the nature of the thing, is moft worthy, and valuable; then, moft certainly, it must be fo in the fight and eftimation of the Deity.

RELIGION is alfo fometimes diftinguished into natural and revealed. But then, as natural religion is abfolutely perfect and admits of no addition, diminution, or alteration; therefore, revealed religion, if it be of God, can be no other, nor no more, than a promulgation or a republication of the pure and uncorrupted religion of nature. And, as to pofitive inflitutions and all external religion, if it may be fo called, these are not religion or piety itself, but only are relative to it, as they are either outward figns of it, or elfe are means to excite and increase it, as has been already observed. When men are funk into gros ignorance and error, and are greatly viciated in their affections and actions, then, God may, for any reason I can fee to the contrary, kindly interpose, by a special application of his power and providence, and reveal to men fuch ufeful truths, as, otherwife, they might be ignorant of or might not attend to; and alfo lay before them fuch rules of life, as they ought to walk by; and likewife prefs their obedience with proper motives, and,

thereby,

thereby, lead them to repentance and reformation; I fay, this may be the cafe; but then, that it is fo, and when it is fo, will, from the nature of the thing, be a matter of doubt and difputation; the truth of which is verified by abundant experience and fact.

LASTLY, fome fay, the term religion, when used in it's first or primary sense, signifies any fyftem or compofition of doctrines and precepts, which any man or fociety of men, shall adopt, and make it a rule or standard of faith and practice to him or themselves fo that, whatever accords with such standard, that is true religion to the perfon or party that adopts it; and, whatever is repugnant to fuch rule, that is false religion to fuch perfon or party; and, confequently, what is true religion to one inan or fociety of men, may be falfe religion to another. And, in this view of the cafe, what makes or denominates one man to be truly religious, may make or denominate another man to be really irreligious ; and, in this view, likewife, a man may very religious, and yet be a very bad man; and he may be very irreligious, and yet be a worthy good man; as religion has no relation to, or connection with virtue, goodness,

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be

or

or moral rectitude, but only as it may be thus connected by the arbitrary determination of it's imbiber. Thus, Judaism is true religion to a Jew, Paganifm to a Pagan, Mahometanifm to a Mahometan; and the oppofite to each of thefe, is falfe religion to the person or party who adopts it: fo that, whether a man be virtuous or vicious, if he ftrictly conforms, in judgment and practice, to that fyftem, or compofition of doctrines and precepts, he has adopted, such conformity denominates him to be a religious man. And And thus, likewife, Chriftianity, could it be defined and certainly determined what it is, would be true religion to a chriftian; but, whereas Chriftianity is altogether indeterminate, therefore, what is deemed to be fuch, by each chriftian fect, that is true religion to that fect; and it's oppofite, in any of it's branches, is false religion to them. Thus, Popery is true religion to a Papist, Calvinism to a Calvinist, Lutheranism to a Lutheran, &c. and the opposite to each of thefe, is false religion to the feet who has adopted it. And, in this view of the cafe, religion is merely artificial and of human creation; as it is founded on the will and determination of the perfon or party who imbibes

imbibes or adopts it. Religion being thus of human creation, and all religions, how different foever from each other, being, each one, equally true to the person or party who adopts it, from hence a question does very naturally arise, viz. whether all religions are equally relative to the favour of God? This question has, in effect, been anfwered by St. Peter, long ago; the juftness and propriety of which anfwer is fubmitted to the judgment of every reader. Thus Acts x. 34, 35. Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons; but in every nation, be that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him. As St. Peter's parents were Jews; so, in confequence thereof, he not only adopted the Jews religion, and made it his own; alfo, he steadily adhered to that principle upon which all their religion and policy was grounded, viz. that God had chofen the feed of Jacob, with thofe who fhould be profelyted to their religion, to be his peculiar and favourite people through all posterity, till time should be no more, exclufive of all other families, nations and people in the world; but when St. Peter had (by fome

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but

means

means or other, and the historian fays by a vifion) a strong impreffion, upon his mind, of a fheet let down from heaven, in which were all manner of beafts and creeping things, both clean and unclean, as thus distinguished by the Jewish law; and being required to kill and eat of these, promifcuously, without feparating the clean from the unclean; and, from thence, being led to confider that fuch a diftinction was merely arbitrary, as having no foundation in nature, any other wife than as one fpecies of animals may be more proper food for man than others; and, after this, he being required to go to Cornelius, whom, when he had converfed with, he found to be a very worthy good man, though not of the feed of Jacob, though not profelyted to the Jews religion, though not a Chriftian but only in the way of being fuch; all these things being put together in the Apoftle's mind, and being feriously and candidly confidered by him; from thence he clearly perceived, or it appeared, to him, to be a most obvious truth, that the above principle, which, before that time, he had ftri&ly adhered to, viz. of God's favour being confined to the Jews, or, indeed, to any religious fect or party what