Such are the perfections of God, that he needs but be known to be prais'd and glorify'd; and it is the imperfection of Faith that makes men cold in their zeal, and imperfect in their obedience. So confiftent are the Scriptures with themselves, that the knowledge of God, which they fet forth, naturally raises all the difpofitions of Religion; and as they require no duty without a juft motive, so neither any article of Faith without a practical end. The mistakes or defects of belief come from a partiality of judgment, by which men believe as they approve, in oppofition to revelation: They, according to their own complections, form the terms of Religion in the extremes of remissness or severity, and thereby make God Such a one as themselves.

19.

But as the Scriptures, by the general tenor of them, affure us that God is righteous, just, and merciful; fo, withal, the fingle belief of a redemption by our Saviour includes all these. If we believe that he was in Chrift, 2 Cor. v. reconciling the world to himself, not imputing their former trefpaffes to them; and that by the terms of this reconciliation, all are fav'd that will repent, and all may come to repentance: This, if frequently and seriously confider'd, will produce the pious difpofitions of a Chriftian.

It is therefore obfervable, that there is no part of our knowledge relating to God, that is neceffary to enflame our affections, that lies not open to the meaneft capacity. For as we know him not abstractedly, but by the effects of his providence; this is that knowledge which all may have, and be affected with from the leaft to the greatest.

To be fhort; if we love or admire any thing, it must be from perfuading our felves of that merit in the thing, as to deserve fuch love and reverence. Our affections are not ready at every short call, and the zeal for God's glory (which is the highest and perfectest of them) is the effect of a thorough and serious belief of him. He therefore will most effectually hallow God's name, who with fincerity calls and believes him his Father in Heaven; and he then beft fuits his practice to this petition, who praises the Lord for his goodness, and declares the wonders that he doth for the children of men,

The fecond method of hallowing God's name, confists in paying a due reverence to facred things.

The majesty of an earthly fovereign, extends farther than his perfon, and is honour'd in his fervants and ambassadors. Now this is

an

an image of that much greater reverence which all owe to the King of Heaven: Whatever bears his name, or is dedicated to his ufe, carries a relative holiness along with it, and is, for that reason, entitled to refpect. The credit of facred things arifeth not from their own intrinfick worth, but from their relation to that great master to whofe fervice they are appointed. He must have little respect for the name of his heavenly Father, who thinks not that alone fufficient to ftamp any thing, tho' otherwise undeferving, with worth and dignity. God hath requir'd, that the reverence which is due to him, fhould, at least in part, be paid, in the respect to his house, to his fabbath, and to his minifters; Te fhall Lev, xix. keep my fabbaths, and reverence my fanctuary, I am the Lord. He that defpifeth you, Luke x. defpifeth me; and he that defpifeth me, deSpifeth him that fent me.

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16.

We refpect not in the perfons fet apart to God's fervice, the man, but the office; we are not so much to regard their natural or acquir'd excellencies, as that Saviour whose minifters they are; and those saving mysteries of which they are fterwards. We have this 2 Cor. vi. treasure, faith the apostle, in earthen vessels, 7· that the excellency may be of God. He being far removed above us, hath left us no other

more fatisfactory way of respecting him, than in the dignity of the things folemnly dedicated to his fervice. He hath made these earthly things the patterns of things in the Hea vens, and accounts the reverence paid to them, as fo much done to his name. He hath appointed these low representations of himself to fix our attention, and hath done fo in com. paffion to human infirmities.

Few, in this imperfect state, are fit for an abstracted Religion, where all their worship goes no farther than fome intervals of ferious thinking. Outward geftures and representations, are neceffary to ftrike our minds with reverence and devotion. Religion is calculated for men, as compofed of flesh and spirit; and the actions of the body are for that reafon requir'd in religious worship, because they tend to promote the devout difpofitions of the mind. Though God impos'd outward cere monies upon the Jews, yet he requir❜d an inward Religion of them, as well as of the Christian; and St. Paul spends the greater part of his epiftle to the Hebrews, in proving, that the one had a tendency to promote the other.

It is hard to tell which of the two extremes is more fatal; whether the Enthusiasm which reduceth all worship, to fome inward acts of the mind; or the Superftition which fixeth a

holinefs

holiness in every little ceremony: But a good man will endeavour to keep the mean between both; he will neither place the whole service of a reasonable creature in outward, though fignificant forms; nor yet think that in this imperfect state, Religion can subsist without them. The folemnities of religious worship are not only fit expreffions of our honour to God's name, but very much promote the inward fenfe of it. This facred pomp ftrikes even devout minds with greater awe and reverence, and will continue a reasonable help of devotion till we come to the perfect man, to the meafure of the ftature of the fulnefs of Chrift.

The folemn dedication of times and places, however they may appear of human institution; yet thefe, when rightly us'd, are serviceable to the ends of Religion. Thus men would lefs frequently, and effectually, think upon God, if they were left to chuse their own time; than if they were called upon to do it at the return of stated feafons: They would come with more seriousness into his house, when it was fo particularly fet apart to facred uses, that every thing there might remind them in whose presence they are: Most certainly they would bring less reverence for God's name into that place which is made the

scene