iftence of those horrid forms of fuperftition and enthusiasm which, by turns, have poffeffed, and laid wafte the world.

But it is in vain, thou fairest gift of God to man! that either fuperftition or enthusiasm would attempt to affume thy benignant afpect, and ufurp thy peaceful honours. The baneful influence of both, on every scene of focial life, betrays their counterfeited charms, and points them out to the difcerning eye as the offspring of the enemy of God and The countenance of true religion is ever placid and ferene: her hand pours forth the choiceft bleffings of the almighty; her fecret influence infpires our fouls with patience, faith, and holy hope; and, to sum up all, upon her graceful brow, she wears this everlasting motto, " My ways are ways of pleasantness, and all my paths are peace."

man.

Now to the one, almighty, everlasting God, be afcribed all might, power, majesty, and dominion, through Jefus Christ our Lord!

III.

PREACHED BEFORE THE UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE, MARCH 28, 1773. AND AT THE VISITATION OF THE ARCHDEACON OF SUFFOLK, SEPTEMBER 25, THE SAME YEAR.

MATT. V. 16.

" LET YOUR LIGHT SO SHINE BEFORE MEN, THAT THEY MAY SEE YOUR GOOD WORKS, AND GLORIFY YOUR FATHER WHICH IS IN HEAVEN."

THE only expreffion in my text, which has the least appearance of difficulty, is contained in its concluding claufe. We may fee and acknowledge the propriety of a precept, injoining us to difplay our religious attainments, and our moral virtues in the fight of men; but yet may be at a lofs to determine, in what manner our heavenly father will be glorified by fuch a conduct. The genuine fenfe of this paffage will, however,

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however, foon difclofe itself upon a proper attention to the difcriminating character of the christian difpenfation, and a just comparifon of the words in queftion with fimilar modes of fpeech in holy writ.

The expectations of a temporal meffiah among the jews, and the depraved state of mind induced into the gentile world, by the cultivation of a falfe philofophy, had fo far blinded the understandings, and debauched the morals of that race of men, to whom the religion of the gospel was revealed, that there is too much reason to suppofe, without the aid of prophetical illumination, that its true and holy doctrines would be, in a manner, univerfally rejected; and its preachers expofed to every form of perfecution, and distress.

It may also be observed that the religion contained in this last best gift of the almighty, was altogether of an heavenly temper. A religion, which, though favourable to principles of liberty and independence, yet looked with equal indifference upon every form of civil power, then eftablifhed in the world; a religion, friendly indeed to every inftitution which is calcu

lated

lated to promote the temporal happiness of man; but primarily intended to inform the minds of individuals with thofe pious and benevolent affections, which prepare us for the enjoyment of more substantial gratifications in a better state.

From these confiderations, we may easily collect it to be the intention of the creator,

that this religion, though, at first, it was to be supported by plain and evident tokens of the divine interpofition in its favour, fhould afterwards extend itself by the innate force of its own intrinfic excellence, and by the full display of those moral beauties, which, however counteracted in their operation, for a time, by oppofing violence, and other obstructions of a temporary nature, would at length be found to exert an irrefiftible influence over the human mind.

It feems, therefore, that the author of our religion, in this place, exhorts his followers to endeavour to diffuse the knowledge of the gofpel, and to extend its influence, by an experimental difplay of its reforming power upon themselves. A manly, noble, gene

rous method of proceeding! which, had it · been strictly conformed to in every fucceeding generation, would, before this period, have rendered the religion of the gospel, the religion of the world.

This expofition is confirmed by the particular import of the words, when compared with fimilar expreffions in the facred writings.

When Jefus exhorts his hearers to acknowledge the justice of his claims to the character of a teacher fent from God, he affures them, that whofoever had feen him, had feen the father; that whofoever received him, received him that fent him.† From which paffages, as well as many others of the fame kind, we may with certainty infer, that the feeing, the receiving,§

* John xiv. 9.

+ Matt. x. 40.

the

"If I had not done among them the works which none other man did, they had not had fin; but now they have both feen, and hated both me and my father." John xv. 24.

$ "Verily, verily, I fay unto you, he that receiveth whomfoever I fend, receiveth me: and he that receiveth me, receiveth him that fent me." John xiii. 20.