tion, were all that the Divine Goodness should be supposed to have any concern for. But fuch notions are very unworthy of God, who' is no refpecter of Perfons. Let it therefore be farther confidered,

2

3. That fuppofing the Philofophers had been really defigned to reform the Morals and Religion of Mankind, they were not fufficiently qualified for such an undertaking, because they themselves were ignorant of many things neceffary for it. As they knew not the first cause of the corruption of humane Nature (which I mentioned before) so they could know nothing of God's design in fuffering it, nor of the Scheme and Order of his Providence, by which he defigned to conduct mankind out of it, into a more perfect and happy state than that from which they had fallen. Though they were upon good grounds of Reason (while they kept fteady to it) convinc'd of fome of those great Truths, which are strong motives to obedience to the Law of Nature (fuch as the Immortality of the Soul and a Future State of Rewards and Punishments:) Yet their conviction was not fo fteady and uniform as was neceffary to perfuade others: And it may be queftioned, whether their unsteadiness to their own arguments, and

their contradictory opinions, and different fects, formed upon them, did not more hinder than help, that influence which the traditional belief of these primitive Truths had upon the vulgar, in more early times, before they had ever heard fuch disputing upon them. So that there was really more want of Revelation after the days of Philofophy than before. What they difcourfed upon these subjects, was too fubtle and speculative, rather amufing than inftructing to a common understanding. And befides, they themselves had no confiftent Scheme to proceed upon. Tho' they could plainly discover, from the reason of things, that Virtue was neceffary to the perfection of man, yet their many divifions and fubdivifions upon the Chief Good, or Supreme and Ultimate Happiness of man, were a great hindrance to any good influence upon thofe that heard them. They could many of them speak very well, both upon the excellence of a virtuous life in general, and of the immediate advantage of feveral particular virtues, and their natural tendency to the good of mankind; but how to reduce them all to one confiftent fcheme, fo that ordinary men might fee the obligation to practise all of them, in all circumftances,

was

was a thing that few, or none of them, could

attain to.

There are, befides thefe, divers other confiderations, which fhew the neceffity of a Revelation from God, in order to the effectual reformation of mankind, both as to Religion and Morality, which I fhall have occafion to mention in my next difcourfe: When I shall likewise proceed to shew, that if Revelation be a thing neither improbable nor unneceffary, it ought to be our main concern to endeavour to know, where this true Revelation is to be found.

SERMON

SERMON XII

Preached March the 3d 17.

Ifaiah ii. 3.

And many people shall go, and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob,

teach us of his ways,

and he will

and we will

walk in his paths; for out of Zion Shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.

HAVE, in my two last Discourses, endeavoured to fhew,

I. That every rational man, who

believes a God and a Providence governing the

A a

world,

world, is under a natural obligation, to enquire whether God has made any particular Revelation of his will to men, which they are any way concerned to take notice of. And likewife,

II. That whoever seriously makes this enquiry, will find good reason to conclude, that fome Revelation may juftly be expected to come from God, confidering the general state and condition of mankind. And in fpeaking to this fecond confideration, I observed,

I. That in the nature of things, there is no impoffibility that God should make a particular Revelation of his will to men.

II. That, confidering our natural notions of the Goodness of God to mankind, there is no reason to think it incredible that he should, at fome time or other, make fuch Revelation. And

> III. That confidering the general condition of mankind, fuch revelation is by no means unnecessary; as fome despisers of all Revelation have thought fit to reprefent it. This I began to thew from fuch confiderations as thefe.

I. That there is a ftrange and furprizing

corrup