The pagan nations of the earth ever have, whatever might be their civilization or learning, lived in the grossest ignorance of God, and in the most sottish Idolatry: worshipping, by absurd and impure rites, many of their Idols. They have paid honours divine to the sun, moon, and stars:—to birds, beasts, and fishes, nay even to insects and plants. The wise Greeks and learned Romans are not to be excepted. The few philosophers among them, who saw and despised the folly of the vulgar superstition, did not mark out any rational system of worship. The people at large lived, not only in the vilest Idolatry, but indulged in the most unnatural and detestable vices, such as cannot be named, without causing us to blush for the shameful conduct of human nature.
As the few philosophers, in the antient civilized heathen nations, who had arrived at the greatest eminence in the knowledge of what is called natural religion, exhibit to us in the midst of some bright sayings about the supreme Being, the first cause of all things, many childish and unworthy notions; so they have also given a poor, defective system of moral Virtue. It must not be denied, that some very rational and wise sayings concerning the being and attributes of the Deity, have come down to us from the antient sages. But none of them had any uniformly consistent and just apprehensions of him. Their notions about the first cause of all things, had in them a strange mixture of truth and error, sense and nonsense. Sometimes in reading them, we are struck with agreeable surprise, at the justice of some observation concerning the being of a God, his perfection, and Providence. But alas! the pleasure is destroyed in a moment by some most absurd or impious sentiment:—all is confounded with fable and fiction.—When we turn our eye to their notions of moral Virtue, and man’s real happiness, we find little, if any more satisfaction. They wrangled continually about the chief good, or true happiness of man. They differed most widely from each other. And none of them hit upon the truth.—Their morality, viewed only with a superficial eye, I grant, looks specious and shining. Some beautiful and just sentiments are displayed in all the elegance and charms of language. The man of taste admires the diction. We read, with a kind of rapture, some of their sentences: the ideas of morality contained in them are so just, and the stile so pleasing. Many of their moral sayings indeed are worthy to be imprinted on the memory. But when we critically and impartially weigh their systems, of moral Virtue, we find them essentially defective. For they are always built upon wrong principles. A contracted self-love, or a regard to the external advantages of society, or a hope to live, in the praises of the latest posterity, were their highest motives. The rewards of piety—the honour of God—and the certain belief of a future state cannot be reckoned at all a part of their religion. Nay, if any acknowledged the unity of the Godhead, they were reputed Atheists. And the best of them all pleaded for suicide, and other shocking and unnatural vices.
For argument’s sake, we will admit that our reason, without any help from a divine revelation, is adequate to teach us the duties of morality, so far as may be needful to regulate all our conduct in this world, and to direct all the exercises of our affections aright as to time. Still something further is essential. When I admit this sufficiency of reason in regard to moral duty; I do not admit by any means that it can be proved.—But if it could be proved, still the wonderful discoveries of the Gospel respecting a Mediator and a world to come, and many other important points, would be not only most desirable, but essentially necessary. And therefore, the Gospel is indeed glorious and excellent. Reason, then, separate from Revelation, cannot inform us concerning some of the most necessary and essential things in Religion. It cannot tell us whether any pardon of sin can be dispensed to us. It cannot inform us, either what the recompence of Virtue will be, or the punishment of Vice. It cannot ascertain the degree of goodness which will be remunerated; if any is to be at all:—or what kinds and degrees of Vice shall be punished. It cannot point out to us, what sins, of which we have been guilty, will be forgiven; or whether any will be; of if they will be, upon what grounds. Neither can it look forward into another state of being, and tell us the duration in which we shall exist; or in which Virtue will be remunerated; or in which Vice will be frowned upon:—or indeed whether there shall be any future state at all; or whether there will be a future retribution, if a future state. It may conjecture on these most important and essential subjects. But it can go no farther than mere conjecture; and as to some of them, hardly so far. Its light here is so feeble, that it scarcely glimmers. It cannot therefore relieve us under the pains and anguish of a guilty conscience. It hath no motives and arguments of weight sufficient to induce us to break off all our sins by repentance, and our transgressions by turning unto the Lord. It spreads not before us, and endless good to engage us to love and fear God, or endless punishment to deter us from sin.—In the world we often behold vice prospered, and Virtue depressed. The wicked often flourish, in the course of human events; and upon them fortune smiles propitiously: while the worthy and the good experience the bitterness of calamity, and adversity takes them by her cold hand. In cases of this nature, reason would utterly fail in administering sufficient succour.—But Religion composes the mind under all the vicissitudes of human life. Nay, it opens to us rich consolation.—And one eminent branch of its excellence is that it instructs us fully, clearly, and plainly as to just notions of God, of the manner in which he will be worshipped, of his readiness to forgive us on our repentance and amendment through an atonement made for sin. It teaches us, also, the nature of this atonement. It informs us of the nature of true Virtue; the rewards of it; the punishment of Vice; the continuance of the one and the other; and the certainty of a life to come.—It opens to us the truth in distinction from all error; and is, therefore, by way of eminence sometimes called the truth. Its author is stiled the true and faithful witness. And its doctrines are set forth as true and faithful sayings. It points out the right path, and guards, as much as is possible against all false principles and delusions, visions and idle dreams in things of a religious nature. And what is much to its praise, and no inconsiderable proof of its divinity, it doth not dwell upon subtle and curious speculations, whose tendency would be only to embarrass and perplex honest inquirers after truth and happiness; or at least to amuse the imagination, without mending the heart, or regulating the morals of men.
With the utmost possible clearness and force of language, it states what we are by nature, and what we must be by grace:—the manner in which we must live, and what we are to expect, if we conform ourselves to its precepts, and exercise its temper, in another world, as a recompence. It directs us to keep under due discipline all the turbulent passions and evil propensities of the mind. They that are Christ’s, says the Apostle Paul, have crucified the flesh with its lusts and affections. The same inspired penman thus exhorts us, Let us walk honestly as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof.
What is worthy of particular notice, the christian Religion has no pomp and parade. It relates the great truths which we are to believe and leaves them to have their impression both on the heart and life. It discovers indeed the most sublime mysteries, doctrines above man to invent, and consequently above, though not repugnant to reason.—It informs us of the Fall of man, that tragical event whence all our woes:—and the method of our recovery:—that the Supreme Being exists as Father, Son, and holy Ghost, possessed of all possible perfections, and worthy of all homage:—that he orders and disposes of the Universe, the natural and moral world, at pleasure:—that he controuls and directs all things and events:—that the eternal destiny of every one of the Children of men is in his sovereign hands:—that purity of heart and piety of life are essential to salvation:—that incorrigible sinners must be punished with endless destruction:—that at the end of the world, the dead will be raised:—the living be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye:—that a general judgment will be holden:—that all real goodness will share in a glorious reward:—and that grace divine is necessary to form and prepare the heart for the eternal enjoyment of God.
And what is by no means to be omitted, all its doctrines are consistent. They form one rational connected system. There is no contradiction, no darkness, nor mysticism resting upon its doctrines, as they are stated in the sacred Volume, though they have been differently explained by different denominations. They are in themselves clear. They are full. They are explicit. No clouds hang over them. And every lover of this holy religion must deeply regret, that ever any human mixtures and traditions should be substituted for the commandments of God. Much more, that these last should be made null and void, or superseded by those, as the most generous candour must allow they have by various Communions of Christians.
As to the mode of worship, and divine ordinances to be attended upon; they are such as reason fully approbates; they are free from superstition and enthusiasm. Superstition places all the excellence of worship in rites and forms, names and ceremonies. It tythes mint, annise and cummin. It lays great stress on mere bodily observances which profit little, or in trifles.—Enthusiasm lays claim to fictitious joys, visionary raptures, to inspiration, and an uncommon intimacy with the Deity. Now it is the Excellency of the Christian religion, that it gives no countenance to either of these. It always, on the contrary, places the essence of all acceptable worship, in the pure and fervent devotions of the heart, in a rational and enlightened piety, commanding us statedly to offer homage to God:—to be fervent in spirit serving the Lord:—and to present all our prayers to his throne, in the name of our Redeemer, relying on his complete righteousness, and efficacious intercessions. For he is that other angel that came and stood at the Altar, having a golden Censer, and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden Altar.
FOOTNOTES:
[1] The reader will take notice that I suppose eminent service may be done to the Christian Religion, by a fair and candid comparison made between it, and the other religions—namely, Paganism—Mahomitanism—and the philosophic religion of modern Infidels—or rather irreligion. This is, in a measure, a new subject. And as from the state of our Country the probability is that the grand dispute will be, shall we have any religion or shall we not; so it would be a peculiarly seasonable subject. I hope some able pen will ere long, undertake the arduous task to discuss it.—An elegant pen has beautifully contrasted Mahomitanism with the Gospel. But we want something further.