nor to Jerufalem; but men should worship Vol. VII the Father in Spirit and in truth, when this carnal, and ceremonial, and typical Worship of God fhould be exalted into a more fpiritual, a more real, and true, and fubftantial Religion, which fhould not be confined to one Temple, but should be univerfally diffused through the World. Now fuch a Worship as this, is most agreeable to the Nature of God; for he is a fpirit, and those who worship him, must worship him in fpirit and in truth. In the words we have,

First, A Propofition laid down, God is a spirit.

Secondly, A Corollary or Inference deduced from it,they that worship him,must worship him in Spirit and in truth. I fhall fpeak of the Propofition, as that which concerns my prefent Defign; and afterward fpeak fomething to the Corolla ry or Inference deduced from it, together with fome other Inferences drawn from this truth, by way of Applica

tion,

Firft, That God is a fpirit. This Vol. VII. expreffion is fingular, and not to be parallell'd again in the Scripture; indeed we have often mention made in Scripture of the Spirit of God, and the Spirit of the Lord, which fignifies a Divine Power and Energy; and of the holy Spirit, fignifying the third Perfon in the Trinity; God is call'd the God of the Spirits of all flesh; Numb. 16. 22. 27. 16. much in the fame Sense, as he is call'd the Father of Spirits, Heb. 12. 9. that is, the Creator of the Souls of Men ; but we no where meet with this expreffion, or any other equivalent to it, that God is a fpirit, but only in this place; nor had it been ufed here, but to prove that the best Worship of God, that which is moft proper to him,is spiritual; so that the thing which our Saviour here intends, is not to prove the Spiritual Nature of God, but that his Worship ought to be fpiritual; nor indeed is there any neceffity that it fhould have been any where faid in Scripture, that God is a Spirit, it being the natural Notion of a God; no more than it is neceffary

that

w that it fhould be told us, that God is Vol. VIL good, or that he is infinite, and eter

nal, and the like; or that the Scripture should prove to us the Being of a God. All these are manifeft by the Light of Nature, and if the Scripture mention them, it is ex abundanti, and it is usually in order to fome further purpose.

For we are to know, that the Scrip ture supposeth us to be Men, and to partake of the common Notions of Human Nature, and therefore doth not teach us Philofophy, nor folici tously instruct us in thofe things which are born with us, but fuppofeth the knowledge of thefe, and makes use of these common Principles and Notions which are in us concerning God, and the immortality of our Souls, and the Life to come, to excite us to our Duty, and quicken our Endeavours after Happiness. For I do not find that the Doctrine of the immortality of the Soul, is any where exprefly delivered in Scripture, but taken for granted; in like manner that the Scripture doth not folicitously inftru&t

ftruct us in the natural Notions which we have of God, but fuppofeth them known to us; and if it mention them, it is not fo much in order to knowledge as to practice; and therefore we need not wonder that this expreffion, which doth fet forth to us the Nature of God, is but once used in Scripture, and that brought in upon Occafion, and for another purpose; because it is a thing naturally known. Plato fays, that God is ασώματος, without Body. In like manner Tully, Nec enim deus ipfe qui intelligitur a nobis alio modo intelligi poteft, nifi mens quædam foluta & libera, fegregata ab amni concretione mortali; we cannot conceive of God, but as of a pure Mind, intirely free from all mortal compofition or mixture. And Plutarch after him, ves vô Deos, χωριςὸν εἶδος, τετέςι τὸ ἀμιγὲς πάσης ύλης, μηδενὶ παθετῷ συμπεπλεγμένον, God is a Mind, an abstract being, pure from all matter, and difintangled from whatever is paffible or capable of fuffering. So that Natural Light informing us that God is a Spirit, there was no need why the Scripture fhould inculcate this; it is an excellent, medium or

argu

Vol. VIL

argument to prove that the Worlhip Vol.VII. of God fhould chiefly be fpiritual; and altho it was not neceffary that it fhould have been mention'd for it felf, that is, to inform us of a thing which we could not otherwife know, yet the Wisdom of God, by the express mention of this, feems to have provided against an Error which fome weaker and groffer Spirits might be fubject to. You know God is pleafed, by way of condescention and accom modation of himself to our capacity, to represent himself to us in Scripture by human Imperfections, and gives fuch defcriptions of himself, as if he had a Body, and bodily Members; now to prevent any error or mistake that might be occafion'd hereby, it feems very becoming the Wisdom of God, somewhere in Scripture exprefly to declare the fpiritual Nature of God, that none through weakness or wil fulness might entertain grofs apprehenfions of him. In fpeaking to this Propofition, I fhall,

I. Explain what is meant by 4.

Spirit.

II. En