SECTIOí't Ít. g have we made in devout religion, and in real piety, beyond what some of the poor deluded people have done under the power of popish darkness, superstition and tyranny, notwithstandingour transcendent advantages? We are not withheld from the pure and perfect instructions of the word of God in our own lan- guage, nor imposed upon by the traditions of men as the papists are, who are generally forbid to keep bibles in their own custody in most of the popish nations, nor are they suffered to acquaint themselves with the-scriptures in their mother tongue. We can see the doctrines with our own eyes which we are required to believe; we can read the duties which we are commanded to practise ; we can learn the whole counsel of God for our salva- tion, and be instructed in all the articles of faith and manners from the word of God itself. We are not deprived of this key of knowledge that leads us into the treasures of heaven and eter- nity : We have the bible in our hands, we read it inour families, it is open before us in our retirements : how diligently should we search and enquire into every truth and duty that is proposed to us, as the noble Bereans did ; Acts xvii. 11. With what zeal and fervency should we practise every divine appointment, whets the obligations come upon our consciences more immediately front the word of God ? And, how careful should we be to worship God more exactly according to his own appointments, since we have his own word to instruct us? How great and unspeakable are our advantages beyond those who dwell under popish governments ? Alas for those poor benighted and imprisoned creatures, held in the chains of dark mess! How wretchedly are their consciences governed by blind leaders, -and they are not suffered to believe any thing but what the church teaches them, i. e. the priests, who are made the directors of their faith and practice ? Their belief is founded on the word of poor fallible men, and sometimes of wicked and deceitful men too, instead of the dictates of heaven and the words of the true and living God. They must believe nóthing contrary to what the church believes, though it be never so plainly written in scripture ; for if the church has determined against the plainest doctrines of the bible, they must be construed to another sense, according as the church from time to time shall please to interpret the word of God. What a wonder is it if any of these miserable mortals under such wretched disadvan- tages should attain to the practice of true religion and the faith and holiness of the gospel ? But how much more shameful would it be to us, if any of them under these disadvantages should be.fontad to exceed and out shine our -character and our practice ? We are not taught to repeat our prayers like parrots in an unknown tongue: Oh, what a mockery of heaven is this ! What
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