follow the example of the text here in ex-SERM. ercifing ourselves to have a confcience void of VII. offence; We must banish this unfairness of mind among other corrupt Falfe notions of religion may with much more reafon be thought to be an exception to the rule of following univerfally the direction of confcience, because the influence of them in misleading men is founded, not on infincerity or dishonesty of heart, as in the other cafe, but upon a religious principle, that God is in all things to be imitated and obeyed. If, therefore, we have wrong opinions concerning the Deity, if we imagine him to be an arbitrary being, who governs the world by abfolute will, without any regard to equity and goodness, this opinion tends to infpire men with the like fentiments, and raise in them difpofitions contrary to benevolence. If we mistake the will of God, and imagine things please him which really do not please him, the effect will be speaking and acting wickedly for God, and from a principle of confcience. They must be quite strangers to the world, to the hiftory of all paft ages, and what continues to be every day done in the openest manner, VOL. I. M who SERM. who do not know that the most prodigious VII iniquity is committed, indeed the most cruel barbarities acted, under a pretence of zeal for God, for facred truth, and pure religion; not a deceitful, lying, pretence; but a real and firm perfwafion. The declarations of fcripture itself will not fuffer us to doubt of this. Our Saviour tells his dif ciples, John xvi. 2. the time cometh, when, whosoever killeth you, shall think that he doth God fervice. But, we need not infist on any further proof, the apoftle Paul himself is a very remarkable example. Before his converfion to chriftianity, fuperftition had fo far mifled his judgment, that he was a perfecutor, a blasphemer, and injurious, with full consent of mind and believing he was right: For he says in his apology before Agrippa and Feftus, Acts xxvi. 9. I verily thought with myself, I ought to do many things. contrary to the name of Jefus of Nazareth; and, therefore, he fays, Acts xxiii. 1. comprehending the very time of his outrageous perfecuting zeal, I have lived in all good confcience before God until this day; meaning that he acted according to his prefent judgment; not against it, in meer com pliance T pliance with luft and paffion, as fome wick-SER M. VII. edly do. From what has been now faid it appears," that nothing can be of greater importance to men than to have their minds well inform'd concerning the meafures of their moral conduct, and rightly to understand the practical principles of religion. Moft unhappy, furely, is the condition of that mind which is thoroughly poffefs'd of pernicious errors, and the more earnestly it purfues its own judgment the farther still it goes aftray. But, this, at least, in points of the greatest moment, is certainly not inevitable; for then our worst errors would only be our infelicities, and our actions agreeable to them could not properly be called our fins. But, indeed, God has made the great truths concerning his being, his perfection, and particularly his moral character, fo manifest, that every man must discern them who applies himself to the inquiry with unprejudiced and careful attention, which is unquestionably the duty of fuch creatures as we are, and for want of it our hearts will fome time or other feverely reproach us. The principal parts of our religion being plain inferences from the divine moral attributes, M 2 SERM.butes, must be very open to every impartial VII. and confiderat enquirer. And, indeed, if 1 we will but look fairly into our own hearts, divested of prepoffeffion in favour of received opinions, it will not be difficult to fee what is good and what the Lord requires. The very firft dictates of nature will scarcely ever miflead an honeft heart; at leaft they will direct him contrary to the tendency of fuperftition, that is, fullen uncharitableness and inhumanity. It must be acknowledged there are fome very difficult cafes relating to the subject we are confidering, and it will be very hard to determine, how far errors of judgment excufe wrong practice. We have no reason to believe that ever we fhall be free from infirmities and miftakes leading us to fome wrong actions, while we are in this imperfect ftate; and fhall always have reafon to join with the Pfalmift in this prayer, *cleanfe me, Lord, from fecret faults, who can understand his errors? What merci ful allowances God may make for evil practices, which men who have honeft intentions in the main, fall into thro' fuperftition, which was the cafe of the apostle Paul before his converfion; what gracious allowances may be made for them, * Pfalm xix. 12 I י ; fay, must be left to the moft equitable SERM. and merciful judge of the world: And what VII. mercy they may obtain, because they act, las he did, ignorantly in unbelief. But, for Jus chriftians, befides the voice of uncorrupted nature which every well difpofed person may understand, the rule of our religion is fo 1 plain, fo fimple, fo free from fuperftition of -all kinds, its declarations fo exprefs for moral piety, confifting in the love of God, conbfidence in him, and refignation to his will ofor this, and for righteoufness, temperance fland charity, as the all of religion, and what tonly God will be pleas'd with; we shall be @of all others the most inexcufable if we fall into the contrary errors, and fuffer our conadfciences to be offended and mifled by them. zirt I will only, add under this head, that as a truly uniform virtuous temper and course of action is that only which bears an exact proportion to the human mind, making it fully and conftantly fatisfied and contented in itlifelf; we may thus judge concerning the different cafes referr'd to: A mind, not indeed directly disapproving itself, but doing what it would certainly condemn if it were not covered with a falfe pretence of zeal; I may call it a falfe confcience, erring thro' I M 3 fuperftition |