that the Church was in Danger from a very different Quarter, and the Rage lately vented against the Papifts was now turned against the Proteftant Diffenters: The grofs of the Establishment efpoufed the Quarrel, and parted themfelves into the nonfenfical Divifions of High-Church and LowChurch, whilft a mad party Zeal ran away with the Charity of both Sides, and true Religion was loft in the Scuffle!

The Enemies of revealed Religion triumphed at beholding thefe Animofities and Divifions in the Church, and from fuch Inconftancy and Change of Principles fetched Arguments in Favour of Infidelity. They confidered the Clergy as labouring more to support the Credit of a Party than the Interefts of true Piety, and were tempted to think that nothing more was meant by Church, than that outward Conftitution of it from which they derived their Power and Preferments: And that which contributed to the Growth of Deifm as much as any other Cause was the great Defection from the Doctrines of the Reformation: In the room of thefe, dry theological Reasoning and Moral Effays had long before been fubstituted, and the Fashion in this refpect was not altered; the prevailing Divinity with many

was a forte of ethical, political, polémical Something that we have no Name for, a. kind of Chriftianity with little or nothing. of Jefus Chrift in it; it came not tinctured with the Spirit of the Gofpel, and therefore produced no fpiritual Effects in the Temper of the Times. How long this continued. in Fashion, or how much of it is ftill left, I take not upon me here to affirm: However, we are bound in Juftice to allow, that many excellent Names, with good Bifhop Beveridge at the Head of them, come in for Exceptions to the above Remark.

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A learned Divine of the Church of England, in a Treatife published about the Time I am speaking of, wherein he freely cenfures the Defect beforementioned, together with that erroneous Way of debafing Chriflianity to a Level with natural Religion made ufe of by fome celebrated Divines then living, and whofe Writings are still held in too high Admiration by many, expreffes himfelf thus: "It is verily a Fault in too

many of the publick Teachers of our "Times, that their Sermons are moral "Harangues generally, as if they were

preaching at Old Rome or Athens, and "their Auditors were all Infidels: We fee the bad Effects of this on more accounts.

"than

"than one: The conftant infifting on nothing, but Morality hath lately infpired "Men's Heads with this Notion, that re

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vealed Religion is of little Confideration "and Worth and this hath been one great occafion of Deifm. And a few Pages after: "Since fo many Preachers have confined their Difcourfes, as to the main, to Morality, there hath been lefs "Success in Preaching than ever. There is plenty of excellent Difcourfes from the Pulpit wherein the Nature of all moral "Offices is fet forth, but notwithstanding this, there never was lefs Morality in Mens "Lives and Actions, which fhews that "there is fomething of a higher Nature "wanting, and that the bare inculcating of "moral Duties and virtuous Living is not "fufficient to mend Mens Practices *."

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It must be allowed that there is too much Truth in these Complaints, and that the Strain of our Divinity has warped much from the Reformation Standard within this Century, as will plainly appear by comparing the Writers of both Times. We abound with learned and ingenious Dif courses on the Extent and Obligations of Dr. Edwards's Preacher, Vol. I. p. 73.

natural

natural Religion, ideal Fitneffes and Relations of Things, and the Beauty of moral Rectitude: But these ferve rather to amufe than amend the Age, and bring us no nearer to true Chriftianity than an Hypothefis in natural Philofophy: Such airy Speculations have always proved too weak a Foundation for practical Piety, they want both Solidity and Authority. It is an unpardonable Error in moft of thefe Writers, that they confider human Nature as ftanding in the Ability of a perfect Freedom, and therefore inftead of leading the Soul to God in an humble Acknowledgment of its natural Impotence and Corruption, that He may help and heal it with renewing and fanctifying Grace, they addrefs themselves to a fuppofed Sufficiency in Man, crying outDo this and live, tho' where he may find Strength for the doing they fhew not: Thus they turn the Covenant of Grace into a Covenant of Works, and fend us to the Law for Juftification; they make Reafon, unenlightened Reafon, our Guide, and Free-will our Strength, and fo lay other Foundations than that which is laid in the Gospel of Chrift. The focial Virtues, and relative Duties must be urged, and urged Home too,

for

for they confeffedly make a confiderable Part of our Bufinefs here; but then if we write to Chriftians let us confider them in their neceflary Connexion with Gofpel Principles; let us reprefent them as only acceptable to God in Chrift when founded upon a found Conyerfion generated by a liv ing Faith, and accompanied with Humility, and the Love of God: In a word, they must be Chriftian Graces, exemplified in Practice and wrought in us by the Influence of the Holy Spirit, other wife, they cannot be called Chriftian but natural, Morality, mere civil Virtues, useful indeed in the prefent Syftem of Things, but void of all Relation to the divine Life and the Kingdom of Heaven,

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Another Method of treating Divinity, too much in ufe with fome, is that which confifts in curious and needlefs Speculations on the external Evidence of Chriftianity, and in dry Appeals to natural Reafon for the Credibility of it: Thus to hear it very elaborately proved that Jefus Chrift was no Impoftor, and that his Religion is an Inftitution that challenges the Affent of every rational Enquirer: To be entertained with nice Difquifitions on the Nature of Miracles, b 4

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