consider that unintelligible variety of religions amongst the heathens, we shall have reason to conclude that there is no instance wherein the excess of man's native blindness and depravation is more astonishing, than in the ways he has devised for the serving of God. This will appear by taking a short general view of the ways of worship in practice among the most learned and polite heathens.

The Grecians and Romans had more art and improvement than the rest, yet how frivolous and extravagant, nay how impious were their solemn mysteries? * The Eleusinia sacra, the rites of Cybele, the Floralia, &c. were mixtures of folly and filthiness. Their auguries by the flight of birds, their presages by inspecting the † entrails of beasts, and the smoke of the incense, were so fantastic, that if one had designed to invent things ridiculous without the least show of reason, it had not been possible to exceed them. They were very curious about trifles, and careless of real virtue: and what is more unworthy of God than to imagine that he is pleased with little senseless observances solemnly performed? They were afraid to soil themselves with imaginary pollutions, and insensible of the deepest defilements. Their most sacred mysteries were a covert for uncleanness, and under the mask of religion the basest villanies were disguised. ‡ But I will not rake in those sinks of filthiness. Now what is more impious than to imagine that God is pleased with the most sordid lusts, that cannot be named without violating modesty, nor thought of without defiling the mind with their infamous ideas? But it is no wonder that such pollutions were esteemed religious rites, for they attributed to their gods such actions as were most unworthy a virtuous man. The Poets were the chief doctors in their church. Their tales of the rapes, and incests, and secret armours of their reputed deities, were the rule of their faith. And what a pernicious influence this kind of belief had upon them, and how dishonourable it was to their gods, the wi

* Tanta gentium in rebus frivolis plerunque religio est. Plin.

+ Magis ex alieno jecore sapiebant, quam ex suo.

† Μαχλώνια Αφροδίτης ὄργια. Απόσβεσον, ώ Ἱεροφάνια, τὸ πυρ, αιδέσθητι δαδέχε, τὰς λαμπάδας, ἐλέγκεσον τήν Ιάκχον τὸ ps. Clem. Alex. Protrep.

ser sort then discovered. It was Cicero's just censure of Homer, that whereas he should have raised up earth to heaven, instructed men to live according to the purity of the gods, he forced down heaven to earth, and made the gods to live like men in this region of impurity. It is the highest glory of man to be made the image of God in moral excellencies, and it is the vilest contumely to God to fashion him to be the image of man's vicious affections.

. Add further, that man was a sinner, and under the righteous displeasure of heaven, all were compelled to acknowledge by the stings of conscience. But what miserable work has been made. from the ignorance and guilty fears of the heathens, to render the Deity propitious, is manifest in several instances, and espeeially in their cruel sacrifices of men. This was their practice in extreme dangers, to purge their cities, and avert divine judgments. As if some eminent acts of sin had the virtue of expiation. In short, the design of religion is to procure the favour of God, and to sanctify man, both which are necessary in order to his blessedness; but how insufficient Gentilism was for these great effects is manifest. Nay, on the contrary, such a prodigious mixture of folly and wickedness makes it sadly evident, that the variety of religions among the heathens, were but several ways of dishonouring God, and perishing for ever. It is further to be observed, that the philosophers of greatest reputation, admired as oracles of more than human wisdom, did not cure these destructive evils. They should have expressed an heroic magnanimity (to which they vainly pretended) in resisting the dreadful torrent of idolatry that overflowed the world. But they basely temporized with the vulgar heathen. It was their declared principle, that a wise man should follow the religion of his country, and conform in his external practice with established customs, if he reserved his mind free from philosophy. Thus they extinguished the most radiant beam of the Deity, and robbed him of his most glorious attribute, the unity of his essence. And by this we may judge how unfit they were to instruct and correct the degenerate world, and make it truly better, when they suffered religion, the fountain of all virtues, to be corrupted, and the worship of the only true God, the prime and chief part of piety, to be given not only to inferior objects, but to evif spirits. Miserable physicians! Whose care was applied to re

dress some lesser evils that concerned societies, and neglected this mortal wound in the heart. It is a killing aggravation of their connivance and compliance with ignorant idolaters, that they held the "truth in unrighteousness; and when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, but changed the glory of his incorruptible nature, into an image made like to corruptible man, and birds, and four-footed beasts, and creeping things." This was the state of the pagan world till the gospel appeared, and directed the natural religious inclination of mankind into its proper channel to the only true God.

2. The religion of the Jews is to be considered. This the christians acknowledge with them, was divine in its authority, doctrine, moral part, worship and promises. God himself was the author, and confirmed it by many illustrious miracles. It is delivered in the most ancient, authentic, and venerable writings in the world. It instructs us concerning the nature of God, his works of creation and providence, and the judgment to come. It commands the love of God, and to serve him only, and the love of our neighbour as ourselves. The ceremonial part was a full conviction of the guilt of sin, a visible discovery of the rights of eternal justice, and a powerful means to humble men before the infinite and offended majesty of the Creator. It propounds temporal rewards, as the marks of God's favour suitable to the church then in its minority, but under that veil the most excellent and eternal rewards. This religion in its ceremonial external part was to continue till the coming of the Messiah, and then to be abolished. To make this evident, I shall thus proceed :

(1.) That the ceremonial part contained nothing that was morally and unchangeably good, for then it had been obligatory to all nations, and from the beginning; whereas it was prescribed only to the Jews, and after a long space of time, wherein many holy men, though ignorant of that part of the law, yet received a divine testimony that they pleased God.

(2.) It was of impossible performance to all other nations; as appears by the precepts concerning sacrifices that were to be offered only in Jerusalem, and by the Levitical priests, and their solemn festivals so many times in the year. Now the worship of God being an essential duty of the reasonable creature, it is ab

surd to imagine that it necessarily consists in such things that cannot be done by all men.

(3.) God himself often declared that the rituals of the law were of no price with him absolutely considered. Isa. 1. Psal. 50. (4.) They were enjoined the Jews for peculiar reasons, principally that by those imperfect rudiments, they might be prepared for the times of reformation. God had drawn in the legal ministration, numberless images of the Messiah; their temple and highpriest, their ark and offerings, with all their ceremonial service did signally point at him. And this is an infallible evidence that a mind superior to Moses' designed all that work with a final respect to Christ, that the Jewish nation having the idea of him always present might not mistake him when he should appear. And that heavy yoke of ceremonies, with the spirit of servile fear that attended it, was to excite in them earnest longings after the Messiah, the desire of all nations, that with unspeakable joy they might receive him at his coming.

Now that the legal institution should expire for the weakness and unprofitableness thereof, and a divine sacrifice be offered up of infinite value and virtue to reconcile God, and purify the consciences of men, was declared whilst the service of the temple was performed with the greatest pomp. Thus the Messiah spake by the mouth of David, "Sacrifice and offering thou dost not desire, my heart hast thou opened; burnt-offering and sin-offering hast thou not required; then said I, lo I come; in the volume of the book it is written of me; I delight to do thy will, O my God." Psal. 40. And the same inspired prophet declared when the Levitical priesthood was in the greatest splendour, that there was another order of the priesthood than that of Aaron, established in a more solemn manner and of everlasting efficacy: "The Lord hath sworn, and will not repent, thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec." Psal. 110. That this prophecy respected the Messiah, even the Pharisees could not deny, for when Jesus Christ asked them whose son Christ was to be? They answered, David's. And demanding again, why David called him Lord, in those words of the Psalmist, ". The Lord said unto my Lord, sit thou at my right hand till I have made thine enemies thy foot-stool ?" Mat. 22. 42. They could answer nothing. Their silence was a clear acknowledgment that

the Messiah was the person there intended. Heb. 5. 5. The apostle also who wrote to the Jews, takes it for granted by the universal consent of that nation, that that psalm respected the Messiah, and proves it was accomplished in Jesus Christ. Besides, it was foretold by the prophet Jeremiah, that another covenant should be made, wherein the real benefits of the pardon of sin, and true holiness that were typified by the legal purifications and observances, should be conferred on God's people. 66 Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, different from that made with their fathers when they came out of the land of Egypt, I will put my law into their inward parts, and write it in their hearts, and will be their God and they shall be my people. And they shall no more teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, know the Lord; for they shall know me from the least of them to the greatest of them, saith the Lord: for I will forgive their iniquities, and I will remember their sin no more." .In short, there are abundant declarations in the prophets, that the carnal religion of the Jews should expire, and a religion all spirit and life should succeed in its place, and be diffused among all nations. This was to be introduced by the Messiah. Moses foretold, "The Lord thy God shall raise up a prophet from among thy brethren like unto me, him ye shall hear." It was the singular prerogative of Moses above the rest of the prophets, that he was a lawgiver, and mediator of the covenant between God and Israel, and accordingly the Messiah was to be a lawgiver and mediator of a new covenant. Now if the mosaic institutions were to remain after his coming, the parallel would not hold between them in those principal respects. Besides, it was prophesied that the Messiah should be a king sitting on the throne of David, and commanding the kings of the earth. By which it is evident that his laws must be of another nature than those of Moses, that were proper only to the church whilst confined to the Jewish pale, but not for the government of the world. And whereas the Jews object, that some of their rites were ordained to continue for ever. The answer is clear, that was only to distinguish them from some temporary injunctions, that were of force only while they were in the wilderness, or when they were inhabitants of Canaan, but were to be practised in all places, till by a new signification of the divine will they were for

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Thus