pofe (viz. to keep men from fin, and to lead them to the practice of moral duties) under every divine difpenfation. And therefore if these appointed under the golpel, do not anfwer the purpose for which they were intended; or if they are put in competition with moral duties, and made the ground of divine acceptance; in either cafe they deferve thofe leffening characters, before referred to; namely, under fuch circumftances, and when confidered comparatively, as above, they are but carnal ordinances, and weak and beggarly elements, and the like.

If it fhould be faid, that when positive duties are not fubfervient to the end for which they are appointed, then, ftrictly fpeaking, they are not duties, but fins to those who use them. And therefore, in this view of the cafe, they are not to be compared with moral duties, but only when they anfwer the end of their inftitution; becaufe then only they anfwer the characters of pofitive duties: I anfwer; if this be admitted to be the cafe, then it makes good all that I have been contending for, viz. that the valuableness and excellency of positive duties is merely relative, and is derived from the excellency and valuableness of that end, which they, as means, are related to; and confequently, they cannot be equally excellent and valuable with that end, from which their own excellency and valuableness, as means, is derived, and without which they would

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would have no excellency nor valuableness in them at all. And,

Here I beg leave to obferve to my reader, that this is a point of no fmall importance to mankind; because our not carefully diftinguishing here, may be the cause of our final milcarriage. Pofitive duties are appointed as a means towards the attaining fome wife and good end, and they are no farther valuable than as they are fubfervient to that end, viz. to lead us to the practice of moral duties, which, in truth, is the perfection of our nature, Now if we afcribe to pofitive duties, which are the means, that valuablenefs which only belongeth to the end, then we are in danger of relying upon the bare external compliance with a pofitive law, without regarding the end to which that law was directed, and fo to deceive ourselves to our undoing, This is that fatal rock upon which many religious profeflions have 1plit: for when men confider the externals of religion (if I may fo call them) as the principal and the most valuable parts of it, then they are too too apt to rely upon thele, as what will render them moft acceptable to God, and fo to neglect to have that rectitude of mind and life, which alone will render them pleafing in the eyes of their Maker.

This was the cafe of the Jews of old; for as the particular circumftances and temper of that people required, that a greater number

number and variety of pofitive duties should be practifed by them, than otherwise there would have been occafion for; fo they raised the worth of these greatly above their true value; and then they thought that the bare external compliance with those positive laws, would fufficiently fecure to them God's fayour. Whereas, if thofe Jews had preferved a juft fenfe of the worth and value of pofitive duties, and had confidered them only as means to an end, and that they were no farther valuable than as they become fubfervient to that end, then they could not have thus erred, and deceived themselves in a point of fuch importance, as it is manifeft they did. And,

This has been too too much the cafe amongst Christians. They have raised the value of pofitive duties above what is meet, which has laid a foundation for a multitude of those superstitious practices that have prevailed in the chriftian world, and which has eat out, as it were, the life and fpirit of christianity. So that in fome parts of Chrifendom there is little elfe remaining, but a blind and ungoverned zeal for positive duties, and for fuch fuperftitious practices, as education and cuftom has rendered facred to them. And indeed this evil is apt to spread and take root in all places, and at all times. For when men are unwilling to part with their vices, then they are glad to lay hold of any principle which will render the prac

tice of thofe vices eafie to themselves. And nothing feems better to answer this purpose, than to raise up the value of pofitive duties to be equal, or perhaps fuperior to moral duties; and then it is eafy to fuppofe, that to abound in the former will fupply the want of the latter; and thus men deceive themselves to their own deftruction. Have we not therefore good reason to take heed to ourselves, when fuch principles are advanced as are not only manifeftly falfe, but also are likely to prove very hurtful to mankind, and which, I think, is the prefent cafe? The reprefenting pofitive duties, as of equal or fuperior value with moral duties, is not only a falfe principle, but it has alfo a fad tendency to miflead mankind, in a point of the utmoft concern to them.

To conclude; let me intreat those men, who are for raising the value of positive duties much above their true worth, and are for making the use of these the ground and foundation of chriftian perfection, and of our acceptance with God, to confider what they are doing. Sirs, Are you not by this fending us back to popery? that being fuch a religious conftitution as abounds with a greater number and variety of pofitive duties, than any religious conftitution amongst Proteftants, and therefore is the more fure way to chriftian perfection. Are you not pointing out to men a way to deceive themfelves, in a cafe wherein their highest in

tereft

terest is at stake, by fpeaking peace to them, or rather by leading them to view themselves in a false glass,and thereby to speak peace unto themselves, whilst their hands are full of fraud and violence, and their hearts run after their covetoufnefs? whereas, in truth, there is no peace to the wicked, faith our God. For if pofitive duties are represented as of equal or fuperior excellency and value to moral duties, then men are very eafily led to think,that a conftant attendance on, and a warm zeal for pofitive duties, will render them most ассерtable to their Maker, though they are deftitute of that rectitude of mind and life, which the chriftian religion recommends, and which the reafon of things require, as the only ground of divine acceptance. this has too often been the cafe, as the experience of almoft all ages have fhewn; fo that, by this means, men have deceived themselves to their undoing. These, I think, are confequences which may very eafily follow the principle I have now been oppofing the advancing of, which looks as if we were setting our faces towards Rome, and were longing to return again to the flesh pots of Egypt: but how fubfervient foever this may be to answer the purposes of a defigning clergy, yet furely it is highly injurious to the religion of Chrift.

And

I will only add, that the practice of pofitive duties is fo far from being the perfection of our nature, that, on the contrary,

the