prayer were only to give God to understand what we want, it were all one what language we prayed in, and whether we understood what we asked of him or not; but fo long as the end of prayer is to teftify the fenfe of our own wants, and of our dependence upon God for the fupply of them, it is impoffible that any man fhould in any tolerable propriety of fpeech be faid to pray, who does not underftand what he asks; and the faying over fo many Pater Nofters by one that does not understand the meaning of them, is no more a prayer than the repeating over fo many verfes in Virgil. And if this were good reasoning, that men must not be permitted to know fo much as they can in religion, for fear they fhould grow troublesome with their knowledge, then certainly the best way in the world to maintain peace in the Chriftian church, would be to let the people know nothing at all in religion; and the best way to fecure the ignorance of the people would be to keep the Priests as ignorant as the people, and then to be fure they could teach them nothing but then the mifchief would be, that out of a fondness to maintain peace in the Chriftian church, there would be no church, nor no Chriftianity; which would be the same wife contrivance, as if a Prince fhould deftroy his fubjects, to keep his kingdom quiet.

Fourthly, Let us likewife confider, that if this reafon be good, it is much stronger for withholding the fcriptures from the Priests, and the learned, than from the people; because the danger of ftarting errors and herefies, and countenancing them from fcripture, and managing them plaufibly and with advantage, is much more to be feared from the learned, than from the common people; and the experience of all ages hath fhewn, that the great broachers and abettors of herefy in the Chriftian church, have been men of learning and wit; and most of the famous herefies, that are recorded in ecclefiaftical history, have their names from fome learned man or other fo that it is a great miftake to think, that the way to prevent error and herefy in the church, is to take the Bible out of the hands of the people, so long as the

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free ufe of it is permitted to men of learning and skill, in whofe hands the danger of perverting it is much greater. The ancient fathers, I am fure, do frequently prefcribe to the people the conftant and careful reading of the holy fcriptures, as the fureft antidote against the poifon of dangerous errors, and damnable herefies and if there be fo much danger of feduction into error from the oracles of truth, by what other or better means can we hope to be fecured against this danger? If the word of God be fo crofs and improper a means to this end, one would think that the teachings of men fhould be much less effectual; fo that men must either be left in their ignorance, or they must be permitted to learn from the word of truth; and whatever force this reafon of the danger of herefy hath in it, to deprive the common people of the ufe of the fcriptures, I am fure it is much stronger to wreft them out of the hands of the Priefts and the learned, because they are much more capable of perverting them to fo bad a purpose.

Fifthly, and laftly, This danger was as great and vifible in the age of the Apostles, as it is now; and yet they took a quite contrary courfe: there were herefies then, as well as now, and either the fcriptures were not thought, by being in the hands of the people, to be the caufe of them, or they did not think the taking of them out of their hands a proper remedy. The Apostles in all their epiftles do earneftly exhort the people to grow in knowledge, and commend them for fearching the fcriptures, and charge them that the word of God fhould dwell richly in them. And St. Peter takes particular notice of fome men wrefting fome difficult paffages in St. Paul's epiftles, as likewife in the other fcriptures, to their own deftruction, 2 Fet. iii. 16. where fpeaking of St. Paul's epiftles, he fays, there are fome things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do alfo the other fcriptures, to their own deftruction. Here the danger objected is taken notice of; but the remedy prefcribed by St. Peter, is not to take from the people the use of the Kk 2

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fcriptures, and to keep them in ignorance; but after he had cautioned against the like weakness and errors, he exhorts them to grow in knowledge, ver. 17. 18. Ye therefore, beloved, feeing ye know these things before, (that is, feeing ye are fo plainly told and warned of this danger) beware left ye alfo being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own ftedfaftness; but grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jefus Chrift, (that is, of the Chriftian religion; ) believing, it feems, that the more knowledge they had in religion, the lefs they would be in danger of falling into damnable errors. I proceed to the

Second obfervation, viz. That the knowledge of our duty, and the practice of it, may be and often are feparated. This likewife is fuppofed in the text, that men may, and often do know the will of God, and their duty, and yet fail in the practice of it. Our Saviour elfewhere fuppofeth, that many know their master's will who do not do it; and he compares thofe that hear his fayings, and do them not, to a foolish man that built his houfe upon the fand. And St. James fpeaks of fome, who are hearers of the word only, but not doers of it, and for that reafon fall fhort of happinefs. And this is no wonder, because the attaining to that knowledge of religion which is neceffary to falvation is no difficult task. A great part of it is written in our hearts, and we cannot be ignorant of it if we would; as that there is a God, and a providence, and another ftate after this life, wherein we fhall be rewarded, or punished, according as we have lived here in this world; that God is to be worshipped, to be prayed to for what we want, and to be praised for what we enjoy. Thus far nature inftructs men in religion, and in the great duties of morality, as juftice and temperance, and the like. And as for revealed religion, as that Jefus Chrift the Son of God came in our nature to fave us, by revealing our duty more clearly and fully to us, by giving us a more perfect example of holiness and obedience in his own life and converfation, and by dying for our fins, and rifing again for our justification; thefe are things

which men may easily understand; and yet för all that, they are difficultly brought to the practice of religion.

I fhall inftance in three forts of perfons, in whom the knowledge of religion is more remarkably feparated from the practice of it; and for diftinction's fake, I may call them by these three names; the fpeculative, the formal, and the hypocritical Chri ftian. The firft of thefe makes religion only a fcience, the fecond takes it up for a fashion, the third makes fome worldly advantage of it, and ferves fome fecular intereft and defign by it. All thefe are upon feveral accounts concerned to understand fome thing of religion; but yet will not be brought to the practice of it.

The first of thefe, whom I call the fpeculative Chriftian, is he who makes religion only a fcience,. and studies it as a piece of learning, and part of that general knowledge in which he affects the reputation of being a mafter; he hath no defign to practife it, but he is loth to be ignorant of it, because the knowledge of it is a good ornament of converfation, and will ferve for difcourfe and entertainment among those who are difpofed to be grave and ferious; and because he does not intend to practise it, he paffeth over thofe things which are plain and easy to be understood, and applies himself chiefly to the confideration of thofe things which are more abftrufe,. and will afford matter of controverfy and fubtle difpute, as the doctrine of the Trinity, Predeftination, Freewill, and the like. Of this temper feem many of the fchool-men of old to have been, who made it their great ftudy and business to puzzle religion, and to make every thing in it intricate, by ftarting infinite questions and difficulties about the plaineft truths and of the fame rank ufually are the heads and leaders of parties and factions in religion, who by needlefs controverfies and endlefs difputes about fomething or other, commonly of no great moment in religion, hinder themfelves and others from minding the practice of the great and. fubftantial duties of a good life..

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Secondly, There is the formal Christian, who takes up religion for a fashion. He is born and bred in a nation where Chriftianity is profeffed and countenanced, and therefore thinks it convenient for him to know fomething of it. Of this fort there are, I fear, a great many, who read the fcriptures fometimes as others do, to know the history of it; and go to church, and hear the gospel preached, and by this means come in fome meafure to understand the hiftory of our Saviour, and the Christian doctrine ; but do not at all bend themselves to comply with the great end and defign of it; they do not heartily endeavour to form and fashion their lives according to the laws and precepts of it; they think they are very good Chriftians, if they can give an account of the articles of their faith, profefs their belief in God and Chrift, and declare that they hope to be faved by him, though they take no care to keep his commandments. Thefe are they of whom our Saviour fpeaks, Luke vi. 46. who call him Lord, Lord; but do not the things which he faid.

Thirdly, Hypocritical Chriftians, who make an intereft of religion, and ferve fome worldly defign by it. Thefe are concerned to understand religion more than ordinary, that they may counterfeit it handfomely, and may not be at a lofs when they have occafion to put on the garb of it. And this is one part of the character which the Apofle gives of those perfons, who he foretells would appear in the last days, 2 Tim. iii. 2. he fays they fhould be lovers. of their own felves, covetous, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God, having a form of godliness, but denying the power of it.

Now thefe men do not love religion, but they have occafion to make ufe of it, and therefore they will have no more of it than will just ferve, their purpofe and defign. And indeed he that hath any other defign in religion than to please God, and fave his foul, needs no more than fo much knowledge of it, as will ferve him to act a part in it upon occafion. I come to the