fiah, will fhow, that it was not without need, that he was fent into the world.

The evidence of our Saviour's miffion from heaven is fo great, in the multitude of miracles he did before all all forts of people, that what he delivered cannot but be received as the oracles of God, and unquestionable verity. For the miracles he did were fo ordered by the divine providence and wifdom, that they never were, nor could be denied by any of the enemies, or opposers of christianity.

Though the works of nature, in every part of them, fufficiently evidence a Deity; yet the world made fo little ufe of their reafon, that they faw him not, where, even by the impreffions of himself, he was easy to be found. Senfe and luft blinded their minds in some, and a careless inadvertency in others, and fearful apprehenfions in moft (who either believed there were, or could not but suspect there might be, fuperiour unknown beings) gave them up into the hands of their priests, to fill their heads with falfe notions of the Deity, and their worship with foolish rites, as they pleafed: and what dread or craft once began, devotion foon made facred, and religion immutable. In this ftate of darkness and ignorance of the true God, vice and fuperftition held the world. Nor could any help be had, or hoped for from reafon; which could not be heard, and was judged to have nothing to do in the cafe; the priests, every where, to fecure their empire, having excluded reason from having any thing to do in religion. And in the crowd of wrong notions, and invented rites, the world had almost loft the fight of the one only true God. The rational and thinking part of mankind, it is, true, when they fought after him, they found the one fupreme, invisiblė God; but if they acknowledged and worshipped him, it was only in their own minds. They kept this truth locked up in their own breafts as a fecret, nor ever durft venture it amongft the people; much lefs amongst the priests, those wary guardians of their own creeds and profitable inventions. Hence we fee, that reason, speaking ever so clearly to the wife and virtuous, had never authority enough to prevail on the multitude; and to perfuade

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perfuade the focieties of men, that there was but one God, that alone was to be owned and worshipped, The belief and worship of one God, was the national religion of the Ifraelites alone: and if we will consider it, it was introduced and fupported amongst the people by revelation. They were in Gofhen, and had light, whilft the reft of the world were in almoft Egyptian darkness, "without God in the world." There was no part of mankind, who had quicker parts, or improved them more; that had a greater light of reafon, or followed it farther in all forts of fpeculations, than the Athenians: and yet we find but one Socrates amongst them, that oppofed and laughed at their polytheism, and wrong opinions of the Deity; and we fee how they rewarded him for it: Whatsoever Plato, and the fobereft of the philofophers, thought of the nature and being of the one God, they were fain, in their outward profeffions and worship, to go with the herd, and keep to the religion established by law: which what it was, and how it had difpofed the minds of these knowing and quick-fighted Grecians, St. Paul tells us, Acts xvii. 22-29, "Ye "men of Athens," fays he, "I perceive, that in all

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things ye are too fuperftitious. For as I paffed by, "and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this infcription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom there"fore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you. "God that made the world, and all things therein, feeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands: neither is wor→ fhipped with men's hands, as though he needed any *thing, feeing that he giveth unto all life, and breath, "and all things; and hath made of one blood all the "nations of men, for to dwell on the face of the earth; "and hath determined the times before appointed, and "the bounds of their habitations; that they should seek "the Lord, if haply they might feel him out and find "him, though he be not far from every one of us.' Here he tells the Athenians, that they, and the rest of the world (given up to fuperftition) whatever light there was in the works of creation and providence, to lead them to the true God; yet few of them found him.

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He was every where near them; yet they were but like people groping and feeling for fomething in the dark, and did not fee him with a full and clear day-light; "But thought the Godhead like to gold and filver, and "ftone, graven by art and man's device,"

In this state of darkness and errour, in reference to the "true God," our Saviour found the world. But the clear revelation he brought with him, diffipated this darkness; made the "one invifible true God" known to the world and that with fuch evidence and energy, that polytheism and idolatry have no where been able to withstand it but wherever the preaching of the truth he delivered, and the light of the gospel hath come, those mists have been dispelled. And, in effect, we fee, that fince our Saviour's time, the "belief of one "God" has prevailed and spread itself over the face of the earth. For even to the light that the Meffiah brought into the world with him, we muft afcribe the owning and profeffion of one God, which the Mahometan religion hath derived and borrowed from it. So that in this fenfe it is certainly and manifeftly true of our Saviour, what St. John fays of him, 1 John iii. 8, "For "this purpose the Son of God was manifefted, that he

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might destroy the works of the devil." This light the world needed, and this light is received from him: that there is but "one God," and he "eternal, invifi"ble;" not like to any vifible objects, nor to be reprefented by them.

If it be asked, whether the revelation to the patriarchs by Mofes did not teach this, and why that was not enough? The answer is obvious; that however clearly the knowledge of one invifible God, maker of heaven and earth, was revealed to them; yet that revelation was shut up in a little corner of the world; amongst a people, by that very law, which they received with it, excluded from a commerce and communication with the rest of mankind. The Gentile world, in our Saviour's time, and feveral ages before, could have no atteftation of the miracles on which the Hebrews built their faith, but from the Jews themfelves, a people not known to the greateft part of mankind; contemned

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and thought vilely of, by thofe nations that did know them; and therefore very unfit and unable to propagate the doctrine of one God in the world, and diffuse it through the nations of the earth, by the ftrength and force of that ancient revelation, upon which they had received it. But our Saviour, when he came, threw down this wall of partition; and did not confine his miracles or meffage to the land of Canaan, or the worfhippers at Jerufalem. But he himself preached at Samaria, and did miracles in the borders of Tyre and Sidon, and before multitudes of people gathered from all quarters. And after his refurrection, fent his apostles amongst the nations, accompanied with miracles; which were done in all parts fo frequently, and before so many witneffes of all forts, in broad day-light, that, as I have before obferved, the enemies of chriftianity have never dared to deny them; no, not Julian himself: who neither wanted fkill nor power to inquire into the truth: nor would have failed to have proclaimed and exposed it, if he could have detected any falfhood in the history of the gospel; or found the leaft ground to queftion the matter of fact published of Chrift and his apoftles. The number and evidence of the miracles done by our Saviour and his followers, by the power and force of truth, bore down this mighty and accomplished emperor, and all his parts, in his own dominions. He durft not deny fo plain a matter of fact, which being granted, the truth of our Saviour's doctrine and miffion unavoidably follows; notwithstanding whatsoever artful fuggeftions his wit could invent, or malice fhould offer to the contrary.

Next to the knowledge of one God; maker of all things; "a clear knowledge of their duty was wanting "to mankind." This part of knowledge, though cultivated with some care by fome of the heathen philofophers, yet got little footing among the people. All men, indeed, under pain of difpleafing the gods, were to frequent the temples: every one went to their facrifices and fervices: but the priests made it not their business to teach them virtue. If they were diligent in their obfervations and ceremonies; punctual

in their feafts and folemnities, and the tricks of religion; the holy tribe affured them the gods were pleased, and they looked no farther. Few went to the schools of the philofophers to be inftructed in their duties, and to know what was good and evil in their actions. The priefts fold the better pennyworths, and therefore had all the custom. Luftrations and proceffions were much eafier than a clean confcience, and a steady courfe of virtue; and an expiatory facrifice that atoned for the want of it, was much more convenient than a ftrict and holy life. No wonder then, that religion was every where diftinguished from, and preferred to virtue; and that it was dangerous herefy and profaneness to think the contrary. So much virtue as was neceffary to hold focieties together, and to contribute to the quiet of governments, the civil laws of commonwealths taught, and forced upon men that lived under magiftrates. But these laws being for the most part made by fuch, who had no other aims but their own power, reached no farther than those things that would ferve to tie men together in fubjection; or at moft were directly to conduce to the profperity and temporal happiness of any people. But natural religion, in its full extent, was no where, that I know, taken care of, by the force of natural reason. It fhould feem, by the little that has hitherto been done in it, that it is too hard a task for unaffifted reafon to establish morality in all its parts, upon its true foundation, with a clear and convincing light. And it is at least a furer and shorter way, to the apprehenfions of the vulgar, and mass of mankind, that one manifeftly fent from God, and coming with vifible authority from him, fhould, as a king and lawmaker, tell them their duties; and require their obedience; than leave it to the long and fometimes intricate deductions of reafon, to be made out to them. Such trains of reasoning the greatest part of mankind have neither leisure to weigh; nor, for want of education and use, skill to judge of. We fee how unfuccessful in this the attempts of philofophers were before our Saviour's time. How fhort their feveral fyftems came of the perfection of a true and complete morality, is