much honor and glory to God, and are full of present peace and future hopes for the children of men.

I am aware that it will be said that the common people now are no more able to give a reason of the faith that is in them, than their heatheni h ancestors were before them; and that custom and the prejudices of education have influenced both equally; and that these Christians, had they been born heathens, would have been heathens, or, if Mahometans, they Iwould have been still Mahometans.

Suppose the case to be so, and consider whether we are not extremely obliged to revelation on this foot.

If men are naturally influenced by custom and the force of education to follow the opinions and practices of their country, and are, after all that has been said to exalt human reason, incapable to deliver themselves from popular and national errors by the strength of their own reason; two things must, I think, be admitted:

First, That it was a great undertaking, and the work of a very extraordinary power, to root out ancient errors, which had for many ages had possession of the whole world: And,

Secondly, That it was an act of great wisdom and goodness, as well as power, to introduce just principles and notions of religion, and by giving them at first a firm establishment, to throw the weight of custom and education on the side of virtue and true religion, in opposition to superstition and vice.

The first proposition cannot be disputed; for if the power of custom and education be as great as it is represented, the power must be very great that gets the better of it: and I believe it will be hard to show from history, that ever a nation was reasoned out of their religious errors: it has been done by the power of miracles, and by the power of the sword; but in this last method the nation and its errors have been commonly destroyed together. However, the gospel was not introduced by external force; and therefore the work must necessarily be ascribed to a power of another kind.

As to the second proposition, it may be thought dishonorable to true religion to suppose it to be at all beholden to custom and education for its support; dishonorable to God, to suppose that he can make use of any thing to propagate religion, but

SHERL.

VOL. I.

E

the reason and understanding of his creatures; and, consequently, that true religion is no longer religion, when it stands by the force of custom and education.

I know how much has been said of the use of reason in religion, to the exclusion of all other helps: but I know too that the holy writers frequently call on us to train up a child in the way he should go,' and give this reason for it, that when he is old he will not depart from it.' I know too that God called Abraham, and made of him a great nation, because he knew him, that he would teach his children after him to keep the commandments of the Lord:' which precept to instruct children betimes, and which declaration on God's part in relation to Abraham, cannot stand with a supposition that true religion is the worse for the support it has from example and education.

But to consider this matter a little farther: if we know any thing with certainty of mankind, it is this; that their principles, opinions, and practices are strongly influenced by custom and education. I will ask any man whether he thinks it possible to alter this state of things, and to make all men as much philosophers, and as much above prejudices, as some pretend to be? I believe no man in his senses ever thought this possible. If then men are, and ever will be as long as they continue men, greatly governed by custom and education, the single question is, whether it was an act beneficent to mankind, and becoming the wisdom of God, to direct this influence to the side of virtue and true religion, in order to make men happy, rather than to leave them to be miserable under the strong influence to vice, superstition, and idolatry, which had possession of the world?

The true end of religion is to make men better, to lead them to a due discharge of their duty to God and to man. True principles and right and just notions of God will lead men to a just performance of their duty, independently of this consideration, whether their principles are the result of their own reasoning, or instilled into them by education. If this be so, the common people, whose religion is always treated as their prejudices, are as capable of performing the duties of religion, and as acceptably in the sight of God, as the greatest reasoners and philosophers.

Let us suppose that some wise man had fully convinced himself by reason of the being of God, of the holiness of his nature, and that he is a rewarder of all those who diligently seek him suppose too, that a plain countryman, not able to make deductions in a course of reasoning, was yet fully persuaded of the same truths from his bible, or the instruction of his parish-priest: I say, in this case, that the countryman's principles are as good a foundation for all the duties and purposes of religion as the philosopher's; that they will be as beneficial to the world in making a good father, husband, or master, and as beneficial to the man in making him happy here and hereafter: and though his instruction, compared with the philosopher's deep knowlege, may, in the language of St. Paul, be called the foolishness of preaching,' yet will it, if duly attended to, make him wise unto salvation.'

I am not placing religion on prejudice as its proper foundation: no; the gospel was at first introduced by the strongest appeal to reason, when it was introduced by the hand of God in signs and wonders and mighty works, which the Apostle calls the demonstration of the Spirit,' and opposes it to the 'wisdom of the world:' and the gospel stands on the same reason still. But this is a reason which, the wise ones of the world think, can produce nothing but prejudice, or such faith as differs but little from it. This then I say, that it was worthy of God, by a strong hand and outstretched arm, in signs and wonders to beat down superstition and idolatry, and the corrupt notions of the world; and to plant in the room of them, not by the arts of man's wisdom, but by these demonstrations of the Spirit, true principles of reason and religion; to give them possession in the world, that they might be delivered down from generation to generation, and maintained under the natural influence which custom and education have, and always will have, on mankind.

And if we consider revelation in this light only, as removing false principles of error and superstition, and introducing just ones of truth and religion, independently of the reason and evidence on which the gospel stands, it must appear to be an act of divine love and goodness, which we ought to receive with thankfulness. If men were supposed to be quite inca

pable of entering at all into the reason of things, and to be wholly guided by prejudice and custom, yet surely even then it would be an act of love to draw out of their minds principles full of mischief to themselves and others, and place in their room principles of love and benevolence to make themselves and others happy. And surely this at least must be allowed to the gospel, that it did in fact expel the false and pernicious notions of heathenism, and introduce principles on which men may be at peace and in friendship with God and with each other. And from hence perhaps we may see the reason why miracles were so frequent in the beginning of the gospel, and why they ceased afterwards. They were necessary till truth had possession of the world; but truth, thoroughly established, was left to be propagated by the natural means of instruction and education.

Every body sees what mischief and wickedness are often produced by false and corrupt opinions and principles; which owe not their strength to reason, for with reason they have no alliance, but to the possession they have of the mind. Good principles, with the same advantage of possession, will be as powerful to good purposes, though the mind discerns not the reason from whence they flow. There are but few workmen, perhaps, who know the reason, and can demonstrate the mechanic powers of the instruments they use; but being perfect in the use and application of these powers, they are able workmen and master-builders; which is all that is required of them. In like manner, if true religion is so introduced into the mind as to work in the heart of man, and make him upright and honest, the end and purpose of religion is answered.

To answer this end of religion were the preachers of the gospel sent into the world: the errand was worthy of him who sent them; whose goodness and mercy inclined him to teach men the way to happiness, but not to flatter their vanity and pride of knowlege. The doctrines of the gospel are not the worse for being foolishness to the Greeks, and a stumblingblock to the Jews;' since they are, and on experience appear to be, the power of God to salvation to all who believe.'

DISCOURSE IV.

PART II.

IN treating on this subject, I have already observed to you that there are two propositions or assertions contained in the words of the text:

First, That the world by wisdom knew not God.'

Secondly, That it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching' to save believers.

It being allowed in general that the world was grossly ignorant and superstitious, and unacquainted with the true notion of God, and the religion that was to be paid him; yet it will still be said that there were some, some few at least, who had extricated themselves from these popular errors; who saw and acknowleged one Supreme Being, the cause of all things; who had clear and distinct notions of morality, and of the duties owing from man to man. The writings of some of these great men are still extant; and if we consult only Plato, Aristotle, and the Roman philosopher Tully, we may see how far reason and philosophy could and did carry these men in matters of religion and morality.

From these and such-like instances we are apt to form a general notion of the powers of human reason; and the argument appears undeniable: thus far human reason did go without the help of the gospel; thus far therefore it certainly can go.

It may be worth our while to consider this case, not with an intent to depreciate the worth of these, the best and greatest men of antiquity, but to state it clearly and fairly, as far as it does, or may be supposed to affect the argument for the necessity of revelation.

Supposing then, in the first place, all that is said of these wise men to be true, and that they did arrive at a clear and distinct knowlege of God, and of the religion that was due to him; yet it will weigh but little in the present consideration, for this plain reason; because religion, if it is of any use at all, is equally of use to all men for since all men live under the