58 Cbrijlian Religion proved by Reafon. --~------------~ ~--~------------ ~ fhould have expreft an Heroick Magnaminity (to which they Yainly prerended) in reChap. t. fifti ng the dreadti1l rorrent ofldolatry that overflowed the World. But they bafely tern- ~ poriz'd with the 'Vllig:~r Heathen. 'Twas their declared Principle, 1hat a wife Man {hould foll ow the Reli gion of his Country, and conform in his external pratlice with d \abl,ifllt cuftoms, if he rcferv'd his Mind free from ,Philofophy.. Thus they extingmfll d the moft radrant beam of the Dcrty, and robb d h1m of hJS moft glorioBs Attnbute, the Unrty of hi s EITence. And by tlus we may judge how unfit they were to inf\ru{l and corrc{l the degenerate World, and make it truly better, when they fulfer'd 1\.eligiou, tl'c fountain of all Vermes, to be corrupted , and the Worfhip of the only Jfd.l. P[fl l.so. Pfal. 40. Pfal. u o. ~~~~ ~o~v~\\f;;l~~e a~~e~~e~,J'~~;!,c~~:~· t~tt:a~en~:aso~~~ ~~d i~!er,i~~;e?,b/~~~ Ietfer ev ils that concern'd Societies, and negletl:ed this mortal \VOund in the Heart. 'Tis a killing aggra,•ation of their connivance and compliance wirh ignorant Idolaters, that they held the trutb in unrigbteoufneft :, tmd when th9 k._new Gocl, thg glorified Him not M God, b11t chtt11g'd the Ghtry of his lnconwptible Natm·e, into an Image ·made fi~ to corruptible lvian, and Birds,. and four-footed Beaft.s, and creeping .thbJgs. This was the ~~~~n~t~or~eof~~~~k~~\l~t~\l~hp~~~~P~~a~;1~~a;0<~hea~'~Yd~;~~dod~he natural reEgious 2 , The Rel igion of the Jews is to beconfidered. This the Ch,;flians acknowledge with them, was Divine m its Authomy, ~fill{', Moral.parr,. VVorfbip and Promifes. God himfelf was the Author, and confirm d It by many JIJuflnous Mirad t's. ,Tis de!.. Jivc:red in the moO: amient, amhenrick, and venerable Writings in the World. ltinfiruB:susconcerning theNatmeofGod, hisWorks ofCreation and Providence, and the Judgment to come. It commands the love of God, and to fe rve him only, and the love ofour Netghbour asour felves. The Ceremomal part was a full convia:ion of the guilt of Sin, a vifible difcovery of the rights of Eternal }uf\ice, and a powerful means to humble Men befo re the Infinite and Offended Majef\y of the Creator. It propounds Temporal Rewards, as the Ma:ks of God's favour fuitable to the Church then in its Minority, but under that Va1l the mofi Excellent and Eternal Rewards. This Religion in its Ceremonial External part was to continue rm the coming of the Mefliah, and then to be abolifh'd. ~o.make this evident, I fhall thus proceed: r. That the <;:eremonial part contarn d nmh!ng that was morally and unchangeably good, for then Jt bad been obhgatory to all Natrons, and from the beginning ; whereas it was prefcribed only to the ]cws, and after , .a long fpace of ume,. wherein many Holy Men, though 1gnorant of that part of the Law, yet recc1ved a Divine Tef\imony that they pleafed God . 2 • 'Twas of impof!ible performance to all other. Nations; as appears by the Precepts concerning Sacnfices r~at were to beo~ered ~mly m 1er11fdlem, and by the Levitical Priei\s, and thei r fol emn Fefhvals fo many trmes m the Year. · Now the Worfhip of God being an eiTential Duty of the reafonable Creature, 'tJS abfmd to imagine that it neceffarily confifls in fuch things that cannot be done by all Men. 3· God himfelf often dcclar'd that the Ritua ls of the Law were of no price with him abfolutely confider'd. ·4. They were injoyn'd the ]ews for peculiar reafons, principally that by thofe imperfe{l rudiments they might be prepar'd for the tinmo[Rejormatio11. God had drawn in the Legal Minif\ration, n~m1ber l efs Image: of the N.Jefliah ;. th:ir Temple and High Priefl, therr f\rk and Off: rmgs,. WJth al\ th.err C: remonral Semce drd ~gnally point at him. And tillS JS an mfaihble evJdence that a M1~d fupenor to .Mofis s defign'd all that Work with a final refpe{lto <;;htrfl, that the Jewifb NatiOn havmg the Idea of him always prefent might not mif\ake him when he fhould appear. And that heavy yoke of Ceremonies, with the fpirit of [ervile Fear that atten~ed it, was. to excite in them earne{\ longings after the Mefliah, the Defrre of all NatiOns, that wrth unfpeakable joy they migh t receive him at his commg. Now that the Legal Inf\itution fhould expire for the weaknefsand unprofitablenefs tbere- ~~ri~~dt~e ~~~Pc~~~~~~i~~e~~~If~~~ ~~c~~/e':f~:~~~~al~:re~;;~~t~~~~~~e~~~~~~ G~; ;~! form'd with the greate{\ Pomp. Thusthe Mefliah fpakc by the Mouth of pavid, Sa- ~~1ceSi~~~e:lf:;i~~/7h:u :t re~~ir:f~' th;; rlJ:/Z ,:,fco;;:~: :te,'i.~d:Ohm~m;j/;hfe~;~ 'tis writtw of me; I delight to do thy rwill, 0 my God. And the fame infpired Prophet declar'd when the Levitical Prief\hood was in the greatef\ fpl endour, that there was another order of Priefthood than that of Aamz, ef\abii lhed in . a more folemn manner ·and of everlafting efficacy : The Lord h•th Sworn, and will not repent, thon
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