10' 3 h^ Princeton, N. J. I Shew Sectien/-^./.T^ |) Jlook. No,....,, .-.^^^i ]> >. . PRACTICAL DISCOURSES IN TWO VOLUMES, THE FIRST, UPON THE PERFECTIONS AND Wonderful Works of God : THE SECOND, UPON THE DIVINITY AND Wonderful Works of Jefus Chrift. BY THE REV. JOSEPH REEVE» VOL. I. PRINTED BY P. BYRNE, io8, GRAFTON-STREET. 1796. PREFACE. Q^iJ E imprrfcdl knowledge men have of the God, who made them, is one great reafo?i, why they take fo little fains toferve him. Be- ing de [lined by the very end of their creation to ferve him in this life and to be happy with him in the ?ie>:t, it Jldould be natural for them, one would think, to inquire into the nature of that happinefs, and to learn by what means they may fnake that happinefs their own. To a Chrifian. therefore no knowledge can be fo ifeful or fo in- tcrefting as that of God. For to know God is the frfl. fep he has to take towards the happi- 7iefs he hopes for. From that knowledge he niuft draw every ejjicacious motive offerving God with fddity and truth to the end of life. Tct fo f range is the perverfenefs of human nature, that ?no/l Chriftians in the world fcem as unconcerned about a?iy future fate cf happi- nefs, as thoU'^h they had little ifitereji in it. They appear to know as little of God, as though thev did not believe in hiuu and live as inattentive to his 11 PREFACE. his ferijice, as though his puniJJmimts or his rc-^ wards ^ his hatred or his lovcy were to them a matter of no confequence . Notwithftanding their boaji cf an enlightened age, they betray a fiame- ful ignorance of the only knowledge , which dig- nifies a Chriflian, and makes him truly wife in the eyes of his Creator. With the young and diffpated part of man- kind drefs and amufement is the great bufinefs of life : they read nothings they know nothing, they will be informed of nothing, that opens their minds to the eternal truths. By your fprightly geniufes a book upon any ferious fiibjedl is 'affecled- ly thrown afde, not to interrupt the fajhionable trifes of the day. To the lovers in fine of loofe romantic tales, the very title of a PraBical Dif-r courfe is fiifficient to give difgiij}. Thus through a fatal indifference for falvation, and a modifl:) 72egleSi of the divine fervice , religious duties are fallen into ahjiofl general difufe. The induftrious- farch after worldly diJJipatio?t infome, th^ pre- vailing paffion for romance in others, a flupid indolence in many, and a bufy idlenefs in mdfi, allow no time for -profitable infiruBion, or for ferioiis conji deration. What purpofe therefore is a public at io7i of Prailical Difcourfes upon the divine attributes likely P Pv E F A C E. ill likely to arifweVi and who will read it ? They, who ft and fjioji in need of inJlrii6lio7i upon ajub- jeB of this fort ^ ?nofl probably will not concern themfches much about it ; but others may. It is humbly offered to them both. To the firfy that they may have at hand the fupply of ufeful knowledge, whenever they fall be difpofed to profit by it : to the fecond, that they may have the opportunity of improving themf elves in a fci- ence, wherein they may have already made fome progrefs. For if digjiity of argument, if no- blenefs of thought, iffublimity offentiment, have powers to affeB an attentive reader, he will here find his expectation raifed, his heart dilated, his iinderfl,anding opened, and his will inflamed. When we ferioufly confder the wonderful cre^ ation of the world out of nothing, we magnify the power that created it ; when we view the regidar order and harmony of nature in all its works, we adore the providence that governs and direBs it ; when we fee repenting fmners received into favour again ^ we blefs the 7?2ercy that forgives ; and when we behold the impeni- tent condemned, we revere the juflice that chaf tfes. Thcfe are the great and fir iking operati- ons, .which a God of iifnite perfeBion has wrought among his creatures. They are niune- rous Iv PREFACE. rotis and diJlinB^ as we fee : yet they indicate no multiplicity of parts, and no difi^iB ion even of per feB ions in the principle, 'which produces them. For God is one unbounded, one indivifi- hle, and one abfolute perfeBion ; the one fiipreme, immutable, ijnmenfe, and eternal pri/tciple of all, that is or that pofjibly can be. By fear chin g into the liature of this all-perfeB Being, and by confidering him relatively to the wonderful works he has dif played, we begin to kficw, as far at leaf as human imderfanding can know, what God is ; how powerful, how wife, how good, how provident, how merciful, how ff. But to complete the knowledge, which every Chrifian ought to have of God, it is necefary 720t only to contemplate his abfolute p erf eel ions, that fubfifl in the unity of his divine ejfence, but alfo to coifder the relative perfeBions, that ex- i/I between the 'Three Divine Perfons, the Fa- ther, the Son, and the Holy Ghofl. This know~ led^e therefore, which in 'the Chrifian difpen-^ fation has bee/2 fo explicitly revealed, and is fo necejj'ary for falvation, comp7'ifes the Trinity as well as the Wiity of God, This naturally leads lis to the liiy fiery of the Incarnation. To believe in God as is requifte for falvation, we muft not only know what God is iii him j elf, but alfo what kfe PREFACE. V he is beco?ne for the love of us. Frojn eternity he is God '^ and in the fecond Perfon of the moji bleffed Trinity he is fine e become man for our re- demption. To elucidate this great truth of Chrifianity , the author of the PraSlical Dif- courfes upon the divine attributes, here offers to the public a fecond volume , upon the Divinity and wonderful Works of fefus Chrifi, The works God has wrought for man in the order of grace affeB not our outward fenfes, like thofe he has wrought in the order of nature. But upon examination they will appear to the true and faithful believer infinitely more wonderful^ becaufe infinitely more elevated, above the reach of his natural comprehenfion. CONTENTS. CONTENTS. PAGE Upon the Advantages of knowing the Per-7 feftions of God, - - - - 3 Upon the Eternity of God, - - - 14 Upon the Immutability of God, - - 3° Upon the Immenfity of God, - - 49 Upon the Sandlity of God, - - - 66 Upon the Power of God, - - - 85 Upon the Knowledge and Wifdom of God, 106 Upon the Providence of God, - - 127 Upon the Goodnefs of God, - - 146 Upon the Mercy of God, - - - 166 Upon the Juftice of God, - - - 185 Upon the Infinity of God, - ' - - 205 Upon God, the fupreme Beatitude and End? of Man, 3 Upon the Saints of God^ . - ^ 244 PRACTICAL UliaiW^WWJJUtUUWilMl..JWLJIJIIULIl9'llia^WBBWBWMaHillil|i IWIIIIilllllMIIIII I IIIIIMI ■ IIIIIIB PR ACT IC AL DISCOURSES Upon the Perfections and Wonderful Works of God. DISCOURSE I. •^PON THE ADVANTAGES OF KNOWp^G THE PERFECTION'S OF GOD. This is life everlafting, that they kno''^ Thee the only true Gcd. John c. xvii. v. 3. THE end of our creation being no other, than to ferve God in tliis life, and to enjoy him in the next, it is no lefs our intereft to know the excellency of that fublime end, for which we are made, than it it our duty to employ the means, that advance us towards it. To an immortal foul nothing is fo natural as the defirc, and nothing fo pleafmg as the promife, added to the power, of be- ing eternally happy. Being raifed by the bounte- • ous hand of his Creator to a rank, little inferior to Vol. I. B that ( 1 ) that of angels, man meets with nothing in the or- der of nature here below, fo dignified as himfelf j nothing, but what is meant by a wife providence to help him on in the attainment of his laft end, the full pofleflion of his God in everlafting glory. To a Chriflian therefore, who knows his foul to be immortal, who is confcious, that he bears within him the living image and refemblance of God him- felf, no confide ration and no ftudy can be fo inte- refting as that, which leads him to the knowledge of the perfedions of God. Thofe perfeftions are in- finitely great in themfelves, and every way amiable in relation to us : at prefent indeed we can only fee them thro' a glafs according to the expreflion of St. Paul,* in an obfcure manner, as the objed of our faith ; but in the day of our exaltation we Ihall be- hold them openly revealed, as the crown of our hope and completion of our final happinefs. To know, to refpeft, to fear, and to love God is the on- ly great bufmefs we have to do in life : to that eve- ry other bufmefs ought to be fubordinate. With- out the knowledge and the love of God, no other knowledge, however extenlive or fublime, can con- tribute to our lafcing and fubltantial good. Let the proud philofopher examine the whole treation through in his fearch after knowledge, let" }iim be fViiiied in every art and fcience, let him flu- dy nature in all its v/orks, let him dive into the deep jeceffes pf the fea^ and fift the bowels of the earth ; let '• J Cor. xiil. ( 3 ) let him trace the Ihining orbs and planets In their vaft revolutions through the heavens, and number the ftars of the firmament. But fhould he reft there and lift up his mind to nothing higher, fomething will be ftill wanting to dignify his knowledge, and to make it profitable unto eternal Ufe. For tho' I fhould be mafter of every fcience, fays St. Paul j* the' I fhould be able to difclofe the moft hidden fecrets, and with the certainty of a prophet foretel future events, yet without charity I am nothing in the fight of God. The humble peafant, whofe only ftudy is to know, to ferve, and honour God by a right intention in all he does, is in the order of grace not only a better, but alfo a wifer man. The invifible perfections of our great Creator are made manifeft to us by the vifible beauties of the creation, fays the fame Apoftle to the Romans,f and from . viewing the diings that are made, we rife to the knowledge of Him who made them, even fo as to adore his eternal pov/er and divinity. But amidft thefe evident marks of a God Infi- nitely wife and powerful, what in general are the occupations of men, and what is their ftudy ? To what do their thoughts and proje(5ls tend ? Let us look through the world, and we ftiall find the great- eft part of mankind bufily engaged in almoft every other employ, but that of ferving God. Strongly attached to the goods of the earth, they toil after vanity, and feldom extend their wifhes beyond the animal gratification of their fenfes. Their ftudy, B 2 their * I Cor. viii. f C. xn. ( 4 ) tKcir folicitude and Ichemes are folely fixed dti temporal advantages^ as if they had no heavenly inheritance to acquire, or as if their hopes of a fu- ture life were to perifh with them in the grave. Many there are, who fancying, as it feems, that they have nothing to do but to ftalk about the earth and to follow their own conceits, trifle away their days in one continued round of difTipation and Unprofi- table amufements, while others hurry down the tor- rent of reftlefs defires, and wafte themfelves in the purfuit of fuch things only, as ferve to irritate their growing pafllons. Thiis the greater part of Chriflians live, regardlefs t)f the obligations they owe to God, ignorant of his perfeftions, and carelefs of the motives, that lliould excite them to ferve him well. Tho' confecrated to him in the facrament of Baptifm, and made there- by the living temples of the Holy Ghoft, they know fo little of his divine perfe6tionSj that the infcription, which St. Paul found written upon an altar at Athens, To the unknown God,* might with as good reafon be alfo written upon their foreheads. For, fince their thoughts are principal- ly taken up with earthly delight, and the bent of their inclinations is chiefly turned to fuch objefls as are pleafing to flefh and blood, they fatally ne- gle6t the moil profitable, the molb interefting, and moft necefl!ary knowledge for a Chriftian, which is the knowledge of God. For * Afts xvli. .» ( 5 ) For this is the knowledge, wliich opens our minds to the truths of eternal life, and points out our way to final happinefs. Hence the firft advan- tage we derive from it, is to know the objedt and motive of thofe eflential virtues, which God requires from us i the object and motive of our faith, with- out which it is impofilble to pleafe God ;§ the mo- tive andobje<5l of our hope, without which there is no falvation ;f the motive in fine and objefb of our love, withoutwhichweremainindeath.il Hence we fee, that a God of infinite wifdom and veracity is to be implicitly believed in all he teaches* becaufe he can neither deceive, nor be deceiv- ed ; that from a God of infinite power and bene- volence we may confidently hope to receive the reward of our fervices to him, becaufe he is always faithful in his promifesj and that a God of infinite perfeftion is to be beloved above ail things, becaufe he is our fovereign good, and infinitely amiable in himfelf Henc? in the fecond place we learn to refped God, which is another great advantage that refults from the confideration of his divine perfeilions. For when we refled, that God by his imm.enfity reaches from the higheft heavens to the lovv^ermoit abyfs, that by his omniprefence he comprifes tht whole univerfe, and fills every part thereof, that we are always near him, always before him, always in his fight and under the watch of his adorable § H^b. xi. f Rom. viiL || i John. iil. ( 6 ) adorable eye, it is impofllble not to reipect our fovereign Lord, who is always at hand to hear and fee very thing that pafics both within and about us, who beholds each motion, and knows every fecrec of our heart more perfedly, than we do ourfelves. Under this perfuafion we fhall be ever upon our guard againft every word and action unbecoming the divine fight ; and when tempted to fin, we fhall be careful not to do in the prefence of God, whit we fhould be afhamed of doing in the prefence of men. How can I do evil, how fhall I dare to fm in the prefence of my God,* faid the virtuous Jofeph, when preffed for his content to an aflion, v/hich the Law forbids ? When we reflect, that God is the witncfs of our condufl in every place and in cveiy circumflance of life, how powerfully are v/e moved to perform every aflion well ? How fludi- ous are we to deferve his good will, how eager to do what is pleafing in his fight ? Walk before me,'| faid Almighty God to Abraham, and be perfeft. The obedientPatriarch diligently complied with the wholefome precept, and became thereby the pat- tern of all faithful believers. By the like holy prac- tice we fhall alio learn to refped the prefence of our ereatGod, we fhall be animated with frefh zeal in his fervice, and we fl:all be warned by a lively fear not to offend him, which is the third advantage arifmg from the confideration of his adorable perfeftions. A God infinitely holy detefls not only fin, byt even the appearance of fm -, a God infinitely juft has # Cen. xxxix. Ij Cen. xvii. ( 7 ) has his thunderbolts at hand to crufh the hardy fin- ner, who Ihall dare to infult his fovereign majefty; a God infinitely powerful can in a moment hurl u.i down into the bottomlefs pit of a fiery eternity. At this confideration we are naturally roufed into a fenfe of our duty. A holy fear takes pofleflion of the heart, and awes us into a faithful obfevance of the divine precepts. Wherefore fear God, fays Ecclefiaftes,* and you undoubtedly will keep his commandments. For the fear of the Lord is ac- companied with all thofe fpiritual advantages, which open the way to true wifdom. It awakens our attention to the eternal truths, it puts us upon the watch againft the enemies of our falvation, it hardens us againft the allurements of fm, it blunts the fting of temptation, and, when duty calls, ic teaches us to facrifice every temporal intereft, ra^ ther than incur the divine anger by any grievous tranfgreflion of his holy law. But the perfeftChriftian is influenced lefs by fear than by love, in his motive of ferving God ; an i his love becomes more or lefs animated according to the knowledge he has of the divine perfe6bions. in the world God is imperfectly ferved, becaufe he is irr)perfe(5lly known ; he is loved but by few, be- caufe few refleft upon the motives they have of loving him. When the knowledge of his amiable perfections is but faindy traced upon the mind, the affedion of the will is too weak to make any im- preHion • C. xiJ ( 8 ) preOion upon the heart. Had we but a clear per- ception of a God infinitely amiable, we could not help loving him ; or were we only ferious in our application to Icnow him, we fhould feel ourfelves happily impelled not only to love, but to give proofs of our love in his fervice. For it is impofil- ble to remain indifferent, when we attentively con- fider, how God has firfl loved us, and how liberal he has been of his favours to us. He opens his hand, andfhowers down the gifts of his benevolence upon every living creature. When we refledt, that this God is as infinitely perfe6l in liimfelf, as he is infinitely good to man, and that in hira is centered the plenitude of all joy anci happinefs, which an im- mortal foul can afpire to, we mufl be void of fenti- ment not to love him with our whole heart. The wife man tells us, that to know God is per- fect juftice, and to knov/ his juflice and his power is the the root of immortality.* Flence the learn- ed Saint Auftin in a ilile peculiar to himfelf, but with a zeal common to all good Chriftians, never ceafed to pray for the gift of that fublime know- ledge. During the hours of his retirement, at his iludy, or as he walked along, he would often lift up his heart. to God, and by fome ejaculatory ad:, which fpoke the fervent piety of his foul, would earneilly beg the Holy Ghofl: to enlighten his un- ckrftanding, being well convinced, that by know- ing God he lliouid be effectually moved to lov<; him. * WifJom C. XV, ( 9 ) him. O grant me the grace to know thee, he woiilcl frequently ciy out in the tranfport of fweet devoti- on, grant me, deareft Lord, the grace to love thee ! Let me know thee, O my God, and I Ihall love thee ! For the knowledge of thy amiable per- fedions muft neceflarily call forth all the powers of my foul to adore, to love, and to ferve thee. This knowledge of God, and this confide ration of the perfeflions of God is moreover the fource of many other advantages equally conducive to our eternal good. For the more we know of the per- fedlions of God, the lefs liable we are to be feduced by the imperfeftions of creatures. One fmgle ray of divine light is enough to difpel th^ cloud, which the love of worldly delights often throws upon the mind, and to fliew us at once the vanity and emp- tinefsofall human greatnefs. Vanity of vanities, faid Ecciefiaftes,§ ail is vanity and affliftion of the foul, except to love God and to ferve him alone. If by confidering the adorable majefly of God we learn to refpeft him, we fhall be no longer with- held from his fervice by any human refpefls ; but free from the humiliating and difgraceful fetters of worldly fervitude we fhall enjoy that noble, that defirablc liberty, v/hich is peculiar to the dutiful children of God. If by confidering the tremen- dous juftice of God \yc are excited to fear him, we then fhall fear nothing elfe. No threats of men, no ftorms of perfecution, nor poverty, nor ficknefs, nor §c.i. C lo ) nor adveruty, nor the fword, nor even death kfelf j can intimidate the faithful Chriftian, or deter him from the duty, which he owes to God. If by confi- dering the ineffable goodnefs of God we are effec- tually moved to love and fervc him, we then are happy even in this life, as from thence we may con- fidently hope of being eternally happy in the next. For the love we bear to God during our pilgrimage on earth, is a comfortable pledge of that incom- prehenfible felicity, which is referved for us in Heaven, Having thus dilcovered the falutar}^ Spring, from which fuch bleffmgs flow, let us refrefh and ftrength- en our languifhing fouls with the ftreams thereof. For as the hart pants after the fountains of waters, fays the Pfalmifl,* fo doth my foul, O God, pant after thee. Lifted on the wings of heavenly know- ledge, which a calm confideration of the divine perfedions will furnilh us with, we fliall foar in thought above all that is created ; we fhall have nothing is viev/, but what is immortal. Our atten- tion will be fixed on the fiiblime obje^ls of faith, our hearts will glow witii the fire of perfect charity," and our ardent wilh will be to fee thofe glorious perfedlions of the divinity revealed, which confli- tute the happinefs of faints and angels. To con- template God, to praife and glorify God is the hap- py occupation of the Bleffed in heaven, and whilil we employ our mental powers in the fame holy exerciie • Pfalm xJi. ( " ) cxercife, as far as weak mortality will permit, wc begin to do in time, what we hope will be our hap- pinefs to do througJi all eternity. For by the obfcure but certain guidance of divine faith our fouls are prepared and fitted out to poflefs him in the bright- nefs of his glory. But however charming this knowledge of th? divine perfedions may appear, few Chriilians are perhaps ierious in their endeavours to attain it. Some fancy it too intricate for them to learn it, fome too fublime for them to afpire to it, while others think it either incompatible with their occu- pations in life, or not adapted to the capacity of common mortals. It is a fcience, they cry, proper only for Saints -, and that without a fpccial grace it would be prefumption in them to approach the inaccefTible light of omnipotence, and to face the throne of gloiy, A devout confideration of the divine perfections is within the reach of the meanefl rapacity. Every Chriftian, however deftitute of human learning has the capacity of knowing God, ofconfcfTing his providence, of admiring his juflice, of loving his goodnefs, and of adoring his wifdom. In the humble performance of our prayers and other fpiri- tual duties v/e need no fhining talents, no fublime variety of thought, nor any eminentgift of contemp- lation. To enable us to love and ferve God, it u not neceflary that we fhould pofTefs either power. Of ( IJ ) or riches, c^r learning. Such qualifications may entitle us indeed to fome n.otice io the world, but without humility, without piety and charity, they are of little value in the fight of God. To thofe, who are little in their own eyes, our heavenly father communicates his favours more abundantly, and while he refills the proud, on the humble only he bellows the grace of true wifdom. I give thee thanks, O Fathei*, Lord of heaven and earth, fays our bleJTed Saviour,* becaufe thou hait hidden thefe things from the wife and prudent, and haft revealed them to little ones. Therefore to fuch he makes the moft prefiing invitation to come and learn at the very fource of knowledge itfelf : approach, fays he, and be enlightened.-)- My Bre- thren, we approach to almighty God by fervent prayer, by holy afpirations, by devout meditation, hy a habit in fine of recollefting our thoughts and of uniting our hearts with him, in whofe fight we al- ways ftand. Thus it was, that the Saints became eminent in all Chriftian virtues, and thus by tread- ing in the fame fteps, we fhall with them arrive at the fame happy term. God is infinite in power, nor is he lefs infinite in goodnefs. His hand is alv/ays ready to fupport us in every difficulty, and his eye is always open for the comfort of thofe who fear him. By day and by night his providence watches over us ; v/e are always * Mat. xi. f Pfalm xxxiii. ( 13 ) always In his prefence, whether fleeping or awake, whether in company or alone. Let us often con- fider his adorable perfeftions ; let us never ceafe offering to him our thoughts, our affedions, and the warmeft fentiments, of our hearts. God is glo- rified by fuch a fervlce ; he is pleafed with the humble homage of his devout fervants, he is atten- tive to their wants, and repays their prayers with the effufion of his choiceft graces. With fincere humility, but with a lively confidence of fuccefs, kt us then frequently prefent ourfelves in fpirit be- fore the throne of God. In holy contemplation let us there adore his unfpeakable perfeftioiio, and draw from thence the fuccours, that are neceflary to fup- port and animate our ileps towards heaven. Let us dwell in thought on each of the divine perfeflions, let us humble our hearts before him and leifurely excite in our fouls fuch affections and fuch fenti- ments of gratitude and holy love, as may recom- mend us to the Father of mercies, the God of all confolation. DISCOURSE C 14 ) DISCOURSE It. trPON TH£ ETERNITY OF GOD. I anti who am. Exodus c. iii. v. 14. THE ideaof an eternal independent Being is the mofl exalted notion we can form of an all-per- fedl God. It is the notion, which God himfelf has given us of his own unlimited greatnefs. I am, who am, faid he to Mofes, and He, who is, com- mandeth thee to go, and to lead his people forth from the land of Egypt. God being eternal is an- terior to every other being that exifts, and cannot pofllbly derive the principle of exiftence from any other than him.feif. Without beginning and with- out end he exifts necelTarily of himfelf, and as no period of time can ever meafure the duration of his exiftence, fo no poffible length of ages can ever work the leaft diminution or increafe in the nature of his unlimited perfections. Immortal indeed are the angels, and fo are the fouls of men ; but neither the one nor the other are eternal. Nor is it owing to any independent perfe6lions of their own, but to the pure liberty of their creator, that they are even privileged with the grace of immortality. Their nature, it is true, confifts of no variety of component parts, and con- fequently ( 15 ) feqiiently contains no internal caufe of diflblution ; but being deflitute of the principle of felf-exiftence, they continually (land in need of the divine power to preferve them in the life which it firft gave. If the Angels are therefore faid at any time to be eter- nal, it is not to be underftood in the ftrift mean- ing of the word eternal, but in a limited fenfe on- ly, in as much as they are ordained to have no end, and by the abfolute will of the Almighty, who firft created them, they will continue to exift eternally. For the idea of eternal in its full extent is by no means applicable to any thing which has had a be- ginning, and therefore may have an end. Confe- quently none but God, none but the only one fu- preme and independent Being, can be truly and properly ftiled Eternal, whofe greatnefs knows no bounds, whofe perfeftions are infinite, whofe exift- ence has no beffinnins; and will have no end. D O The eternity of God has no diftinflion of parts, it contains no fuccefllon of days and years. In eacli moment, in each inftant of time it is undivided and entire. At prefent it is, what it always was ; it is, what it will always be. Millions of years may roll away, they will not ftiorten its duration, and mil- lions of ages may ftill fucceed, they v/ill add no- thing to its length. Eternity is therefore one eter- nal moment; a moment without beginning, and without end, without diminution and fuccelTion. I call it a moment, becaufe in each inftant it is whole; and I call it an eternal moment, becaufe it lafts for ever, and will be for ever whole. Rut when we thus C '« 5 ever, &nd will be for^^Ver-wiiole. but v/hen we thus exprefs ourfelves, we don't pretend to convey any clear or diftinft idea of eternity: the eternity as well as the immenfity of God is infinitely more than we can exprefs or even comprehend. The terms, in which we are forced to fpeak both of the one and of the other, feem little adapted to the narrow capacity of human underftanding. The immenfi- . ty of God is indivifible and unlimited, fo is his eter- nity. By them he v/onderfully reaches from end to end, always exifting and always prefent, wholly and not by parts, in every place and in every mo- ment, without the pofiibility of being ever feparat- cd by Ipace or confined by time. To fpeak with propriety of the immutable eter- nity of God, we mull open the holy Scriptures, and adopt the language which God himfelf has there taught us. Before the world was formed, fays the royal Prophet, * before the foundations of the earth were laid, or the date of time was known, O God, thou art, and fo fhalt thou alv/ays be thro' bound - lefs ages for evermore. The heavens and the earth fliall pafs away; the ftars fhall fall from die firmament, and the fun be loft in everlafting night ; but thou, O Lord, always art the fame, and thy years fhall never fail. The Prophet Habacuc J is ftiil more fublime in his noblenefs of thought, and llrength of exprefTion upon this fubjeft. The Al- mighty ftood, fays he, and took the dimenfions of the • Pfalm Ixxxix. X Habacuc, C. iii. ( 17 ) the earth: he looked and difTolved the nations thereof: the aged mountains mouldered away be- neath his feet, and the hills of the world bent with the journeys of his eternity. The Prophet by this energy of language feems to behold the eternity of God preffing upon the hills and mountains of the earthj and crufning them by the weight of rolling; ages into their firft nothing. In the eternity of God, fays S. Auguftin, there is nothing paft, nothing yet to come : there is no yellerday or to-morrow, there is but the prefent moment, and that moment is eternal. Tho' v/e fancy to ourfelves whole millions of years, which may be fuppofed to have elapfed before the crea- tion of the world, God was then as great, as power- ful, and as happy as he now is, and as he will al- ways be. Let us moreover bring to our imagina- tion a ftiil more extenfive, and ftill increafmg num- ber of years and ages, fucceflively crouding one upon another; both before and af:er them we Ihall find God always reigning in the full bloom of his eternity, always happy in the inexhauftible enjoy- ment of his own perfeflions. For he is both prior and poflerior to every pofiible period ofBknej and tho' that period lliould be ftretched far beRnd any length of ages, that the mind of man%ttn reach to, yet in the eye of an eternal Deity it is bu5 as a day, which is already paffed. In the order of nature time is always paiTing aai always changing, like to a broad and rapid torrent^ Vol.. I. C which ( i8 ) which bears down all that comes within its courfe ? but the eternity of God is always fixed and always the fame, equally incapable both of change and mo- tion. Immovable as a rock, it is neither altered by the current, nor wafted by the fuccefllon of flowing years, being alv/ays whole and lafting in it- felf without the leafl: diminution or increafe in the nature of its exifcence. For to the perfeftion of an infinite Being nothing can be added, and from the eternity of an unchangeable Being nothing can be taken away. He was, he is, he will be, nor can he ever ceafe to be, what he now is, infinite and eternal. ^ All creatures are by nature fubjefb to change and decay. The fun may indeed continue on its courfe for ages yet to come j the rivers may flill flow with frefh fupplies from their fources to the fea ; the noble monuments of art, once erefted to the memory of departed heroes, may feem to defy the hand of time ; the fame of mighty kings and con- querors may fpread thro' the nations of the earth, their aftions may excite the envy or the admiration of mankind, and their names may be recorded and defcend from age to age, from generation to gene- ration to the latefi: poflerity : yet all will pafs awayj all will fail at lafl, and every remnant of human greatnefs will be blotted out. Within die bofom' of the earth every mortal man Ihall Oeep in duft, till a new change of things fliall for the lail time come on, and then the earth itfeif fhall be no more. But ( '9 ) But, fitting on his throne of inaccefTible glory, and furroundcd by millions of immortal fpirits, all and each of them glowing with a brightnefs more re- iplendent than the {un, God Ihall for ever Ihine without change or decay in one uninterrupted per- manence of eternity. When God firft gave us an exigence, it was that we might fliare v/ith him in a happy eternity. For tho' the bodies, in which we live, are diflblved by death at their appointed time, yet our fouls are im- mortal. At the lall day we Ihall rife again, and from that moment we fhall exill body and foul to- gether for eternity. Eiernity, relatively confider- ed, is as comfortable in one point of view, as it is dreadful in another. To the patient fufferer of af- fliction the hope of endlefs happinefs gives un- Ipeakable comfort, but to an cbftinate finner the fear of endlefs punilhment is moft dreadful. Whatever ftation Providence has afllgned us in the world, we are but as guefls and flrangers in a foreign land, left to work our way towards our heavenly home. Whether we liere meet Vv ith com- forts or affliftons, whether we walk thro' the plea- fant f elds of profperity, or tread the thorny paths of adverfity, we muft be careful not to be mifled by the one, nor dillieartened by the other. It is not by them, that we are to be made either happy or unhappy i they are no more jthan the tranfient inci- dents of human life ; we Ihall exift, when they are C 2 no ( 20 ) no more. The world may feek to flatter us with its fmiles, to amufe us with its vanities, or to draw us out of our way by its dangerous allurements : let us then re fled, that we are made for Heaven, and earthly delights will no longer engage the afFedtion of our hearts. Tlie world will ceafe to charm the moment we are convinced that it cannot make us happy. On a foul therefore, that keep!^ eternity in view, the fleeting vanities of life make no deep im- prefllon. She finds them too trifling to fatisfy her expeftations, too earthly to allay her thirft of hap- pinefs, too fhort and too imperfed to remove even her prefent v/ants. Now if from the things that pleale, we turn our thoughts to the things that hurt us, we fliall find, that the very reafon, which damps the pleafures ot the firft, will foften the fl:ing of the latter. For tho' we groan under a load of misfortunes, tho' we may be vifited by ficknefs, andfed with the bread of affli6tion, yet in the midfl: of all our fuflerings it will be a Angular comfort to refleft, that they foon mufl: end, and that we have an eternity to expe6l. We know by faith, that the light and momentary tribulation of the Jufl: will be fucceeded by immenfe joys, which fliall never end.' Wherefore let us be moderate in our afFe<5lions: let faith and reafon guide us in our fchemes and purfuits: for there is nothing permanent under the fun : the world pafles away with every objeft, that can delight or afflid us long. After a fliort interval of time v/e ihall alfo ( 21 ) alfo pafs away : an eternity will then fucceed. An eternity of joy, or an eternity of pain, will be our certain lot: the firft is the objed of our prefent hope, the latter of our fears. The five following refledions will point out the fruit we are to reap from this confideration. I ft. When compared with the vaft and un- bounded view we have taken of the eternity of God, how confined, how fliort, and almoft no- thing is the life of n)an ? A few days, or a few years at moft, make up the whole of its duration: the day of our departure borders upon that of our birth : we cxift to day, to morrow perchance we Ihall be no more. One fudden ftroke, as it happens daily to many, may cut us off in the middle of our career, and rank us among the dead. Even the longeft ex- tent of human life, when it is once paft, will appear as fhort as a fingle inftant : and in effeft, life is no more than a morning vapour, a fleeting fhadow, or a pafTmg cloud, which difperfes in air almoft as foon as it is formed : or to fpeak more properly, life is a continual death, which begins to deftroy us the moment we begin to live. Yet ftiort and perifhable as this life is, how idly is it often fpent ? How often impaired or thrown away in fmful ex- cefles, in toilfome purfuits and empty proje<5l:s, as if a tranfient enjoyment of this world were the on- ly end of our creation, or as if after death we had nothing more to fear or hope for ? What are your fentiments, my brethren, upon this important point, and what do you conclude f ( " ) idly. As God is eternal in himfelf, fo by an eternal decree he has ordained an eternity for man. But in this eternity, towards which man daily tends, there are two oppofite ftates for his punifliment or reward according to his v/orks. There is an eter- nity of blifs prepared for the Ele6l : there is an eter- nity of pain referved for the reprobate. The firll abounds with every delight, that can make us hap- py; the latter is compofed of every evil, than can make us miferable. Which do we purfue ? To which of the two fhall we belong? Shall we be exalted with the Eleft in glory, or fhall we be caft with the reprobate into endlefs mifery ? This is a fecret wholly hidden. From the infinite mercy and goodnefs of God each one fhould hope for the bell; but confcious of his weaknefs no man fhould think himfelf fecure. 3dly. Eternity Is at no great diflance from us ; v/e ftand upon its brink, and nodiing but the flender partition of life divides us from it. Man, born of a woman, is dellined to live but a Ihort time.* The mimber of his days is already counted, the precife hour of his pafTing out of time into eternity is irre- vocably fixt. How foon, or when that hour will come, we know not; it may lurprife us in an in- llant; it will come at the inftant we leafl fufpefl ; I^ut come when it will, we moft certainly know, that in that inftant we fhall be either called to end- lefs) joys, or doomed to endlefs pains, according to pur * Job. xiv. C ^-3 ) our deferts. From that inftant will be dated our unchangeable lot for ever. 4th]y. Under this uncertainty wlien our hour will come, and knowing that when it comes, eter- nal life or eternal death will immediately enfue, we cannot be too early nor too ferious in preparing for the awful event. They, who are truly wife, make this their conftant fludyj by them no day is loft. They confider time as a thing too precious, and life too fhort, to be thrown away upon what they muft foon part with. They wifely think no pre- caution can be too great, while eternal happinefs is pending. Eternal happinefs once loft is never to be regained. Have we ever ferioufiy confidered this ? Have we prudently provided againft the word ? Should a voice from Heaven this moment fummon us away, what would be our thoughts ? With what difpofitions lliould we obey the call ? Is our confcience free from guilt ? Are we prepared to anfwer for ourfelves at the tribunal of an eternal God, or have we done engugh to fecure judgment m our favour I 5thly. BleiTed are the dead, who die In the Lord,* for from thenceforth their labours will ceafe, and they Ihall reft in everlafting peace. Under this confideration eternity wears a cheering afpeft. During our mortal pilgrimage on earth, v/e are in a ftate of exile; we muft neceiTarily nieet with many troubles * Rer. sir. ( =4 ) troubles and affli^lions in our way. But in our patience we fhall pofTefs our fouls. J We fuffer no- thing, but what we may make conducive to our future glory. Our heavenly Father always has his eye upon us; he fees what we undergo for his fake, and will reward us in due feafon. Wait but a little while and he will call us to himfelf. Heaven is the place afTigned for our permanent abode. The clouds of paffing evils, which at times overfhade the funlhine of life, will be finally difpel- led by the bright day of eternity. Though perifh- able and mortal by nature, we are by grace enti- tled to the privilege of lliaring in that happy, that glorious immortality, which is the inheritance of Saints. To that let us conftantly afpire , in view of that let us regulate our thoughts, our adiions, and defires -, in hopes of that let us folely live and pre- pare to die. For whether we live, or whether we die, we folely belong to God. A few years of life on earth are only granted, that we may qualify ourfelves to live eternally in Heaven, My brethren, thefe refleflions are folid, they are interefting, and they are falutary. To imprefs the f^ntiments they have awakened flill more deeply in our hearts, let us confider the ftate of two fouls in the a6l of quitting this world to enter upon eter- nity, the one a jull foul, rifing triumphant into hea- venly glory ; the other a reprobate, falling headlong down into the burning lake. In tl-e firll place, then ( 25 ) then, let us conceive, if we can, the joyful tranfports of a foul efcaping from this vale of tears, and invit- ed by her heavenly Father to take poffeflion of the kingdom, which his love has prepared for her from the beginning of the world. When foaring in her flight, Ihe fiiall call back an eye upon the earth, how will fhe congratulate v/ith herfelf upon the dangers llie has palTed, upon the vidories llie has gained, and the trophies fhe has raifed over fm and all her enemies ? Death fhall then be abforpt in her triumph ; neither ficknefs, nor pain, nor for- row Ihall afflicfl her more. But with what feeling; will flie look down on thofe, whom fhe has left be- hind, in the midft of dangers, of troubles, and vexations, which are infeparable from human life ? With pity fhe. will fee their trifling paftimes, their empty projefts, their worldly cares, and the turbu- lent defires, which cloud their underflandings, and harden their hearts againfl the force of truth. ^O" O perverfe, O fenfelefs world, will fhe exclaim, how great is thy infenfibility, and how deplorable is the blindnefs ofthy deluded followers, v/hopleafe themfelves v/ith the emptinefs of thy deceitful charm.s, and fo pafs their days unmindful of that immortal crov/n, which is prepared to reward their virtues ! Eternal thanks be to thee, my God, for thus calling me from the place of exile into thy blifsful prefence ! The expedled, the long-wiflied for day is come, the happy moment is at hand which opens to me the manfions of the Blcfl, and unites ( 26 ) unites me for ever with my God In his kingdom of glory. With fentiments like thefe the happy foul will enter into the joy of her Lord, there to live and reign with him thro* ail eternity. How different, alas ! will be the difpofition of a reprobate foul in the fatal moment, when death Ihall tear her from the body and all her former connexions. To her view eternity is inflantly dif- played, v/here fhe has nothing but endlefs mifery to expeft. With what terror will Ihe behold the frightful profpeft ? The world and all its illufions will at once vanifh, and the abandoned foul will fee, vdiat Hie would not fee before, how deceitful the world is in its promifes, how treacherous in its fmiles, how falfe in its friendfhips. To her forrow fhe will then difcover the fhortnefs of human life, and too late confefs, hov/ foolifhly Ihe fquandered it away in unprofitable or finful purfuits. With unavailing tears fhe will weep over her pad follies, and condemn her obftinate, her ftupid negled of Salvation. But what bitter anguifh and delpair will fhe feel at the fight of the bottomlefs abyfs, of the burning lake of fire and brimflone, into which fhe id ready to be thrown, and from which there is no redemption? O, howearneflly will fhe wilh for one of the many days fhe has idly loft, and how profitably v/ould fhe employ the hour granted for repentance ,? But to that wretched foul the hour of repentance is elapfed, never to be had again. Her final lot is now decided, the lafl fentence is pro- . { 17 ) pronounced, her condemnation is without reprlevet Behold her plunged into the bottomlefs pit of ever-» lading fire, banilhed for ever from the light of hea- ven into utter darknefs, loaded with the curfe of her Creator and her own. O eternity, eternity ! Is it poflible, my brethren, that any perifliable ob- ject fnould ever fo far engrofs our thoughts, as to make us forget our laft end, or that any earthly confideration fhould draw us from our Chriftiaa duty, whilft we refle6l, that we have an eternity of woe to Ihun^ and an eternity of happinefs to gain ? O great and eternal God, I adore thee with all the powers of my foulj thou art the beginning, the meafure, and the end of all, that is. From thee every living creature has received its life and being: by thee all things have been made, and without thee there is nothing that is, or can be made. From thy throne of eternal glory thou looked down upon the tranfitory exiftence of all human things -, thou beholdeil from their beginning to their end the vaft extent of ages, the quick fuc- ceiTion of revolving years, that flow like the fwifc current of a river fucceflively av/ay, and lofe them- felves in the boundlefs ocean of thy eternity. O God, how fpaclous are thy courts ! How lovely are thy tabernacles, O Lord of Hpfls ! How exalted is the glory, and how incomprehenfible are the joys of thy Elefl ! By the grace of adoption thou halt given us a title to them : by thy holy word, by ( "-8 ) h^ thefecret touches of our hearts, thou invitcf! u5 to thy heavenly kingdom. Shall we then be deaf to thy invitation, fhali we- forfeit our inheritance, fhall we refign our title to everlafling happinefs for an earthly toy, for a bafe pafTion, for a Ihort de- light: ? The mouth of the deep abyfs is always epen; thoufands of unhappy fouls daily fall a prey to devouring flames ; there drenched with the wrath of God they fnall eternally burn, they Ihall eternally weep, and gn,afn their teeth in dcfpair. My God, Kow terrible art thou in thy chaftifements ! It mat- ters but little, v/hat our affliftions are in this fhort iife, provided we efcape the eternal rigours of the next. The prefent fliate, whether of comfort or af- fiiftion, will quickly pafs away ; eternity is the point we are to keep in view. The courfe of our mortal fife is hailening to an end. To us fome day, not hv diftant, will be the laft. To numbers of fouls tht prefent is the laft j and in this very hour their fentence is pronounced, which alTigns them to life or death everlafling. When that laft hour Ihall ap- pear, attended with the (ymptoms of an approach- ing diffolution, what will be our tfioughts of what is paft, of v/hat once affli6ted or delighted us in life ? AH will then vanilh like a fliadow, and leave us no- thing but the grave, O gracious Lord, difpel our prefent darknefs by the light of thy holy grace, and (lamp upon our ibuls a lively fenfe of thy eternity ! By the favour of that fapernal light, we lliall be able to difcern the emptinefs of all earthly things, to difentangle our ( ^9 ) our hearts from the love of creatures, and to fettle our affeftions on that fupreme, that eternal Good, which alone can make us happy. The thought of eternity will enlighten us in our doubts, it will en- courage us in the hour of difficulties, it will ftrengthen us againft temptations, and confoie us in affliftion. At the profped of a happy eternity we fliall defpife the vanities of a fmful world, we Ihall be roufed from our floth, our charity will be kin- dled into aftion, and no human confideration will ever draw us from the fidelity which we owe to thee. O God eternal, the author of life, the immortal and invifible king of ages, be thou always ho- noured and glorified on earth by all thy creatures ! May the heavenly choirs of Saints and Angels pro- claim thy praife thro' all eternit}" ! O deign to ad- mit U3 among their happy number ! For we dare no otherwife prefume than on thy infinite good- nefs. In thee, O Lord, we place our truft, in thee v/e hope. O let us not be confounded for ever ! Senfible of our own fmful weaknefs, we adore thy power, we acknowledge thy tender mer- cies over us, and we thank thee with all our foul for granting us tlie time to prepare for Hfe eternal. Too late have we known thee, O ancient truth ; too long have we neglected our only lading good. To live eternally with thee in thy glory is the fublime end, for which thou hail made us. Thro' thy holy grace every moment of our lives fnall froni this timeforv/ard be devoted to that end. DISCOURSE ( 30 ) DISCOURSE iir. UPON THE IMMUTABILITY OF COD. / am the Lordy and I change not. Malachi c. iii. V. 6. ALMIGHTY God in exprefs terms declares himfelf to be the unchangeable Lord of all things. God is therefore iinchanp;eable in his na- ture, he is unchangeable in his will, he is unchan- geable in his word and promifes. For in God, lays the Apoftle St. James,* there nor even the ihadow of change. *G)" God is unchangeable in his nature, becaufe being infinitely perfeft he has no innate excellence either to lofe or acquire. Wherever any real change takes place, it is by fome alteration made in the fubjefl changed i that is to fay, the fubjeft rauft either acquire fomething, which it had not before, oritmuft iofe fomething of what it had. Now God can acquire nothing new, becaufe by his efience he is the plenitude of perfeftion, the plenitude of fanftity, the plenitude of mercy, the plenitude of wifdom, the plenitude of power; in a wordj the plenitude of all good. God there- fore *c. I ( 31 ) fore cannot pofTibly acquire any fort of perfedion, which he has not always pofieiTed in a degree the mod perfed. By the fame parity of reafon he cannot pofiibly part v/ith any thing he is poffefled of. His perfections flow from no other fource than from himfclf, they are inherent in his very nature ; and as they neither are, nor could ever be acquired by any regular progrefs or accefTion of parts, fo they never can admit of any divifion or decreafe. God always was, what he now is, and lie can be no otherwife than he is. What he pof- feJes, he poirefied from eternity, nor will he ever pofTefs any thing, which he does not now poflefs, in one and die fame indivifible nature, becaufc within himfelf he efientially contains all good with- out mixture, without change or meafure. Time, which meafures the duration of earthly things, is changing every inflant, and by its rapid tho' filent progrefs works a univerfal change in the face of nature. The morning fun rifes to cheer us by the return of day, and after a few hours of paf- fmg funfliine leaves us again in the fhades of night. By the conftant fuccefilon of fach days, we are im- pifrcepribly carried on from infancy to manhood, fiom one period to another, till life finally waftes away, and death configns thefe corruptible bodies to the grave. The fv/ift revolution of feafons one upon another pufhes on each fleeting year, and years proceed in one perpetual round, till the world itfelf Ihall at length decay v/ith age, and a new C 32 ) new esrth and new heavens fhall fiicceed.* But amidfl thefe wonderful changes of the vifible cre- ation, God in his glory fhall for ever Ihine with undiminifned light. Unalterable in his nature, as well as in the manner of his exiltence, he remains above the reach of time, his life receives no increafe of age, his eternal duration always is the fame, his leign is not meaflired by the date of years, nor is the Iplendour of his greatnefs varied by any alternate change of day and night. In the beginning, O Lord, thou didft found the earth, and the heavens are the work of thy hands, fays St. Paul to the Hebrews.f They fhall periih, but thou fnalt remain : they fhall grow old as a garment, and as clothing thou Ihalt change them, and they fliall be changed. But thcu thyfelf art the fame, and thy years fliall never fail. God alfo is unchangeable in his will. Being direcfled by an infinite wifdom, by which he per- fe