And his fellow-fervant fell down at his feet, and befought him, faying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee And he would not; but went and caft him into prison, till The Cafe of the Infolvent Debtors, and the Charity due Preached before the Lord Mayor, &c. at St. Bride's, on Preached before the House of Lords, at Westminster Ab- Which now of these three thinkeft thou was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves? And he faid, He that Preached at St. Margaret's, Westminster, before the Truf- And Mofes made an end of speaking all these words to all And he faid unto them, Set your hearts unto all the words which I teflify among you this day; which ye fhall com- mand your children to obferve, to do all the words of this Preached before the Society, correfponding with the in- For the adminiftration of this fervice not only fupplieth Preached at St. Sepulchre's, May 21, 1719. at the Anni- And the people ferved the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders that outlived Joshua, who had Preached Oct. 6, 1745. on occafion of the Rebellion in DISCOURSE LIII. 1 THESSALONIANS i. 9, 10. For they themselves fhew of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols, to ferve the living and true God; and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jefus, which delivered us from the wrath to come. IN the verfe before the text the Apostle tells the Theffalonians, that not only the word of the Lord had founded out from them in Macedonia and Achaia, but their faith alfo towards God was fpread abroad in every place; so that there is no occafion, adds the Apostle, for me to fay any thing of the doctrines delivered by me, and received by you: the thing is well known, and notorious to all the world: They themselves fhew of us what manner of entering in we had unto you. It is evident from hence what notion the world entertained of the Chriftian religion, and the principal doctrines of it, in the earliest days. All whọ had heard of our Apoftle's teaching knew his bufinefs to be to turn men from idols to ferve the living God, to give evidence of the refurrection of Christ Jefus from the dead, and to establish a certain expectation of his coming again with power and glory to judge the world. This common report St. Paul allows to be fo juft and adequate an account of his doctrine, as to leave no room to enlarge or correct it: In every place your faith to God-ward is Spread abroad; fo that we need not to speak any thing. If we confider this early account of the Chriftian religion, fo univerfally received, and fo well approved by the Apostle, we shall find it to confift of two principal parts: the firft relating to the fervice owing to the living God; the fecond to our faith in Chrift, and our hope and expectation grounded on that faith. Religion, confidered under the notion of a fervice we owe to God, can be no other than natural religion, or true uncorrupted deifm. This was the old original religion of mankind, but had been fo corrupted and abused, that there was hardly any fign of it left when our Saviour appeared in the world., However rightly fome few might think, yet they found themselves obliged to follow the world, and practise with the vulgar. Not many attempted, and none fucceeded in a reformation of the public religion. No antiquity affords an inftance of any people, great or small, who ferved God upon the prin ciples of natural religion. The only general and effectual reformation of the world was brought about by the preaching of the Gofpel; which revived and introduced the true ancient religion of nature, and prepared men for the reception of it; and has, by the additional fupports of revelation, maintained it |