ftruments of this Evil: which, even when it SER M. seems to affect only indifferent Matters, ought XIV. in reafon to be oppofed, as it tends, in it's Nature, to confound Men's. Notions in weightier Points; but, when it hath once invaded the moft Sacred and Important Subjects, ought, in Duty, to be refifted with a more open and undisguised Zeal, as what toucheth the very Vitals of all that is Good, and is just going to take from Men's Eyes the Boundaries of Right and Wrong.

The only Cure for this Evil, in Cases of so great Concern, is to have recourse to the Originals of Things, to the Law of Reason, in those Points which can be traced back thither; and to the Declarations of Jefus Christ, and his immediate Followers, in fuch Matters as took their Rise folely from those Declarations. For the Cafe is plainly this, that Words and Sounds have had fuch an Effect, (not upon the Nature of Things, which is unmoveable, but) upon the Minds of Men in thinking of them; that the very fame Word remaining, (which at first truly represented One certain Thing,) by having Multitudes of new inconfiftent Ideas, in every Age, and every Year, added to it, becomes itself the greatest Hindrance to the true understanding of the Nature of the Thing first intended by it.

SERM.

XIV.

For Inftance, Religion, in St. James's Days, was Virtue and Integrity, as to Ourselves, and Charity and Beneficence to Others; before God, even the Father, Jam. i. 27. By Degrees, it is come to fignify, in most of the Countries throughout the whole World, the Performance of every thing almoft, except Virtue and Charity; and particularly, a punctual Exactness in a Regard to particular Times, Places, Forms, and Modes, diverfified according to the various Humours of Men; recommended and practifed under the avowed Name of External Religion: Two Words, which, in the Sense fixed upon them by many Chriftians, God hath put afunder; and which, therefore, no Man fhould join together. And accordingly, the Notion of a Religious Man differs in every Country, just as much as Times, Places, Ceremonies, Imaginary Aufterities, and all other Outward Circumftances, are different and various: Whereas in truth, though a Man, truly Religious in other Respects, may make use of fuch Things; yet they cannot be the least Part of his Religion, properly fo called, any more than his Food, or his Raiment, or any other Circumstance of his Life.

Thus, likewise, the Worship of God, to be paid by Christians, was, in our Saviour's Time, and in his own plain Words, the Worship of

the

the Father in Spirit and Truth; and this-de- SER M. clared to be one great End proposed in the xiv. Chriftian Difpenfation: The Hour cometh, and now is, when the true Worshipers fhall worship the Father in Spirit and in Truth: for the Father feeketh fuch to worship him; John iv. 23. But the Notion of it is become quite another thing: and in many Chriftian Countries, that which still retains the Name of the Worship of God, is indeed the Neglect, and the Diminution of the Father; and the Worship of other Beings befides, and more than, the Father. And this, performed in fuch a manner, as that any indifferent Spectator would conclude, that neither the Confciences nor Understandings of Men, neither Spirit nor Truth, were at all concerned in the Matter; or rather, that they had been banished from it by an exprefs Command. In the mean time the Word, or Sound, ftill remains the fame in Difcourfe. The whole Lump of indigefted, and inconfiftent Notions and Practises; Every thing that is folemnly faid, or done, when the Worship of God is professed, is equally covered under that general Name; and, by the help of using the fame Original Word, paffeth eafily for the thing itself. Again,

Prayer, in all our Lord's Directions about it, and particularly in that Form, which He

SER M. himself taught his Followers, was a calm, un XIV. disturbed, Addrefs to God, under the Notion

of a Father, expreffing thofe Sentiments and Wishes before Him, which every fincere Mind ought to have. But the fame Word, by the help of Men, and voluminous Rules of Art, is come to fignify Heat and Flame, in fuch a manner, and to fuch a degree, that a Man may be in the beft Difpofition in the World, and yet not be devout enough to Pray and many an honest Person hath been perplexed, by this Means, with Doubts and Fears of being uncapable of Praying, for want of an Intenseness of Heat; which hath no more relation to the Duty, than a Man's being in a Fever hath, to the Sincerity of his Profeffions, or Addreffes to any Earthly Prince.

Once more; the Love of God, and of our Saviour, was at first, in his own Words, and thofe of St. John, many Times repeated, the keeping his Commandments, or doing his Will. John xiv. 15, 21, 23. Ch. xv. 10. 1 John ii. 5. Ch. v. 3. 2 John 6. But the Notion of it was, it feems, left very jejune; and fo hath been improved by his later Followers, till the fame Name, ftill kept up in the Language of Chrif tians, is far removed from the Thing principally and first intended; and is come by degrees to fignify a violent Paffion, Commoticn, and Ec

Stafy

ftafy, venting it felf in fuch fort of Expreffions S E R M. and Disorders, as other Paffions do: and this XIV. regulated and defined, by fuch a Variety of Imaginations, that an ordinary Chriftian, with the utmost Sincerity in his Heart, is filled with nothing but eternal Sufpicions, Doubts, and Perplexities, whether he hath any thing of the true Love of God, or not.

I have mentioned thefe Particulars, not only to fhew the Evil it felf; and to how great a Degree the Nature of Things hath suffered, in the Opinions of Men, by the Alteration of the Sense of the fame Words and Sounds: but to give you Occafion to obferve, that there can be no Cure for it, in Chriftians, but to go back to the New Testament it felf; because There alone we shall find the Original Intention of fuch Words; or the Nature of the Things defigned to be fignified by them, declared and fixed by our Lord, or his Apoftles from him, by fome fuch Marks, as may, if we will attend to them, guide and guard us in our Notions of those Matters, in which we are most of all concerned.

It is with this View, that I have chofen thofe Words, in which our Lord himself declared the Nature of his own Kingdom. This Kingdom of Chrift, is the fame with the Church of Chrift.

And the Notion of the Church of
Chrift,

U.