THE

LADIES Library.

RELIGION.

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ELIGION in the general respects God, as the Object and Centre of all its Acts and Offices. For upon fuppofition, that there, is fuch a Being as God, and that there are fuch Beings as Reasonable Creatures, or ca

pable Subjects of Religion, it will neceffa-, rily follow, that there must be fome Religion or other, to tie and oblige these Creatures to that God. For by God,, we mean a Being that has all poffible Perfections in him, and is the fupreme Caufe and Fountain of all other Beings and Perfections; and fuch a Being, we muft needs acknowledge, does not only deferve the worthieft Acts of Religion that reasonable Creatures, who alone are capable of understanding his Worth, can render to him, but has alfo an unalienable Right to exact and require them; and that not only upon account of his own effential Defert, for whatever he deferves he has a Right to demand, but also upon account of the Right he has to reafonable Creatures, VOL. III.

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who owe their Beings to him, and all their Capacities of ferving him, and fo cannot difpofe of themselves, without manifeft Injury to him, contrary to his Will and Orders. By reasonable Creatures, we mean Beings that are deriv'd from God, and are endor'd by him with a Capacity of understanding him and themselves; and fuch Crea tures must neceffarily ftand oblig'd to render him such Acts as are fuitable to, and due Acknowledgments of, the Perfections of his Nature, and their own Dependence upon him; and this Obligation is that which we call Religion; a Word, which from its Derivation fignifies a binding, or obliging us to God; wherefore true Religion in the General, is the Obligation of reasonable Creatures, to render fuch Acts of Worship to God, as are fuitable to the ExcelJancy of bis Nature, and their Dependence upon him: Which Definition includes both the Doctrines and Duties of Religion. For the Doctrines are the Reasons by which it obliges us to the Duties; and as there is no Duty in Religion but what derives its Tie and Obligation from fome Doctrine contain'd in it, fo there is no Doctrine in Religion but what ties and obliges us to fome Duty that is enjoin'd by it. When therefore I call Religion an Obligation, I include in that Term, all thofe Doctrines of it, concerning God, his Nature, and his Tranfactions with his Creatures, which are the Reafons by which we ftand oblig'd to render all Acts of Worfhip to hm. But for the better understanding the Nature of true Religion, it is necessary we fhould distinguish it into Natural and Reveal'd. By natural Religion, I mean the Obligation which natural Reafon lays upon us, to render to God all that Worship and Obedience, which, upon the Confideration of his Nature, and our Dependence upon him, it difcovers to be due to him. For God having planted in us a rational Faculty, by the Exercife of which, we are naturally led into the Belief of his Being, the Senfe of his Perfections, and the Ac→ knowledgment of his Providence, he expects we fhou'd follow it, as the Guide and Director of our Lives and Actions; and whatfoever this Faculty does naturally,

and

and in its due Exercife dictate to us, is as much the Voice of God as any Revelation. For whatever it naturally dictates, it must dictate by his Direction, who is the Author of its Nature, and who having fram'd it to speak such a Senfe, and pronounce fuch a Judgment of Things, has thereby put his Word into its Mouth, and does himself fpeak thro' it, as thro' a standing Oracle, which he has erected in our Breafts, to convey and deliver his own Mind and Will to us.

Whatsoever then natural Reafox, rightly exercis'd, teaches us concerning God, and our Duty towards him, is true Religion, and does as effectually bind and oblige us to him, as if it had been immediately reveal'd by him. It teaches us, that God is infinitely Wife, and Juft, and Powerful and Good; that he is the Fountain of our Beings, the Difpofer of our Affairs, and the Arbitrator of our State both here and hereafter; and by these Doctrines it obliges us to admire and adore him, to fear and Love him, to trust and obey him. And this is natural Religion, which confifts of fuch Doctrines as natural Reason teaches us, concerning God, and his Nature, and Providence; and of fuch Duties, as it infers from those Doctrines, and enforces by them. All the Doctrines of this Religion, upon which it founds its Duties, being eternal Verities, as they muft neceffarily be, being all deduc'd, from the immutable Nature of God and Things, all the Duties of it must be morally, that is, eternally good and reasonable, because these Doctrines are the eternal Reasons upon which they are founded, and by which they oblige. Whatsoever then is a Duty of natural Religion, must oblige for ever, because it obliges by an eternal Reason, and so can never be difpens'd with, or abrogated, till the Natures of Things are cancell'd and revers'd and eternal Truths are converted into Lyes.

In fhort therefore, natural Religion has only natural Reafon for its Rule and Measure, which from the Nature of God and Things deduces all thofe eternal Reasons, by which it diftinguishes our Actions into boneft and diffoneft.

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decorous and filthy, good and evil, neceffary and finful. For it does not make them good or evil by judging them so, but if it judges truly, it judges of them as it finds them; and unless it finds them Good and Evil in themselves, upon fome eternal Reason for or against them, its Judg ment is falfe and erroneous. The objective Goodness or Evil that is in the Actions themfelves, is not the Meafure of our natural Reason; but our natural Reason, judging truly concerning them, is the Measure of our Choice or Refufal of them; for be our Action never fo good or evil in itself, unless we have fome ̧ eternal Reason for or against it, we cannot judge it fo, and unless we judge it fo, we cannot reafonably choose or refuse it; but as foon as ever we have judg'd or pronounc'd it good or evil, upon an eternal Reajon, we fland oblig'd by that Judgment to do or forbear it. Thus Right Reafon pro-nouncing fuch Actions good, and fuch evil, is the Law of Nature, and those eternal Reasons upon which it fo pronounces them, are the Creed of Nature; both which together make natural Religion. And by this Religion was the World govern'd, at least the greatest part of it, for fome thousands of Years, 'till by long and fad Experience it was found too weak to correct the Errors of Mens Minds, and reftrain the wild Extravagances of their Wills and Affections; and then God, out of his great Pity to loft and degenerate Mankind, vouchfaf'd to us the glorious Light of Reveal'd Religion, which, in the largest Acceptation of it, includes all natural Religion, as well all that it proposes to be believ'd, as what it requires to be done, the Doctrines as well as the Duties of it, both which are contain'd in that Revelation of his Will, which God has made to: the World, to which it has fureradded feveral Doctrines and Duties of fupernatu ral Religion.

But, ftrictly speaking, reveal'd Religion, as it is distinguish'd from natural, confifts of fuch Doctrines and Duties as are knowable and discoverable only by Revelation, as are not to be deduc'd and inferr'd by Reasoning and

Difcourfe,