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SER M. gion of their Lives. It was removing, out of the Account, every Thing, which might create in Some, the fuperftitious Hope of pleasing God with fomething, which He has never infifted upon; and in Others, the fuperftitious Fear of difpleafing him, for want of it: And founding Religion upon fomething which All Men can find their Part in; and not upon Any Point, which the differing Tempers and Difpofitions of Men make impoffible to All, in a Matter made equally the Duty of All. Nothing, indeed, in the Difpenfation of Chrift, relating to Practice, appears to be defigned, or framed, to excite in the Soul, within, any Thought leading to Practical Superftition; but every Part of it confpires to form a regular Conduct of Life, without.

You fee, then, how rational a Remedy the Gospel, in its Purity, propofeth, to cure the World of Superftition; by calling All Men to a Worship, and to a Practice, worthy of God, and worthy of Man and to rid the Minds of Men of unconceivable Uneafineffes, by placing the Service of GOD upon Principles agreeable to the Judgment and Confcience, upon which alone inward Peace depends.

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I know of nothing fet up, in Opposition to this, but Atheism, or a total Infidelity. And this, if it be thoroughly imbibed, which is

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hardly poffible to fuppofe, will indeed, rid S ER M. the Mind of any Superftitions relating to the pleasing that Great Being, which it banishes out of the World. But then, there are two or three Confiderations, which I have not time to enlarge upon, but which will be of great Force, at the bare Mention of them: viz. that Atheism is itself founded upon a Contradiction to all the Principles of Science, in the World: That, though it may rid the Mind of fome Superftitions, yet, it gives no Support in the room of them: That it is, itfelf, where it is pretended to be, often seen to be accompanied with very odd and unaccountable Superftitions, of another fort; and fome of them very uneafy ones: and, laftly, what is very material, That, in most Nations of the World, They, who feem to have Recourfe to it for themselves, have fo little Love to the Happiness of their Fellow-creatures, that they think Them fit for nothing but to be governed by the Tyranny of Superftition; and that, wherever it lies within their Reach, They are fo far from any Willingness to enter into any Measures of abating the Terrors and Dreads of it, that they rather are induced the more to continue, and improve, the Force of those fuperftitious Terrors upon Others, by their own Atheism and Infidelity.

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The Gospel, with a more generous and noble Spirit, labours with the Lowest as well as the Highest, the Meanest as well as the Brighteft, Understandings, to bring Mankind, by a few plain, easy, general Principles, common to all, from the Oppreffion and Unhappiness of Superftition; both to know truly, and to practice conftantly, what is neceffary to their pleafing God. This is a Point, which it is evident, from the Experience of all Ages, and from the vast Variety of Inventions of Men upon this Head, of infinite Importance to the Eafe and Quiet of their Lives here, as well as to their Happiness hereafter. And therefore, it was a Matter, worthy of the Son of God's Appearing in the World: and it is what He hath performed in a Manner agreeable to the Nature. of God, and to the Frame of the Mind of Man. And now, as I proposed in the last Place,

III. I come to the Application of what has been faid, to Chriftians, and the present State of Christianity. And this is too plain, and obvious, to need many Words.

It is an easy Matter for Men to fee, and complain of, Superftition in Others. It is easy for the Church of Rome, loaded with the Foppery of Ceremonies without Number; diftracted with the Variety of Objects of Worship; full of

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new-invented Methods of pleafing God, by ISER M. know not what Bodily Aufterities, inftead of the one Aufterity of Virtue; and guarded round about with all the Allurements of this World's Pomp and Dignity, on one Side, and all its Terrors, on the other: It is an eafy Matter, I fay, for a Church, fo at eafe within its own Fences, to fit and make great Outcries against the Superftition of the Pagans; and to fend out their Miffionaries, to disturb and molest Them, only to engage them to exchange One fet of Superftitions, for Another, I greatly fear, as wicked and as deftructive.

It is eafy, again, for Those who have reformed from that Church, to spend their Time and Breath, in Invectives against Romish Superftitions; or, amongst Themselves, in complaining of one another. But the true Point of Thought, in which every Chriftian, and every diftinct Body of Christians, should fix, is, what is their own Cafe? and what is their own Conduct, with respect to the Three great Points of Faith, Worship, and Practice?

If they fet up any Beings, as Objects of the fame Faith, but That propofed by Chrift himself, The One only fupreme God; They do by this lay the Ground-work of Superftition, in themselves, and others. If they pay the fame Worship to any Being, diftinct from that fame

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SER M. One Supreme Being; or, if they multiply the invifible Objects of any Degree of Religious Ref pect, beyond the Authority of what is written; leading Men to spend the Vigour of their Souls, due to the Worship of the One Supreme God, upon a Number of Objects, inferior to Him: This is the Superftition of Worship, from which their Mafter called the World. Or, if they confine the Acceptableness of the Worship of GOD, to any particular Places, or Ceremonies, or Words, or Forms; This is alfo a Superftition, contrary to the Nature of that Worship, the Acceptableness of which our Lord Himself placed upon Spirit and Truth.

And again, if They take upon them to make the Favour of God to depend upon any thing, befides what our Lord declared it to depend upon; representing GoD to be delighted with Trifles, or reconciled by Follies; encouraging Men to hope for his Favour, upon their Performance of fomething diftinct from the keeping his Commandments; or leading Men to fear his Difpleasure, for not having added an exact Obfervation of what Men have inftituted in Religion, to what He himself hath declared to be fufficient to Salvation: This is the Guilt of Superftition, with regard to Practice; to be charged upon All, who have any hand

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