TRE AT IS E CONCERNING THE CAUSE S OF THE PRESENT CORRUPTION OF CHRISTIAN S. W PREFACE. E have reason to wonder at the great corruptions that at prefent are to be found among Chriftians. The religion they profefs, does chiefly tend to fanctify men, and to purge the world from corruption and vice; and one would think it fhould produce that effect, fince it affords fuch a clear light, fuch powerful motives, and fuch effectual helps to holiness. Notwithstanding all this, whoever enquires into the notions and manners of Christians, must have no great share of fincerity or judgment; if he does not acknowledge, that religion has but little influence upon their minds, and that there is an amazing contradiction between their lives and the rules of Christianity. This coup→ H 2 tion tion is fo evident and fo generally confeffed, that I need not ftand to prove it. Taking it then for granted, that Chriftians live in a great neglect of their duties; it is natural to enquire into the Caufes of this corruption, and to confider what remedies fhould be applied to it. This is what I intend to do in this Treatife, in hopes that fuch an enquiry will not be altogether unuseful. For firft, it may contribute to maintain the honour, and the truth of the Chriftian religion, and to confute Infidels and libertines, who are apt to despise it, because it's precepts are little practifed. If religion, fay they, be true and divine, How comes it to pass, that it has fo little efficacy, and that there appears fo much diforder, and licentioufnefs among the profeffors of it? To undeceive fuch men, and to infuse into them a greater refpect for religion, it is of very great importance to discover the causes of the decay of piety; and to fhew, that if men are corrupted, it is not because Chrift's religion is infufficient to introduce vertue and order into the world; but that this evil flows from fome other cause, and that if Chriftians did what they might and ought to do, true piety would not be so uncommon as it is amongst them. A fecond advantage which may be reaped from this enquiry; is this; it will appear by it, that how great foever the corruption may be; it is not however, as many imagine, paft remedy. Which imagination, is a moft dangerous prejudice; while men look on it as impoffible to ftem the tide of corruption, and to re-establish order and purity of manners in the world; they do not fo much as attempt it, they let things go on at the fame rate; and fo the diforder increafes and fpreads farther. It cannot be denied, but that the corruption is great, general and inveterate; but God forbid, we should look upon it as an incurable disease. The fountains of it may eafily be discovered; and it is not impoffible to ftop them.. I hope this will be acknowledged by thofe, who fhall attentively, and without prepoffeffion confider, what is propofed in this work. Thirdly, There is no means more likely to remove this corruption, than to cut off the occafions of it: that is the fureft as well as the most compendious method. One of the main reafons, why fo many excellent books defigned to inspire men with a love of religion and piety, have not all the effect that might be expected from them; is, that the authors do not fufficiently obferve the general caufes of the depravation of manners. It is to little purpofe to deplore the corruption of the age, to exhort men, and to give them fine leflons of morality: the work of reformation cannot be much advanced, as long as the evil is not taken in its caufe, and as long as fuch principles and abufes continue among Chriftians, as are, and will always be, obftacles to the progrefs of the Gospel. Laftly, I confidered that this matter had not yet been thoroughly handled by any author, at least that I know of. Of thofe who have touched upon it in their books; fome have confined themfelves to confiderations purely moral, and others to theological reflections, upon the errors which are in vogue, or upon the controverfies which divide Chrif tians; but they have omitted many things which feem effential; no doubt, a doubt, because they did not intend to treat this fubject purpofely, or because they did not take a view of the whole extent of it. As thefe confiderations have made me wifh for a long while that among fo many able men who write abo religion, fome might undertake fo important a fubject; fo they have decermined me to publifh thefe Effays upon the Caufes of Corruption; hoping that others will apply themfelves to the full difcuffion of thofe matters, which are here but imperfectly hinted at. But that the scope of this Treatife may be the better understood; and that no body may expect that in it, which according to the scheme I formed to myself, ought not to have a place here; I fhall acquaint the Reader with one thing, which he may perhaps have forefeen, from what has been already faid. I do not propofe to myself to handle this matter in the way of the divinity schools. No man therefore ought to wonder, if I fay nothing of the ftate in which all men are born; nor of that inclination to vice which is obferved in them. For tho' this is the firft original of corruption; yet certainly this corruption would be much lefs, if Chriftians did ufe the means which God affords them, to overcome it; and if there were not other fources which feed and strengthen that vitious propenfity. Befides, 1 do not confider corruption in general, as it is common to all mankind, but I enquire into the Caufes of the Corruption of Chriftians in particular. Neither do I defign to write a moral treatife; fo that it must not be expected, that I should difcourfe of felf-love and pride, and of all the other paffions, which are the ordinary occafions of mens fins; or that I should trace out all the particular caufes of every fin. This would carry me too far; and fuch things have been often examined. I therefore apply myself only to the general Caufes; and I manage the matter thus. I divide this Work into two parts, because the Causes of Corruption may be of two forts. I fhall call thofe of the first fort, particular or internal; because they are within us, and to be found in every particular man that lives ill. Thofe of the second fort, which are more general, I name external, because they proceed rather from certain outward circumstances, and from the unhappiness of the times; than from the fault of particular perfons. The Caufes I fhall treat of in the First Part, are no other, but the ill difpofitions in which moft Chriftians are, and which hinder their applying themselves to piety: and of thefe I fhall obferve nine. V. A falfe Modefty. I. Ignorance. III. Some Opinions and Maxims which VI. The Delaying Repentance. The Caufes to be confidered in the Second Part are thefe feven. I. The State of the Church and of Re-IV. ligion in general. II. The Want of Difcipline. III. The Defects of the Clergy, The Defects of Chrißian Princes and Magiftrates. V. Education. VI. Example and Custom H 3 I declare I declare here that in difcourfing upon thefe fources, I do not mean to tax all Chriftians without exception: fo when I fpeak of ignorance, and of prejudices commonly received; knowing and learned men are excepted and when I obferve certain defects in the ftate of the church and of religion, in difcipline, in clergy-men, or in Chriftian magiftrates; I fuppofe those faults obtain more in some places than in others. In short, whoever fhould apply what is faid in this Treatife, to all forts of persons and churches, would certainly mistake my defign. And now I muft defire thofe who may chance to fee this Book, to examine seriously what I propose in it. No lover of truth or religion, can refufe his attention to a fubject of this nature. But I hope it will be more particularly welcome to church-men and divines; who are called by their function, to set themselves against corruption, and to endeavour all they can to promote piety and the glory of God. To conclude; I heartily implore his Bleffing upon this Work, who put it into my hand to fet about it, and who is my witness with what delign and intention I publish it. 1. PART I. W CAUSE I Ignorance. **HEN a man thinks of the Caufes of that Corruption which over-runs the Chriftian world; the firft which offers it felf to his mind, is Ignorance, and therefore I fhall begin with that." Our notions and knowledge, are the first principles of our actions. We can never love a thing, or adhere to it, when it is not at all, or when it is but imperfectly known to us: fuppofing then that men are ignorant, or very little inftructed in religion, there is no wonder that they fhould be corrupt; for they muft of neceffity be fo. On the other hand, when they appear to be extremely corrupt, we may conclude, that they want inftruction. I do not deny, but that corruption proceeds fometimes from the wickedness of the heart, which refifts the light of the understanding; and that men frequently act against their knowledge. But it may fafely be faid, That if Chriftians were well inftructed, they would not be fo corrupt, and that wherever an extraordinary corruption is vifible, there is likewife a great deal of ignorance. This is confirm'd by the Scripture, and by God's conduct in the establishing the Chriftian religion. When the Apoftles fpeak of those diforders, orders, wherein the Heathens lived before their converfion, they afcribe them to the darkness of their minds. *The Gentiles (fays St. Paul) have their understanding darkned, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart. The fame Apostle calls the times which preceded the coming of Chrift, the times of Ignorance. And the first thing which God did to change the face of the world, and to rescue it from Corruption; was to difpel the clouds of their ignorance, and to enlighten them with the knowledge of himfelf, by the preaching of the Gofpel. Although Chriftians cannot be charged with fo grofs an Ignorance as that of the Heathens; yet they fall very fhort of that knowledge they ought to have, and it must be confeffed, that for the most part, they live in fhameful and deplorable Ignorance. This is the reafon why piety is fo much wanting among them, and why they are so depraved and vicious; which is the thing I will endeavour to make appear. In order to this; as the Christian religion may be reduced to these two heads, Firft, The Knowledge of the Truth. Secondly, The Practice of Holiness. It is fit to enquire, Whether with refpect to thefe, Chriftians are furnished with neceflary information? I fhall make it appear that they are very little inftructed. I. In that which concerns the truths of religion. And II. In what relates to manners, and to the duties of Chriftianity. The reflections I fhall beftow upon both these heads; will I hope, clearly prove, That among thofe vast multitudes of men, who profess themselves Chriftians, there are very few, who are well acquainted with their religion. From whence it will be natural to conclude, That they muft needs be very corrupt. I. To begin with the Knowledge of the Truths of Christianity; we muft diftinguish two sorts of truths in religion: the general, and the particular truths. The General Truths, are thofe, upon which the whole of religion is founded; fuch as thefe, That there is a God, That the Bible is a divine book, and That the Christian religion is true. By Particular Truths, I mean the various doctrines which religion contains, and which are the parts of it; but which at the fame time, depend upon the General Truths, as upon their principle. The doctrine of the facraments, of juftification, and many others, are of this number. Now let us confider the Ignorance of Chriftians in reference to these two sorts of truths: 1. Every man who makes ufe of his reafon, may eafily apprehend, That the General Truths are the most important; that they are those of which one ought chiefly to be perfuaded; and that without these General Truths, the Particular ones would be useless, nay, would not be fo much as Truths. To enquire, Whether there be any facraments, or how a man can be juftified; one muft believe firft, That there is a God, and a religion: for if I am not convinc'd of the existence of God, and of the truth of religion, it would fignifie little to me, whether or not • Eph. iv. 18. there |