative Atheism; for there is no Principle in Na­ture which hath been more universally re­ceived among Men than the Belief of a Deity; which doubtless is the main Rea­son why men who affect Singularity have been so prone to quarrel at it. It doth not comport with their Design of being thought wiser than the rest of the World, to sub­mit their Understandings to common Noti­ons and universal Doctrins; because should they think as other Men do, they might probably be thought no wiser. Perhaps had the Belief of a Deity been lately start­ed, and only received by some singular Sect of Vertuosoes, these men might have beeen as forward to entertain it as they are now to reject it; but because it is an Old-fashion Doctrine, in which all Ages and Nations have concurred, they think it would be a discredit to their Understand­ing to wear it, and therefore they set their Wits at work to invent Atheistical Hypo­theses to solve the Phaenomena of Nature without a Deity. And he that doth but impartially consider the haughty Genius of those Philosophers that laid the Foun­dations of Speculative Atheism, may easily [Page 124] perceive that the great Motive of their In­fidelity was nothing but a proud Affecta­tion of thinking counter to Mankind. And indeed could I but embrace the Doctrine of the Transmigration of Souls, I should be tempted to believe by the likeness of their Humors that it was one and the same Soul that pass'd through Democritus into Protagoras, through Protagoras into Epi­curus and through Epicurus into Mr. Hobbs; And since they so exactly agreed in their Pride and haughty Ostentation of Know­ledg, it is justly supposable that this was the main cause of their Agreement in Athe­ism; which being a Singular Doctrine and directly contradictory to the common No­tions of Mankind, was upon that account more adapted to the humor of these arro­gant Philosophers, And accordingly Pla­to describes the Atheists of his Age to be a conceited and scornful sort of People, and declares the cause of their Atheism to be [...], a certain pernicious sort of igno­rance that put on a semblance of the great­est Wisdom; and afterwards he calls Athe­theism [...], that which in the Eyes of some conceited people seemed to be the wisest of all Doctrines, de Leg. Lib. 10. [Page 125] And because these Atheistical Philosophers, who were some of them great Masters of Wit and Learning, had the good luck to be remarqued and gazed on like so many Anticks for their Singularity, they have always found Disciples and Followers a­mong the people of little Sense and a great deal of Vanity, who being ambitious of the Reputation of Wits and Philosophers, but having neither Brains nor Industry e­nough to merit it, are fain to shelter their Ignorance in Atheism, and there to face it out with laughter and boldness; and be­cause by laughing at God and Religion they deride the common Faith of Man­kind, they fancy themselves singularly witty, and expect that others should fancy them so too; whereas in reality these little People are but meer Pretenders to specu­lative Atheism. For before they can be more, they must comprehend the whole System of the Atheistical Philosophy, and be able to describe all those supposed Laws of Motion, by which Matter without the Conduct of a Superior Wisdom and Power did originally range it self into this beau­tiful World, and to shew at least the possi­bility of all the strange Appearances in Na­ture, without supposing a God; which is such a task as their feeble Understandings durst [Page 126] never attempt; for the utmost they can pretend to is a few Terms of the Atheisti­cal Philosophy, which they have learned by rote, and do cant and smatter with as much Skill and Understanding as Parrots do the Lessons that are taught them. And tho the brisk young Gentlemen will some­times boldly affirm, and if you dare take them up will lay a Wager on it too, that Reason is nothing but a Train of Imagina­tions; that Choice is nothing but the last stroke of outward Object on the Fancy; and that there is nothing in Nature but Mat­ter and Motion; yet should you be so rude as to ask them what they mean by these Phrases, you would uncase their Igno­rance and utterly undoe them. So that such as these are only the Hawkers and Re­tailers of Atheism, that noise and cry it a­bout; but have neither Wit not Industry enough to understand it, but do take it up with the same implicit Faith as the Papists do their Religion. Thus as the Ambition of being accounted wiser than others, cau­ses men to affect Singularity in their Opi­nions, so the Affectation of Singularity in Opinion doth very often transport men in­to Atheism.

NOW tho I would by no means plead for Mens enslaving their Understandings to [Page 127] vulgar Opinions, so as to put a stop to all Advancements of Knowledge, and hinder the World from ever growing wiser; yet doubtless for men to quarrel at Opinions for no other reason but because they are vulgarly received, is not only a rude Af­front to the Reason of Mankind; but also an effectual way to involve our selves in an endless Labyrinth of mistakes. For while I affect to be singular in my Opinion, I deprive my self of the Assistance of o­ther mens Understandings, and in my tra­vel for Knowledge chuse rather to go alone by my self through untrodden by-ways, than to keep the Road and follow the Tract of those that have gone before me. So that unless I am wiser than all the World, which is very unlikely, it is a thousand to one but I bewilder and loose my self; for how wise and sagacious soever I may be, it is certain that many Heads are wiser than one; and therefore when all heads concur in the same judgment, it is probable at least that that judgment is true; he therefore who rejects an Opinion because all or most do embrace it, affects to think coun­ter to the strongest Evidence, and to be­lieve against the greatest Probability. 'Tis true in many things the generality of men have been mistaken, which is a sufficient [Page 128] reason why we should not pin our Faith upon the Sleeve of Vulgar Opinions, but impartially examine before we confidently embrace them; but yet there is a Reve­rence due to the Judgment of Mankind, and the Laws of Modesty require us not to be confident against it without very great reason; but to affect to run counter to it, especially in such a matter of moment as the Belief or Disbelief of a Deity, is not only the highest Arrogance but the most extra­vagant Madness. For it is at least proba­ble that there is a God, because all Man­kind do believe one, and if there be one, it is of infinite Moment that we should believe it, and act accordingly; and there­fore for men to turn Atheists out of mere Singularity, is not only to believe there is no God, because it is probable there is, but to play and dally with ones own Fate, and run the hazard of being eternally miserbale out of a wanton Affectation of contradicting the Judgment of Mankind.

V. ANOTHER great Cause of Athe­ism is custom of drolling on and ridiculing the most serious things; a humour which hath strangely prevailed in this pleasant and jocular Age, wherein the wild rovings of mens Fancies into odd Similitudes▪ start­ling Metaphors, humorous Expressions, and [Page 129] sportive Representations of things are grown more acceptable in almost all Con­versations, than the most solid Reason and Discourse, and 'tis generally lookt up­on as a far more genteel and fashionable Quality for a man to be witty than Wise. Now though I do not deny but that Wit in it self is a very useful and valuable In­dowment, and serves to many excellent purposes; as namely to pollish and adorn the most serious Truths, and represent them to mens Minds in the most comely and affecting Dresses; to expose what is apparently base and ridiculous, and lash it with the Satyrs it makes against it self; to quicken and give life to a solid Argu­Ment, and render it more piercing and convictive; and in a word, to indear our Society, and give a relish and picquancy to our Conversation, and to recreate our Minds after we have been tired out or cloyed with severer Occupations; though Wit, I say, be a very useful Quality as to all these good purposes, yet unless a wise Man hath the keeping it, that knows when and where and how to apply it, it is like Wild-fire that flies at rovers, runs his­sing about, and blows up every thing that comes in its way without any respect or discrimination. And indeed the more [Page 130] grave and serious any thing is, the more prone it will be to expose and ridicule it. For the life of Wit consists in the surpri­singness of its Conceits and Expressions, in making such smart or uncouth Represen­tations of things as are most apt to raise a pleasing Wonder and Amazement in those that hear us. Now there is nothing more surprising in its own nature, than to see or hear a serious thing sportfully represented, and drest up in an antick and ridiculous Disguise; the very exposing it in a Garb and Figure so unexpected because so very unlike and unsutable to it self, is apt of its own Nature to surprise and amuse the Spectators or Hearers; which surprise, if he be a vain person, will tickle him into Laughter, but if he be serious, will affect him with Detestation and Horror to see a serious thing so contemptibly treated. But the greatest part of Men being of vain and trifling Spirits, that are whisled up and down in little levities of Fancy, there is nothing commonly doth more gratefully surprise them and provoke their Laughter, than ridiculous Representations of serious Arguments; and hence it comes to pass that 'tis grown a great Instance of wit a­mong the generality of men to sport and play with serious things, to burlesque the [Page 131] sense of them, and apply them to ridicu­culous purposes; whereas in reality this mistaken sort of Wit is nothing but dull and impudent Buffoonery, and a very little Wit joyned with a great deal of Sauciness will enable a Man to make sport with the most serious Arguments. For 'tis but cloathing them in rude and porterly Expres­sions, or misconstruing them to a profane or ludicrous sense, or debauching the Phrases by which they are expressed to a silly or a wicked meaning, and it shall be presently cried up for an excellent Jest, and the Au­thor of it dubb'd a Wit Laureat. This therefore being so easie a way for dull peo­ple to advance themselves to the Reputa­tion of Wits, hath of late years especially been mightily frequented by the impotent Well-wishers to Wit and Ingenuity; and because Religion hath been always esteem­ed the most serious thing in the World, therefore they fix upon that as the com­mon Theme of their Raillery, considering that the more serious it is, the more it will surprise men to hear it burlesqued and drol­led on. So that if they do but speak slight­ly and irreverently of God, or never so clownishly ridicule a Mystery of Religion, or cloath an obscene Thought in a Text of Scripture, their Sauciness will supply the [Page 132] defect of their Wit, and men will laugh not so much at the Picquancy of their Con­ceit, as at the Boldness and Presumption of it; and because their Discourse hath the luck to be laughed at, they think them­selves celebrated for the Oracles of Wit, and are thereby emboldened to proceed in this their impious Buffoonery, till at last they have drolled themselves into a Contempt of God, and from thence into downright Atheism. For tho a Jest be no Argument nor yet a loud laughter a Demonstration, yet if you inspect the generality of our little Pretenders to Atheism, you will find this is the main Foundation that their Ir­religion depends on; for their gift consists not in arguing and demonstrating, but in such a Sett of fine Phrases and terse Oaths; and all the Stock of Learning they pretend to is a few shavings of Wit gathered out of Plays and Romances, and these they pin upon Religion, as you have seen unhappy Boys do Rags at mens Backs, to expose it to Scorn and Derision; and having ac­customed themselves to treat it with such rude and porterly Contempt and Disinge­nuity, it grows by degrees cheap and vile in their Eyes, and at last is rejected by them as a ridiculous Imposture; and if now when they are urged with Evidences of [Page 133] Religion, they have but Wit enough to answer Reason with Drollery, and to retort a Jest to a Demonstration, how gloriously do they imagine they have acquitted, them­selves, and with what triumphant Shrugs do they celebrate their Victory over the little man in black.

NOW tho for men to deride what they do not understand, savours neither of Learn­ing nor good Manners, and is equally un­becoming a Gentleman and a Scholar; and tho for a man to venture to be damned for deriding of God and Religion, is such a Triumph of Wit as argues the utter Defe [...] of his Reason, yet so long as there are vain men enough to be tickled with this profane sort of Drollery, to be sure there will ne­ver want Fools enough to venture on it. For when a Fop will needs aspire to the Reputation of a Wit, he hath no other way but to dress up Religion in a Fools-Coat, and expose it for a Spectacle of De­rision, and then how dull soever the Con­ceit be, the stupendous Presumption of it will suprise and amuse the Company, and men will admire him just as they do Rope­dancers for daring to perform what a wise Man would tremble to attempt; and being thus emboldened by the Admiration and Laughter of his Company, which the vain [Page 134] Creature mistakes for a Proof and Evi­dence of his Wit, he grows more pert and confident, and so fools and fleers on till he hath toyed and laughed himself out of all sense of Religion.

BUT alass! what a desperate piece of Folly is this, for men thus to sport and dally with the Almighty, whose Venge­ance they can neither withstand nor indure; to point and make Mouths at him to his Face, and set him up as the Finger-butt of their Scorn and Derision! For certainly if there be Sins that can raise a Cry loud enough to reach Heaven, this, as a great Author of our own hath expressed it, will be so far from whispering there, that 'twill give an Alarm to the Vengeance of Heaven, whose Inflictions like Stones tumbling from the tops of Towers, will by so much the more fatally crush those they light on, by how much the longer they are falling upon them. And therefore for Men thus to dal­ly with their own Fate, to venture to be damn'd that they may be thought to be witty, and expose themselves to endless wailing and Wo only to raise a present fit of Laughter, is doubtless a far more despe­rate Attempt than 'twould be to play at the mouths of Canons while they are spitting Fire, or to lay hold on a Thun­derbolt [Page 135] as it comes roaring down from the Clouds.

BUT suppose there were neither Evil nor Danger in this impious Practice, yet for men to conclude there is no God because they have the Confidence to scorn and de­spise him, is altogether as ridiculous as their despising him is impious. For there is no­thing in Nature so real or serious but may be drolled and Rallied on; if a man will set his Wits at work he may break Jests upon Pain, and entertain his Company with Comical Representations of the Groans and Agonies of dying; but it would be a Jest indeed should be droll himself into a Belief that there are no such things as Pain or Death; but alas, things are not to be altered by laughing at them, and how mer­ry soever we may make our selves with the Belief and Nation of a Deity, we shall one day find in earnest that he is not to be jested out of his Being.

VI. ANOTHER cause of Atheism is taking up Religion or Opinions in Religi­on without Examination. The generali­ty of men do embrace their Religion as a part of their Fate, as the Temper of their Clime, or the Entail of their Ancestors; and the reason why they are Christians is, because Christianity had the luck to be­speak [Page 136] them first, and by its timely Inter­posure to prepossess and forestall them. So that in all probability had Mahometism plied them first, they would have had as much Faith for the Alchoran as they have now for the Bible. Now when Men thus take up their Religion they know not why, their minds must needs be left naked and defenceless to all the Temptations of A­theism. For when a Man can render no [...]eason for his Religion, his Faith hath no­thing but blind Prejudice to support it; and 'tis with his Will that he believes and not with his Vnderstanding; so that he may chuse whether he will believe or no, because he hath no Evidence to determine his Vnderstanding. And how unstable and insecure must his Faith needs be, when it hath no other Foundation but a fickle and inconstant Will; when it lies at the mercy of his Humour and Inclinations, and it is in his power to determine his Assent to that side of the Question which is most for his Interest? For now his Faith being determined by his Will, and his Will by his Interest, whenever he thinks it his In­terest that there should be no God, to be sure he will be ready enough to believe that there is none; and consequently as soon as he grows wicked enough to need [Page 137] Atheism for a Refuge from his Conscience, he will betake himself thither in his own defence▪ and endeavour by an obstinate Disbelief of Gods Being, to shelter him­self from the Dread of his Power. Thus when mens belief is not grounded upon Reason and Evidence, but stands tottering on the fickle Foundation of their Wills, it is liable to be blown down by every Blast of Temptation. And hence I doubt not in a great measure proceeds the Irreligion of the Age we live in; for if you surveigh the present Sticklers for Atheism, you will find they chiefly consist of the hair-brain'd and uncatechised Youths of the Town▪ who never troubled themselves to under­stand the first Principles of Religion, nor to consider the Dependence and Connexion of its Doctrines, and know nothing at all either of the admirable Contexture of the Parts of it, or of the Reason and Evidence of the Whole. For alas, their Study hath been employed another way, viz. in court­ly Forms of Speech and Punctilioes of Acti­on, in fashionable Garbs and Oaths and artificial Luxuries, in conning of fine Jests and Modes of Address, and retailing Frag­ments of Wit from Plays and Romances; but as for the severer and more useful Stu­dies they bequeath them to the dull men of Sense and Reason.

[Page 138]SUCH as these for the most part are the Sages that droll upon Religion and make jests upon the Scripture; and what wonder is it that such as these turn Infidels, who were never able to render any Reason of their Faith? For how weak soever the Arguments of Infidelity are, it is a hard case if it cannot baffle that Faith which hath no Reason on its side to guard and defend it; especially when they are second­ed with a mans Lusts and Inclinations, as to be sure the Arguments of Infidelity will always be. For when a man hath no Rea­son for his Faith, but a great many Lusts against it, the slenderest shews of Probabi­lity will suffice to make him an Infidel. But what an horrible Neglect is it for Men that have Reason to distinguish between Truth and Falshood, to take no care to en­quire into the Truth and Evidence of their Religion in which their greatest Interest is involved; but to wink hard and believe at a venture they know not why nor what? what is this but to cast Lots for their Souls, and throw Cross or Pile for their eternal Salvation? They resolve, they say, to ad­here to the Religion of their Ancestors, but whether that be true or false they never inquire; so that if it be true, they may thank their Stars for it, but if it be false, [Page 139] they have the worse Luck. Thus they wholly commit themselves to the Con­duct of Chance to be conducted to Hea­ven or Hell, as it happens; and as if those distant Fates were indifferent to them, they concern not themselves to inquire whether the way they are in be the Broad or the Narrow, the Right or the Wrong, but e'en leave the Event to determine it. And can any thing in the World be more wild or extravagant, than for men who are so so­licitous about their smaller concerns, who will not purchase an Acre of Land without examining the Deeds and Evidences by which the Right to it is Con­veyed, thus to take up their Religion up­on Trust, and stake their everlasting Fate upon such a desperate venture? But then for men to take occasion to despise and re­ject Religion from their own sottish Neg­lect to inquire into the Truth of it, is such an height of Extravagance as no Bedlam can parallel; it would be as reasonable for a man to put out his Eyes, and then resolve not to believe there is a Sun in the Firma­ment because he doth not see it, or to stop up his Ears, and then peremptorily deny the Be­ing of Sounds because he do's not hear 'em; for for men thus to graft Infidelity upon Ignorance, is only to heap one Extravagance on another; if they understand not the [Page 104] Evidence of Religion the more Shame it is for them, but methinks it might very well become them to be modest and teach­able till they do; and in the mean while to take care to inform themselves better; but thus immediately to leap out of Igno­rance into Atheism, is first to play the Fool, and then run stark mad upon it.

VII. ANOTHER cause of Atheism is mens measuring the Truth or Falshood of Religion by the Practice of such as make the loudest Pretence to it. When a man is unwilling to undergo the trouble of sa­tisfying his own Reason of the Truth of his Religion, his usual Method is to inquire what other men think of it, who by the zealous Profession which they make may be supposed to understand it better than himself; but because mens Thoughts are secret and invisible, and do not always cor­respond with their Words and Profes­sions; therefore to satisfie himself what other men think of Religion, he concludes the safest way is to judge by what they do, and not by what they profess; and so far in­deed he is in the right. For to be sure mens Actions are a much more certain In­dex of their Thoughts than their Words; and therefore when he sees those who profess Religion act as if they did not believe it, [Page 141] and observes how their Words do run atilt at their Practice, and how broadly their Lives give the lie to their Professions, he presently concludes that whatever they pretend they are Infidels in their Hearts; and being once persuaded that those whom he thinks do best understand Religion do not believe it, he thence immediately con­cludes that they find no reason to believe it, and do only put on the Profession of it as an Angelical Vizor, being minded to play the Devils in it with more Credit and Security. And by this Popular way of reasoning they conclude Religion to be nothing but a Politick Device and Engine which wise men have contrived to beguile and manage the simple; and that whatso­ever is pretended for it, it is a mere jugling-box which Knaves play tricks with to de­lude and cozen Fools. And of this way of mens reasoning themselves into Atheism the Age we live in is full of wofull Instan­ces; for now adays to scorn and despise Religion is no longer the Prerogative of Wits and Vertuosoes, but the Infection is spread and propagated into Shops and Stalls, and the Rabble are become Professors of A­theism. Now whence should this proceed? alas, it is not to be supposed that such per­sons as these should ever be able to Philo­sophise [Page 142] themselves into Infidelity, and turn Atheists either upon Aristotle's or Epi­curus's Hypotheses; no, no, their Argu­ment lies nearer home, and more open to their Capacities; they have seen a world of vile tricks played in our Religious Car­nivals and Masquerades; some making their Religion a Sanctuary for their Trea­sons and Rebellions; others gilding over their Faction and Sedition with a specious Pretence of zeal for Gods glory: some pro­secuting their own Revenge and Ambition under the Ensigns of pure Worship, and true Protestant Religion; others commu­ting for their Excesses of Riot with a cla­morous zeal for Decency and Order, and others picking Pockets with one hand while they have been lifting up the other to Hea­ven in Devotion; the sight of which hath tempted the rude and unthinking Vulgar to look upon Religion as a mere Castle in the Air, that hath no Foundation▪ but in the Invention of Knaves▪ and in the Faith of Fools.

NOW tho there is no doubt to be made but that these vile Hypocrites who have laid this Stumbling-block in mens way, shall one day dearly answer for the ruin of those whom it hath occasioned to fall, and for thus exposing the Credit and Re­putation [Page 143] of Religion to the misprisions of those that do not understand it; yet it is a most inexcusable piece of folly for men thus to infer Atheistical Conclusions from the ill Example of Hypocritical Professors. For in the first place, to conclude a Man an Infidel because his Actions run counter to the Faith he pretends to, is very rash and fallacious. For do we not see Men very of­ten act against their Consciences, and fly in the face of their own Convictions? why may we not then as fairly suppose those wicked Actions we argue from to be the effects of an obstinate Will as of an Infidel Judgment; but suppose it were true that those men were all Infidels that do thus act against their Faith, doth it therefore follow that you must turn Infidels too? if it be so unsafe and so unworthy of a man to carry his Brains in other Mens Heads, what a shame is it to carry them in other Mens Heels, and to suffer his Faith to be lead by the Tract of their Examples through all the wild Mazes of Irreligion and Atheism?

BUT you will say, by these Mens Ex­amples you plainly see what a Mystery of Iniquity there is in religious Pretences; and what then? must Religion be a Cheat be­cause bad Men play tricks with it, and [Page 144] make it a Cloak for their Knavery? if so, then the best things in the World are lia­ble to Suspicion; because there is nothing so good but what is capable of being pro­stituted to very ill purposes. I confess when we see so many Cheats acted under the Masque of Religion, we have just rea­son to call it to a more severe Examination, and to inquire more narrowly into the Proofs and Evidences upon which it is founded; but presently to reject Religion because Knaves and Hypocrites make bold to disguise themselves in it, is every whit as absurd and ridiculous as if a man should deny that there is any such Virtue as Cha­stity in the World, because there are com­mon Prostitutes that pretend to it.

VIII. ANOTHER cause of Atheism is Divisions and Schisms formed out of little Opinions in Religion. For it is natural to men to place a great part of their Religion in those Opinions, for whose sake they divide and separate from each other; so that if hereafter they happen to be dissa­tisfied with those Opinions of which they are excessively fond at the present, they will be under a great Temptation to sus­pect Religion it self, as if that were as ill grounded as those little Opinions which they laid so great a stress on, and so after [Page 145] they have run through several Sets of Opi­nions, and in fine have discovered them to be all Delusions, they are ready to con­clude Religion it self to be nothing but a System of Lies and Impostures. For as weak Heads when they perceive the Bat­tlements shake are apt to suspect the Foun­dations, so weak Understandings will be prone to suspect even the Fundamentals of of Religion, when once they perceive those darling Notions totter which they have confidently presumed to superstruct thereupon.

AND upon this account I make no doubt but that the Irreligion of this Age is very much to be attributed to the Sects and Divisions of it. For how many woful Examples have we of Persons who had once a great Zeal for and Satisfaction in Religi­on, that upon their causeless Separation from the Churches Communion, have run from Sect to Sect, and from one extrava­gant Opinion to another, till at last being convinced of the Cheats and Impostures of them all, they have totally discarded Re­ligion it self, and made their last Resort into Atheism. And as separating into Par­ties upon little Differences in Religion ex­poses the Separatists themselves to great Temptations to Atheism, so it doth those [Page 146] also who are Indifferent on both sides, and stand ingaged on neither part of the Sepa­ration. For whilst these men behold the State of Religion thus miserably broken and divided, and the Professors of it crum­bled into so many Sects and Parties, and each Party spitting Fire and Damnation at its Adversary; so that if all say true, or indeed any two of them in five hundred Sects which there are in the World, (and for all I know there may be five thousand) it is five hundred to one but that every one is damn'd, because every one damns all but it self, and it self is damn'd by four hun­dred and ninty nine; so that 'tis a mighty Chance if in so great a Volly of Anathe­maes which every one hath levelled at it, any one escape: When, I say, unengaged persons that are not able to distinguish be­tween the disputable Opinions that consti­tute these Sects, and the Necessaries and Essentials of Religion, shall reflect upon this tumult and confusion of Faiths, they will be apt to conclude without farther In­quiry, that Religion it self is nothing but an infinite Maze of disputable Opinions, where­in Men wander about in the dark and justle and rancounter one another without any certain Clew on either side to guide and direct their Inquiries; under which [Page 147] Misapprehension they will either damn all Religion for a Cheat, or hover about in eternal uncertainty, not knowing where in so great a Confusion of Religions to fix and settle their Faith. And hereunto I doubt not is to be attributed a great part of the Irreligion of this Age. For while some Men by running themselves out of Breath in pursuit of those Ignes fatui or New Lights, that have broken and divided our Com­munion, have at length quite tired out their Zeal and religious Pretences, and so are at length lain down in the Mire of Ir­religion and open Profaneness; others by looking on and beholding the wild Divi­sions which these new Lights have made, have been tempted to run away from Reli­gion it self, as if that were only a Laby­rinth of uncertain Opinions contrived on purpose to distract and bewilder mens Brains.

NOW tho the Authors of these Divi­sions, whosoever they are, are doubtless highly accountable to God for all that Ir­religion which attends them, yet for Men from hence to draw Atheistical Conclusi­ons is much more imputable to the per­verseness of their Wills than to the Weak­ness of their Vnderstandings.

[Page 148]FOR in the first place, What if you have discovered some Opinions ln Religi­on to be false and erroneous, of the Truth of which you were once very confident; doth it therefore follow that there is no­thing certain in Religion? If so, you may as well conclude that there is nothing cer­tain in the Mathematicks neither, since some men have been as confident of the Truth of false Axioms in Geometry as ever you could be of false Propositions in Reli­gion. That you were once over-confident in a disputable Matter was your own Fault and Folly, but must it therefore follow that Religion is a Cheat be­cause you have been rash and incon­siderate? and what tho you once laid the great stress of your Religion upon an Opinion which you now discern is errone­ous, must Religion needs suffer for your Mistake, and be branded for an Imposture because you took that for Religion which was not? For there are a thousand Propo­sitions about Religion, which have been Zealously disputed for and against, which have torn men into Sects, and been the Religion of the separate Communions they have formed and denominated, that yet are very remote Superstructures on the true Foundations of Religion, and may be true [Page 149] or false, believed or disbelieved without any damage to Religion. And therefore before you suspect the Truth of Religion it self upon your discovering the Falshood of any particular Opinion, you ought in all Reason to consider whether that Opinion be so essential to Religion as that it cannot subsist without it; for if it be not, 'tis the most unreasonable thing in the World, to infer a suspicion of the Truth of Religion from the Falshood of Propositions that have little or no Dependence on it, and to re­ject the Gold and the precious Stones for the sake of the Wood, and Hay, and Stubble that have been superstructed upon them. And then

2. What can be more absurd than for Men to reject Religion because Mens Opinions about it have been so divided? For if you survey the several Divisions of Chri­stians, you will find they generally concur in all the necessary and essential Doctrines of Religion, and that the Opinions where­in they divide, are for the most part such unnecessary Speculations, as that it is al­most indifferent to Religion whether they be true or false; And with what Reason can we suspect the Truth of necessary Do­ctrines wherein all are agreed, because there are Disagreements in unnecessary ones? [Page 150] Because there are some Propositions in the Mathematicks, about which the Opinions of the Mathematicians are divided, shall we therefore suspect the Truth of all those wherein they are agreed? For if their Dis­agreement be an Argument of the Falshood of the former, why should not their A­greement be as good an Argument of the Truth of the later? But how much soever Mens Opinions about Religion may be divided, all that can be thence inferred is, that some Men are mistaken; and while some Men judge of Religion by their Pas­sions and Interests, and others by the Pre­judices of their Education, it is impossible it should be otherwise. But for men in the midst of such apparent causes of Dif­ference, to resolve to be of no Religion till all are agreed in one, is just as wise, and as rational as if they should determine not to go to Dinner till all the Clocks in Town strike Eleven together.

IX. And Lastly, ANOTHER great cause of Atheism is the profane and care­less Neglect of Gods Publick Worship. For Men of Secular lives whose Minds are al­ways engaged in this eternal hurry of worldly Affairs, are too prone to forget God, and all their Concerns in Religion and another World; and even their con­versing [Page 151] so much with these sensitive things which are always before them, and are continually crouding in upon their Thoughts, doth naturally indispose them to exercise their Faculties about divine and spiritual Objects, and render their Minds [...] unfit and unable to as­cend to the Contemplation of God. And therefore God hath appointed the stated Times of Publick Worship, on purpose to withdraw Men from their secular Pur­suits, that so they be at leisure to retire into themselves, to recollect their scattered Thoughts, and awake their Minds to a sense of Piety and Religion; which can by no way so effectually be performed as by the Solemnities of Publick Worship, where­in our remembrance of God is not only re­freshed, and our Piety to him excited and directed by the publick Instructions, but our natural Sense of Religion is also actua­ted and intended by the mutual Concur­rence and Example of each others Devo­tion. Thus after our Religion hath been slackned by our worldly Cares and De­lights, it is duely wound up again by the Returns of our Publick Worship, and so the sense of God is still kept alive in our Minds. When Men therefore turn their Backs upon the Publick Worship, and de­vote [Page 152] the holy Seasons of it to their secular Business or Pleasures, it is not to be won­dered at that their sense of a divine Power, which they seldom or never think of, should by degrees decay and wear off, and that that being extinguished they should sink into Irreligion and Atheism. For when once Men have worn out their Sense of a Deity, and as the Consequence of that are broke loose from all the Ties and Obli­gations of Conscience, they can have no other Principle but Atheism to warrant their Actions; and when once they have abandoned all Sense and Remembrance of God, so that he is not in all their Thoughts, they are in a fair forwardness to Infidelity. For tho as yet they do not actually dis­believe his Existence, so neither do they actually believe it; for how should they actually believe that which they have no Sense or Thought of; so that in this insen­sible State their Faith is concerned neither one way nor t' other, nor are they at all solicitous whether there be a God or no. Thus from their profane Neglect of Gods Worship Men naturally slide into an habi­tual Senslessness and Incogitancy of him, and from thence to not believing; and from thence to disbelieving him is an easie and almost necessary Transition.

[Page 153]OF the Truth of which the Age we live in will furnish us with too many sor­rowful Instances. For as this Nation which hath been always remarqued for a grave, serious and religious Genius, was never so generally tainted with Atheism as now; so neither was it ever chargeable with such a general Neglect of the Publick Worship of God, which for several Ages after the Reformation, was duly frequented, and devoutly celebrated, till by the Prevalence of our restless Sects and Factions, the Dis­cipline of the Church was gradually weak­ned, and at last totally destroyed; in the happy Days before which the Families of each Parish went hand in hand together to the House of God, and with one Heart and Voice celebrated his Praise and Wor­ship; and to absent ones self ordinarily from the Publick Assemblies, was hardly consistent with the Reputation of being a Christian. By which means their natural Sense and Dread of the divine Powers, be­ing continually awakened and revived, they were not only secured by it from all A­theistical Impressions, but also animated and excited to a pious and sober Conver­sation. But the spirit of Schism prevail­ing against the Power and Discipline of the Church, till it had uttterly disabled it [Page 154] from restraining the Wantonness of that crooked and perverse Generation; some in­corporated themselves into separate Com­munions, and others under Pretence of so doing withdrew from the Publick Assem­blies to the common Resorts of Idleness, Drunkenness and Debauchery; and whilst the Masters took the Liberty of Conscience to go to Conventicles, the Servants pre­tending to be of a different Perswasion assumed the Liberty of Will to go to Ta­verns and Ale-houses; insomuch that it grew a common Observation, that there have been more young People debauched on the Lords Day than all the Week after, whilst under pretence of joyning with a different Communion, they have taken occasion to withdraw themselves from the Inspection of their Parents and Masters. And till once our Schisms and Divisions are cured, it will be impossible to prevent this ill Practice, unless we will be so unjust as to deny that Liberty of Conscience to our Servants which with so much Clamour and Confidence we demand of our Gover­nors. And thus by degrees Profaneness hath insinuated it self under the Covert of Schism, and Liberty of Conscience became a common Sanctuary for the licentious Neglect and Contempt of Gods Worship, [Page 155] till at last it grew so common and fashionable, that it almost ceast to be scandalous. Yea, so far at length hath this impious Humour prevailed, that to go to Church and be de­vout is among too many Men grown a Note of Disgrace, and the Character of a Priest-ridden fool; and a Man is hardly lookt upon as fit for genteel Conversation, that knows any other use of a Holy-day, but only to be at leisure to lie abed, or to Game or Drink and Debauch; by which Neglect and Contempt of the Worship of God, that natural Sense of him, which should have been quickned and cherished by it, hath been gradually worn out of Mens Minds; the Consequence of which is, all that Atheism and Infidelity that overspreads this present Age. For when once Men have renounced the Worship of God, and in Consequence are abandoned of their natural Sense of his Majesty, they are upon the brink of Atheism, into which their own vile Lusts, whose Interest it is that there should be no God, will easily precipitate them. But alas, how ridiculous as well as impious is it for Men to take oc­casion from their own Neglect of Gods Worship, to renounce the Belief of his Be­ing; what is this but to tail one folly to another, and to second Extravagance with [Page 156] Madness? It would make one amazed to think that ever reasonable Beings should be so besotted, as to live in a World over which an Almighty Being presides, who sees all their Actions, and in whose Hands all events are which concen them, and even the everlasting Fate of their Souls; and yet take no more notice of him, pay no more Respect or Veneration to him, than if he were the merest trifle or most insignificant Cypher in the whole Creation. But sure when Men have been guilty of such a black and horrid Impiety▪ one would think their wisest Course for the time to come should be to repent of it, and to endeavour to compensate for their past Profaneness by the strictness and Sincerity of their future Devotion; but for Men to proceed from neglecting Gods Worship to denying his Be­ing, is to do worse because they have done ill, and thereby to inflame the Provocation, as if they were resolved to render their Condition desperate, because they have been so fool-hardy as to render it dange­rous.

AND thus I have given a short Ac­count of the common Causes of Atheism, which you see are all derived from Mens Wills and not from their Reason. For this I do most firmly believe, that the Argu­ments [Page 157] of Gods Existence are so plain and convincing, that no Man ever was or can be an Atheist without some inexcusable fault in his Will.

SECT. II. Of the inexcusable Folly and Unreaso­nableness of Atheism.

THE next thing I proposed was to endeavour to confirm and establish this great Principle of Religion, viz. the Belief of a God, by representing the great folly and unreasonableness of Atheism. In discoursing which I shall meddle no more than needs must with the Proofs and Ar­guments of a Deity, because as I have shew­ed before, 'tis not for want of Arguments that Men turn Atheists, but for want of Consideration and an honest Will; and that the Byass that carries them towards Infi­delity is not in their Vnderstandings, but in their Wills and Affections; that 'tis only their Partiality to their Lusts, that in­clines them to Atheism; and that the Rea­son why they are so ready to believe that there is no God, is, because they wish in their Hearts that there were none. To [Page 158] establish the Belief of a God therefore, I shall endeavour to represent the folly and unreasonableness of Mens being partial on the side of Atheism, supposing it were disputable whether there be a God or no; and this will evidently appear in the fol­lowing Particulars.

• 1. The Atheist concludes against the Dignity of Humane Nature, and renders it not only mean but ridiculous.
• 2. He concludes against the very Being and Well-being of Humane Society.
• 3. He concludes against that which is the main Support and Comfort of Humane Life.
• 4. He concludes for that side of the Question which is infinitely the most unsafe and hazardous.
• 5. He concludes for the unsafest side of the Question upon the highest uncertain­ties.
• 6. He plainly contradicts himself in his Conclusion.

I. THE Atheist concludes against the Dignity of Humane Nature, and thereby renders it not only mean but ridiculous. For the chief Worth and Dignity of Hu­mane Nature consists in its Relation to God, without whom its noblest and most ex­cellent Faculties are in a great measure use­less [Page 159] and insignificant; for if there be no God, the objects of our Five Senses are the sole Entertainment of our Understanding and Will, and we have no other use of these mighty Faculties, (which if there were any such thing as an infinite Truth and Goodness are naturally capable of en­joying them) but only to consult and choose the Gratifications of our Sense, and the Pleasures of this perishing Body. For ex­cepting God there is no such thing in Na­ture as a spiritual enjoyment, no Good to be found, but what is prepared to entertain the boundless Liquorishness of our carnal Appetites; and had we none but such as these to consult for, our Reason which is the Crown and Glory of our Natures, would have nothing else to do but to Cater for our Flesh, and we should have an Understand­ing and Will to no other purpose, but to enable us to play the Brutes with more Skill and Sagacity. And indeed setting God aside we are so far from having the advan­tage of Brutes by being rational, that we are rather so much the more wretched and despicable than they. For as for the Hap­piness of this Life which wholly consists of sensual Good, the Senses and Appetites we have in Common with the Beasts that perish are sufficient for the enjoyment of [Page 160] it; and with these we might relish it as well without our Reason as with it; we might Eat and Drink and Sleep, and en­joy all the Pleasures of a Brute with as much Gust and Savour as we do now with our Reason. For if we were Brutes we should do as Brutes do; we should weary our selves no longer with vain pursuits, nor vex our selves with fruitless Expecta­tions, nor torment our selves with the fears of a Disappointment, but e'en take our Pleasures when our Appetites craved 'em, and they freely offered themselves to our Injoyment. And tho our Reason doth sometimes cook the Injoyments of our Sense, and give them a higher Relish and and Luxury, yet this advantage is very much out-weighed by the many Regrets, and Remorses, and stinging Reflections it intermingles with our Pleasures; So that had we only the Faculties of Brutes, I am verily perswaded we should more sincerely enjoy the Happiness of the brutal Nature; but to be sure we should bear our Miseries with much more Ease and Chearfulness. For supposing there is no God, our Reason can afford us no solid support under any Calamity; the main Arguments of Com­fort, as I shall shew by and by, being de­rived from the Consideration of God and [Page 161] his Providence; which being taken away, I doubt not but we should bear our mise­ries without our Reason much better than with it. For then we should neither be ter­rified at the approach of them, nor tor­mented with Despair under them; then we should neither multiply them with false Opinions, nor inrage them with bitter Re­flections on the Causes of them; but whenever they happened, bear them as Beasts do, without any other Pain or Un­easiness than what they necessarily impres­sed on our Senses, which would render them a thousand times more tolerable to us, than all our Arguments can do, supposing we have no God nor Providence to argue from.

So that were that true which the Athe­ist concludes for, viz. that there is no God, it would follow that Reason in a Man serves to no other purpose, but to render him more wretched and despicable. If there be a God indeed, our rational Facul­ties are of excellent Use; as having an Ob­ject commensurate to their widest Capaci­ties, and every way fit and worthy to em­ploy and exercise them; an infinite Truth for our Vnderstanding to dive into, and an infinite Good for our Wills and Affections to pursue and embrace. But if there be nothing to be enjoyed by us but what is [Page 162] Carnal and Sensual, our Reason is so far from being our Ornament and Perfection, that it is the Plague and Disgrace of our Natures.

FOR for any Nature to have more Fa­culties than what are necessary to its Hap­piness, is monstrous; and therefore had we nothing to enjoy but the Happiness of Brutes, 'twould be a Deformity to our Na­tures to have the Faculties of Angels; be­cause these Faculties would be in vain, there being no adequate Object in the Na­ture of Things to employ and entertain them. So that were the Doctrine of the Atheist true, it would cashier our Reason for a vain and useless Faculty; a thing that serves our Nature to little other purpose, but only to vex and disquiet it. And what Man that hath any Regard or Reverence for himself, would ever be fond of a Belief that thus sinks and depreciates him, and lays the Glory of his Nature in the Dust? For if it be true that there is no God, it is as true that Man is a most despicable Creature, that his Reason upon which he so much values himself is a frivolous and imperti­nent Faculty; a Faculty that can serve him to no higher purpose than only to be a Cook and a Taylor to his Body, to study Sauces and Fashions for it; and that while it serves him in this, disserves him in a [Page 163] thousand other Instances, in mingling his Pleasures with Gall and Wormwood, with Fears and Impatiences, Anxieties and Re­morses, and in aggravating and putting Stings into his Griefs and Calamities. So that when all is done, the only thing that makes it worth the while for a Man to be reasonable, is, that there is a Being of infi­finite Perfection to be known, and loved, and imitated and adored by him; and to deny the Existence of this blessed Being, is infinitely to undervalue our selves, and to eclipse the Glory and Dignity of our Natures. So that by being partial to Atheism we are partial to our own Shame and Dis­grace, and industriously consult the Re­proach and Infamy of Humane Nature; for the Devil himself cannot affix a blacker Scandal on our Reason than what is impli­ed in this Assertion, that there is no God.

AND as it lays the greatest Reproach up­on our Nature, so it also renders us the most Ridiculous of all Beings. For there are certain Affections interwoven with Humane Na­ture, which if there be no God are shame­fully ridiculous; such as the Dread of in­visible Powers, the Sense of Good and Evil, and the anxious Expectation of a Judg­ment to come; all which are so deeply in­laid in our Beings, as that with all our [Page 164] Arts and Reasoning we cannat totally erase them. And even the Atheists themselves who have tried all possible ways of extin­guishing them, have found by Experience that the utmost they can do is, to damp and stupifie them at present; but that in despight of them they will revive and awake again when Death or Danger ap­proaches them. Now how ridiculous are these Affections in Humane Nature, if there be no such Being as a God? For up­on this Supposal we have Passions that have no Objects in the Nature of things, that have nothing in the World to move and affect them, but wild Chimeraes, flying Dragons, and Castles in the Air; and whereas all other Beings have real Objects in Nature corresponding to their several Instincts and Affections (for so the Hare hath a natural dread of a Dog, the Sheep of a Wolf, the Mice of a Cat, the Toad of a Spider, all the Objects of which dread have a real Existence) Poor silly Man, supposing there is no God, naturally trem­bles at an invisible Nothing, and is horri­bly afraid of the Shadow of an Imagina­tion. So that if the Atheists Opinion were true, the Ape that looks pale at the sight of a Snail, and flies as if he feared lest that slow Creature should overtake and devour [Page 165] him, would be a great deal less ridiculous than timorous Man, whose Nature is thus hagg'd with frightful Imaginations of in­visible Powers and a Judgment to come.

AND what Man that hath any Reve­rence for the Humane Nature within him, would ever suffer himself to be bribed for an Opinion that doth not only undervalue but deride and Ridicule it. Should you hear your self branded with a contemptible Character, or ranked among Apes or any such ridiculous Animals, you would doubt­less be so far from courting the Author of it, that you would resent it as a great Af­front, and think your selves obliged in honour to return the Provocation; and yet for the sake of a few base Lusts, which are the Shame and Scandal of your Na­tures, you espouse the Cause of Atheism, tho it derides and affronts you to your Face, and stains the Glory of your Na­tures with the most contemptible and ridi­culous Character in the World.

II. THE Atheist concludes against the very Being and Well-being of Humane So­ciety. For the Soul that penetrates through all Humane Society, and compacts and unites it in a regular Body, is Religion, or the Sense and Acknowledgment of a Divine Pow­er, without which all the Parts of the [Page 166] Corporation of Mankind, like the Mem­bers of a dead Body, must necessarily dis­band and flye abroad into Atoms. For a form'd Society which is an united Multi­tude consists in the Harmony and Consent of its Members mutually united by Laws and Agreements, and disposed into a Re­gular Subordination to one another, nei­ther of which can any Humane Society long continue without the Belief and Ac­knowledgment of a God.

FOR without this in the first place, 'tis impossible that the Parts of any Society should continue united by Laws and A­greements. For 'tis from the Belief of a God, that all the Obligations of Consci­ence are derived; so that take that away and these must dissolve; and when the Obligations of Conscience are dissolved, there is nothing but Mens temporal Inte­rests can oblige them to conform to those Laws and mutual Agreements, by which they are united to one another. And if it be their Interest only that obliges them to be just and faithful to their mutual Agree­ments, they will be equally obliged to be unjust and unfaithful, when ever it is their Interest to be so. So that this Principle which only obliges them to be honest while it is for their Advantage, will as effectually oblige [Page 167] them to be Knaves when ever the Case is altered; and things being reduced to this Issue, there remains no Foundation of Trust and mutual Confidence among Men. For what can any Mans Promise signifie, if he be under no Obligation but Interest? To be sure if it be for his Interest he will do what he says without any Promise; but if it be not, what Promise can oblige him? You will say it is his Interest to keep his Word, be­cause otherwise he will forfeit his Reputa­tion for the future? But pray what Repu­tation can a Man have to forfeit, that owns no other Law or Obligation but his Interest? or who will ever presume upon that Mans Word and Engagement, whose avowed Principle it is to be honest no lon­ger than he can gain by it? Thus Atheism you see, resolves all our Obligations into our worldly Interest, which is so fickle and mutable a Principle, so dependent upon Chance and the Inconstancies of Fortune, that there is no hold to be taken of those that are governed by it. For that which is their Interest to Day may be their Disad­vantage to Morrow, and if it should so happen, they must steer a contrary Course, or else act contrary to their leading Princi­ple. So that for Men to trust each other upon this fickle Principle, is all one as to [Page 168] relie upon the Constancy of a Weather­cock, which every contrary Wind turns to a contrary Position. And things being once reduced to this Issue, that Men can place no Trust or Confidence in one another, their Society will soon become their great­est Plague and Vexation. For every Man will be forced to stand upon his Guard against every Man, and keep himself re­served and retired within himself; till at last out of mutual Distrust and Jealousie of one another, they are forced to with­draw their Society, and to live apart in se­parate Dens for fear of being intrapt and devoured by each other.

AND as Atheism cuts in sunder those Ligaments of mutual Trust and Agreement, by which the Parts of Humane Society are united; so it also dissolves that Regu­lar Subordination that is between them. Plutarch observes in his Treatise against Colot, [...], i. e. It seems to me more possible for a City to stand without Ground, than for a Commonwealth to subsist and continue without the Belief of a God; which is [...] only firm Foundation whereup­ [...] [...] and Society depends. For [Page 169] if there be no God, what should oblige any to own any Superiour, or pay any Sub­mission? And if his Interest be his only Ob­ligation to his Superiours, when ever he can mend his Fortune by Rebelling against them, that very same Interest which at present restrains him from it, will with equal force invite him to it; nor will it sig­nifie any thing that we are obliged to the contrary by Oaths of Fidelity and Allegi­ance; for if it be our Interest to be faithful to the Government, our own Prudence and Discretion will oblige us to it without such Oaths as well as with them; but if it be not our Interest, and this be the only Principle that obliges us, no Oath or En­gagement can hold us. So that in this State of things all the Security that Governors can have of their Subjects, is, that they will not Rebel when they are not able; but as soon as they think it safe, to be sure they will think it lawful; which being once admitted will undermine the very Foundations of Government, and utterly dissolve that regular Subordination by which Humane Society is supported. Whereas admitting that the Laws of our Prince are bound upon us by the Autho­rity of a Sovereign Lord, who can render us eternally happy or miserable, we are [Page 170] obliged to obey him by all that we can hope or fear, and have all the Engagements to Loyalty that the Reflections on a happy or miserable Eternity can lay upon us. What a prodigious piece of Folly is it therefore for Men to embrace Atheism as their Inte­rest, which doth thus directly tend to de­prive us of all the Comforts of Society, by involving us in eternal Confusions and Dis­orders? For if once we take away mutual Trust and Government from the World, both which have a necessary Dependence on the Belief of a God, we break all the Harmo­ny of Humane Society, and convert it into a Commonwealth of Canibals. And what Man in his Wits would ever be found of an Opinion that proclaims open War with Mankind, and is pregnant with Conse­quents so fatal and destructive to the World? Can we think it more advantage­ous to us that Atheism should be true, than that Humane Society should be up­held and perpetuated? or are the Pleasures we reap from the Lusts which incline us to Atheism, comparably so valuable as the Benefits which acrue to us from being for­med and united into regular Corporations? If not, how apparently do we engage a­gainst our own Interest, when we espouse the Cause of Irreligion?

[Page 171]III. THE Atheist concludes against that which is the main Support and Com­fort of Humane Life. For while we are in this World, our best and securest Con­dition is exposed to a world of sad and uncomfortable Accidents, which we have neither the Wisdom to foresee, nor the Power to prevent; So far are we from be­ing self-sufficient as to our worldly Hap­piness, that there are a thousand Causes upon which we depend for it, that are not in our Power to dispose of; and in such a State of uncertainty wherein we are con­tinally bandyed to and fro, and made the Game of inconstant Fortune, what Quiet or Security can we enjoy within our selves without believing that there is a God at the Helm, that steddily over-rules all events that concern us, and steers and directs them by the invariable Compass of his own infinite Wisdom and Goodness. For consi­dering how poor and indigent our Nature is, how we are fain to seek abroad and to go a begging from Door to Door for our Happiness; how we depend upon Chance, and are secure of nothing we possess, or desire, or hope for; how prone we are to be alarmed with the Prospect of a sad Fu­turity, and to magnifie distant Evils in our own Aprehensions; how apt we are to ag­gravate [Page 172] our Miseries by our Impatience and Despair, and to pall our Enjoyments by expecting more from them than their Natures will afford; considering these things, I say, which way can we turn our selves without a God? or where can we re­pose our restless Thoughts but in his Pro­vidence? Verily, could I be tempted to believe that there is no God, I should look upon Humane Nature in its present Cir­cumstances as the most forlorn and aban­doned part of the Creation, and wish that I had had the Luck to be of any other Spe­cies than that of a Rational Animal. For in the State I am I find my self liable to a thousand Dangers against which I have no Sanctuary, and under which I have no Sup­port, if there be no God to govern the World; and having such a dismal Prospect of things before me, and a busie Mind within me that will be continually working on and aggravating the Evils of it, what can I do with my self, or how can I enjoy my self without a God to relie on? Upon the supposal that he is, and that he go­verns the World I can easily relieve my self under the most dismal Apprehensions; I can fairly conclude and safely depend on it, that if I take care by my submission to Gods Will to make him my Friend, he [Page 173] will either prevent the Evils I apprehend, or support me under them, or convert them to my good, either of which is sufficient to set my Heart at ease, and instate me in a quiet Enjoyment of my self. But now by giving up the Belief of a God, I throw away all these Considerations, and leave my self utterly destitute and supportless. For what solid ground of Support can I have when I have no manner of Security either that the Evils I dread shall be pre­vented, or that I shall have a Proportio­nable Strength to bear them, or that I shall ever reap any good or advantage from them; without which Considerations every Evil that threatens or befals me is pure unmin­gled Misery, against which there is no Fence or Cordial in Reason or Philosophy. For suppose I should argue with the anci­ent Moralists, that every ill Accident that befalls me is fatal, as being the Effect of some necessary Cause that is without my Power or Disposal, and therefore 'tis un­reasonable for me to grieve at it; this will be so far from any way mollifying the An­guish of my Mind, that 'twill rather in­rage and inflame it. For that my Calami­ty is fatal, so that it is not in my Power to avoid or remove it, is rather an Aggra­vation than a Diminution of it. Or sup­pose [Page 174] I should reason as the same Moralists otherwhiles do, Why should I grieve at the Evils that befal me, when alas! my Grief will be so far from lessening them that 'twill rather encrease and multiply them, contribute new Venome to their Stings, and render them more pungent and dolorous; What a faint Cordial would it be to my oppressed Mind, to consider that my Grief will but augment my Load? It is some Ease to a dejected Soul to vent its Griefs in Moans and Lamentations, which while she seeks to smother in a sullen silence like imprisoned Wind will breed a Collick in her Bowels; and is it not a sad thing that I must deny my self the only Solace of a miserable Man, for fear of augmenting my Misery? Again, suppose I should reason thus with the same Authors, that Af­flictions are indifferent things, and in themselves neither good nor evil, but in­differently improvable into Mischiefs or Benefits; this I confess were a good Ar­gument supposing that the Affliction came from a good God, who can extract Good out of all our Evils, and render the rank­est Poyson Medicinal; but otherwise you will find 'tis but a cold Comfort to call your Misery by another Name; For if there be no God to temper our Evils, and [Page 175] to ordain and direct them to wise and good Ends, we shall find in the issue they will prove themselves Evils to us by what soft Name soever we may call them. Again, and to name no more, Suppose I should reason thus, as these Masters of Morality do, that to bear Afflictions with an un­concerned Mind is brave, and manly, and generous; that it is an Argument of a great and Heroick Mind, that hath raised it self above the reach of Misfortunes; I readily confess so it is, supposing a Man hath good reason thus to bear his Afflicti­ons, which is the Question in debate; for then it is the Triumph of Reason over Passion, and an illustrious Instance of a well fortified Mind; but if we have no reason for it, all these glorious Words, Generous, Brave, &c. are nothing but empty Flash and mere Rodomontado. For for a Man to be unconcerned with Evils without reason, is so far from being generous and brave, that 'tis an Argument of his brutal Stupi­dity and Fool-hardiness. But yet supposing that there is no God, these are the main Ar­guments we have to support our selves under any Calamity. But alas, such real Griefs of ours are not to be redress'd with pretty Sayings and grave Sentences, which tho they may look takingly at a Distance, [Page 176] will when we come to apply and experi­ence them force us to pronounce as Job did of his Friends, miserable Comforters are ye all, and Physicians of no value. So that were we left destitute of God and a Providence, and of all those blessed Sup­ports we derive from thence, we were of all Creatures the most miserable. For in this state of things we are compassed about with Miseries and Misfortunes, and which without God is our greatest Misfortune, we have a thing called Reason within our Breast, which is very ingenious in giving Stings to our Miseries, and vexing us with cutting Reflections on them, but is not able to qualifie one Grief, or minister one dram of solid Comfort to us.

BUT when we lift up our Eyes to God, there are such vast and innumerable Com­forts flowing down to us from the Consi­deration of his Nature and Providence, as are sufficient not only to allay our Sorrows, but to convert them into Joys and Tri­umphs. For in him we behold not only an infinite Wisdom that always knows what is best for us, but also an infinite Goodness that always wills what it knows to be so, and an infinite Power that always does what it wills; and whilst we see and con­sider this, there is nothing in the World [Page 177] can happen amiss to us; Welcome Pain, welcome Pleasure, welcome Loss, welcome Gain, welcome Disgrace, welcome Honour; for if we have but God our Friend, we may securely depend upon it, that what­ever befalls us is best for us.

WHO but a Mad-man therefore would ever espouse the Cause of Atheism, or make it his Interest to exclude God out of the World? Indeed were he an envious, ma­licious, or tyrannical Being, that repined at the Happiness of his Creatures, and watch­ed all Opportunities to plague or destroy them, 'twere but reasonable we should endeavour to quit our Minds of the Belief of him; but to imagine it our Interest to believe there is no such Being in the World as a Good God, that out of the immense Benignity of his Nature espouses our Inte­rest, and takes care of our Happiness; that understands our Wants, and compassio­nates our Sufferings, and is able and wil­ling to support and relieve us; that re­quires nothing of us but what is for our good, and will infinitely reward us for doing that which is best for our selves; that connives at our Follies, and pities our Infirmities, and upon our unfeigned Re­pentance is ready to be reconciled to us, even when we wilfully and presumptuously [Page 178] provoke him; to Imagine it, I say, our In­terest to shake off the Belief of such a bles­sed Being as this, is the utmost height of Folly and Madness. For 'twere doubtless a thousand times more tolerable for Men that the Sun should be pulled down from the Firmament, and all the Lights of Heaven extinguished, than that the Belief of a God should be banished from the World, the absence of which would over­spread Mankind with such a dismal Night of Horror and Despair and Blackness of Darkness, as would render all wise and considering Men aweary of their Beings, and cause them to wish a thousand times over, as for the utmost Good they could devise for themselves, O that there were such a Being as a God at the Helm of the World, that so the Affairs of it might be steered by an infinite Power, that is always direct­ed by an infinite Wisdom, and always by­assed and inclined by an infinite Goodness! What then can be more brutish or irratio­nal, than for the sake of a few base Lusts that are the Scandal of our Nature, the Bane of our Society, the Vexation of our Lives, and the Disturbance of all our Happiness, to banish the Belief of a God from our Minds which is the Foundation of our Hope, and the only support we can rationally depend on.

[Page 179]IV. THE Atheist concludes for that side of the Question which is infinitely the most unsafe and hazardous. He who believes there is a God and acts according­ly, runs a very small and inconsiderable Ven­ture if in the issue of things he should chance to be mistaken; he only ventures the dissatisfying a few extravagant Lusts, the crossing some irregular Inclinations of his Nature, which if he had gratified would have vexed and tormented him, and entan­gled his Life with a thousand ill Circum­stances; he only ventures some Prayers and some Tears, some Watchings and Srug­lings and Contentions with himself, and per­haps some Reproaches and Persecutions for Righteousness sake, in Exchange for which he hath commonly a healthful and a prospe­rous, an even, safe and contented Life, a quiet and a Triumphant Conscience, and a joyous Expectation of a blissful Eternity to come, which do outweigh all the Incommodities he ventures, all the Pains he undergoes, and all the Pleasures of which he debars himself; and if in the Conclusion when he resigns up his Breath, it appears that there is neither God nor Heaven nor Hell, his Condition will be altogether as good as the Atheists, with whom he will sleep quietly in the same Dust under the same everlasting Insensibility.

[Page 180]BUT on the contrary, the Atheist by believing that there is no God and acting ac­cordingly, runs the most desperate Hazard in the World. For besides that he throws a­way the main Support and Comfort of his Life, and lays himself open to all Contin­gencies, and resigns up the Satisfaction of a good Conscience together with the Hopes of a blessed Futurity, and all the innume­rable Joys it abounds with; besides all which, I say, he ventures to be eternally wretched and miserable in the World to come, and exposes himself naked and de­fenceless to the unquenchable Wrath of an everliving God; in Exchange for all which he hath no other present Compensation, but the Pleasures of a riotous and tumul­tuary Life, which do always die away in the Enjoyment, and are generally dasht and sophisticated with a thousand very sad and uncomfortable Circumstances. And then if when he concludes this present Scene of Life, he should find himself mistaken in his Atheistical Confidence, and be unexpe­ctedly summoned to the Tribunal of that God, whose Being and Authority he hath so peremptorily denied and affronted, and from thence be transmitted into a dismal Eternity, there to languish out an everla­sting Existence in remediless Woes and un­pitied [Page 181] Lamentations; how would it asto­nish and confound him to find his confident Infidelity baffled by such a woful Experi­ment, when instead of being asleep in a state of Silence and Insensibility, which was the thing he depended on, he shall find himself wasted to a strange Shoar, and there landed among Devils and miserable Spirits, in a state of endless, easless and re­mediless Calamity! How blank and forlorn will the Fool look to find himself thus fa­tally mistaken? and yet for all he knows this may be the Result and Issue of things. So that 'tis a very small Hazard you see that good Men run, compared with that of the Atheist; for should they be mista­ken, their Condition will be as good as his at the winding up of the Bottom; but if they should not, it will be infinitely bet­ter.

IT is storied of a certain Hermite, who being retired from the World, led a very severe and mortified Life, that being one day met by two Cardinals, who were ri­ding by with a very Pompous Equipage, was thus acosted by them, Father, why should you thus mortifie and macerate your self by retiring from the Glories and Plea­sures of this Life? Suppose now that after all your Religious Severities, there should be [Page 182] neither a God nor a future World to reward you, would it not be egregious Folly in you thus to throw away present Enjoy­ments for future Nothings? To which the good Man presently returned this An­swer; But Sirs, suppose there should be a God and a future World to punish you, would it not be egregious Folly in you, to run such a desperate Venture as you do of being everlastingly miserable, for the sake of a few momentary Honours and Advance­ments? Upon which, as the Story saith, the Cardinals being convinced, went away very pensive. And herein doubtless the honest Hermite was very much in the right. For were it a Moot-point whether there be a God or no, one would think in a matter of such unspeakable Moment, and where the Hazard on each side is so infi­nitely unequal, there is no Man in his Wits but would choose the safest side, and make that his Rule and Principle to live by. In this therefore the Atheist is justly chargeable with the most desperate Folly, that whereas at least he might be safe, if not eternally Happy, by believing that there is a God and acting accordingly, he rather chooses to venture being eternally Miserable, by believing there is none and acting as if there were none. In short, this [Page 183] is the plain state of the Case, if I be­lieve that God is and act consonantly, I shall be safe if he be not, and eternally happy if he be; whereas if I believe that he is not, I ame sure to be miserable for ever if he be, and am only safe from being mi­serable for ever if he be not; and this be­ing the Case, I leave any Man to judge which of the two is in Prudence more eli­gible, the peradventure of being happy for ever or of being miserable for ever, supposing both to be equally probable. But

V. The Atheist concludes for the unsa­fest side of the Question upon the greatest Vncertainties in the World. One would think before a Man assented to a Conclusi­on, the Consequence of which, if he should be mistaken, will be for ever fatal to him, he should be so wise at least as to look be­fore he leap, and satisfie himself of the Grounds he concludes on, and not to give up his Assent upon every doubtful and un­certain Appearance. Now that part of the Question which the Atheist Assents to, is of such mighty Consequence as that should it prove false he is lost for ever; and there­fore one would think it concerned him to be very sure of his hand, and take care that his Assent be founded upon very strong and [Page 184] undeniable Evidence, instead of which he assents at a venture, and grounds his Belief upon the most sandy Foundations. For

1. He concludes for a pure Negative.

2. He concludes for it upon a bare Possibility.

3. He concludes for it against the best Evidence that the Contrary will admit.

I. HE concludes for a pure Negative. All Men are agreed that 'tis a very hard thing to prove a Negative; but to prove a pure Negative is impossible, unless the Ex­istence of the thing which it denies implies an express Contradiction. 'Tis true, where a thing visibly exists so that we can perceive as well how it doth not exist as how it doth, we may with as good Evidence de­ny as affirm; but as for pure Negatives which deny the very Existence of such things as may possibly exist, it is impossible to be certain of them without an infinite Understanding. For before we can be sure that what is not in our Understanding is not in Nature, we must be sure that what­soever is in Nature, is in our Understand­ing, otherwise a thousand things may be tho we do not understand them. As for Instance, Unless I were sure that I had the perfect Map or Geography of such a Coun­try in my Head, it is impossible I should [Page 185] be sure that there is no such Town, or City, or Region belonging thereunto; and so un­less I were sure that the Cosmography or V­niversal Map of Nature were perfectly deli­neated on my Vnderstanding, I cannot po­sitively affirm that such or such a Being doth not actually exist. So that as a great Divine of our own hath well observed up­on this very Argument, after all that can be said against a thing this will still be true, that many things possibly are which we know not of, and that many things more may be than are. For unless our Under­standing were extended to the whole Com­pass of Nature, there may be, for all we know, ten thousand things in Nature which are not in our Vnderstanding. So that con­cerning pure Negatives we can never be certain, unless the things which they de­ny be absolutely impossible, and imply, in the very Notion of their Existence, a plain Contradiction; which cannot be said of the Existence of God. For by God we mean nothing but a Being endowed with all pos­sible Perfections; and to say that it is im­possible that there should be any such Being as is endowed with all the Perfections that 'tis possible for a Being to be indowed with, is to assert Possibilities impossible, which is a Contradiction in Terms. Since therefore [Page 186] this Negative that there is no God, denies that which is possible in its Nature, and which implies not the least Shadow of Con­tradiction, it is impossible, supposing it were true, for any finite Understanding to be certain of it. What Man in his Wits then would ever presume to deny the Being of God, and to Stake his everlasting Fate on it, when he knows beforehand that he cannot be sure that his Denial is true, and that if it prove false he is lost for ever! A­las! what is this but to throw Dice for our Souls, and to venture our Salvation on a wild Vncertainty?

II. THE Atheist concludes for a pure Negative upon a bare Possibility. One would think in a Matter of such infinite Moment, Men should at least be so wise as not to conclude without strong Probabili­ties, where they can find no Certainty to relie on; but so desperately fool-hardy is the Atheist as to suspend his Faith, and with that his Salvation, upon the bare Pos­sibility that there may be no God. For when he is urged with those Arguments of Gods Being, that are drawn from the beautiful Contrivance of the World, he hath no other way to evade them, but by endea­vouring to demonstrate how by the neces­sary Laws of Matter and Motion, things [Page 187] might possibly be shuffled together as they are without the Agency and Direction of a God; and yet even in this Attempt so ma­ny inextricable Difficulties present them­selves as have puzled and confounded the acu­test Wits that were ever engaged in it; and while with all their Art and Contrivance they have been framing their Hypothesis of the Existence of this World without a God, they have been forced not only to beg some Principles, but also to assert others that upon Examination have been found repugnant to the Nature of things; and when all is done, if both were true, yet are they altogether insufficient to solve a thousand Phainomena in Nature. So that the utmost that the most learned and in­quisitive Atheist could ever pretend to, was to advance Atheism to a Grand perhaps, and by endeavouring to demonstrate how things might possibly be as they are without a God, to prove that 'tis possible there is none; and yet when all is done, their most ingenious Endeavours are only a Demonstra­tion that the most acute and witty Men may be mistaken. For what a hopeless kind of Task is it to shew how that may be the Effect of a blind Chance or Necessity, which hath all the Characters of a wise Design and Contrivance fairly imprinted on it? [Page 188] How is it possible for an undesigning Chance to fit Means to Ends, or Ends to Natures, or so to proportion Parts to one another as to make a comely Symmetry in the whole, and this in ten thousand Instances and not fail in one? How often, as the above named Author from Tully discourses, might a Man after he hath shaken together a Sett of Letters in a Bag, fling them out upon the Ground, before they would fall into an exact Poem, or make a good Discourse in Prose? And may not a little Book be as easily made by Chance as the great Volume of the World, in which there is such an inexhaustible Treasure of rich Sense and Contrivance? Or how long might a Man be in sprinkling Colours upon a Can­vas with a careless Hand, before they would happen to fall into the exact Picture of a Man? And is a Man easier made by Chance than his Picture? Why may we not as well conceive the most regular Build­ing in the World to be framed by a casual Concourse of Stone and Iron and Timber, as that these blind and rambling Parts of Matter should chance to place themselves so orderly in the World, and to observe such an exact Harmony and Decorum as if they kept Time with the Musical Laws of some almighty Mind, that composed [Page 189] their Measures and regulated their Motions up and down in the Universe?

BUT granting the Atheist what he so eagerly tho unsuccessfully contends for, that it is possible all this might happen by mere Chance, and consequently that there may be no God in the World, would any Man in his Wits found his Faith upon a mere Pos­sibility, when 'twill be as much as his Soul is worth if he should happen to be mista­ken? It is possible that should he throw himself from the Top of a high Steeple, the Air between may be so condensed as to bear him up and preserve him from being dasht in pieces by his Fall; but would you not think the Man slark mad that should venture his Neck upon that Possibility? And yet it is a far more desperate Venture that the Atheist makes, by thus hazarding his Soul to everlasting Destruction, upon a bare possibility that there may be no God to destroy him.

III. THE Atheist concludes against the best evidence that the Contrary will admit. For that there is a God we have as full E­vidence as the Matter could bear if there were one, and to require more is absurd and unreasonable. For let us at present sup­pose, but for Argument-sake, that there were such an infinite Spirit in the World; [Page 190] a Spirit that were as wise, and as good, and as powerful as he whom we call God is sup­posed to be; supposing, I say, there were such a Spirit actually existing, we could not have greater Evidence of it than we have already that he actually exists. For we could not see him with our Eyes, because we suppose him to be a Spirit, we could not demonstrate his Existence à priori or from any Cause, because being the first Cause he must be un caused or Self-Origi­nated. It remains therefore that the only Demonstration we could give of his Being, is that which we call à posteriori or from such sensible Effects as can only be ascribed to the Power, and Wisdom, and Goodness of such a Being; and of such Effects as these we have infinite Instances before us. For in sum, we have all this visible World about us, whose changeable Nature de­monstrates it to be the Effect of some supe­rior Cause, and whose unspeakable Vast­ness, Beauty, and Contrivance argues it to be the Effect of some most wise, and good and powerful Cause. For as to the first, whatsoever is changeable cannot self-exist, but must necessarily proceed from some su­perior Cause; because whatsoever Self-exists is necessarily, and whatsoever is necessarily is always the same; that which is without [Page 191] any Cause cannot but be, and that which is thus or thus without any Cause, cannot but be so or so for ever; and conse­quently if the World were of it self without any Cause, it would not only be necessarily, but also be such as it is necessa­rily and unchangeably; but contrariwise we plainly perceive that it runs a perpetual Course of Change and Alteration, that its Parts are continually altering their Figure, and shifting their Places with one another, whereas if this Part were of it self neces­sarily, as it must be if the Whole be so, it would necessarily be where it is and what it is eternally.

AND since the Mutability of this World argues it to be the Effect of some superior Cause, I would fain know whether con­sidering the Vastness, and Beauty, and Contrivance of it, it be not most reasona­ble to attribute it to such an all-good, all-wise, and Almighty Cause as we suppose God to be. For what less than an infinite Power can bear a due Proportion to such a vast and immense World? Should you en­ter into a vast and magnificent Palace, and find no Creature in it, but a company of Mice or Weasels, could you possibly be­lieve that these impotent Vermin built it? And yet the building of the most Royal [Page 192] Palace doth not so much exceed the Power of these weak Animals, as the building of this World doth the Power of any Cause but a God. But then if we consider the infinite Number of Beings in the World that are capable of Happiness, and the vast Provisions that are made to entertain them according to their several Capacities, we cannot but thence conclude that the Power which made them was acted by an infinite Goodness. Lastly, if we consider the rare and admirable Contrivance of the se­veral Parts of the World; how perfect each one is in its Kind, how exactly fitted to each other, and what a lovely Symmetry and Proportion they all make in the whole, how can we otherwise imagine but that that Power and Goodness which caused it was di­rected by an infinite Wisdom? So that the World is such an Effect as openly pro­claims its Cause to be a God; and if this E­vidence of Gods Existence will not con­vince Men, they are impregnably fortified against all Conviction; and if God should carry them into those infinite Spaces that are beyond the Limits of this World, and there command a New One into Being, while they stood looking on, and saw it springing out of nothing, they might with as good reason conclude that World to be [Page 193] nothing but a fortuitous Concourse of in­sensible Parts of Matter, as they now do that this is so. So that in fine, he that denies God after all these Demonstrations which he hath given of himself, is out of the reach of Argument, and if he pursue his own Principles, can never be convin­ced by any possible Reasons. And what a desperate Folly is it for Men to embrace a Belief, which should they be mistaken draws after it everlasting Ruin, when they have all the Reasons to the contrary that the Matter is capable of? What is this but to shut their Eyes, and cast themselves blind­fold on their own Destruction, and to re­solve to wink hard and believe against all possible Reasons, that so they may ruin themselves without any Interruption?

VI. and Lastly, THE Atheist plainly contradicts himself in his own Conclusion. For by denying that God is, he necessari­ly denies the Possibility of his Being. For if he be not, it is impossible he should ever be; because Eternity of Being is included in the Notion of him. For when we speak of God, we mean by him a Being that is before all Causes, and the Cause of all Causes, and that therefore oweth not his Being to any prior Cause, but doth ne­cessarily, independently, and eternally exist. [Page 194] So that if he be not now, he cannot be at all, because he must begin to be, which is contradictory to the very essential Notion and Idea of him. For if he should ever begin to be, he cannot be Eternal, and if he be not Eternal he cannot be God. So that to say God is not, is by necessary Consequence to say he cannot be at all; and yet by a God we mean at the same time a Being that is endowed with all the possible Perfections that a Being is capable of. Wherefore as by saying that God is not, we do by Consequence assert that it is im­possible he should ever be, so by asserting that it is impossible he should ever be, we do in effect assert this gross Contradiction; that it is impossible such a Being should ever be as includes all the Perfections that are possible to a Being. Thus in the same Breath we pronounce that God can and cannot be, that 'tis possible he is, and yet impossible he should ever be. For by saying that he is a Being endowed with all the possible Perfections of Being, we expresly affirm that it is possible he may be; but by saying that there is no such Being actu­ally existing, we do as expresly assert that it is impossible he should ever be. He there­fore who asserts that God is not, doth by necessary Consequence assert this express [Page 195] Contradiction, that it is impossible there should ever be a Being as perfect as it is pos­sible. And when if there be a God, Mens eternal Fate depends but upon believing that he is and acting accordingly, what a monstrous Folly is it for Men to contradict themselves to deny him; what is this but to stake their Souls upon it, that the very first Principle of reasoning is false, and put their Fate upon this desperate Issue, that unless both Parts of a Contradiction prove true, they must inevitably perish for ever?

And now having shewn you from what malignant Causes Atheism springs, and how desperately foolish and unreasonable it is in it self, let us all endeavour by the serious Consideration of what hath been said, to fortifie our Minds against it. And since this Proposition that God is, is the prime Foundation of all Religion, it con­cerns us all to use our utmost Diligence to establish our Minds in the firm and sted­fast Belief of it; and this we cannot fail to do, if we heartily endeavour it. For the Arguments of Gods Being do shine all round about us with such a clear and convincing Light, that we need do no more than just open our Eyes to it, and dispel those mischievous Causes from our Wills, that hide and obscure it from our Vnder­standings. [Page 196] And when once we have throughly setled the Belief of Gods Be­ing in our Minds, it will mightily influence all our Powers of Action; it will invite our Hope, and alarm our Fear, and Address to every Passion in us that is capable of Per­swasion, and be an everliving Spring of Religion within us; for God is an Object so infinitely Great in himself, and of such infinite Moment and Concernment to us, that 'tis next to impossible we should firmly believe that he is, without being vigorously impress'd with religious Affections upon the Consideration of his Being.

SECT. I. What it is we are to believe of the divine Providence.

IN General, it is not sufficient that we be­lieve this or that Part or Branch of it, but we must acknowledge the Whole; every Part whereof the Whole consists being pregnant with very powerful Obligations to Religi­on. Now the Whole of Providence consists in Gods continual Conservation, Possession, [Page 200] Inspection, and Disposal of all things, and Government of the rational World. So that the Whole of it includes these five Parts or Branches,

• 1. Gods continual Conservation of all things.
• 2. His continual Possession of all things.
• 3. His continual Inspection of all things.
• 4. His continual Ordering and Disposal of all things.
• 5. His continual Government of the ra­tional World. All which, as I shall shew, are highly necessary to be believed in order to our being truly Religious.

I. To oblige us to be truly religious, it is necessary we should believe that God continually upholds and conserves all things. That he alone is the great Atlas on whose almighty Shoulders the whole Frame of things depends. For tho the works of Hu­mane Art do often stand many Ages after the Workmans Hand is withdrawn from them, yet the reason is because there is Something between them and Nothing, viz, the pre-existing Matter of which they are formed; whereas the Works of God being all produced out of Nothing, have nothing between them, but that creative Power which produced them. And therefore as Mans Works would necessarily perish were [Page 201] that pre-existing Matter taken away, which stands between them and Nothing, so Gods Works would necessarily resolve into nothing, should that creative Power be withdrawn which stands between them and nothing. In short pre-existing Matter is the Basis of our Works, and creative Power of Gods; and therefore as our Works must cease to be were their pre-existing Matter withdrawn, so Gods Works must cease to be were his creative Power withdrawn. So that 'tis the same almighty Power which raised the World out of Nothing that keeps it from sinking into nothing; and that it is this Moment is as much the Effect of divine Power, as that it was that Moment when it was first created. For the World was no more able to give it self the second Moment of Being than it was the first, nor the third than the second, and so on through all the past and future Moments of its Be­ing. For one Moment of Being is as much as another, and therefore to give a second requires the same Power as to give a first; and if so, then each succeeding Moment of the Worlds Duration and Continuance, must be derived from the Cause of the first Moment of its Being. So that the Crea­tion and Conservation of the World, is only the same Act continuing and flowing on [Page 202] (like a Line from a Mathematical Point) from the first Instant of its Being to the last Period of its Duration. And so the Scripture represents it; thus Nehemiah 9.6. Thou, even thou art Lord alone, thou hast made Heaven, the Heaven of Heavens with all their Hosts, the Earth and all things that are therein, and thou preservest them all; and Acts 17.25, 28. he giveth to all life and breath and all things, in him we live, and move, and have our being; and Heb. 1.3. he is said to uphold all things by the word of his Power.

WHICH is a Truth of that vast Impor­tance to Religion, that it is hardly concei­vable how it can subsist without it. For while we look on our selves as Beings that are independent from God, that do live, and breath, and subsist of our selves, with­out any new Supplies of Being from him, why should we serve and worship him? What reason have we to trust in a Being from whom we expect no Support? Or to render Homage to a Being on whom we have no Dependence? So that by disbelie­ving this Part of the divine Providence, we do in effect cut off all Intercourse between God and our selves, and lay an Imbargo on Religion. For if we depend not on him, what have we to do with him? And if we [Page 203] owe not our Lives and Beings to his Power, what right hath he to exact our Obedience? But while we look upon our selves as Be­ings that hang upon him, and derive every Breath and Moment of our Beings from him, so that should he withdraw from us that almighty Arm that susteins us, and leave us to subsist of our selves, we must presently drop into nothing, how can we forbear without infinite Stupidity and In­gratitude to devote our selves and all our Powers and Faculties to his Service? For what a stupid Wretch should I be should I not study to please him upon whom I know my Life and Being depends, and who merely by withdrawing his Hand from underneath me can let me sink into nothing when he pleases; and what an un­grateful Wretch should I be should I refuse to honour, worship and obey him, from whom I draw every Breath I breath and derive new life and Being every Moment?

II. IT is also necessary we should be­lieve that God possesses all things; that he hath not given away this World from him­self, and cast it out of his own Disposal as a common Scramble among Men; but that he hath reserved to himself an absolute, unalienable and independent Propriety in all that we enjoy and possess. For all things [Page 204] owe their Being to him as he is the Creator and Vpholder of them; and therefore whatsoever is must necessarily be his, be­cause it is by his Power and Providence. And if we who act by the Power of God and can do nothing without him, may claim a Right to the Effects of our Inven­tion and Industry, how much more may God who contrived and produced all things by his own independent Wisdom and Pow­er? For our Wisdom and Power being Gods, he hath a Sovereign Right to all the Effects of them; but his Wisdom and Power are absolutely his own without De­pendence on any superior Cause; and therefore whatsoever are the Effects of them must necessarily be his by a most ab­solute and independent Propriety. And ac­cordingly he is stiled the possessor of Hea­ven and Earth, Gen. 14.19. and Moses tells his People, behold the Heaven and the Heaven of Heavens is the Lords, the Earth also and all that is therein, Deut. 10.14. and the Earth saith the Psalmist is the Lords and the fulness thereof, the World and they that dwell therein; for he hath founded it upon the Sea and prepared it up­on the Floods, Psal. 24.1. and 50.12. and the Heavens saith he again are thine, the Earth also is thine; as for the World and [Page 205] the fulness thereof thou hast founded them, Psal. 89.11.

GOD therefore being the Supreme Pro­prietor of the World, there is nothing can be justly ours but by his Will and Grant; and nothing can be ours by his Will, but what is honestly and justly ours. So that for us to seise upon any Part of the World by Fraud, or Violence, or Oppression, is to trespass upon God and invade his Proper­ty, and to tear his World from him against his Will. Thus whatsoever we possess by Wrong, we possess as Robbers and Invaders of God, and whatsoever we enjoy by Right, we enjoy as Tenants to the great Landlord of the World; and without owning and ac­knowledging this we cannot be truly Reli­gious. For if the World be not his, why should we pray to him for what we want of it, or praise him for what we enjoy? Why should we patiently submit to his Disposal when he deprives us of what we have? Or thankfully acknowledg his Good­ness when he supplies us with what we need? Why should we employ our Possessi­ons in his Service, or think our selves obli­ged to return him any Part of them in pi­ous or charitable Works? In a word, why should we be contented with a small share, and abide by that unequal Division of things [Page 206] that is made in the World, and not en­deavour to increase our own poor Heap by pilfering from other Mens that are ten times bigger than ours? Whence are these Obligations but from this Supposal, that God is the supreme Proprietor and Posses­sor of all things; which being denied there remains no solid Foundation of Reason for any of these great and necessary Duties of Religion.

III. To oblige us to be truly religious it is also necessary we should believe that God is present with and inspects all things; that his divine Substance is diffused through and circumfused about all things, so as to penetrate them within as an universal Soul, and contain them without as an universal Place. For so the Jewish Doctors are wont to call God Hamakom, that is to say, the Place or Continent of all things; because all things are incompassed by him, and do live and move within his infinite Bosom. For so in Scripture the divine Substance is described, as spreading it self through and a round the World, even to the utmost possi­bility of Extension. Whither saith the Psalmist, shall I go from thy Spirit, or whi­ther shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into Heaven thou art there, if I make my bed in Hell, behold thou art there; [Page 207] if I take the Wings of the Morning, and dwell in the uttermost Parts of the Sea, even there shall thy Hand lead me and thy right Hand shall hold me, Psal. 139.7, 8, 9, 10. And Behold, saith Solomon, the Heaven of Heavens cannot contain thee, 1 Kings 8.27. yea do not I fill Heaven and Earth? saith the Lord himself, Jer. 23.24.

NOW tho Gods Omnipresence be strict­ly an Attribute of his Essence, and not a part of his Providence, yet 'tis such an At­tribute as includes his universal Providence, and without supposing of which an univer­sal Providence can hardly be conceived. For if he co-exists and be present with all things, he must be supposed to operate up­on them; because where ever he is, his infinite Wisdom and Power and Goodness are; which in their own Nature are such active Perfections as cannot be present where such a world of things are to be done, and sit still and do nothing. For how can we conceive that infinite Wisdom should be present where a world of things are to be ordered, and yet order nothing? That infinite Power should be present where a world of things are to be done, and yet do nothing? Or that infinite Good­ness should be present where a world of good is to be done, and do no good at all? [Page 208] Such an idle, restive Presence as this, is utterly inconsistent with such active Per­fections. So that the Omnipresence of an infinite Power and Wisdom, and Goodness necessarily supposes an universal Provi­dence, and without such an Omnipresence an universal Providence can hardly be conceived. For how can God be present by any Power, or Virtue or Efficacy of his Nature, in any Place from whence the real Substance of his Divinity is excluded? How can he operate by his own immedi­ate Efficiency where he is not? Or extend his divine Power, and Wisdom, and Good­ness over all things, except his divine Sub­stance in which these Attributes are, be co-extended with them. Every Agent must be where it acts, because it acts from its Being, and it is as possible for that which is not to operate, as for that which is to operate where it is not; and hence Socra­tes being asked how it was possible for one God to order all the Affairs of the World? returns this Answer, [...], i. e. God is so great and vast a Being, as that he hears and sees all things together, and is present every where, and takes care of all things at the same time. [Page 209] Thus Gods Omnipresence, you see, doth so include his universal Providence that with it 'tis necessary and without it inconcei­vable.

AND then from his Presence with all things, necessarily follows his Inspection of all things; because where ever he is, his infinite Knowledg is, which is inseparable from his Being; and were ever his infinite Knowledge is, it must necessarily have a through Prospect of all things round about him, so that nothing can be concealed from its Inspection. For so the Scripture assures us that the Eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole Earth, 2 Chron. 16.9. and that the Eyes of the Lord are in eve­ry place beholding the evil and good, Prov. 15.3. and in a word, that all things are open and naked to the Eyes of him with whom we have to do, Heb. 4.13.

BOTH which are Truths of vast Im­portance to Religion. For while Men look upon God as a Being that dwells at a great Distance from them, they will be ready enough to conclude Procul à Jove procul à Fulmine, that being far off from him, they are out of his reach, and beyond the Dan­ger of his Thunderbolts; and that he is too far removed from them either to succour them when they want his Aid, or to punish [Page 210] them when they deserve his Displeasure; which must needs extinguish both their Hope and Fear, which are the Master-Springs of their Religion. And tho we should believe him to be present with us, yet unless we also believe that he hath a full Inspection into all our Actions and Af­fairs, we shall have no Regard to him. For if he sees not into our Affairs, how can he succour and relieve us? And if he cannot relieve us, to what end should we hope in him, depend upon him, or pray to him? And unless he hath a perfect Insight into all our Actions, how should he reward or punish us; and if he cannot reward us what should encourage, if he cannot punish us, what should terrifie us to our Duty to him? But if we look upon him as a Being that is always with us, and where ever we are surrounds us wirh his boundless Pre­sence▪ that includes and penetrates every part of our Substance, sees into our inmost Thoughts and Purposes, and ransacks eve­ry Corner of our Souls with his allseeing Eye, and hath a through and perfect Pro­spect of all our Affairs and Concerns, we cannot without infinite Force to our Rea­son forbear fearing and reverencing, ser­ving and adoring him.

[Page 211]IV. To fasten the Obligations of Re­ligion upon us it is also necessary that we believe that God continually orders and disposes of all things; that he is the Spring of all the Motions of this great Machine of the World, that sets every Wheel and Cause agoing, and by his all-commanding Influence maintains, directs and over-rules their Motions; and that there is nothing happens in the World, whether by Na­ture, or Chance, or Design, but by his Or­dination and Disposal; that even those na­tural Causes which are necessarily determi­ned to such particular Courses and Effects, are influenced and conducted by him, and that whensoever they stray from their Courses, suspend or precipitate their Mo­tions, or move counter to their natural Tendencies, it is by his Order and Directi­on; that 'tis he who drives and guides the heavenly Bodies, impresses the Degrees and chalks out the Paths of their Motions, and by his own Almighty Hand turns round those stupendous Wheels in a perpetual Revolution. For so the Scripture tells us that he makes his Sun to shine upon the good and bad, Mat. 5.45. that it is at his Beck and Command that those vast Bodies of Light exhale the Vapours of the Earth and Sea, and dissolve them down again in Hail, [Page 212] and Rain and Snow. For so we are told that 'tis he who covers the Heavens with Clouds, and prepares the Rain for the Earth; that sends forth his Commandment unto the Earth, and giveth Snow like Wool, and scattereth the hoar Frost like Ashes, and casteth forth his Ice like Morsels, and send­eth forth his Word and melteth them, and causes the Wind to blow and the Waters flow, Psalm 147.8, 15, 16, 17, 18. that the Fire, and Hail, and Snow, and Vapours, and stormy Winds do fulfil his Word, Psalm 148.8. And in a word, that 'tis by his Order and Influence that the Earth sends up its Sap into the Seeds and Roots of Herbs, and Corn and Plants, and causes them to spring and grow, and that all Animals do propa­gate their Kind, and still replenish the Store-houses of Nature; for so we are told that he cloaths the Grass of the Field, and arrays the Lillies in all their glory, Mat. 2.28, 29, 30. and that he causes the Grass to grow for the Cattel, and Herb for the use of Man, that he may bring forth Food out of the Earth, Psal. 104.14.

AND then as for fortuitous and casual Events, which depend upon Accidental and irregular Causes, as a Mans being hit with an Arrow let fly at random, or brain­ed with a Stone falling from the Top of an [Page 213] House, we must believe that they are all ordered, directed, and over-ruled by God; so as that to him there is nothing casual or contingent; and tho there are many things happen of which there was no Necessity in their immediate Causes, yet do they as ne­cessarily depend upon the Will and Power of the first Cause of all, as the Rising and Setting of the Sun, and Ebbing and Flow­ing of the Sea. So that how fortuitous so­ever these things may be in respect of the Design and natural Tendency of second Cau­ses, yet none of them ever happen besides the Purpose and Intention of God, who fore­sees and designs them before they come to pass, and directs and levels them to his own most wise and holy Ends and Purpo­ses. For so the Arrow which the Soldier let fly at Random was levelled by God at Ahabs Breast, so that his Death was Chance in respect of the Soldier who shot the Ar­row, but Design in God who directed it; and accordingly, Prov. 16.33. we are told that the Lot is cast into the Lap, but the whole disposing thereof is of the Lord. And so in the Case of Chance-Medley when a Man accidentally kills another without any Design or Intention, tho it be mere Accident in him, 'tis Council and Design in God, who, as the Scripture expresses it, delivers the [Page 214] Man he slays into his Hand, Exod. 21.13.

And then Lastly, As for those Events which happen by the Design of free and rational Agents, it is necessary we should believe that they are all over-ruled by God too; that whatever befalls us in this World whether it be by the good or ill Design of Men or Angels, is for good, and just, and holy Ends, either permitted or determined by the sovereign Disposer of all Events; so that without his wise Permission or De­termination, neither Angels, nor Men, nor Devils can do us either good or hurt; that every good thing we receive from them, only passes to us through their Hands from God, and that they are only the Chan­nels and Conveyances of the overflowing Streams of his infinite Bounty; and that when ever we suffer any ill from them, they are but the Rods in Gods Hand where­with he chastens and corrects us; that he hath the over-ruling Disposal of all the Ills which they inflict upon us, and can render their Stings a Sovereign Balm, and their ranckest Poyson Medicinal to us; so that their Malice being in Gods Disposal, can effect nothing but what he will have it; and if it doth us hurt 'tis his Executioner, but if he pleases it shall do us good, and like [Page 215] Leaches applied by a skilfull Physician, shall draw away our Disease while it is sucking our Blood. For so God made the Malice of Joseph's Brethren the means of his Ad­vancement in Egypt; and by the Covetous­ness of Judas and Cruelty of the Jews ad­vanced the holy Jesus to his own right Hand, and executed his Purpose to redeem Mankind. Thus God over-rules the A­ctions of Men, and when he pleases directs them quite contrary to their Intentions; for the way of Man, saith the Prophet, is not in himself, it is not in Man that walketh to direct his steps, Jer. 10.23. It is the Man that walks and acts, but it is God alone that leads his Way, and directs his Actions to what End he pleases.

ALL which it is necessary we should be­lieve in order to our being truly religious. For while we look upon God as a Foreiner to the World, that hath altogether reti­red himself from the Affairs of it, and a­bandoned it to the Disposal of blind Chance or Necessity, he must stand for a Cypher in our Esteem, and signifie no more to us than the Emperor of the World in the Moon, who for all we know may be a glorious and puissant Prince, but is so far removed from us and our Affairs, that he can do us neither good nor hurt. And if God inter­meddle [Page 216] not with those Goods and Evils which happen here below, what doth he signifie to us who live apart from him in another World, from which he is wholly retired and withdrawn? But if we firmly believe that there is nothing befalls us, whether it be in the Course of Nature or by Chance, or Design, but by his Order and Direction, we must lay aside our Reason and Humanity, if for every Good we want or do receive, we do not apply our selves to him with humble, and submissive, thank­full and ingenuous Minds; and if under e­very Evil that we feel or fear, we do not resign up our Wills and lift up our Eyes to him, as to the sole Arbitrator of our Fate. For where should we pay our Thanks, or whence should we expect our Supplies and Deliverances, but to him who is the Foun­tain of all Good, and from him who is the supreme Moderator of all Events? Who is there in Heaven or Earth whom we are so much concerned to please, and so much obliged to acknowledge and submit to, so much engaged to trust to and rely on, as him who hath all our Fortunes in his Hands, and the absolute Disposal of every thing in which we are or may or can be any way interested or concerned? So that the Belief of Gods over-ruling Providence hath [Page 217] every Link of our Duty fastened to it in a strong and rational Concatenation, and if it be loosened from this Principle, the whole Chain must necessarily fall in sun­der.

V. and Lastly, To oblige us to be truly religious it is also necessary we should be­lieve that God is the Supreme Governor of the rational World; which is a distinct Branch of Providence from the former. For all things whatsoever are subject to Gods Order and Disposal, but in strictness of Speech 'tis only rational Beings that are subject to his Government. For Govern­ment supposes Laws, and Laws Rewards and Punishments, of which rational Beings alone are capable, they alone having the power to deliberate, and upon Deliberati­on to choose what is good and refuse what is Evil, without which no Being can de­serve either to be rewarded or punished. So that the Government of God in strictness of Speech, respects only the rational World consisting of Angels and Men.

As for the Government of Angels 'tis impossible we should understand any more of it than what God hath revealed; be­cause tho they converse with us and our Affairs, yet we do not converse with them; our Spiritual Nature by which we are near [Page 218] allied to them being shut up in Matter, which like a Wall of Partition divides us from them, and hinders us from looking over into their World, and from seeing their Nature and Operations, and survey­ing their Polity and Government. Indeed so far as we understand their Natures, we may easily understand the Laws by which God Governs them; because we know Gods Laws are always adapted to the Na­tures of things; and consequently since we know that they are rational Creatures, we may conclude from thence, that what­soever is fit and decorous for rational Crea­tures, as such, they stand obliged to by the Law of their Natures. But since there are particular Powers and Properties in their Natures which we understand not, 'tis im­possible we should understand all the par­ticular Laws by which they are Governed. Only thus much in general we know, that the whole Order of Angelical Beings were from the first Moment of their Creation subjected to Laws fitted to their Nature; by which natural Laws they stood obliged to obey their Creator in all his positive Commands and Institutions; and that these Laws whatsoever they were both na­tural and positive were established in Re­wards and Punishments, by which if they [Page 219] continued obedient they were to continue for ever in their most blissful Ranks and Stations; but if they rebelled were imme­diately to be banished thence into everla­sting Wretchedness and Misery; that a certain Order of these Angelical Beings, ex­cited either by their Pride, or Envy, or sensual Affection, did under their Head or Chieftain revolt from God by transgressing some natural or positive Law, for which they were expelled the high Territories of Happiness, and driven into these lower Parts of the World, where under the Prince of their Rebellion they have ever since waged War against God and Man; that in this state of War they are under the Re­straint of Gods almighty Power, who sets Bounds to their Power and Malice which it cannot pass, and determins it to what Ends and Purposes he pleases; employing it sometimes to try and chasten good Men, sometimes to execute his Wrath upon the Children of Disobedience, and sometimes again letting it loose, merely to display his own almighty Power in its Defeat and O­verthrow; in which State they are reser­ved as Prisoners at large to the Judgment of the great Day, whereby together with wicked men they shall be sentenced and con­fined to everlasting Flames and Darkness; [Page 220] that the good Angels in reward of their constant Obedience are continued and fixed in a most blissful Condition, in which they enjoy the constant Smiles of God, and the unspeakable Pleasure of being entirely resign­ed to his Will, who upon all Occasions sends them to and fro the World, as the great Messengers and Ministers of his Providence, to Minister to the Recovery of recoverable Sinners, and to pour out the Vials of his Wrath upon the obstinate and unreclaima­ble; to assist, protect and comfort good Men while they live, and when they depart from hence to conduct their Spirits through the aery Territories of the wicked Angels into those blissful Mansions that are prepa­red to receive them till the Resurrection; at which time their Part will be to summon and gather both the good and bad before the Tribunal of Christ, to receive their fi­nal Sentence to everlasting Weal or Wo.

THIS is the main of what we know concerning Gods Government of Angels; the sincere Belief of which will be of vast Advantage to us in the whole Course of our Religion. For since there is such a mighty Colony of evil Angels roving about the World, watching all Opportunities to lay Snares in our Way, and to tempt us into their Revolt and Ruin; and since their De­sign [Page 221] in tempting us now, is only to get us into their Power, that so they may torment us hereafter, how much doth it concern us to guard and defend our selves against their evil Motions and Suggestions, left by complying with them we give them oppor­tunity to train us on from one degree of Wickedness to another, till they have made us provoke the Almighty to cut us off, and abandon us for ever to their Rage and Fu­ry; and since they are all of them under his Restraint, and can proceed no farther in their mischievous Designs against us, than he lets loose his Chain to them, how should this encourage us manfully to strug­gle and contend against them; since if we do, we may depend upon it, that God in whose Power they are, will either command them off, or at least not permit them to over-power us with Temptation. And since by Gods Permission there are great Flocks of good Angels always hovering about us, to guard us against those malignant ones, and to prompt us to good, as they prompt us to evil, and with their holy Inspirations to countermine their impure Suggestions, how much doth it import us to cherish and reverence every pious Thought and Motion, since for all we know it may be the Whis­per of some Angel of God, who by these [Page 222] and such like holy Injections is now strugling with the Powers of Darkness, to rescue our Souls out of their hands. And since these blessed and benevolent Spirits do by Gods Appointment pitch their Tents about good Men while they live; and con­voy them safely to the Seat of the Blessed when they die, how should this encourage bad Men to be good, and good Men to persevere in Well-doing; since they place and continue themselves under the blessed Patronage of Angels, to be conducted safe­ly by them through this perillous Sea to the calm Regions of eternal Light? Thus the Belief of Gods Government of Angels, so far as he hath thought good to reveal it to us, very much conduces to a hole Life.

BUT that which more nearly concerns us, and hath a more immediate Influence on our Practice, is his Government of Men; the Belief of which is indispensably necessa­ry to render us truly religious. Now con­cerning this Government of God over Men, there are seven things necessary to be be­lieved.

• 1. That the great End of Gods Go­vernment is the Welfare of Mankind.
• 2. That in order to this End, God hath given us Laws for the Regulation and Go­vernment of our Actions.
• [Page 223]3. That to secure our Obedience to these Laws he hath derived his Authority upon all lawful Sovereignties to Govern us according to them.
• 4. That he is ready to contribute to us all necessary Assistance, to enable us to ob­serve these Laws.
• 5. That the Assistance he contributes to us is such as supposes us free Agents, and concurs with and maintains our natural Freedom.
• 6. That he takes particular Cognisance of the good and ill Use which we make of our natural Freedom.
• 7. That he will certainly reward or pu­nish us accordingly.

I. To oblige us to be truly religious it is necessary we should believe that the great End of Gods Governing us is our Welfare and Happiness. That being infi­nitely raised above all Want and Indigence, he doth not assume the Government of us to advance himself, or to gratifie any bound­less Ambition of his own, which is a Vice that springs out of Poverty and Indigence, and therefore can have neither Root nor Room in a Nature so infinitely happy as his; but that all his Design in reigning over us is to do us good and to consummate our Happiness; to restore and rectifie our dis­ordered [Page 224] Nature, and to advance and raise it to the utmost Perfection, and Bliss and Glory it is capable of; to protect and de­fend us against present Evils, and support us under them, and convert them into In­struments of good, and to rescue us from that worst of Evils, Sin, and from all those endless Miseries it is pregnant with. This we ought to believe is the great Scope of all his Acts of Government, and even of the direct Punishments he inflicts; which are always intended either to reclaim the Of­fenders themselves, or to warn others by the sad Example of their suffering not to follow the ill Example of their Sin. And that this is the great End of his Govern­ment he himself hath expresly declared. So Psal. 145.9. we are assured that the Lord is good to all, and that his tender Mercies are over all his Works; and Verse 13.14. that in the Exercise of his everlasting Kingdom, he upholdeth all that fall, and raiseth up all that are bowed down; and tho in the Admini­stration of his Government, he hath decreed to cut off all such obstinate Rebels as will not be reduced by the Methods of his Love, yet he hath declared that he is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to Repentance, 2 Pet. 3.9. and that he would have all men to [Page 225] be saved, and to come to the knowledge of the Truth, 1 Tim. 2.4. And unless we believe him to be a benevolent Governor, that aims at the Good of his Subjects, we shall look upon his Government as a cruel Tyranny, erected for no other End but to squeeze and oppress us, to inthrall our Li­berty, and rob us of the Rights of our Nature, and to chain us down to an end­less and easless Toil and Wretchedness; and whilst we thus look upon it, it is im­possible we should ever submit to it with that generous Freedom and Chearfulness that true Religion requires. But if we firmly believe that the great Design of it is to promote our Welfare both here and here­after, we have all the reason in the World to covet to be Governed by God, and to receive his Yoke as a mighty Grace and Favour.

II. To oblige us to be truly religious it is also necessary we should believe that God hath given us Laws for the Regulation and Government of our Actions. For with­out Laws to direct Men what to do and what to avoid, there can be no such thing as Government, the proper business of which is to regulate Mens Actions, and without a Rule there can be no Regulation; so that divine Rules or Laws are necessa­rily included in the divine Rule or Govern­ment; [Page 226] and as God cannot be supposed to give Laws without Governing, so neither can he be supposed to Govern without gi­ving Laws; so that unless we believe that God governs us by Laws, we are utterly destitute both of all Reason why and of all Direction wherein to obey him, and have neither Motive to inforce nor Measure to regulate our Obedience. And as it is ne­cessary we should believe that he hath gi­ven us Laws, so it is also necessary we should believe that those Laws are for our good; that he neither imposed them on us pro im­perio, as arbitrary Tests and Trials of our Obedience, nor exacts them of us to serve himself and advance his own Interest and Greatness, but that the great Design of them is to do us good, and to direct our Acti­ons to our own Interest; to render our Lives placid and easie, and to perfect and glorifie our Natures. For while we look upon the Matter of Gods Law either as indifferent in it self, and imposed upon us by him for no other End but to shew his absolute Sovereinty over us, or as bene­ficial only to him and imposed upon us merely to promote his Interest, it is impos­sible we should ever comply with it with a free and chearful Mind. We may haply obey him out of Fear and Dread, because [Page 227] he is too mighty for us, and not to be con­tended with without infinite Peril and Disadvantage; but 'tis impossible we should obey those Laws with a resigned and chear­ful Will, from which we only fear ill but expect no benefit. Wherefore to oblige us to render a free and unforced Submissi­on to Gods Laws, it is absolutely necessary we should believe that the great Design of them is the good of those they are imposed on; and so the Psalmist assures us that the Statutes of the Lord are perfect, converting the Soul and making wise the simple; right, rejoycing the Heart; pure, enlightning the Eyes, true and righteous altogether, more to be desired than Gold, yea than much fine Gold, sweeter also than the Honey and the Honey-comb, and that in keeping them there is great Reward, Psalm 19.7, 8, 9, 10, 11. and that the Law of Gods Mouth was better to him, that is, for the good it did him than thousands of Gold and Silver, Psalm 119.72.

AND this if we firmly believe it will in­finitely encourage our Obedience. For when I am sure that God commands me nothing but what my own Health and Ease and Happiness requires, and that every Law of his is both a necessary and a Soverein Pre­scription against the Diseases of my Nature, and that he could not have prescribed me [Page 228] less than he hath without being defective in his Care of my Recovery and Happiness, with what Prudence or Modesty can I grudg to obey him? How can I think much to serve him, when I serve my self by it to the best Purpose in the World? Or why should I so much as wish that he had not imposed this or that Law on me, when I know he imposed it to no other End but to oblige me to be happy, and that he cannot Di­spense with any Duty he requires of me without giving me leave to be miserable. When therefore Gods Authority doth thus strike in with our Interest, and walk hand in hand with it through every Duty it im­poses, by refusing to obey him we fight against our selves, and renounce his Authority and our own Happiness together.

III. To oblige us to be truly religious it is also necessary we should believe that to secure our Obedience to these Laws, God hath derived his own Authority upon all lawful soverein Powers, to govern us ac­cording to them. That to promote our Happiness which is the End of his Govern­ment, and to secure our Obedience to his Laws, which are the Means to that End, he hath established a visible Authority up­on Earth to represent his own invisible Majesty, and in his Name to exact our O­bedience [Page 229] to his Laws, so far as it is liable to their Cognisance; and that the Persons vested with this Authority are exalted by it above all Controll or Resistance, and in their several Dominions placed next to and immediately under God, by whose Com­mission alone they act, and to whose Tribu­nal alone they are accountable; so that by resisting them, we do as much resist God, whose Deputy Governors they are, as a Neo­politan doth the King of Spain by levying Arms against his Vice-roy of Naples; and by refusing to obey their just and lawful Commands we demur to Gods Authority, who in every just thing they impose or re­quire, speaks to us by their Mouths, and Commands us by their Laws. For so the Scripture tells us not only that they are or­dained of God, and that to resist them is to re­sist the Ordinance of God; not only that they are the Ministers of God, and that there­fore for Conscience sake, or in Reverence to Gods Authority which they bear, they are to be obeyed, Rom. 13.1, 2, 3, 4, 5. but that they judge for God and not for Men, 2 Chron. 19.6. and that therefore their Judgment is Gods, Deut. 1.17.

THE Disbelief of which excludes Gods Government out of the World, and conse­quently dissolves all our Obligations of Du­ty [Page 230] and Allegiance to him. For how can he be supreme Governor of the World, if all other Governments are not immediately under him? And how can they be immedi­ately under him if they are not immediate­ly authorized by him? And by what other Right can any Person or Persons pre­tend to govern in Gods Kingdom under him, but by Commission from him? For every supreme Authority is the Head and Fountain of all other Authorities, so far as it extends; and if it be not so, it cannot be supreme. And therefore unless all Autho­rity be derived from God, he can have no such thing as a supreme Authority in the World. And this I doubt not is very well understood by our Atheistical Politicians, who in pursuance of their Denial of God, derive all Authority from the People; be­ing truly aware that if the Authority of the Governors can be derived from the Peo­ple, it will necessarily follow that both must be independent upon God, and that to derive Authority to govern from any other Head but God, is to deny him to be the supreme Governor of the World, which is the thing they would be at. If it be said, that God hath given Authority to the People to authorise their Governors, and so he is still Head of all Authority tho it be derived [Page 231] from him immediately through the People; I answer, That this doth very little mend the matter. For if God hath given Au­thority to the People to authorise their Governors, he hath in Effect given the Reins out of his own Hands, and left the People to govern the World. For I would fain know, do Governors govern by Gods Authority or the Peoples? If by the Peoples, 'tis the People that govern by them and not God; if by Gods, 'tis God that go­verns by them and not the People. In short, If they govern by the Peoples Au­thority, they are, as Governors at least, in­dependent from God, and accountable only to the Tribunal of the People; if by Gods Au­thority, they are Independent from the Peo­ple and accountable only to the Tribunal of God. So that whether he authorises them im­mediately or by the People it is all one, the Question being not so much how they are authorised, as by what Authority they go­vern; if it be by Gods, to God alone they are accountable if by the People, Gods Authority is quite excluded from having any hand in the Government of the World. In short, If the Choice of the People makes their Governor without Gods authorising him, he is the Peoples Vice-roy and not Gods; but if it be God that authorises him, he is Gods Vice-roy [Page 232] and not the Peoples. So that their choice even in Elective Governments can signifie no more than the bare presenting of a Person to God to be authorised his Vicegerent by him: who, if their Choice be just and lawful, is sup­posed to consent to and approve it, and there­by to authorise the Person so presented. For sovereign Authority in the Abstract is ordain­ed and instituted by God; but abstract Au­thority cannot govern unless some Person be vested with it; and to vest him with it, he must not only be applied to the Autho­rity, but the Authority must also be appli­ed to him; but where the People have the Right of Election, they only apply the Per­son to the Authority, but 'tis Gods Consent and Approbation that applies the Authori­ty to the Person, who thereupon commen­ces Supreme under God, and hath no su­perior Tribunal but Gods to account to.