the latter are the produce of the former, and are certain attendants upon it, or not, this, in general, probably, God only is the judge of, who, probably, only knows the fecrets of men's hearts, and what are the real Springs of action to them. And, as this is the cafe, with regard to thofe actions that are used as marks of inward piety or respect; fo the cafe is the fame, with regard to all other externals in religion, of which publick, focial, and vifible piety is compounded, and by which it is expreffed; fuch as prayers, Jacraments, and the like, and which, in the general, come under the denomination of pofitive duties or inftitutions; these may be the means of exciting piety in the mind, or of increafing it, as they may excite and stir up, in the mind, proper reflections, with regard to the Deity, and thereby ftir up, and heighten, proper affections to him. But then, the bare ufe of thefe is not piety itself, seeing they may be performed out of form, and for fashion fake; like as what ufually takes place among fashionable people, viz. I am, Sir, your very humble fervant, when there is no fervice intended, nor expected, nor any humility in the cafe; and as they may be done with a view to deceive others,

R 4

others, by leading them to think the performer is a pious man, when in reality that is not the cafe. And as publick and external religion has it's uses, as publick respect is paid to the Deity, or, at least, there is the appearance of such respect being paid, and thereby a fenfe of God is kept up in the world; as by it fome men are led to fuch ferious reflections, and their attention is called into fuch fubjects, which, otherwise, their other affairs would divert them from ; and the like; fo it is liable to answer fome bad purposes alfo, as it leads fome men to fufpect all, who appear to be affected with external religion, to be hypocrites, when, in many instances, the cafe is otherwife; as by it men deceive and impofe upon others, by ufing it as a veil of hypocrify, wherewith to cover their base defigns; and as thereby had men may deceive themselves, by thinking that the bare use of external piety makes them truly religious, when they have only the outward fhew and appearance of it.

ALAS! The most conftant attendance on daily prayers and weekly or monthly facraments, if a just and worthy fenfe of God, and a true and proper veneration of him, be not stirred up and promoted thereby,

thefe

these are so far from conftituting real piety, that they are rather the reverse; especially if an improper and unworthy image of the Deity be pictured on the mind thereby. For men to pretend to venerate the Deity, by fuch acts of piety, as aforefaid, whilft they conceive him to be an arbitrary, partial, ill-natured being, who watches for the haltings of his creatures, that he may take occafion from it to make them miserable, is most preposterous. To fuppofe that the Deity called into being the fpecies of mankind, and placed them in fo hazardous a ftate, as that it is ten thousand to one against them, that they will all tranfgrefs, in some inftances; and then to make each fingle miscarriage the ground of his higheft difpleasure, and of making them, in time to come, greatly and laftingly miferable, were they not ransomed, or bought off, by fome valuable confideration, paid to the Deity, by a divine Redeemer; this, furely, is placing the Deity in a very bad light, and conceiving most unworthily of him, and, therefore, must needs be contrary to true piety. And yet the forementioned principles are, by fome, made the ground and foundation of prayers and facraments, and their conftant

atten

attendance on thefe lead them to think themselves truly pious, notwithstanding their unworthy conceptions of God, and how degenerated foever their affections and actions may be. And, tho' this kind of piety may leave fome men as it finds them, viz. good men, or bad men, without making them to be better, or worse, as it is portable with either character; yet, it is to be feared, that fometimes it greatly enfeebles men's cb. ligations to a& properly in other respects, by leading them to think their zeal for, and conftant attendance on, external religion, will excuse and make up for their defects, in other parts of their duty. of their duty. It is also compatible with all, even the most oppofite vices; as a man may be a conftant attendant on the feveral branches of external piety, and be also too much penurious, or too wasteful and extravagant. This fort of piety is ufually deemed to be of great importance, and great Stress is laid upon it, inasmuch as the frequent ufe of it commonly constitutes the character of a very pious man, and the general neglect of it conftitutes the oppofite character. Yea, fuch great stress is laid upon this kind of piety, that if the newborn infant be thought at the point of

death,

death, the Priest is hurried away, with the utmost hafte, to sprinkle fome water on it' face, which is called baptizing it, thereby to fecure it from paffing into a state of mifery and those alfo who die at riper years, are confidered as making an improper and unchriftian exit, except they have their paffport figned and fealed, by priestly abfolution, and by a participation of the other Sacrament, as it is called. Not, but, I think, the efficacy of the Sacraments is rendered unintelligible, by the forms of adminiftration, in our book of common-prayer. Thus, in the form of baptism for infants, the Prieft is directed to put up the following petition, Almighty and everlasting God, -regard, we beseech thee, the fupplications of thy congregation, fanctify this water to the mystical washing away of fin, &c. What is here meant by the mystical washing away of fin, and how the fprinkling a little confecrated water, (as it is called) on the face of an infant, is fubServient thereto, are points hard to be conceived. And thus, in the form for the celebration of the holy communion, the Priest is directed to addrefs the communicant, in the following words, The body, (or rather more properly, and according to proteftan