By Religion I understand still Reveal’d Religion.  For tho’ without the help of Revelation, the Commands of Jesus Christ (two positive Institutions only excepted) are, as dictates likewise of Nature, discoverable by the Light of Reason; and are no less the Law of God to rational Creatures than the injunctions of Revelation are; yet few would actually discern this Law of Nature in its full extent, meerly by the Light of Nature; or if they did, would find the inforcement thereof a sufficient Ballance to that Natural love of present pleasure which often opposes our compliance therewith; since before we come to such a ripeness of understanding as to be capable by unassisted Reason to discover from the Nature of Things the just measures of our Actions, together with the obligations we are under to comply therewithal; an evil indulgence of our Inclinations has commonly establish’d Habits in us too strong to be over-rul’d by the Force of Arguments; especially where they are not of very obvious deduction.  Whence it may justly be infer’d that the Christian Religion is the alone Universally adapted means of making Men truly Vertuous; the Law of Reason, or the Eternal Rule of Rectitude being in the Word of God only, to those of all capacities, plainly, and Authoritatively deliver’d as the Law of God, duly inforc’d by Rewards and Punishments.

Yet in that Conformity with, and necessary support which our Religion brings to the Law of Reason, or Nature, that is to say, to Those dictates which are the result of the determinate and unchangeable Constitution of things (and which as being discoverable to us by our rational Faculties, are therefore sometimes call’d the Law of Reason, as well as the Law of Nature) Christianity does most conspicuously and evidently appear to be a Divine Religion; viz. to be from the Author of Nature; however incongruous some Men may phancy it to be for God supernaturally to reveal to Men what is naturally discoverable to them, by those Faculties he has given them:  The which conceit together with not considering, or rightly weighing the inforcements which Natural Religion needs, and receives from Revelation, has very much dispos’d many to reject reveal’d Religion.  Whereunto such Notions of Christianity as agree not to the Attributes of an Infinitely Wise and Good Being, which Reason teaches the first cause of all things to be, have also not a little contributed; for from hence many Men, zealous for the Honour of God and lovers of Mankind, have been prejudic’d against the Truth of the Christian Religion:  In consequence whereof they have reasonably concluded that there was no such thing as reveal’d Religion; and from thence have again infer’d that Men had no need thereof to the Ends of Natural Religion.