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 with for a long while that among fo many able men who write about religion, fome might undertake fo important a fubject; fo they have determined me to publish thefe Effays upon the Caufes of Corruption; hoping that others will apply themselves 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 fcheme 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 propose to myself to handle this matter in the way of the divinity fchools. 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 less, 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, I do not confider corruption in general, as it is common to all mankind, but I enquire into the Causes of the Corruption of Chriftians in particular. Neither do I defign to write a moral treatise; fo that it must not be expected, that I should discourse of self-love and pride, and of all the other paffions, which are the ordinary occafions of men's fins; or that I fhould 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 myfelf only to the general Causes; and I manage the matter thus. I divide this Work into two parts, because the Caufes of Corruption may be of two forts. I fhall call those 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 fecond fort, which are more general, I name external, because they proceed rather from certain outward circumftances, 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 Christians are, and which hinder their applying themselves to piety: and of these I shall obferve nine.

I. Ignorance.

II. Prejudices and falfe Notions con-
cerning Religion.

III. Some Opinions and Maxims which
are used to authorize Corruption.
IV. The Abufe of Holy Scripture.
The Caufes to be confidered in
I. The State of the Church and of Re-
ligion in general.

II. The Want of Difcipline.
Ul. The Defects of the Clergy.

V. A falle Modefty.

VI. The delaying Repentance.
VII. Man's Sloth and Negligence in
Matters of Religion.

VIII. Worldly Bufinefs.
IX. Men's particular Callings.
Second Part are these seven.
The Defects of Christian Princes
and Magiftrates.

the

IV.

V. Education.

VI. Example and Custom.

VII. Books.

I declare here that in difcourfing upon these fources, I do not mean to tax all Chriftians without exception: fo when I fpeak of ignorance, and of prejudice 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 Christian magistrates; I fuppofe thofe faults obtain more in fome places than in others. In short, whoever should apply what is faid in this Treatife, to all forts of persons and churches, would certainly mistake my design

And now I must defire those who may chance to fee this Book, to examine seriously what I propofe in it. No lover of truth or religion, can refuse his attention to a subject of this nature. But I hope it will be more particularly welcome to church-men and divines; who are called by their function, to fet themselves againft 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 head to fet about it, and who is my witness with what defign and intention I publish it.

WHE

'HEN a man thinks of the Caufes of that Corruption which over-runs the Chriftian world; the firft which offers itself to his mind, is Ignorance, and therefore I fhall begin with that.

Our notions and knowledge, are the firft 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 Apostles fpeak of thofe dif

orders,

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 Gospel.

Although Chriftians cannot be charged with fo grofs an Ignorance as that of the Heathens; yet they fall very short 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 reason why piety is fo much wanting among them, and why they are fo depraved and vicious; which is the thing I will endeavour to make appear.

In order to this; as the Chriftian religion may be reduced to these two heads,

First, The Knowledge of the Truth.

Secondly, The Practice of Holiness.

It is fit to enquire, Whether with respect to these, Chriftians are furnifhed with neceffary information? I fhall make it appear that they are very little inftructed.

律

Í. In that which concerns the truths of religion. And

II. In what relates to manners, and to the duties of Christianity. The reflections I fhall beftow upon both thefe heads; will I hope, clearly prove, That among those vaft multitudes of men, who profess themfelves 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 forts 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 Chriftian 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 thefe two forts 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 there

:

-Eph. iv. 18.
H 4

there were any facraments, and all the time I should employ in the profecution of this enquiry would be lost.

This first reflection does already discover to us an effential and capital defect. A great many Chriftians want inftruction concerning the principles and foundations of Christianity; they do not sufficiently confider the certainty and importance of it. Their knowledge of religion, does feldom go further than the particular truths of it, and does not reach the general. This is fo common a fault, that it may be observed even in those whose profeffion it is to ftudy religion and to teach it to others, Some have spent the best part of their lives in the study of divinity, or in expounding the Scripture, who never seriously examined the arguments for the truth of Chriftianity, or the divinity of the Scripture. Some are masters of the principal controverfies which divide Chriftians, who would stand mute if they were called back to the first elements of religion, and if they were to maintain against an Infidel, that there is a religion, or that the Chriftian religion is true. The people enter yet less than the divines into the examination of the general truths; and there are very few who either attend to them, or indeed believe them as they

ought.

And yet the whole of religion depends upon a firm perfuafion concerning the principles of faith; it is that which renders the particular truths effectual to falvation, and which begets piety and the love of virtue, When a man is perfuaded that religion propofes nothing but what is certain, he immediately receives with reverence whatsoever it teaches; he feels an inclination in himself to obferve its precepts, and he believes a judgment and another life, as if he saw them before his eyes. Such is the efficacy of a true faith, and of a steady perfuafion about fundamental truths. But without this perfuafion it is very hard, not to fay impoffible, to adhere fincerely to religion, and to perform the duties of it. And this is the conftant fource of the Corruption of Chriftians.

It may perhaps be objected, that all Chriftians receive the general truths of their Creeds, and that these are not queftioned but by Pagans and Atheifts. Upon which I fhall make two reflections.

I. It is but too true, that in the point of religion, there is at this day a great number of perfons who entertain very loofe opinions, and that do at least border upon Atheism. These pernicious tenets are spread wider than fome people think. Not only the Libertines are infected with them, but even the common people. All the prophane men and Deists are not to be found at courts, in armies, or among the learned; there are some in towns, among the vulgar, and even among country clowns. If we examine a little the difcourfes and apprehenfions of men, especially of those whofe life is irregular, if we do but begin to reason with them and prefs them, we may foon perceive the principles of incredulity and Atheism in many of them. It will be found that they are not thoroughly perfuaded that there is a God, and another life; or that if they do not proceed to that degree of impiety which attacks directly the very foundations of religion, they harbour at leaft this fancy, that God doth not narrowly obferve men's deportment; that he will not be fo fevere as to damn them for fome fins they have committed, and that there is no fuch great harm in gratifying one's paflions, and living at the ufual rate of the world. These

Thefe and the like fentiments are general enough, and yet they lead the ftraight way to Deism, and tend plainly to the fubverfion of religion. It would be therefore highly neceffary, in order to root out fuch dangerous errours, carefully to establish thefe great truths; That there is a God, that this God fpeaks to us in his word, and that whatever the Gospel tells us of another life, is most certain. This I fay would be altogether needful, if it were but for the inftruction of those I have now mentioned, and their number is greater than is commonly imagined.

2ly, We may take notice, that tho' Chriftians profefs to believe the truths of their religion, yet that belief is not lively and ftrong enough in them all. It is beyond all queftion, that moft Chriftians are fo only because they were engaged by their birth in the profeffion of Chriftianity; but that after all, they know very little of the truth and divinity of it. They would in like manner have been Jews or Pagans, if they had been born in Judaism or Paganism; fo that properly fpeaking they cannot be faid to have faith; for faith is a perfuafion; to believe, is to be perfuaded; and 'tis impoffible to believe a thing right without reafon or examination. That which is called faith is commonly nothing else but a confused and general opinion, which makes but very flight impreffions upon the heart and mind; but true faith is a greater rarity among Chriftians, than we are aware of. Now as faith is the only principle of piety, fo a bad life does chiefly fpring from want of faith and from incredulity. And there are two forts of Infidels; fome deny and rejec Divine truths; others do not quite deny them, but they doubt and believe but weakly. The Infidels who deny the fundamentals of religion, are not many, but the number of those who doubt, and are not well persuaded, is very great.

This discovers to us the reason why men who are acquainted with the Divine truths and profefs to believe them, do yet act quite contrary to the dictates of faith and religion. There feems to be in their proceeding a manifeft contradiction: it is a thing wondered at; that people who believe a God, and a religion, fhould live as if there was neither God nor religion; upon this we are apt to say, that finners are not confiftent with themselves; and as if it were impoffible to reconcile their practice with their belief, we cry out, that the depth of man's heart is unfearchable. But there is no fuch wonder in the cafe, and the proceeding of bad Chriftians, is not always fo contradictory, as it seems to be. I confefs that men fin fometimes against the convictions of their own confciences, and that fome who want not knowledge, do yet live very ill.

This may proceed from inconfideration, from the violence of their paffions, from too great a regard to their temporal intereft, from the flattering hope of pardon, or fome fuch principle. But for the most part, men act confonantly and fuitably to their belief, and it is but feldom, that in the conduct of their lives, they behave themselves contrary to the fentiments and principles that poffefs them. We suppose that bad Chriftians believe the truths of religion, and in that we are mistaken. Many of them want faith, and are not fully convinced of those truths. Is it to be imagined, that so many perfons who live in fin, who make confcience of nothing, and who violate every minute the rules of their du