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it was preferred before all other Religions whatsoever, by them that did profefs it, otherwise they would not have profeffed it. The Indians that worship the Devil would think it as strange Doctrine to say, That Chrift is to be feared more than the Devil; as fuch as believe in Chrift think it is to fay, The Devil is to be prefer'd before Chrift. So do the Mahometans call all that believe not in Mahomet, as well as Chriftians, call those that believe not in Chrift, Infidels. And why, fay they, may not you be mistaken as well as we? efpecially when there is, at the leaft, fix to one againft your Chriftian Religion; all of which think they ferve God aright, and expect Happinefs thereby as well as you. So that to be a Chriftian only upon the Grounds of Birth or Education, is all one as if I was a Turk or a Heathen; for if I had been born amongst them, I fhould have had the fame Reafon for their Religion, as now I have

for

my own: The Premises are the fame, tho' the Conclufion be never fo different. 'Tis ftill upon the fame Grounds that I profefs Religion, though it be another Religion which I profefs upon these Grounds: So that I can fee but very little difference betwixt being a Turk by profeflion, and a Chriftian only by Educati

on; which commonly is the means and occafion, but ought, by no means, to be the ground of any Religion. And hence it is, that in my looking out for the truest Religion, being confcious to myself how great an Afcendant Christianity hath over me beyond the reft, as being that Religion whereinto I was born and baptiz'd, that which the fupreme Authority has enjoin'd, and my Parents educated me in, that which every one I meet withal highty approves of, and which I myself have, by a long continued Profeflion made almoft natural to me, I am refolv'd to be more jealous and fufpicious of this Religion than of the reft, and be fure not to entertain it any longer, without being convinc'd, by folid and fubftantial Arguments, of the truth and certainty of it.

That therefore I may make diligent and impartial enquiry into all Religions, and fo be fure to find out the beft, I fhall, for a time, look upon myself as one not at all Interested in any particular Religion whatfoever, much lefs in the Chriftian Religion; but only as one who defires, in general, to ferve and obey him that made me, in a right manner, and thereby to be made partaker of that Happiness my Na-ture is capable of. In order to this it will be neceffary to propofe to myself

fome

fome certain Marks or Characters, whereby I may be able to judge and make choice of the Religion I intend to embrace: And they are, in general, these two, viz.

Firft, That that is the beft Religion wherein GOD is worship'd and ferv'd moft like himself, i.e. moft fuitably and comformably to his Nature and Will. And,

Secondly, Since all Men naturally defire and afpire after Happinefs, and our greatest Happiness confifts in the fruition of GOD, that is certainly the beft Religion which gives me the best and most comfortable Affurances of being Happy, with GOD to all Eternity.

To embrace a Religion without thefe Marks, wou'd be worse than to have no Religion at all; for better it is to perform no Worship to GOD, than fuch as is difpleafing to him; to do him no Service, than fuch as will be ineffectual to make me Happy, and not only fruftrate iny expectations of Blifs, but make me for ever miferable.

The Religion then that I am to look after, must be such a one wherein I may be fure to please GOD, and to be made Happy with him; and, by confequence, fuch a one wherein all the Caufe of his Difpleasure, and my Mifery, may be remov'd; and that is Sin: For Sin being D 2

in

infinitely oppofite to Him, as He is a Being of infinite Purity and Holiness, muft certainly fet me at the greatest diftance from Him, and render me most odious in his fight; and whatsoever does fo must make me as miferable as Mifery can make me. For as our Holinefs confifteth in Likeness, fo doth our Happiness in Nearness to GOD: And if it be our Happiness to be near unto Him, it must certainly be our Mifery to be at a distance from Him. In enjoying Him we enjoy all things, He being and having all things in himself; and fo, in not enjoying Him, we are not only depriv'd of all that we can enjoy, but made liable to the Punishments that are the confequence of it.

That there is no fuch thing in Nature as Vertue and Vice, as Good and Evil, as Grace and Sin, is what I can by no means perfuade myself to; for my Confcience tells me, that there is: and not only mine, but every ones that ever yet liv'd upon the face of the Earth. All People, of whatsoever Nation or Language, ftill acknowledging Sin to be Sin, and that the difpleafing the Deity, which they worship, is indeed an Evil that ought to be carefully avoided. And therefore the very Heathens did not only upbraid others with it, but likewife often checked them

felves for it and all Men naturally defire to feem, though not, to be Holy. But let others fay what they will, I, for my own part, cannot but fee Sin in my felf, by the very Light of Nature. For my reafon tells me, that if GOD be GOD, he must be Juft and Perfect, and if I be not fo too, I am not like Him, and therefore muft needs difpleafe Him; it being impoffible any thing fhould pleafe Him, but what is like unto Him. And this deformity to the Will and Nature of GOD, is that which we call Sin, or which the Word Sin, in its proper Notion, brings into my Mind. And being thus confcious to myself, that I have finn'd againft my Maker, I may reafonably conclude, that as He is Omniscient, and, by confequence, a Witnefs of thefe

my Offences, fo muft He likewife be Juft in the Punishment of them; for it cannot ftand with his Juftice to put up fuch Offences, without laying fuitable Punithments upon the Offender; and thefe Pu nifhments must be Infinite and Eternal. For wherein doth the nature of Divine Juftice confift, but in giving to Sin its juft Punishments, as well as to Vertue its due Rewards. Now, that the punithment of Sin in this World, is not fo much as it deferves, nor, by confequence,