to the outward Act alone, but includeth the moft fecret Motions of the Will; that it enjoyneth Man to forfake Father and Mother, to quit his deareft Affections, to renounce the Pleasures of the World, and upon occafron even Life it felf; that therefore frait is the gate and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto Life; and few there be which find it; and the Life of a Christian is faid to be a continual War against the united force of the World, the Flefh, and the Devil. Thefe Reasons might poffibly affright Mankind from taking fuch a fevere Profeffion on them, did not the Reason of the thing, the Experience of all good Men, and the infallible Affeveration of him who is Truth itself, affure us, that this Toke, far from being infupportable, is light and eafy. Imight evidence this by many Reafons, but fhall at this time confine my felf to Three.

1. The Agreeablenefs of it to the Nature of Man.

2. The Greatness and Certainty of the Reward.

3. The external Affiftances afforded in the Practice of it.

The First Reafon is drawn from the Agreeablenefs of the Precepts of Christianity to the Nature of Man. For what doth Chriftianity enjoyn, which Reafon doth not confirm to be the Duty of Man? What doth it require, which doth not adorn, perfect and exalt his Nature? The Sum of Chriftianity

is to conferve a reverent Conception of God, to obey his Authority, and prefer it to all other Reafons; to exercife a conftant temperance in the ufe of Pleasures; an univerfal Charity in relation to our Fellow-Members; to be just and true; to opprefs none, to defraud none, to do as we would be done by.

Thefe are the great Lines of a Christian's Duty, thefe are the chief Subject of the Law of Chrift. To thefe indeed must be added, to compleat a Chriftian, Faith in Chrift, reliance on his Merits, Communion with him in thofe external Sacraments which he hath inftituted, to declare the mutual Union between himself and us; whereby we visibly joyn our felves to him, put our felves under his Command; declare, confirm, and reiterate our Refolutions of obeying his Commands, and following his Directions. Yet can thefe latter fcarce be accounted any part of the Christian Toke; fince fimply confidered, they include no difficulty, no restraint of the Will of Man, and would not even by the most fenfual Perfon be accounted any Toke or Burden; but as they are so many Marks and Confirmations of the Covenant made with God by every Chriftian, to ob, ferve those Primary Duties which we before mentioned.

These are no other than the neceffary refult of the Nature and Condition of Man in the World. As a created Being, he oweth

oweth Obedience to God; as poffeffing the ufe of Free Will and Reafon, he is obliged to direct his Actions according to thofe Rules which Reafon prefcribeth to him. From the Light of this Reason, he is easily convinced, that it is his Duty to exercise all those Virtues we before mentioned; that every Sin is a violation of his Duty, inaf much as it oppofeth the Direction of his Reason which ought to guide him, and overturneth that Order and Decorum which he ought to observe in the World. The Infirmities of his Body, the Imperfections of hisMind, force him to confefs his dependance upon fome greater Being; convince him that he was not put into the World to follow blindly the Inclinations of his own Will, but to conform himself to thofe Rules of Government, which the common Author of all Creatures hath established among them.

If when he undertaketh any Action, or formeth any Refolution, he confults his Reafon, it will tell him, that this is his Duty, that is unlawful to him; this is decent, that unfit for him; this becomes, that dishonoureth his Nature. Nay, whether he takes counfel from Reafon or not, it will not fail to fuggeft to him in every Action, what is good, juft, and honourable; what impious, unjust, and difgraceful to him.

Now

Now all thefe natural Suggestions of Reafon, are no other than thofe very Duties, which make up the Toke of Chrift. The Actions and Rules of Conduct are the fame in both; the only difference lieth in the greatness of the Obligation, and the Reafons upon which every Action is to proceed. For whereas Nature directeth that this fhould be performed, because confentaneous to Reafon, that omitted, because repugnant to it: Christianity requireth that the one should be done, the other forborn, chiefly for the Love of God; in conformity to his Will, and in gratitude for the Benefits of Creation and Redemption. However, the Acts are ftill the fame. For doth not the Reason of all Men agree in this, that Obedience and Reverence is due to God; that whatfoever oppofeth his Will is an Act of Rebellion, and denial of dependance on him; that the Appetites, Paffions, and Lufts of the Body ought to be fubjected to the more noble Faculty of Reafon; that it is this which conftitutes a Man, and distinguisheth his Conduct from that of Beafts; that to let loose the Reins to thefe Lufts, to gratify any of them without the affent of Reason, is to pervert the Order of Nature, and violate the Dignity of Mankind; that to be juft, true and charitable, is what the Order and Peace of the World requireth, to which he ought to conform himself, while he continueth a Member of it; that he hath no

right to defraud or injure any other; that if he should do it, he is unworthy to continue his Station among Men?

All this natural Reafon fuggefteth to the Confcience of every Man. These draw not their Original from any revealed Religion, but are only inforced by it. It hath been pretended indeed by fome Patrons of Atheism, tho' it can scarce be believed that themfelves were perfuaded of it, that all thefe Notions are derived from the precedent Impreffions of fome revealed or fuppofedly revealed Religion. On the contrary, all Ages and Na-. tions, all Orders of Men have agreed in these common Notions; which cannot poffibly proceed from any thing but an univerfal Inftinct of Nature.

View the most barbarous Nations of the World, who never heard of any inftituted Religion; they have the fame general Conceptions of Good and Bad, which we have. Look back into the most ancient Ages of the World, antecedent to any fuppofed Revela'tion, the fame Ideas of Virtue and Vice will be found in all. Confult the Schools of Philofophers: They differed from one another in almoft all their Speculations: In these practical Truths they all agreed. Laftly, fearch the Confcience of every single Man; and because you cannot difcover the Secrets of other Men, appeal to your own Experience; whether every Action be not attended with an immediate Approbation or Condemnation of

Reason;