Of baptifm. we pray for affistance, and our daily bread, and afcribe that glory and praise to him, which cannot be communicated to any other being, without fin, but we honor at the fame time, in obedience to the divine command, that divine person, the Lord Jefus, who acts in fubordination to his God and Creator, and is the anointed of the one God, and Father of all, Heb. i. 9, Eph. iv. 6, Joh. x. 36. Who heds the Holy Ghost upon us, that is, afftance, through Jefus Chrift our Savior, Tit. iii. 4, 6. The scheme is fair and heavenly. The com mon natural reafon of mankind must de clare for it. As to baptifm, it is far from being remote from moral duty. It is an excellent means of improvement in virtue. The rite tends to fupport a religion calculated for the public good, and to make fociety happyer than it could be without it. When the adult are baptized, they chufe Jefus for their master, and publicly declare their determination to be governed by his laws. They folemnly profefs their refolution to adhere to that holy doctrine, which is the mind and will of God the Father, was published to the world by his Son, whom he sent from heaven for that purpose, and confirmed by the divine power, called the Holy Ghoft. The rite does like wife represent by immerfion, that we are from that time to feparat from a vicious world, world, and devote ourselves to the purity and fpirituality of the christian religion (a). charist or As to the Lord's Supper, which the church of the euof Rome hath turned into a tranfubftantiation,it Lord's fupis but a monument erected to commemorat the per. nobleft inftance of generofity and beneficence that can be met with in all the annals of time. It is a confeffion of our obligations to God and his Christ, for furnishing us with that noble and useful scheme of morals called the New Testament, and for giving it a fanction at fo expenfive a rate as the death of Jefus. It is a commemoration of all the bleffed and glorious hopes fet before us by christianity through Jefus Christ, and an act of grateful praife for his calling us to virtue and glory, and qualifying us to dwell with God for ever. It naturally enforces upon the mind a lively fense of the obligations true chriftians lie under to the fedulous practice of true piety and virtue, and is a fervice the most joyous to the fincerely good. It likewife advances our focial affections. It excites us to imitate the benevolent life of the divine Jefus; and as a (a) As Mrs. Benlow is a baptift, fhe took no notice of infant-baptifm in her account: Nor, in truth, Jewks, is there much to be fayed in its favor. This however may be offered, that it is a proper mean of reprefenting to parents their dutys towards their children, and of bringing them under a declared obligation to the diligent performance of them. moral means of improvement to every good difpofition of the foul, ought to be continued as a part of our religious fervice. It is reafonable. The fitnefs of things requires it, exclufive of the appointment. And now, in the last place, as to the chriftian fabbath, or fetting apart one day in feven for public worship and felf-examination; to profefs our common faith, and that all ranks of men may have their common dutys refreshed and enlivened upon their minds, by prayer, praife, and inftruction, it is an injunction fo rational, and contributes fo much to humanize and sweeten the human temper, to fubdue the unruly paffions, and invigorat every good and generous affection, that reafon I think muft defire it, tho we had no revelation concerning it. An institution, that not only gives reft to the labouring part of the creation, to the lower fort of mankind, as well as to the brute animals, one day in feven, but is calculated to civilize men, and render them wifer and better, can never be enough commended. Common sense muft declare for it. Thus, noble Zulima, have I given you the beft account I am able to give of the nature and defign of the chriftian religion, and when we view it in its native and original beauty, it appears fo fair and heavenly a piece, as well deferved to be introduced, pro pagated, pagated, and confirmed, by fo many and mighty miracles, as were wrought by our Lord Jefus Chrift, and his apostles, for its eftablishment. Therefore to reject, or oppofe fuch a chriftianity, muft certainly be wrong, if it is natural to every virtuous fpirit to with for honor, glory, and immortality. But then you will ask me, in the next place, how came this fair religion to be almost loft in the world, and by what means did the other christianity, called popery, become fo univerfal, as you have been informed it is over a great part of the earth? It is the religion of Europe, they tell you, and its miffionarys have fpread it in Africa, Afia, and America. One might imagine, the religion you have drawn fhould prevail, if it came from God, was fixed on miracles, and had the Holy Ghost to support it. To this I will give you the best answer in my power. I think I can in a few words be fatisfactory on the article. Illuftrious Zulima, It is to be fure a very furprizing incident, that the religion of Christ Jefus fhould be corrupted in the manner popery hath polluted it: That after our Lord had bleffed the world with the perfection of faith and practice, and established institutions that were plenary, pure, and firm; a gospel that informs mankind, there is one fole fource and ftandard of virtue and perfection, one ever S blessed 257 bleffed Spirit, whofe goodness and benignity hath ever been univerfally extended over all his works, and but one proper fubflitute, patron, Reconciler, or mediator, the glorifyed man Chrift fefus: That the religion taught by this divine person had a foundation in nature, and the end of all his inftructions was answered, by two comprehenfive virtues, the love of God, and the love of our neighbour; that is, as the difciples of Jefus, and according to his inftructions, that we must worship the Father of the univerfe only, who is always fitting on his throne of grace, ready to receive moft favorably the truly pious and the penitent; and by juftice, charity, and univerfal benevolence, by a fteady pursuit of virtue in all the branches of it, we must be good members of Society, and act up to the dignity of the chriftian character; that after this, I fay, was fixed in the world by the divine power, and idolatry and fuperftition were fubverted by the preaching of the reconciler and his apostles, then a thinking monfler, called popery or the church of Rome, fhould arife from the bottomlefs pit, and almost wound to death the religion of Jefus Chrift: That it fhould dare to fpeculate against the peerless majefty of the fupreme Spirit, and directly contrary to all religion, natural and reveled, teach three one true Gods, and one three true Gods; three intelligent beings, agents or per fons, |