It cannot be supposed, that these holy and venerable men, intended any more at first, than to shew that outward religion is nothing worth, without the religion of the heart: that _God is a spirit, and they who worship him, must worship him in spirit and in truth_: that therefore external worship is lost labour, without a heart devoted to God: that the outward ordinances of God then profit much, when they advance inward holiness, but when they advance it not, are unprofitable and void, are lighter than vanity: yea, that when they are used, as it were, _in the place_ of this, they are an utter abomination to the Lord. 5. Yet it is not strange, if some of these, being strongly convinced, of that horrid profanation of the ordinances of God, which had spread itself over the whole church, and well nigh driven true religion out of the world; in their fervent zeal for the glory of God, and the recovery of souls from that fatal delusion, spake as if outward religion were _absolutely nothing_, as if it had _no_ place in the religion of Christ. It is not surprising at all, if they should not always have expressed themselves with sufficient caution. So that unwary hearers may believe, they condemned all outward means, as altogether unprofitable; and as not designed of God to be the ordinary channels of conveying his grace into the souls of men. Nay, it is not impossible, some of these holy men did at length themselves fall into this opinion: in particular, those who, not by choice, but by the providence of God, were cut off from all these ordinances: perhaps wandering up and down, having no certain abiding-place, or dwelling in dens and caves of the earth. These experiencing the grace of God in themselves, though they were deprived of all outward means, might infer, that the same grace would be given to them, who of set purpose abstained from them. 6. And experience shews, how easily this notion spreads, and insinuates itself into the minds of men: especially of those who are throughly awakened out of the sleep of death, and begin to feel the weight of their sins, a burthen too heavy to be borne. These are usually impatient of their present state, and trying every way to escape from it. They are always ready to catch at any new thing, any new proposal of ease or happiness. They have probably tried most outward means, and found no ease in them: it may be, more and more of remorse and fear and sorrow and condemnation. It is easy therefore to persuade these, that it is better for them to abstain from all those means. They are already weary of striving (as it seems) in vain, of labouring in the fire: and are therefore glad of any pretence to cast aside that, wherein their soul has no pleasure; to give over the painful strife, and sink down into an indolent inactivity. II. 1. In the following discourse, I propose to examine at large, whether there are any means of grace?