of the transcendent fanctity and perfection of that GOD, against whose reason (or wisdom) and law and love, they have continually finn'd; of the evil and turpitude of that fin, which they have committed; and of its ingratitude, and offenfiveness to the great Creator, Governour and Benefactor of the world; and of the injury it has done to the peace and welfare of their own fouls. They should hence fee the impoffibility of their being juftified (or attaining to felicity) by the law of original nature. It must be fuppofed, that original nature came pure and undefiled out of the hand of the CREATOR. That the law of original nature requir'd complete obedience in order to felicity. Sin would forfeit the divine favour, and incur the p nalty (of unhappiness) threatned by the law. The nature that is once criminal and guilty, cannot be clear'd and abfolv'd by that law. It must plead guilty, and rely upon mercy and forgiveness. 2. This guilty case must lead the criminals to deep lamentation and bewailing of themfelves before the Majefty, whom they have offended. While there is mere dread of his difpleasure and vindictive justice, they will fly from him. But fenfe of unworthy deportment, attended with a fight of divine patience, and hope of plentiful forgivenefs, will diffolve the foul into a facred fhame, lamentation, and contrition. I have Surely heard Ephraim bemoaning himself. 3. This religious forrow will lead to folid repentance; i. e. fuch a repentance, as reftores the foul to GOD. GOD. The more grieved these criminals are for offending the great GOD, the more concern'd they will be to please him for the future; and the way to please him, must be to return to him as their GOD, their hope and happiness. The more folicitous they are to obtain his forgiveness, the more fincerely they must yield up themselves to him. Thus godly forrow will work repentance. Then if the forgiveness be founded on a divine propitiation, reafon will dictate, that there must be an hearty acceptance of it, and acquiefcence in and dependence upon it, for all the ends, for which it was offered unto GOD. And fo the repentance towards GOD will be intimately connected with a faith in the propitiation as the condign means of our admittance into divine favour and forgiveness. 4. Repentance will produce penitent confeffion of fin to GOD, whose forgiveness is to be fought. The Religion of Nature teaches prayer to GOD. The rule of truth requires the penitent petitioner to pray like himself, with humble acknowledgment of the evil that is with him, of the tranfgreffions committed, and of his unworthinefs of the pardon that is defired. This method prepares the foul for valuing and receiving the mercy. Against thee, thee only (as the great Governor, and holy Legislator) have I finn'd, and done this evil in thy fight. 5. This confeffion will (in all reason) be attended with imploration of mercy, deprecation of judgment, and fupplication of bleffing. Imploration of mercy; and that, in the strongest terms, the felf-confcious d 2 foul foul can devife; Have mercy upon me, O GOD, according to thy loving kindness, according to the multitude of thy tender mercies, blot out mine iniquities. Deprecation of judgment; That GOD would deliver him (as inp. 120. 121.) from the evil confequences of all his tranfgressions and follies. Enter not into judgment with thy fervant! caft me not away from thy prefence! Supplication of bleffing; That he would endue me with fuch difpofitions and powers, as may carry me innocently and fafely thro' all future trials. (p. 121.) Create in me a clean heart O GOD, and renew a right (ftrong and stable) Spirit within me ! 6. There will be a truft in the divine goodness, and reliance upon GOD's favour for compaffion and forgiveness. And now, Lord, what wait I for? my hope is in thee. Yet 7. There will be due, a facred fear of GOD, and humble converfe before him. This fear may indeed be confider'd as a profound veneration of his boundless perfections. We should behave our selves towards GOD, as being what he is. (p. 114.) But fince we have offended him, and are in danger of further provoking his displeasure, this fear may be allow'd to be mix'd with fome dread of his vindictive juftice. Let us ferve GOD acceptably with reverence and godly fear (with religious awe) for our GOD (the GOD of grace, as well as of nature) is a confuming fire. 8. This fear will be attended and attemper'd with love, he is at once a confuming fire, and yet a beneficent, attractive Being. Perfect love indeed would caft out fear. But our love is far from being perfect. perfect. But felf-convicted criminals must love a patient, gracious, forgiving GOD. Nor had it been amifs, that divine love (love to the most amiable Majefty) had had a more explicite place in the Religion of (reftored) Nature. 9. There must be much felf-denial, and mortification of fenfual appetites and paffions. He must use all means to cure his own defects (whether ignorance or vice) or at least to prevent the effects of them; learn to deny temptations (which furround him) or keep them at a proper diftance (as confcious of his own imbecility); even mortify, where mortification is neceffary (as it will be in a vitiated nature, and a tempting world) and alway carry about him the fenfe of being but a man. p. 175. n. 4. 10. The pardoned criminals will fee abundant reafon to admire and blefs the GOD that has forgiven. them; to joy in him through the atonement made to him (if any fuch there be); to study all grateful obedience; and to be defirous to. quit this state and world, that they may be joyn'd to thofe purify'd fpirits, that more fully enjoy their bleffed G O D. Such would the Religion of Nature be, as founded upon the prospect and priviledge of remiffion of fins.. And thus we may welcome the heathen philosopher,, and the natural religionist, into the inner court, or congratulate his arrival at even the porch of the temple, of the Religion of Jesus. It being the great. bufinefs of His religion (as it must be, of revealed religion) to affure us of forgiveness with GOD; to to inform us withal, how it is founded and dispensed; and particularly, that it is founded upon a grand propitiation; who the propitiation or Propitiator is how the propitiation was made, and what enfues to the Propitiator thereupon. Thence muft enfue the Religion of Nature with redoubled obligation. VII. An institution thus adjusted to the reason and circumftances of human nature, one would think, heaven might expect, fhould prevail in the world, by its own light, excellence, and needfulness to mankind. But many prejudices would lye against it. Many celeftial truths must be discover'd, as the foundation of it. Nay, the miracle and mystery of the divine love, would be a bar to its own credibility. It has pleas'd therefore the good GOD to recommend this religion by fuitable, extrinfic evidence. As 1. He would, in fome measure, prepare the world for it, by prophecy, and the pedagogy of the Jewish religion. On the first head, the reader fees the Right Reverend the Bishop of Coventry and Litchfield's learned book, as alfo the Dean of Chichester's and Mr. Bullock's useful difcourfes. 2. It was fet up and established by open invincible miracle, for a long tract of time. Which evidence is confider'd by the forefaid prelate's treatise and many others. 3. It is confirm'd by the holy, zealous, fuffering conduct of the Founder and his miffionaries; confider'd in Dr. Prideaux's letter, and the laft of the late three letters to the Deift. 4. There is the refurrection of the great Founder himself, which confider'd as a principal part of the fyftem it felf, may pafs for an intrinfic excellence; but confider'd as a miraculous operation, wrought in confir mation |