DISCOURSE III.

PART III.

AVING described the feveral leading expreffions of religion, which form an exact fimilarity in the characters of all the people of God, I am now,

III. In a few words, to point out the grounds or reasons of this uniformity, which will ferve at once both to confirm the observation in the text, and still farther to elucidate and explain it. And here, amidst the many confiderations that might be offered, we shall confine ourselves to those only which are fo plain and fimple, that they must needs be obvious at first view to every truly serious mind. As first, that the fubjects of religion are all of the fame nature. Secondly, that they all derive this divine bleffing from the fame origin. And

thirdly,

thirdly, that it is uniformly adapted to the fame great and important ends.

1. They are all of the fame nature. Were they indeed each a different species of creatures, formed after a different manner, and upon a different foundation as to their acceptance with God; it would follow that there would be a diversity in some of the main expreffions of their religion. Faculties effentially varying from each other, would require a various kind of treatment, and he who had preserved his innocence and perfection as in the beginning, would not need that repentance and renovation of heart, which are neceffary to the recovery of a guilty and depraved creature. But this is not the cafe here. We are all made of one blood, all endowed with the like faculties, all poffeffed of the fame paffions, and all the unhappy partakers of the fame depraved natures. It is acknowledged indeed that there is a strength of genius, and a softness of natural temper in fome, which renders them more amiable than others; yet the principal outlines of human apoftacy are much the fame in all.

From hence therefore it is easy to see, that in respect of the grand concerns of religion, the perceptions and reasonings of every enlightned

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lightned mind, and the fenfations and feelings of every renewed heart, must be very nearly fimilar. The guilty must be humbled, and made truly penitent; the condemned must be juftified, and fo become in a degree at least chearful and happy; the depraved must be renewed, and as to their prevailing difpofition made holy; and they who were at variance with God and one another, must be made capable of divine love and friendship. The former therefore having been the true ftate of every good man, the latter must of confequence be the fum and fubftance of the religion of each one of them. And fince in every fubject of the grace of God, there are thus the fame materials to be wrought upon, the fame paffions and prejudices to be overcome, and the fame change to be effected; it follows likewise that this great concern in its rise progrefs and final confummation, must be conducted in every heart after much the fame manner. All which I think fully accounts for that fimilarity of experience in good men, which hath been fo particularly delineated. This inference is likewife with the fame force of reason to be drawn from a contemplation,

2. Of the one grand fource or origin whence religion is derived. It is from above, the offspring of God, and the genuine fruit of the influence and operation of his spirit. From this one fountain the water of life flows; and how various foever the channels may be through which it runs, the many pure and pleasant ftreams of it may all be traced back to this their common head. What is affirmed in this context, of the miraculous gifts peculiar to the primitive church, may with the like reafon be applied to the better bleffings of religion, or of the grace of God, that the fame Spirit divideth to every man feverally as he will*. It is he who irradiates the dark mind, comforts the afflicted heart, new models the perverfe will, and fanctifies the polluted affections.

Now as no fountain can fend forth at the fame place, fweet water and bitter; so we may be very fure, that what is the effect of a divine influence on the fouls of men, must be of the fame pure and spiritual nature and tendency. And for the like reafon we may safely conclude in the general, that however the circumstances of particular per

Cor. xii. 11.

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f Jam. iii. 11.

fons

fons may in fome refpects differ, yet the manner of the divine operation on the hearts of men is much the fame. Religion will begin then in our humiliation, and advance through various degrees of fanctification, till it rises to a perfection of happiness and glory in the heavenly world. To all which I shall only add,

3. That the great and important ends which religion proposes, clearly evince the fimplicity and uniformity of it. The glory of God, our own happiness, and the welfare of fociety are acknowledged to be the principal objects of this great concern. And if we take our estimate of it by these measures, as we shall hereby be fecured from any very grofs and abfurd apprehenfions about it; fo we fhall be obliged to join iffue with the text, in the testimony it gives concerning its fameness. The lines from the circumference to the center, having an immediate direction to that point, must advance towards it in the fame manner, and be exactly fimilar to each other. In like manner there is not one of the particulars in which we have made religion to confift, but will be found on reflection to have the great objects juft mentioned immediately in view; nay if either of them be

excluded,