great degrees of fome virtues; it is true they S ER M. did, but not without fome degree of the di- XVIII. vine affiftance. It is not improbable, that they had a share of this unfeen operation of the fpirit, though they knew nothing of it; as they will partake of the merits and fatiffaction of Chrift, though they never heard of him, if their lives were suitable to that natural sense of moral good and evil: But I fhall defer the further confideration of this subject to the next opportunity.

VOL. II.

F

SERMON

SERMON XIX.

Senfe of Religion more obfervable in the middle and meaner rank of People.

SERM.

XIX.

MATT. xi. 25.

I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wife and prudent, and haft revealed them unto babes.

I

N a former difcourfe upon this text, after I had fhewn the occafion of it, and the force of our Saviour's difcourfe, concerning John the Baptift in this chapter; and how he thewed the Jews acted in contradiction both to themfelves and John the Baptift, in not receiving himfelf for the Meffias: I told you my defign from it was to remove one great prejudice, which feemed to lie fairly against the christian religion; namely, that it hath been generally received by mean and illiterate fort

of

of people. And in order to this, the method SR M. I laid down for my difcourfes on this text was, X.

1. To be a little more particular in fhew-V ing the truth of this saying of our blessed Sa

viour's.

2. To confider the reafons of this, and where the true caufe of it lies.

3. To fhew where the great wisdom of God appears in this manner of difpenfation.

4. And lastly, to draw fome inferences from the whole, and make fome application of it to the two different forts of people mentioned in my text.

As to the first of thefe, I fhewed how the Gospel came particularly directed and recommended to the meaner fort of people; and how it spoke of the rich, and great, and wife men of this world with much diffidence, as if there were very little hopes of their converfion and effectual reformation.

As to the second, before I came to enquire what were the true reasons of this, I was to fhew, that it is not any want of reasonablenefs in revealed religion that occafions the disesteem of it in the opinion of the wife and great men of the world, and makes it more eafily entertained by the plainer part of mankind.

And in order to this, to fhew that chriftianity is agreeable to the ftrictest and most refined reason of men; the best way I could think of was to fuppofe ourselves in a state of nature, the very condition the enemies of revelation are bringing us to as fast as they can; and

F 2

SER M. and then to confider what things mankind XIX. could wish to be refolved in, and what are the

matters of greatest concernment to us, about which we should be most inquifitive? And to compare the account we have of them from revelation, with those we have from the wifeft heathens: And they are these.

1. How we came to be, and what fort of being we are, and what we were made for.

2. How mankind came to be corrupted, and in this miserable condition of infirmity.

3. What cure can be found for this corruption of our natures, and to restore us to our health both of body and mind.

4. Whether there be another life after this. 5. What fhall be the reward of virtue and the punishment of vice.

6. What fort of government there is in the universe.

As to the first of thefe, I laid before you the feveral folutions we have received of this matter from the wifeft men of the heathen world; and the several accounts they gave of the origin of mankind: As likewife, that we have received from the holy fcriptures; wherefore I fhall now proceed to the

IV. The fourth queftion of greatest concernment to mankind, and a doubt which naturally arifes in the minds of all men is, whether there be another life after this? To this enquiry all men have ever been led, not by meer curiofity, as if it were matter of specu

lation only; but as to a matter on which de-S ER M. pended their greatest and most important in- XIX. terest; for all the heathen world have agreed, that if there be another life after this, the alteration must be much for the better or the worfe; and men must needs be much more miferable, or much more happy than they are in their present ftate: And yet they were ftrangely divided in their opinions about it, and could come to no fixt and settled refolution of this queftion. Many of the Philofophers held there was no life after this; the Epicureans were of opinion that there was a diffolution of the whole man at his death, and that he should never come into being again; unless, in the course of numberlefs ages, the fcattered particles of his frame should be huddled together again, by fuch another lucky chance as united them at firft. Nay even of those who allowed the creation of man by a fuperior power, many thought they came into the world to die like beafts; and though they were great admirers of virtue, yet for this reason they made it its own reward; and used no other motives to encourage men to be virtuous than the innate excellency of virtue itself.

And of those who were inclined to believe a future ftate, none of them allowed it for the body; they all unanimously agreed that this was never to live again; for it could never enter into their heads, that any power should be able to bring together again into one the scattered duft of the body; and therefore