SER. III. Containing every Motive to Goodnefs

which can be fuggefted: Our Sins are forgiven upon a fincere and unfeigned Repentance; and our Pardon fealed with the Blood of a gracious Redeemer. To a

Perfeverance in the Paths of Virtue we are allured by Precepts of the purest Morality, exhorted by the Promife of divine Grace, and encouraged by the Reward of an eternal Crown of Glory.

When this Religion had flourished many Centuries in it's native and unallayed Purity, in a very dark and unlearned Age it became adulterated with impure Doctrines, and quite over-grown with a Heap of monftrous Abfurdities: But it pleased God, by the Ministry of his faithful Servants, to re-enlighten this Land with the Beams of Truth; to restore Christianity to it's origi ginal Simplicity and Sincerity.

Then was the Key of Knowledge, which had been long taken away, again recovered into our Hands; which, at the fame Time that it unlocked the facred Truths of the Scripture, laid open the myfterious Iniquity of Popery; and helped us to discover, that the Boaft of Infallibility tended

to

to nothing better than to introduce the SER. III. groffeft Ignorance, and to make Error in

curable.

At the breaking in of this

Light, the evil Spirit of Popery departed;
and we were freed from thofe Chains in
which we had been faft bound for many
Generations. Then had we the Happiness
to fee the Church, which, by Romish Ar-
tifices, had been made to encroach upon
the just Rights of the civil Government,
become the most friendly and favourable
to it. Our Reformation from Popery was
conducted by fuch peaceable, difcreet, and
deliberate Steps, and in fo ftrict a Confor-
mity to primitive Ufages, that the Plan of
it was the Envy of foreign Nations
happy only in this, that it was not copied
by every Part of our own. This, how-
ever, ferved to convince us, that the mu-
tual Interests of our Church and State are
laid fo truly upon the fame Foundation,
that Both must rife and fall together. This
we found in the Course of a few fucceed-
ing Years, by an Experience but too dearly-
bought; when the Evil Spirit of Rebellion
could not compleat it's Conquests without
lifting Enthusiasm into it's Train; and

; un

when,

SER. III. when, by their combined Forces, they compaffed the Deftruction of both the Ecclefiaftical and Civil Polity. But this gave Occafion for a fresh Inftance of God's Loving-kindness towards us; when so wonderful was the Deliverance that he wrought for us, fo much beyond all human Forefight, Expectation, or Hope, that in the Accomplishment of it we were like unto thofe that dream. Good Reafon had we to rejoice; good Reafon have we ftill to rejoice for the great Things that the Lord then did for us.

Again were reftlefs and repeated Attempts made to re-establish Popery; again the Hand of the Almighty feasonably interpofed, and defeated the almoft-accomplished Designs of the Romish Emiffaries. This laft Deliverance was wrought for us at the memorable Era of the Revolution; an Era never to be forgotten by any Member of the Church of England that thinks and acts confiftently.

And now we have a Religion which displays itself in all the Beauty of Holiness. The Worship of God, in Conformity to the Spirit of Chriftianity, is manly, folemn,

and

and majestick, without any Thing of thea- SER. III. trical Pomp and Pageantry: Plain and fimple, without any Thing mean, indecent, or irreverent: Prayers level to the lowest Understanding, yet fit to warm and infpirit the Devotions of the highest: Affectionate and fervent, without any overftrained Flights: Compofed and rational, without any Thing flat, dead, or low. Christianity, as established in the Church of England, I fpeak the Sentiments of my Heart, is the best fitted in the World to make it's Profeffors rationally, foberly, and fubftantially religious: free from the wild Ravings of Enthusiasm, on the one Hand; and the Worship of dumb Idols, on the other: On this Side, from the Crudities of unpremeditated, extemporary Effusions; on that, from the senseless and abfurd Practice of praying in an unknown Tongue. fhort, every Thing is reformed among us,. but, what wants very much to be reformed, our Manners. A Truth we fhould be afhamed to own; yet cannot deny, if we confider what Returns we have made for the many fignal Bleffings we have received. For what indeed are thofe Returns?

In

A

It

SER. III. A thorough Difregard to Christianity has prevailed, not only among the Great (for fo Men in high Stations, however little in themselves, will be called) but, by the Prevalence of their Example, it has descended even to the lower Sort: among whom there are many who pretend to be staunch Unbelievers, and really are fo, if we may judge by their Lives and Converfation. is true, Chriftianity is not now under fuch a State of Perfecution as it was under the Roman Emperors; yet it ftill undergoes one Kind of Perfecution, very grievous to ingenuous Minds, that of petulant Tongues and Pens as petulant; which speak and write against it with fo much Rudeness and Infolence, as if Infidelity were established by Law, and Chriftianity barely tolerated. And to that Degree have they fucceeded, that feveral, who have a Regard for the Bible at their Heart, dare not openly avow their facred Efteem of it, for fear of being made the ftanding Mark of ill-bred Ridicule: forgetful of our Saviour's dread Sentence: Whoever shall be ashamed of me and of my Words, of him fhall the Son of Man be ashamed, when he shall appear with