and SAVIOUR, JESUS CHRIST, and his APOSTLES, &C. egg of degradation and ruin, to the favour of the ,Almighty, and to the hopes ofa happy immortality through; a Mediator. Under this difpenfation, true religion conlills in a repentance towards God, and in faith in the Lord JESUS CHRIST, as the perfon ap- pointed by the fupreme authority of heaven and earth, to reconcile apoate man to his offended Creator; as a facrifice for fin ; our vital head, and governing Lord. This is the religion of Chriflians ; and what hard- fhip, what exaf}ion is there in all this ? Surely none: nay, the praaice of religion is much eafier than the fervitude of fin, which at heft is the vileft drudgery, and yields the work kind of wages. All will readily agree that our rational powers are impaired, and the foul weakened by fin ; the animal paffions are ftrong and apt to oppofe the di&ates of reafon ; objeas offenfe make powerful impreffions on the mind; we are, in every fituation, fur- rounded withmany fnares and temptations: in fuch a difordered flate of things, to main- tain a courfe of ftria piety and uncorrupted virtue, is a work ofgreat difficulty. There are, however, many tender propenfions and generous inflinéts interwoven with our very being, as reflraints from vice, and incitements to virtue. The gracious Au- thor ofnature has planted in the human breaft, a quick fenfe of good and evil ; a faculty which flronglydiaates right and wrong; and though, by the ftrength of appetite and warmth of paflìon, men are often hurried into immoral praaices ; yet in the beginning, efpecially when there has been the advantage of a good education, it is ufually with reluEtance and oppofition ofmind. What inward firuggles precede, what bitter pangs attend their finful ex- cefes ! What guilty blufhes and uneafy fears! What frightful profpeEis and pale reviews ! Terrors are upon them, and a fire not-blown confumeth them." Tomake a mock at fin; and to commit iniquity without remorfe, is an attainment that re- quires length of time, and much painful labour; more labour than is requifite to No. 25. attain that habitual goodnefs which is the glory of the man, the ornament of . the Chriflian, his preparation- for heaven, and the chief fource of his happinefs there. The foul can no more be reconciled to flagrant ails of wickednefs and injuflice, than the body to excefs, without fuffering many bitter pains and cruel attacks, at- tacks attended with much anguifh and vexation of fpirit. Confcience may indeed be flopped and put to filence for a while by falfe prin- ciples; it's fecret whifpers may be drowned by the noife of company, and flifled by entertainments of fenfe ; but this principle of confcience is fo deeply rooted in human nature, and, at the fame time, her voice is fo clear and firong, that all the finner's arts will be unable to lull her into a Idl- ing fecurity. When the hour of calamity arrives, when ficknefs feizeth, and death approacheth the firmer, confcience con- 'trains him to liften to her accufations, and will not fuffer the temples of his head to take any reft : There is no peace to the wicked; the foundations of peace are fub- verted, they are at utter enmitywith their reafon, with their confcience, and with the God of their mercies. The cafe is far otherwife with true reli- gion ; confcience is on her fide ; reafon pleads for her, and intereft joins in the re- commendation. When religion pure and genuine forms the temper, and governs the life, confcience applauds, and peace takes her refidence in the breafi: the foul is in it's proper ftate, there is order and regula.. rity both in the faculties and alions. Con- fcious of it's own integrity, and fecure of the divine approbation, the foul enjoys -a calmnefs not to be defcribed : but why do I call this happy frame calmnefs only? It is far more than mere calmnefs : the air may be calm, and the day overcaft with thick mills and dark clouds: the pious and virtuous mind refembles a ferene day, en- lightened and enlivened with the brightefi rays of the fun ; though all without may be clouds and darknefs, there is light in 4 13 the
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