SERMON XV. TITUS ii. 11, 12, 13. The grace of God, that bringeth falvation, hath appeared to all men, Teaching us, that denying ungodliness and worldly lufts, we should live foberly, righteously and godly in this prefent world. Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jefus Chrift. THE HERE is great reafon to apprehend, that when mention of the Chriftian religion is made by many, the meaning of it is not fufficiently understood. With them it is only to believe in Chrift, and to obey all his commands; but what the true difference is between the Chriftian religion and that which is called natural religion, and in what refpects the former deferves the preference before the lat ter, ter, are points not always enough known and confidered. I fhall therefore endeavour in the enfuing discourse, First, To give you a clear view of the origin of natural religion, and of the additions made to it, fince the beginning of the world: and this with defign the better to fhew you, Secondly, What Chriftianity is, and what it hath done for the fupport and improvement of natural religion. On the first head it must be remembered, that when God created our firft parents, he gave to them the use of reason, that it might guide and direct them to their feveral duties: for by confidering the relation in which they ftood to him and to each other, their reafon was able to lead them to the following conclufions : They faw that God had been their creator, that he was daily their preferver, and that they lived continually in his prefence; and therefore they could not but conclude, that he was to be reverenced and adored by them; that praife was due to him on account of his greatnefs, and thanksgiving on account of his goodnefs; nefs; that in all their wants they were to apply themselves for relief by prayer to him from whom they had received all they were then poffeffed of: in fhort, that on all occafions they were to think and speak of God, and to act towards him in a manner fuitable to what they experienced of his goodness, his wisdom, and his greatness. On the other hand, when our first parents turned their thoughts towards themselves, and confidered the relation which they bore to each other; that they were both of them the workmanship of the fame God, alike poffeffed of reason and speech, and in all other respects equally favoured by him, it was natural for them to conclude, that the care of each other's preservation and welfare was a duty: efpecially, as they faw, that, when feparated, they were not only joyless but helpless creatures: from whence this most natural reflection would arife, that they were defigned by the will of their Maker for mutual aid and comfort in fociety, for the practice of every thing towards each other, which the fupport of fociety required. At first, perhaps, but few of these thoughts came into the minds of our first parents: not VOL. I. X many many more than what they had immediate occafion for but time and circumftances easily brought them forth by degrees, as they were fo obvious, and lay fo much upon the surface, as it were, of their reafon. Every year of their lives, it is probable, increased their stock of knowledge in natural religion: and this they cherished, they and their defcendants long afterwards; this religious knowledge being augmented, as mankind multiplied, and as other new relations arofe, fuch are father and fon,' mafter and fervant, magiftrate and fubject, and the like, which introduced as many new fets of duties into the fame growing natural religion, and thereby much inlarged the family of moral virtues. But we must not forget, that to our first parents God gave by revelation fome laws of a different kind, called pofitive ones; by which are meant fuch laws, as were not taught them by their reafon, but depended entirely on the will and pleasure of God, though given for wife and good purposes. Of this fort was that law which was given to our first parents, and in them to all their pofterity, and which enjoined them to keep holy one |