He exhorts his Audience, from what has been faid, to bring along with them the Difpofitions fuitable to the awful Ceremony they are going to folemnize, (the Lord's-Supper.)'

I. He diftinguishes, in the firft place, the Nature of Religion, from its Effects caused by the different Genius of thofe it is preach'd to. With refpect to the firft, Chrift is the Prince of Peace. All his Maxims are Peace, and he recominends nothing more than Peace (John xiii. 34, 35, &c.) As for its Effects, with regard to thofe Religion is preach'd to; it is not poffible but it should often stir up against it, and divide, p. 251. 1. The Schools. 2. The Court. 3. The Church, and 4. Families. The Truth of all which is made here very plain.

P. 262.

p. 272.

P. 276.

II. It is obvious from the very nature of the Troubles ftirred up by Religion, as was proved in the first Part, It is obvious, fays Mr. S. that thefe Troubles must be imputed not to the Chriftian Religion, but to thofe it is preach'd to: upon this he mentions the Infcription, ftill fubfifting, engraven on a Column, raised by Dioclefian, at Clunia in Spain (Corunna) where the Christians are charged with being the Disturbers of the publick Peace.

SERMON VIII. (Of Judas's Defpair, from Matth. xxvii. 310.) Our Author begins by afferting, that tho' Rewards are promis'd, and Punishments are threaten'd hereafter to those who either obey, or break thro' the Precepts of Re ligions yet these are, fometimes, receiv'd and felt, even in this Life. Judas is an inftance of the latter. This premised,

I. Some Difficulties that occur in the Text are confider'd. Then,

1

II.

II. The Author gives us his Thoughts on

= Defpair.

In the firft Part of this Difcourse, among the feveral difficult Queftions that offer themfelves to the Mind, the Author dwells on thefe two @only. I. St. Matthew, and the other Evangelifts fay, that Judas HANGED himself, and St. Peter, (Acts i. 18.) fays, that falling bead-long, he burst afunder in the midft, and all his Bowels gush'd out. 1 In order to clear this feeming Contradiction, M. Saurin proposes three Solutions, to which we refer our Readers.

3

The fecond Difficulty relates to the Quotation p. 281. of a Prophecy mention'd in the two laft Verfes p. 283. of the Text, as from Jeremy, which is only to be found in Zechariah xi. 12, 13. Our Author proposes likewife three Solutions to this, which having nothing particular in them, we shall make no mention of them..

II. M. Saurin comes next to examine what De- P. 290. fpair is. After he has diftinguished it from three P. 296. feveral Difpofitions of the Mind, that have the Appearance of it; 'Tis, fays he, an Inclination to dread the Confequences of what one bas deferved, to poifon the Guilt by the Grief of the Guilt which has caufed it; to give one's felf up to the Sentence of Divine Justice, before Divine Justice bas paffed it upon one, and even whilst it may poffibly not pass it at all, &c. which he ap plies to Judas. (Whether this Definition be not a mere Galimathias, we leave our Readers to determine.)

Our Author having furnish'd his Hearers with five Shields, (for fo he calls his Cautions) against Defpair, concludes with an Exhortation to a fincere and hearty Repentance, &t. &t.

SER

P. 324.

p. 365.

P. 369.

SERMON IX. (Of the Calamities of the Jews, from Luke xxiii. 26—31.) Opens with a few Reflections upon the Text in general. The Extirpation of the whole Jewish Nation is afterwards confider'd under four Heads.

I.. As a glaring Proof of the Holy Scripture's Divine Original, which has fo often foretold it, and in fo evident a manner, feveral Ages before it happen'd.

II. As a Ratification of the Curse the Jews had uttered against themselves when they preffed for the Death of the Son of GOD; Let his Blood be on us, and on our Children! And, as a Punishment of their execrable Parricide in the Perfon of Jefus Christ.

III. As a Seal fet by God himself to the Miffion of the Saviour of the World.

IV. As an inftructive Picture fet before Chriftians, wherein they may fee the Deceit of their Prefumption removed; Objects still obfcured by a diftant Futurity; and read in it their own Destiny.

[All these are handled in fuch a manner, as may, in fome measure, tho' in fo fhort a Difcourse, ferve for an Anfwer to our Tals, Collins's,and the whole Tribe of pretended FreeThinkers, who, whilft they declare they cannot give belief to the Prophecies, or the Gospel, freely fwallow down a thoufand Abfurdities and Contradictions:]

SERMON X. (Of CHRIST's Prayer for his Tormentors, from Luke xxiii. 34.) In this Difcourfe the Author confiders three things. I. Who thofe are for whom he asks Forgivenefs. They are chiefly the Jews.

II.

II. On what grounds the Prayer he puts up for them is founded. On the Ignorance of bis Profecutors, occafion'd by their numerous Prejudices.

III. What the effect of this Prayer was. The Converfion of great numbers of the Jews, not long after bis Refurrection.

Afterwards come a few practical Reflections on the Charity from whence flows our Lord's Prayer; and then, a moving Exhortation to Amendment, with which he concludes his Difcourfe. ol

SERMON XI. (Of the two Malefactors who Suffer'd with CHRIST, on Luke xxiii. 39-43.) begins by faying, that there is nothing fo fatal to Men, whilft in health, as an opinion, that there is time enough left them to repent; and none fo fatal, likewife, at the Hour of Death, as that it is too late. The firft of thefe is a general Delufion; the fecond the laft Effort of the Devil.

Of the two Malefactors mention'd in the Text; the impenitent one furnishes us an Example of the Danger of putting off Converfion: the penitent one gives us an Inftance, that we must not give our felves up to Defpair, and that a late Repentance, if attended with the neceffary Qualifications, may be accepted.

P.406.

419.

Thefe are the two Confiderations treated on in this Difcourfe. Previous however to thefe, Mr. Saurin debates, at large, a Queftion we apprehend very needlefs in it felf; and that is, P-409, What the nature of the Crime committed by the Malefactors was? But notwithstanding all Anfwers to this momentous Inquiry must be conjectural, and therefore of no weight; our Author decides it, and fays, that thefe Wretches were No. XVIII. 1732. fuch VOL. III.

PP

P. 420.

P.444.

P.452.

fuch Monsters in Society, as it is the Intereft of every one they should be taken off, and whom Divine Justice feldom fuffers to go unpunished, even in this Life.

After this he re-affumes the Difcuffion of the two Confiderations before mentioned, and condudes with exhorting affectionately his Hearers to a fpeedy and fincere Reformation.

SERMON XII. Of the last Words Spoken by Jefus Chrift to Mary, and to St. John; from John xix. 25-27.). After a few Reflections upon the Senfe of the Text in general, our Author divides it into two Parts: In the firft he examines the Agonies which tear the Souls of Mary and St. John, at the fight of Jefus expiring on his Crofs, expreffed in thefe Words, There ftood by the Cross of Jefus, &c. And in the fecond, the Conflict, or rather Triumph of Jefus expiring before their Eyes; from these Words, When Jefus therefore Jaw his Mother, &c.

Our Author, before he enters upon the Examination of the first part of this Difcourfe, gives a fhort Defcription of what Superftition has invented with relation to this Hiftory. Every place is Now diftinctly fhewn in the Holy-Land, where, not only every Circumftance related by the Evangelifts was acted, but much more than is to be found in the Holy Scriptures; all thefe, tho' at this diftance of time, and notwithstanding the prodigious Devaftation of that Country; all thefe, I fay, are hewn to the credulous and Juperftitious Pilgrims.

Mr. Saurin proceeds to give an account of the blafphemous Titles given to the Bleffed Virgin, by the Romanifts; and the idolatrous Worship they pay her. Superftition has even gone fo far, that