342 Of the Form, and Vol. I. not bid us examine their opinions, and try their pretences to infpiration; that is a thing many times above the capacity of the ordinary fort of Men; but their lives Arid a&ións are open to every Man's view; and tho it is poflìble Men may coun- terfeit even in this, yet they feldom do it fo exa&ly, as not to betray themfelves fometimeor other; however this of all other is the eafieft and fureft rule. By their fruits ye (hallknow them. Therefore if any Man pretend to any new difcoveriesit Religion, beyond what is plainly revealed in Scripture, though heappear in never fo fan&imoniousa garb, benot movedwith this. For the Power ofReligion does not confift in any thing now to be difcovered ; but in thofe thingswhich are clearly contained in the Word of God, in the Precepts and Dire&ions, and in the Motives and Arguments to a goodLife ; and whoever lives according to thefe, is in the belt way to Heaven that any Mancan put himfelf into ; and he need not trouble himfelf about thofe new Lights and Opinions, which in everyage appear like Comets, and glare awhile, and draw People to gaze upon them, and then vanifh. And none are fo much to be fufpe&ed of a Form ofReligion as thofe who make frequent changes in it, and wander from one Party and Opinion to another. An outward Form and Shape is eafily changed, it is that whicha Man fhifts and puts off at pleafure. Thirdly, to perfuade Men to mind the Power, and. Life, and Subitanee ofReli- gion. It was the commendation of Socrates, the belt of Philofophers, that he did Pbilofophiam de cedlo deducere, bringdown Philofopby from heaven toearth, that is, from Contemplation to Prac`lice, and from being an art of talking and difputing to be anart of living. This I defire may be the aim of all my Difcourfes, to in- find Men in Religion in order to the Practice of it, to teach Men to know God, in St. John's fenfe, a John2. 3, Herebywe know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. This is the great end and fcope, to which all difcourfes ofReli- gion ought to be levell'd. It was a good fayingofPacuvius, Ego odi homines ignava opera, &Philofophos fententia, Ihate Men that are unailive in their lives, and Phi- lofophers in their opinions. Chriftianity is the belt Philofophy, and the moll perfe& inftitution of life that ever the Worldwas acquainted withal ; and therefore it is much more odious to fee Men Chriftians, in their Profeflion, and faulty and vicious in their lives; becaufe the very defign of the Chriftian Religion is to give Mena perte& and plain Law and Rule of life, and to enforce this Law by the moft pow- erful and prevailing Arguments. So that as Tully fays concerning thePhilofopher who liv'd but a bad life, that he was utterly inexcufable, ()rod ineo cups magiller effe vult labitur, artem vine profeffus, delinquit in vita, Becaufe he fàil'd in that wherein hepretended to be a mailer, and while be profeffed to have an art of living better than other men, he offendedand mifcarried in his life : all defects in the Pra- ctice, and in the Virtues. of a good life, may with much more reafon and juftice be upbraided to Chriftians, to thofewho have learned Cbrifl, who have heard him and been taught by him, as the truth is in Jefus ; to thofe who are bleft with the cleareft and molt perte&Revelation which ever Godmade to the World, the ho ieft and molt reafonable Religion, which furnifheth us with the belt Counfels and Di- re&ions, the molt prevalent Motives and Arguments, and the greateft Helps and Advantages to a good life ; a Religion plain and fimple, that bath lefs ofoutward form and pomp, and more of fubftance and reality, than any Religion that ever was known in the World. What a fad thing is it, that a Religion fo wholly fitted and calculated to the de- fign and purpofe of a good life, armed with fuch powerful Confiderations to en- gage Men thereto, fhould yet have fo little force and power upon the lives ofMen, as we fee it generally to have ! As if the Grace ofGod bad never appeared to men, to teach them to deny ungodlinefs andworldly lufls, and to live foberly, and righte- oufly, and godly in this prefent World. Therewas hardly ever any Age, wherein the Form ofReligion did more abound, and there were greater variety in them: and it is to be feared that there was never lefs of the Power and Efficacy of it. I
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