rituality; I have shown, ft, That the SER M.
first and lowest particular included in the VI.
Notion of God's being a Spirit, is that
we are to conceive of him as of a Being
infinitely removed from all those grofs
Properties, which conftitute the Nature
of Matter or Body. 2dly, That by the
Scripture's affirming God to be a Spirit,
we are directed to conceive of him, as of
a Being not limited by humane Shape, or
included under any other Form whatfoe-
ver. 3dly, That fince the word, Spirit,
does not fignify, as the word, Body, does,
one only determinate Sort or Kind of Be-
ings; but, on the contrary, Every kind
of Beings, which are not Body; therefore
we must not hereby mean only to distin-
guish God from Bodily Subftance; but,
in like manner as our Soul by very great
Proportion excells the Body, fo we must
conceive of Him, as excelling, in an in-
finitely higher Proportion, not only the
Souls of Men, but also all other intel-
lectual Natures or Spirits whatsoever.
4thly and lastly, That when we affirm
God to be a Spirit, we must thereby un-
derstand that he is in all refpects abfolute-

ly,

SER M.ly, and perfectly Such; that is to say, that VI. he is wholly void of all thofe Paffions,

As

Affections and Commotions, fuch as Love, Hatred, Anger, Grief, Repentance, and the like, which are the properties of embodied Spirits; and that therefore all these things are afcribed to him in Scripture figuratively only, and not literally. to the Second general Head, what our consequent Duty is, of worshipping him accordingly in Spirit and in Truth; I have shown that it confifts, in worshipping him it with True worship, after such a manner as is worthy of God and fuitable to his Nature, in oppofition to all falfe or idolatrous worship; and 2dly, That it confifts in worshipping him with Spiritual worship, That of the Heart and Mind and morally virtuous Actions, in oppofition to merely ritual and ceremonial Forms: And that therefore the Precept in the Text is principally tranfgreft, 1st by all Idolaters, who are guilty of False Worship in oppofition to the Truth; and 2dly by all thofe, who placing the chief of their Religion in external Forms and Ceremonies, worship God (as the Scrip

ture

ture expreffes it) in the Flesh and not in SE RM, the Spirit. The former of thefe, I in- VI. larged upon in my laft Discourse, and showed how Idolatrous or Falfe worship, in oppofition to the Truth, tends it to fubvert the Great and Primary Foundation of all Religion, by giving men mean and unworthy Notions of God; and 2dly how it tends to corrupt mens manners in other refpects, and to introduce all forts of Wickedness. It remains that I proceed Now, to confider,

II. IN the Next place, how all They are likewife guilty of tranfgreffing the Precept in the Text, who (though they are not indeed guilty of Falfe worship, yet) placing the chief of their Religion in outward Forms and Ceremonies, worship God, that is, worship the True God, in the Flesh (as the Scripture expreffes it) and not in the Spirit. God is a Being, of infinite Holinefs, Justice, Righteousness, Goodness and Truth; and 'tis his Will and Pleafure that all reafonable Creatures, according to their feveral Capacities, fhould conform themselves to his Likeness by the Imitation of these great and excellent

Per

are

SER M. Perfections. In This, confifts the Effence VI. of Religion; These Difpofitions of Mind, the most excellent Virtues upon Earth: and the Foundation of the Happinefs of Heaven. Thefe Qualifications are the Great End and Defign, for the promoting of which, all religious Inftitutions were intended; and no external Performances whatsoever are any otherwife of any Value, than as Means to promote these Great Ends. When therefore Men invert this natural Order of Things, and separate the Means from the End; when they take up wholly with those external Obfervances, which in themselves are of no value, but only as they tend to, and promote that Subftantial Virtue and Righteousness, which is finally good and intrinfically in its own Nature profitable unto Men; their religion in fuch cafe, like a Shadow without a Substance, is vain; and like a Body without a Spirit, is dead. Of This great and fundamental Fault were guilty

Ift, THE antient Jews; who, mistaking the Design of their own Law, which was by Sacrifices and Expiations

to

VI.

n

to remind them of the Neceffity of true SER M. Repentance and Amendment of Life; on the contrary, neglected the End, which was Repentance and Amendment; and contented themselves with the bare Means, which were the ritual Obfervations of the Law; being defirous that Sacrifices and Expiations fhould ferve instead of, and make amends for the want of, That Purity of Life and Manners, which in reality they were intended only as Means to promote; and from the Care of which, all atonements and propitiations were fo far from difcharging men, that indeed they were of no other Ufe, and defigned for no other purpose, than to bind upon men more strongly their obligations to That inward and real Holiness, of which all legal and external Purifications were but Types and Figures. The not rightly understanding this Matter, was the great Error of the antient Jews: And an Error of fuch importance it was, affecting even the very Effence of Religion, that one of the main defigns of the preaching and writings of all the Prophets; was to reprove them for, and draw them off

from,