5. This plainly appears from the following words: _neither do men light a candle to put it under a bushel_. *As if he had said, as men do not light a candle, only to cover and conceal it, so neither does God enlighten any soul with his glorious knowledge and love, to have it covered or concealed, either by prudence, falsely so called, or shame, or voluntary humility: to have it hid either in a desert, or in the world; either by avoiding men, or in conversing with them. _But they put it on a candlestick, and it giveth light to all that are in the house._ In like manner, it is the design of God, that every Christian should be in an open point of view: that he may give light to all around, that he may visibly express the religion of _Jesus Christ_. 6. Thus hath God in all ages spoken to the world, not only by precept but by example also. He hath _not left himself without witness_ in any nation, where the sound of the gospel hath gone forth, without a few who testified his truth, by their lives as well as their words. These have been _as lights shining in a dark place_. And from time to time they have been the means of enlightning some, of preserving a remnant, a little seed, which was _counted unto the_ Lord _for a generation_. They have led a few poor sheep out of the darkness of the world, and guided their feet into the way of peace. 7. One might imagine, that ♦where both scripture and the reason of things speak so clearly and expresly, there could not be much advanced on the other side, at least, not with any appearance of truth. But they who imagine thus, know little of the depths of _Satan_. After all that scripture and reason have said, so exceeding plausible are the pretences for solitary religion, for a Christian’s going out of the world, or at least hiding himself in it, that we need all the wisdom of God to see through the snare, and all the power of God to escape it: so many and strong are the objections which have been brought against being social, open, active Christians. III. 1. To answer these was the third thing which I proposed. And, first, it has been often objected, that religion does not lie in outward things, but in the heart, the inmost soul: that it is the union of the soul with God, the life of God in the soul of man: that outside religion is nothing worth; seeing God _delighteth not in burnt offerings_, in outward services, but a pure and holy heart is the _sacrifice he will not despise_. I answer, it is most true, that the root of religion lies in the heart, in the inmost soul: that this is, the union of the soul with God, the life of God in the soul of man. But if this root be really in the heart, it cannot but put forth branches. And these are, the several instances of outward obedience, which partake of the same nature with the root; and consequently, are not only marks or signs, but substantial parts of religion.