when once nature leaves her faithful guide, the Gospel of Chrift, it will be as unable to fupport itself against error and superstition, as it was to deliver itself from them, and will by degrees fall back into its original blindness and corruption. Had you a view of the disputes that arise even upon the principles of natural religion, it would fhew you what the end will be; for the wanderings of human reafon are infinite. Under the Gospel difpenfation we have the immutable word of God for the fupport of our faith and hope. We know in whom we have believed; in him, who can neither deceive, nor be deceived; and, poor as our services are, we have his word for it, that our labour of love shall not be forgotten. But to them who rely on nature only, it is not evident, nor can it be, whether any future reward fhall attend their religious fervice. Well therefore did St. Peter fay to Chrift, Thou haft the words of eternal life; for no other religion can give any fecurity of life and happiness to its votaries. Whither then fhall we go from Chrift, or to whom shall we feek for fuccour, fince he only has the words of eternal life?

DISCOURSE I.

PART II.

THE fecond thing to be confidered is, that the excellency of religion confifts in affording certain means of obtaining eternal life.

Religion is founded in the principles of reafon and nature; and, without fuppofing this foundation, it would be as rational an act to preach to horses as to men. A man, who has the use of reason,

cannot confider his condition and circumstances in this world, or reflect upon his notions of good and evil, and the fenfe he feels in himself that he is an accountable creature for the good or evil he does, without asking himself, how he came into this world, and for what purpose, and to whom it is that he is, or poffibly may be, accountable. When, by tracing his own being to the original, he finds that there is one supreme all-wife cause of all things; when by experience he fees, that this world neither is, nor can be, the place for taking a juft and adequate account of the actions of men; the presumption that there is another state after this, in which men fhall live, grows ftrong and almost irresistible: when he confiders farther the fears and hopes of nature with respect to futurity, the fear of death

common to all, the defire of continuing in being which never forfakes us; and reflects for what use and purpose these ftrong impreffions were given us by the Author of nature; he cannot help concluding that man was made not merely to act a fhort part upon the ftage of this world, but that there is another and more lafting ftate, to which he bears relation. And from hence it muft neceffarily follow, that his religion must be formed on a view of fecuring a future happiness.

Since then the end that men propose to themfelves by religion is fuch, it will teach us wherein the true excellency of religion confifts. If eternal life and future happiness are what we aim at, that will be the best religion, which will moft certainly lead us to eternal life and future happiness: and it will be to no purpose to compare religions together in any other refpects, which have no relation to this end.

Let us then by this rule examine the pretenfions of revelation, and, as we go along, compare it with the present state of natural religion, that we may be able to judge, to whom we ought

to go.

Eternal life and happiness are out of our power to give ourselves, or to obtain by any ftrength and force, or any policy or wifdom. Could our own arm rescue us from the jaws of death and the powers of the kingdom of darknefs; could we fet open the gates of heaven for ourselves, and enter in to take poffeffion of life and glory; we fhould want no inftructions or affiftances from religion; fince what St. Peter faid of Chrift every man might ap

ply to himself, and fay, I have the words, or means, of eternal life.

But, fince we have not this power of life and death; and fince there is One who has, who governeth all things in heaven and in earth, who is over all God bleffed for evermore; it neceffarily follows, that either we must have no fhare or lot in the glories of futurity, or else that we must obtain them from God, and receive them as his gift and favour and confequently, if eternal life be the end of religion, and likewise the gift of God, religion can be nothing else but the means proper to be made use of by us to obtain of God this most excellent and perfect gift of eternal life: for, if eternal life be the end of religion, religion must be the means of obtaining eternal life; and, if eternal life can only be had from the gift of God, religion must be the means of obtaining this gift from God.

And thus far all religions, that ever have appeared in the world, have agreed: the question has never yet been made by any, whether God is to be applied to for eternal happiness, or no; but every fect has placed its excellency in this, that it teaches the propereft and most effectual way of making this application. Even natural religion pretends to no more than this; it claims not eternal life as the right of nature, but as the right of obedience, and of obedience to God, the Lord of nature and the dispute between natural and revealed religion is not, whether God is to be applied to for eternal happiness; but only, whether nature or revelation can beft teach us how to make this application.

Prayers, and praises, and repentance for fins past, are acts of devotion, which nature pretends to inftruct and direct us in. But why does fhe teach us to pray, to praise, or to repent, but that the esteems one to be the proper method of expreffing our wants, the other of expreffing our gratitude, and the third of making atonement for iniquity and offences against God? In all these acts reference is had to the overruling power of the Almighty; and they amount to this confeffion, that the upshot of all religion is to please God in order to make our. felves happy.

This will fhew us what muft neceffarily be understood by any perfon's, or by any religion's, having the words of eternal life: for, fince eternal life can only be had by pleafing God, no perfon, no religion, can be faid to have the words of eternal life upon any other account, than because it teaches and enables us fo far at least to please God, as to obtain eternal life from him.

If we confider God as the ruler of this world as well as of the next, religion indeed will be as neceffary a means of obtaining the bleffings of this life, as of that which is to come. But this will make no alteration in the nature of religion: for, if the bleffings of this life are the gift of God, they must be obtained by pleafing God; and the fame fervices must entitle us to the bleffings of this life and of the next, unless you can suppose that there are different ways of pleafing God; one way to please him, in order to obtain the bleffings of this world; and another, in order to obtain the bleffings of heaven.