Verse 27 Pure religion, &c.; that is, true religion consists not in rites and forms, not in opinions, not in outward zeal,--but in the right moral and spiritual condition of the heart. Its end and aim is to substitute in the soul principles of heartfelt benevolence and moral purity, instead of the selfishness and corruption which naturally reign there. The various truths of the gospel reveal the way and the means by which this is to be done.