but the hopes and comforts of it, and bound upon his foul all its fears and terrors without remedy. So, again, if the man who is an unbeliever upon the ftrength of his will, without the consent of his understanding, meets with any fhock to disturb his illgrounded peace, his mind will certainly recoil; and, like a spring, when the weight that held it is removed, return to its natural ftate. Whoever, in thefe great concerns of life, determines himself without asking advice of his reason, and taking the affent of his mind along with him, will certainly find, fooner or later, that reafon will revenge the affront, and make him pay dear for neglecting fo faithful a counsellor. And, when fuch fears and uncertainties return, the second state is much worse than the first for now they come attended with a consciousness of an obftinate and refolute oppofition to God, of an endeavour to harden our hearts against all fense of religion; which, be religion true or false, no sense or reason can justify.

But what shall we fay of fuch, who prefer religion notwithstanding all their doubts, who voluntarily fubmit to the duties of it, and choose even its uncertain hopes before the prefent pleafures of the world? Are not fuch in a fafe way? I truft in God, many fuch are but I must remind you, that the queftion before us is not, how fafe they are, but how they are affected by the fears and terrors of religion. And even, as to this point, the varieties in this case are fo many and great, that the fame confiderations will not reach all who are in this condition. Some there may be who believe the being of God and his providence, who see the difference between moral good

and evil, and own all the obligations arifing from thence on rational beings; but may doubt perhaps, as to their own ftate after this life, and whether God intends them for any thing beyond this world; and yet they may think it highly reasonable and becoming them to worship and obey God, as much as others, who have better and greater expectations from him for themselves. You have in this description the very beft of this cafe before you; and yet, under thefe circumftances, religion is all labour, and no benefit for no man can be so blind, as to think religion a fure way to worldly profperity and happinefs; and, if it is not fure of a future reward, there is no fecurity in it. Here is no remedy in such religion against the natural fear of death, to which all are fubject; no confolation against the many evils and afflictions of life, from all of which none are free. When we are furrounded with difficulties and diftrefs, this religion fhews us not the way to escape, but gives us up to our present sufferings, void of better hopes and expectations; at least, uncertain of comfort or relief. Befides, how can a man poffibly maintain a juft and true notion of God, under fuch a perfuafion as this? We are fure the beft men often have a portion of mifery in this world; and if we are not perfuaded that there is fomething better for them in reserve hereafter, it is impoffible to justify to ourselves the goodness of God towards the children of men: and yet, without this, religion must be all terror, confifting in the belief of an abfolute power over us, but a power not rendered amiable by goodness or mercy. While men are casy in the world, they may find some fatisfaction

in fuch a kind of belief, and value themselves perhaps for the fubmiffion they pay to God, without being folicitous what fhall become of themfelves; but diftrefs will shake them, and the forrows of the world will prove their religion to be void of comfort.

But the worst of this cafe is, when men refolve to be religious out of fear, and merely to fecure themfelves from fome dreadful apprehenfions which they have on their minds; fuch religion, as it begins in fear, fo it lives perpetually in fear, and carries with it all its fears at leaft as far as the grave. When religion arifes from a juft notion of God, and from a right apprehenfion of what is due from a reafonable creature to his reasonable Maker and Governor, there is peace and fatisfaction in every step of it; every act of religion carries with it the approbation of our own minds, and is followed by a contentment which nothing can disturb. But he who is religious, not because he knows it is right for him fo to be, but because he dreads to be otherwise, can never know that he is right in any thing he does, but will naturally fall into all the methods of fuperftition, which some weak ones, and fome wife in this world agree to call religion. Hence it is that fome, who seem most devoutly disposed, are under a perpetual uneafiness of mind, and never satisfied that they have done any thing as they ought to do. Others, feeing men of fuch application to the duties of religion under fuch anxious concern about it, conclude, that religion is a moft burdenfome thing, and that the wifeft way is to be contented without inquiring much after it. Whether they who make

this conclufion, or they who adminifter occafion for it, are the wiser, is no easy matter to determine : certain it is, that the fear of God, which is the foundation of true religion, differs as much from these fears of ignorance and fuperftition, as one thing can well differ from another. The religious man fears God because he knows him; and therefore he fears him, as a wife, juft, good, and merciful Father and Judge ought to be feared: his fear is full of love and reverence, and has nothing dreadful in it, unless guilt and a wounded confcience arm it with unnatural terrors: but the fuperftitious man fears God, juft as children and weak men fear spirits and apparitions; he trembles at the thought of him, he flies from he knows not what, feeks refuge he knows not where; and this hurry and confufion of mind he calls religion; but the Pfalmift has given it a better name, it is diftraction.

You fee how unfuccefsful all these attempts are to cure the fears which arife from doubts and uncertainties in religion: these remedies increase the diftemper, and heighten the fear till it comes to be a phrenfy, and too ftrong to fubmit to the cure of reafon and fober fenfe. What must be done then? Will you exhort us to caft away all doubts, and to be certain and pofitive in all points of religion? I know full well, that this is no proper fubject for exhortation; but I will exhort you to be diligent inquirers after God. That you have reason, you are apt enough to boaft: that God has provided proper employment for your reason, the manifold works of nature and providence bear witness: these are the visible things of God, which will guide you

by a fure clue to the acknowledgment of the invifible Author. And this inquiry, as it is the firft in order of nature with regard to religious knowledge, fo is it the first likewife with regard to the peace and comforts of religion: and it is with this view that I recommend this inquiry, as a cure for those terrors which are apt to feize upon unfettled minds. Till we have a right notion of God and his attributes, it is impoffible we should be able to judge of any cafe of religion: we may be very learned in all the doctrines and disputes of this and of paft ages; and it is a learning which may well make us mad, if we have no rule to guide us through all the difficulties that furround us: but he who has fixed in his mind a juft notion of God, and of his attributes, will find his way to peace, be the darkness about him ever fo thick. It is a great misfortune to a man to know much of religion, and little of God: fuch a man's religion must either be his plague or his contempt; it must appear to him either ridiculous or terrible: and let him take it which way he will, he will find a terror in it at laft. It is in vain therefore to feek for fatisfaction till we know God, till we can fay to our hearts, We know in whom we have trufted. This will make our religion become an holy and reverential fear, unmixed with terror and confufion; it will make our knowledge in religious matters become a wisdom unto falvation; and preferve to us that true freedom of mind, to which as well the fcoffers of the age as the fuperftitious are mere strangers.

Secondly, Falfe notions of God, and of the honour and worship due to him, are another fource of religious terrors. What has been already faid of