How often do we see Instances of Men who make great Professions of Religion, and who regularly attend upon its holy Offices, and appear to make Conscience of performing its Duties, yet cry down Morality, and condemn the Preaching or Inculcating of good Works as a Matter of little or no Importance, and who cry Lord, Lord, but do not the Things which He commands.

On the other Hand the Fault is as great, though probably not so common, for a Man to confine his Obedience to the Duties of the second Table, to the Neglect of the first. He is as immoral as the former, and for the same Reason. He does not perform the whole Will of God.

Now both these Descriptions of Persons are in an egregious Error; for certainly one great End or Design of the Christian Dispensation was to reduce an immoral, sinful World from that gross Vice and Wickedness into which it was universally plunged, to a State of Moral Purity. Jesus Christ came into the World to "purify to Himself a peculiar People, zealous of good Works." Now what are good Works? What is Virtue and Morality but doing the Will of God? And what does the Lord our God require of us, but to do justly, to love Mercy, and to walk humbly before Him? What is well doing, walking by Faith, new Obedience, denying Ungodliness, and the Practice of Universal Virtue, but Mo

rality,

rality, and doing the Will of God? And what does God require more of us, than doing His Will? Most certainly, then, perfect Obedience to the Divine Will, because it is the Divine Will, must, under the Government of a righteous God, eventually prove the Supreme Happiness of every accountable moral Agent, for we have the fullest Assurance, that God will reward every Man according to his Works.

If Man had not sinned, Christ would not have died, Man would not have needed a Saviour, for what does God require more of us than perfect Obedience to His Will?

But it is objected that such Obedience is out of our Power; that no one ever did, or can perform such perfect Obedience. Granted. But does it thence follow, that because we are not able to render a perfect Obedience, that therefore we cannot make some Approach towards it; or that because we cannot do every Thing, that therefore we can do Nothing; or that we ought not to do all that is in our Power? By no Means. For if we obey as far as we are able, such is the gracious Promise of the Gospel, that our imperfect Obedience will be accepted through the Mediation of our beneficent Redeemer. For our Merciful Father demands our Services, no further than He has given Abilities.

Our Saviour has directed us to be perfect, even as our Father in Heaven is perfect, when he well

knew,

knew, that it was impossible for any of his Disciples to be thus perfect. This Command, then, plainly shews us, that we ought to endeavour to make ourselves as perfect as possible, although we may never be able, by any Exertions, to arrive at the Perfection of that Pattern our Lord holds out to us for our Imitation.

But if it be contended, that Religion obliges us to all this, then it follows necessarily, that Religion and Morality are the same Thing; but if So, how great is the Absurdity of depreciating one confessedly essential Part of Religion, while we are exalting

another.

The Duties of Morality may be divided into five Branches; viz. First, those we owe to God; secondly, those we owe to our Saviour Jesus Christ; thirdly, those we owe to our Neighbour; fourthly, those we owe to ourselves; fifthly, those we owe to the brutal Creation; for these comprehend all the sensitive Beings with which we have any Concern or Connexion.

Now Morality being right Behaviour, the Man who does or behaves as he ought towards these five Beings or Classes of Beings here enumerated, is a good Man; he does the whole Will of God, is sure of His Approbation, and must be as happy as his Nature admits.

Natural

CF

Natural Religion, and the Duties it requires, are treated of in the first Chapter. It is called Natural Religion, because its Truths are supposed to have been discoverable, and even demonstrable from the mere Light of Nature, without the Aid of Revelation. But however just that Supposition may be, the Fact is, that the Patrons of Natural Religion, never did, nor ever were able to produce, a tolerably consistent Scheme or System of it, previous to the Publication of the Christian Revelation. Since that Period, indeed, it has put on a more respectable Form, and those, who are now Sticklers for the Sufficiency of Natural Religion, are indebted to that Revelation which they decry, for the Perfection of that System they so highly extol. Now Christianity is to be considered by us, not only as an authoritative Republication of Natural Religion in all its Purity, wherein all its Truths are illustrated, confirmed and enforced by additional Proofs and Sanctions; but also, as revealing a Dispensation of Things necessary to be known, but not discoverable by Reason; as the Redemption of the World by Jesus Christ, the Efficacy of Repentance, &c. &c., and the Duties incumbent on us, in Consequence of this revealed Knowledge. And this Revelation, as contained in the Gospel, ought to be received, and firmly believed, as the only, and the sufficient Rule of Faith and Manners. For it is the Power of God unto Salvation, to all those who believe.

CHAPTER I.

VIRTUES AND GRACES TO BE CULTIVATED.

TO GOD WE OWE,

FAITH in his Being and Attributes. We must believe that He is the only Self-Existent, Eternal and Uncreated Being; that He is the Creator and moral Governor of the Universe, of every Individual Being whether animate or inanimate; that He is possessed of every possible Perfection, being wise, just, good, and true, in an infinite Degree; that beside these, which are called his moral, He is possessed of physical Attributes no less perfect, being Infinite, Omnipotent, Omniscient, Omnipresent, Immutable, and Independent, and more if more can be. And as these Attributes form the most perfect Character of which we can have any Conception, we may fairly argue that under his Government, Virtue must and will be rewarded, and Vice punished. This is called the Religion of Nature, for, (as the Apostle Paul argues,)" the invisible Things of Him from the

Creation