The understanding of man, duly cultivated and improv ed, looks beyond thofe minute objects which childith,: weak and fuperftitious minds lay hold of and dwell upon; and founds his religion on the most enlarged conceptions he can poffibly form of the greatest and best of beings, and of the intentions of his wildom and goodness in the formation of the world. But a mind contracted and pof feffed by little and falfe ideas, conceives of God as being altogether fuch an one as himself; influenced by particular affections and atipathies, loving this fect and hating. the other, requiring the belief of unreasonable doctrines, delighted with outward formalities, eafy of accefs to fome,. inexorable to others, electing a few to eternal life without reafon, and damning all the reft without mercy.Hence his zeal will be all employed about. fpeculative points, the traditions of the elders and the externals of worship; and he will feek to gain the divine favour by a falle fhow of devotion, or contending for an unprofitable faith, rather than by the fubftantial duties of an innocent and beneficent life. Such errors are best corrected by, opening and enlarging the understandings of men, and leading them to diftinguifh what is moft excellent and. important from every thing trifling aud fuperficial.

There are in reality but three kinds of religion in the world, though there are numberlefs different denominations. The first is a religion of the fenfes, when men's minds are awed and captivated by fenfible objects, by edifices, images, founds, poftures, proceflions, vestments, &c. in a word, by a pompous apparatus of worship: this is the very genius of fuperftition, and fprings from, or produces, the most childish misconceptions of the nature of God and the end of religion. The fecond is a religion of the paffions, and confifts in certain fervors and tranfports, in contractions or dilatations of the heart, in elevations or depreffions of the fpirits: this tends to enthufiasm. The third is a religion of the understanding, when men are duly convinced on rational evidence of the great

truths of religion and deliberately refolve to govern their actions according to them.

In fact, every religion in the world is a compofition of thefs three kinds: but is rational and useful only in proportion as it partakes of the last kind; or as it is adapted to the understandings of men, and contributes to preferve and strengthen the judging faculty of the mind, in a due government of the fenfes and affections. Yet we cannot entirely exclude either of these former from the fervice of religion; nor ought this to be attempted under any pretence of fhunning fuperftition or enthufi." afm: mankind are not capable of a religion fo fpiritual and refined. The fenfes, and much more the affections, are of great ufe in religion, when they are under the gov ernment of a good understanding. They belong to the conflitution of our natures; and are neceffary to excite us to activity and diligence. The fpeculations and opinions of the underftanding, how joft and important foever, only operate by producing affections: and whofoever can attentively confider the great doctrines of religion, without being in the least affected, has good reason to queftion hinfelf, whether he has any belief of them.

But if the fenfes and affections are not under the government of a found judgment; they are blind guides in religion, and may lead us into great abfurdities, into the mean tricks of fuperftition, or the wild reveries of enthufiafm. The men who have invented, compiled, propagated and established religions in the world, have adapted their fchemes with a principal view either to the understanding, or to the paffions, or to the fenfes of mankind; according to the different ends which they bad principally in view, viz. either to rule and enflave the populace by fuperftition; or to excite them to hold and defperate actions by enthufiafm; or to inform and improve their minds by that which alone is properly fti led religion.

2

DESTRUCTION

OF THE

BE A ST

IN THE

Downfall of Sectarianifm.

"For then will I turn to the People a pure

"Language, that they may all call

"upon the Name of the Lord,

to serve him with one

"Consent."

"ZEPH. III. 9."

BRETHREN, SISTERS AND FRIENDS,

WE Now come to the clofing piece promifed in the fubfcription. Agreeably to the fubfcription we have in the first place handed you a Small Hymn Book, de figned for the temporary ufe of the Halcyon Church. We expected to have had the balance of the work comprifed in three fermona, on the doctrines of the Millennium, of my own diction; but as at about the time our first fermon fhould have been exhibited there came out a publication against the holy caufe in which we are engaged; (By the Rev. David Parkhurst.).

It was the pointed request of a number of the fub fcribers that I fhould immediately attend to the publication of an answer, or reply, in place of a part of the work promifed in the fubfcription.

Accordingly the reply was published and handed for ward to places convenient for fubfcribers to obtain. The contents of that reply was found to be very pointed and not a little galling to a number of our opponents; which has enraged not a few, and where they have found them. felves deficient for an honorable defence, they have fubftituted ridicule and invective in the place thereof; and to prevent the convictive force and effects of what is contained in that REPLY, instead of attempting an answer, have called a true and undeniable statement of facts, Blackguard; knowing that they had their adherents fo completely under the dupe as that, at will, they could make them feverely cenfure that in me which they would at the fame moment, highly applaud in their own favorite teachers.

But, for our confolation, we know that every judicious and unbiased reader will at once difcover the sophistrythat it is much easier for the enemies of truth and recti