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Extracts in Brewster (1855), 2: 347-8. Published complete in McLachlan, Theological Manuscripts, 48-53.
in English
Bought at the Sotheby sale by Keynes for £12.10s.
Religion is partly essential
first was the Religion of Adam, Enoch, Noah, Christ Abraham Moses Christ & all the
saints & consists of two parts chDivinity & Divinity consists
in the knowledge
Divinity the love, & charity
to man.Thou shall love the Lord thy God wthwith all thy heart & with all thy Soul & w th with all thy mind: this is the first & great commandment & the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thy self. On these two commandments hang all the law & the Prophets. Mat. 22. The first is
Opposite to the first is Atheism
mankind that it never had many professors. Can Is it Can it be by accident that all birds beasts fishes & men have two two & (except in their bowells) &
on either side the head & a nose with two ey holes on either side the f e
eyes & a onejust&
the sholders & two leggs on the hipps caall the
eyes of all e
members in ee
juyces thglobe in Lens in the middle eshape truly
shaped & fitted for vision, that no Artist can mend them, ? Did blind chance
know that there was light & what was its refraction & fit the eys of all creatures
after the most curious manner to make use of it? These & such like considera
tions he is
who made all things & has all things in his power & who is therfore to be
feared.
Idolatry is a more dangerous crime because it to insinuate it self into mankind.
is apt[It is
who is Idolatry being opposite to ecalled the Devil & Satan which
deceiveth the whole world.] The plausible doctrines What moreWhat more obvious then for kings or more. & it seeming verythen to
honour the souls of Heroes & Saints & to beleive that they can heare us & help
us & are & that they reside thederogatory to part branch part
scripture condemned & detested above all other crimes. The crime partly firstwor serving omitting the service of the true God. For the more time a false Gods & serv worshippingremains for that true one worship of in that
the true one: secondly in serving fals Gods that or feigned Gods, that is Ghosts or
spirits of dead men or such like beings ch
ing that they can hear your prayers & help & protect you & pro
& praying to them & trusting in themch false Gods because they
have not the powers chchCall Whether you call them Gods Dij or Divi Gods or Saints or by any other name is not
or Saints or Div
material. If you ascribe such powers to them & put such trust in them as the heathens did put ascribed to their Gods & put in their Gods you make them
such falsGod stechp
heathens did not take them to be such) but he means that they were not
what the Heathens called Gods,
& do them good or hurt.
The Egyptians & other heathens p
tion of souls & on this doctrine founded their opinion e
after death were seated in
sacred animals of Egypt, into the Sun & into the & vegetables plantsstones & Bætules &
to them And the
Prophets upbraid their folly by telling themThese b supposing that the starrs in their cours by these Intelligences were moved in their Orbs & understood
& governed humane affairs & that statues by these spirits could hear & help
us & sometimes give oracles move themselves & give oracles. And these are the
Devils to chsacrificed
106.37. 1 Cor. 10.20. Rev. 9.20. & whose worship the Prophets upbraid with
folly by representing that the Idols of the
that is that they are mere stocks & stones voyd of ch
men hear & see & walk, but are mere
& power. [So when covetous men put by putting that trust in riches ch
they should put in God become a sort of Idolaters. And much more idolatrous
plainly is it idolatrous is it to place supernatural powers d
dead bodies, & the like consecrated substances & the like. All this is worship
ping the creature instead of the creator.] And thirdly
& worshipping sacred or ma the images of men dead men or of other things in heaven
above or in the earth below
or fishes as was upon a supposition that by virtue of the souls of dead men or of
the supreme God
see their worshippers & Stocks & ston To ascribe such powers
to them is to feign them Gods (such Gods as the heathens worshipped) & to love or feare or
trust in them or express such love feare or trust by any praiing action or service is the idolatry of the old heathens for
bidden in the second commandment. T Stocks & Stones have no such powers, they are
not inhabited by spirits
not. As s& y& lye
this account they are derided & called fals gods And of the same
kind of folly is it to place any trust in dead bod the bodies or bones of dead men or in things
consecrated &
Apostle called Idolatry.
We are therefore to acknowledge the supreme God one God infinite
eternal omp& omnipotent most wise most just, most holy, the creator of all things most wise, most just, most good most holy;
must love him feare him honour him pr praise him & hallow his name as we are
third & fourth commandments. & By For this is the love of God that we keep his commandments & his commandments are not grievous 1 Iohn. 5.3
him & us but to him alone, that he may give his Angels charge over us ch
the first & principal part of religion, ch
Gods people, from the beginning to the end of the world.
The other part of the true religion is rr
neighbour as r
of graces, greater then even faith or hope & covers a multitude of sins. We must
men as we would they should do to us. In Politicks t? non vis alteri ne fecerismorality of the heathens ethics or morality of& afterwards by the later heathens
& the Prophets & the Christians ch
tells you was written in the hearts of the Gentiles & by ch
in the last day Rom. 2.12, 14, 15. "For the invisible things of him God from the crea
tion of the world are clearly seen being understood by the things that are made,
even his eternal power & godhead, so that they [the nations or gentiles] are without
excuse, because when they knew God they glorified him not as God neither were
thankfull, but becam vain in their imaginations & their foolish heart was
darkened professing themselves to be wise they became fools & changed the
glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man &
to birds & four footed beasts & creeping things. Wherefore also gave them up
to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts to dishonour their own
bodies between themselves --- & to a reprobate mind to do those things ch
not convenient, being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication wickedness
covetousness maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceipt, malignity,
whisperers, backbiters, haters of g
of evil things, disobedient to parents, without understanding, covenant
breakers without natural affection implacable unmercifull; who knowing
the judgment of God (that they who do s commit such things are worthy
of death) not only do the same but have pleasure in them that do them
--- And thinkest thou this O [christian] man that judgest them who
do such things & doest the same that thou shalt escape the judgment
of God --- who will render to every man according to his deeds -- For
there is no respect of persons with God. For as many as have sinned
without law the law [of Moses] shall also perish without the law & as
many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law in the
day when God shall judge the secrets of Men by Iesus Christ. For
not the hearers of the law are just before God but the doers of the
law shall be justified. For when the Gentiles ch
law do by nature [the light of] nature the things contained in the law
these having not the law [of Moses] are [by the light of nature] a law
unto themselves, which shew the work of the law written in their
hearts, their sin the
mean while accusing or excusing one another." Rom. 1 & 2. Thus you
see there is but one law of rig
tated to the Christians by Christ to the Iews by Moses & to all mankind by the
light of reason & by this law all men are to be judged at the last day. This
was the religion of the first ages till thenations forsook the right worship
of the true God & turned aside to eGhosts
gave them over to their lusts & passions for working all manner of unrighte
ousness. T But Moses made a reformation among the Iews Israelites & not from
the ancien ancient religion propogated by Noah & his posterity to the nations but from
the idolatry & immorality thch
of the heathens as lived were ed only the true God & followed the
law of righteousness exprest in the seven precepts
the Temple as Proselites tho they did not receive the law of Moses. The Iews rejected not the Religion of Noah & the first heathens ch
like manner we ought may lawfully proselite heathens to it respect all those love its love those who profess & practise it be
yet converted to Christianity rown though not all of r
Christians as well as heathensRighteousness was the religion of
Chrisall the saints (Psal. 34.17. & 37.17, 29. & 146.8 Tis so great & necessary a part of him self
the Christian religion that the righteousness of the saints is the white cloathing of the Lambs wife & of Christ himself
Apoc. 19.8. & the righteous go into eternal life Matt. 25 46. (& is the property of God himself Iud. 5.11 1 Sam 12.7. Ezra 9.15. Nehem. 9.8 Psal 119.137& the religio
of the Kingdom heaven Isa 60.21 ffor the white cloathing of the Lambs wife is
the righteousness of the saints Apoc 19.8. & except r
righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees ye shall not enter into the kingdom of
heaven. Matt 5.20. 1 Iohn. 3.12) &
righteousness he was saved from e
(1 Iohn 2.1
& except r
shall not enter into the kingdome of heaven. (Mat. 5.20.) Righteousness is also& ex (2 Pet. 3. 13 Isa 60)
perty of God himself [Iud. 5.11. 1 Sam 12.7. Ezra 9.15 Nehem 9.8. Psal. 119.
137.] with respect to man towards man. Righteousness & Love are inseparable for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. For this thou shalt not steal commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not covet, & if there be any other commandment, it is breifly comprehended in this saying tho namely Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thy self. Love worketh no ill to his neighbour therefore love is the fulfilling of the Law.