when we confider numbers of holy men fet apart for this great work, having all advantages given them the better to fet forth thofe glorious truths of revelation, and to create a reverence of religion in the minds of men; when we confider the folemnity. of a church-affembly, and the awful prefence and authority of the Chriftian, orator; we may be apt to wonder, perhaps, why we fee not greater and more happy effects hereof in the world. However, we must of neceffity conclude, That this inftitution being undoubtedly fo powerful a fupport of our religion, if fuch affemblies as thefe were not upheld, if fuch authority as this did not fubfift, the confequence would be, that as in a little time there would be no more Chriftianity left in the world, so neither any morality; fince, notwithstanding all the helps of preaching, and the affiftance and support which virtue receives from hence, the lives of men are ftill fo far from being reformed, and the world fo little improved, in thefe latter ages. But, how reverently foever we have cause to think concerning this inftitution, and the undoubted good effects of it upon mankind; and whatever high opinion and efteem we may justly have of their performance, in whofe hands this power is placed, it seems not wholly impoffible, but that there may be fome defect in this great affair; and that the causes of ill fuccefs may not lye altogether in the depravity, perverseness, or stupidity of mankind, who are the hearers and readers of these doctrines. In fome countries, and amongst fome forts of Chriftians, we have feen, that the whole of this inftitution has not been appropriated to fpirituals; but, that a great part of thofe divine exhortations have had fomething in common with the policies of the world, and the affairs of government. And, of whatfoever benefit this may have been to mankind, or to the peace of the Chriftian world, it must be owned that preaching itself will be fo much the lefs apt to make any happy revolution in manners, as it has at any time been ferviceable to revolutions in ftate, or to the fupport of any other intereft, than that of Chrift's kingdom. Nor do we find, fince the arts of government and myfteries of religion have been thus fuited together, that either has been much advantaged by the union; it having never yet appeared, that divinity has been greatly better'd by policy, or that policy has been any where mended by divinity. Amongst those writers, who have been forward in making this unprofperous alliance, and building a political Chriftianity, there has been one of our nation, in the time wherein our author lived, who, whether he may have been ferviceable any way to the civil government, or Chriftian church, it may be concluded at leaft, that, he has done but very ill fervice in the moral world: and however other parts of philofophy may be obliged to him, him, ethicks will appear to have no great fhare in the obliga tion. He has indeed with great zeal and learning been oppofed by all the eminent and worthy divines of the church of England: and had the fame induftry been applied to the correction of his moral principles, as has been bestowed in refuting some other of his errors, it might perhaps have been of more service to religion in the main. This is he, who reckoning up the paffions or affections by which men are held together in fociety, live in peace, or have any correspondence one with another, forgot to mention kindnefs, friendship, fociablenefs, love of company and converse, natural affections, or any thing of this kind: I fay forgot; because I can scarcely think fo ill of any man, as that he has not by experience found any of thefe affections in himfelf, and confequently that he believes none of them to be. in others. But in the place of other affections, or good inclinations of whatever kind, this author has fubftituted only one mafter paffion fear; which has in effect devoured all the reft, and left room only for that infinite paffion towards power after power, natural (as he affirms) to all men, and never ceafing but in death. So much lefs good-nature has he left with mankind, than what he allows the worft of beafts; having alloted to us, in the way of our nature, fuch mischievous paffions as are unknown to them; and not fo much as allowed us any degree of their good ones, fuch as they are all known to have, and are never wanting to exert toward their own kind: by which excellency of nature, fo little reckoned upon in the cafe of mankind, their common interest is duly ferved, and their species propagated and maintained. Had not the poison of these immoral, and in reality atheistical, principles been diffufed more than 'tis eafy to imagine, at that time efpecially when Dr. Whichcote appeared, we should perhaps, where morality was concerned, have heard lefs of terror and punishment, and more of moral rectitude and good-nature. At leaft, it fhould not have grown cuftomary to explode good-nature, and detract from that good which is afcribed to natural temper, and is accounted natural affection, as having ground and foundation in mere NATURE: on the contrary, it would have been the, bufinefs of thofe, who had managed the cause of religion, to have contended for these better difpofitions; and to have fhewn, how deep a root and foundation they had in human nature; and not, juft contrarywife, to have built on the ruin of these for, with fome people, this was then become a method to prove Christianity. Revelation was to owe its establishment to the depreffion and lowering of fuch principles as these in the nature of man; and the weakness of these was made the strength of religion. As if good-nature and religion were enemies a • Leviathan, p. 47. thing indeed fo unthought of amongst the heathens, that PIETY, (which was their beft word to fignify religion) had more than halt its fenfe in natural and good affection, and ftood not only for the adoration and worship of God, but for the natural affections of parents to their children, and of children to their parents; of men to their native country; and indeed of all men in their several relations one to another. It must be confeffed, that it has been the reproach of fome fects of Chriftians amongst us, that their religion appeared to be in a manner oppofite to good-nature, and founded in morofeness, felfifhnefs, and ill-will to mankind; things not eafily reconcileable with a chriftian fpirit. But certainly it may be faid of the church of England, if of any church in the world, that this is not her fpirit: but it is by characters and features just contrary to thefe, that this church fhews herself above all others most worthily and nobly christian. It is certain, that there is nothing more contended for by those, who would not willingly admit a Deity; nor is there any thing of greater use to them, in their way of reafoning, than to have it pafs as current, that there are in man no natural principles inclining him to fociety; nothing that moves him to what is moral, just and honeft, except a profpect of fome different good. fome advantage of a different fort, from what attends the actions themselves. Nor is it ftrange that they, who have brought themselves off from fo much as believing the reality of any ingenuous action, performed by any of mankind, merely through good affection and a rectitude of temper, fhould be backward to apprehend any goodness of that fort, in a higher nature than that of man. But it is ftrange to conceive, how men, who pretend a notion and belief of a fupreme power acting with the greatest goodness, and without any inducement but that of love and good will, fhould think it unfuitable to a rational creature derived from him, to act after his example, and to find pleasure and contentment in works of goodnefs and bounty, without other profpect. But, what is yet more unaccountable is, that men who profefs a religion, where love is chiefly enjoined, where the heart is exprefly called for, and the outward actions without that is difregarded, where charity or kindness is made all in all; that men of this perfuafion fhould combine to degrade the principle of good-nature, and refer all to reward: which, being made the only motive in men's actions, must exclude all worthy and generous difpofition, all that love, charity, and affection, which the scripture enjoins; and without which no action is lovely, in the fight of God, or man; or in itfelf, deferving of notice, or kind reward. But perhaps one reafon of this misfortune has been, that fome men, who have meant fincerely well to religion and virtue, have been afraid, left by advancing the principle of good nature, and laying too great a ftrefs upon it, the the apparent need of facred revelation (a thing fo highly important to mankind) fhould be in fome measure taken away. So that they were forced in a manner to wound VIRTUE, and give way to the imputation of being mercenary, and of acting in a flavish fpirit, in ways of religion, rather than admit a fort of rival (in their fenfe) to the faith of divine revelation: seeing that Chriftianity (they thought) would by this means be made lefs neceffary to mankind; if it fhould be allowed, that men could find any happiness in virtue, but what is in reversion. Thus, one party of men, fearing the confequences which may be drawn from the acknowledgment of moral and focial principles in human kind, to the proof of a Deity's existence; and another party fearing as much from thence, to the prejudice of revelation; each have in their turns made war (if I may fay fo) even on virtue itself: having exploded the principle of good-nature, all enjoyment or fatisfaction in acts of kindnefs and love, all notions of happiness in temperate courfes and moderate defires, and in fhort all virtue or foundation of virtud; unless that perhaps be called merit or virtue, which is left remaining when all generofity, free inclination, public-fpiritedness, and every thing elfe befides private regard, is taken away. If this may be faid to be our cafe under this difpute, and that true religion itself (which is love) be thus endangered, and morality fo ill treated, between two fuch different and diftant parties; if each of thefe, notwithstanding their vaft difagreement, do yet in this matter fo fatally agree to decry human nature, and deftroy the belief of any immediate good or happiness in virtue, as a thing any way fuitable to our make and conftitution; there is then fo much the more need of fome great and known man to oppofe this current; and here it is, that our author has appeared fo fignally. Whatfoever (fays he) fome have faid, man's nature is not fo untoward a thing, unless it be abused, but that there is a fecret fympathy in human nature, with virtue and honefty; which gives a man an intereft even in bad men.-God in infinite wifdom has Jo contrived, that if an intellectual being fink itself into fenfuality, or any way defile or pollute itself; then, miferies and torments should befal it in this ftate.--VIRTUE and VICE (fays he) are the foundations of peace and happiness, or forrow and mifery.—There is inherent punishment belonging to all vice; and no power can divide or feparate them. For, though God should not in a pofitive way inflict punishment; or any inftrument of God punish a finner ; yet he would punish himfelf; his mifery and unhappiness would arife from himself.Thus fpeaks our excellent Divine, and truly chriftian Philofopher; whom, for his appearing thus in defence of natural goodness, we may call the preacher of good An expreffion of Dr. Whichcote's. nature. nature. This is what he infifts on every-where; and to make this evident, is in a manner the scope of all his discourses. And in conclufion of all this, 'tis hoped that what has been here fuggefted, may be fufficient to juftify the printing of thefe fermons. As for our author himself, what his life was; how great an example of that happy temper, and god-like difpofition, which he laboured to infpire; how much he was, for the excellency of his life and admirable temper, efteemed and beloved of all; and even in the worst of times, when feuds and animofities on the account of religion were higheft (during the time of the late great troubles); how his character and behaviour drew to him the refpect of all parties, fo as to make him be remarkably distinguished; how much in efteem he was with the greatest men; and how many conftant hearers he had of the best rank and greateft note, even of the moft eminent divines themselves; this is fufficiently known. And the teftimony which the late archbishop Tillotfon has given of him, though it be in a funeral fermon, is known to be in nothing superior to his desert. The fermons which are here printed, have been felected out of numbers of others lefs perfect; there being not any of our author's extant, but fuch as were written after him at church: he having used no other than very fhort notes, not very legible: though these have been of great ufe to the publisher, in whofe hands they have been. The unpolished ftile and phrafe of our author, who drew more from a college than a court, and who was more used to fchool-learning and the language of an university, than to the converfation of the fashionable world, may poffibly but ill recommend his fenfe to the generality of readers. And fince none of these discourses were ever defigned for the world, in any other manner than as he (once for all) pronounced them from the pulpit, they muft of neceffity appear to have a roughnefs in them, which is not found in other fermons more accurately penned by their authors. For, though the publisher has sometimes fupplied him out of himself, by transferring to a defective place, that which he found in fome other difcourfe, where the fame fubject was treated; yet fo great a regard was had to the very text and letter of his author, that he would not offer to alter the leaft word and wherefoever he has added any thing to correct the most apparent omiffion, or fault of the penman, he has taken care to have it marked in different characters that nothing might appear as our author's own, which was not perfectly his. Though fome others in the world have been very far from this caution: fince of late fome things have been fet out in our author's name, which his beft friends difown to be his; and which any |