YALE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY A39002085612464B The Protestant System " I am furnifhed with the inftruments of fen- " fation and motion •, I fee, and hear, and tafte, " and ftnell, and feel ? I can move the organs of my " own body, and by them fome other bodies, merely " by an act of my own will, or the voluntary exer- " tion of an inward felf-determining power ; I have " hunger and thirft at certain returning feafons, and *' am readily fupplied with meat and drink, whereby " this body is nourifh'd and fenfibly refrefh'd. This " is common with me to a multitude of living things "' in different fhapes, with which the earth is ftor'd ; " but I find in myfelf the powers of reafon and higher " affections, whereof they give no difcovery, which *' leads me to conclude there is a nobler end of my " being, and I am capable of a greater happinefs. " 1 can refied, compare my own perceptions of things, " and from the Frame of the Material World. i ' and inquire into their origin and tendencies ; I per- ' ceive at firft view fome truths, and they give me plea- ' fure ; I inveftigate others by a deliberate attention ' to my own ideas, and to their agreement and re- ' lations, ftill with a growing fatisfaction ; I am ' confcious of liberty or a freedom of choice, and the ' ideas of right and wrong in action, naturally oc- ' cur to me; I muft therefore be directed in my ' conduct by a regard to that difference ; I find be- ' nevolence to fenfitive beings, efpecially thofe of ;c my own kind, naturally arife in my mind, toge- ' ther with reverence and gratitude to a fuperior ;c nature, the fuppofed author of my exiftence and of " all my enjoyments ; which affections, as they are " reflected on with delightful felf-approbation, a " more excellent enjoyment than any fenfible object " can yield ; fo they are accompanied with a defire " to pleafe that fuperior Being, and be approved by " him. But how fhall I continue poffefs'd of exift- " ence, with all the variety of enjoyment that be- " longs to it, which is fo very defirable ? And fince " experience convinces me that the prefent life is frail, " and has in it a mixture of unhappinefs, what prof- " pect have I of a future ftate, (for the thoughts of " falling again into nothing fill my mind with hor- " ror;) and how fhall I attain to the higheft perfec- " tion I am capable of? For it plainly appears that, " at leaft, the nobler powers of my nature may ad- " mit of a more various exercife than the prefent, " and a further improvement. All that is poffible " for me to do, as an intelligent agent, whereby I " may contribute to my own happinefs, and anfwer " the end of my being, is to follow the guidance of " my own reafon and what nature points to, confi- " dering the whole of my conftitution, and prefer- " ving the juft fubordination of its lower, to its " fuperior parts : and for the continuance of my " being, and what additional felicity, I may defire or *' expect, I muft hope in the fame fupreme power B 2 i« and 4 The Being of God proved " and goodnefs, to which 1 owe all that is now in " my poffeffion." If thefe are the inquiries and the fentiments which the mind of man, unbyafs'd by any prejudices or prepoffeffions, would naturally fall into ; (and whe ther they are or not, let any one judge, who carefully attends even to the moft obvious appearances in the human conftitution,) we may confider whether they are not very becoming us. It is true we grow up to the exercife of our reafon gradually •, the firft part of life is pafs'd over with very little reflection •, the world is become familiar to us ; we have learned the ufe of things, and opinions concerning them, which engage our affent and our affections, before we come to that maturity of underftanding which is neceffary to qualify us for a thorough and rational examina tion. But neither the familiarity contracted with our own exiftence and the world, (we cannot but be fen- fible, that our knowledge of both is of no long Hand ing,) nor any prejudice we may have received in a childifh immature ftate, fhould divert us, when we have attained to the full ufe of our reafon, from at tending fuch important inquiries, which the leaft felf- reflection will fhew to be every way worthy of men. Whether our inquiries will rationally end in religion, Founded on the belief of a Deity, is what I am now to confider. This, however, feems to be the plaineft and moft natural way of attaining fatisfaction in that great point : For by the Deity we mean the powerful, wife and good parent of mankind, the maker, pre- ferver, and ruler, of the world ; and how fhall we know him but by the characters of his perfections ftampt upon his works ? Thus the apoftle argues in my text, That which may be known of God is manifeft to men, for God hath fhewed it unto them (by their own reafon.) For the inviftble things of him from the creation of the world, are clearly feen, being underftood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and god head. It from the Frame of the Material World. 5 It is certain, the belief of a Deity has generally obtained among mankind. Excepting the objects of the mind's immediate intuition and of fenfe, concern ing which there can be no difpute •, excepting thefe, I fay, perhaps there is not any one point to which Men have more univerfally given an explicit affent, than the Being of God. This is thought, by fome, to be a ftrong prefumption in its favour •, for they alledge, nothing but the clear irrefragable evidence of truth could have induced all nations of the world to agree in it. As to vulgar opinions, acknowledged to be erroneous in other points, fuch as the magnitude and diftance of the heavenly bodies, the cafe is very different ; for there the error plainly arifes from inat tention, and forming a judgment too haftily upon the report of fenfe, concerning appearances which it can not examine. But in fuch a point of {peculation as the exiftence of the Deity, to the knowledge of which we are led by our own moft obvious reflections, and which the more it is attended to, the more firmly it is believed ; an uniform agreement feems to proceed from the voice of nature, or God himfelf fpeaking intelligibly to every nation by his works. There is, undoubtedly, in the human mind, a knowledge of things which are not the objects of fenfe, nay in many inftances reafon corrects fenfe, and difcovers its mif- takes : indeed, the greateft certainty we have is in the clear perception of an agreement between our own abftract ideas ; fo that a concurring perfuafion concerning propofitions formed of fuch ideas, and concerning rational deductions from them, has the beft appearance of being founded on truth, becaufe in them men are leaft obnoxious to deception. There have been however fome, very few of man kind in comparifon, who have profeffedly denied the being of God, and pretended to account for the for mation of the world, and all the phenomena of na ture, without Him. Thefe men ridicule the common belief as fuperftitious, proceeding wholly from igno- B 3 ranee 6 The Being of God proved ranee of caufes, political fiction, cuftomary tradi tion, or the paflion of fear, which often produces groundlefs imaginations. I may afterwards have oc cafion to examine thefe pretences. In the mean time, without refting this firft principle of all reli gion on the prefumption in its favour, taken from the general confent of mankind, or any other pre- fumptions, however ftrong, I fhall proceed directly to eftablifh it by clear evidence of reafor, in the me thod which appears to me the moft fimple and natu ral. Only let it be obferved, That the notions of men, concerning the Deity and his attributes, have been very confufed, and their opinions widely different, even theirs who agree in the profeffed belief of his Being : Some have de clared themfelves unable to form any idea of fub ftance diftinct from body ; and therefore concluded, that as the human foul is only a fubtile kind of mat ter, or a particular modification of it, fo God him felf is corporeal. This way of thinking, though very grofs, is plainly difcovered in the writings of the celebrated ftoic philofophers, mixt at the fame time with noble fentiments, concerning the Divine moral perfections and providence. Some conceived that the creation of material fubftance was abfolutely impofiible, though it is intirely fubject to the difpo- fal of active intelligence ; and that therefore it muft be coeval with the fupreme Being, whom they imagined to be the eternal foul of an eternal univerfe. Others feem to have denied the unity of the Godhead, at leaft, they divided their worfhip among a plura lity of divine beings, fo called ; though it is proba ble, the Polytheifm of the Gentiles is to be under- ftood, concerning a multiplicity of inferior agents in the Divine adminiftration, or miniftring fpirits, all fubject to the one Supreme. Others again, have fo perplexed the doctrine of the Divine eternity and im- menfity, as to render them unintelligible. But above all, the errors concerning the moral perfections, as they from the Frame of the Material World. 7 they are moft pernicious, have been the moft fre quent in the world, the Chriftian world itfelf not al together excepted. Not to mention the Gods of ¦Epicurus, which he imagined, or pretended to have imagined, to be a kind of indolent happy things, neither the makers nor rulers of any thing, but like other beings, made out of atoms by accident : I fay, pretended to have imagined ; for it is not unlikely that part of his fcheme was a complement to the reli gion of mankind, or rather a iheer, fuch as is not unufual with writers of his fort. The heathens had, many of them, very abfurd conceptions of the morals of their inferior gods ; and Jupiter himfelf was far from being perfectly pure and good. There are, even among thofe who have the beft means of in- ftruction, very grofs opinions, and of a dangerous tendency, concerning the juftice and goodnefs of God, and the meafures of his government over moral agents ; which it is needlefs now to infift on more particularly. The ufe I fhall make at prefent of this obfervation, is, to avoid at our entrance on this fubject, a parti cular definition of the Deity, by enumerating all the perfections, which I hope we fhall in the fequel, fee reafon to attribute to him, becaufe the prefent con troverfy is only with Atheifts, not with any, even of the moft imperfect Theijls. Befides, I think, in fuch an inquiry, we ought to begin with the plaineft principles, that having once feen them eftablifhed with clear evidence, we may then proceed to points lefs obvious. Thus, if it firft appears by convin cing proof, that there is an intelligent defigning caufe in the univerfe, to which the order and ap pearances of it are to be afcribed, we may thence take our rife to the confideration of the characters of that caufe, and fo by degrees advance to the moft compleat notion of God which we can form. I fhall therefore confider the fubject before us in the fimpleft view, and begin with an inquiry into the true B 4 caufe S The Being of God proved caufe of the vifible frame of nature, ftating the quef tion, as it thus plainly ftands between us and our adverfaries, Whether the material world, with its principal and moft obvious phenomena which fall un der our obfervation, is formed and guided by mere chance, or blind neceffity, (which are the different hypothefes of Atheifm) and I fhall examine them fe- verally : or if, on the contrary, it was produced by, and is under the direction of an active, underftanding, and intending Caufe ? In order to this, let us firft confider the ideas of intelligence and activity, of caufe and effect, and of neceffity and chance, which arife in our minds, by attending to what paffes in them, and by obferving what our fenfes inform us of, in the ordinary courfe of things. Perception is always and neceffarily ac companied with confcioufnefs. That a man fees and hears, and remembers and underftands, and reafons^ and defires and wills, needs no proof to him, nor in deed is capable of any ; nothing being fo evident to his mind, not the very exiftence of any thing without him ; nor is it poffible, without confcioufnefs, to con vince a man of any operation or perception in his own mind. Our agency, from an inward felf-determining principle, is as well known to us, as our paffive per ceptions are : as we cannot help feeing, hearing, per ceiving pleafure upon fome occafions, and pain upon others, whether externa] or internal ; we are as fenfible that we can, without a confcioufnefs of any neceffity' impelling, turn our attention to one object in pre ference to another ; we can recal the ideas which have been formerly in our minds ; we can varioufly affociate them, compare and examine their relations to each other; confcious that thefe operations do not arife from, without, but depend wholly upon ourfelves ; and we are equally fenfible, that fome corporeal mo tions proceed from the determination of our own wills. Our bodies begin to move, or particular members of them ; fome other bodies alfo are moved by their force ; from the Frame of the Material World. 9 force ; and all fuch motions are continued or ftopt, while we are not confcious of any thing whereby either the continuance or ceffation are produced, but our own fimple volitions. Hence arife the notions of free or voluntary agency, and neceffity as diftinguifhed from it, and of caufe and effect:- Such powers as we find in ourfelves, we can eafily conceive to belong to other Beings, either in a greater or leffer degree. As we have clear evi dence of perception and fpontaneous motions in other animals, tho' different in kind from, and both of them much more confined than, ours ; fo there is no diffi culty in apprehending that there may be intelligence of a much larger comprehenfion than the human, and a more extenfive activity, producing more numerous, and vaftly greater effects. We have at the fame time the idea of what is called paffive power, or, a capacity of being moved and changed : for we can move our own bodies, and alter the fituation, the external form, and the fenfible qua lities, of other bodies, by the ufe of proper means, which we have learned by obfervation and experience. And thefe bodies we find to be conftantly and uni formly liable to the fame, or the like alterations, by active force. Whatever appearance there is of action in this fort of beings, will be found upon clofer at tention, to be really no action at all. A man can eafily diftinguifh between walking, and being carried; between the involuntary motion of his hand, and that which depends folely upon the command of his own will : in the one, he is an agent, in the other wholly paffive. In like manner, a ftone falling, (which we do not conceive to move from an internal principle, becaufe no power of felf- motion ever appears in that kind of being,) is no more active than the earth on which it makes an impreffion, or the human body which it bruifes, occafioning a fenfation of pain : and for other corporeal action, fo called, producing va rious and confiderable effects, fuch as that of fire and • air, io The Being of God proved air, it can only be attributed to the inteftine motion, not fpontaneous, of more fubtile material parts-; and therefore is no more properly action than the motion of intire folid bodies, whofe parts are at reft among themfelves, that is, do not at all change their fitua- tion with refpeft to each other. Thus we are led to diftinguifh between the pofitive ideas of blind neceffity and intelligent activity, as directly oppofite to each other, the one belonging to a caufe, the other to an effeft. Indeed the negative idea of neceffary exiftence is not felf- contradictory, no more than that of infinity. But to fay that unintel ligent neceffity operates, muft, I think, appear to our minds to be a contradiction in terms : it is to affert operation, and at the fame time deny it in a proper fenfe, and to deftroy the very notion of activity, which yet we know as clearly as we do our own exiftence, being equally confcious of it. There may be, 'tis true, a train of neceffary effects, as in the inftance of motion communicated to various inanimate bodies, one impelling another fucceffively ; and the prior has the appearance of caufing the pofterior : but really they are alike paffive; and to imagine that they ope rate, is to confound the moft inconfiftent notions of acting and being acted upon. And as thus the ideas of caufe and effeft, of active and paffive power, of agency and neceffit^, take their rife from an attention to ourfelves, our own minds and our bodies •, fo we cannot avoid obferving the fame difference among all other beings which we know. I have not indeed the fame intuitive knowledge of another man's confcious activity, as I have of my own, but yet I have fuch evidence of it, as excludes all doubt : nor can I quef tion, but that the earth I walk on, the pen I hold in my hand, and other inftruments of action which I uk, are paffive inanimate things, always yielding to force, and never difcovering the leaft fign of an in ward felf-determining principle. This diftinftion runs through the whole univerfe, as far as we are ac quainted from the Frame of the Material World. i r quainted with it ; and all the knowledge we have of being, our own or any other, leads us to difcern the effential irreconcilable contrariety of fpontaneous act ing, to blind neceffity. It follows, that if there be any things or appearances, which we judge to be ef fects in the world, (and who can help obferving a multitude of them?) to attribute them to unintelli gent neceffity, is to attribute them to what we can have no notion of as a caufe at all ; and to fay that fuch neceffity is univerfal, is to fay there is not, nor can be any fuch thing as a caufe, or it is to deny the poffibility of aftion. It is ftill to be remembered, that the neceffity here fpoken of, is only fuch as excludes intelligence and de fign : the queftion concerning neceffary agency in an other fenfe, that is, whether an intelligent agent afts fo neceffarily, that it is impoffible in the event he fhould aft otherwife than he does, whatever the reafon be ;-- this queftion, I fay, is intirely different, and not con cerned in the controverfy with Atheifts. For fup- pofing it to be determined in the affirmative, ftill it leaves us the idea of intelligent aftive power, as a proper caufe producing effects ; and, with refpeft to the formation and order of the univerfe, the idea of an intelligent aftive power equal to the produftion of fuch an effeft ; which is what we mean by the Deity. But to attribute operation to undefigning neceffity, is to attribute it to an abftraft notion, and to confound all our ideas of caufe and effect. And how can a man, who is as fully convinced of aftive power in himfelf, as of his own exiftence, and in the fame man ner, that is, by being confcious of it, reafon with him who denies the being, and even the poffibility of fuch a power ? And how abfurd an affertion muft it appear, that nothing at all, not the leaft being in nature, nor any mode or quality, not fo much as the leaft motion, could poffibly (by an antecedent neceffity, indepen dant on defign,) have been otherwife than it is ? Can a man believe this, who fees fuch marks of indiffe- i rency 1 2 The Being of God proved rency in a multitude of things, fo many changes in the face of nature, and knows that fo many depend on his own choice ? The notion of chance, fo far as it relates to the prefent fubjeft, arifes wholly from men's ignorance of caufes. As we fee very often in the world many changeable appearances, which by the novelty, va riety, and other circumftances of them, we can't help believing to be effects, but not being particularly de - termined by any neceffity, nor yet by the intention of any agent which we can obferve, the word chance is fubftituted in the place of the unknown caufe. And this may be fufficient for fome purpofes, for which the knowledge of caufes is of no importance. But in an inquiry concerning the origin of things, to apply chance as a kind of hypothefis to folve the appear ances of natures, and account for the order of the world, is evidently abfurd. For the word fo applied, can have no other fignification than ignorance, or nothing at all ; tho' in fome men's minds, at leaft in their manner of expreffing themfelves, there feem to be utterly inconfiftent ideas confufedly jumbled toge ther, as the fignification of it. For they feem to imagine a kind of efficiency at the fame time that there is no certain determinate caufe, (which it is im- poffible for them to know ;) that is, they moft abfurd- ly attribute a real uncertain efficiency, to nothing, to an empty found, or a vague undetermined notion ; when, if they would examine their thoughts, they would find that the true meaning of chance is only, we don't know what. Thus we fee the Atheifiic fchemes concerning the formation of the world,, its order and appearances, inftead of giving a rational, intelligible account, are founded only in ignorance, and indeed are everfive of true human knowledge. The one of them (Neceffity) deftroys the very idea of intelligent and defigning activity, which is as clear to our minds as any idea can be, being perceived by an inward confcioufnefs ; the from the Frame of the Material World. 13 the other (Chance) is an utter abfurdity, made up of inconfiftent notions, and really meaning nothing but ignorance. But I will not content myfelf with arguing thus againft the hypothefis of the Atheifts in general. Let us allow more than they have any pretence in reafon to demand : let us fuppofe neceffity to ftand for fome- thing, whofe operation is like that of material caufes, (improperly fo called,) which effeft appearances by an undirected impulfe, or without the interpofition of any defign. A conftant uniformity however, muft be in cluded in the idea of fuch operation ; for neceffity, whether it be applied to exiftence, power, or whatever elfe, admits of no change, no interruption, no variety either in kind or degree. And let chance, however inconfiftently, be fuppofed to be fomething, we don't know what, which operates, but its operation is not determined, either by a natural neceffity, or by coun- fel. Now, if neither of thefe hypothefes, (.between which Atheifts have been divided, fome chufing the one, fome the other, and a different Atheifiical hypo thefis never has been, nor can be devifed ; but) if, I fay, neither of them can reafonably be admitted in accounting for the being and difpofition of things, as in faft they appear, there is then nothing left to reft in, but the contrivance and agency of an intelligent caufe. But that neither of thefe hypothefes does anfwer the profeffed defign, viz. to explain the forma tion and order of the world, I fhall endeavour to fhew clearly, from the common appearances, which cannot poffibly have efcaped the moft carelefs obferver. Whatever way we turn our eyes, to whatever part of the univerfe, or the whole of it which is vifible to us, the face of nature has thefe two characters, which no one can help obferving ; it is various, and it is uni form ; the former is a convincing argument againft neceffity, and the latter againft chance. Firft, there appears in the vifible frame of nature, a great variety. When we look up to the heavens in 14 The Being of God proved in the day, our fight, piercing through a thin pel lucid medium, terminates in a vaft azure concave, without any diverfity ; only that we fee in it a great luminous fiery globe, which we conclude to be the fountain of light ; and fometimes interpofed clouds, which by obfervation and reafon, we know to be only watery exhalations from the earth gathered together in a region not far diftant from us, and when they are condenfed, falling down again in rain ; but when we turn our eyes the fame way at night, the profpeft is quite changed, and a new fcene prefented to us. The great ruling luminary of the day is withdrawn, and in his ftead there are feen numberlefs leffer lights ; among them, one larger than the reft, with various appearance, confpicuous, but pale, and fhin- ing with a faint and borrowed . luftre. This is the conftantly changing appearance of the heavens in every diurnal revolution ; befides other periodical al terations in the courfe of the fun and the moon, which every one muft obferve. In our own globe, which our eyes can more accurately furvey, there appears a much greater diverfity ; — a vaft collection of waters, fupplied by perpetual currents, difperfed in feveral channels, continually flowing into it ; — on the folid part where we live, here mountains and rocks, there plains and valleys ; in one place ftately groves, in another flowry meadows, or fields covered with corn, all ftocked with numerous inhabitants ; the fea ftored with fifties of furprizingly various ihapes and fizes, the dry land with as great a diver fity of beafts, and the air with fowls. I do not fpeak now of the mutual relations of thefe things, the fuitablenefs of one to another, and the conve nient regular difpofition of all, which muft ftnke an attentive mind with a fenfe of natural beauty in the whole, and lead it to the acknowledgment of wif- dom and goodnefs in the author ; but upon the moft indifferent fuperficial view, which prefents to us fuch an amazing variety, and without looking narrowly from the Frame oj the Material World. 1 5 narrowly into the compofition of particular beings, which greatly increafes it, let any man think, if he can, that blind, undefigning neceffity has produced fuch a multiform appearance. The operation of ne ceffary caufes, if they muft be called caufes, is al ways alike, and admits of no changes. The me chanical powers of fprings, weights and wheels, and other inftruments of motion, are exerted uniformly. Fire is another neceffary corporeal agent, which ope rates always in the fame manner, though it has dif ferent effects, according to the different texture of the bodies into which it penetrates, caufing fome parts to afcend in fmoak and flame, reducing fome to afhes, and making fome liquid or malleable. To give thefe and fuch like inftruments, that diverfity of opera tion, which is neceffary to anfwer even the low pur- pofes of human art, and the conveniencies of human life, there muft be, we know, a fuperior intending Caufe, to guide the application of them : but that fuch neceffary caufes, as fenfelefs atoms, fhould, out of themfelves, without any fkill in the application of their force, or the interpofal of any intelligent direftion, produce fuch a wonderful variety as there is in the vifible appearance of the world, — the liquid waters, and the more fluid air of a different confti tution ; the ftrangely fubtle and penetrating light ; the folid earth, and the firmer rocks ; the almoft in finite kinds of vegetables, diverfe in fhapej colour, flower, and fruit ; not only the many fpecies of ani mals and the numberlefs individuals, each intire, but the yet more various parts of their compofition, the folid and the fluid, the organs of motion and fenfation ; — this is fuch a paradox, it muft be an underftanding of a very odd make, that can believe it. The Atheift may next betake himfelf to chance, which is capricious enough, and variable, to anfwer the greateft imaginable or poffible diverfity of pro ductions, if it be admited to have any fhare in them. Neceffity is limited, and muft always produce exT aftly 1 6 The Being of God proved aftly fimilar and unvarying effects ; but fickle chance is tied down to no rule of operation, if it can ope rate at all. Suppofing it to determine the exiftence, and the order of things, what fhould hinder the di verfity which there is in the world, nay, an infinitely greater diverfity ? Why may not water^ and air, and light, and rocks, and'aninrals, and vegetables, all kinds of fubftances, and all poffible qualities, be jumbled together? But as the variety which there is in the appearances of nature, is an invincible argu ment againft their being the produftion of neceffary caufes, an equally ftrong objection lies againft the hypothefis of chance, namely, their uniformity. Eve ry one muft be fenfible, that this is as truly the cha rafter of the face of nature, as the other. When ever we turn our eyes to the heavens, they have the fame uniform afpeft as when we viewed them before; the fun and the moon, and the ftars, hold their places, and go on conftantly in their courfe, producing a regular fucceffion of day and night, fummer and winter : one would think they continue after an ordi nance, and are fubjeft to a law, rather than guided by giddy hazard. In our lower world, not only the hills are everlafting, and the rocks not removed out of their place -, but the waters, however eafily yielding to force, keep their perpetual channels ; and the whole felf- balanced globe hangs in loofe fluid air, which has no ftrength to fupport it. The tender herbs, which feem to die every winter, revive again in the fpring, and cover the earth with a renewed verdure. The living things of fo brittle a frame and fhort-lived, yet do not quite difappear and give way to different kinds, which being equally poffible, have an equal chance for produftion, if chance ruled, but the fame fpecies are perpetuated in a conftant fuccef fion. If this argument were purfued more minutely, it would ftill appear the ftronger. If we do not take the works of nature in the grofs, and content our- felves with a bare view of their outfides, but examine their from the Frame of the Material World. ry their interior conftitution, the evidence againft ha zard in their formation will ftill increafe ; for it muft be plain to every one, that the more complicated any pieces of work, machines or fyftems ' are, defign is ftill the more apparent in their fimilarity. But the moft obvious view is fufficient to our purpofe. For let any man confider whether he would not make a difference between heaps of fand and ftones huddled together in confufion, and a regular building ; be tween a fortuitous jumble of pieces of brafs, iron, and lead, and a well going clock ; between a mob, or a tumultuous affembly of men without any order, and a well formed political fociety, or a well difci- plined army; let him confider, I fay, whether he would not make a difference in thefe cafes, prefum- ing there was counfel and defign in fome, but not in others. And now, if we apply the fame reafoning to the works of nature, whereas, upon the fuppofi- tion of chance, there is infinite to one againft any certain determined production, (for chance ranges unguided, to the utmoft verge ^f poffibility, when in faft, we fee amidft an almoTF infinite variety of things, there is fuch an obvious conftant uniformity in the appearances of the world,) is it not furprizing, that it fhould ever have entered into the mind of any man, to exclude defign, and attribute all to chance ? The argument, fo far as we have proceeded, feems to be fully conclufive, and we may confidently reft in it as proved, that neither the hypothefis of chance, nor of undefigning neceffity, can account for the ap pearances of the univerfe. But we fhall be more di rectly convinced that there is manifefted intelligence and defign in the frame of the mundane fyftem, if in the next place we confider what the antients called to \v x.a.1 kclkus, the beautiful and harmonious, the regular and convenient, the amiable and good, with which the world every where abounds. This point admits of a large illuftration, all the difcoveries which have been made in aftronomy, natural philo- Yol. I. C foplw5 1 8 The Being of God proved fophy, and natural hiftory, tending to fhew that there is a fitnefs in things, a correfpondence in the parts of the world, one anfwering to another fo as to demonftrate wife contrivance, and unity of defign in the whole. There is not one region of the uni verfe of which we have any knowledge, the heavens, the air, the earth, or the fea, not one intire particular beino- which we have the means of inquiring narrow ly into, one fifh, one fowl, one beaft or one tree ; there is not one of all thefe that does not appear to be artificially made, and does not by the exaft pro portion and harmony of its parts, difcover defign in the whole of its conftitution. And indeed, in thefe laft ages particularly, men of leifure and penetration havefo happily employed their time and their under- ftandings in the ftudy of nature, as to fet the argu ment in a very clear light, proving beyond all ratio nal contradiction, the wifdom and goodnefs of God in his works, to the utter confufion of thofe who are either fo ftupidly blind or obftinately wicked as not to regard the operation of his hands. But I fhall only infift on thofe things which every underftanding muft difcern, the appearances which every eye fees, or the obfervations of faft which muft occur to the moft unattentive of mankind, who has but common fenfe ; for even they will be fufficient to eftablifh this great truth upon. Let us firft confider the vifible world at large, as it appears to a naked eye, and to a plain, unimproved underftanding. No man of the meaneft capacity, and the loweft way of thinking, can be ignorant that there is a relation between the parts of the univerfe ; that from the fun there is a communication of light and heat to the earth, which is the apparent caufe of the various pro ductions upon its furface, and of fo manifold ufe to its inhabitants, that they could not fubfift without it. By that genial warmth tender plants of different kinds fpring up from fmall feeds, and are nourifhed, fome into ftrong ftalks, fome into low ftirubs, and fome into from the Frame of the Material World. 19 into ftately trees, all bearing fruits which are the food of animals : and among animals there is an or der and mutual ufefulnefs, the other kinds being in fubordination to man, who, by the prerogative ot his fuperior nature, claims a dominion over their labours and their lives. To man particularly, and to other living things proportionably to the lower purpofes of their being,' the light of the fun is fo comfortable and fo ufeful, that we cannot conceive how the ends of a life, conftituted as ours is, could be anfwered, and its conveniencies obtained, without it. But that light, and the nourifhing heat with which it is accompanied, is fo conveniently diftributed, as in the beft manner to illuminate and animate the whole earth, the glo bular figure of which requires a diurnal rotation, that all the dwellers on it maybe fupplied in their turns; nor do any of them, efpecially not the principal, fuffer by the darknefs they are overfpread with, whilft the fun vifits others with his benign influences -, for night gives man a neceffary vacation from the labours of the day. But no one can avoid obferving the changes of the feafons, occafioned by the annual (ap parent) courfe of the fun. If he kept one perpetual track, the greateft part of the earth muft be unin habited, either by reafon of exceffive heat or cold ; the gloomy regions never vifited by him, muft be fhut up in continual darknefs and impenetrable froft, while the climates on which his beams fhould ftill directly fall, muft be quite burnt up, yielding no fuftenance for man or beaft. But infteadof thefe ex tremes, how commodioufly is this great benefit dif- penfed, by the fixed periodical revolution of the great orb in a yearly courfe, fo directed, as to pre vent, as far as can be, the exceffes both of heat and cold, and produce the grateful and ufeful variety of fummer and winter, feed-time and harveft. Again, if we take but even a- flight view of this lower world itfelf, we fhall fee an admirable correfpondence be tween its parts ; however different they are, yet every C 2 one 20 The Being of God proved one fitted to another, and to all the reft, fo as to make the whole a convenient dwelling-place for the feveral tribes of animals which live upon it, and for mankind efpecially. The folid earth fupports our heavy bodies ; the thin air we breathe, is abfolutely neceffary to our prefervation -, and no one can be ig norant of how manifold ufe water is, not only more remotely, by ferving the purpofes of vegetation, but by the immediate refrefhment it gives, and as a means pf the decent and comfortable enjoyment of life. Every element has its proper inhabitants, which by the peculiar make and organization of their bodies, are adapted to it : The fifties have fins, the land animals feet and legs, and even the groveling reptile is furnifhed with the proper inftruments of its flow motion: All thefe fo various, that the kinds of them can fcarcely be numbered, have food convenient for them, and every thing which is fuitable to their feve ral natures. Now, even upon this general imperfect view, let any man judge whether there be not clear evidence of contrivance and defign in the formation of our world -, indeed, whether it does not appear fuch a regular connected fyftem, as confidering the infinite variety of its parts, all of them fo exquifitely fitted to each other, and difpofed in fuch exact order, as to make a perfect harmony in the whole ; whether, I fay, confidering this, any underftanding lefs than in finite, could have formed the model ? This is fo plain, I do not think it needful to ufe many words m iliuftrating it. The truth is, I cannot help con cluding, that without the moft unaccountable infa tuation, or perverfenefs, every one muft acknow ledge it. Surely it would be far lefs abfurd to ima gine, that the moft curious machine ever framed by human art, the moft beautiful edifice, the fineft pic ture, or the moft delightful mufical haamony ; — that thefe, any, or all of them, made themfelves, by a merely cafual mixture of their parts, than thatthis from the Frame oj the Material World. 2 1 this ftupendous and moft artificial fabric of the uni verfe, arofe from nothing, or from rude, utterly in- difpofed materials, by undirected neceffity or hazard. Before we proceed any further, let us flop here to make one obvious reflection, or rather indulge our- felves in thofe thoughts which will naturally arife. The human mind is fo conftituted, as to. have a pleafing fenfe of beauty, in order, proportion, and harmony, particularly, as it is thereby led to appre hend wifdom and good defign in the contrivance. It is this which affords fo various and delightful en tertainment, from the curious productions of the artift's hand, but firft of his mind. One admires ftatuary, another architefture, another gardening, others are delighted with the compofitions which are merely the work of genius, without any grofs ma terials, fuch as poetry and hiftory : But ftill it is the regularity that pleafes, the proportion of the parts, and the harmony of the whole ; and the more com plicated and various the matter or the fubjeft is, it is the more pleafing, provided the regularity be appa - rent. Why then fhould we not admire the beauties of nature ? Nay, don't we all agree, that thofe are the moft beautiful works of art, which copy the moft exaftly after nature, and are the trueft imita tion of her original forms ? Let us therefore fix our thoughts in a fteady con templation of the world about us; view it in this light, as a regular finifhed fyftem, difcovering ex- quifite fkill in the exaft proportion of all its parts, and a perfeft fymmetry in the whole. In vain fhall we feek for beauty, harmony and order, in the pro ductions of human genius : If we turn our eyes with attention to all things around us, in their fimple na tural appearance, the idea of a nobler regularity, and more grand defign, will arife in our minds. Is there any image made by painting or fculpture, equal to the human face and perfon, any map or landfkip to the natural foil itfelf diverfified with real rocks and C 3 bills, 22 The Being of God proved hills, tall trees in bloffom or laden with fruit, and cattle ranging the wide pafture ? How wonderful is the ftructure of a fingle animal, inimitable by art ; its parts made according to exaft meafure, and fo conveniently fituated, that every one performs its proper functions, ufeful to the whole ? this animal has a near relation to the kind, the kind itfelf to other fpecies ; all in fuch a due difpofition, that every individual is provided for, living commodioufly on this terreftrial globe, which continually receives its vital warmth whereby they are nourifhed, from the far diftant heavenly bodies, holding on their perpe tual courfe. Here is a noble fubjeft of meditation, to a mind that delights in harmony and order ; but whither will it lead us ? Directly to the -acknow ledgment of perfeft underftanding in the univerfe, of all-ruling wifdom, in conjunction wirh the moft amiable goodnefs, the true compleat original beauty, the fountain of all excellence and perfeftion. Praife the Lord all ye his works ; praife him ye angels and all his hofts ; praife him fun and moon ; praife him ye ftars of light ; praife him ye heavens of heavens, and ye waters that are above the heavens. Let them praife the name of the Lord, for he commanded and they were created, he hath alfo eftablifhed them for ever, he hath made a decree which fhall not pafs. Praife the Lord from the earth, ye dragons and all deeps, fire and hail, fnow and vapour, ftormy wind fulfilling Us word, mountains and all hills, fruitful trees and all cedars, beafts and all cattle, creeping things and flying fowl. Kings of the earth and all people, princes and judges. Both young men and maidens, old men and children. Let them praife the name of the Lord, for his name alone is excellent, his glory is above the earth and hea ven *. O Lord, how manifold are thy works ? In wif dom thou haft made them all, the earth is full of thy riches ; fo is the great and wide fea, wherein are things * Pfal, cxlviii. creeping from the Frame of the Material World. 23 creeping innumerable, both great and fmall beafts. Thefe wait all upon thee, that thou mayeft give them their meat in due feafon. That thou giveft them they gather ; thou openeft thy hand, they are filled with good "*. Therefore let every one of us relblve with the devout Pfalmift -f, I will fing unto the Lord as long as I live -, I will fing pr-aifes to my God while I have being. * Pfal. civ. v. 24, 25, 27, 28. t v- 33< D I S- [ H ] DISCOURSE II. The Being of God proved from Human Intelligence and Morality. [Abernethy.] Rom. i. 19, 20. Becaufe that which may be known of God, is ma- nifeftin them, for God hath fhewed it unto them. For the invifible things of him from the creation of the world, are clearly feen, being underftocd by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead. I HAVE endeavoured in a preceding difcourfe to prove the Being of God from his works, that is, as the queftion is properly ftated between the Atheifts and us, to prove an aftive intelligence in the formation of the univerfe. Indeed the exiftence of the very loweft things we fee, the moft contemp tible pebble or clod of earth, cannot be accounted for without the agency of an intelligent and powerful Caufe ; much lefs this beautiful fyftem of the world, difpofed in fuch exquifite order, and having its parts fo exaftly fitted to each other, as to make up one re gular whole. But above all, that underftanding which we are confcious of in ourfelves, even conftrains us to acknowledge the fupreme eternal Mind as its 1 Author. The -Being of God proved, &c. 25 Author. For if inanimate matter formed into a fyftem, difcovers his glorious wifdom and activity, much more his own living image in our perceptive and felf-determining powers. This laft well deferves a particular confideration, as containing a peculiarly illuftrious manifeftation of the divine wifdom ; and I hope, by a due attention to what paffes in our own minds, we fhall find ourfelves obliged to recognize the All-ruling intelligence of our Maker, and to adore him who is per feci in knowledge. Here I fhall confine myfelf to what is called pure intellection, that is, thofe exercifes of the mind which abftraft wholly from the external fenfes, and the fole object of them, fingular corporeal exiftence. For though, as I obferved before, the fenfitive and intel lectual powers are imployed about the fame object, apprehending it in a very different manner, yet are- there intelligibles, indeed thofe of the fublimeft kind, in which we have the greateft certainty of knowledge, as well as the nobleft mental entertainment, which do not at all fall under the perception of the fenfes ; fuch as the abftraft ideas of natures or effences, eternal truths and moral qualities, which have all of them, though no fenfible exiftence, yet an important reality, and the ideas of them in the eternal mind are their original archetypes. Firft, Abftraft Natures or Effences are reprefented by fome as the mere creatures of the human under ftanding, taking occafion from the apparent fimilitude and diffimilitude of things to form abftraft notions of their feveral different kinds, which no where fubfift but in the underftanding itfelf; at the fame time re ferring to the internal conftitutions of things, the true caufe of the apparent fimilitude and diffimilitude of their outward forms. Thefe internal conftitutions are the real Effences, for the moft part unknown to us ; and the effences which are the objects of our ap- prehenfion, are therefore called nominal, becaufe the true interior nature of things, whereby they are what they 261 The Being Gf God proved they are, complete in themfelves and invariably dif- tinft from all others, lie too deep for us to difcover. Now though this may be a fair reprefentation of the method in which the human underftanding proceeds, and the true origin of its ideas of Efferices, (which being pofterior to individual exiftence, and derived from it, can be no more perfect than our knowledge of individual exifting things) yet it leads us by clear reafoning to conclude, that there is a more perfect knowledge of Effences, which abftrafting from ac tual exiftence, can only fubfift as ideas in a mind, but it muft be a mind infinitely more perfect than ours. To fhew this, I fhall take leave to borrow an ob- fervation from a celebrated author, who gives the very account of Effences which I have been men tioning *. He tells us, that we know the Effences, and diftinguifh the fpecies of artificial things, with far lefs confufion and uncertainty than natural things, becaufe an artificial thing being a produftion of man, which the artificer defigned, and well knows the idea of, the name of it is fuppofed to ftand for no other idea, nor to import any other Effence than what is certainly to be known, and eafy enough to be appre hended. He might have faid, that every fenfible Artificer muft perfectly know the real effence of his own work, fo far as it is his own, however ignorant he may be of the nature of the materials, ftones, timber, iron, filver, gold, or whatever they are, which another intirely unacquainted with the mecha nic art, may underftand much better ; yet the proper difpofition of the parts, and joining them fitly toge ther, fo as to make one compleat fabric or machine, which is his own work, he muft know ; and his un derftanding reaches to a thorough comprehenfion of the defign, which is its true effence, before he begins the manual operation. Now 'applying this to the great Artificer of nature, who flretched out the heavens * Locke's Effay on Human Underftanding, Book III. Ch. vi. by from Human Intelligence and Morality. 27 by his wifdom, and eftabliflied the earth by his difcretion, we muft conclude, that fince he was the intending Caufe of the world, and exercifed active intelligence in the formation of all things, the plan was formed in his All-comprehending mind. In other words, the defign or the archetypal ideas of the true Effences of things, fubfifted in his underftanding before the things themfelves actually had a being : for who can imagine fuch an inconfiftency as intelligence in the operation and not in the intention ? Can a work be made with wifdom, and wifdom not be prior to it, or the parts of a ftructure foput together as to fhow wife contrivance, without the Agent's having laid a fcheme before hand, and formed a model by which his pro ceeding fhould be directed ? But further we muft conceive in a defigning caufe, freedom and choice, efpecially in a complicated pro duction, which comprehends a great variety of parts. One general end is to be obtained, taking in many which are fubordinate ; a vaft variety of means are prefented to the mind, the fitteft of which are to be chofen, and the reft rejected. This to imperfect un- derftandings is the caufe of long deliberation upon their projects -, they take time to compare the means which offer themfelves to their thoughts ; and try which, upon the whole, as far as they can judge, are the moft convenient ; but without a plurality of fuch means or parts, we can have no notion of wif dom exercifed in the work, for it confifts in a choice or preference of the beft and fitteft. Now when we furvey the world, fo much of it as is known to us, (how extenfive actual exiftence is beyond our fight or the reach of our underftandings we cannot poffibly tell,) containing fuch a multitude of beings as can not be numbered, all formed and difpofed with intelli gence and defign, fhewing that the ideas of them fubfifted before in the mind of the author -, what a vaft variety of ideas, (we lofe ourfelves in imagining it,) muft we fuppofe to have been in the fame under ftanding, 28 The Being of God proved ftanding, that there might be room for that prefe rence, which we cannot help thinking, is abfolutely neceffary to the exercife of wifdom in his works ? No one can fay the world could not poffibly have been otherwife than it is, or any of its parts other- wife than they are, in this fenfe that it would imply a contradiction in the nature of things. For that is in effect to deny all free agency, and all wifdom in the formation of the world ; which is, I think, already proved by convincing arguments. But if that the world could not be otherwife than it is, fuppofes in telligence, and therefore means that of all poffible fyftems appearing to his own mind, the Creator chofe that which in the whole, was the fitteft and the beft ; — This neceffarily implies what I juftnow faid, namely, that other models or defigns were equally in his power, and all alike actually in the view of his under ftanding, prior, I do not fay in time, but in our order of conceiving, to the determination of produ cing the fyftem which now actually exifts. This feems to be the true meaning of Plato's ideas, which he reprefents as the original forms and exemplars of whatever is in being ; that is, the conceptions of the divine moft perfeft intellect, in which the whole fcheme of exiftence was laid ; though fome of the latter Platonifts turned his doctrine to an abfurdity, (and perhaps he gave too great occafion to it himfelf,) calling thofe ideas not only archetypes and patterns, but living fubftances and phyfical caufes, nay, a fort of deities. Here then we find in the univerfe, not only intelligence, directing the frame of nature, finifhing all the particular forms in it, and appoint ing them their proper places, difpofing the whole circle of being, and guiding the intire feries of caufes, with their operations ; but an underftanding not li mited by the univerfe itfelf, reaching to the utmoft bounds of poffibility, and comprehending all con ceivable effences or intelligible forms, relations, con nexions and dependencies of things. from Human Intelligence and Morality. 29 2dly, As thefe abftraft ideas appearing to our minds, are the materials of all our fcience which is not converfant about fingular exiftence, and in pro portion as they are difcerned by every mind, they are the materials of its knowledge ; fo upon comparing them refults Truth, (for it confifts in their agree ment,) which is another real and important object of the underftanding. Our minds are made with a defire to difcover truth, and they reft in it when found, with great fatisfaftion ; though our knowledge of effences is very imperfeft, and what we call the effences of natural things actually ex-iftent, that is, our own abftraft ideas of them, are for the moft part little more than nominal ; yet the perception of their agreement is to us certain truth, and we acquiefce in it with pleafure : But that mind which thoroughly comprehends the real natures of things, having formed them with all their properties and powers, muft fee an infinity of truths in their various relations, which we cannot difcern. Let it be efpecially ob ferved, that our principal and moft fatisfying know ledge is purely intellectual, the fubjeft of it being our own ideas, which abftraft intirely from exiftence. For example, the points, lines and figures which are the fubjeft of mathematical demonftration, are not perceived by our fenfes, nor fuppofed to have a fenfi ble exiftence, but only are our own ideas abftrafting from all matter, really formed, or imagined to be formed into fuch figures ; thofe ftraight lines, curves, triangles, fquares and other figures, whofe properties, mutual relations, equalities and proportions are de- monftrated, perhaps could none of them exaftly, cer tainly fome of them could not be exemplified in bulky materials, nor do the demonftrations concern ing them depend on that, the fubject of them being only our own ideas ; yet no man who underftands them will fay they are chimerical, fince he fees real truth in them, to which he cannot refufe his affent : Nor can it be reafonably faid that they depend wholly oa 30 The Being of God proved on the mind, and are its arbitrary combinations of its own ideas -, for it cannot make truth or falfhood, but muft confider them as independent on its own plea fure, and equally real whether it difcerns them or not. It remains then that geometrical theorems and other propofitions, (for I mention them only as ex amples,) are eternal verities, the fame at all times, and, as fome of the ancients fpeak, ingenerable and incorruptible, alike true whether any human mind perceives them or not, nay, whether any human minds exifts or not. But were thefe eternal neceffary truths altogether unknown before any human mind exifted ? No, they were the proper objects of eternal neceffary intelligence, fubfifting in the eternal mind. The occafion of our difcerning them is taken from the works of God ; it is from corporeal beings we get the ideas of figures and numbers ; (though the ab- ftract ideas we form of them, are not fenfible but in tellectual,) and the fame may be faid concerning the fubjects of other felf-evident, or demonftrated pro pofitions. Now has God fcattered over his works fuch traces of intelligence, that very imperfect obfer- vers are led by them to fee, and be delighted with truth, and fhall himfelf not difcern that fame truth ? Nay, muft he not have difcerned it from everlafting, fince from everlafting it was equally difcernable by a perfect underftanding, which comprehended the effences, that is, the ideas of things with all their re lations, whence that truth neceffarily refults ? Surely we have no mental perfection but what is derived from the eternal Mind, the Father of our fpirits. If then we are endued with a power of difcovering truth, (which we cannot reflect upon without having pleafure in it, as an 'excellence in our nature,) he muft have poffeffed that power in a more eminent and per fect manner before we had a being, and the truths which were eternally knowable, muft be to him eter nally known. Human fcience lies within a narrow compafs, but certainly it is one of the moft delight ful from Human Intelligence and Morality. 3 1 ful entertainments the mind can have. What plea fure does it give, to fome at leaft, to fee a propo- fition demonftrated, which comprehends, and to full conviction determines the relation of a great variety of things, for example, the proportion of many different lines or figures ? And can we imagine that our nature, in every part of its conftitution car rying the plaineft marks of underftanding and defign, could be made with a fenfe of beauty in fuch truths, and yet the defigning Author of that nature, be ig norant of them ? Thus we behold the divine wifdom manifefted in the intelligible as well as the fenfible world, and by fome fketches of eternal truth, which we ourfelves are enabled to difcern with delight, we have not only clear evidence that the firft of Beings, the original Caufe of all things, is himfelf intelligent, but are led to a more enlarged view of what is the agreeable, though to us incomprehenfible object of his eternal contemplation. 2,dly, This will ftill more fully appear, if we con fider moral qualities and truths, which evidently ap pear to our minds, and are of the greateft importance to the ends of our being. Without entering into the detail of thefe qualities and truths, which may be fuppofed to be fo far known as is neceffary to our prefent purpofe, I fhall only make the following ob fervations concerning them. Firft, That they are in- tirely abftracted from the external fenfes and their ob jects. Other animals which have thofe fenfes in common with us, give no difcovery of their having any notions of morality ; and are not reckoned moral agents, which is the higheft and peculiar character of rational beings. How could the external fenfes lead us to any lcnti ments of virtue, which has not the leaft relation to any qualities of matter, either primary or fecondary ? What refemblance have juf tice and benevolence to the figure and motion of bodies, or what affinity with colours, founds or' taftes ? .Nor indeed do the ends of fenfitive life re quire 3 2 The Being of God proved quire fo fublime.a fenfe as that of morality; the pre fervation of individuals and of the kind, and their ufefulnefs to other fpecies of beings in their manner, which are its higheft apparent purpofes ; thefe ends, I fay, are all anfwered by lower inftincts. idly, Moral qualities, which have no other fub ject than the affections of the foul, and actions pro ceeding from them, though intirely independent on matter and all its properties, are yet real, and necef- farily regarded by our mind as fuch. A fenfe of moral beauty and deformity in human characters and actions, is as natural as a fenfe of another kind of beauty and deformity in corporeal forms ; nay, our minds as neceffarily perceive a difference between cruelty and mercy, gratitude and ingratitude, tem perance and debauchery, as between light and dark nefs, fweet and bitter, harmony and difcord, which we diftinguiffi by our external fenfes. The idea of virtue, whether in ourfelves or others, is always ac companied with approbation, and vice with diflike. An excellent moral charafter conftantly attracts our efteem, and a vicious one canno| be confider'd other- wife than with averfion ; a beneficent aftion is ap plauded, and a cruel one condemned, abftrafting from any advantage or difadvantage to ourfelves arifing from either. We review virtuous difpofitions in our own hearts, and virtuous works flowing from them, with the higheft fatisfaftion, and the contrary are unavoidably attended with remorfe. It is true, that there is a great variety in the praftice of virtue, which in fome inftances is attended with embarraffing circumftances, and in our prefent ftate there are many things to divert our attention from it. On thefe ac counts, and becaufe of negligence, corrupt cuftoms, the prejudices of education, and particularly falfe notions of religion, fome may have far lefs know ledge of virtue than others, and the virtuous affec tions may be weaker in them ; but a fenfe of mora lity, (capable indeed of more or lefs improvement, accord- from Human Intelligence and Morality. 3 3 according to our opportunities and the degrees of our attention and diligence,) feems to be indelibly im printed on our nature, fo that we can no more diveft ourfelves of it altogether, than we can put off huma nity itfelf. Sdly, As moral qualities, and truths concerning them, are real, and neceffarily regarded by our minds, fo they are of the greateft importance to the happi- nefs of mankind. This I have hinted already with refpeft to particular perfons ; having obferv'd that the peace and fatisfaction of their minds depends, in a great meafure, upon an inward confcioufnefs of virtuous difpofitions, and the defigned regulation of their conduft by them. I believe every man will find by experience, that he is not able wholly to ex- tinguifh his fentiments of morality, nor without the utmoft violence to obfcure and weaken them fo, but that his heart will condemn him for his crimes ; nor can he arrive to an unmanly eafe in his vices, 'till after a long courfe of affected ftupidity and fottifh infatuation ; which is reproachful to the rational na ture, and takes away the trueft felf-enjoyment. How unhappy are wicked men by their wickednefs ? What a train of miferies and misfortunes in the prefent ftate, arife from debauchery and fenfualexceffes ; from fraud and violence ? But if there be intelligence in framing the human nature, and appointing the condition of men, it muft extend to the whole kind. And in deed morality may be therefore pronounced impor tant to our natures, becaufe it does not only in a fen fible manner affect the intereft of fingle perfons, but the greateft collective bodies of them, nay, the intire fpecies. Let any one imagine the whole human race to be without the leaft fenfe of virtue, of the fear of God, of good-will to mankind, of the excellence of honefty, gratitude, fidelity, temperance, and the tur pitude of the contrary, fo that there fhould be no thing left but the fear of perfonal outward danger and inconveniences to prevent the moft licentious rage Vol. I. D of 34 The Being of God proved of unruly deftruftive paffions, and all the mifchiefs they could produce ; how miferable, upon fuch a fup- pofition, would our ftate be ? It may be reafonably queftion'd whether the kind could have fubfifted fo lono-, or any remain'd to have inhabited the earth ; but at leaft it is certain, life muft have been a dull, uncomfortable, inelegant and infipid thing, in com panion of what it now actually is, unadorned with thofe arts and inventions which are owing to the fe cure poffeffion of peace and liberty, unimprov'd by fcience, and deftitute of the high pleafures of friend- ffiip, and all kinds of delightful focial entertainment : (not to fpeak of a future ftate, the happinefs of which (if there really be fuch a thing) muft neceffarily de pend upon virtue -,) nor is it poffible for the mind of man, calmly and deliberately to judge otherwife ; and of that future ftate we have conftant premoni tions in our own prefaging thoughts, (fo ftrong as moft fenfibly to affect the comfort of our prefent being,) without, at leaft, any poffible fecurity againft it. Now if thefe obfervations be true and juft, (and whether they are or not, let every man, upon calm reflexion, judge for himfelf) let us fee what confe quences may be fairly drawn from them to our pre fent purpofe. In the firft place, here is an impor tant part of the human conftitution which can never be accounted for upon Atheiftic grounds, that is chance or mechanifm, the fortuitous rencounter of atoms, or the neceffary refult of matter and motion. Suppofing an accidental concourfe of atoms moving in an infinite void, or an undirected force imprefs'd on matter, could poffibly produce corporeal fyftems and their various beautiful forms which we fee, yet how fhall this hypothefis iblve the phenomena of moral Entities ? What ftrange collifion of atoms, or undirected impulfe of matter, could produce beauty and deformity in human characters and actions ? Could any combination of figures, or difpofition and agitation from Human Intelligence and Morality. 3 r agitation of material parts, ffrike out the ideas of juft and unjuft, kind and unkind, foberand vicious ? Shall it be faid that thefe are mere fancies, the arbi trary figments of the mind, without any true and folid foundations in nature? I anfwer, that indeed our ideas of morality are not ideas of corporeal exiftence, but it does not follow that therefore they are not real. Let any man try how he can fatisfy himfelf concerning the reality of any object of his knowledge. If his organs are duly difpos'd, if he is confcious to himfelf that he has the free and undifturb'd exercife of his ra tional powers, if his perceptions be clear and dif- tinct, and efpecially if they be conftant and uniform, his ideas always the fame, independently of his own choice, whenever he applies his mind to the review of them ; — when it is fo, there can be no doubt con cerning the reality of fuch knowledge, unlefs we in troduce an univerfal fcepticifm. Can any man in his fenfes make it a queftion whether his ideas of colours, and taftes and founds, be real or phantaftical ? As little reafon has he to doubt the reality of his ideas of _pure, and true, and juft, and honeft, and virtuous. In the beft ftate of his mind, when his underftanding is cleareft and freeft from difturbance, whenever he thinks of moral differences, they appear always the fame ; nay, the more he confiders them, the more plain and important they appear. Can we doubt whether a thing exifts which caufes in us pleafure or pain, whether we will or not ? for example, whether the fire exifts which warms or burns us ? whether a fharp iron inftrument exifts, which piercing our flefh caufes the fenfation of acute pain ? In like manner, has any man reafon to doubt whether there be a real difference between virtuous difpofitions and works, which diffufe inward ferenity and fatisfaftion through his mind, and vicious ones which neceffarily fill him with horror and the moft painful felf-condemnation ? We muft therefore, to account for this appearance, abandon the Atheiftic fcheme and all the forms of it, D 2 and 36 The Being of God proved and have our recourfe to an intelligent Caufe, which has deeply interwoven into the human conftitution a fenfe of things intirely independent on matter and all its properties and powers, as real however as any we perceive by our external fenfes ; concerning which we can form propofitions as true and certain, and draw confequences from them as clear as any which appear to our minds. For even the properties of lines and geometrical figures, and the incommenfurability of fome with others, is not more evident than the moral fitnefs and unfitncfs of fome aftions. idly, The importance of morality to the human life, and to its main ends, fhews wifdom and defign in giving men the fenfe and knowledge of it. Politi cal conftitutions are reafonably judg'd to be form'd with underftanding, becaufe of the ends which they anfwer. When laws are well framed for the prefer vation of public peace and order ; the meafures of civil authority and fubjeftion wifely fettled ; provifion made for fupporting the legal powers of the rulers, and liberties of the people ; for fecuring them againft foreign invafions and inteftine broils, for deciding their debates about property in an equitable manner, for encouraging induftry and other virtues, which tend to the benefit of the fociety, and reftraining thofe irregularities which threaten its deftruftion ;-— when all this is apparent in the conftitution of any commu nity, no one will attribute it to a cafual unconcerted encounter of men, fince there are fo plain evidences of wifdom and defign in the whole fcheme. As little reafon is there to imagine, that when a fpecies of in telligent beings are fent into the world with fentiments of morality, which are fo evidently conducive to their happinefs, tending to improve their nature, to en noble the life of every one of them, filling it with a variety of rational pleafure, and to render them emi nently ufeful to one another, fo that it is hardly to be conceiv'd to what a height of perfeftion and felicity they would be rais'd, if thefe moral fentiments were duly from Human Intelligence and Morality. 37 duly improv'd and had their full effeft, and on the other hand how miferable the whole race would be, if intirely deftitute of them ; it is unreafonable, I fay, to imagine that this fhould be without a directing Intel ligence in the Caufe of it- Nothing can be more groundlefs and unfupported with any pretence of reafon, than to alledge that the notions of morality, fo common and prevailing in the world, were originally invented by politicians, and by their artifice impofed upon credulous man kind, as the dictates of nature. For, (befides that ftrift virtue is often too little agreeable to the maxims and meafures of their policy, to give it any appear ance of proceeding from fuch an original;) every man who will look carefully into his own heart, may find there a ftandard of right and wrong, prior to any inftruftions, declarations and laws of men, where by he pronounces judgment upon them. Nor was it ever known that any human invention, or any thing which was not the voice of reafon and nature itfelf, appeared fo uniform and unvaried,, always confiftent with itfelf, and always in the fame light to the minds of men, as the principal moral fpecies do. The forms of civil government differ according to the cir- cumftances and inclinations of the people who create them : the external forms of religion too are variable ; and fo is every thing of pofitive appointment and in ftitution. But juftice and mercy, gratitude and truth never alter ; the learned and the unlearned, the molt uninftrufted and the moft polite nations agree in their notions concerning them ; and whenever they are in telligibly propofed, approve them. It is therefore evident, that morality is a part of the human conftitution, and muft be attributed to its author. Let this be underftood in a fenfe agreeable to the nature of the thing. I do not mean that we are neceffarily virtuous, as we are fenfitive and intel ligent ; or that the praftice of virtue is fo effential, that no man can poffibjy be without it; (for the very D 3 notion 3 8 The Being of God proved notion of it imports free agency or choice;) but I mean, that the mind of man is fo framed, as, when it attains the full exercife of its rational powers, to be neceffarily fenfible of moral obligations ; and fo far determined to fatisfy them, that it cannot wilfully and defignedly act a contrary part, without doing violence to itfelf; which is all the neceffity that is confiftent with the nature of fuch a being, and the nature of morality. If it be fo, we may furely infer, that the caufe of this conftitution was intelligent. Since all the individuals of mankind are found to have a fenfe of virtue, and every one of them who reflects upon it muft be confcious that it is engraven on his heart, prior to any intention of his own, or any in- ftruftion that he knows of, it muft either have hap pened without any defign at all, or it muft have been defign'd by the Author of our being. To fay that moral agency, which is fo univerfally the charafter of men, that without it no one can be reckon'd per fectly of the kind ; and which is of fo great import ance, not only to the ornament and conveniency of life, but to all the higheft purpofes of our being, fo far, that the want of ic would make an effential dif ference in the fpecies ; to fay that this is merely acci dental, in other words, that there is no caufe to be affign'd for it at all, is too grofs an abfurdity to re quire any confutation. If our minds can reft fatisfied with that folution, there is an end of all rational en quiry ; it may be faid every thing came from nothing, and there is no caufe to be fought of any perfeftion whatever. But if this be what we cannot poffibly ac- quiefce in, (and indeed I will venture to fay no man can, however he may force himfelf to a ftupid inat tention,) there is nothing left to conclude, but that we were made moral agents by an intending intelli gent caufe. I do not at prefent carry the argument fo far as to infer from it the moral perfections of the Deity, tho' it will very well bear even that; but he that will fhut his eyes againft the evidence of under ftanding from Human Intelligence and Morality. 39 ftanding and defign in the formation of the human nature, as we fee it is form'd univerfally, with a fenfe of virtue and vice, good and evil, right and wrong in aftions, and with a neceffary approbation of the one and difapprobation of the other; I fay, he that can fhut his eyes againft this evidence, is hardened beyond the power of reafonable conviction, and is no more fit to be argued with. This I have endeavoured, by a diftinft confideration of the various works of God, to prove his Being, that is, (which was the point to be prov'd, and is directly the point in controverfy between us and Atheifts,) that the formation of the univerfe and all its parts, is to be attributed to an aftive intelligent and defigning Caufe. But if this be fo clear as we al- ledge, how comes it to pafs that any of mankind fhould deny it ; nay, that men, in whofe writings there is a confiderable appearance of reafoning and learning, profeffedly maintain the contrary principle ? That men ffiould be ignorant of God may be ac counted for from their inattention ; nor is it any pre- fumption at all againft the truth of his Being and Attributes ; fince we know in a multitude of inftances, that the generality of mankind are ignorant of the moft certain truths, tho' this is a matter of fuch common concernment and fo univerfally acknowledged in the world, that fcarcely any one is without a loud call to attend to it. But if the evidence be fo ftrong as is pretended, it is furprizing that men, otherwife fen fible, and whofe knowledge qualifies them to write in a tolerably confiftent manner, fhould avow a diffielief of this grand article. To remove this prejudice which may arife in fome minds from the profeffion of Atheifm by learned men, let it be obferved, Firft, That other great abfurdities, contrary to the cleareft evidence, even that of fenfe, have in like manner been advanc'd by philofophers themfelves, whether from an affectation of fuperior knowledge, enabling them to puzzle the plaineft D 4 truths 40 The Being of God proved truths and confound vulgar underftandings, or from whatever other caufe it proceeded, the fact is certain, that the moft extravagant opinions have been vented with a fhow of ftrong arguments to fupport them, and demonftrations have beep boafted of to prove what all mankind by their eye- fight knew to be falfe. It is very well known that Zeno and other philofophers have pretended to prove by demonftrative reafons that there is not, nor can be any fuch thing as motion. Secondly, The nature of this fubjeft is fuch, that our weak minds muft neceffarily be embarraffed in their conceptions of it : the neceffary exiftence and abfolute perfeftions of the fupreme Being, which our reafon obliges us to afcribe to him, are fo far beyond our comprehenfion, that we cannot poffibly form an ade quate idea of them. How can we, feeing all things about us in the world circumfcrib'd within certain bounds, confcious of limited exiftence, a limited power and underftanding, and a fhort duration, com prehend infinity and eternity which muft belong to the firft Caufe of all things ? This incomprehenfible- nefs, and thefe difficulties in conceiying what is fo high above us, have been magnified by men, thro' the pride of their hearts, into ftrong objections againft the truth, otherwife fully evident ; and a fond conceit of their own abilities, which made them fcorn to ac knowledge any thing too hard for them, was the fatal Inare which betray'd them into the moft horrid im piety. Thus, by what they called wifdom, or by a falfe fhow of knowledge, they know not God, tho' he manifefted himfelf clearly to them by his works. Thirdly, The opinions concerning the Deity, which fometimes prevail'd among thofe who profefs'd to believe it, were fo abfurd, that fome were tempted by them to doubt of, or deny it altogether. When the glory of God was changed into the image of corruptible men, and of birds and four-footed beafts and creeping things -, and the Godhead was parcell'd out among a multitude of things, or rather inconfiftent notions which from Human Intelligence and Morality. 41 which had no manner of likenefs to the true God ; when the doctrine of Theifm was thus mifreprefented, it is not very much to be wondered at, that fome fhould be led to reject it in the lump, who had not underftanding, candour and patience enough to ex amine things narrowly, that they might diftinguiffi between truth and falfhood. The tranfition from Polytbeifm to Atheifm, and from a foolifh, immoral and barbarous religion to none at all, was only a tran fition from one abfurdity to another. But in the laft place, above all, the vicioufnefs of men's tempers and the wickednefs of their lives, which they were unwilling to part with, was the pre vailing fnare whereby they were led into this greateft of all errors. They muft have been very unattentive to what may be commonly obferv'd in the world, and indeed to the conftitution of the human mind, who do not know that it is often biafs'd by its affections, and milled in its judgment of things by intereft and paffion. Men are difficultly perfuaded to embrace difagreeable opinions, and too eafily induc'd to believe what they wifh to be true. The flendereft appearances of reafon on the fide of inclination, pafs for ftrong arguments, and infuperable difficulties againft it are neglefted as trifling objeftions. Now, as the idea of God always takes in authority over men, his infpec- tion into their affairs and their accountablenefs to him, and is therefore accompanied with a fufpicion at leaft, that the crimes with which their confciences charge them, will meet with hisdifapprobation, and a puniffi ment from him, of which they know no meafure nor end ; 'tis this which fills them with a dread of his Being ; and becaufe they are obftinately unwilling to reconcile themfelves to the thoughts of it, and make it fit eafy on their minds by a refolution of forfaking their vicious courfes, they are led at laft to an utter denial of it, that fo they may get rid of thofe uneafy apprehenfions which arife in them from the confide ration of his moral charafter. But 42 The Being of God proved But the generality of bad men treat the principles- of religion with negleft ; they don't carry their oppo- fition to them fo far as to form any thing like a con fiftent fcheme of Atheifm, in which their minds may reft fatisfied as truth, but rather endeavour to bury them in forgetfulnefs, applying their thoughts to other affairs and amufements in which they take greater pleafure. They greedily entertain a bold jeft or a fally of wit which tends to countenance their vices. But the main fupport of them is ftupid inconfidera tion, which has all the effects of infidelity, with re gard to any influence on their praftice ; for principles not at all attended to, can no more excite the affections and regulate our conduft, than if they were not be lieved. Nor is inconfideration lefs criminal ; for the guilt of wrong opinions arifing wholly from negli gence, prejudices and bad difpofitions, wherever thefe are equally prevalent, they are equally faulty, whether they produce errors in judgment or not. It may be alledg'd on the other hand, that virtuous minds are prejudiced in favour of Theifm. As mora lity appears to them moft amiable, they are apt to imagine, perhaps without fufficient evidence, fuch a conftitution of things in the univerfe as is favourable to it : to intitle it to a perfeft underftanding of which they think it is worthy, and put it under the protec tion of irrefiftible power. I acknowledge this is fo far true, that I believe it is hardly poffible for a fincere lover of virtue, not to have his affections engag'd to the Deity, not to wifh his Being earneftly, if it fhould appear at all doubtful, or that any lufpicion lies againft it; and not to rejoice in it when he is fully perfuaded that it is true. Let an Atheift call this pre judice if he will, I ffiould never be affiam'd of it. A principle which has a neceffary connexion with vir tue, is its chief fupport, and without which it cannot prevail in the world -, fuch a principle is not danger ous if it can poffibly be a miftake, tho' its excellent tendency, I may fay abfolute neceffity to the happinefs of from Human Intelligence and Morality. 43 of mankind, is a ftrong prefumption of its truth. But if this be the prepoffeffion of virtuous minds, the contrary temper difpofes to a contrary opinion. Let thefe two be fet againft each other, that we may judge which is the moft becoming human nature, and has the greateft probability of leading us to a right judg ment. I believe at laft the caufe of religion and vir tue muft ftand or fall together, and the hearty friends of the latter cannot be enemies to the other. But ftill it may feem ftrange that this great funda mental article fhould be liable to any controverfy ; that fince it is of fo great importance to the duty and happinefs of intelligent creatures to acknowledge the fupreme Being, the evidence of his exiftence and his attributes is not fo ftrong as to exclude all poffibility of doubt. If this be meant as an objection againft, or ground of fufpicion concerning the truth of that grand article, the Being of God, it has no colour of argument to that purpofe. For the only principle it can reft upon is this, that nothing is to be certainly believ'd, which can at all be contradicted : and if that be allow'd, our knowledge will lie within a very nar row compafs. Except our own being, and fome few axioms of very little ufe, without fuch applications of them, and confequences from them, as may be in- volv'd in difpute, almoft nothing will pafs for certain. The exiftence of matter, the poffibility of motion, and even geometrical truths have been argued againft and deny'd ; nay, perhaps there is fcarcely any propo- fition capable of proof, but what is capable of being contradicted, thro' the weaknefs, inattention, or pre judices of men. If the pretence that the evidence of the divine Being and Attributes is not fo fatisfying as might be expected, at leaft not fo neceffitating as to exclude all poffibility of doubt ; if, I fay, the pretence be carried no farther than as an alledged inftance of defeftivenefs in the human conftitution, and therefore difficultly reconciled to the wifdom and goodnefs of its Author; the confideration of it in that view, does 1 not 44 The Being of God proved not belong to this place, where we are only infilling on the evidence of the principle itfelf And yet, not to pafs it by altogether unregarded, I obferve that the true meaning of the objection really amounts to no more than this, that it is hardly confiftent with the wifdom and goodnefs of God to make rational crea tures fo imperfect as we are, or wanting a certain per feftion which we imagine would have been very proper for them ; particularly without an intuitive know ledge of His exiftence, fuch as they have of their own being. Now how is it poffible for any man to prove that fuch a conftitution was wrong ; that in a world which contains fo great a variety of creatures with fo many different kinds and degrees of perfeftion, Wif dom and Goodnefs did not allow that there fhould be an order of intelligent beings, who fhould not indeed have the knowledge of their Maker, (upon which their duty and their greateft happinefs depends,) forced upon them, fo that they could not poffibly refift it, yet with fufficient evidence of the truth, and faculties enabling them to difcern it; at the fame time under obligations, which muft appear if they reflect on their own conftitution, to ufe their faculties for that pur pofe ? How wifdom and goodnefs may require that Atheifts fhould be dealt with, is quite another quef tion. What unhappinefs they may bring upon them felves by their own perverfenefs, leading them into their fatal error, or what allowances are to be made for particular infelicities in the condition of any, which may give fome occafion to it, God knows beft, and the Judge of the whole world will furely do right. But for us, our proper bufinefs is, without murmur ing at any appointed imperfeftions in our make, to improve all the advantages of it in the beft manner we can, that we may attain to the affectionate practi cal knowledge of our Creator, and thereby to all that perfeftion and happinefs to which it tends to raife our nature. And to conclude with a particular applica tion from Human Intelligence and Morality. 45 tion of the argument I have been infilling on. Since we have fo full proof of ruling intelligence in the formation and government of the world, fince all the works of nature proclaim it, and efpecially our own conftitution, (for who but the author of our beino- hath put wifdom in the inward parts, and given under- ftanditg to the heart * ? ) this is the charafter of the Deity which claims our higheft veneration. It is a very elegant defcription which Job f gives us of the excellence of wifdom, and which every attentive mind muft affent to, Man knoweth not the price there of, it cannot be gotten for gold, neither fhall filver be weighed for it. It cannot be valued with gold of Ophir, with the precious onix, or thefaphir. The gold and the chryftal cannot equal it, and the exchange of it fhall not be for jewels of fine gold. No mention fhall be made of coral or of pearl, for the price of wifdom is above rubies. The topaz of Ethiopia ftiall not equal it: But where (hall wifdom be found, and where is the place of under ftanding ? The depth, and the fea, and deftruclion, and death, fay it is not in them. The effects of it are fcat- ter'd over all the works of nature, and the whole oeconomy of providence, in a beautiful variety ; and the lively image of it is flampt on rational creatures, whom God has taught what is their true wifdom, namely to fear him, and to depart from evil, and to whom he has communicated fuch an underftanding as we cannot but account the high diftinguifhing pri vilege of their nature. But how much more to be admired, and worthy of our moft peculiar veneration and efteem, is the eternal fountain of intellectual light, who is himfelf only perfecl in knowledge. * Job xxxviii. 36. f Chap, xxviii. D I S- [46] DISCOURSE III. The Spirituality of the Divine Nature explained and aflerted. [ Abe rnethy. ] John iv. 24. God is a Spirit. I Have endeavoured in the foregoing difcourfes to prove that firft fundamental principle of religion, the exiftence of the Deity, or of an aftive intelligent Being, who is the original Caufe of all the great ap pearances in the corporeal fyftem of the univerfe, and of thofe felf-moving, fenfitive, and intellectual powers, with which many particular beings are endued. But intending to eftablifh this great truth on fuch a foun dation as ffiould comprehend all believers in God, however otherwife differing in their opinions, at the fame time the moft evident, and the leaft liable to difficulties, I abftrafted from the confideration of thofe properties, perfeftions or attributes, which belong to the Divine nature, not infilling even on its fpiri- tuality. Neverthelefs, it will fet the whole fubjeft ftill in a clearer light, and add great force to the argu ments which have been already adduced, if we can advance one llep farther, and prove that the fupreme, active and intelligent Caufe of all things, is fpiritual, or immaterial. And this I fliall endeavour to do in the following method ; Firft, I will fhew, from the frame The Spirituality of the Divine Nature, &c. 47 frame and appearances of the material world itfelf, that there is fuch a thing as fpirit, effentially different from matter. Secondly, That the beings which are endued with life, fenfe and underftanding, in a li mited degree of perfection, are fpiritual ; from whence it will evidently follow, that the original Caufe is himfelf a pure Spirit. Firft, To fhow from the frame and appearances of the material world itfelf, that there is fuch a thing as fpirit, effentially different from matter. This alone is fufficient to overthrow the fundamental grounds of Atheifm : For however different its forms be, they all agree in excluding fpirit from any fhare in the origin and conftitution of things, and in the effects we fee produc'd ; afcribing them all, even fenfe and felf-motion which we perceive in animals, nay, and underftanding which we are confcious of in our felves,— -afcribing all, I fay, to fenfelefs matter and its cafual or neceffary motion. The admiffion of fpirit would ruin the Atheiftic fcheme : for fpirit is fuppos'd to be effentially diftinft from body, being by its nature aftive and intelligent ; and if that be once allow'd to have an exiftence feparate from, and inde pendent on matter, by what pretence of reafon fliall counfel and defign be excluded out of the formation and government of the world, or any part of it i Nay, where can a barrier be fixed againft infinite perfec tion, or the Deity ? Now that fpirit muft be ad mitted, will appear from this confideration ; that at tending carefully to the obvious common properties of matter, we fhall find it impoffible, without having recourfe to the agency of fpirit, to account for the motion, the changes of the fituation, and of the magnitude, figure and other qualities of corporeal beings. It is the neceffary condition of all bodies, the very law of their nature, to continue in the ftate wherein they are, and to refift any alteration, until it it be effefted, and the refiftance conquered, by an external force. If this neceffarily belongs to all mat ter, 48 The Spirituality of the Divine Nature ter, its fmalleft and its greateft quantities, how fhall the beginning of motion and the moft common ap pearances in material nature itfelf, fuch as the changes of its form which depend upon motion, be explained without an external agent ? Thofe who have ftudied the powers of matter with the greateft exaftnefs, find that there is eftablifhed among all the bodies a law of mutual attraction and gravitation ; and by the help of this one obfervation, attending to it clofely and purfuing it through all its confequences, they have made the greateft improve ments in natural philofophy, and given the moft fa- tisfying explication which has yet appear'd, of the conftant motions and other great phaenomena in the vifible heavens and the earth. But they do not pre tend to tell us the caufe of attraction and gravitation, whereby all bodies tend towards each other, with a force greater or leffer according to their diftances : Only 'tis certain, this active moving force is not in bodies themfelves. For all which can be call'd their aftion on each other, or their impulfe, is by the con tact of their furfaces ; whereas the force of gravity operates at a diftance, and is always in proportion to the folid content of the gravitating and attracting bodies ; and therefore the immediate Caufe muft be iomething which pervades the intire mafs of them even to their very centers, and makes an impreffion upon every particle. In vain fhould we fly for a fa- tisfying foiution of this appearance, to a fubtle fluid matter, which penetrating folid bodies and filling their interftices, impels them towards each other. For befides that this is but an arbitrary fuppofition, it ought to be confidered that fubtle matter is matter ftill, paffive and undefigning, not acting but acted upon. The difficulty will remain, and the queftion, as chang'd by this hypothefis, be as hard to anfwer as the queftion concerning the caufe of gravitation without it. What is it that determines and gives a force to the (effentially unactive) fubtle matter of the fun, explained and afjerted. aq> fun, and the fubtle matter of the earth, whereby they impel thofe bodies towards each other with a force proportionable to the quantity of folid extended fub ftance they contain, when other bodies which con tain a leffer quantity of the like extended folid fub ftance, but are as open to the impreffions of the un- diftinguifhing fubtle matter, do not fo gravitate ? In fhort, if we ffiould heap material caufes upon material caufes to infinity, we fhall never be fatisfied in that way : there muft be a beginning of operation from an aftive principle, which we call fpirit, effentially diftinft from matter. The ideas of it and its pro perties, namely, activity and confcioufnefs, are as different from extenfion, folidity, divisibility and figure, which belong to all bodies, as any ideas in our minds can poffibly be. The more We confider, the more we fhall be convinc'd that matter of itfelf, and without fpirit, can produce nothing even in it felf, none of its own appearances, neither motion, gravity nor form ; it is capable of being varioufly compounded and divided ; it is capable of various figures and fituations ; but it can neither compound nor divide itfelf, neither change its figure nor fituation. If it be fo, we muft conclude there is fuch a thing in the world as fpirit, effentially different from, but intimately prefent with all bodies which we fee, and continually operating upon them, for it is the efficient caufe of their moft common and conftant appearances. Mechanifm itfelf cannot be without fpirit, for the mechanical powers of matter, commonly fo called, depend upon it, fince gravity is owing to its influence. It is true all this does not directly prove underftand ing in the caufe of motion, gravity, and other com mon appearances in the material world ; but it proves activity effentially different from matter, which forms it and produces the moft important effects that ap pear in it. And this is fufficient to overturn the grounds of Atheifm, ffiowing that matter is not the Vot. I. E fole 50 The Spirituality oj the Divine Nature fole being or fubftance in the univerfe, and the fole orio-in and caufe of all things. Befides, as we find by experience in ourfelves, and other agents as far as we know, activity is ftill accompanied with thought and perception. There can be no rational pretence for denying underftanding to the great aftive form ing principle of the corporeal fyftem, without which, matter, if it could poffibly have exifted, muft have remain'd an eternal chaos, devoidof motion, and confequently of various figure, or any kind of regu lar appearance. What limits can be fet to the intel lectual perfection of that mighty Agent, who is in dependent of the material world, on whom it necef- fanly depends, prior in nature : For he is the author of its form, and has moulded its parts into their dif ferent fhapes, with all the diverfity of their different qualities, and given it thofe laws by which it is ftill govern'd ? Rather indeed what we call its laws, are his own continued, uniform and regular operations. And tho', as I obferv'd before, fome who believ'd a Deity, weakly imagin'd him to be corporeal, not conceiving any fubftance diftinct from matter ; this was only an inconfiflency in their notions, which proceeded from not attending to the irreconcileable difference between the ideas of material qualities and intelligence. If they had fully confidered their own acknowledg'd principle of an eternal, all -wife and powerful mind, comparing with it the effential and moft obvious properties of all matter, this would have corrected their error. But the cafe is very dif ferent of thofe who therefore exclude fpirit, becaufe they exclude original contrivance and agency ; who not only profefs, but their fcheme neceffarily requires them to do fo, as the chief fecurity of their grand principle againft the exiftence of God, that there is no being in the univerfe but matter, from the modi fications whereof all appearances arife, even intelli gence itfelf. Which fcheme is effectually refuted, if it be prov'd that the fimpleft and moft common 2 qualities explained and tijjerted, §1 qualities of matter upon which its appearances depend, muft be attributed to the energy of an aftive imma terial principle. Secondly, The beings which are endu'd with life, fenfe and underftanding, in a limited degree of per feftion, are fpiritual ; that is, the vital fenfitive and intelligent principles in them are fpiritual. Indeed ic would feerh impoffible in the nature of things, that matter fhould by any modification, that is, any mo tion and change of the figure and order of its parts, be exalted even into animal fenfation, much lefs into pure intellection abftrafted from any fenfible quality. The reafoning of fome ancient writers is very ftrong to prove that the percipient of material objects and their fenfible qualities cannot be itfelf material. For if it were, the perceptive faculty muft either be lodg'd in one fingle indivifible point ; or in every point of the extended fubftance ; or elfe every part muft receive only a feveral part of the image or im - preffion, and the perception be the refult of the whole compar'd and united together. The firft of thefe fuppofitions is an evident abfurdity, there being no fuch thing as an indivifible point or particle of mat ter ; and if there were, how can it be conceiv'd that a fingle atom in every animal ffiould be only fenfitive, the reft wholly incapable of that privilege ; that it fhould alike receive the impreffion of all magnitudes ; and that it ffiould be invariably permanent through the whole life, when the other particles of matter which enter into the conftitution are in a perpetual flux. That the whole perceptive power or the entire fenfation, is not in every part of the fuppofed ma terial foul, is as manifeft ; for upon that fuppofition, an animal would be, not a fingle percipient, but a collection of them ; and the perception itfelf muft be various, compounded of many ; contrary to what we know it is by our own confcioufnefs of its perfeft fim- plicity. And Laftly, to fay that every part of the perceiving extended fubftance, receives a feveral part v ~ of $z The Spirituality of the Divine Nature of the image or impreffion of the external object, will no way account for perception ; becaufe percep tion being fingle, it muft, on that fuppofition, be the refulfof the whole united ; and in order to that union, the parts muft be brought to an indivifible point, properly the percipient, which has been already ihewn to be abfurd. If this reafoning be thought not obvious enough, (I have however fet it in the clearer! light I could,) yet it will naturally appear to any attentive perfon, very unreafonable to think, if not altogether unconceivable, that a body put into any form, (bring really no more than an aggregate of parts void of life and fenfe,) fhould by any poffible difpofition of its parts, be rais'd to a capacity of ani mal fenfation, the idea of which has not the leaft affi nity with divifibility, magnitude, figure or any qua lity of matter. If it be fo, we muft conclude that there are beings in the world effentially different from matter. But the argument for the immateriality of the human foul will appear ftill ftronger, if we con fider the exercife of its purely intellectual powers. We have the ideas of matter by our fenfes, repre fenting to our minds its fenfible qualities, from which we infer its particular kind of exiftence, as the occa fion, or fomewhat which has the power of exciting thofe ideas. But attending to the exercifes of our own minds, and reflecting on them, we have ideas of an intirely different kind, which do not take in any of the properties of matter, fuch as folidity, divifi bility and figure, nor its fecondary qualities, as hard- nefs, colour and the like, nor the idea of motion. Of this fort are perception, confcioufnefs, the affec tions of the mind, its defires and volitions or felf- determinations, and the more complex qualities of gratitude, juftice, generofity, mercy and other vir tues ; the fubjeft of thefe we call fpirit. Now thefe two kinds of ideas are as different as any can poffibly be, without any mutual relation or agreement at all ; and if we may not from thence infer a real difference between explained and afferted. 53 between the fubjefts of the properties which are re prefented by fuch effentially diftinft ideas, there can be no certainty of human knowledge. If thefe two points be fettled upon clear evidence, that the aftive principle wliich form'd and governs the corporeal world is a fpirit, .and that the animating principles of the fenfitive and rational life are fpirits, we muft infer that God alfo is a Spirit. For either he himfelf is the immediate forming and directing Caufe of the corporeal fyftem and its appearances ; or the aftive principle, which is the immediate Caufe, is deriv'd from him ; and all the intelligent agents in the univerfe, not abfolutely perfect nor eternal and unoriginated, (of which there is a numberlefs variety,) being fpirits, cannot be the accidental or neceffary refult of certain difpofitions in the parts of matter, but muft proceed from an original intelligent and powerful Spirit: For that no perfeftion can belong to the effect which does not, in the fame, or a more eminent degree belong to the Caufe. But even upon fuppofition that the argument were not conclufive with refpeft to fenfitive and inferior rational beings, and that it were not impoffible for a particular fyftem of matter to be endu'd with all the faculties of the human foul, yet ftill it holds concerning the fupreme original Caufe of all things. For that fuppofed poffibility, (which fome learned men allow, at the fame time firmly believing that the Deity is, and ne- ceffarily muft be immaterial,) means no more than that we are fo ignorant of the effences and properties of things, as not to be fure of an utter inconfiftency, in fuppoting that Omnipotence may endue a part of matter with the capacity of thought : But that mat ter merely of itfelf, and without the agency of a fu perior power, has not that capacity, and confe- quently, that original intelligence cannot be corpo real, is fufficiently evident. Let us now more particularly confider this per fection of the Deity, which in our Saviour's judg- E 3 ment 54 The Spirituality of the Divine Nature ment is a moft neceffary point of belief; for he taught it to a very ignorant perfon, and lays it as the foundation of the perfeft and acceptable worfhip thus defcrib'd, worflnp in fpirit and truth. 'Tis princi pally with this view we fhould apply our minds to the confideration of the Divine Attributes. All men who believe the Being of God, agree in acknow ledging he is to be worfhipped. Nature teaches us benevolence to an intelligent Being, reverence and fubmiffion to a fuperior, and gratitude to a benefactor, But if there is a God, he is the moft perfeft Intelli gence, the fupreme Lord, as being the independent Caufe of things, and to him we owe our exiftence, ad our powers and all our happinefs. Therefore to him our beft affections are unqueftionably due, with the moft proper and reafonable expreflions of them, Befides, his unlimited dominion over us makes it our higheft intereft to pleafe him as far as poffibly we can, and obtain his approbation. Thefe consi derations fhow that nothing can concern us more than to underftand the true charafter of the Supreme Being. Their ignorance of him involv'd multitudes of mankind in fuperftition, which was reproachful to their, rational nature, and in confequence of that, in jnoft fcandalous and deftruftive vices. Becoming vain in their imaginations concerning the divine perfeftions, their foolijh hearts were darkened, and they changed the glory of the incorruptible God into images made like corruptible things ; in purfuance of which they were abandon'd to vile affetlions, to a reprobate mind *, and to unnatural wickednefs. It is true, that errors concerning the moral attributes of God, have the moft immediate ill influence on the tempers and man ners of men, becaufe he being firft fuppos'd to be an pbject of the higheft efteem and veneration, we fhall naturally incline to imitate the difpofitions and qua lifies which we afcribe to him, and account it our * Rom, i. 2i, 23, 24. glory explained a?td afferted. 5 5 glory to do fo. For which reafon, when the heathens imagin'd their gods were corrupt, paflionate, re vengeful and lalcivious, it was to be expected that the worlhippers fhould- alfo, after their example, be corrupt, indulging themfelves without reftraint, in the fame paffions and the fame fenfual gratifications. But the natural perfeftions of the Deity are of a dif ferent confideration ; for they are not the patterns which we pretend, or are fuppofed to imitate. It never enter'd into any man's mind that he muft be eternal, iramenfe and unchangeable like God, or fuch a fpirit as he is. Yet the natural perfeftions tend to raife in our minds a high admiration of God ; and befides, are confider'd as the foundation of the moral attri butes, in the eminent degree wherein he is poffefs'd of them. So that erroneous opinions concerning the one, lead to pernicious miftakes about the other, and therefore it is neceffary for us to inquire, as far as our faculties will enable us, into thofe divine perfections which are commonly called natural, by way of dif tinftion from the moral, and to fettle our notions concerning them. We cannot indeed by fearching find out God, nor underftand the Almighty to per fection : His effence is not to be comprehended by the human underftanding, nor any of his attributes. Wrhen we call him a fpirit, 'tis but a very obfcure and inadequate idea we exprefs by that word. The truth is, tho' we know there is a real difference be tween body and fpirit, and this diftinftion is generally thought, (I will not affirm it to be exactly true,) to comprehend all kinds of beings in the univerfe, the 'fubjefts of the properties, qualities and modes of which we have any notion, or as they are commonly called, fubftances, yet, we do not underftand the intimate effence of either. But the denomination of fpirit is juftly attributed to God, and gives us a true, tho' imperfect idea of his nature, as comprehending Confcioufnefs, intelligence, liberty and affections, the bundation and capacity of moral perfection and hap- E 4 pincfs, 56 The Spirituality of the Divine Nature pinefs, which are the chief excellencies of inferior fpi rits above all material beings, and muft eminently belong to the Father of Spirits. That we may proceed further, and avoid miftakes in forming our notions of this fubject, let it be ob ferved, that as in the corporeal fyftem we fee a vaft variety of forms, and in refpeft of various and im portant ufe, regularity, magnificence, and other qua lities which ftrike the imagination, there are fome bodies which appear much more excellent than others; fo we cannot doubt but there may be, indeed that there are, many different kinds of beings compre hended under the general denomination of fpirit. One low kind which we know beft, are our own fouls ; which in the exercife of their faculties, have at prefent a great dependence on our bodies and their organs. But there is no reafon at all to imagine, that the fame is the condition of all fpirits, and in every ftate. For as we perceive an effential difference between body and fpirit, between the ideas of which and their pro perties there is no connexion, the mutual dependence of them which we find in ourfelves, cannot be rea- fonably thought to arife from the nature of fpirit ; but the union of foul and body fo as to make one man (the nature of which union we do not under ftand, only difcern that the compounding parts have a mutual dependence and influence on each other) this, I fay, is rather to be attributed to the free conftitution and appointment of our Creator. There is no reafon then why we fhould not conclude that our fouls may, and that they fhall fubfift in a feparate ftate, and exe'rjj ' their powers more perfectly than they do now. And there is no reafon why we fhould not believe that there may be, and that there are other kinds of fpi rits, which have not, nor ever had a dependence, in their being, perfeftions and operations, on matter or any bodily organs. Thefe appear to be the mofl ex cellent kind of fpirits, which are the moft indepen dent on bodies, as being more unconfin'd in their manner explained and afferted. $y manner of perceiving external objects, and their acti vity not limited to a narrow fphere ; befides being free from many other inconveniences, which our own experience teaches us that fuch a condition as ours is liable to. But the fupreme Spirit is alone abfolutely perfeft and independent, having the intire fyftem of matter under his direction, to form and difpofe of it at his pleafure, not fubjeft to fuch impreffions from it, nor tied down to fuch a manner of acting upon it, as inferior fpirits are, by the limited condition of their nature, and by the conftitution which he has appointed for them. The notion of fome ancient philofophers, particu larly the Stoics, that God is the foul of the world, was mean and unworthy of his high perfeftions. Tho' it imply'd an acknowledgment of the Divine Prefence in all parts of the univerfe, every where in telligent and governing the whole, and reprefented all, even the moft different and the moft diftant parts of the world, as united together in one fyftem, under the care and direction of one fympathizing intelligent nature, which continually promotes the greateft abfo lute good of the whole, (which was a noble fentiment much infilled on by fome of thofe learned men, and improved by them to excellent practical purpofes ;) yet that the Deity animates the Mundane fyftem in the fame manner that the human foul animates the human body, is too low a way of thinking concerning the fupreme Being. For befides that it naturally leads one to imagine an independence of the world in its being, on the eternal Spirit, (as the human mind does not make its own body, nor has a power over its exiftence,) which probably was the erroneous opi nion of fome of the ancients, and tends to limit the Divine abfolute Perfeftions and Prefence to created nature ; it carries in it fuch an idea of his fubjection to impreffions, and even uneafineffes arifing from the diforders of the world, as is inconfiftent with the in finite immutable excellence and happinefs of his inde pendent 5 8 The Spirituality of the Divine Nature pendent Being, The notion of an eminent modern philofopher is much more juft and reafonable, who, as the refult of his moft curious and excellent obferva tions on the Divine counfel and power manifefted in the fyftem of the univerfe, fays, that the Deity im ports the dominion of a fpiritual Being over the world, not as his own body but as his fervants, intirely fub ject to his government*. This leads us to confider the peculiar and tranfcen- dent excellence of God as a Spirit. Tho' fome infe rior beings have the fame denomination, and are truly of a fpiritual nature, yet he is of an intirely different, and infinitely more perfect kind. There may be, for aught we know, as great a diverfity in the fpiritual, as in the material world ; as many different fpecies of fpirits, that is, of beings which have no bodily fub ftance, as there are of vifible forms ; and fome of them as much inferior to, as well as diftinft from others, as the lower kinds of life, perception and acti vity, are from dead and fenfelefs matter itfelf. We muft not therefore imagine, that we have form'd an adequate idea of God's nature, when we have proved him to be a fpirit, and conceive of him as fuch; meaning by that name a living, intellectual and aftive being, effentially diftinguifhed from corporeal fub ftance. For tho' that is truly affirm'd of him in com mon with other fpirits, yet he excels all other, even intellectual natures, more than our fouls do the loweft inanimate beings. There are two principal properties of fpirit, intel ligence and activity, which as I have fhewn, muft be attributed to the Deity ; but they belong to him in an infinitely higher degree, and are exercifed by him in a more perfeft manner than by any dependent being. Tho' the common ufe of all languages afcribes to God the perceptions we are confcious of in ourfelves, as feeing and hearing and remembrance ; nay, and the organs of fenfation, fuch as eyes and ears; yet fcarce- * Sir Ifaac Newton, Schol. Ger.er. explained and ajferted. 59 ly are there any fo ignorant as to underftand thefe forms of fpeaking in a literal fenfe, but every one means by them the Divine moft exact knowledge and difcernment of things, to which our low and imper fect manner of perceiving by corporeal organs, bears fome analogy. He that made the eye of man, to con vey to him fuch a reprefentation and knowledge of external objects as is not compleat and thoroughly comprehensive of their nature, but accommodated to the purpofes of our prefent ftate, and proportionate to the other imperfect faculties of the human mind; he, the Maker, fees, not in a ftrict and proper fenfe as we do, but underftands all things in a more eminent and perfect manner. He that made the ear, the in- ftrument by which are convey'd to us, the fentiments and defires of our fellow-creatures moving our affec tions ; he, in a fuperior and more perfect way, knows and underftands the fentiments and defires of all in telligent beings, whether conceiv'd only in the mind or exprefs'd by the mouth. In like manner as the human ftrength and power of operation are exerted by the means of arms and hands, thefe bodily organs are figuratively attributed to God to denote his Al mighty power; tho' it is exercifed by him in a quite different manner, which we cannot comprehend, but we are fure it is not like tedious and laborious human operation. In a fpecial manner it is to be obferved, that many of the fprings of action in embodied fpirits, letting their powers at work, and which we are confcious ot in ourfelves, tho' they are analogically attributed to the infinite eternal Mind, yet do not properly belong to him. The wife Author of our conftitution has feen fit to mix in it, with fuperior faculties, fome lower appetites and paffions, which powerfully excite us to purfue the ends of our nature in the prefent imperfect ftate. Our minds are furniflied with determinations which tend to the prefervation of the body, and to the comfort and happinefs of the animal life : we have defires 60 The Spirituality of the Divine Nature defires and affections which rife no higher in their de fign ; and we have paffions which are excited by, and accompanied with certain motions in the body. But the divine purely fpiritual nature is infinitely above thefe infirmities. Some of the heathens were fo grofs as to think the gods capable of fenfual defires, and pleafure in the gratification of them ; and perhaps there are others who imagine fomething like human paffions in the Deity, and particularly the paffions of pity, hatred, anger and grief. Indeed the Scripture itfelf fpeaks of God's hating the wicked, of his bowels of compaffion mov'd for diftreffed creatures, and of his anger and grief. But thefe expreffions are only us'd in the fame figurative manner of fpeaking as when the bodily organs of fenfe and motion are afcrib'd to him, and we fhould be far from thinking there are any fuch emotions in his moft bleffed and perfect mind, as we feel in our felves arifing from things fur- prifing or difagreeable to us. A little reflection will convince us, that fuch paffions fhow the im perfection of our ftate, and a mixture of unhap- pinefs in it; and therefore they cannot poffibly affect the infinite felf-fufficiency, the undifturb'd reft and the perfeft felicity of the fupreme independent Being. When therefore he is fpoken of as having indignation, compaffion, anger or grief, it is only to be underftood as an analogical reprefentation of his conduct as governour of the world towards his crea tures. What men would do when they are compaf- fionate, angry or grieved, that God does, or produces a fimilar effeft, with unerring wifdom, perfeft tran quillity and goodnefs, without the weaknefs of pity, the fenfation of forrow, or perturbation of wrath. Again, an unchangeable life or abfolute immortality, is a property belonging to the Divine nature as it is fpiritual. Our fpirits are fubjeft to pains and changes in their condition, from the body and otherwife ; pther fpirits of a higher order may be fo too in various de grees ; but the moft perfeft Spirit is infinitely above the reach of fufferings, and infinitely remote from all nnfTi- explained and ajferted. (h poffibility of change. Such is the abfolute fimplicity of his Being, free from any mixture or compofition, there are no feeds or principles of decay within him, nor can he fuffer from any thing without. We find by experience, that our compounded natures, made up of different parts, are liable to diffolution ; it is the more fimple fpiritual part of our conftitution that fhall outlive the prefent ftate, and being diflodg'd of the earthly tabernacle, fhall fubfift feparately. But there is a great difference between our immortality and God's : Ours, as we were created for his good plea fure, continually depends upon it, and may ceafe if he pleafes ; but it is impoffible he ffiould not be the living God, the fame immutable Spirit, yefterday and to day and for ever. I fhall only add, as the foundation of the improve ment I propofe to make of this fubjeft, and which the text leads us to, namely, the regulating of our worfhip ; That the Deity is not refembled by any fenfible forms ; His nature and attributes are alike effentially different from all the properties and qualities of matter, and no one part of it makes any nearer approaches to him than another. He is not to be touched or handled, and no man hath feen him at any time, nor can fee bim. The moft fubtle aether, or the pureft light, is no image of his fpiritual fubftance ; and the human fhape is no more a true reprefentation of God than the fhape of any other animal, nay, than a clod of earth or any other inanimate thing. It was therefore wifely provided by the Lawgiver of the Jews, ( whofe prin cipal care feems to have been the preferving of their worfhip from idolatry,) that no image ffiould be made of the Godhead ; and he gives the reafon for it, that in all the miraculous appearances and extraordinary manifeftations God had ever vouchfafed to them, (and they were very many,) they had never feen any fimili tude ; there was never any handle given them for fo abfurd and grofs a conceit, as that the Deity is like any vifible being in the whole world. We read often of 62 The Spirituality of the Divine Nature of God's difcovering his glory to them, as at the giving of the law, by a prodigious tempefl, thunder and fire ; and in their march thro' the wildernefs, by a cloud in the day, and a pillar of fire in the night, which were called the tokens of his prefence ; tho' really he is alike prefent in all places. Such aftonifhing things were apt to ftrike the minds even of very ftupid people with a fenfe of his interpofition in their behalf; and that his care and power were employ'd for them. But ftill there was no determinate fhape, no figure of any abiding fenfible objeft, imitable by human art, whereby they fhould have the leaft countenance or occafion given them, to make an image of their God, or change his glory into the likenefs of any creature. It is true, we read fometimes in the old Teftament of divine appearances in a human form. Thus God is faid to have fpoken to Mofes face to face as a man fpeaks to his friend; and of the three angels which appeared to Abraham in the likenefs of men, before the deftruftion of Sodom, one was diftinguifh'd by the peculiar vene ration of that eminent faint, as of a fuperior charafter. But this feems to be rightly underftood by interpreters concerning the MeJJias, that divine Perfon who was in the form of God, before his incarnation. Several paffages of the Old Teftament and the New compar'd together, plainly intimate that he was with the Israel ites, conducting them as the divine Prefence, and the Angel of the covenant, in whom the name of God was. St. Stephen, in the 7th of the ASs, fpeaking of God's appearing to Mofes in the burning bufli, and faying with an audible voice, I am the God of Abraham and the God of Ifaac and the God of Jacob ; St. Stephen, I fay exprefsly attributes this to the perfon whom he calls the Angel of the Lord, and who was with Mofes in the churchin thewildernefs. Andthe ApoftlePaa/* men tioning the fins and punifhments of the Ifraelites in the wildernefs, for an admonition to us on zohom the ends of theworldare come, clearly infinuates that Chrift was pre- * 1 Cor, x. fent explained and ajferted. 6* fent with them directing their affairs -, for he fays *, neither let us tempt Chrift, as fome of them alfo tempted, and were deftroyed of ferpents. Thus as our Lord Jefus Chrift, the image of the inviftble God, in the ful- nefs of time, affum'd the human nature, the word was made flefh and dwelt with us as in a tabernacle, mani- fefting the glory of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. Before his incarnation he acted with full power, reprefenting his Father in his tranf- aftions with men ; by him God made the world, and by him govern'd the church : But the Divine nature it felf, the effence of the fupreme Being is invifible ; to whom is God like, or whereunto can he be refembled ? I fhall- in the next place, confider the practical purpofe to which our Saviour has gone before us, in applying this important doctrine of natural religion afferted in the text, namely, the regulating our wor fhip. Firft of all, we may fee the abfurdity of that practice which great multitudes of mankind have run into, the forming corporeal images of the Deity as mediums of worfhip. The worffiipping of falfe gods, that is beings, whether real or imaginary, to which Divinity is falfely attributed, is an error againft other religious principles, either againft the exiftence of the true God, or his unity : But this fpecies of idolatry, fo early introduc'd into the world, and which fo generally prevail'd in it for many ages, is a moft direct and heinous indignity to the fpiritual Divine nature. The unre"afonablenefs of it, one would think, might eafily appear to men, if they did but ferioufly reflect on themfelves. For how juft and evidently conclufive is St. Paid\ argument to the Athenians ? Afts xvii. 29. Forafmuch then as we are the offspring of God ; — we intelligent creatures, confcious of intellectual and felf-determining powers, and of noble affections which do not terminate on fenfible objects, but on fpiritual and moral excel lence ; we ought not to think that the Godhead is like * 1 Cor. x. v. 9. unto 64 The Spirituality of the Divine Nature unto gold orftlver orftone, graven by art or man's devicei What man is fo far loft to a juft fenfe of the dignity of his nature, as not to know that the vital principle within him of thought, of choice, of fublime defire, of rational and moral pleafure, is far more noble than a whole world of corporeal inanimate beings ? And fhould we then fo affront the Father of our fpirits, from whom all their excellence is deriv'd, himfelf the original and pureft Spirit, as to imagine he is like any material and corruptible thing ? Superftition grew by degrees in the world, to fuch a height of ftupidity and barbarity, as was reproach ful to the intelligent human nature ; but the begin nings of it were more refin'd and plaufible. The firft idols probably were the fun, moon and ftars, not as the ultimate objects of worfhip, but as the fuppos'd habitations of the Deity, the vifible inftruments and magnificent reprefentations of his power and goodnefs : But afterwards thofe creatures themfelves were ho nour' d befides the Creator, and were admitted to a par ticipation of the refpeft due to him. For fuch is the weaknefs of men's minds, and if they do not care fully watch againft it, their attention is fo eafily in- grofs'd by the objects of fenfe continually before them, and which they find ufeful, that they forget things of vaftly greater excellence and moment, which require careful reflection to preferve a lively fenfe of them. They proceeded next to the deifying of departed Heroes, imagining that their virtues were rewarded with an exaltation to a high dignity in the other world, and that they were even taken into a ffiare of the divine adminiftration, ftill having an affectionate remembrance of their friends and their country, to which they had been ufeful upon earth. As thefe men, fuppofed to be advanc'd to Godhead, were of mixt characters, the idea of the Divine moral purity and perfection began to be alter'd, and vices had their patrons among the Gods, till at length ig norance and corruption ftill increafing, fome of them i were explained and afjerted. 65 were worfhipped with the moft obfcene and inhuman rites. Even brute animals of feveral kinds, and ve getables too became idols ; and in fine, whatever re commended itfelf to the affections of men by its ufe- fulnefs, and whatever was dreaded by them becaufe it might be hurtful, was worfhipped. Thus we fee that the tendency of departing from the fimplicity of a reafonable fervice, is to the moft abfurd opinions and practices, as oppofite to real religion as Atheifm itfelf is : In this refpeft worfe, becaufe they deftroy humanity, and under the pretence of devotion, give a fanftion to thofe crimes which nature itfelf, abftraft- ing from any confideration of God, would abhor. Every kind of idolatry, even the moft refin'd, and for which the beft excufes are made, (fuch as, that worfhip is not intended to terminate on the inferior beings, fenfible objects or others, before which it is offered, but that they are only us'd as helps \o de votion, preferving ftill a higher regard for God, who is the ultimate objeft of adoration ;) every kind of idolatry, I fay, is founded in falffioad, as the natural progrefs of it is to the utter fubverfion of all true piety and virtue. It proceeds from, or imports fuch ndtions as thefe, which are contrary to the abfolute perfection of the divine, immenfe and fpiritual Being, That the prefence of God is confin'd to fome particular parts of the univerfe, to the fun, the liars or fome eminently facred place upon earth ; and that he can poffibly be reprefented by fome vifible fimili tude ; or that there are fome material objects which give us a truer and jufler idea of his nature than others. It is therefore neceffary above all things, in order to the praftice of true religion, and perfevering in it, that we endeavour by a conftant and diligent at tention, to fix in our minds becoming fentiments con cerning the Deity, as a moft pure and perfeft Spirit. I have faid that idolatry (which in all its forms, even the moft innocent of them, is an error againft the doctrine of the text) tends to corrupt the tempers Vol. I. F and 66 The Spirituality oj the Divine Nature and the manners of men ; but the obfervation deferves to be farther corifidered, and we may fee it juftified by the conftant experience of the world. St. Paul, in the firft chapter of his epiftle to the Romans, teaches us concerning the Gentiles, and their own hiftories confirm it, that tho' they knew God, (for his works proclaim his being and perfections intelligibly to all mankind,) and their firft and moft natural fentiments concerning him were the beft ; yet not liking to re tain him in their knowledge, they changed his truth into a lie, that is, into idolatry, built upon a falfe founda tion, and repugnant to the real nature of the Deity. In confequence of which, they were abandon'd to fuch monitrous and unnatural wickednefs, as nothing could have drawn them into but their idolatrous fuper- ftition. And we find that the declenfions of the Jews so impiety and wickednefs, began with invent ing means and inftruments of fervice to the true God ; but from thence proceeded to groffer kinds of fuper- flition, which at laft extinguiffied all fenfe of vir tue and humanity, carrying them to the unnatural cruelty of facrificing their own children to Moloch. Even among Chriftians themfelves, fuperftition has had very lamentable effects ; fome of them not only fubftituting their falfe worfhip in the place of virtue, and making atonement by it tor their fins, but being Jed by a blind zeal for their own inventions, to fuch barbarity, as men, without a pretence of religion, would never have been guilty of. 2 dly, Since God is a fpirit, we can never reafonably hope to pleafe him by merely corporeal things or bodily exercifes. There are, 'tis true, external acts of homage and adoration neceffary to be perform'd to God. In our prefent ftate the affections of the mind are naturally exprefs'd by outward aftions. Benevolence, efteem, gratitude,, and other difpofitions towards our fellow-creatures, are not filent and un- iiftive in the heart. Nature and cuftom have thought us the proper expreffions whereby they fhew them felves 5 explained and offer ted. £y felves ; and if thefe be altogether omitted, we fhall fcarcely believe the inWard principles have a being. By parity of reafon, if we have internal good affec tions towards the Deity, the fincerity and the force of them appear by proper outward afts. But the fin cerity of intention, and truly pious affections can only be acceptable to God. Without thefe no forms of devotion or feemingly religious works, however pom pous, expenfive and magnificent, are of any value at all. Such formal fervice not proceeding from juft fentiments, nor animated by inward good affections, is unworthy of our rational fpirits to perform, and unworthy of the divine Spirit to accept. What no tion can any man have of the Deity, who imagines that facrifices and other ceremonious performances will pleafe him, when feparated from virtuous difpo fitions and a good life ? The queftion which the Pfalmift puts in the name of God to the formal wor- ihipper, is a very proper one, Will I eat the flefh of bulls, or drink the blood of goats ? * For, however abfurd that be, no better account can be given of the hypocrite's fpiritlefs devotion, who is laborious in the forms and ceremonies of worfhip, but utterly negli gent of moral duties, which alone he has any reafon to think, can recommend him to the approbation of a pure fpirit. God does not fee as man fees ; he has not thofe views of fenfible things, nor thofe affections and defires to them which we have. Will he be delighted with a fine picture or an expenfive ftatue ? Are gold and filver more precious to him than common earth ? Has he ears like ours, to be delighted with the me lody of founds ? Thefe are grofs imaginations, un worthy of reafonable beings. Strange ! that ever it fhould enter into the heart of a man, that he could reconcile himfelf to God by thoufands of rams, and ten thoufand rivers of oil, or that offering the fruit of his body could expiate his crimes. And yet it is certain, there is fuch a pronenefs in mankind to this fort of * Pfal. 1. 13. F a fuper- 68 The Spirituality of the Divine Nature fuperftition, that not only they have been guilty of it who had no other guide than the light of nature, trefpafling thereby againft the plain dictates of rea fon, and particularly this important principle that God is a Spirit ; but even they who enjoy'd the be nefit of a divine revelation, have, many of them fallen into the fame error, contrary to the moft ex prefs warnings and reproofs given them by God's ex traordinary meffengers. Many of the ancient Jews plac'd their religion in facrifices and other ceremonial obfervances, in which they tru fled as fufficient to re commend them to the divine acceptance, and to make amends for the want of true repentance and re formation, notwithstanding the moft exprefs declara tions of the prophets, that no external fervice, tho' of divine inftitution, would be acceptable to God, without purity of heart and the practice of righteouf- nefs. The prophet Jeremy tells them *, that to truft in the temple of the Lord for their fecurity, whilft they did not amend their Jives, was to truft in lying words. He puts them in mind of the defolation that was brought upon Shiloh for the wickednefs of their fathers, tho5 it was a place once as facred, and the prefence of God was there, as confpicuoufly as after wards in the houfe which was built for him in Jem- falem ; and by that remarkable example in their own hiftory, he warns them that the temple would be no protection to them, if they continued in their crimes : Nay, while they were guilty of murder, adultery, op preffion, fraud, perjury and idolatry, their entrance into the temple as worihippers was a profanation of it, and turning the houfe of God into a den of thieves and robbers. But if they would pleafe God and be intitled to the accompliffiment of the promifes made to their fathers, they mull thoroughly amend their •ways and their doings, they muft execute jndgment be tween a man and his neighbour, they muft not epprefs the ftr anger, the fatherlefs and the widow, nor Jhed in- * Chap. vii. v. 4. nocent explained and ajferted. 69 nocent blood, neither walk after other gods*. The de clarations of the prophet Ifaiah are as clear and ftrong againft their vain confidence in their facrifices and re ligious affemblies, at their new moons, fabbaths and other feftivals, Chap. i. 11. To what purpofe is the multitude of your facrifices unto me, faith the Lord. — / , delight not in the blood of bullocks or of lambs, or of he- goats. When you come to appear before me, who hath . required this at your hands ? Bring no more vain obla tions, incenfe is an abomination to me ; the new moons and fabbaths, the calling of the affemblies I cannot away with, it is iniquity, even the folemn meeting : But wafh ye, make you clean, put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes, ceafe to do evil, learn to do well, feek judgment, relieve the oppreffed, plead for the widow. I wifh Chriftians were not chargeable with the fame fault ; but it is certain many of them are. Tho' our Saviour has taken great care to give his followers juft notions of the divine nature, and on that foundation to raife a reafonable fervice ; and tho' the Chriftian worfhip has ths characters of plainnefs and fimplicity in a more eminent degree than any other form ever had, yet has it been greatly corrupted by fome chrif tians : Efpecially the church of Rome has multiplied her rites and ceremonies to a greater number, and thereby made her fervice more burthenfome than the Jewijh inftitution itfelf was. If it was abfurd in the worfhippers of Baal to think that they could prevail with their God by cutting themfelves with lances, is it not equally abfurd in Chriftians, and much more in- excufable, to imagine that their God, whom they acknowledge to be a pure Spirit, will hear them tor their fpeaking much ; will be pleafed with their vain repetition of formal infipid devotion, which is the ex ercife of the body and not of the mind -, with pof- tures and vellments which carnal worfhippers have devifed, as fondly fancying a kind of humility and decency in them ; or with fallings, pilgrimages, and * Ver. 5, 6. F 3 fuch. 70 The Spirituality of the Divine Nature fuch like feverities, which God has not commanded, and which inftead of promoting repentance and true holinefs, are relied upon in place of them ; thus making void the precepts of the moral law, which are of eternal and immutable obligation ? * Other Chriftians make too near approaches to the fame kind of fuperftition, who place their religion in points of mere fpeculation, in a zeal for matters of fmall importance, or in pofitive duties, a diligent at tendance on affemblies for worfhip, receiving the fa- crament and fuch like outward, performances. Thefe things ought not to be left undone, becaufe God has prefcrib'd them ; but they are enjoin'd to intelligent creatures, and the ufes and defigns of them are fully explained. In general they are all intended for the promoting of good difpofitions in men, and the praftice of virtue -, and we may be affured our obfer- vance of them is no farther pleafing to God, than as they are, this way, ufeful to ourfelves. Therefore to lay any fire fs on pofitive inftitutions, as if by any merit or efficacy in them, they could procure our ac ceptance with God, or in fome other unintelligible manner, do us good, without contributing to our inftruction, the exciting good affections in our minds and our progrefs in piety, righteoufnefs and charity ; — This is to alter the very nature of them, to feparate the means from the end to which God appointed to be fubfervient, and to abufe his ordinances to fuper ftition, which cannot be pleafing to him who is him felf perfectly intelligent, and delights in the reafon able fervice of his creatures. And to conclude, Laftly, If God is a Spirit, our duty in confequence of this principle, and in oppofition to the errors al ready mention'd, is to worfhip him in fpirit and truth, that is, with fincerity, with our beft affections, and the moft vigorous exercife of our inward powers. We cannot but have an abhorrence and contempt in our minds of hypocrify. Any profeffions of refpect to ourfelves which we know to be infincere, and not to, explained and ajferted. y\ to proceed from the heart, we would certainly reject with deteftation as real affronts. And fhall we then offer fuch an indignity to the omnifcient Spirit ? But if we confider what the fervice is, which our own minds upon calm* and deliberate reflexion approve, we fhall thereby underftand what is acceptable to God. It is the homage of the heart, the inward devotion of the foul and affections, with ferious attention, pro ceeding from clear apprehenfions and a firm perfua- fion of his adorable perfeftions, and evidencing its fincerity in our whole converfation by the fruits of holinefs ; it is an humble reverence for, and high efteem of his glorious excellencies, gratitude for his benefits, confidence in his mercy, fubmiffion to his will, and an imitation of his purity and goodnefs. Wherefore, let Jinners cleanfe their hands, and the double-minded purify their hearts; and thus, if they draw nigh to God, he will draw nigh to them. F 4 D * s- [72] DISCOURSE IV? The Unity of God prov'd from the ap parent Unity of Defign in his Works. [ Abernethy. ] Deuteronomy vi. 4. Hear, O Ifrael, the Lord our God is one Lord. INCE we are convinc'd by the moft full and fatisfying evidence, that the fyftem of the uni verfe is intellectual, or that the formation of the world and all its parts is to be attributed to a defign - ing Caufe; our next inquiry is, where fhall that wif dom be found, and where is the place of underftand ing ? Whether in a plurality of beings, co-ordinate and independent, or in one original perfeft mind ? That intelligence and activity are feated in a mind as their proper fubjeft, we know. For the knowledge we have of what paffes in ourfelves, teaches us to dif tinguiffi between perception and a percipient, between operation and power, as the principle from which it proceeds ; and that mind is a being or fubftance different from matter, efpecially that fpirituality muft neceffarily be implied in original intelligence, has been prov'd. The prefent queftion is not, whether there are other orders of underftanding agents, fupe rior to men, which may be eafily allow'd upon all fuppofitions. For tho' our own reafon does not fur nifh The Unity of God proved, &c; 73 nifh us with demonflrative proof of it, yet who can find any difficulty in fuppofing, (even if the world were made by chance, and there were no intending Caufe in the origin of things,) that there are many minds, and many different fpecies of them, whofe capacities are much larger than ours, who have a much more comprehenfive knowledge, and a far lefs limited fphere of aftion ; whofe manner and extent of perception tranfcends ours, as much as we in un derftanding furpafs the brutal kinds ; and their ac tivity may reach to vaft quantities of matter, whereas we are confin'd to a fmall part of it, and very unfit for great operations. And as there are many dif ferent kinds of fpirits with very different degrees of perfeftion ; thofe who maintain the unity of God, the firft independent Caufe and fupreme Ruler of the uni verfe, do not at all doubt of his employing fuch infe rior fpiritual agents, as the minifters of his provi dence. But the queftion properly is concerning the original Caufe of things, and the monarchy of the world ; whether there be one fupreme intelligent Be ing, to whom all other Beings owe their exiftence and all their powers, and who has an abfolute dominion over all, the fountain of being, of underftanding and power ; or whether there be a variety of partial, inde pendent, unmade caufes of the univerfe, and all its appearances ? This laft is moft properly call'd Polytheifm, but it has been exploded by the generality of men who have thought on this fubjeft with any tolerable degree of attention. And indeed, the idea of a Deity, as it is explain'd both by thbfe who affert and oppofe his ex iftence, naturally leads us to attribute Angularity to him -, to appropriate that character to one, and ex clude ^all others from a partnerfhip in his perfections and prerogatives. For the notion of God is of an abfolutely perfect, uncaus'd, and therefore neceffarily exiftent Being, on whom all things depend, by his intelligence directing, and by his powerful will pro ducing 74 The Unity of God proved from the during whatever actually is, the whole frame of na ture with all the kinds and degrees of order and per fection which it contains. Now the true fubjeft of controverfy between us and Atheifts, is concerning the exiftence of fuch a Being : We believe that the phas- nomena of the world cannot otherwife be accounted for ; they maintain the contrary. But there is no ap pearance of reafon for a plurality ; the doftrine of Theifm does not require it -, for the Being of one God abfolutely perfeft, is fully fufficient to all its pur pofes. The Atheiftical fcheme oppofes the unity of God ; in faft the arguments of the Atheifts are le- vell'd againft it ; and in reafon, a multitude of inde pendent agents ununited in defign and operation, fo diminifhes the idea of abfolute perfeftion, and fo diffipates and enervates the ruling counfel of the uni verfe, as to fap the foundations of religion, and leave Atheifm little to quarrel with, Epicurus himfelf, a violent adverfary to the Being of the true God, the Maker of all things, yet imagin'd a multitude of in dependent Deities ; confiftently enough with his prin ciples, excepting in one circumftance, that he faid they were incorruptible, which can never be recon- cil'd to his hypothefis, that all things, and even the Gods, were generated by the cafual encounter of atoms. But of what fort were thefe Deities ? Only idle unaftive beings,' who liv'd in pleafure, without any ffiare in the formation of the world, or in pre fixing over it. And the truth is, to fuppofe a plu^ rality of partial independent caufes, under no com mon direction, almoft leaves the origin of things in the fame confufion, and fignifies as little to the pur pofes of religion as the fiction of Epicurus *. The * If it fhould be fuppofed, that there may poffibly be a plurality of eternal independent beings, the makers of the world, to whom die chara&ers of neceffary exiftence and abfolute perfeftion belong, and confequently, who muft be united in all their counfels and opera tions; for that infinitely perfe£t intellectual powers fhould differ, is- a manifeft abfurdity : This hypothefis is imagin'd without any necef fity, apparent Unity of Defgn in his Works. 7 r The Polytheifm of the Gentiles feems to be a ftrong argument againft what I have faid. It is notorioufiy known, that before the times of Chriftianity, mankind Univerfally, all but the Jews, worfhipped many Gods and many Lords ; and not only the ignorant vulgar, but even the moft eminent philofophers. How then Can it be alledged that there has been anything like an agreement, among the wife themfelves, in be lieving the unity of God ? I anfwer, that upon a care ful inquiry into the hiftory of ancient times, it ap pears indeed that learned men complied with the fu perftition of their feveral countries ; but at the fame time ftrenuoufly argued for, and profefs'd to believe one fupreme Being, the abfolute Lord of all; info- much, that if we except the Epicureans, there is not one philofopher of note, who afferted a multitude of independent gods. There are clear authentic tefti- monies, ftill remaining, which fully prove that the moft celebrated authors among the Perfians, the Greeks, and even the Egyptians, the moft idolatrous of all nations, afferted that there is one unoriginated, felf-exiftent Caufe, to whom they gave the charac ters of the GREATEST and the BEST, the Maker of all things, the Father of gods and men. The poets themfelves, the great depravers of the Pagan theology, filling it with fables, yet plainly and fre quently declar'd this truth. fity, (all appearances being at leaft, as well accounted for on the contrary fuppofition of unity ;) and fupported by no argument. Be fides, as multiplicity, at leaft poffible, naturally accompanies the idea of effects, whofe contingent exiftence and limited perfeftion are determined by the power and will of the defigning Caufe : fo the idea of neceffary exiflence and unlimited perfeftion feems to exclude all diverfity of being. And how can it be thought that a plurality of independent, infinitely perfeft beings, effentially immenfe, all- powerful and all-knowing, fhould diveft themfelves of thefe perfec tions, or the exercife of them, by dividing among them the forma tion and government of the world, for vvhich every one fingly is allowed to be fufficient. But as no fuch opinion is maintain'd, fo far as I know, by any adverfaries of religion, nor would at all ferve their purpofes ; I fhall not infill any farther upon it, but endeavour to prove unity of defign in the frame and government of the world, which is the juft foundation of our pious afFeftionate regards to the Deity. There j6 The Unity of God proved from the There are various accounts given of the Heathen Polytheifm, or worshipping a plurality of gods, where by it appears to be confiftent with the acknowledg ment of one fupreme, undivided Monarchy of the univerfe. As Firft, That the one eternal and felf- exiftent Deity was the ultimate Objeft of their ado ration, under different names. Thus Pan, and Janus, and Jupiter, and Ccelus, and Saturn, and Pluto, and Apollo, and Minerva, — thefe and other Deities, fo called, ^however the true notion of them may be dif- guifed by the fabulous inventions of the poets, and even pretended hiftories given of their originals and afts, which reprefent them as fo many derived and temporary beings,) yet the teftimonies collected by Chriftian writers, Who have fearch'd accurately into this matter, from the moft fenfible Pagans, plainly fhew that thefe feveral names did not fignify different gods : For that they had each the characters of the univerfal Numen afcrib'd to them, tho' the fuperflitious and credulous vulgar imagin'd a diverfity, which falfe imagination was induftrioufiy cheriffi'd among them for political reafons. Nor is it an argument of any weight to the contrary, that fome of the names were alfo ufed to denote particular parts of the vifible world, as the heavens, the fun, the earth and the fea. For this only ftiews that their theology was obfcured, as it certainly was by a multitude of ambiguous words in it ; not that the wifeft among them did not intend by thefe very words, that their devotion ffiould termi nate on the great God, the Creator of heaven and earth, which themfelves exprefsly fay they did. It is further aliedged, and very probably true, that many of the Heathens defigned by their different denomi nations to fignify, not diftinft beings, but partial con- fiderations of the fupremeDeity, as manifefling himfelf by his various works. The vaft multitude of crea tures which are produc'd, and the numberlefs variety of appearances in the world, ( tho' all proceeding from the fame original Caufe,) might give weak minds occafion Apparent Unity of Defign in his Works. 77 occafion to imagine adiverfity of operating and govern ing principles; yet others really meant, and explain'd themfelves as meaning, no more than a diverfity of effects. Thus, tho' the Pagan worfhip might feem at firft fight to be divided between the Divinity prefiding in the heavens, in the fun, the moon, the air, the earth, the fea, and the invifible ftate of feparate fpirits ; yet the wifer fort intended it to the one fupreme God, to whofe dominion the whole world is fubjeft, whom they believed to be every where prefent, pervading all things, as they exprefs'd themfelves, and diffufing the fruits of his power, wifdom, and liberality thro' all parts of the univerfe. And therefore when the inanimate parts of the creation were perfonated, and deified, fuch as the fun and the earth, we cannot reafonably think that, at leaft the men of fenfe and learning among the Heathens, were fo ftupid as to imagine that the material fyftems themfelves were pro per objects of religious invocation ; but the true mean ing was either that they were animated by fubordinate intelligences, whom they honoured with an inferior worfhip, as I fhall afterwards obferve, or rather that the fovereign virtues of this Deity, tho' one in the prin ciple, yet multiform in their apparent exertions, were to be reverently acknowledged wherever they are ma- nifefted. From the deifying of the works of nature, as containing fo many different manifeftations of the Divine power and providence, they proceeded farther to make gods of unfubftantial things, mere accidents, fuch as the qualities, the affections and paffions of the human mind ; virtue, juftice, clemency, hope, had temples confecrated to them and altars erefted. Not furely that thefe were thought to be perfonal deities, fubfifting by themfelves, but it was defigned to be acknowledged, that in them the Author of nature has difplay'dhis virtues, giving a moving force to created beings, whereby important effects are produc'd in the world. If this was the true fenfe of the more intelligent 1 Pa- fS The Unity of God proved from the Pagans, ( and by the many quotations which learned men have taken the pains to collect from their writings, it feems to be fo, ) we muft conclude, that under an appearance ofPolytheifm, they conceal'd a real perfuafion concerning the real unity of God And this will be ftill more evident, if we confider what I obferv'd on another occafion, that fome of them worfhipped the Deity as the Soul of the world, than which, how ever wrong in itfelf, nothing can give us a clearer idea of unity, or a ftronger intimation that they believed it. For as we know by our own confcioufnefs, that the human foul is one percipient aftive being-, fo a com mon foul, animating the whole fyftem of the univerfe, muft be apprehended to be one. I have already ffiewn, that this notion was grofs and unworthy of the fupreme Being. It is probable, that many of the philofophers who thus exprefs'd their fentiments, intended no more than that the Divine reafon, as they fpoke, or under ftanding, is intimately prefent with all things, wifely go verning them. Some of them certainly had more fub- lime conceptions of the Deity, as an infinitely fuperior nature, the Author of the world, inhabidng it not as a Soul, but as a fovereign Ruler, who continually fuperintends all its affairs, and exercifes a juft and gracious care over them ; and fome of them imagin'd a plaflic and intelligent univerfal nature, deriv'd from him, which was properly the Soul of the world, and they called it a fecondary God. But however divided their opinions might be as to that point, they agreed in this, that the fupreme Deity, the ultimate Object of worfhip, is One only, manifefled in the feveral parts of the univerfe, either as his animated members, or his works, in which he is intimately prefent, con tinually difplaying his wifdom, power and goodnefs; fo that he containeth all things in himfelf, and all things are full of him, which they carried fo far, that this was not an uncommon faying with them, Deus unus et omnia. Laftly, It is certain that the Pagans, the wifeft and moft apparent Unity of Defign in his Works. 79 moft learned of them, defignedly and avowedly wor fhipped inferior gods, fubftantial invifible powers, whom they fuppofed to be created or generated by the one fupreme Being, either in time or from eternity, and employ'd by him as the minifters of his providence. Thefe Deities were of feveral forts, as feparate fpirits of various orders and degrees of perfeftion, who never inhabited terreftrial bodies, but were either altogether incorporeal, or poffefs'd only aerial or astherial vehicles, each prefiding over a particular part of the univerfe, as the ftation and province appointed to him by the univerfal King ; and the departed fouls of heroes, whom they fuppofed to be advanc'd to a high degree of power, dignity and happinefs, as a reward of their virtues, and the eminent fervices they had done to mankind, while they were upon earth. The pretences by which the Heathens juftified this part of their devotion were fuch as thefe ; that fince there are fo many excellent beings, fubordinate in deed to the great God, and his fervants, but fuperior to men, and by whofe miniftry many and great be nefits are convey'd to them, it feems reafonable that their favours ffiould be acknowledg'd with gratitude, and that they ffiould be honoured by men, in pro portion to their dignity and beneficence. Befides, that as there is an infinite diftance between the fu preme Majefty, and mortals dwelling upon earth, it ieems fit that they ffiould not prefume to approach his prefence immediately with their adorations, but by the mediation and interceffion of his favourite mi nifters, who continually ftand before him and fur- round his throne. In both thefe forts of worfhip, I mean the fupreme and inferior, they ufed ceremonies and external fymbols, efpecially facrifices and images : Sacrifices, as teftimonies of gratitude and acknow ledgments of dependence, likewife bloody vi-tims, as rites of deprecation, and for expiating their fins ; and they ufed images, not as at all, participating in their worfhip, (at leaft the more intelligent pretended fo,) 80 The Unity of God proved from the fo,) but only to make a more fenfible impreffion on their minds, and thereby help their devotion. Be fides, fome of the Pagans did, and fome do at this day, pay a kind of religious refpeft to evil dsemons, from no principle but that of fervile fear, intending to appeafe, at leaft mitigate their malice, and eicape the harm which otherwife they might and are inclined to do -, or elfe, men, having themfelves mifchievous defigns, implore the affiftance of wicked fpirits in ac- complifhing them. But many others utterly difclaim this, as impious and altogether unworthy of men, who acknowledge the fupreme dominion of a good God over the world, whofe providence directs the whole feries of events -, and tho' it may permit male volent creatures to exert their power and execute ma licious defigns in fome inftances, yet always permits them only tor wife reafons, and over-rules the iffue for good. What I have faid concerning the Pagan theology and worfhip, is not at all intended to excufe the er rors and corruption of it. It is impoffible to vindicate idolatry, or giving divine honour to others befides the Almighty Maker of heaven and earth ; as the fcripture fpeaks, wor/hipping the creature befides the Creator who is bleffed for evermore. For that is cer tainly to rebel againft the clear light of reafon, whereby he difcovers himfelf to us, requiring that we fhould glorify him as God ; that is, that we fhould dutifully recognife his peerlefs Majefty, and pay him an homage which cannot poffibly be due to other beings in any degree, on account of his not only un- equal'd but incommunicable excellency, as the fole felf -originated fountain of all being, power, wifdom and goodnefs. To adore the Deity as the Soul of the univerfe, is to confound him with his creatures, and to difparage his abfolute perfeftion by jumbling it into one compofition with the moft imperfeft of all things. To worfhip him under the partial confideration of particular benefits communicated to us, as by the fun, apparent Unity of Defign in his Works. 8 1 fun, the earth, corn and wine, is to lead unthought- ful men, (as in faft it probably did lead many of the vulgar Heathen,) into that moft ftupid notion, that thefe creatures themfelves are original Deities ; which is rather Atheifm than any kind of religion : And to ferve angels or the departed fpirits of good men re- ligioufiy, as it is liable to the fame inconvenience with the particular laft mentioned, namely, enfnaring weak minds into that moft pernicious error of attri buting independent Divinity to them ; it has no foundation in reafon, fince we know not what com munication thofe feparate fpirits have with us, or what knowledge of our affairs, nor have we any ground to believe it is acceptable to them -, rather on the contrary, that they are difpleas'd with it, as an affront to the God whole fervants they are, and before whom they proftrate themfelves with the humbleft reverence. Befides, the Gentile worfhip, wrong in its foundation, as contrary to plain reafon, was ftill more deprav'd by the craft of priefts and po liticians, who fram'd it to their own felfiffi purpoles, not without the fecret concurrence of evil fpirits, in tending mifchief to mankind, by enfnaring them into vice and unhappinefs, under the fpecious pretence of religion. By thefe means the devotion of the greateft part of mankind grew to a monftrous abfurdity, fome of it at leaft fo irrational, fo foul, barbarous and obfcene, as to be a difgrace to the human nature ; and in confequence of it, as St. Paul very well obferves in the firft Chapter of his Epiftle to the Romans, they were wretchedly debafed in their morals, running into the moft enormous and unnatural crimes. But how ever inexcufable the Heathen idolatry was, from the obfervations which have been made, I think it evi dently appears, that amidft all the corruptions which prevail'd, and notwithftanding the ftrong appearances of Polytheifm, ftill that grand principle of natural re ligion was maintain'd by the moft underftanding and thoughtful men, that there is one only living and Vol. I. G eternal ? 2 The Unity of God proved from the eternal God, and they endeavoured to explain their wrorffiip in a confiflency with it. ; It is not to be diffembled however, that there has been a real difference upon this head among profeffed Theifts, nay, among profeffed Chriftians ; fome have afferted that there are two eternal, unmade, indepen dent Principles, one good and the other evil ; which opinion others have rejected as a very great error. Tlie philofopher of greateft note who maintained the being of an eternal evil daemon, the author of all the mifchief and diforder that is in the world, was Plutarch the celebrated moralift. He pretends indeed, that he was not fingular in this notion, but that fome of the moft learned among the PerJians and Egyptians, as well as Greeks, efpecially Plato, went before him in it; which in all probability is a miftake, at leaft with refpeft to Plato, and the other eminent Grecians. For the fentiments of the Perfian Magi, it is more doubtful, whether Arimanius, whom their theology reprefented as the head of the oppofition to goodnefs, were underftpod by them to be a fubftantial, unmade, independent principle or not. Among the fefts of profefs'd Chriftians, almoft every one knows that Manes and his followers were charg'd with this error, (and from him it bears the name of Manicheifm to this day i) how juftly, it is hard to determine, for it is certain that the hiftory of ancient herefies is involv'd in great darknefs. However that be, the grounds of the opinion are of much greater importance, and more neceffary to be confidered than the hiftory of its rife and progrefs. Now what gave the principal, I may fay, the only occafion to it, was the difficulty, and as the abettors of it alledge, the impoffibility of accounting otherwife for the origin of evil. Shall we, fay they, attribute all the good that is in the world to a good author, and from his works infer his being and his moral charafter, which is allow'd to be a juft way of reafoning ; and fhall we not, in like manner, impute the evil that is in the world, to an evil caufe i Or is it to be imagined, that a being effentially good, would apparent Unity of Defign in his Works. 83 would have produc'd or even permitted, when it was in his power to have prevented, fo much wickednefs and fo much unhappinefs as we fee among mankind ? It is plain, that the point thus ftated is not proper for our prefent confideration, becaufe it is apparently an objection againft the goodnefs of God, and we have not yet proceeded fo far in our inquiry as to any of his moral perfeftions. I fhall therefore wave it at this time, and only argue againft the Ditheiftic fcheme, as well as Polytheifm, from the foundations already laid, that is, I will, in the remaining part of this dif courfe, confider whether the proofs which have been adduc'd from the being of God, or an univerfal, de- figning and aftive intelligence in the world, will lead us this one ftep farther, to conclude the unity of that intelligence or not ? The only argument which has been infilled on for the exiftence of a Deity, or an intelligent Caufe of all things, is taken from the evidence of defign in the formation of the univerfe, and its feveral parts ; in the obvious and moft common appearances of the ma terial fyftem, fuch as -the variety and uniformity, which upon the ffighteft view, we cannot but obferve in the works of nature, the apparent harmony and order of our world, and the mutual relation of its parts, as the heavens, the air and the terraqueous globe, di vided into collections of waters and dry land, in each of which are numerous living inhabitants, fuited by the frame and texture of their bodies to their proper elements ; in the produftion of animals and their va rious kinds, preferv'd unmix'd, and propagated by a fettled never-failing law ; in the principal phasnomena of the animal life, fenfation and felf- motion ; and efpecially in the human underftanding, its abftraft no tions, its knowledge of eternal truths, and above all its knowledge of morality, of fo great and important ufe to the perfeftion of the intelligent Nature, and the common advantage of the whole fpecies. Now if we review all thefe particulars and compare them together, we fhall fee that they difcover not only defign in the n- ~ origin 84 The Unity of God proved from the origin and contrivance of them, but unity of defign, and therefore that all things are derived from one eternal fource of intelligence and aftivity, or one God. But I fhall content myfelf with making a few remarks on fome of them, efpecially on their mutual dependence and connexion, directing us to cor/fider them as parts of one fyftem, and confequently as pro ceeding from one intelligent Caufe. ; * Vv Firft, As gravity is the common quality of'all bodies, arifing not from the nature and properties of matter, nor to be explain'd without the agency of a foreign Caufe, yet producing numberlefs uniform effects in the corporeal fyftem ; it is in all reafon to be attributed to one contrivance, rather than the different defigns of two or more partial independent caufes. What a vaft variety of appearances in nature depend on this one? The felf-balanc'd earth hangs upon its centre; the mountains are fet faft ; there is a perpetual flux and reflux of the fea ; vapours continually arife ; the clouds are ballanced till by their own weight they de- fcend in rain ; animals breathe and move ; the hea venly bodies hold their flations and go on in their con ftant courfe, by the force of gravity, after the or di stance of that wifdom which appointed them this law. Now when we fee a multitude of eftefts proceeding from one Caufe, effects fo various in their kind and fo important, a Caufe fimple and unvaried in all the diverfity produc'd by it, can we avoid afcribing this to an unity of intelligence, if there be intelligence in it all ? For could we fuppofe different independent beings, acting with different defigns, and by diftinft operations to have form'd the feveral parts of the world, and the feveral fpecies of creatures which are in it, what rea fon can be imagin'd why they fhould all be govern'd by, and all neceffarily depend upon one law? The Maker of the fun, or if a partial caufe of nature could - be fuppos'd to have an underftanding large enough for it, the Contriver of the whole vifible heavens, muft, one would think, have finifhed his fcheme indepen dently apparent Unity of Defign in his Works. 8 c dently on any other, without borrowing aid from the work of another God. In like manner the Gods of the leas and of the dry land, and the Creator of animals would have compleated their feyeral fyflems, each by itfelf, not depending on any other for its order and pre fervation. Whereas, on the contrary, we fee in fact they are none of them independent, but all held to gether by the common bond of gravity. The heavens and the earth continue in their fituations at a proper diftance from each other by the force of this law ; the fea keeps within its channels ; and animals live and move by it. All which lead us to acknowledge one directing Counfel in the whole frame. For what but an underftanding which comprehends the whole extent of nature, reaching from the utmoft circuit of heaven to the center of the earth, could have fixed fuch a common law, fo neceffary to all its parts, that without it not one of them could fubfift, nor the harmony of the whole be preferved ? The ftrift cohefion of the parts which conftitute particular bodies, requires a peculiar cement, different from that of the gravitating force ; and as it can never be explain'd by the nature and properties of matter itfelf, and is abfolutely necef fary to the forms and the ufes of bodies in the feveral far diftant regions of the world, it muft in like man ner be attributed to the contrivance of an underftand ing, and the agency of a power which takes in the whole corporeal fyftem ; not to a partial Caufe limited in its intelligence and operation. idly, The beautiful order and harmony of the uni verfe, fince it muft be acknowledg'd to be the work of underftanding, has all the appearance which is ne ceffary to fatisfy any fair inquirer, of its being form'd under the direftion of our governing wifdom. Dif- concerted counfels can never produce harmony. If a plurality of intelligent caufes purfue each his feparate defign, difunion will continually cleave to their works ; but when we fee an intire piece made up of many parts, all correfponding to each other, and confpiring toge- G 7. ther 86 The Unity of God proved from the ther fo as to anfwer one common end, we naturally conclude unity of defign. As a work of art is form ed according to the preconceived idea of a defigning artificer, without which it has not its neceffary intire- nefs and uniformity, the fame may be obferv'd in the works of nature. A tree is as much one as a houfe ; an animal as compleat a fyftem in it felf, (only much more curioufly fram'd,) as a clock. If we carry our views farther into nature, and take in whole regions of the univerfe, with all their contents, the fame cha racters of unity are ftill vifible. The earth itfelf is not a confus'd mafs, or a medley of incoherent and un related parts, but a well contrived fabric, fitted and plainly defign'd for ufe. If we confider what a mul titude of living creatures are in it of different kinds and degrees of perfeftion, each fort having proper apartments affign'd them, where they dwell conveni ently together, with fuitable provifion made for them, and inftinfts directing them to the ufe of it ; if we confider the interefls of the feveral kinds, not interfe ring in the main, but rather ferviceable to each other, furniffied with neceffary defences againft the inconve niences to which they are liable, either by the prevent ing care of nature, which without any thought of their own has provided for their fafety, by the appointed advantages of their fituation, or by an implanted wif dom directing them to find out the means of it ; and if we confider the conftant interpofition of the fame liberal intelligent nature, appearing by the daily new productions from the fame fertile womb of the earth, whereby the returning wants of animals are reliev'd wich frefh fupplies -, all the fpecies of living things ha ving the common benefit of the air, without which they could not fubfift, and the light of the fun, which cannot at once illuminate the whole globe, being difpenfed among them with fo good oeconomy, that they have every one what is fufficient to guide them in the exercife of their proper functions, that they may fulfil the purpofes of their being •,— when we confider 2 all apparent Unity of Defign in his Works. 87 all this, can we doubt but the earth is difpos'd and govern'd by one intending Caufe ? If in a large houfe, wherein are many manfions, and a vaft variety of in habitants, there appears exaft order, all from the higheft to the loweft continually attending their proper bufinefs, and all lodg'd and conftantly provided for fuitably to their feveral conditions -, we find ourfelves obliged to acknowledge one wife oeconomy. And if in a great city or commonwealth there be a perfectly regular adminiftration, fo that not only the whole fo- ciety enjoys an undifturbed peace, but every member has the ftation affign'd him which he is beft qualified to fill ; the unenvied chiefs conftantly attend their more important cares, ferv'd by the bufy inferiors, who have all a fuitable accommodation, and food convenient for them, the very meaneft miniftring to the public utility and protected by the public care ; if, I fay, in fuch a community we muft conclude there is a ruling Coun- fel, which if not naturally, yet is politically one, and unlefs united, could not produce fuch harmony and order ; much more have we reafon to recognize one governing Intelligence in the earth, in which there are fo many ranks of beings difpos'd of in the moft convenient manner, having all their feveral provinces appointed to them, and their feveral kinds and de grees of enjoyment liberally provided for, without en croaching upon, but rather being mutually ufeful to each other, according to a fettled and obvious fubor- dination. What elfe can account for this but a fove- reign Wifdom, a common provident nature prefiding over, and caring for the whole ? But the earth, as great as it appears to us, compli cated in its frame, and having fuch a variety in its con ftitution, fuftaining and nouriffiing fo many tribes of animals, yet is not an intire fyftem by it felf, but has a relation to, and dependance on other parts of the univerfe, as well as the beings it contains have upon it. It owes its ftability to the common law of gravi tation i it derives its light and its heat from the fun, G a by 88 The Unity of God proved from the by which it is render'd fruitful and commodious to its inhabitants. In fhort, a bond of union runs through the whole circle of being, as far as human knowledge reaches ; and we have reafon to make the fame judg ment concerning the parts of the world which we do not know, and to conclude that they all together com- pofe one great whole, which naturally leads us to ac knowledge one fupreme uniting Intelligence. To objeft againft this, the poffibility of wild confufion reigning in worlds unknown, is to feign and not to argue ; and to fuppofe diforder prevalent in an infinity of being which we are unacquainted with, which is the Atheiftic hypothefis, is to take away all rational foun dation for regularity any where, tho' we fee it actually obtains every where, as far as our obfervation can reach. But confining our fpeculations on this fubject within the compafs of known exiftence, as we ought to do in a fair inquiry, the apparent order of the effects is a ftrong evidence of unity in the Caufe. For if different independent caufes produced, each a part, why are there no footfteps of this in the whole extent of nature? Why does not fo much as one piece appear, as the feparate monument of its author's power and wifdom ? From divided counfels one would na turally expect interfering fchemes ; but on the con trary, we fee an univerfal harmony. Men indeed from a fenfe of their indigence, and by the direftion of inftincts, which muft be attributed to the defigning author of their conftitution, joininfocieties ; which, tho' compos'd of many, are govern'd by one counfel : but that is only an artificial union, a fubmiffion to the ma jority, or to thofe who have the fupreme power dele gated to them, rather than an agreement in defign. But this cannot be the cafe of independent beings, felf- exiftent, and each compleat in itfelf, without relation to any other. And yet we fee in nature a perfect har mony, from whence it is plain there muft be an agree ment at leaft in counfel and defign, if we could fup pofe a plurality of independent caufes. But whence comes apparent Unity of Defign in his Works. 89 comes this agreement ? To fay by chance, is atheifti- cally, and very unreafonably to attribute the moft per fect of all effects, univerfal order, to no caufe at all. If we fay by defign, it muft be one comprehenfive defign forming the whole fcheme of nature and pro vidence, which directly brings us to what we are look ing for, one fovereign commanding Intelligence in the univerfe, or one God. This was the argument by which fome of the ancient philofophers prov'd that there is one only eternal and independent Principle, the Fountain of being and the Author of all things. Pythagoras called it a Monad ; and Ariftotle argu'd from the phasnomena that all things are plainly co-ordered, to one, the whole world conlpiring into agreeing har mony : Whereas if there were many independent principles, the fyftem of the world muft needs have been incoherent and inconfpiring ; like an ill agree ing drama, botch'd up of many impertinent inter ferons. And he concludes that things are well ad- miniftred, which they could not be under the govern ment of many, alluding to the verfe in Homer, Ouk ayaftov XloKUKoipctvin, iti Kol$&i>os i?a. %dly, The condition and order of inferior, derived, and evidently dependent intelligent agents, fhew not only intelligence, but unity of intelligence in the Caufe of them. Every man, a fingle active confcious felf, is the image of his Maker. There is in him one undivided animating principle, which in its perceptions and operations runs through the whole fyftem of matter that it inhabits ; it perceives for all the moft diftant parts of the body ; it cares for all, and governs all, leading us, as a refemblance, to form an idea of the one great quickening Spirit which prefides over the whole frame of nature, the fpring of motion and all operation in it, underftanding and aftive in all the parts of the univerfe, not as its foul indeed, but as its Lord, by whofe vital directing influence it is, tho' fo vaft a bulk, and confifting of fo many parts, united into one regular fabric. Again, the general apparent 1 like ¦ 90 The Unity of God proved from the Jikenefs which there is among all the individuals of the human kind, is a ftrong evidence of their being the children of one Father. I do not mean principally the fimilitude of the exterior form -, (tho'' even that, in reafon, ffiould be attributed to the direftion of one intelligent Caufe, j but that whereby we are efpecially God's offspring, our intellectual capacities, which as far as we can judge are very nearly alike. A great difference there may be, no doubt there is, in the im provement of them ; but the powers themfelves, and all the original modes of perception, in the different individuals of mankind, feem to refemble each other, as much as any real diftinft things in nature. Now from a multitude, or a conftant feries of fimilar effects which do not arife from neceffity, we infer unity of defign in the Caufe. So great a number of rational beings as the whole human race, difpos'd of in the fame manner, endued with like faculties and affections, having many, and thofe principal things in their con dition common, provided for out of the fame fund and made for the fame purpofes, may reafonably be fup pofed to belong to one family -, to be deriv'd from the fame origin, and ftill under the fame paternal care. Above all, the moral capacity of mankind, which is a moft important part of their conftitution, tending to the higheft perfeftion of their nature, and the principal bond of regular fociety among them, as it proceeds from a wife intending Caufe, fhews unity of wifdom in the Caufe ; and the government over the moral, as well as the natural, world, evidently appears to be a monarchy. Since, as I obferv'd before, a fenfe of good and evil in characters and actions is indelibly imprinted on every human heart; and there are af fections of very great force, planted in our minds, whereby we are determined to act according to that fenfe ; and fince this is the effeft of an original con ftitution, interwoven with the very frame of our na ture, and no otherwife to be accounted for than by the defign of its Author ; let us fee how this is to be ex- apparent Unity of Defign in his Works. gx explain'd upon the contrary fuppofitions of one Su preme, or a plurality ot independent governing minds. The evidenttendency of virtue is not only to the private happinefs of fingle perfons, but the good of the whole kind ; an univerfal benevolence links us together and intereils every one of us in the affairs of another, fo far as to defire and endeavour their fafety and happinefs, not inconfiftently with our own. There are other par ticular determinations of the virtuous kind, fuch as compaffion, natural affection, gratitude and the love of our country, fo confeffedly natural to men, as by common confent to obtain the name of humanity, but fo prevalent in fome as to put them upon the moft felf-denying and hazardous enterprizes, nay to facri- fice their private interefts, even to their very lives, for the good of others ; and thefe determinations of the human mind every one muft fee, do not center in itfelf, but that the ultimate intention and effeft of them is to promote the good of the whole fpecies. Now if we are thus form'd with defign, and if this conftitution be the refult of intelligence, is it reafonable to attri bute it to different intelligences, having different views, each framing and purluing a feveral fcheme, when the principal effect, which in a work of wifdom muft be the principal intention, is not the feparate good of one or a few, as it mull have been upon the hypo thefis of various independent caufes, each caring for his own workmanfhip, but the common good of all? Or rather does not this view of the conftitution, which is a very plain and natural one, pointing out its main end, evidently ffiew that the whole collective body of mankind, comprehending all the nations of men, which are made of one blood to dwell upon the face of the whole earth, is the family of one God, the father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in all? It is true, there are found in men difpofitions contrary to virtue, which produce effects hurtful to fociety, and deftructive of the common peace and happinefs ; yet this does not prove a contrariety in the conftitution, which muft be attributed 92 The Unity of God proved from the attributed to the influence of oppofite caufes in the frame and contrivance of it. Whether thefe bad difpo fitions are an argument againft the goodnefs of the Author, fhall be confider'd in its proper place. In the mean time we may obferve, that not only we have powerful inftinfts, whereby we are prompted to pur- fue the oreateft univerfal happinefs of mankind ; but we are under the greateft neceffity that voluntary agents can be under, of acting according to thofe inftinfts, becaufe of the connexion our doing fo has with our own happinefs. For we cannot otherwife be approv'd to our own minds, nor confequently have any true felf- enjoyment -, which plainly fhews that the governing defign of the human frame was one, namely the good of the whole -, and therefore that the one Father of all men is the Author of it -, tho' he has made us in an imperfeft ftate, and not without the poffibility of re belling againft the law of our nature. From this may be infer'd the whole duty of man, fumm'd up by our Saviour in thefe two branches, Thou Jhalt love the Lord thy God with- all thy heart, and with all thy foul, and with all thy mind ; and thou fhalt love thy neighbour as thyfelf. The obligation, of the latter, the love of our neighbour, or every one of mankind, arifes from the law of our creation. Since we are children of the fame family, the offspring of one father, and plac'd under a conftitution which is wifely and gracioufly intended for the greateft and moft extenfive good of the whole kind, what can be more natural and reafonable, than that we ffiould do all the good offices in our power to each other ? This is to anfwer the end of our being, and to work to gether with God. The inanimate creatures ferve the purpofes for which they were made, without any thought ; and the brutal fpecies aft according to their inftinfts, without difcerning the defign of them. But fince God has endued us with a capacity of under ftanding the end of his own works, and of our own . powers and affeftions, is it not evident that we ought to apparent Unity of Defign in his Works. 93 to fulfil that end, in a nobler manner, not by an unin telligent neceffity, but voluntarily ? It is true, we have a principle of felf-love planted in us, which, far from thwarting the defign of the focial affeftions, is per fectly confiftent with it, and minifters to it ; for the care of every individual, is for the good of the whole fpecies. But to confine our affeftions and our cares to ourfelves, neglecting the offices which arife from the relation we have to men, as our brethren, is to trefpafs againft the eftabliffi'd order of the world, and to violate the refpeft which we owe to the one God and Father of all, who is the Author of it. idly, The principal duty of mankind is to love the Lord their God and to ferve him. This follows di rectly from the acknowledgment of his unity. And accordingly Mofes having in the text, called upon If- rael to hearken to this important truth that the Lord our God is one Lord, immediately adds in the fol lowing verfe, And thou fhalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy foul, and with all thy might. The fame duty is otherwife exprefs'd at the 13th verfe, refer'd to and thus quoted by our Sa viour *, Thou fhalt worfhip the Lord thy God and him only fhalt thou ferve. The conftitution of our minds leads us directly to that honour and fervice God re quires, fo that we need not fay who fhall afcend to hea ven for us, or defend to the deep, to bring us inflruc- tion concerning our duty to him : The knowledge of it is near us, even in our hearts. If we look atten tively into ourfelves, we fhall find that intelligence neceffarily attracts our efteem, and that gratitude to a benefactor is the natural growth of our minds : an inward veneration arifes for wifdom difplay'd in a variety of works wherein one noble end is regularly purfued ; and good communicated with defign, pro duces warm affections in every heart which delibe rately attends to it, and is not under a ftrong unna tural prepoffeffion. Now fince our reafon convinces * Mat. iv. 10. us. 94 *Ihe Unity of God proved from, Sec. us that all the wifdom of the univerfe centers in on; mind ; that all the effects of intelligence which we behold in the univerfal fyftem of nature, are to be attributed to one Caufe ; that all the fcattered rays of intellectual light which we difcern in limited, depen dent underflandings, are but emanations from one eternal fountain of wifdom, and all the good we pof- fefs, or fee, flows from one never- failing, bountiful Spring ; then in all reafon, according to the direc tion of our intelligent nature, our higheft efteem and moft intenfe affection ffiould be plac'd on that eternal Mind, that glorious, perfectly wife and benevolent Caufe of all things. He is intitled to a peculiar ho nour from us, fuch as no other being can claim ; we ought to- have the greateft refpeft for him in our hearts, and carry it always with the humbleft reve rence towards him in our whole behaviour. So rea fonable is that rule of revealed religion, and which is one principal defign of it, that men laying afide all fuperftition and idolatry, fhould worfhip and ferve the true God, the fupreme Being alone, and have no other Gods before him; ftill remembring that he is a Spirit, and they that worfhip him acceptably, muft worfhip him in fpirit and truth, not with outward forms of devotion, which when feparated from good difpofitions of mind and the obedience of our lives, cannot pleafe him, but with the imitation of his holi- nefs and goodnefs, and obeying his precepts of eter nal and immutable righteoufhefs, according to that excellent declaration of the Apoftle St. John, * Thit is the love of God that we keep his commandments. * i John v. 3. D I S- [ 95 1 DISCOURSE V. The true Notion of Divine Omnifcience, of its Nature, Manner and Extent. [ Ab ERNE THY. ] Pfal. cxlvii. 5. His under/landing is infinite. I Have obferved, on another occafion, that the main controverfy between Atheifts and be lievers in God, is concerning his intelligence. None of the infidels, whether ancient or modern, have in exprefs terms denied the being of God ; but by that word they mean, not a particular defigning and perfeft Agent, the Maker of all things, (which is the true notion of the Deity,) but either blind unin telligent neceffity, to which they attribute the ex iftence of the world and every thing it contains, as the caufe of all, or univerfal fubftances, comprehending the whole univerfe and all beings in it. As therefore in oppofition to thefe abfurd notions, we have full convincing proof of the exiftence of one Supreme Being abfolutely perfeft, the Maker and governor of the world ; by the fame clear evidence we know, that intelligence is a primary and effential attribute of his nature. And as this is what all his works teach us, the inanimate, the fenfitive and the rational parts of the creation, join in proclaiming the underftanding of g6 The true Notion of Divine Omnifcience, of their Maker ; fo without acknowledging it, we can have no right conceptions of him at all. The idea of a being without knowledge, even fuppofed eternal, immenfe and all-powerful, as that fignifies not a voluntary activity, but a neceffary caufe, is really an idea of nothing at all to the purpofes of re ligion, of nothing which can raife any admiration, honour and efteem, and is indeed of no importance to us. The worfhip of an ignorant Deity is the re proach of human nature ; as no tolerable apology could be made for the Heathens, who ferv'd idols that had eyes and faw not, and ears but heard not ; fo none can be made for us, if we pay our religious homage to a being fuppofed void of underftanding, whatever other perfeftions we afcribe to him, which are really no perfeftions at all in the deliberate efteem of the human mind. , I fhall not now attempt to prove the intelligence of the Deity in general, for that has been already done by the arguments which prove his being : nor do I pretend to give a compleat idea of the Divine know ledge, which it is not to be imagin'd we can com prehend, for that were to fuppofe that our under- ilandings are like his, infinite : But my intention in this difcourfe is, to make fuch obfervations concern ing the nature, the manner and extent ofit, as may give us a juft and magnificent, tho' imperfeft ideaof that adorable perfeftion, and tend to produce thofe pious difpofitions, and that dutiful refpeft which it claims from us. Firft, It is certain that the knowledge of God ex tends to the whole compafs of exiftence. Since all things that have being are either God himfelf or his works, it is impoffible that any thing fhould be un known to him. He is the moft excellent of all ob jects, and the moft incomprehenfible by us ; but yet a reflection on what paffes in our own minds will lead us to this conclufion, that his perfeftions which in finitely tranfcend our capacity, are in the neareft and moft of its Nature, Manner and Extent. 97 moft immediate view of his own underftanding : For all the conceptions, and all the aftions of intelligent beings, with the principles from which they proceed, are accompanied with confcioufnefs. Of all the fub- jects to which we apply our thoughts, our own facul ties and the exercife of them are the moft clearly dif- cerned, and the beft underftood by us. We know every idea that is prefented to our minds, every ima gination, every defire and volition, every enjoyment ; the felf-confcious fpirit of a man knows every thing in him ; and fo we muft judge concerning all intel ligent beings, even to the higheft and moft compre- henfive underftanding. Now if God thoroughly knows his own perfections, if he knows his eternity better than we do our temporary duration, and his immenfity more perfectly than we do our limited con dition of being ; if he knows his own perfect com- prehenfion of things, but as clearly as we do our fen- fations, and his Almighty power, as clearly as we difcern the limited activity of our minds : — This is an extent of knowledge which feems to follow ne ceffarily from the fuppofition of his intelligence, as evident as his being, but muft appear to us very great, the object being of all others the moft above our underftanding, and paft our finding out. In deed God's knowledge of himfelf, of the proper exer cife and unlimited perfection of his own powers, may be faid in fome fenfe to be the knowledge of all things ; for the utmoft bounds of poffibility do not exceed Omnipotence, and the whole compafs of truth is within the reach of infinite underftanding. I have obferv'd elfe-where, * that the Effences ot all things muft, beforCthe formation of the univerfe, have been known to the eternal Mind, as every wife agent forms a defign in his thoughts before he executes it. Can any thing be difficult to him who fees all things in the firft Caufe, the whole frame of nature and all its parts, with the intire feries of events from the f Disc. II. I Vol. I. H found- 98 The true Notion of Divine Omnifcience, foundation of the world, in his own counfels ; who fees them, I fay, with as great clearnefs, and with as great certainty, as We do the perceptions and deter minations of our minds ? But it is directly and immediately evident that the whole of created exiftence is perfeftly known to God, becaufe it is all the work of his hands, and upheld by the word of his power. Every voluntary agent muft be fuppofed to underftand his own pro ductions ; the fkill of the meaneft artificer reaches to the limits of his own art ; tho' he may be unac quainted with the nature of the materials he works upon, he knows the labour he beftows on them, and the compofitions, figures and other fenfible effects which depend upon his own operation. Since there fore God is the voluntary Maker of all things, dif- pofing the whole frame of nature as it pleas'd him, and continually governing it by his own immediate agency, nothing can be hid from him. If in all that variety of being, and all the appearances which are in the univerfe, from the greateft to the leaft, from the utmoft circuit of heaven to the center of the earth, there is nothing which his hand has not form'd, and his providence does not direct, every thing muft be thoroughly known, for wherever his power works, there his underftanding difcerns. This confideration leads us to form an idea of the Divine knowledge as different from, and infinitely more perfeft than ours, even with refpeft to thofe objects which are, in fome meafure, known to us. It is from a reflection on our own underftandings we take our rife to the apprehending of that perfection in the Deity ; but we ought not to imagine that things appear to him in the fame manner they do to us, Nothing is more evident than that different percep tive powers have different views of the fame object. Our reafon in many cafes corrects the report of our fenfes, and fees things in quite another light ; much more is it to be thought that an infinitely perfect 2 mind of its Nature, Manner and Extent, 99 mind fees not as man fees, that things are known to him, not in a remote and diftant way, by their exter nal appearances and effects, as they are to us, but that his underftanding penetrates into their in moft natures, and difcerns clearly all their properties and powers. The little knowledge we have, was given us for particular purpofes, not for a thorough com- prehenfion of things ; nor are they, any of them, put abfolutely into our power, to govern and to ufe them every way, and for all the ends they are capa ble of ferving, which would require a thorough un derftanding of their nature, attributes, and powers of every kind. We difcern by our fenfes fome qualities of material objects ; rather they are the occafion of exciting certain ideas in us, whereby the bountiful author of nature has made them ufeful to the prefer vation, the conveniency, and the enjoyment of life. Our reafon goes a little farther, difcovering by ob- fervation, and by attending to the Connexions and dependencies of things, other properties and rela tions, which may be applied to ufeful purpofes in life, and afford various entertainment to the mind ; ftill however there remains a great deal unknown to us, indeed the human underftanding feems to be un equal to the comprehenfion of any thing. But the Maker and abfolute Governor of all things knows them perfeftly, not by external appearances and effects afcending to the difcovery of caufes, as we do ; but as he form'd the plan of the whole univerfe and the intire extent of being, in his own counfels, he fees effects in their caufes, having by the free determination of his own will, given them whatever meafure; of power and perfection they poffefs. None of thofe effences can be hid from him, of which he had the perfect idea in his own mind before the Being actually exifted : He can be ignorant of no property, virtue, or efficiency, (nor any thing Chat can be effefted by it) which is derived wholly from himfelf ; all the powers of nature, with the remoteft confequences H 2 which] loo The true Notion of Divine Omnifcience, which depend upon them, muft be at once in his view ; and feeing he has all the creatures abfolutely under his dominion, difpofingof them at his pleafure, and actually does govern them by the immediate ex ercife of his power, he muft have, not a partial knowledge like ours, of fome particular ufes they ferve, but a thorough undcrftaiiding of their utmoft capacity. Befides the wide difference which there is between the knowledge of God and that of finite beings, par ticularly mankind, in the extent of them, both with refpeft to the number of objects, and the difcern- ment of their nature, properties, relations and ufes ; the one is narrow and confined to a few things, the other reaches to the whole circle of being ; the one is fuperficial and inadequate, the other fees it object on all fides ; difcerns not fbmc only, but all its re lations, and not the exterior appearances and effects only, but its very effence and the fecret fprings of all its operations. Befides this, I fay, there are other' important differences, relating to the manner of knowledge ; and to the apprehending of thofe dif ferences we are alfo led, by obferving the exercife and progrefs of our own underftandings in various in ftances. There are fome of our perceptions perfect in their kind from the very beginning : Our original fimple ideas are fubject to no alterations, capable of no improvement ; the ideas of colours and other fen fible qualities remain invariably the fame ; the con fcioufnefs we have of our own exiftence, our powers, perceptions and operations, is always clear and de terminate ; not only fo, our knowledge of fome truths is diftinct and compleat, from the firft mo ment of their being intelligibly propos'd, without any difficulty or labour in reafoning, and this know ledge is called intuitive. But there are other things' in the knowledge of which we make proficiency, and proceed to the difcernment of them by degrees. We can varioufly ^compound and affociate our ideas ; we cbierve of its Nature, Manner and Extent. ioi obferve their connexions and differences, their agree ment and difagreement ; and from one truth clearly perceiv'd, we go on to the difcovery of another, which, according to the meafure of evidence that ap pears in the connexion, is judg'd certain or probable. Such is the narrownefs of the human mind as not to be able to perceive actually at once, all things which it has known ; and this defect is in fome meafure fup- plied by memory, or the revival of ideas which were in it before. This progrefs of our underftandings, arifing from their limited capacity, evidently fhews their imperfection, and muft be attended with diffi culty, confufion, and uncertainty in fome part of our knowledge, which probably in fome degree, all finite beings are fubjeft to. But the fupreme Mind is per fect in knowledge ; all things are clearly perceiv'd by it, and all their connexions, differences and relations, without any confufion, obfcurity or uncertainty. The variety and multiplicity of the objects caufe no perplexity in his underftanding, which is large enough to contain them all, without being embarrafs'd or for getting any thing. There is no creature that is not manifeji in the fight of God, but all things are naked unto his eyes and opened, even to their inmoft effences ; and without the labour of invelligating truth by rea foning, he difcerns, by a fimple and direct intuition, the whole feries of caufes and effects. Thus we ought to conceive of the Divine knowledge, as altogether free from the imperfeftions and infirmities which cleave to ours ; and tho' the intellectual powers which God has given to fome creatures, as they are a con vincing proof of his own intelligence, and may be juftly call'd the moft excellent of his works, making honourable diftinftions among the creatures, in the degree wherein they are poffefs'd, (for knowledge is neceffarily efteem'd by every rational being ;) yet are they all, even the higheft of them, but faint images of that original perfeft underftanding, from whence they are derived, which therefore juftly challenges H 3 our 102 The true Notion of Divine Omnifcience, Our higheft admiration and efteem. Human ac quirements in knowledge, fliort. and defeftive as they are, procure refpeft ; the men, who by diligent ftudy, have improv'd their minds in ufeful learning, are on that account in reputation. We think of the an°els with greater veneration, as a far higher order of beings, and their fuperior excellence confifts in, at leaft one principal branch of it is, a more extenfive knowledge. But even this is only a faint ray derived from the Father of lights, the pure eternal Fountain, who communicates light in various meafures to the intellectual world, whereby it is animated, direfted and fitted to proclaim his praife, yet fuffers no dimi nution of his infinite underftanding, as the fun illu minates, beautifies and refreffies all things within its fyftem, without any abatement of its fplendor. To that pureft intelligence, that moft perfeft Wifdom, which has taught us more than the beafts of the field, and to whofe inspiration we owe our underftanding^ which is the very capacity of all our enjoyments ; to that bleffed, underived Spring of knowledge, let our minds always give the higheft honour and pay the moft dutiful refpeft, adore him who commanded the light to fhine out of darknefs, and hath put wifdom into fhe heart, the image of his own perfection. The id obfervation concerning the Divine know ledge is, that it reaches to all the actions of free moral agents. This is a point of the greateft importance to Us, and fhould affect our minds in the moft fenfible manner, becaufe we have to do with God, as our Law giver and our Judge. He has, by various methods, made their duty known to mankind ; fome notices of his will are given to all men, the work of his law is written in their hearts, and he has fhewed them that which is good, by the light of nature : Some of them he has favour'd with, a clear and exprefs revelation, and will call them to account for their obedience to the law they were under. Now for this important part of his adminiftration, as the fupreme Ruler of of its Nature, Manner and Extent. 103 the world, he is perfeftly qualified by his exact knowledge of men, of all their ways, and all their works, even to the moft fecret of them. His know ledge of other things may excite our admiration ; but this more immediately concerns us, and calls for our attention, becaufe the greateft confequences depend upon it : Our happinefs in the enjoyment of his fa vour, if he fees that our works are perfect, and that we have walked before him in integrity and with upright hearts, or the lafting miferable eftefts of his difapprobation, if he knows that we have been workers of iniquity. As no confideration can be more awful than that of the Omnifcience of God, extending to all our works, and every circumftance which may heighten their moral goodnefs or malignity ; fo it is particularly to be remember'd, that his eye penetrates into the fecret fprings of aftion, he fearches the hearts and tries the reins of the children of men. And this is abfolutely neceffary in order to a perfeft judgment of our moral behaviour. For virtue and vice, religion and irreli- gion do not confift merely, or principally, in outward acts, but in the intentions and difpofitions of the mind, of which every man's confcience is a witnefs, for it approves or reproaches him, not according to the external appearance of his works, but according to the inward affeftions and purpofes of his heart. Human judicature cannot proceed fo far ; works, as they appear in the view of men, and the fenfible ef fects of them, come only under its cognifance. In deed intention is fuppos'd, without which an aftion cannot be faid to be rational, or properly human ; but it is not known with certainty, and if it were, it is but a very imperfeft judgment which could be made by it, concerning the morality of works. For all that civiljudicature fuppofes, is, that a man is the voluntary caufe of his own aftions, or that he defigns to do what he does ; it does not pretend to judge of his remoter views, of the prevalent affections of the heart, and the motives which influenced it, and H 4 of 104 The true Notion of Divine Omnifcience, of the regard had to the approbation of God and of confcience ; all which are points of the greateft mo ment, in order to a precife determination of right and wrono- in the moral fenfe. But God fees, not as man fees ; he looks not to the outward appearance, but the heart, difcerning all its moft fecret imaginations and contrivances. And indeed without this, he could not be the righteous Judge of the world, ren dering to all men finally according to their works. The direct proof of this point is the fame that has been already infilled on, for the perfeftion and uni verfal extent of God's knowledge in general ; namely, his being the intelligent Caufe and Difpofer of all things, which fhews that the aftive powers of the ra tional creatures are as well known to him, with their utmoft exertions, as the paffive powers of matter and all its modifications. Thefe kinds of beings are ef fentially different, and fo are their powers ; but they are equally the work of God's hands, and therefore muft be equally known to him. The free agency of fome, wholly derived from, and depending on him felf, does not place them out of his view ; and fince he is the defigning Author of that faculty, and form'd it for certain ends, he muft underftand all its exercifes, whereby it is fitted to anfwer thofe ends. And as the natural government of the Deity, from which the freeft created agents are not exempted, proves his perfeft knowledge of all his creatures, and all their works, fo of his moral government over mankind, which requires a perfeft knowledge of their moral aftions, we have a natural intimation in our own prefaging thoughts. Thofe to whom God has not given any pofitive revealed law, yet'have a rule of life-written in their hearts, to which their con fidence bear witnefs ; and their own accufmg and ex cising thoughts, as they are attended with the greateft p.euure and pain which the mind is capable of, and which are the prefent fanction of the law of nature -, fe they are premonitions of farther rewards and pu- i nifhments, of its Nature, Manner and Extent. 105 nifhments, to be diftributed by the fupreme Judge. But to this purpofe they derive all their force from a fecret impreffion, which feems to be indelibly en graven on every human heart, that God is the in- fpeftor of all our aftions, and all our thoughts. With a view to a trial by men, we fhould have no farther folicitude than about the evidence of overt afts, becaufe that is the rule according to which they muft proceed ; but fince the teftimony of confcience is the meafure of our expectations from God, this ne ceffarily fuppofes a perfuafion that he is greater than our hearts, and knows all things. The argument will be greatly ftrengthened by the confideration of God's moral perfeftions, his rectitude, his goodnefs and juftice, which cannot be fully exercifed towards ra tional beings, without an infallible and compleat knowledge of their works. At prefent I only fup- pofe his moral government, which cannot reafonably be doubted, fince it is evident he has given us a moral nature, and a clear intimation that not only it is fit he ffiould, but that he actually will call us to an ac count. Accordingly, it has been ftill the common belief of all men, who had any juft fentiments con cerning the Deity, that he is perfeftly acquainted with the conduft of all moral agents, and will at fome time or other, render them recompences according to their works. If the foundation upon which we believe this par ticular branch of the Divine Omnifcience be juft, namely the evidences of a moral conftitution and go - vernment of reafonable creatures, and the natural un deceiving impreffions on the minds of men, of their being accountable for all their aftions to God as their Judge, the confequence muft be allow'd, that his knowledge of our hearts, and of all that enters into the morality of our works, is very perfeft. For the charafter of a moral governor requires, not only that the condition of men ffiould be determin'd according to the moral quality of their tempers and actions in general, 106 The true Notion of Divine Omnifcience, general, that it fhould be well with the righteous, and ill with the tvicked, but alfo that the fentences pafs'd upon them ffiould bear a proportion to the meafure of their goodnefs and finfulnefs in a ftate of trial, which fhews how exaft the knowledge of their Judge muft be. Altho' all men come under the denomination of good and bad, and accordingly the ftate to which they fhall be adjudged, is call'd a ftate of happinefs or mi- fery in general ; yet both thefe admit of a great va riety. As good men are not all alike good, and vi cious men are not all alike vicious, fo neither will their enjoyments and fufferings by the judgment of God be equal, -f "They who have fown bountifully fhall reap bountifully, and they who have fown fparingly, fhall alfo fparingly reap: That is, men fhall enjoy fe licity in exaft proportion to the degree of their vir tuous affeftions and virtuous labour. On the other hand, fame evil fervants fhall be beaten with few, and fome with many ftripes; their puniffiment fhall be in flifted in proportion to the obligations they have vio lated, which depend 'on their various circu inftances, capacities, and opportunities of doing good. Now toadjuftall this exaftly and appoint to every man fuch a degree of happinefs or of puniffiment, as is ftriftly proportionable to the meafure of good or evil in his difpofitions and his works, which a perfect moral go vernment requires ; — To do this, I fay, none but an infinite underftanding is fufficient, a clear and certain knowledge of the hearts of men, of the affections' which are prevalent in them, of their motives of ac tion, and of all the circumftances which concur to the perfection of their good works, or which either ag-' gravate or extenuate their evil ones. This extent of the Divine knowledge muft appear to us wonderful. We find ourfelves fecure within the inclofure of our own breafts, from the infpeftion of every human eye ; and we are fenfible that none of f s Cor. Jx. 6, US of its Nature, Manner and Extent. 107 us can difcern the thoughts and defigns of other men, farther than as they difcover themfelves by outward figns. But how fhall we form an idea of an under ftanding which reaches to the moft hidden receffes of all mens minds, and infallibly difcerns the fecret thoughts and intents of their hearts ? Yet this evi dently appears to be the prerogative of the fupreme Being, who without it could not be the proper Judge of moral aftions, as we are convinc'd he is, and can not remove the impreffion of it out of our minds. And indeed the confideration of his Omniprefence, naturally leads us to acknowledge it : For as our minds perceive and operate in all parts of the little fyflems which they animate, fo the moft perfect Mind being every where, not in a partial derived manner, but in the fulnefs of its aftive intelligence, muft difcern every thing. Thus the Pfalmift cele brates the glory of the Divine Omnifcience in this amazing inftance of it, -f O Lord thou haft fearched me and known me. Thou knoweft my down-fitting, and mine uprifing, thou underfta.nd.eft my thoughts afar off. Whither fhall I go from thy Spirit, or whither fhall I flee from thy prefence ? " No change , of place can " hide me from thy All-feeing eye, for in all parts " of the univerfe, I fhould be alike under thy infpec- " tion, and furrounded with thy powerful prefence." Thou haft poffeffed my reins, thou haft covered me in my mother's womb. " As all the powers of my nature " were derived from thee ; as to thy forming hand " they owe the beginning of their exiftence, and the " various fteps of their progrefs to perfeftion, and " are ftill upheld by thy mighty providence ; fo they " are continually in thy view, and every exertion of *« them is perfeftly known to thee." Since in God we live and move and have our being ; fince all our animal and rational powers neceffarily depend upon him, and by his continued influence the frame of na ture is preferved, no vital aft, not even the leaft or | Pfal. cxxxfx. moft 108 The true Notion of Divine Omnifcience, moft fecret movement in our minds, or our bodies, can be hid from his eye. Before we proceed any further in our inquiry con cerning the Omnifcience of God, it may not be amifs to make fome practical reflections on what has been already obferv'd. There is no confideration more affecting to ferious attentive minds, or which more directly tends to produce fincerity in our whole beha viour, than this of God's knowing our hearts. There is naturally a difpofition in the minds of men to ap prove themfelves to thofe intelligent beings who are witneffes of their conduft. Thus a defire of pleafing one another has a great ffiare in forming our outward deportment, fo far as it is open to human obferva- tion. But as the Divine approbation is infinitely more important, fo the defire of obtaining it has a vaftly more extenfive influence, reaching not only to the external behaviour, but to the inward difpofitions and the intents of the heart. How ridiculous does hypocrify appear to a man who confiders that all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do ? That no outward folemnities, no forms of devotion, or appearances of zeal, can im pofe on his perfect underftanding? That he fees through the moft fubtle difguifes and plaufible pre tences which an infincere heart can put on, and that they are as odious to him as open bare- fac'd wicked nefs ? Let us therefore always remember the excellent in- ftruftions of our Saviour -f- concerning afts of devo tion and charity, which may alfo be applied to other duties, namely, that if we would hope for acceptance with God in our prayers and our alms, it is abfolutely neceffary to avoid outward pomp and oftentation. A prevailing defire of human applaufe, or, as he ex- preffes it, making it our chief end to be feen of men, will undoubtedly deftroy the fincerity of religious works, fo called, and cut off our claim to the Divine f Matt- vi. appro- of its Nature, Manner and Extent. 109 approbation. But if we perform our obedience only as unto our heavenly Father, with an affectionate fenfe upon our minds of his All-feeing eye obferving us in fecret, and with an upright intention to pleafe him, he will accept of our fervice and reward us openly. Thus religion feated in the mind, and ex preffing itfelf by an uniform courfe of good actions, appears to be moft reafonable and worthy of men, for it purfues the important defign of obtaining God's favour, by the propereft means. But on the other hand, if it be certain that God knows the fecrets of all hearts, and will judge them, hypocrify is extreme folly, as well as wickednefs. For what good pur pofe can an infincere profeffion of piety ferve, fince we cannot hope to deceive him ; or what rational ac count will a man be able to give of it to his own mind ? Unlefs we will fuppofe the hypocrite per fuaded that God does not know, and that there is in the moft high no knowledge of man's actions, which pro bably is the cafe of very few, the worfhip which he performs with the greateft folemnity, and appearance of devotion, muft appear to his reflecting thoughts, the moft trifling and infignificant part of his con duct. It feems yet more abfurd than the loud cries and extravagant rites of the priefts of Baal, in that ridiculous light wherein the prophet" Elijah elegantly fets them f ; for it is not lefs unreafonable to awake a fleeping God by clamour, or call him off from other bufinefs which he is fuppofed to be attending, than to addrefs fervices to one whom we believe to be awake and attentive, yet without any defign to ob tain his approbation ? And not only fhould this confideration of the Divine Omnifcience engage men to fincerity in their wor fhip, but to univerfal purity of heart, and integrity in their whole converfation. For as all the parts of our moral conduct are equally under the direction of his law, which requires us to do juftly and to love f 1 Kings xix. 27. mercy 1 1 o The true Notion of Divine Omnifcience, mercy as well as to walk humbly with God ; and every work fliall be brought into judgment before him, with every fecret thing, whether it be good or evil ; fo his eye is continually upon us in all the af fairs of life, and in every other deliberation and de fign, as well as our immediate addreffes to himfelf. In vain the * eye of the adulterer waiteth for the twi light, faying, no eye fhall fee me, and difguifeth his face ; atid the murtherer rifeth with the light to kill the poor and needy, lurking as a thief in the night, till he find au opportunity to execute his villainous pur pofes. For tho' fuch wicked men may be able to hide their defigns from the view of the world, and thereby efcape with impunity in it, yet God is wit nefs to their moft fecret devices, even to the mifchief which they have meditated in their hearts, altho' their hands have never executed it, and he will difcover it hereafter to their utter confufion. idly, Since it is God's prerogative to know the hearts of men and judge them, we fhould not pre- fume to invade it by raffi cenfures. Some works of men both good and bad are manifeft, fo that we cannot avoid paffing a judgment upon them, tho' ftill it is an imperfeft one, tor we cannot enter into the fecret fprings and motives of action ; but other works are altogether hid from our knowledge, and concerning them we ought not to -f- judge before the time, until the Lord come, who will bring to light the hidden things of darknefs, and make manifeft the counfels of the heart, and then floall every man have praife of God, the praife which is juftly due to his works. It is therefore with great reafon that the apoftles infill fo much on this neceffary caution to Chriftians, that they do not judge one another -, which is not only be coming the deference they owe to the fuperior know ledge of their common mafter, and their profeffed expectation of appearing before his tribunal, but is the only foundation upon which charity and peace * Job xxiv. 15. f rCor. iv. 5. can of its Nature, Manner and Extent. 1 1 1 can fubfift among them. It is the violation of this rule, and Chriftians adventuring to pronounce judg ment upon their brethren, even upon the fecrets of their hearts, cenfuring and cafting them out of their fellowfhip as infincere in their religious profeffion, becaufe of different fentiments and practices in mat: ters confeffedly not effential ; — 'tis this, I fay, which has brought fo great reproach on Chriftianity, and oc cafion'd fuch fierce and fcandalous contentions among the followers of jefus Chrift. On the other hand, we ought not to be immoderately affected with the unjuft cenfures which frail mortals may ignorantly pafs upon us. Every man, 'tis true, defires to ftand fair in the efteem of the world, and good men value reputation, even with the weak, as that whereby they are render'd the more capable of being ufeful to them; but ftill there is a fufficient confolation to the fincere againft unjuft reproaches, in the teftimony of their own confciences, and the impartial unerring judgment of him who fearches the heart. It the praife of wife and virtuous men be a fupport againft the undeferved calumnies of the ignorant and the wicked, much more may he enjoy an undifturb'd tranquility in his own breaft, who having the appro bation of his own mind, can fecurely appeal to an infallible witnefs, and leave his aftions to be tried by the righteous Judge of the world, for to him // is a very fmall thing to be judged of men's judgment, feeing he that judgeth juftly is the Lord*. The laft branch of the Divine perfeft knowledge, to us incomprehen fible, which fhall be the fubjeft of the ^d Obfervation, is prefcience or foreknowledge of future events. That things to come, as well as the paf]: and prefent, are known to the firft intelligent Caufe, is evident ; for their being depends on his will, and all their powers are derived from him. He muft therefore forefee the utmoft which thofe powers can produce, and cannot be ignorant of what he intends * 1 Cor. iv. 3. himfelf 112 The true Notion of Divine Omnifcience, himfelf to do. Every free agent is confcious of his own intentions, which, if there be not a defeft of power, may infallibly afcertain the event ; but the everlafting Godfainteth not, nor is weary ; he is as able to accompliffi his defigns at the remoteft diftance of time, as when they were firft form'd, and therefore known to the Lord are all his works from the beginning. As to the effects of neceffary caufes, we can eafily conceive that he forefees them, for they are, properly fpeaking, his own works. As he is the firft mover in the material world, who by his wifdom originally difpos'd its various parts, and by his active power gave them all their force, he foreknows all the revo lutions which can ever happen in it, and all the pro ductions which can arife from it, for he is really the caufe of them, and they are to be attributed to his continued operation. But that the free moral aftions of intelligent beings, of which themfelves are the fole compleat caufes, depending wholly on the determi nation of their wills, and intirely imputed to them as their own ; that thefe ihould be forefeen by any un derftanding, muft appear to us very wonderful, be caufe it is fo far above the reach of human knowledge, and becaufe there appears in it to us, no particular ground of certainty, or manner of attaining it, con fiftent with the freedom of the agents, whofe future aftions are fuppos'd to be known. But yet that it really is fo, that not only God knows the prefent thoughts and intents of all men's hearts, but what they will do and incline to do, in all circumftances wherein they ever fhall be, has been believed by the generality of mankind, who have thought ferioufly on this fubjeft, to be included in the Divine Omnif cience. It feems to be unworthy of his infinite per feftion to place fuch a multitude of things, fome of them very important, and on which great confe quences depend, out of the reach of his forefight. And as from the Omniprefence of God, and the ab folute dependence of all rational creatures upon him, fo ef its Nature, Manner and Extent. 1 1 & fo that their powers of liberty and choice, as well as others, are derived from him, and fupported wholly by his providence, we juftly infer that thofe powers cannot exert themfelves in any manner without his prefent knowledge, which is as incomprehenfible to us as Prefcience itfelf; it feems reafonable to con clude, that fince thefe foundations of his knowledge are immutable, and alike clearly underftood by him from eternity, being really nothing elfe but his own perfeftions and operations, the object muft be equally in his view at all times, and that he muft difcern at once all the creatures, and the intire feries of their aftions, during the whole of their exiftence. Nay, the argument taken from God's being the intelligent Caufe and fupreme Ruler of all things, to prove that he knows the whole of aftual exiftence, and what ever is done within its compafs, in which all the ope rations of rational beings are included ; this argu ment concludes as ftrongly for the fame extent of his abfolute eternal Prefcience. For if the intire frame of nature now actually in being, and the intire fcheme of providence, which he is now carrying on, compre hending the whole feries of events ; if thefe be the works of defign, they muft have been known before they began to be ; and it is abfurd, that powers wholly derived from, and abfolutely depending on a wife Author, for ends which he intended, ffiould not beforefeen by him, with all their exercifes and all their poffible productions. I fhall not infill on it as a proof of this doftrine, that there have been prophe cies fulfill'd of future events, which depended on the choice of free agents ; not only believed by the weak and fuperftitious vulgar, but by men of the beft un derftanding, upon clear hiftorical evidence ; fuch as the famous prediction of Ifaiah concerning the great revolution in the Eaftern monarchy, which was tranflated from Babylon to Perfia, and particularly concerning Cyrus, whom the prophet exprefsly names long before he was born, defcribing his memorable Vol. I. I a&s» 114 The true Notion of Divine Omnifcience, afts, and the favour granted by him to the Jews; nor the yet more illuftrious example of our Saviour's death, foretold as fix'd in the determinate counfel and foreknowledge of God, tho' by wicked hands he was cru cified and flain. Altho' no reafon can be affign'd why, if the Divine Prefcience extends to thefe cafes, wherein men have acted their part as freely as in any other, the fame Prefcience may not be fuppofed equally to extend to all parallel cafes, that is, to all the volun tary aftions of men, and all the events which are ac- complifh'd by them. But, not to infift at prefent on arguments taken from revelation, however convincing they may appear to be, it would feem that if we only acknowledge the univerfal dominion of the fupreme Being over the world, and his moral government over his rational creatures, the freeft aftions of men, and all other moral agents, are forefeen by him, other- wife there muft be an uncertainty in the meafures of his own adminiftration. As the diftribution of re wards and punilhments is a very eminent part of his government, in which the honour of his Majefty, and his moral perfeftions, is nearly concern'd, and which is attended with the moft remarkable changes in the ftate of the world, it muft be unforeknown to himfelf in particular, with all the confequences of it, if the behaviour of rational creatures, to which it bears an exact proportion, is unforeknown. But this is a fup- pofition which we can hardly think confiftent with the glory of his abfolute fupremacy, the perfection of his wifdom, and the immutability of his counfels. But the great difficulty, which I hinged before, is concerning the confiftency of this infallible Divine Prefcience, with the liberty of human actions. If God knows all future events certainly, and it is im- poffible any thing, particularly any action, fhould not come to pafs which he forefees, and in the manner in which he forefees it, how then are thefe actions free ? The anfwer is, that foreknowledge has no influence at all upon the nature of things, to make the leaft al teration of its Nature, Marnier and Extent. ue teration in them. The events which are neceffary are foreknown as neceffary, and thofe which are contin gent and voluntary, are foreknown no otherwife than as contingent and voluntary. As our knowledge of things prefent, be it ever fo certain, does not affect their condition or manner of being ; the mechanical motions of bodies are alike neceffary, and the moral actions of men are alike free, whether we know them or not ; and our foreknowledge of thefe different forts of events, fuppofing we had it, could affect them no more than our knowledge of them when prefent ; fo neither has the fimple Divine Prefcience any kind of caufality in the production, or does at all affect the nature and kind of events which are the objects of it. The forefight men have of their future aftions in cer tain circumflances, does not in the leaft degree leffen their liberty, nor does God's foreknowledge of his own aftions make him the lefs free ; no more is there any reafon to imagine that his Prefcience of what other agents will do, impairs their freedom. We are confcious to ourfelves of all the liberty in action, which we can think effentially requifite to the pur pofes of morality ; we know that we are under no con- ftraint in doing good or evil, but that our choice and refufal of the one or the other, proceeds from our own affections and the inward determination of our own minds, and this is the foundation of the inward felf-condemnings and felf-approbations of which we feel ; and as the knowledge which God has of our actions, whether prefent or future, is what we are not confcious of, nor find any influence of it upon our felf-determining and active powers ; fo it does not really change their nature or quality, making them more or lefs free. As to the manner of God's foreknowing certainly contingent future events, that is, which have no ne ceffary caufe, nor are to be accomplifh'd by his own power, and the determination of his will, but pro- duc'd by other free agents ; this feems to be incom- I 2 prehenfible 1 1 6 The true Notion of Divine Omnifcience, prehenfible by the human underftanding. That any mind ffiould forefee with certainty a diftant event, which does not neceffarily proceed from the nature of things, nor is fix'd by the purpofe of a voluntary agent, is wonderful to us and far furpaffes our con ception. For as our knowledge of futurity can only reft on one or other of thefe foundations, we can form no diftinct notion of any fore-knowledge without them. It is probably their apprehending the Divine Prefcience after the fame manner, and iimiting it to the fame grounds, which has occafion'd fo much per plexity in the minds of , men, and involv'd their fpe- culations upon this fubjeft in fo much confufion. Some imagining that contingent events could not otherwife be fo afcertain'd, as to be infallibly known, have fuppos'd" peremptory eternal decrees concerning all of them, even the freeft aftions of men -, and not only fo, but a previous Divine influence on the aftive powers of rational creatures, exciting them to aftion : But others judging this to be utterly inconfiftent with1 human liberty, and, with refpeft to evil aftions, in confiftent with the purity and goodnefs of the Divine nature, yet ftill adhering to the fame limited foun dation of foreknowledge, have denied the doftrine of Prefcience altogether, or doubted concerning it. I believe the beft way for us to get rid of thefe difficul ties, is wholly to negleft the hypothefes, which have been invented to account for the manner of the Divine Prefcience, acknowledging that it is to us inexplica ble, and yet concluding that this is no fufficient ob jection againft a doctrine, otherwife well confirmed. The futurity of contingent events is real, tho' we cannot tell the caufe of it, or upon what grounds it is to be known. A free action now done, was yefter- day, or in any preceding point of duration, as truly future, as it has to day actually come to pafs ; there fore it is not impoffible, (for our minds can difcern no contradiction in it) that an infinite underftanding ffiould foreknow fuch events, tho' that knowledge is 3 to* of its Nature, Manner and Extent. 117 too high for us, or perhaps any finite mind, we cannot attain to it. And here we may fafely reft, as we find our felves oblig'd to do in our inquiries concerning the other perfeftions of God, which are evidently prov'd to belong to his nature, and therefore be- liev'd, tho' to us incomprehenfible. We acknow ledge his Omniprefence, Eternity, Self-exiftence and Omnipotence ; yet the nature of thefe attributes, and the manner of their being, particularly the exercife of the laft mention'd, his power in creating things out of nothing, as much exceeds our comprehenfion as his foreknowledge of future contingencies. We cannot indeed believe contradictions, and to impofe them upon us is to affront the rational nature ; but it is no abfurdity to believe the exiftence and the pro perties of a being, whom we cannot by fearching find out, nor underftand to perfeclion. This particular branch of God's Omnifcience, gives us a very high idea of him, as the proper ob jeft of our adoration. How wonderful, how much to be efleem'd for its perfection, is that underftand ing, which not only fees diftinftly all the paft and prefent actions and thoughts of all intelligent beings, but thofe which are yet future, and difcerns, even at the greateft diftance of duration, all the productions of free as well as neceffary caufes ? What can be hid from him who underflandeth our very thoughts afar off? Surely no darknefs can cover any thing from his fight. How defpicable are the idols of the nations who have eyes and fee not, ears and hear not, and who know not, and cannot declare things to come? How infatuated are their worfhippers ? How unhappy as well as inexcufable are they, who acknowledge no other God than chance or neceffity ? For what fatis- faftion can an intelligent being have in a world, fup pofed to be under no intelligent direftion, but the courfe of things hurried on in it by giddy fortune, or irrefiftible fate, equally unknowing of futurity ? On the contrary, the fincere fervants ot the true and living I 3 God 1 1 8 The true Notion of Divine Omnifcience, God have this never-failing confolation, that how ever ignorant they are of what is to come, concern ing which their minds are naturally anxious, he fees the end from the beginning, and no event can poffibly furprife him ; for even the freefl purpofes of men, and all other rational agents, were known in his eter nal counfels, and the iffues of them comprehended in the fore-appointed fcheme of his adminiftration. idly, As this knowledge is peculiar to God, necef farily arifing from the infinite perfeftion of his nature, and no finite mind can attain to any part of it with cer tainty, otherwife than by communication from him, he has wifely hid it from men, that they may learn to truft his providence with abfolute refignation. We are not to form our fchemes in life, and take the meafures of our conduft, by a difcernment of parti cular future events, (for they are eover'd from our fight under impenetrable darknefs,) but by general laws which God has given us, and by our obferva tions on the ordinary courfe of things. No man can be fure of fuccefs, the race is not to the fwift, nor the lattle to the ftrong, the beft concerted projects are liable to a multitude of accidents which do not fall within the reach of our forefight. But this ought to give us contentment, and here we ought to reft with pleafure, that the wife and good God knows all things ; and having done what was on our part reafonable, we may fafely commit our way and our work to him, leaving the direftion of events to his providence. Nor ought we to pry too curioufly into futurity, which God has concealed from us. This is an error which weak and diftruftful minds are apt to fall into. The Gentiles were not fo inexcufable in it, who knew not God ; but for Chriftians to apply themfelves to fuch as praftife the arts of necromancy and divina tion, for revealing fecrets and foretelling things to come, is to expofe themfelves as a prey to impoftors, and to difhonour the true God, who has favoured them with a clear manifeftation of himfelf, by attri buting of its Nature, Manner and .Extent. 119 buting to dasmons and their pretended agents, that knowledge which peculiarly belongs to him. And, Laftly, Let us take no thought for to-morrow, for our heavenly Father knows what we need ; he knows what is belt, and what the event of things will be. And let us not boaft of to-morrow, nor be vainly pufPd up, with any expeftations in this world, for God only knows, we know not, what a day, or any fu ture time, may bring forth. U DISi [ "O ] DISCOURSE VI. The Wifdom of God manifefted in the Conftitution and Government, both of the natural and moral World. [Abe rnethy. ] i Tim. i. 17. Unto the king eternal, immortal, invifible, the only wife God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen. IT is evident beyond all rational contradiction, that the world was made, and is governed by de fign ; and that the appearances of nature, and the leries of events, which every one may obierve, cannot be accounted for without fuppofing intelli gence in the univerfal Caufe. But there is a difference t>etween underftanding and wifdom, as between a power, or faculty, and the right ufe of it. Under ftanding is the fundamental capacity of wifdom, and wifdom is the proper exercife and improvement of underftanding. Our own experience, and our obfer vations upon the conduft of mankind, lead us to diftinguiffi between acting with defign and acting wifely ; the former is the charafter of all rational agents, but, alas ! we have too good reafon to know that the latter does not always accompany it : And wifdom The Wifdom of God manifefied, &c. 12 r wifdom admits of various degrees ; the inequality arifing from feveral caufes ; either an unequal mea fure of knowledge, for according to our difcernmenc of the reafon of things, their relations, connexions and dependencies, fo muft ourconduftbe wifeorunwife ; or from the motives which influence the fprings of action. We findin ourfelves a variety of affeftions, which prompt us to act, preventing deliberate attention. Men do not always govern themfelves according to the dic tates of cool reafon, and purfue the meafures which themfelves know, or believe to be the beft, but are often biafs'd by prejudices, and milled by their parti cular propenfities, to do what their own minds do not approve. Therefore knowledge and wifdom are dif ferent qualities, and they muft be confider'd as dis tinct attributes in the Deity ; tho' in him, as may be afterwards obferv'd, the one is juftly infer'd from the other ; and the fame arguments which prove his in telligence in general, prove him alfo to be wife. Wifdom in any agent is eftimated by his approba tion of fuch ends, as in the judgment of the perfon forming the eftimation, are moft fuitable to his na ture, and an invariable purfuit of thofe ends by the beft and moft effectual methods. It is firft of all, abfolutely neceffary that a right defign bepropos'd, elfe no fcheme of action can poffibly obtain our efteem as wife, or intitle the agent to that character. If we fee a man ever fo ingenious about trifles, and con triving methods which have the greateft aptitude to ac- complifh low ends, and unworthy of his rational na ture, this can never raife any veneration for him in our hearts, nay, we fhall pronounce all his contri vances foolifh. Now concerning ends, 'tis plain that to us they are determin'd by our affections ; and the meafure of them, I mean the rule whereby we judge whether they be good or bad, right or wrong, is no other than our own approbation. Subordinate ends are only confidered as means, and derive their value from the higher purpofes which they ferve ; and ul timate 122 The Wifdom off God manifejted in the timateends to the human mind are either private hap pinefs, or the good of others, to the purfuit of which we are determin'd by felf-love and benevolence, the general governing fprings of action in our nature ; 'tis the actions only which ultimately terminate in thofe ends, or which have a tendency to promote them, that we pronounce wife. The man who takes the meafures, and fteddily adheres to them which have the ftricteft connexion, not with the gratifica tion of a particular appetite or paffion, but his own true, moft extenfive and compleat felicity, or with the greateft public good, is to be acknowledged a wife man ; he who acts upon lower and inconfiftent. views, does not merit that character. But the queftion is, how fhall we judge concerning the ends of the Deity, fo as with underftanding to pronounce him wife ? Can we pretend to know what is or is not becoming the dignity and perfeftion of his nature ? Or, fliall we make the inftinfts planted in our minds for the particular purpofes of our being, a ftandard whereby to examine his aftions, and pafs a judgment upon them ? I anfwer, that tho' indeed the Divine excellencies infinitely furpafs our under ftanding, and we cannot take upon us to judge, as from a complete knowledge of them, what views they may require to be purfued ; yet there are fome things which we cannot poffibly help thinking worthy of every intelligent nature. Our minds are fo con ftituted that we neceffarily approve and admire good nefs -, and the Being who appears in his counlels to have intended, and by his aftions to promote the - moft extenfive happinefs of other beings which are capable of it, we muft judge to have the firft and ef fentially requifite qualification of a wife agent. Again, tho' we have not fuch a knowledge of the Divine per fections, and of the nature and reafon of things,, as to qualify us for judging, a priori, what is fitteft for him to do -, yet by obferving the mutual relations and harmony of things which he has made, and the apti tude Conftitution and Government of the World. 123 tude of fome, as means, to anfwer others as the ends of them, we may collect, what in fact he did intend, and thereby difcern the wifdom of the whole confti tution. It is impoffible indeed for any finite under ftanding to penetrate into the depths of his defigns, or take in the intire fcheme of his adminiftration. We know not what remote and very important pur pofes may be ferv'd by his works, beyond all the views which fall under our obfervation ; for who hath known the mind of the Lord, and who hath been his counfellor ? But even by fuch a partial obfervation as our limited capacity can reach to, we may be able to trace the marks of excellent underftanding in fome of the ways of God, and from thence reafonably con clude, that perfeft wifdom governs the whole. For example, the Divine government over mankind, and the methods of providence towards them, may have a relation to the univerfe, and affeft other orders of intelligent beings in a manner which we cannot com prehend ; but confidering it abftraftly, and as intire in itfelf, without any fuch relation, which is our way of conceiving, it may appear to us wife, and worthy of the moft excellent Being. idly, Wifdom confifts in the choice and the ufe of proper means for accomplifhing good ends. Sup- pofing an agent to have very right intentions, which is fo far praife-worthy, yet it fhews a defect of under ftanding, if he fails in the execution, by choofing means which are not fit. And it is this which is principally meant by wifdom, fo far as it denotes an intellectual ability. For to the ends which they pur- fue, moral agents are determin'd by their affections ; but in the choice of means their underftanding only can direct. Therefore imperfect minds which do not Comprehend all the relations and connexions of things, and do not forefee all future events, muft be de ficient in wifdom, tho' without any fault in a moral fenfe ; and the character of wife muft be appropriated to God as it is in the text ; for be is only wife, having a perfect 124 The Wifdom of God manijefied in the perfeft knowledge of every thing which ffiall ever come to pafs, and which any power will, or can poffibly produce. It is elegantly faid in the book of Job, he putteth no truft in his fervants, and his angels he chargeth with folly * : Their understandings, tho' vaftly large, are not infinite ; their great natural ca pacity is improv'd to a very high meafure of know ledge, by their ftanding always in the prefence of God, and receiving his inftruftions. Yet it is in- fufficient for the government of the world, and the direftion of its aftairs, which God hath referv'd in his own hands ; committing nothing to the contrivance of his ableft minifters, (they are only employ'd to execute his orders) becaufe of their imperfection in wifdom. In this fenfe, the perfeft wifdom of God is necef farily infer'd from the other abfolute perfeftions of his nature. If he be every where prefent, and wherever he is prefent there is aftivity which cannot be refitted, and intelligence which cannot be milled or impos'd upon : if he is abfolutely Omnifcient, knowing not only all things which now are, with the greateft ex- aftnefs, even the moft fecret thoughts of intelligent beings, but alfo all things which ffiall be produc'd, whether by neceffary or free caufes ; it follows, that he can never poffibly be miftaken in his meafures, or come fhort of a right judgment upon the expediency of things, or the fitnefs of means for attaining the ends he propofes. Since his power is infinite and cannot be controul'd, nor his defigns defeated by any oppofition, and there is no imaginable caufe which ffiould induce him to alter his defigns, f but his coun fel ftandeth for ever, the thoughts of his heart to all ge nerations ; fince it is fo, nothing can be wanting to the higheft perfeftion of wifdom -, no weaknefs, no error, no irrefolution or unfteddinefs can ever be charg'd on any of his meafures. Such is the rafh- nefs and folly of poor fhort-fighted mortals, that they * Job iv-. 18. -f Pful. x.v.viii. 11. take Conjlitntion and Government of the World. 1 2 c take upon them to cenfure the works of God as de feftive in wifdom, altho' we have not only the fame evidence of this which is common to other of his at tributes, that is, we know it by its fruits and effects -t but fuppofing his other perfeftions to be prov"d, his knowledge, and his power, and his omniprefence, we are fatisfied before hand by reafoning which is fully convincing, without confidering his works of creation and providence,which abundantly difplay his ' wifdom ; we are fatisfied, I fay, that he is, and ne ceffarily muft be infinitely wife. Another general argument to prove the wifdom of God, is taken from the faint and imperfeft images of it which are in fome of the creatures, and which muft be deriv'd from the father of lights, himfelf therefore poffefs'd of that perfeftion in the higheft degree. As intelligence in the effeft is a clear evidence of it in the Author, tho' of a fuperior kind, (for it could not poffibly proceed from an unintelligent CaUie ;) fo par ticularly, the higheft improvement, and the beft ufe of underftanding can never exceed, nor indeed equal the original Fountain from which all knowledge flows ; and therefore the wifdom of God is abfolutely fu preme. Since God only hath put wifdom into the in ward parts, and given underftanding to the heart, all the meafures of wifdom which any created and finite beings can attain to, muft needs be inferior to his. For, the effeft can neither originally have, nor ever poffibly arrive to the perfeftion of the voluntary com plete caufe. If it could, then of that equal, and therefore independent perfeftion, or degree of per fection, it would be a caufe to itfelf, rather there would be no caufe at all. Tho' 'tis true this is an improveable ability in imperfect minds, which grow in wifdom by attention, induftrious inquiry, and care ful obfervation, yet never independently on God, nor can their acquirements rife to an equality with the Divine underftanding. For the very capacity of im provement is derived from him, the means are under 1 2-6 The Wifdom of God manifefted in the the direction of his providence, and the fuccefs de pends on his good pleafure. And the increafe, as it is limited in its degrees, by the will of him who hath determin'd the meafures of perfection to which every one of his creatures ffiall, or can attain, fo it implies an imperfection from which the firft Caufe is abfo lutely free, whofe wifdom, as all the other excellen cies of his nature, is uncapable of any addition or di minution. But the moft obvious proof of the wifdom of God, and to attentive minds it is fully convincing, is, by his works of creation and providence ; his originally making all things in heaven and earth, and difpofing them in the order in which they appear ; his preferv- ing them all and governing them, in the way which is moft fuitable to their feveral natures, and fo as they may beft anfwer the ends of their being. They are made fo as to have a vifible mutual relation to each other, with the moft exquifite fkill and contrivance, and plainly to difcover that the whole is under the di reftion of one ruling Counfel. Inanimate things are upheld by the power of God, and direfted in their motions, conftantly and uniformly, to ferve particular purpofes. Senfitive beings have a fuitable provifion made for the fupport of their lives, and are govern'd by inftinfts which determine them to purfue the pro per ends of their nature. And rational agents have laws given them for regulating their conduft, and they are furnifhed with proper motives of aftion, by the influence of which they are direfted, freely, and with underftanding, to purfue the proper ends of their being. Upon a general furvey of thefe works of God, there appears an obvious congruity in the whole, and a defigned fubferviency of fome to others. It is evident, that the motions of the heavenly bodies, and the conftant uniform influence of them in the va rious productions upon our globe, are under fuch a direftion as to anfwer the end of fuftaining a multi tude of living things in their regular fucceflions ; ani mals Conftitution and Government of the World, izf mals are under an apparent oeconomy, whereby they are render'd ufeful to one another, and all ot them fubordinated to man. Now I fay, even upon fuch a flight and general view, we have a clear difcovery of infinite Divine wifdom. The greater variety there is in any fyftem, which muft all be within the compre- henfion of the mind that form'd it, provided there appears unity of defign and regular contrivance, the larger ftill we muft conclude the underftanding to be. A narrow capacity reaches only to a few things, placing them in due order ; if a great multitude be put under its care, it is embarrafs'd and thrown into confufion. But how vaft is the comprehenfion of that providence which takes under its guidance the whole heavens and the earth, with all things that are in them, which conducts the motions of the celeftial orbs, yet without neglecting the meaneft animal or vegetable on this earth ; and fo adjufts all the parts of the ftupendous fabric, that whatever changes any of them may undergo, their correfpondence to each other is uniformly maintain'd, and the harmony of the whole. Efpecially the variety of kinds, yet more than the multitude of individuals, properly difpos'd, demon- ftrates the wifdom of the Creator and fupreme Go vernor of the world. There is no diverfity at all in the productions of neceffary unintelligent caufes ; and, in proportion to their meafure of underftanding, the operations of free agents are confin'd to a few fimilar effects, or extend to a greater variety. It is thus that we eftimate a human genius ; the man who is fkill'dinmany different branches of learning, in hiftory, in languages, in politics and philofophy, or who knows how to act a proper part in very different ftations of life, is reputed wifer than he whofe knowledge is con fin'd to a few particulars. But how adorable is that wifdom which has difplay'd itfelf marveloufly in the whole gradation of being ; which ffiines confpicu- oufly, not only adjufting with the utmoft exactnefs, the 128 The Wifdom of God manifeft ed in the the mechanifm of the material world, but has form'd intirely different and fuperior kinds, namely fpirits, to whole nature and condition of being the methods of his providence are as well accommodated as to the other. The conftitution and form of government under which intelligent creatures are plac'd, is, at leaft, as clear a manifeftation of the Divine wifdom, as the frame and direftion of the corporeal fyftem. And, which is moft worthy of our obfervation to the prefent purpofe, thefe effentially different kinds are moft conveniently difpos'd of, with relation to each other. Spirit and body are united in the human com pofition ; and as the fyftem isdiftinguifh'din its for mation by the Creator's {kill, it is as much diftin- guifh'd by the adminiftration of his providence. From man there is a defcent, I mean as to the degrees of their perfeftion, in the works of God which we are beft acquainted with. The next inferior rank are the brutal fpecies, and among them a beautiful va-' riety, fome making a much more confiderable figure than others in the animal kingdom ; fome more emi nently ufeful, and even making nearer approaches to the human underftanding. From them the perfec tion of the animal life leffens by various defcending degrees, 'till it tomes fo near the vegetable world as fcarcely to be diftinguiflied. Of vegetables there are as various kinds, all of them miniftring to fenfitive beings as a fuperior order, and thefe latter are di rected to the proper ufe of them by particular in ftinfts : And inanimate things are conftantly fo go- vern'd as to ferve the purpofe of producing the feve ral forts of herbs, trees and fruits. This order is maintain'd amidft an infinite diverfity ; and as there is a fcale of being appointed by the great defigning Author, fo there is a fubordination of ufe, the lower ftill ferving the higher, till we afcend to man, the chief of the works of God in our world. Who that attends to this obvious face of nature, and the daily adminiftration of providence, can help acknowledging not Conftitution and Government oj the World. 129 not only defign, that is, the being of God, but per feftly wife counfel, difcover'd in the admirable oeco nomy of all things, as far as his works come within our knowledge ? A more particular and accurate inquiry into all thefe things, would fet the evidence of Divine wif dom ftill in a clearer and ftronger light ; fliewing not only that the univerfe confider'd as one intire work, difcovers wonderful counfel in the conftitution of it, having all its parts for feveral ufes regularly difpos'd and fitted to each other ; but every particular being which can be confider'd as a feparate intire fyftem and compleat in itfelf, carries in its frame the cleared manifeftations of its Author's perfeft underftanding. Not only the Lord by wifdom flretched out the heavens, and eftablifhed the earth by his difcretion, but in the conftitution of every fingle terreftrial and celeftial body, is manifefted the exquifite fkill of their de signing intelligent Maker. As to the celeftial, they are too far diftant for our minute obfervation ; and ffiuman fcience is principally converfant about their magnitude, diftance and regular motions, in which the modern improvements of aftronomical learning open a furprifing fcene, difplaying the wifdom of God beyond what appears to the firft views of an un- inftrufted fpeftator. In the compofition of bodies whofe properties are better known to us, as air, wa ter, earth, ftones, minerals, vegetables of every kind, animals, and efpecially the human body ; — in all of thefe and each of them, the manifold wifdom of the Creator is difcover'd. And here alfo it is worthy of our obfervation, that the progrefs of learning has moft eminently tended to eftabliffi the foundations of religion ; for the difcoveries which have lately been made in natural hiftory, philofophy and anatomy, have greatly illuftrated and confirm'd this important article we are now confidering. It is not convenient in this fhort difcourfe to defcend to particulars, even which are commonly known. But this I may fafely Vol. I. K fay, 130 The Wifdom of God manifefted in the fay, that it ffiows an amazing infatuation in any man, who has not fpent his life in the utmoft obfcurity, in tirely unacquainted with that knowledge of nature which is the fubjeft of common converfation in this age and thefe parts of the world, not to be convinc'd, that as the works of God are manifold, fo in wifdom he has made them all, and particularly that the human body is fearfully and voonder fully made. If we proceed farther to confider man in his better part, which God made after his own image, the work- manfhip will appear in a peculiar manner, worthy of the Author's perfeft underftanding. And firft of all, let us obferve our fituation in the univerfe. We are nearly allied and clofely united to the corporeal world, a part of matter fitly organiz'd to convey the notices of external things, and to be the mind's inftrument of aftion, is a part of ourfelves. Is not wifdom mani fefted in placing rational capacities thus conveniently for contemplation, and for the proper improvement of them in a rational happinefs, which efpecially ari fes from adoring, and actively ffiewing the praifes of the Almighty, All- wife and bountiful Creator ? Since this earth is fuch a beautiful fabric, fo curioufly fram'd and adorn'd, and all God's works in it, even thofe which are unintelligent, praife him in a filent way, by giving to rational beings an occafion of obferving and admiring his perfeftions manifefted in them, can we help thinking it was worthy of the wife Author, nay, does it not appear to be the finifhing excellence of fuch a work, to furnifh it with underftanding inhabitants, fitted with proper powers and affeftions for enjoying it, capable of difcerning its various beauty, and ap plying it to the delightful purpofe of celebrating his praife ? This honourable province is therefore wifely affign'd to man, as he is qualify'd for it by the facul ties of his nature, and holds the firft rank in this lower vifible part of the creation. But if we confider the human conftitution by itfelf, it will appear to be the finifh'd production of a wife Author. Conftitution and Government of the World. 1 3 1 Author. To judge of this it is neceffary to have in view the ends of our being, which obvioufly arife from the very frame of our nature. Man is a com pound of body and fpirit ; by the former of which he has a neceffary relation to the material world, which is the firft appointed ftage of his exiftence ; his lite confider'd as an animated fyftem of matter, is nou- riffi'd by the productions of the earth, and the necef- fities of his animal nature employ the cares of his mind. The other part, the fpirit, is endued with nobler pow ers, and is capable of higher enjoyments, of the plea- fures of virtue, of felf-approbation, and the favour of God, which are wholly independent on the body. Thefe ends, as different as the effences of foul and body, are united in our conftitution, and may be jointly purfu'd without confufion. For the purpofes both of the animal and rational life we are fitted with proper faculties, inftinfts and affections : We have fenfes whereby are communicated to us fuch ideas of external objects as are ufeful to the animal nature, and likewife the materials of entertaining knowledge to the mind: We have appetites directing and prompt ing us to the ufe of thofe things which are the means of preferving the prefent hie, and of fuch happinefs as it is capable of, without being left wholly to the con duct ot calm reafon, which would be too weak to an fwer the end fufficiently, and by attending fuch affairs would be too much diverted from more important employments. And particularly, in confidering the animal part of the human life, it can hardly eicipe our obfervation, that provident nature has lhewn ; r wife care for the fpecies, by planting in the individu als inftincts which powerfully determine them to pur fue its general interefts, tho' often accompanied w.tii great labour, anxiety and pain. The fuperior part in our compofition, the fpirit, is made for nobler ends, and is qualified to purfue them by nobler faculties, affections and determinations : It has underftanding, liberty, choice, an inftinct of henevolence as well K 2 as 1 3 2 The Wifdom oj God manifefted in the as felf-love, and confcience, whereby it judges of it3- own difpofitions and aftions according to a deeply engraven and invariable fenfe of good and evil, from the confcioufnefs of which different moral qualities in itfelf, arifes the moft folid inward joy, or the moft painful reflexion. Thefe powers appear to our own minds to have a very great excellence in them, and to dignify us highly above other beings in the world about us ; and the regular exercife of them leads to a great, perpetually increafing happinefs, to the pur fuit of which we are direfted by attending to our own frame. The underftanding is a faculty which points to its* own proper ufe and improvement ; not only di recting the exercife of all our other powers, but af fording itfelf an eminent pleafure, far fuperior to all fenfual gratifications. Liberty, tho' in us unavoidably accompanied with a poffibility of doing wrong, yet is abfolutely neceffary to our doing right in a moral fenfe, from which the higheft fatisfaftion arifes in the mind. It is virtue which raifes our nature to the greateft perfeftion it can attain to ; and what ftronger inducement can there be to the praftice of it, than, what is infeparable from our very conftitution, the joy of felf-approbation which naturally flows from it, and the felf-reproach which neceffarily follows the con trary ? And as the human mind is naturally follicitous about futurity, another ftate of exiftence is the fubject of its prefaging thoughts, and its earneft defires ex tend even to immortality, which, together with the fcanty meafure of its attainments here, both in know ledge and enjoyment,, far below what its faculties are capable of, and feem to be defign'd for ; is at leaft a probable argument that it is defign'd to fubfift here after. That fame confcioufnefs of integrity or moral goodnefs, which affords the trueft prefent tranquility and fatisfaftion to the mind, gives it alfo confidence towards God as the righteous Judge of the world, rendering it fecure in the. expectation of all changes which he fhall appoint. If Conftitution and Government of the World. 1 3 0 If we defcend to a more particular confideration of the laws of nature, we ffiall find that they are every way worthy of a wife Law-giver, as having a certain connexion with the ends of his own conftitution, and of our being. The virtue of fobriety, a very import ant part of the law written in our hearts, evidently tends to the prefervation and the eafy enjoyment of life, and to the more vigorous exercife of our fuperior powers and affeftions. The fear of God, as it is our wifdom, the injunction of it fhews the wifdom of the natural laws ; for it improves the mind, and yields it the moft delightful entertainment ; and it fecures the praftice of every other virtue : And charity is the per fect bond of human fociety ; fit therefore to be pre- fcrib'd by that gracious Governor whofe care extends to all mankind, and who by thus providing for the common fafety has wifely promoted, inftead of dimi- nifhing the happinefs of every individual ; for the trueft contentment of mind accompanies an univerfal, undiffembled good -will. Thus all the works of God have the evidences of his wifdom clearly ltampt upon them, whether we view them in the whole or in parts, and the more diligently we apply our felves to this in quiry, the more we fhall be fatisfied that the charafter of only wife, juftly belongs to him. Another illuftration of this fubjeft is taken from the manner of the Divine operations, which are fo con- triv'd that a vaft multitude of effects depend on one or a few caufes. This is always regarded as an excel lency in any work, which ftill appears the more beau tiful, manifefting the capacity of the Author, the more various its regular appearances are, and the greater fimplicity there is in the manner of producing them. When every feveral effeft has a particular fe parate caufe, this gives no pleafure to the fpeftator, as not difcovering contrivance. But that work is be held with admiration and delight, as the refult of deep counfel, which is complicated in its parts, and yet fimple in its operation, where a great variety of ef- K 3 fefts 134 The Wifdom of God manifefted in the fefts are feen to arife from one principle operating uni formly. That this is the true charafter of the works of God, we ffiall be fatisfied by confidering the na tural and the moral world ; in both which a vaft di verfity of appearances depend upon fingle caufes. The beft explication which has yet been given of the great phenomena in the mundane fyftem, refolves them into attraction and gavitation ; that is, a force imprefs'd on all bodies whereby they mutually attract, or tend towards each other, according to the quantity of mat ter they contain, and in proportion to their diftances. It is this which accounts for the regular motion of the planets, fo neceffary to the beauty and order of the vifible world ; for the preffure of the air fo ufeful to the prefervation of the animal life ; for the afcent of vapours from the earth and the waters, and their defcent when collected and condenfed, in refrefhing rains ; for the perpetual flux of rivers ; for the ebbing and flowing of the fea ; and for the liabi lity ot the earth, fupporting innumerable living creatures, with all convenient furniture for their ac commodation ; and it is the foundation of all human mechanical arts, without which life would not be to lerable. But this fimple caufe, productive of fo many important appearances in nature, muft be attributed to God the firft mover, as his work ; for it is not to be explained without having recourfe to his power and will. It is evidently an aftive force, and therefore cannot be afcrib'd to matter, which is wholly and ef fentially unaftive -, and whatever appearance of aftion it has, can only be by the contact of its fuperficial parts ; whereas the force of gravity penetrates to the centers of all bodies, and affects them at the greateft diftance. Either therefore it muft be the immediate operation of the firft Caufe himfelf, or of an inferior agent by his direction, acting conftantly and uni formly on every part of corporeal nature. Other in ftances might be given, to ffiew that the material world is govern'd by the influence of fingle caufes producing a great diverfity of effects, according to Conftitution and Government oj the World. 1 3 5 the different nature of the fubjects they work upon ; as in the general laws of motion, the various opera tions of fire, the almoft numberlefs effects which de pend upon the conftant unvaried nature and properties of water, and many more. But that of gravity men tion'd before, is the moft univerfal that we know, and the moft fatisfying to inquifitive minds ; as to a careful attention to it, and diligent obfervation of its effects, are owing the greateft modern improvements in natural philofophy, all directly leading to this con- clufion, that God himfelf, by his own interpofition, wifely and conftantly guides, what is commonly called the courfe of nature. I ffiall not infift on the principal appearances of the animal life, which are not to be attributed to mecha nifm, depending on gravity, tho' fome have vainly attempted to account for them that way. This how ever may be obferv'd concerning them, that they feem to be laid on one general uniform foundation. As there are common mediums by which the images or impreffions of material objects are convey'd to fenfi tive beings, fo the perceptions rais'd in them which are fimilar, as far as we can judge, not arifing from the nature of things, (for no man can account for the particular fenfations in animals from the figure and other primary qualities, or from the motion of the bodies which occafion them ;) they muft proceed from a general law of nature, or, which means the fame thing, the uniform operation of the firft fupreme Caufe. In the fame manner, the inftincts and appe tites of animals, determining them by a fhort and eafy method to ufe the neceffary means of their own pre fervation, and of fuch enjoyment as they are capable of, muft be refolv'd into the uniform direction of na ture, caring for its own works. But the moral world is the chief of God's works which we know, wherein his wifdom is principally difplay'd, and the fame character of fimplicity, may be juftly applied to the conftitution by which it is go- K ± vern'd.' 1 3 6 The Wifdom of God manifefted in the vern'd. The main ends of it are the perfeftion and happinefs of intelligent beings, ends moft worthy of fupreme Goodnefs ; but it is the province of wifdom to direct the means by which they fhall be obtain'd. Now to this purpofe, the great Author of nature has not given a feparate rule to every individual, where by it ffiould be direfted to purfue its own intereft in dependently on all others ; but together with felf-love, wifely implanted in every one, in order to provide for private happinefs, has united them under the general law of benevolence, which attracts free agents into a beautiful harmonious fociety, as by the force of gra vity bodies are united into a regular connected fyftem. What could be better contriv'd to preferve the com mon peace, and promote the common felicity of a multitude, than to charge every one with the care of his fellows, and make his own happinefs depend upon it ? And tho' the perfect happinefs of mankind in the firft ftage of their exiftence is not actually attain'd, that is no argument againft the Wifdom of the con ftitution, nor proves that the Author's intention is fruftrated. For as in many other productions of na ture, efpecially in every kind of life, there is a gra dual progrefs, which when compleated, is in the whole kind an admirable inftance of the Creator's wife defign, tho' during the increafe but imperfectly difcern'd, and many of the individuals never arrive to it ; fo the principles planted in the human mind, tending to its own and the common happinefs, do not produce their proper effeft in fome individuals, through their own fault, and not their full effect in the whole of the prefent ftate, being a ftate of appoint ed imperfection ; but they produce even now, fuch a meafure of happinefs as is fufficient to juftify the wif dom of God in the conftitution : And the fame Prin ciples rais'd to higher perfeftion in another ftate, will, by a more poweriul operation fully anfwering their end in the complete happinefs of all and every one, more Conftitution and Government of the World. 137 more illuftrioufly manifeft the infinite underftanding, as well as goodnefs of the fupreme Being. As felf-love and benevolence, or the defire of pri vate and public happinefs, are not barely enjoin'd by the authority of a Law-giver, but the affeftions them felves are planted in the heart of every individual, 'de termining them all, as far as free agents in fuch a ftate could properly be determin'd, whereby the whole fpecies are wifely direfted" to purfue the true ends of their being ; fo thefe two principles are intended to controul and regulate the exercife of all other affecti ons and paffions. It was neceffary that the human nature ffiould be furniffi'd with inferior private appe tites and paffions for the purpofes of the animal life, and likewife with particular inftincts of the public kind, fuch as compaffion, gratitude and natural affec tion, where nearer attachments and preffing circum- ftances require a more vigorous and ipeedy interpofal by kind offices, in behalf of fome of mankind, than of others ; which is evidently ferviceable to, and or dain'd for the public good. But the univerfal prin ciples of difpaffionate felf-love and benevolence have properly the fupremacy in our minds, to moderate the lower fprings of action belonging to their feveral kinds, and to prevent their exceffes. If lower felfiffi defires hurry us with too great violence, they are rea- fonably reftrain'd by calm felf-love to the whole of our true intereft. If particular inftincts determining us to relieve and communicate pleafure to others, carry us at any time beyond their juft meafure, which is the cafe with minds in which compaffion and natural affection are very ftrong, they are check'd by a calm confideration of the moft public good, which is the governing virtuous principle. And now upon a de liberate view of this whole conftitution, as defign'd by, the Author of nature, muft it not be acknowledg'd that wifdom appears in it ? Suppofing the intention to be the happinefs of mankind, the greateft happinefs they are capable of, what could be more wifely con- triv'd 138 The Wifdom of God manifefted in the triv'd for anfwering the end ? Thefe general plain laws univerfally complied with, and having their full ef fect, would raife the human nature to its higheft per fection, and fpread united joy and felicity over the whole kind ; and they are made eafy to every man by being the dictates of his own mind, and we areprompt- ed to obey them by inclination. And whereas our pre fent condition of being is fuch as required a variety of particular inftincts and determinations to render it the more comfortable, and defend us from fome incon- veniencies we are liable to, from which variety there might arife an occafion of perplexity in our conduct, by the interfering fprings of action -, the great ruling principles are always ready at hand, to be applied in every cafe for our direction. Perhaps it may be alledg'd, that the proof of the wifdom of God in his works, which has been laft in filled on, namely, that taken from this confideration, that a vaft multitude of effects depends on one, or a few caufes ; that this, I fay, is not conclufive, becaufe we cannot be abfolutely certain that it is a method of operation, in itfelf the beft and moft effectual for ob ¦ taining the ends propos'd ; tho' there is an apparent conveniency in it to imperfect agents, whofe minds might be embarrafs'd with a multiplicity of means, and their power infufficient for a great diverfity of ope rations at the fame time ; but this reafon cannot af fect the infinite underftanding of the fupreme Being. Without entering into this inquiry, (which is perhaps too difficult for us,) or pretending to prove that the method of operation which the Author of nature has plainly chofen, is more excellent and reafonable in it felf abftractly confidered, and with refpect to him ; I ftall only anfwer to the objection, that fince God gracioufly intended to make his ways known to his intelligent creatures, and to manifeft his wifdom foas they might be able to difcern it, the method he has taken is on that account, and to anfwer that end, ab folutely the beft. If the manner of working had been intirely Conftitution and Government of the World. 1 3 9 intirely different ; if the means had been as various as the particular ends accomplifh'd by them ; • if there had been as great a diverfity of caufes in nature, as of effects, and every defign carried on by a diftinft method of proceeding ; — This might have been as effeftual for any thing we know, and we are fure no more difficult to Omnipotence and infinite Under ftanding. But then it muft have been to us utteriy incomprehenfible ; and minds fo limited as ours are, indeed any finite minds, could have had very little knowledge of the wifdom of God. Whereas in the prefent conftitution, he has fo accommodated the me thods of his operation to the capacities of his intelli gent creatures, that the inviftble things of him may be clearly feen by them, and they may trace the footfteps of his perfeftion in the things which he has made, which is the foundation both of their duty and their happinefs, affording a moft delightful entertainment to their minds, and directing them to form the mea fures of their conduft. But one obfervation is neceffary to be added, that tho' God has given us clear manifeftations of his wif dom, and fufficient for our conviction, if we do not wilfully fhut our eyes againft the light which breaks in upon us from every part of the known univerfe, from the conftitution and the government of the in animate, the fenfitive, and the rational creatures; yet a great deal does and muft ftill remain fecret to us. There are treafures of wifdom and knowledge hid in him, which we cannot poffibly comprehend ; indeed the intire fcheme of his counfels and works can be known to no underftanding but his own. Every at tentive perfon muft be fenfible, that our knowledge of nature is very imperfeft. Our fenfes, which convey to us the ideas of material exiftence, are confin'd with in a narrow fphere. We have reafon to believe there are vaft regions in the univerfe beyond the reach of their difcernment ; and by what peculiar methods they may be govern'd, different from thofe which take place 140 The Wifdom of God manifefted in the place in our fyftem, we cannot pretend to judge. There may be alfo, no doubt there are, other orders of in telligent beings befides mankind ; and the laws by which they are ruled may differ in fome particulars, from thofe which are given to us. Befides, of the things which fall under our obfervation, nay, which we are moft familiarly converfant with, there are a great many properties and relations ; indeed their very effences, the foundation of all their properties, are unknown to us. They are only the external appear ances of things which we obferve, and their con nexions and dependencies are the fubject of human fcience ; but their intimate natures from which thefe appearances flow, are unknown. But ffiall we from our own ignorance, infer a defect of wifdom in the fupreme Maker and Difpofer of the univerfe ? On the contrary, it ought to be allow'd, that if there be fa- tisfying evidence of wifdom in all his works which we know, there is no reafon to doubt of it in thofe parts which are remote from our view, or too deep for our penetration. What mind can be fo weak or fo pre- judic'd as to fuppofe, that indeed wifdom rules in all that we fee, (the regularity and harmony of things ex torts this acknowledgment,) but in all the reft of the univerfe confufion and dilcord may reign, and nature be under no wife direction ? Wifdom is the perfection of a caufe, not of an effect ; it belongs to an agent uniformly directing the exertion of his active powers, not conrin'd to fome of his operations ; and therefore, if a being appears to be wife in a great variety of his works which we know, we reafonably conclude that the fame wifdom directs the whole of his conduct. This obfervation, with refpect to the works of crea tion and providence, is juftified by experience. For whereas fome things in the world, the ufes of which were not at all known in the infancy of learning, fuch as vaft tracts of mountains, barren defarts and wide feas, have been ftrongly infilled on as arguments to fhow the Want of wifdom in the frame of nature ; thefe very Conftitution and Government of the World. 1 4 1 very things are fince found, by later difcoveries and a more accurate inquiry, to be highly ufeful and ta ferve very important purpofes. And as other ob jections of the fame kind derive all their ftrength only from human ignorance and weaknefs, a more thorough knowledge would make them all difappear, and efta bliffi a conclufion directly contrary to that which un learned fceptics would infer from them. In the mean time, it ffiows the moft conceited and prefumptuous folly for men to cenfure the Divine adminiftration, merely becaufe there are fome things in it which they cannot comprehend, when the general voice of nature and providence proclaims it wife. The proper ufe to be made of this doctrine is, that we ffiould praife God. All his works praife him by manifefting his wifdom ; and we whom he has made capable of difcerning the characters and evidences of that perfection, owe him the tribute of the higheft honour and efteem. Power may ftrike our minds with awe, and fupreme Majefty make our hearts tremble, but it is wifdom that attracts veneration. In what ever degree any agent appears to be poffefs'd of that quality, he is intitled to a proportionable meafure of our refpect. Wifdom and folly make the principal diftinction among men, by which they are held in re putation or contempt. Tho' the differences of out ward condition may be often too much regarded, and men of fervile fpirits may flatter the rich and great in their folly, while the poor mans wifdom is defpifed ; yet the language of the heart is different, and true wifdom, wherever it is found, neceffarily commands our in ward efteem. But what is all the wifdom of men, or indeed the largeft finite underftandings, but an im perfect glimpfe, when compared with the intellectual perfection of the Father of lights ? As praife is the nobleft employment of the mind, one can't but be fenfible of dignity and felf- worth in doing honour to tranfcendent excellence, by affecti onate acknowledgments and applaufes ; fo it is a moft delightful 142 The Wifdom of God manifefied in the delightful exercife ; pleafure is infeparable from the hearty congratulation, and the foul even partakes of the intellectual and moral perfeftion, which it joy fully celebrates. And fince the confcioufnefs of dig nity, and the delight which accompanies praife, muft always bear a proportion to the apprehended excellen cy of the objeft, the praife which is given to the fu preme Being, with underftanding and fincere efteem, muft, on this account, infinitely exceed all others. It is therefore moft becoming fuch imperfeft rational creatures as we are, to contemplate the works of God, with this defign, that we may difcern the manifefta- tions of his wifdom in them, and thereby exite in our felves thofe pious and devout affeftions, and that fu- perlative refpeft, which are the very effence of praife, as it is a realonable and moral fervice. Any one who attentively confiders the frame and condition of human nature in this world, muft fee, that tho' its capacities are great, and vifibly intended for important ends, yet this our infancy of being, is very weak ; that the prefent is a ftate of probation, wherein the progrefs of our underftandings and our moral powers, with the enjoyment arifing from them, in a great meafure depend upon fuch a diligent ufe of our own faculties, as a careful attention to the nature and order of them will direct. The firft impreffions made upon our minds are by fenfible objects, and our appetites to them naturally arife, which being cuf- tomarily indulg'd, the higher powers and affections of the foul are neglected and become weak ; yet are we not left without an obvious remedy againft this in convenience and infirmity of our nature. As the leaft reflection will convince us, that there are higher and nobler powers in our nature, capable of a ra tional, a more refined and fublime enjoyment, than any which can belong to the animal part of our con ftitution ; fo the proper exercife of thofe higher facul ties is naturally pointed out to us, by the work of God's law written upon our hearts, and by the evi- 2 dences Conftitution-and Government of the World. 143 dences of his being and perfections, which are moft plainly infcrib'd on his works, wherewith we are con tinually furrounded. But ftill it is in our power to neglect the culture of the virtuous affections, and to let the natural motives of piety flip out of our minds. Whether we will do fo or not is a great part of our trial. This however is certain, that nothing can be more worthy of us, or of more immediate importance to our greateft perfec tion and happinefs, than that we ffiould, with deli beration, defign and diligence, apply our felves to the proper exercife and improvement of our rational and moral faculties, in order to eftabliffi the fupremacy of confcience, and, on that foundation, the inward har mony of the mind, and to obtain that enjoyment which naturally arifes from univerfally felf- approving, virtuous integrity. But tho' this be evidently rational and important, (fcarcely will any thing be alledg'd in juftification of the contrary ;) yet how few are there of mankind, even of thofe who are in reputation for wif dom and virtue, who make it their bufinefs to culti vate their rational and moral capacities, or have ever taken a refolution to make that their chief care through the courfe of their lives ? For the moft part, we learn our piety and virtue, as a foreign difcipline, and only by outward inftruction. Therefore it fits fo aukwardly upon us, and the exercife of it is attended with little of fuch dexterity, vigour, warmth of affection and pleafure, as accompany the bufinefs of nature, which religion really is, in itfelf, and in the primary way God has taken to teach it to us, that is, by writing its main principles and inftructions upon our hearts. If we are fincerely difpos'd to employ our felves in this excellent, this comprehenfive duty of praifing God, wherein our beft affections join their force, and all the fprings of manly pleafure unite in railing the fatisfaftion of the mind ; if, I fay, we are fincerely difpos'd to employ ourfelves in it, the means are ready at hand. The works of God, in a moft amazing and beautiful inftruftive variety, prefent themfelves to 1 44 The Wifdom of God manifefted in the to us with their manifeftations of his wifdom ; they pour, their evidence from all quarters, and into all the avenues of the mind, inviting us to behold perfect counfel and wife defign, which is the moft agreeable object we can contemplate. There is no part of the univerfe to which we can turn our attention, nor any fpecies of beings in it, that does not afford us the plaineft difcoveries of Divine flail and power in their formation and ceconomy. The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament fheweth his handy-work: Day unto day uttereth fpeech, and night unto night fheweth knowledge. The beafts of the field aud the fowls of the air teach us, and the fifhes of the fea declare to us, that he is perfeftly wife who gave them their being, and appointed their various ufes, with all the cir- cumftance?: of their condition. In this view the work of the Lord appears honourable and glorious, and it is fought out of them that have pleafure therein. They trace the fignatures of counfel upon it, with the higheft admiration, and their hearts are fill'd with joy and praife. A heart full of fuch fentiments will be its own inftruftor in religion, and needs not to be taught from abroad what duty it owes to God, what love and gratitude, what confidence, obedience and re- fignation Providence, as I have already obferv'd, has af forded us great and peculiar advantages for making proficiency in this kind of knowledge, and thereby advancing in fubftantial piety. Some eminent perfons in thefe. laft days, and that part of the world where we live, have happily employ'd an uncommon capacity in fearching out the works of nature, and illuftra- ting the marvelous difplays of Divine wifdom in them ; fo that the fubject appears in quite a different light from what it has hitherto done, and is even brought down to the level of vulgar underftandings. What has been fometimes called philofophy, the vain, the poor produftion of impiety, ignorance and pride, was really what the Apoftle calls, the wifdom, through which the world knew not God. But happy our times! wherein Conftitution and Government of the World. 145 wherein whatever is worthy to be called learning evidently terminates in religion as its laft refult, and fhews us all things full of God. Let us purfue the method which has been fo clearly mark'd out to us. Let thofe whofe talents and leifure enable them, en deavour to build a farther fuperftrufture on the noble foundation already laid, and by inveftigating the fecrets of nature, fo far as human underftanding can reach, difcern the counfels of its Author, that they may give him due praife. And let them who are un qualified for fuch an undertaking, yet ftudy to be acquainted with the ufeful difcoveries others have made ; and by affectionate meditation on them, feed the pure flame of rational devotion in their own breafts. But above all kinds of natural knowledge there is one branch which may be moft profitably improv'd to the purpofes of religion, by contemplating the wifdom of God in it ; I mean the philofophy of human nature it felf, not only or principally of the corporeal part, tho* even that is a wonderful work of God, a moft curious ftrufture, wherein divine wifdom ffiines confpicuoufly. It is indeed furprizing, that any who have ftudied the animal conftitution and ceconomy, ffiould forget God its Maker. Others, we know, have made many juft and pious reflection upon it, as an admirable monument of the Creator's fldll, wherein he has ffiewed himfelf great in counfel and wonderful in working. But what I chiefly aim at is, that we lhould apply ourfelves to the ferious confideration of our more inward fabric, that of mind, whereby we are diftinguifh'd with the charafter of rational creatures. Of all the external ob jects we difcern, bearing, in a vaft variety, the marks of the Creator's intelligence and power, there is none which has any refemblance to this. It has no fhape or colour, or any other fenfible quality ; yet there is nothing more real, nothing more important to us. We are confcious of its various, many of them deeply interefting, perceptions and operations, accompanied Vol. I. L with 1-46 The Wifdom oj God manifefted in the with different kinds and degrees of pleafure and pairf.- This objeft, intimately near us, (for 'tis that whereby we are what we are, our very felves,) will, in that view of things we are now confidering, appear moft worthy of our firft- and careful attention. To this purpofe, fome of the principal appearances have been obferv'd; in the preceding part of this" difcourfe ;¦ but in every view we can take of it, k appears a beautiful offspring of God's light, and a noble produftion of his power. The intellectual and felf-determining faculties, the felf- reflefting authoritative and controuling judgment of the mind upon its own difpofitions andvoluntary acts; and the affeftions to fpiritual and moral objects; characters and aftions ; — Thefe are fubjeets of con templation, to which we meet with nothing, parallel in the whole of material nature. And when, in con junction with them, we confider the other fubordinate powers and determinations of the human foul, its fenfes, appetites and paffions ; there is a< beautiful fcene open'd to us, wherein we may entertain-ourfelves moft agreeably, and be furniffi'd with excellent arguments of praife to our great and wife Creator. This Divine workmanfhip appears a regular fyftem, comprehending a multitude of parts, but all connected together, and varioufly related. The great- end of a perpetually increafing rational perfeftion and happinefs, is plainly intended,, and the means are excellently fitted to- it. There are many inferior powers, inftincts and affections, each ferving a feveral ufeful purpofe, and having pleafure annex'd to it, but all in fob- ordination to the ultimate end,, which nature directs us fteddily to purfue. In a fyftem fo various, con taining fo many different powers and fprings of action, of oppofite tendency, it can fcarcely be expected, at leaft in its infancy and ftate of appointed imperfection^ but that fome diforders ffiould happen ; and fo we' find it in fact. But ftill the remedy isin the foul itfelf; by the proper exertion of its own power, there is pro vifion made for inward order, harmony and peace, which Conftitution and Government off the World. Tfff which is the natural, healthful and happy ftate of the mind. This fcience, like others; has had its vicif fitudes ; fometimes in a more flourifhing, fometimes in a declining ftate. Some eminent attempts have, of late, been made to refcue it from the obfcurity and ignorance , of the barbarous middle ages. Buc that every man^ for himfelf, may ftudy it fuccefsfully, nothing is more neceffary then frequent, careful and unprejudic'd felf-infpection ; whereby pious affections will be excited in our minds, and we ffiall be led to afcribe, to the only wife God all honour and glory for ever. idly-, As by the manifeftation of God's wifdom in the frame and conftitution of things; we are directed to celebrate his praifes with underftanding and fincere affection ; fo by the continued exercife of the fame glorious attribute in his government of the world, we are encourag'd to truft in him at all times and in all circumftances, if we fincerely endeavour to ap prove ourfelves to him by imitating his moral per fections, and obeying his laws (the only condition upon which, by the very conftitution of our nature, we can have confidence towards God ;) for he has the whole feries of events under his direction, appointing even the remoteft iffues of them. Vain are the con trivances of wicked mortals, againft the gracious defigns of providence towards good men ; the counfels of the fr award are turned headlong, their michievous purpofes are difappointed* for the Lord knows how to deliver the godly from temptations. We ought not to pronounce judgment upon the firft face of things, nor be greatly difcouraged becaufe of irregular appearances,,' We may be allured they are no more than appearances, for it is impoffible there fhould be any real diforder, where infinite Wifdom rules. And tho' our know ledge of particular events is very fhort, this may always yield us fatisfaftion* and fupport our hope, that the whole courfe of nature, and all the viciffitudes pf human affairs are govern'd by perfeft reafon. Here is, one would think* a folid foundation of L 2 inward 148 The Wifdom of God manifefted in the inward tranquillity to intelligent creatures, and a relief under all their anxieties for the future. For what could a rational being defire, but that eternal uner ring reafon ffiould direct the feries of events, and de termine what comes to pafs ? If, in fact, the world be fo govern'd, and our perfuafion of it refts upon folid grounds, this muft be delightful to the human mind, a never-failing fpring of confolation. Sup- pofing on the contrary, that there were no fuch thing as counfel in the government of the univerfe, but that all things were guided by blind chance or neceffity ; how muft this diffipate the vigour of the foul, diforder all its powers, and fill it with horror ? The prefent ftate, and indeed the whole of exiftence, would then be, in the ftrifteft and moft proper Senfe, as Job repre fents the ftate of death, * a land of darknefs as darknefs itfelf, and of the fhadow of death, without any order, and where the light is as. darknefs. But fince it is not fo, fince the only wife God reigneth, his counfel ftandeth for ever, and the thoughts of his heart to all generations, Jet all the rational inhabitants of the earth rejoice, and the multitude of the ifles be glad thereof. What can give greater fatisfaction and inward fecurity to a confiderate unprejudic'd mind ? For, upon this principle, the laft refult of all things muft be, juft as fuch a mind would wifh it to be. Laftly, We ought always to acquiefce in the prefent difpofition of things by Divine providence, and com ply with its counfels, as far as we know them. God's ways are unfearchable, and his judgments paft finding out ; but when he is pleas'd to fhow his purpofes in particular events, tho' we cannot difcern the reafons of them and their full defign, it becomes us to fub- mit, not becaufe of his ibvereign dominion, (which, abftracting from the confideration of his wifdom, can never produce a rational refignation, nor fatisfy our underftandings any more than unintelligent fate, the blind idol of Atheifts ;) but becaufe we know he is in finitely * Job x. 22. Conftitution and Government of the World. 140 finitely wife, who in thefe inftances declares his will. He has, 'tis true, given us underftanding, and we fhould ufe it in the beft manner we can, for the direc tion of our own praftice. Prudence however will direct fuch as are confcious of their own weaknefs, to carry it with great deference to acknowledg'd fuperior underftanding, and hearken to inftruftion. But finely the very imperfeft underftandings of men, ffiould never exalt themfelves againft the perfeft Wifdom which rules the univerfe. Therefore when God is pleas'd to interpofe by difappointing our defigns, and breaking our meafures, the humbleft refignation is our unqueftionable duty ; and what he has plainly dif cover'd to be the defign and appointment of his pro vidence, we ffiould chearfully fubmit to, becaufe we are fure it is wifeft in the whole : ftill remembering, as a firft maxim, and of the utmoft importance, that what God has evidently ffiown, by the clear light of our own reafon, to be the proper ends of our being, thefe we ought conftantly to purfue, and inviolably adhere to that invariable rule which he has given us for the conduft of life. We cannot fathom the depth of his wifdom, nor know the fecret of his counfels ; but unto man he has faid, * Behold the fear of the Lord, that is wifdom, and to depart from evil is underftanding. * Job xxviii. z8. DIS- [ i5o ] DISCOURSE VII. The Goodnefs of God, proved from his Works. [Aberneth y.J Mark x. iS. There is none good but one, that is God. AS goodnefs, in general, is a moft amiable fub jeft of meditation, it is impoffible for the hu man heart defignedly and deliberately to think of it without pleafure. The goodnefs of the Deity is in a peculiar manner, above his other perfections, attraftive of our higheft efteem and delight. They are all excellent in themfelves, abfolute, independent of any other being, neceffary as his exiftence, and infinite : but beneficence finifhes his character, which is the juft objeft of pur adoration, our reverence and love, the foundation of our hope and confidence in him, and moft worthy to be imitated by us, as far as our limited capacity and the frailty of our nature will allow. The confideration of eternity and im- menfity, qf power and wifdom, nay, and of holi- nefs and juftice, abstracting from love and kindnefs, may ftrike the mind with admiration and awe ; but the bounty of God to all fenfitive, and efpecially rational creatures, his opening his hand liberally, The Goodnefs of God, Sec. i ri and giving them that which is convenient for them, fuitable to their feveral natures,— This infpires the heart of man with hope and joy, excites the beft affeftions, and makes all the reft of the divine at tributes appear moft lovely. I intend afterwards more particularly to explain this fubjeft. My prefent defign is to prove that God is good. Some have endeavoured to prove all his moral attributes, and particularly his goodnefs, from his natural perfeftions ; and their reafoning feems to be very ftrong. As morality has a necef fary foundation in the nature and reafon of things, independently on, and antecedently to all will, and pofitive appointment ; (for the effences of things be ing different, there muft be different relations, and .agreeablenefs and difagreeablenefs of fome to others, and particularly a fuitablenefs of certain conditions and circumftances to certain perfons, or their cha racters and qualifications ;) fo this neceffarily appears to tfie human underftanding; and we cannot help thinking it appears to every underftanding. more or lefs clearly, according to the meafure of its perfec tion ; and every intelligent agent muft of neceffity, (not natural but moral, confiftent with the moft per fect freedom,) direft his aftions by that diftinftion .of fit and unfit, fo far as it is known to him, un lefs he be hindered by impotence or wrong affec tion. Now the fupreme caufe of all things being abfolutely perfeft, felf-exiftent, independent, and unchangeable, his underftanding infinite, h-is power almighty,; as he difcerns all the relations and even poffibilities of things; no reafon can poffibly be im agined why he ffiould not always aft according to thefe invariable refpefts, which* he has made every intelligent creature capable of feeing, and thereby capable of approving and praifing his adminiftration. He can never miftake evil for good, or fail in dif- tinguifhing the true limits of fit and unfit. There js no fuperior power to controul or reftrain him in .doing what he thinks moft reafonable to be done. r - - He 152 The Goodnefs of God He is infinitely above all indigence, or want of any thing to make him perfeftly eafy and happy; and therefore his mind cannot be biaffed by any felfifh or partial affeftions, which are in other agents the fources of offence againft the eternal rule of right. In particular, the fupreme Being muft be good, or in clined to communicate happinefs, becaufe he is in him felf, and was from eternity, perfeftly and unchange ably happy, and therefore cannot be fuppofed to have defigned the produftion of any kind or degree of un happinefs, unlefs his wifdom ffiould forefee it might be a means of greater good in the end. Nor indeed can it be fuppofed, that fuch a Being could have another motive to make any creatures at all than to communicate good in fuch variety, and always in fuch proportion, as to his infinite wifdom ffiould feem meet. That God is beneficent alfo appears from his abfolute alf-fufficiency, whereby he is at an infinite diftance from malice, envy, and all temptations tp do evil. For thefe malevolent difpofitions, and every difpofition contrary to goodnefs, as they are known to be tormenting to the mind in which they are feat ed, fo they always proceed, and in their nature muft proceed, from weaknefs and imperfection. But, though this reafoning may be very convinc ing to fome attentive perfons, yet another, and a larger method of illuftrating the fubjeft before us, may be more generally ufeful, which therefore I fliall endeavour in the following difcourfe ; namely, by confidering the genuine fruits of goodnefs appa rent in the works and ways of God, or in his con ftitution of things, and adminiftration of providence. To which purpofe it is only neceffary to obferve, that the evidence of the -divine goodnefs is the fame with the evidence of that difpofition in any other being, as the principle itfelf is the fame in kind though dif ferent in the degree of its perfeftion. If a defigning caufe actually produces thofe effects, which in their nature and tendency are beneficial to other beings, proved from his Works. J53 and we fee no reafon to think that he afts upon felfiffi principles, we cannot help concluding that he is be neficent. Now it has been proved, that God is the fupreme intelligent defigning caufe of all things in the univerfe ; he has difpofed its form, fixed its or der, the relations, the connexion and dependence of all its parts, and the harmony of the whole ; that he continually fuperintends and irrefiftibly governs it, being every where prefent, and every where ex- ercifing his power and wifdom. And therefore if in the intire ftate of things, and feries of events, ft appears that there are many benefits actually con ferred, and much happinefs actually communicatee! to beings which are capable of it, (various happinefs fuitable to their various natures and conditions, either in their poffeffion, or placed within their reach; fo that by the proper ufe of their own powers they may attain it ; and at the fame time they have a fufficient direftion as to the manner of attaining it;) if, I fay, thefe things be fo, and this apparently prevalent in the conftitution of nature, and the adminiftration of providence, as far as our knowledge extends, then we do juftly infer, that the author of nature and go vernor of the world is good or benevolent. It is true indeed that a vaft variety of creatures in the univerfe are not proper objects of beneficence, and therefore the manifeftation of this, is not alto gether fo extenfive as of the other divine attributes. In all the kinds of inanimate things, from the moft magnificent celeftial orbs to the loweft pebble or grain of fand on the earth, the wifdom and power of the Creator are difplayed ; but they are capable of no enjoyment, and confequently the goodnefs of God can no otherwife properly be laid to be manifefted in them, than as they are the means of happinefs to fenfitive or intelligent beings. But as we cannot certainly know, that any part of the univerfe is wholly uninhabited by living creatures ; and as its principal parts and appearances have an evident re lation j- i-'-- £ ,54 The -Goodnefs of God •lation to life, and are ufeful to its prefervation and entertainment ; fo this fyftem which we are beft ac quainted with, would be but very imperfectly under- itood, and a wrong judgment made of it, if it were confidered only as dead nature ; as a curious fabric indeed, but unrelated to, and not made for the ufe of the animated kinds which dwell in it, and -which we cannot avoid thinking to be a fuperior and more perfect rank of beings. As for the earth, it feems t» have been chiefly intended as a dwellingr place for animals, and all its parts and productions principally defigned for their conveniency. We -cannot take upon us fo peremptorily to judge, what the main ends are of thofe moving globes in our hea vens, which do all of them, in common with this terreftrial one, partake of the vital heat and light of the fun-, and which, though appearing to our naked eyes very fmall becaufe of their diftance, are really of a vaft magnitude. It is not improbable, that as ¦they feem to be well fitted for it by their fituation, they are inhabited by rational creatures who there ce lebrate the praifes of their maker, and pay him their homage, being, as we are, the monuments of his bounty. But however that be, we reafonably conr elude, that the ufes which we fee fome of the far diftant orbs do ferve, thofe the wife author of nature defigned they ffiould ferve : and if they are of great importance to animal and intelligent beings, he is good in appointing them for fuch ufes. Efpecially the fun, that glorious orb, the perpetual fource of light and warmth, though it may anfwer ends above our comprehenfion, and may be fitted to other parts of the world in the fame way it is to this we live on, or in different ways ; yet upon the partial view we have of it, and of its various ufefulnefs to the in habitants of the earth, we reafonably judge that it is defigned to be beneficial ; and that therefore the maker of it is beneficent. From proved from his Works, ic? From what has been faid, it appears that one pro per illuftration of the prefent fubjeft will be, by Confidering the vifible frame of inanimate nature which falls within our obfervation, and its moft ob vious appearances, as they relate to animal and ra tional life, which afford us a ftrong convincing evi- dence of the Creator's bounty. It has been obferved on another occafion, that the apparent relation be tween the parts of the mundane fyftem, particularly the conftant conveyance of light and heat from the fun to the earth, caufing fuch a variety of produc tions on its furface, and of fo manifold ufe to its inhabitants, that we cannot conceive how they could poffibly fubfift without them, (which light and heat are fo conveniently diftributed by means of the daily and annual revolutions, that all parts of our globe, have, in their turns, fuch fupplies as are receliary For the living creatures which dwell is- them,-) it has, I fay, been obferved, that this is a clear evidence of defign in the frame of the world. But the fame argument as fujly proves good defign ; that is, a de fign of doing good to a multitude of fenfitive and intelligent beings. Will we call a man beneficent who employs his time, his labour, and treafure, for relieving the indigent, for preferving life, and ren dering it comfortable ? And ffiall we not acknow ledge him a kind and generous Being, who has fo contrived the fabric of the world, and fo conftantly directs its regular motions, that by them all the fpecies of living creatures upon the earth, and man kind at the head of them, are daily nourifhed, and have a vaft variety of enjoyment ? The uniform ap pearance which there is in the face of nature, and the conftant courfe it keeps, makes the continual, intelligent, and beneficent direftion of its author, to be overlooked by thofe ungrateful and unthoughtful mortals, who ftupidly attribute the benefits they con ftantly receive, to a kind of undefigning neceffity ; whereas to an attentive mind, the power of God ap pears ic6 The Goodnefs of God pears as much in the ordinary works of nature, as in the moft miraculous interpofitions. His bounty appears by its conftant, yet voluntary communica tion ; fo much the more to be admired, becaufe thus it is manifefted to be a never-failing principle : and the fun's vifiting the earth every day, is a daily frefh inftance of his favour ; the fufpenfion whereof, for a very fliort time, which he could as eafily effect, (and goodnefs only prevents it,) would involve all the animals of the earth in the utmoft horror, nay inevitable ruin. Again ; if v/e look into the constitution of this lower world itfelf, which can only be attributed to the will of the wife Creator as its-caufe, it will lead us by the fame fort of reafoning to the acknowledg ment of his liberality. There is an admirable cor- refpondence between the parts of the terraqueous globe, whereby it is made a convenient habitation for the various tribes of animals which it fuftains.' The thin fluid that furrounds it is immediately necef fary to the prefervation of their lives, by breathing, as well as for the tranfmiffion of light, and nouriffi ing warmth from the fun : its folid parts fupport heavy living bodies -, and it is every where fo well fupplied with water in perpetual courfes, and by re- freffiing fhowers, as to anfwer fufficiently, every where, the purpofe of producing food for them, and to furnifh them with drink, befides other convenien cies of life. The feveral kinds have their proper elements affigned them, to which th°y are fitted by their make; and there js fuitable provifion made for them. The fea and the rivers are flored wjth fcaly inhabitants, which pafs through them with eafe and pleafure, having organs adapted to that purpofe, and abundance of food convenient for them : but they Cannot live on dry land ; which, in its turn, is ap propriated to other fpecies : and they, by a quite different organization of their bodies, are fitted to move on it with equal eafe ; and have the means of their proved from his Works. icy their fubfiftence plentifully afforded them. None of thefe can mount up into the air ; which yet is vifited by feveral forts of animals that wing their way through its regions, and by it eafily aicend to the tops of mountains and tall trees, where they find both; nouriffiment and ffielter. Now is it not a juft and obvious reflection on all this ?--That God has diffufed his bounty every where, and that all his works which come under our obfervation, are filled with the fruits of it. Neither earth, nor air, nor fea, are empty of living inhabitants, vvhich he pro vides for. No place is without many witneffes of his liberality ; and life is the care of his providence. What human heart can be fo infenfible, as not to join with the pious pfalmift in celebrating the praife of the divine wifdom and goodnefs ? The earth is full of thy riches, O Lord, fo is the great and wide fea, wherein are things creeping innumerable, both fmall and great beafts. Thefe wait all upon thee, that thou mayft give them their meat in due feafon. That thou giveft them they gather ; thou openeft thy hand, they are filled with good *. In, the next place, as the animal life confidered by itfelf, (efpecially its principal appearances, fenfation and fpontaneous motion,) is a convincing evidence of the being of God, or of an intelligent agent who made the world ; fo it carries in it a very ftrong ar gument of his goodnefs. It is indeed the loweft immediate object of his goodnefs that we know, be caufe its perceptions and enjoyments are of the loweft kind : but the benevolent difpofition will always in cline any agent to give pleafure rather than pain ; and it is a plain inftance of the Creator's benignity, that he has made even this low life with a capacity of fome happinefs; and provided for it all the hap pinefs it is capable of. The animal conftitution is fuch, that in every fpecies of it we may ob- ferve a curious texture of the interior vital parts guarded by a ftrong outfide; whereby it is preferved 7 Pfal. civ. 25, 27, 28. from 1 58 The Goodnefs of God from thofe things wliich might be hurtful to its ten- da- frame, and enabled to perform its proper func tions without pain. The organs of fenfe are fo fituated as to convey the neceffary notices for the fafety and benefit of the whole body ; and its inftincts are all plainly fitted to its condition, determining it to that which is ufeful for its prefervation, and to fuch enjoyment as is fuitable to it. But thefe felf- motions, fenfations; and the following of inftincts, are accompanied with a kind of gratification, fo that the fenfitive life itfelf is not dragged on with forrow, nor is altogether joylefs and infipid ; but in its meafure, partakes the bounty of kind provident nature. Of this, many fpecies of the brutes give plain enough difcoveries. With what eafe and na tural indications of delight, do the herds grafe in their paftures? They fport in their manner, and play, fatisfied with their portion, and as enjoying all that nature craves. The birds fing their chearful notes,- and mount upwards with their figns of joy, as con tented with what liberal nature has bountifully dif- penfed to them. But of animal enjoyment we have a more direct and immediate knowledge by what we feel in ourJ felves : having fenfes and appetites very much re fembling thofe of the inferior kinds, we cannot but know what a variety of gratification arifes from them ; and thereby are led to acknowledge a large manifeftation of the divine liberality* diffufed thro' the whole extent of fenfitive nature. Another obfervation concerning all forts of ani mals that we know is obvious to everyone ; namely* that their affeftions do not wholly terminate in them felves. Befides the inftinfts which relate only^ to every individual, whereby it is determined to feek its private good, fuch as food, fleep, and other neceffa ry refreftment, they have ftrong attachments to their kinds, and inclinations prompting them to be ufeful to one another. Some live in a fort of regular focie-* ty, ptoved from his Works. frgt ry, refembling a human common-wealth ; efpecially the feebler kinds, which have the greateft need of mutual aid. The favage beafts, however destructive' rhey may be to other fpecies, are, in their rouglv man ner, affectionate to their own : and the tamer beafts flock together when any danger threatens them ; and the ftrong do not fave themfelves by flight, but run hazards, and will engage in painful ftruggks for the defence of the weak. What labour and difficulty* nay extreme fufferings, will the dam undergo for heF young, regardlefs of eafe and life itfelf? So ftrong is natural affection in her I There feems indeed, far ther, to be an eftablifhed general relation between the fpecies themfelves, and a bond of union to run through the whole animal Kingdom ; fo that the in- terefts of the feveral tribes do not in the main inter fere, but rather, they are mutually ufeful to each other; efpecially as there is a vifible fubordination, the lower kinds are evidently ferviceable to the fu perior, and feem to be made for their ufe.. Above all, the very higheft of the brutal fpecies, are either willingly, or by a fuperiority of power and under ftanding, made unwillingly fubjeft to mankind. Such an oeconomy in the whole, tending to the com mon good, and to render all the individuals, and all the kinds, as publickly ufeful as they can be, ffiows a benevolent intention in the wife fuper-intending dif- pofer. This obfervation is founded on the general ftate and order of animals which fully juftifies it. Some particular exceptions there may be : not only indi-, viduals, which have fomewhat unnatural in their difpofitions whereby they are pernicious to others of their kind $ but whole fpecies which do not to us appear to be ufeful in the earth ; on the contrary, they are destructive to the beft of the brutes, and are enemies to men. But thefe are rare inftances, and the effects of them do not reach fo far as to be dan^ gerou$ to any fpecies of living creatures. The ftrength. 160 The Goodttefs of God ftrength of the argument lies in this ; That good is evidently prevalent in the conftitution of nature ; and not only the individuals, but the kinds of animals, are under a general law of fympathy, whereby they are ufeful, rather than hurtful to each other ; confpiring together, as parts of one whole, topromote the common fatety and happinefs ; which plainly ffiews a beneficent defign in the author of the fyftem. If fome few ex amples can be alledged which have a contrary appear ance, That ought not to be urged as an objection againft what isfo evidently the general, and effectually prevailing intention of nature : rather it becomes us to acknowledge our own ignorance, than raffily to cenfure the works of providence which we cannot comprehend. It is certain, that may have the appear ance, of ill, upon a flight and imperfeft view, which in the whole may be good : and thofe parts of the creation, particularly fome animals, which feem to our fhort and narrow underftanding ufelefs, nay hurt ful, may yet anfwer fome important and beneficial purpofes in the intire ceconomy of nature, tho' we we do not at prefent perceive it. Again, as thus there appears upon the face of the animal Kingdom a regular ceconomy, and an union of interefts and affections, whereby good is predomi nant in the whole, manifefting good in the defign and contrivance of the author and ruler ; fo there is a very remarkable variety which difcovers the wifdom of God. For a diverfity ot regular productions ffiows the underftanding as well as the liberty of an agent. But this, inftead of being any diminution of his good nefs, ffiews it in a ftronger and clearer light. For it fhews, that the benevolent principle is not confined to one method of manifeftation, but that the exercife of it is fuited to every exigency of all the objects which are capable of it. The unexhaufted fountain flows in various ftreams, fatisfying every living thing with that which is convenient for it. Befides, no one kind , could fo replenifh the earth with inhabitants, the mo numents proved from his Works', i6f nutrients of the Creator's bounty, as now it is re- pleniffied ; nor could an equal multitude of one kind be fo well furniffied with the neceffaries of life by its productions, as the different kinds are. Men would increafe no farther than they do, if there were no brutes ; nor would they be better accomodated : on , the contrary, they would want many advantages for the comfortable enjoyment of life, which they now poffefs. One of the brutal fpecies does not hinder the increafe, or the fubfiftence of another ; but there is a liberal, and for the moft part, a different provi fion made for every one Of them. So that the multi form appearance of the fenfible life is only a more extenfive objeft for the divine munificence to difplay itfelf upon; Animals indeed, have different kinds and degrees of perfeftion and enjoyment. Some have powers and faculties which others want. Some are fitted for quick motion ; others are made for ftrengtru Some are endued with a greater fagacity than others 5 and man excels them all in intellectual powers. But it does not follow that God is not good to all, becaufe he has not made them all equal. Goodnefs is a prin ciple which does not exert itfelf to the utmoft of the agent's power, in every fingle effeft he produces. When conducted by wifdom, its exercife is accomo dated to the condition of the objects ; or if the whole of their exiftence and ftate depends upon it, (which is the cafe of all creatures with refpeft to God;) it mani- fefts itfelf in the variety of its gifts. But whatever diftinftion there may be, and however fome may be dignified and made happy above others, there is no pretence for a complaint againft the goodnefs of the Creator, from the condition he appoints to any crea ture, when good is prevalent in it, and it is better than non-exiftence. The duration of the animal life is fixed by the meer pleafure of its author, as well as the degrees of its perfection while it does continue. And it may be longer or ffiorter, juft as he thinks fit* without any V"- t ™ reproach 2-62 The Goodnefs of God reproach on his beneficence. If upon the whole, its exiftence is preferable to the contrary, as having in it more pleafure than pain, (befides its being part of a good fyftem, and ufeful to fuperior life,) trie fhortnefs of its continuance can no more reafonably be objected againft the Creator's goodnefs, than the imperfection of its frame and ftate when compared with creatures of a higher rank. Is not God to be achowledged good to his living creatures on the earth, if he com municates to them all the happinefs they are capable of, though he does not perpetuate their being ? And is not a meafure of enjoyment diftributed among a multitude of ffiort-iived beings as great a manifeftation of benevolence, as the fame meafure of enjoyment continued longer in the poffeffion of a few ? I obferve this to fhew that the prefervation of the animal fpecies in a fucceffion of individuals, (which is the eftablifh ed law of their nature,) is no ground of objection againft the goodnefs of God to them ; fince if by that method the exercife of it to fome is fhortned in dura tion, the objects ofit are multiplied, and it is exerci fed towards a greater number. Nor is it any impu tation on a regular good ceconomy, that fome indivi duals of the different kinds, in their feveral fucceffions, devour others. For what difadvantage is it to a ffiort- iived animal, or how is it inconfiftent with the good nefs of providence, that after it has enjoyed the happi nefs that is fuitable to its condition, it falls at laft a facrifice to a fuperior nature, and fo fervcs the good of the whole ? Thus it plainly appears, that the care of divine providence extends to the earth and all its inha bitants. It is made a convenient place of abode for living'creatures, and is plentifully ftocked with them. If one confiders the number of them, it is amazing how they fhould be provided for, yet not one of them is forgotten before God. They all live plentifully, on the alms of his bounty. Their eyes wait upon him, and he give?, them their meat in due feafon ; he openeth his hand, and fatisfietb the defire of every living thing. 2 Thefe prOved from his Works. 1 63 Thefe are, indeed, the loweft objects of his benefi cence, but fince they are not neglected, much more may we be affured, that beings of a fuperior order and dignify partake of his goodnefs, in a way fuitable to their nature. Let us proceed to higher inftances of the divine be nevolence ; and of which we ourfelves are directly and immediately the confcious witneffes. Man is the prin cipal inhabitant of this lower world ; and in every light in which we view him, he will appear to be the monument of his Creator's bounty. If we confider the life which he has in common with other animals, it is cared for and enriched like theirs, by the liberali ty of providence. It is adorned with a variety of fenfes and appetites, which afford various entertain ment, being all provided with objects fuitable to them. He has food convenient for him, and all his frequent ly returning wants plentifully fupplied. But the hu man nature is diftinguifted, even in this lower part of it, from all other fenfitive beings, by many and great advantages in its conftitution. The exterior form it felf has a vifible pre-eminence above the brutal fliapes, by the delicacy of its compofition, its erect pofture, a beautiful countenance, and organs fitted for a vaft- ly wider compafs of perception, and a vaftly greater variety of aftion. The tokens of man's fupremacy upon earth are fo vifible, that the greateft part of the other kinds, fome of them far fuperior in bodily ftrength, feem to be fenfible of it. They acknowledge him their Lord, and in their way pay him homage, With little difficulty being brought to fpend their lives in his fervice. Efpecially, that Reafon which is our chief prerogative, and confidered by itfelf is a fund of noble enjoyment, (therefore a feparate clear demon- ftration of the goodnefs of God,) Reafon, 1 fay, as it is joined to the lower part of our conftitution, does greatly embellift and enoble it. The brutes go on in one perpetual track by the direftion of their inftinfts. Between eating, drinking, a few other animal functi ons^ 1 64 The Goodnefs oj God ons, and reft, their time is confumed, till the perifh- able machine, made only for a fhort duration, fails from inward diforders, or yields to external violence. But man, by his fuperior underftanding, is taught to enjoy life at a higher rate ; it is diverfified with much more pleafure, and takes in a great number of enter taining objects. It is true, the brutes feem to have fome advantages above us. They quickly arrive at maturity, and are enabled to fhift for themfelves. Nature has provided them with the means of fubfiftence, without any fore thought ; and with inftruments of defence againft foreign injuries, which they have fkill to ufe without any inftruftor. The hardy frame of their bodies make them eafy, uncovered, in the open air ; and the bare earth is a pleafant refting-place for them. Whereas man, a helplefs creature in infancy, long nourifhed by the tender care of others, even when grown to his full vigour, and the perfeft ufe of all his faculties, cannot enjoy life in any tolerable manner without a great expence of thought and labour. His feeble con ftitution needs a great deal of art to preferve it. Great pains muft be beftowed on preparing a manfion for him ; much induftry ufed for his clothing ; and fore- caft, with diligence as well as frugal management, in providing, and keeping for him conftant fupplies of food. But all thefe inconveniences are abundantly compenfated by other privileges of his nature ; efpe cially, the inward powers and affeftions, wherewith he is endued, which enable and direct him to improve life, and exalt the enjoyment of it to a high degree of perfeftion, beyond what any other animal ever did,' Or can attain to. The infpiration of the Almighty, which has given us underftanding and taught us more than the beafts of the field, qualifies us for contriving means in order to render our condition eafy and comfortable, far beyond what their inftinfts prompt them to. But when to this is added the focial affeftions planted in every human heart, difpofing mankind for the fupply of proved from his Work*- 165 of their common neceffities to join counfels together, and to be mutually affifting to each other, (which they can the more eafily do becaufe of the excellent faculty they they have of communicating their thoughts by fpeech,) and to form themfelves into regular focieties, for preserving order and encouraging arts and in- duftry ;— All thefe advantages taken together eaft the ballance fo fenfibly on our fide, that not only they may render, but actually have rendered human life abundantly more noble and elegant. We look down upon the brutal as low and mean, nay as void of hap pinefs in comparifon. But this is not the chief pre-eminence of man above the beafts. If we confider the fuperior part of his con ftitution abftraftly, and without regard to the influ ence it has on the animal life, exalting and adoring it,— in this view, he will appear a yet more peculiar and illuftrious monument of his Creator's goodnefs. Every one who attends to the powers of reflection and reafoning, muft be confcious of a fublime excellence in them- As a great variety of ideas arife in our minds from external objects, the faculty of comparing them, of examining their relations, their agreement and dif- agreement, and thereupon forming a judgment con cerning tliem, — This faculty, I fay, which we per ceive in ourfelves, is accompanied with a fenfe of fuch dignity and perfeftion, that we cannot but value it as a high prerogative of our nature, and look upon the beings which are void of it, as far inferior to us. Not pnly fo, the intellectual capacity, carefully improved, affords a high enjoyment, which upon comparifon ap pears vaftly fuperior to the pleafures of the fenfes. It is not limited, as they are, to fingular exifting objects, and their prefence : the mind by its reflecting power reviving the images of things which it once perceived, (befides an immenfe fund which arifes from reflection or attention to its own powers and operations,) can entertain itfelf agreeably, in the abfence of outward ob jects, with their images which it retains ; can inquire M <•> intp 1 66 The Goodnefs of God into their properties, and inveftigate truth' concerning them ; which are agreeable objects to its perception, even tho' they be mere {peculations, not applied to any praftical purpofe. But if they be fo applied, and are found ufeful in life, which fometimes is the cafe, the enjoyment is thereby greatly increafed. This is a gra tification we have always at hand ; and the frequent repetition of it does not pall the defire, but whets it rather ; it does not occafion fatiety and difguft, nor is reviewed with remorfe, as feniual pleafures often are ; but the mind dwells upon it with delight, and has fatisfaftion in it, as an exercife and entertainment worthy of itfelf. Such an application and improve ment of the intellectual capacity, gives a high relifh to' our exiftence, a confcioufnefs of vaft fuoenority to, nay, by it we feem to enjoy a kind of wide command over, the material world; fubjefting the whole ofit to examination ; feparating its neareft partjS ; uniting its moft diftant extremes ; viewing it on all fides ; and ib poffeffing in fome fort, whatever is entertain ing in it. But by the exercife of this power, we rife in the objects of our knowledge above corporeal na ture. We have the ideas of thought, of confcioufnefs, of liberty, of volition, and of moral objects, which have no manner of affinity with extended folid fub ftance, or any of its modes. Thus we are introduced into another world, vaftly more delightful than the vifible ; in the mental furvey of which, we may en tertain ourfelves with high fatisfaftion. We fee an excellent fpiritual ceconomy in our own conftitution; a fubordination of powers, and a ballance of affeftions ; we imagine, not without a great probability of truth, fuperior orders of intelligent beings; and we are con vinced by ftrong arguments, of uncreated original excellence at the head of all, poffeffed of the higheft abfolute perfections, the nobleft of all objects, in the contemplation of which the mind refts, with the utmoft complacency. This part of the human frame carries the plain marks of its author's benevolence. What but fupreme goodnefs could be the motive to a pro duftion proved from his Works. 167 duftion, fo formed, as by its proper and natural ope ration to yield fuch noble enjoyment ? But I will not pretend to examine the parts of our inward conftitution minutely. Every power of our nature, and every affection when duly exercifed, is na turally attended with enjoyment -, and the harmony of the whole yields a high degree of complicated felicity, which clearly fhews that the gracious father of our fpirits defigned them for happinefs. Let us confider that, which is certainly the fource of the moft intenfe, fincere, and lafting pleafures, the fenfe of moral good nefs, and the practice of it. That the human mind is made with a knowledge of right and wrong, or of moral good and evil, with their eternal neceffary dif ference, I have endeavoured elfewhere to fhow, and ftall not now repeat it. And that this part of the con ftitution, (the judgment of rectitude, and the ap probation ofit with the difpofition of our minds towards it,) is good, or that it tends to happinefs, and muft have been defigned by the author ot nature, muft ap pear to every confiderate perfon. For, firft, let us .let before ourfelves the idea of virtue in the moft ab ftraft way we can think of it ; (it is not difficult for any man to form in his own imagination a good moral charafter, made up of purity, juftice, grati tude, fincerity, and univerfal benevolence,) nothing appears more amiable to the mind. As from a re gularity in the fituation of external objects, and a due mixture of fenfible qualities or the contrary, there arifes an idea' of beauty and deformity ; fo from good and bad difpofitions and aftions of moral agents, the ideas of moral beauty and turpitude ftrike the interior fenfe of the foul, raifing in it the higheft approbation or diflike; fo that rectitude, con fidered only as an objeft of fpeculation, yields great pleafure to the mind, and is the lovelieft form which can be prefented to it. If the external fenfes which ferve the low ends of animal life, and give it plea fure by conveying the images of material objects, M 4 are 168 The Goodnefs of God are to be attributed to the goodnefs of the Creator ; much more that more excellent fenfe which ierves nobler purpofes, and is attended with higher delight, is a glorious proof of the pleafure he takes in com municating happinefs. But morality is intended by the author of the human conftitution, not merely as a fubject of agreeable meditation ; our tempers are to be formed, and our praftice regulated by it. There is therefore a high efteem, a ftrong affection, and an ardent defire to it, excited in the heart of every man who attends to it calmly and deliberately. He cannot think of a ftate of virtue, otherwife than as the happieft and beft that it is poffible for him or any rational being to be in : that it is moft becom ing the rational nature : and an intelligent creatine altogether deftitute of it, (if there be any fuch,) is aii objeft of the utmoft horror and averfion ; that it is molt praife-worthy to prefer moral integrity to the gratification of all animal defires, and felfiffi paf fions ; nay, to defpife them, in comparifon ; and the mind can never be thoroughly eafy and fatisfied \r\ itfelf, without refolving to facrifice every thing in, this world to virtue, and to bear the utmoft extre mity of pain, rather than betray its caufe, and de part from its rules. This fhews of what importance morality is in our. conftitution -, and experience will convince us, that the moft ferene, folid, and lafting joys, perpetually fpring from the praftice of it. If a man can reflect on good actions done by him from hearty affection and truly virtuous motives, let him judge whether any other fatisfaftion is equal to that which fuch re flection yields. It is a pleafure for which he is not indebted to any thing without : it does not depend on variable accidents as fenfual gratifications do, which muft be fupported by foreign' objects, and are liable to the changes of their condition and circumftances ; befides, the mconftancy of the appetite itfelf makes animal enjoyment fubject to many interruptions, and i the proved from his Works. 169 the tranfient pleafure is fucceeded with pain, ftill in proportion to the degree of its vehemence. But the good man is fatisfied from himfelf: he poffeffes an in ward tranquillity independent on external events. The vigorous exercife of his own virtuous affections, is accompanied with high delight ; the good he com municates to others is reflected back upon himfelf, and greatly increafes his pleafure ; he reviews the temper of his mind, and his actions with felf-approbation. This is a perpetual fpring of undecaying joy, which fuffers no abatement by length of time, or change of circumftances. When the mind reflects upon it, it is always freft ; never exhaufted, but by repetition ftrengthened, rather than diminifhed. No outward calamity or reverfe of fortune ; not the indifpofition of the body, or the approach of death, which quite extin- guifh all animal enjoyments, can take away the relifh of thefe moral pleafures, which feem to be infeparable from the mind that is qualified for them, in every ftate of its exiftence. Muft not the virtuous foul retir ing into itfelf, calmly and attentively furveying thofe its own'' powers and operations, (a perpetual inward fpring of pleafure!) rejoice in its own being, and tracing them back to the true original, the free and kind intention of the defigning caufe, muft it not acknowledge him infinitely good ? It is farther to be remembered, that the tendency pf virtue is not merely to the good of every individual, it diffufes its beneficial influence over the whole human fpecies, and promotes their common happinefs. This is fo evident that I need not infift upon it. Every attentive perfon muft be convinced, that piety, juftice, temperance, and charity, univerfally praftifed, would render the condition of men in this world as happy as it could poffibly be : that the greateft part of the mifery which we fee and feel, proceeds from the con trary vices ; from luxury, injuftice, covetuoufhefs, wrath, and pride, which only make men enemies and hurtful to one another ; and that whatever meafure of 170 The Goodnefs of God of fafety and comfort in this life fubfifts among men, is principally owing to the meafure which there ia in them of the good and benevolent, or the virtuous affeftions. And now upon reviewing this part of our conftitution, muft we not pronounce it very good ? Muft it not be acknowledged, that the anthor of it is a kind and benevolent being, and that human nature was made for happinefs ? Since the principles which lead to it are fo deeply wrought into our frame, we purfue it effectually, by following the dictates of our minds, and cannot fail of attaining it, without doing violence to ourfelves. If we ftould fuppofe a fpecies of creatures conftituted after a quite different manner; every individual uneafy to itfelf, having a quick fenfe of pain which fhould arife from a multitude of occafions the moft common in life, and fhould attend the proper exercife of its powers, and render all the functions of nature whereby life is preferved, at leaft joylefs and infipid ; at the fame time with malevolent difpofitions towards its fellows, having no pleafure in focial communication with them, but a natural bent towards their mifery and deftruftion ; how unhappy muft fuch a ftate be? And what a frightful idea muft we have of the contriver? And yet nothing but the goodnefs of the Creator could hinder its being actually the condition of created beings ; fince the whole of their conftitution, and every circumftance in it, de pends intirely on his pleafure. But when we find our felves in fuch a ftate, that not only we are capable of much enjoyment but prevented with inftinfts which naturally determine us to it-, and not only furaifted with felfifh affections which terminate in private good, making every one eafy to himfelf, but with publick affections, whereby we are direfted to purfue the com mon happinefs of the kind, as infeparable from that of individuals, all confpiring to produce the greateft moment of good which could be produced ; — when, I fay, v/e find itfo, it would be the utmoft ingratitude o' no? proved from his Works. jyi not to acknowledge the beneficence of the author of our being. It muft be confeffed, and every one finds it by ex perience, that there is in the human frame a fenfe of pain as well as pleafure, and equally to be attributed to the author of nature as its caufe. They are both bodily and mental uneafincffes, fet againft enjoyments cf each kind: from which it clearly follows indeed, that our prefent ftate is imperfect. But if we exa mine this appearance thoroughly, and confider the plain tendency and defign of thefe oppofite fenfations, it is a direct proof of the divine beneficence in our conftitution, rather than any juft objection againft it. For pleafure is the natural refult oi life, and of every one of its powers in their due operation. Pain arifes only from fuch things as are hurtful to it ; deter mining us to avoid them, or apply proper remedies. The uneafy fenfations produced by external objects, and the diftempered condition of the body, excite us to neceffary care, and the ufe of means fdr our lafety, much more effectually than our imperfeft knowledge of things, and calm reafon would do without them : and that inward remorfe which accompanies evil actions, is the moft powerful diffuafive from the re peated commiffion of them, and confequently to im perfect moral agents, (whofe infirmity makes fuch a motive neceffary,) it is a very ftrong one to the practice of virtue, which is their greateft happinefs. And thus, I think, it plainly appears, that the conftitution of the human nature, imperfeft as it is, and not without a mixture of unhappinefs, (probably holding the loweft rank in the rational and moral part of the creation,) yet carries in it the cleareft marks of the Creator's bounty, and is a produftion of his power and wifdom, which at the fame time fully proves him to be a bene volent, and a gracious Being. There is yet another view of the human nature and condition, applicable to all its capacities and all its enjoyments, in which we may difcern the plaineft marks lyi The Goodnefs of God marks of goodnefs on the part of its defigning audio? and ruler. What 1 mean is (and no one can mifs of obferving it) that we grow up by degrees to the proper .ufe of all our powers, and to the bufinefs and enjoy ment ofliie, in the whole compafs of it. Man at the commencement of his being, is a very weak un- finifhed creature; intended, but no way qualified, for important employments and a confiderable figure in the world -, unfurnifhed with knowledge and abilities of every fort for the province affigned him : and if experience did not convince us, one would not imagine that a new born infant could ever arrive at that mea fure of underftanding, and that ufeful and delight ful activity, in various ways, which we fee grown men have actually attained to. But as the body with all its members, in due proportion, increafes to a fiuief, for the part appointed to it, fo the faculties of the rYimJ are enlarged gradually ; the underftanding advances by flow fteps to its maturity; and by it the objects are introduc'd, which excite our affeftions and occafion the exertion of our aftive powers, which become more vigorous by their exercife, acquiring habits attended with facility, promptnefs, and pleafure in acting. Our firft effays, both in thinking and aftion, are fo feeble and imperfeft, as fcarcely tp difcover the very being of the internal rational and active principles ; and from fo low beginnings, it is wonderful fuch progrefs fhould be made as we find in fact there is. But the progrefs is by imperceptible degrees, and every ftep of it really, though not fenfibly, ftrengthens the faculty, and prepares it for farther im-r provernents. And as the various powers of the human mind, the underftanding, the memory, and the affections, jointly exert themfelves in the finifhed lcheme of life, they are during their progrefs mutually helpful to each other in preparation for it. When we arrive to a capacity of reflecting on the frame of our nature and its powers, with their ends and ufes, we are then ~U>--~J with the care of ourfelves ; fo to cultivate proved from his Works. 1-7^ cultivate our faculties and affeftions and to regulate their exercife, that the purpofes of them may be ob tained, and we may poffefs that happinefs, which by a due culture they are naturally fitted to produce. And as thus it is evident, that in this important work a great deal depends on our prudence, diligence, and refolution ; fo our experience in the progrefs of life will convince us of the neceffity, and furnifh us with the occafions, of controuling our appetites and paffions, (which is the moft neceffary part of felf-'difcipline,^ to qualify a man for behaving fuitably to his condition, and enjoying all the advantages ofit. I have faid that this is applicable to every capacity of the human nature, and every ftate of its exiftence. Confider man as a rational and focial creature in this world; and in this view the various fteps of his pro grefs from infancy to manhood, ('together with the' changes of condition fuitable to them,) prepare him gradually for the part he is to aft here, and for the enjoyment which is appointed for him. Suppofe a man brought into the world in a mature ftate, having all his faculties in as great perfeftion as ever they attain to -, yet being wholly uninftrufted in the affairs of life, and unpraftifed in its arts, utterly deficient in all that {kill and felf-government, which are acquired by habits, he muft be very much at a lofs how ta conduft himfelf; even how to ufe with decency, and in due proportion, the organs of his body, and the powers of his mind; how to provide for his own fub- fiftence ; how to govern his natural propenfions of all kinds ; and under what reftrictions to gratify them, and how to behave in fociety. And as this was actually the cafe of the firft man, we muft fuppofe that the gracious author of his being was his imme diate inftruftor in the Whole art of living; otherwife human life, (if it could have fubfifted at all,) muft have been at leaft for a long time, a rude, uncultivated, unharmonious, and uncomfortable thing. But now that a courfe of nature is eftablifhed-, That extraordinary method 174 The Goodnefs of God method of inftruftion has ceafed; and the want ofit is fupplied by the education we have, in our leiiurely paffage through the various periods of childhood and youth to complete manhood, (ftill under the tuition of kind providence,) whereby we are fitted for the offices, and enjoyments of a mature ftate. Thus it is alfo in the higheft capacities of our nature, the in tellectual and moral, confidered abftraftly from the ufe of them in the temporal life. The human mind is capable of great improvements in knowledge and virtue: but in the beginning of its exiftence, there are no appearances of either ; no difcoveries by their exercife, of rational and moral powers. While our fenfitive faculties advance flowly to their appointed meafure of perfection, the interior nobler powers which diftinguifli our fpecies from other animals, begin to appear very weak and imperfect. By degrees however, the mind is opened to thofe fentiments; and its affections and active powers, by a vigorous attention and repeated acts, are formed into that character, and ripened into thofe confirmed habits, in which our true perfection and happinefs confifts. And for this the difcipline of our prefent probationary ftate, where inftruction is mixed with trial, is a good preparation. Like this probably, in fome meafure, is the ftate of all finite tree agents, in the beginning of their exiftence. There are deficiencies in knowledge and moral perfection, whereby there is naturally a poffi bility, and even a danger, of their falling into error and deviating from rectitude. Their efcape from this danger, (which the good author of their being has put into the power of every fuch creature,) mult be by the proper exercife of their own powers ; by a careful attention, a refolved adherence to their duty, and the fteddy practice of virtue, which confirms good affections, and raifes them to a fecurity againft tem ptations. But whatever the condition of fuperior na tures may be, and however ignorant we arc of the reafons proved from his Works. 175 reafons which make it neceffary that it ftould be thus progreffive, we know that in faft this is the ftate of man ; and we may with delightful gratitude obferve in it the wifely conducted benignity of our Creator. What could be more worthy of perfeft wifdom and goodnefs, than that fuch rational creatures, (probably the loweft order of them,) ftould not be brought into their largeft fphere of action, till they were fitted for it by a preparatory difcipline ; nor raifed to the high eft happinefs, till by the gradual enlargement of their ¦ faculties they fhoud be qualified to enjoy it in the beft manner ? That they ftould be trained up by de grees to a meetnefs for their nobleft employment, and principal felicity, which their full-grown faculties are by no means adapted to, without iuch an education ? That every ftep of their progrefs ftould encreafe their capacity; enable them more and more to contribute to their own perfeftion ; the confcioufnefs whereof is, and in fuch creatures, muft be, a chief ingredient in their happinefs ? Thus God, agreeably to the ordinary methods of his opperation in the courfe of nature, carries on this work of his, the nobleft in this lower world, by a continued feries of well-chofen means ; and brings man by flow fuceeffive fteps, to his finifhed form, a monument of his own goodnefs. And as we find it fo in every capacity of our being, fo we have reafon to believe it will be thro' the whole of our exiftence. For fince our higheft powers are capable of improvements to which we cannot fix any limits, yet ftill infinitely diftant from abfolute perfeftion; every addition to our intellectual and moral attainments is a freft manifeftation of the divine unexhaufted bounty; will increafe our rational happinefs, and furnifh new matter of praife to its original author. And, Laftly, (Still confining our inquiries concerning this fubjeft to the points which we have the beft means and, opportunities of underftanding,) let us confider men as in their prefent exiftence, under the care 176 The Goodnefs of Go 4 care of divine providence, and the general tenOr of its difpenfations towards them, and we ftall find,' that goodnefs and mercy follows them through the whole courfe of their lives. Man is not fent into the world to ftift for himfelf, and to improve the powers of his nature, and the advantages of his con dition, in the beft manner he can for his own happi nefs, without the interpofition of a fuperior power in his behalf. As God continually fuperintends the whole courfe of nature, by his own immediate agen cy, governing the affairs of the univerfe, the intire feries of events in it, and all its various appearances; he particularly preferves, and conftantly watches over all the nations of men, whom he has made of one blood, to dwell upon the face of the whole earth, with a tender companionate care. His goodnefs, mani fefted in providing daily fupplies for the numberlefs wants of the animal life, has been already obferved : and not only does man partake of this in common with other living creatures, but it may be faid to be, in fome fenfe, peculiar to him ; he being the princi pal, and all the other fpecies by the appointment of providence, ferving him with their labours, and their lives, as made for his fake. Muft it not ap pear to the conviction of any attentive mind, that in all the generations of men which have been fince the world began, God never left himfelf without a witnefs of his bounty, in that he gave them rain front heaven, and fruitful feafons, whereby not only them felves were fed with the vegetable productions of the earth, but a multitude of animals, all in fubjeftiort and miniftring to them in a Variety of ways ? A£th6 devout pfalmift obferves, man has been cared for by his indulgent father, like a king in this low world. Thou Lord, fays he, haft made him a little lower than the angels, and haft crowned him with glory and dignity. Thou madeft him to have dominion over the works of thy hands ; thou haft put all things under his feet ; all fheep, and oxen, yea and the beafts of the fields, the fowls proved from his Works. 1 jy fovols of the air, and the fifties of the fea, and whatfo- e-ver paffeth through the paths of the fea. The argument has ftill a greater force, if we con fider the moral ftate of mankind. Inftead of ap proving themfelves to God by a proper ufe of their rational faculties in purfuing the, true ends of their being, they are greatly degenerated, all flefh have corrupted their ways, fallen fhort of the glory of God, and by a multitude of tranfgreffions rendered them felves obnoxious to his difpleafure. This confidera tion fets his goodnefs towards them in the moft amiable light, heightening it into tender pity and long-fuffering patience. Nothing is more apparently effeniial to the charafter of the fupreme governor of the world, than perfeft holinefs ; he loves righteouf- nefs and hates iniquity. As every man's own con fcience approving the righteous laws of his nature, is a witnefs to the moral rectitude of the great Law giver, and leads him to the expectation of his juft judgment, or impartial diftribution of rewards and puniffiments ; fo the remarkable interpofal of divine providence in the affairs of the world, by inflicting fevere judgments for the heinous wickednefs of men obftinately perfifted in, has been univerfally acknow ledge -, and defolating ftrokes, fuch efpecially as were fudden and furprifing, not expected according to the ordinary courfe of nature, (as when the founda tion of the wicked, nay, the whole world of the ungod ly was overthrown with a preternatural flood; Sodom and Gomorrah were deftroyed by a fire from heaven ;) fuch ftrokes have been always attributed to the im mediate avenging hand of God, as a fignification to men, even in their ftate of trial, of his general de fign at laft finally to condemn impenitent finners, when the righteous ffiall be faved ; of which great diftinguifhing judgment, there were eminent ex amples fet forth in the deliverance of Noah from the flood, and of Lot from the deftruftion of Sodom. Thefe fignal furprifing defolations, I fay, have been Vol. I. N univer- 178 The Goodnefs of God univerfally attributed to the immediate hand of God: the other cataftrophes of nations and cities which had not fuch miraculous appearances, have been ac counted for by the wifeft of men in the fame manner, when (which upon a careful Obfervation will appear to have been generally the cafe in faft) they followed a long courfe of obftinate and irreclaimable iniquity. But thefe interpofitions are extraordinary, and evi dently intended as examples for the reformation of finners, and that by the judgments of God which are in the earth, the inhabitants thereof may learn righteouf- nefs ; which is their greateft good, and the only fure foundation of their happinefs. The general admi niftration of providence is different. The gentle methods of mercy and loving-kirtdnefs are always firft ufed to lead men to repentance. They never have reafon to complain, that they are furprifed with deftroying vengeance, in the beginning of their de parture from the paths of virtue ; or indeed that it overtakes them, till after many repeated provocations, and till by their incorrigible perverfenefs and the im- penitency of their hearts they have treafured wrath to themfelves. The Inftances recorded in fcripture which I have referred to, of God's righteous feveri- ty againft heinous offenders, do alfo afford us re markable examples of his patience. When God had refolved to deftroy the world with a flood, yet -f St. Peter obferves, that his long -fuffering waited while the ark was preparing, during which time Noah was a preacher of righteoufnefs to them, to try if they could poffibly be reclaimed, and that ruin prevented. And before the overthrow of Sodom, juft Lot was fent to be a teacher and an example of virtue there, whofe righteous foul was long vexed with their unlaw ful deeds; while God continued fuch a warning to them, unwilling that they fhould periffi ; and at laft reprefented himfelf as ready to fpare the city, if there were found in it but ten righteous perfons. To- f i Pet. iii. 20. i wards proved from his Works. iyc) wards the generality of mankind, and in the ordi nary courfe of things, lenity is fo apparently the cha rafter of the divine government, the inftances of its feverity fo very rare, and puniffiment fo long delayed, that this is often abufed by finners to the encourag ing and hardening themfelves in their wicked courfes; and becaufe fentence againft an evil work is not executed fpeedily, therefore the heart of the fons of men is fully fet in them to do evil -\. And now to conclude, If upon the whole it ap pears by the beft judgment ,we can make of the works of God which are known to us ; by the frame of inanimate nature, and the conftant providential direftion of its courfe, as related to living creatures; by the animal conftitution fitted for various kinds of enjoyment, and liberally fupplied with the means of it ; efpecially the conftitution of the human nature, indued with noble powers and affeftions, in the pro per exercife of which it is capable of attaining to a high degree of perfeftion and felicity 5 and by the conduct of divine providence towards mankind, con tinually heaping favours upon them notwithftanding their fins, and exercifing all the forbearance and in dulgence to them which can confift with a regard to righteoufnefs and virtue, (the promoting whereof through the whole creation in his uniform defign, moft worthy of perfeft goodnefs ;) if, I fay, it ap pears by the beft judgment we can make upon a fur vey of thefe the works and ways of God, all of them which fall under our obfervation, that the univerfal tendency is to happinefs, and therefore the univerfal intention feeing the caufe is perfeftly wife ; various happinefs, according to the various capacities of the beings it is defigned for ;-— mull we not conclude, that he is a kind and benevolent being, that the Lord is good unto all, and his tender mercies are over all his works. ¦ t Ecclef. viii: ir, p I s- [ 180 ] DISCOURSE VIII. The principal Objeftions againft the Goodnefs of God anfwered. [A B E R N E T H V.] Mark x. 18. There is none good but cue, that is God. S there is no principle of greater neceffity'and importance in religion than the goodnefs of God, (indeed without itreligion cannot fubfift,) there is none of which we have more clear and fatisfying evidence. Univerfal nature proclaims it ; and wherever eternal Power and God-head are manifeft ed, there alfo goodnefs is feen, being underftood by the things that are made. The inanimate part of the creation, itfelf uncapable of any enjoyment, is fo framed and governed as to have a vifible relation to life, and to be fubfervient to its prefervation and happinefs. The animals of the earth are continually cared for by bountiful providence ; and efpecially man, confidered in the whole compafs of his being, is a monument of his Creator's beneficence. But there is an objection againft this doctrine taken from the evil which there is in the world. This very world which is reprefented- as fuch a theatre of the divine goodnefs, and particularly the ftate of mankind, feems on the contrary to contain fo much 2 evil The principal Objections againfi, *2cc. 1 3 1 evil of various kinds, that fome have been extremely fhocked by it. If the fupreme ruler, whofe power is irrefiftible and his knowledge unlimited, be per feftly good, and he defigned the happinefs of his creatures, ---How ffiall the many calamities which men feel themfelves perpetually fubjefted to, and. deeply affected with, be accounted for ? Whence comes ficknefs and pains, poverty and diftfefs, fa mine and peftilence, wars and defolations ? And if thefe miferies are alledged to be the natural or penal confequences of moral evil, how ffiall the permiffion of that moral evil be explained ? This difficulty has appeared fo great, as to give occafion to a fcheme of principles directly oppofite to thofe which we have endeavoured to eftabliffi, I mean that which is commonly called the Manichean fyftem, (firft, 'tis probable, vented among the Perfian Magi, afterwards embraced by fome profeffed Chriftjans,) concerning two independent principles in the univerfe, the one good the father of lights, from whom good of every kind is derived as from its proper author and caufe ; the other an eternal, neceffary, and felf-ori- ginated principle of evil, to whom, as its true caufe, muft be attributed all the evil, both natural and mo ral, which is in the world. It may be obferved, that this opinion, abfurd as it is, profeffes arefpect to the article we are now confidering, the goodnefs of God, being not avowedly levelled againft it; the evidence of it is, it feems, fo glaring, that none of mankind who acknowledge a deity pretend to deny it ; but is levelled againft his omnipotence, his independence, and abfolute fupremacy. But as the proof of thefe perfections and glories of the fupreme being is too ftrong to be ffiaken by any pretence whatfoever, fo the Manichean error, whatever it pretends, really fubverts the doctrine of God's goodnefs itfelf fo far as it is the foundation of religion; and defeats the moft effential pious affections which arife from it} by deftroying confidence in God, from whofe do* N 3 minion j 82 The priticipal Objections againft minion, according to that fcheme, evil is exempted, and we can have no hope of efcaping it by his infuf- ficient power ; and it Corrupts the true notion of moral evil, leading us to underftand it, not as the voluntary, and therefore culpable aft of a free agent, but as derived from an independent neceffity of na ture. The principle of two co-ordinate and independent powers the caufes of all things, or of two Deities, is unfupported by any pretence of proof; a meerly arbitrary hypothefis, invented to falve the appea rance of evil, of which however it gives no fatif- fying account. I have endeavoured on another oc cafion to prove the unity of God", by ftewing unity of defign in the frame and courfe of nature, or in the conftitution and government of the inanimate, the fenfitive, the intellectual, and moral world ; and all the arguments infilled on for that purpofe conclude ftill more ftrongly when applied to the pre fent fubjeft ; that is, they demonftrate that there are not, nor can poffibly be, two intelligent beings ab folutely fupreme and unmade, the makers and rulers of the world, of direftly oppofite charafters, the one perfeftly good, from wnom all happinefs and every thing truly worthy and valuable proceeds ; the other malicious, always intending, and always producing all the mifery and wickednefs he can. Muft it not appear to. any plain underftanding ex tremely abfurd, that there ffiould be a conftant har mony in the effects when there is not only a diverfity, but a ftated irreconcilable contrariety in the coun fels, the interefts, and intire charafters of the intel ligent caufes ? That two agents, whofe defigns con tinually thwart each other, and their difpofitions are as inconfiftent as light and darknefs, ffiould join to gether to form and carry on a vaft fyftem which comprehends an almoft infinite variety of parts, yet without any marks of difagreement, but, on the con trary, the order of their works is preferved, and the obvious the Goodnefs of God anfwered. 183 obvious ends of them uniformly purfued? That there ffiould be a malevolent, felf-originated, and independent being, aftive and intelligent, ever prone to mifchief, and exerting his utmoft power in the produftion of it ; and yet in the whole extent of nature, as far as we can difcern, not one monument of his true charafter to be feen ; not one finifhed piece or fyftem which by its conftitution and the law of its nature tends to, and ultimately terminates in mifery ; but every living thing, capable of pleafure and pain, that we know, is fo framed, that its na tural ftate is a ftate of fuch happinefs as is fuitable to its condition of being ? The truth is, when one looks attentively into the Manichean fcheme, it appears fo full of grofs abfur- dities, fo deftitute of rational evidence, nay utterly inconfiftent with the moft obvious Phenomena of the world, as fcarcely in the judgment of any reafonable man to want a refutation. But the appearance, which gave rife to it, deferves to be ferioufly inquired into as an objection againft the divine goodnefs. In this view therefore I ffiall confider it, in the prefent difcourfe ; and if we can get fairly rid of the diffi culty, and a rational account can be given of the origin of evil, without having recourfe to two inde pendent principles, the foundations of religion upon the foot of one fole fupreme monarch of the uni verfe, will be ftill more firmly eftablifhed. To begin with that part of- the objection which relates to natural evil, or unhappinefs, fuch as fick- nefs, and pain, and death : Here we acknowledge all that can be demanded, namely, that not only this is permitted by the Deity, but that his providence is the caufe of it as well as of other appearances in the world. He is intimately prefent with all his crea tures, continually fuperintending all their affairs, ex- ercifing his power and wifdom in the prefervation and government of them : He makes them to be what they are, guides their motions and tendencies, N 4 and 184 The principal Objections againft and by his own^agency effects the alterations which are in their ltate. He is particularly the author of life; it is fuftained by him, and all its enjoyments are derived from his bounty. In him we live and move and have being. It would be unreafonable then, not to attribute to him the appointed changes in our condition, and to alledge that he gives joy, but not grief ; health, but not ficknefs, and that he is the author of life, but not of death ; feeing events of one kind as naturally fall out in the ufual courfe of things as the other, and if there be one government of the wcrld, muft be equally under its direftion. The fcripture, which fo fully afferts the goodnefs of God, (reprefenting it as an effential perfection of his nature, and manifefted by his difiufing its beneficial fruits over the whole creation, and opening his hand liberally to fatisiy every living thing,) yet at the fame time declares very exprefly, that natural evil is his creature as well as good, and that the fufferings of fenfitive and intelligent beings proceed from him as truly as their happinefs. Thus one of the pro phets, in the name of God fays, * I form the light and create darknefs ; I make peace and create evil ; i" the Lord do all thefe things. Another, -j-' Shall there be evil in the city, and the Lord hath not done it? In the 104th Pialm, where the argument of the divine beneficence is defignedly treated, and the plenitude of its manifeftations in all parts of the terraqueous globe, yet it is faid, \£ he hides his face, and living crea tures are troubled ; he takes away their breath, and they die and return to their duft. And- to add no more, Mofes fully afferts the fupreme dominion and power of almighty God as exercifed in deltroying life, and in wounding as well as healing,— -|| See now that I, even I am he, and there is no God with me ; I kill, and I make alive ; I wound, and I heal ; neither is there any that can deliver out of my hand. * Jiaiah xiv. 7, -J- Amos iii, 6. X Ver. 28. [| Deut. xxxii. 39- Now the Goodnefs oj God anfwered. 1 85 Now the queftion is, whether all this, (which we have acknowledged as certainly true in faft,) is in confiftent with the goodnefs of God ? Here the proof feems fairly to lie on the objector; for pofitive evidence has been brought on the other fide, which we think clear and convincing. If then an appea rance is alledged to be inconfiftent, it is moft rea fonably required that the inconfiftency ftould be ftewn. But this is never to be done, if we take in to confideration all that is neceffary in order to our making a true and certain judgment. Indeed if the point were to be determined by the firft report of fenfe, we ffiould be apt to pronounce every kind and degree of pain or uneafineis evil, and the defigning author of it unkind. But experience has taught all inen that have common fenfe, to judge otherwife. For nothing is more obvious, even within the nar row compafs of our own affairs in the prefent ftate, than that many things which at firft feemed to be grievous, upon a more thorough confideration of the effects they produce, and their remote confequences, are found to be falutary, and thofe which have the flattering appearance of pleafant or good, prove in the iffue deftruftive : fome things, for inftance, which are very pernicious to life, and on that ac count muft rather be judged evil; as on the other hand very unpleafant medicines, or painful opera tions, being the means of health, are called good. And, with refpeft to focieties, (in which public and private interefts frequently interfere,) he is a good govern'or who promotes the former at the expence of the latter, who by the fufferings of individuals, when it cannot otherwife be done, provides for the peace and fafety of a whole community. It is therefore neceffary, in order to judge what is abfolutely ill or good for a particular being, that we fhould know all its interefts, and the whole of its exiftence ; and to judge what is good or ill for a fyftem, we ftould have a thorough comprehenfion of all its parts, with their 186 The principal Objections againft their relations and dependencies, and the laft refult of all events concerning it. But with refpeft to individuals of mankind, and much more with re fpeft to the whole rational creation, thefe are points quite above the reach of human underftanding. Who can take upon him to fay that an event is altogether bad, and was fo intended by the directing caufe, who does not know the connection it has with other events paft and future, which if it were known, might fhew it to be infeparable from a fcheme in the whole moft worthy of perfeft wifdom and benevolence. And thus we fee that the ftrength of the objection againft the divine goodnefs taken from the appearances of ill or mifery in this world, which has been reprefented as fo formidable, refts wholly on the imperfection of our knowledge, which can never be a juft foundation to feafon upon, in the very points whereof we are ig norant. If it is proved by a multitude of inftances which cannot be otherwife accounted for, that God is beneficent, and the contrary is fupported only by bare appearances, which, when examined, we are fure may be confiftent with goodnefs, nay the genuine fruits of it, and our experience leads us to believe it, at leaft probable, that they are really fo, let any at tentive impartial mind judge what the true conclufion is, and whether the evidence of the doctrine we are now confidering, does not remain unftaken. But though what has been faid is a fufficient anfwer. to the objection, we may proceed to farther confi- derations, which (Irons;! y evince that all the imper fection and unhappinels we fee in the world is con fiftent with the goodnefs of God, its maker and ruler. Firft, it can never be alledged with any pretence of reafon, that the goodnefs of the Creator required all his creatures ftould be of one order, and equal in the degree of their perfections and happinefs. That were to fet limits to omnipotence and infinite wifdom, both which are glorioufly manifefted in a diverfity of productions. Now if it was fit and becoming the wifdom the Goodnefs of God anfwered. 1 87 wifdom of the Deity, to diverfify the manifeftations bf his power by creating effentially diftinct natures, with different capacities or different kinds and degrees of perfection, it neceffarily follows, that the exercife of his goodnefs muft be various, as fuited to the con dition of the beings which are its objects. How the glorious principle of divine benevolence difplays itfelf in other parts of the univerfe and towards fuperior orders of creatures, does not fall within our obfer vation ; but we fee, that in this lower world there is not only a vaft multitude of individual animals, but of different kinds ; which fhews the wife ceco nomy of providence, and gives fuch a multiform ap pearance to its bounty, as muft raife in attentive minds a very high admiration of it, inftead of being any reafonable objection againft it. Shall we fay that God is not good to all his creatures, becaufe he has not made them all equal ? or that the brutal kinds have no fhare in his bounty, becaufe they are not moral agents ? or, that mankind owe him no thanks, becaufe they are in a mixt imperfeft ftate? On the contrary, is it not rather to be acknowledged, that his goodnefs is the more confpicuous, by this variety; and that, by their different enjoyment derived from him, the creatures proclaim the riches of his benefi cence, as well as the largenefs of his underftanding? There is therefore no ground of objection againft the divine goodnefs froin the natural imperfection of fome created beings, from their inferior condition, and the lower kinds and degrees of enjoyment which are appointed for them. But farther, It may be alledged, nay I am willing that the ftrength of the whole caufe ftould be fingly refted upon it, that goodnefs not only allowed, it required, that there ftould be different degrees of per feftion and happinefs among the creatures of'God. This will be evident as foon as we reflect that a fcheme ofperfetl equality muft of neceffity exclude all parti cipation of that part of thedivine blelfednefs, the com munication 1 88 The principal Objections againft munication of good. For where the fame kind, and the fame degree of happinefs, is at all times poffeffed by all, there it is manifeft, beneficence can have no place ; be ing from the nature of fuch a ftate, in every inftance, plainly impracticable. After faying this, I am fome- thing afraid, that the generous human heart can hardly have patience while I am going through with the argu ment. Indeed this kind ot happinefs which the objec tion has found out as the molt perfeft, and therefore fitteft for the creatures of God, is the very fame, and can be no other, than that indolent, unaffeftionate, and altogether felfiffi enjoyment of exiftence, which the Epicureans, m high compliment, referved for the Gods themfelves. And ib far thefe philofophers had cer tainly the advantage, that allowing this ftate of pom pous eafe to be full eft of felicity, it -was but fitting and decent it ffiould be afcribed to the Gods ; and in confequence of it, that goodnefs being an aftive principle, incompatible with fuch divine repole, ftould be deemed unworthy of fo delicate an habitation as the breaft of fuch Deities. Wretched however at philofophifing! where beneficence is in conclufion re quired to be exterminated as an enemy to happinefs. But let it be remenbered that what lies at prefent before us, is not to give any direct proof that God is good. The evidence for this moft important article of theifm has been already produced : but it is only, to fhew, that the fact of fubordination, and diverfity in the degree of happinefs, (which we fee and know actually to take place in God's creation,) is fo far from having any tendency to make void the former reafoning on that fubject, that allowing that reafoning to be juft, and that goodnefs is in truth an attribute of the Deity, it unavoidably follows, that there muft have been in flituted fuch a fubordination. Can any thing be more plain, than if goodnefs be effential, (and if it be an attribute at all, it muft be effential,) to the divine per fection and felicity, and be in its own nature commu nicable, that it muft likewife be effential to the higheft perfection and happinefs that God can communicate: and the Goodnefs of God anfwered. 189 and confequently, that feeing goodnefs determines him to confer the higheft poffible happinefs, goodnefs itfelf muft be the caule of this fubordination ; without which this nobleft, and truly divine perfection and fe licity, could not have found any place in the whole circle of dependent being ; not one creature that could be the object of another's beneficence. This is not the place for purfuing this argument unto all its confe quences ; but from what has been already find, the at tentive mind will be naturally led to infer, that the fame caufe that required a fubordination at all, may be juftly fuppofed to require, that this fubordination fhould be continued down through a vaft variety of orders, fo long as happinefs was preferved fuperior in degree to imperfection ; or in other words, fo long as exiftence can be pronounced a bit-fling, or preferable to that, which if it can be willie.d, is the moft unnatural of all conceivable wifhes, annihilation, or not to be. Obferve here, a moft pleafing inftance of that perfect harmony and connection, that will always be found to fubfift between the true principles of. theifm, and the reality or truth of things : an appearance which has often been talked of as a moft ftocking objection againft the goodnefs of God, turns out upon a more attentive examination, to be the natural and infeparable confequence and effect of this very goodnefs. 2dly, As natural good and evil, or happinefs and mifery, are of various kinds and degrees ; and ex perience ffiews, that fome of thefe oppofite kinds and degrees may be mixt together in one ftate, the con dition of any being is to be denominated from the prevalence of either ; and confequently the difpofition of the agent, by whofe appointment that condition is determined. Every ftate is to be acknowledged good, and the author ofit benevolent, in which good prevails, though not without a mixture of evil ; and which therefore is better than non-exiftence. Now this is fo evidently the cafe of living creatures during the continuance of their being, that the objection againft the divine goodnefs, taken from the imperfection of their igo The principal Objections againft their enjoyments and their liablenefs to pain, is fully removed by it. And for the difficulty arifing from the ftortnefs of their duration, it is anfwered upon the fame grounds. For how unreafonable were it to allege that God is not good in giving life, becaufe he intends to take it away ? That a favour freely bellowed by him is not worthy to be acknowledged, becaufe at a time appointed by his wifdom it is to be recalled ? Or becaufe art inferior life is fhortned for the fake of a more important one, and by the wife adminiftration of providence ferves higher, more ufeful, and bene ficial purpofes, than merely its own enjoyment ? Ef pecially it is to be confidered, that the fhort-lived animals, which as far as we know, are not deftined to a future exiftence, give no difcovery of their having any painful defires of it, or any anxiety about death, which may interrupt fuch prefent pleafures as they are capable of. gdly, As the ftate of man is what moft immediately affects us, what we are beft acquainted with, and con cerning which we are the moft capable of making a judgment, we may obferve, that when the natural good and evil which we fee and feel in it are com pared together, and a juft eftimate made of the whole, it will appear that the former is the fuperior end of the divine adminiftration, which therefore ought to be denominated beneficent from its principal and ul timate view. I obferved before, that both in the animal and moral part of the human conftitution, pains are falutary, and were by the gracious intend ing caufe defigned as means of fafety and happinefs. But it is farther moft worthy of our ferious confidera tion, that through the whole condition of being in this world, as under the government of almighty God, the fame end, our greateft good, is uniformly purfued, by the difcipline of his providence, in our afflictions. I take for granted, what every wife man will agree to, that virtue is the greateft good, the higheft perfeftion and happinefs of the human na ture. the Goodnefs of God anfwered. igi ture. Whatever therefore has a tendency to promote that, is for, our good; and may be attributed not to a malevolent defign, but rather to the appointment of a gracious and companionate father. Now experience ffiews, that fuch is our prefent infirmity, and we are liable to fo many temptations of various kinds, efpe cially in a prolperous and eafy ftate of outward things, which affords the plentiful means of a free indulgence in the gratification of our lower appetites and paffions, that very few of mankind maintain their virtuous in tegrity uninterrupted, and efcape the corruption that is in the world through luft. At leaft it may be faid of all univerfally, even of the beft, that they are in dan ger of being mifled from the paths of righteoufnefs, and neglecting its fuperior pleafures, in a conftant fe ries of flowing worldly enjoyments. Therefore are divine corrections profitable to them ; and pains, fick- nefs, and diftreffes of various forts wifely difpenfed by providence, tending to abate their reliffi of inferior gratifications, put the mind on purfuing the more noble and folid fatisfaftion which arifes from the praftice of virtue. Befides ; Adverfity is not only the means of in ftruftion to men of amending their tempers and re forming their lives, as it brings them to calm reflec tion, and fenfibly convinces them that the pleafures of the animal life are uncertain, in comparifon low, and unworthy of their eager purfuit ; it is alfo the im mediate occafion of the beft exercifes, and the higheft- moral improvements which the mind is capable of. Equanimity in all the changes of our outward condi tion ; patience under fufferings of divers kinds and of a long continuance ; resignation to the will of the fu preme, perfeftly wife, righteous and good governor of the world, aad an unffiaken confidence in him ; with a benevolent difpofition towards all mankind, even the moft injurious ; and a hearty perfevering zeal for the publick good, notwithftanding many dif- appointments and continued ill ufage ; — Thefe will appear 192 The principal Objections againft appear to our thoughts, in fpeculation itfelf, the moft lovely parts of a beautiful moral charafter : But the heart that is confcious of having praftifed them, has arrived to the very top of feif-enjoyment, and poffeffes the higheft felicity which the human foul in its prefent ftate can poffibly attain to. Perfecution or fuffering for the caufe of truth and virtue, which has fometimes happened to good men, feems to furnifh a plaufible argument againft the equity and goodnefs of the divine government. But upon a thorough examination, we fhall be fatisfied that it is confiftent, not only with perfeft righteoufnefs, but God's moft tender and com- paffionate care for his faithful fervants. Virtue is far from being the lefs in their efteem, or yielding them the lefs fatisfaftion of mind, becaufe they fuffer for it : On the contrary, it is much endeared, and a greater confidence and fecurity arifes from it. For true goodnefs then appears in all its dignity and beauty, trampling over every thing that comes in competition with it; and it is impoffible for the fincere, felf- approving mind, to think that its caufe, and the con dition of its friends, however oppreffed at prefent, can be always unhappy. Again : The afflictions of fome, efpecially of the virtuous, may be very ufeful to others, and the means of great public good. It has been already obferved, that extraordinary puniftments inflicted on finners are gracioufly intended by providence as public warnings to the reft of mankind, that they may avoid the crimes againft which the divine vengeance has been fo fig- nally teftified. But the fufferings of the moft innocent and righteous, however grievous they may be for the prefent, are fometimes alio the occafions of their being more extenfively ufeful than otherwife they could have been. Of this the hiftory of Jofeph affords us a very remarkable inftance. That good man, cruelly perfe cted in his father's family, having narrowly efcaped the fnare which his envious brethren laid for his life, was fold by them to a ilrvitude which they (with great pro- the Goodnefs oj God anfwered. 193 probability) thought would be perpetual and very wretched. But the wife providence of God fo direfted the event, that it proved not only the occafion of great profperity to himfelf, but of preferving his own lun ched, and indeed a great multitude of mankind who were otherwife in danger of periffiing by a deftruftive famine. And he makes this wife and pious reflection himfelf on the whole amazing fcene, that though his brethren had defigned evil againft him, yet Godmeant it for good, to fave much people alive •, which to a per fon of his humanity and goodnefs, did more than compenfate all his fufferings. Though this inftance is indeed extraordinary, and it is not to be expected that the iffue of good men's afflictions will be generally parallel to it, yet it is very inftruftive, as (hewing that however frightful and fhocking the firft appearances of fufferings may be, and however wicked the inten tions of thofe who are the inftruments of them, they are under the difpofal of a wife and good providence, which knows how to bring good out of evil. But the principal, and the moft ordinary way whereby the fufferings of the righteous are publickly ufeful, is by fetting their virtues in a clear and ftrong light as ex amples. Integrity never fliines with fo bright a luftre, nor appears fo amiable, as in a great trial of affliction. To fee a man ftruggling with difficulties, to which, one would think, human ftrength is utterly unequal, oppreffed with reproaches and injuries of all kinds,. with a train of vexatious difappointments, with tor menting pains, and continually expofed to the very- laft extremities of fuffering, yet ftill poffeffing his foul in patience, maintaining an undiflurbed equanimity, and refolutely adhering to the caufe of truth, and to his duty, by deferting which he might deliver himfelf out of all his troubles, — This is certainly the nobleft teftimony that can be given to virtue, and muft leave a conviction of its excellence on every mind which is witnefs to it, and not ftupidly infenfible, or irreclaim- ably hardened, in a wicked courfe. How often have Vol. I. O P«- 194 The principal Objections againft perfecutors themfelves relented, (not to mention fpec- tators,) and even been won to the love of goodnefs by glorious examples of invincible fortitude, patience, and meeknefs in the diftreffed ; and feeble irrefolute minds, otherwife in danger of being led away with the errors of the wicked, been animated to a coura geous and perfevering ftedfaftnefs in well doing ? 'Tis true, that even in ordinary life, example has very great force : Perhaps nothing has contributed more to pre ferve the reputation of virtue, and to propagate it among mankind, than their feeing all excufes and ob jections againft the praftice ofit effectually refuted by the unaffected piety, the hardy temperance, the in flexible juftice, and diffufive charity of frail mortals like themfelves, who have the fame infirmity of na ture, and the feme temptations to the contrary vices. But ftill exemplary virtue ftines more illuftrioufly under trials : And as then the ftrength of good difpo fitions appears the greater, it muft proportionably have the more powerful influence on others. Surely a good man will think all the adverfities of his life amply recompenfed, when they not only produce fruits fo advantageous to himfelf, and are the means of his growing in virtue, but are fo beneficial to mankind, tending to reclaim them from their pernicious ways, and to reftore true piety and goodnefs among them. Who can deny that providence is beneficial to the hu man race, which makes the tolerable fufferings of a few individuals (therefore tolerable, becaufe even du ring their incumbency, they are accompanied with pleafures of a fuperior kind) and fufferings of a fhort continuance, as the Apoftle fpeaks, light and for a moment, become fo eminently ufeful, by ferving thofe glorious ends which are worthy of infinite wifdom and goodnefs ? The fum of our anfwer upon the whole to this part of the argument is, That not only the appea rances of natural evil or unhappinefs, in the prefent ftate of things, cannot be juftly objected againft the goodnefs the Goodnefs ' of God anfwered. \<\t goodnefs of the divine government, becaufe they are not prevalent : on the contrary, every confiderate perfon muft be convinced there is more happinefs than mifery in the world ; that all kinds of life in their natural ftate have enjoyment annexed to them, and pain only added as a means of their preferva tion ; that happinefs is the governing view in the human conftitution ; and the difpenfations of pro vidence towards men, in the general courfe and de fign of them, are for good ; thofe, which for the prefent feem to be moll grievous often tending to the greateft good. Bui farther, if fome of thefe appea rances were more difficult to be explained than they are, fo that we could not fee or conjecture any good to which they do or may tend, yet we could not reafonably pronounce them to be abfolutely evil, and in the whole ; experience in a multitude of inftances teaching us, that good and evil of this fort are con nected together, fo as to be changed into each other. Now, if we take the whole feries of events in the world as under one wife and good direftion, and comprehended in the fcheme of the divine providen tial adminiftration, .and if- we allow what is fo ap parently reafonable, that one would think it cannot be "denied, that nothing can be juftly called evil, which in the event produces greater good whereby it is over-ballanced j — If I fay, we allow this, who can have fufficient reafon to afiert that any event is abfolutely evil, fince it is impoffible for the human underftanding to comprehend all the relations and the remote iflues of things ? That which in our nar row way of thinking may feem the word that could happen, may yet in the intire plan of the divine councils be neceffary, and produce the beft effects. God has given us fuch rules of aftion, and fuch no tices of things, as are beft accommodated to our condition of being, and, the fitteft to direft us fo as we may anfwer its purpofes ; but he has not let us into the fecret of his own defigns, which are fo O 2 corn- 196 The principal Objections againft complicated, and of fo vaft a compafs, that out minds are utterly unable to comprehend them. This however We may fafely reft in, that if the fupreme governing mind perfeftly knows all things, paft, prefent, and to come, with all their connexions and dependencies ; if the order of the world, and the harmony of things, fhews him to be wife ; and pre vailing good in it is a convincing proof of his bene volence, then all things, being under the direction of a wife and good Agent, are ordered for the beft ; and the contrary appearances, are no juft objections againft this, feeing they are no more than appearances, amounting to no certain proof of abfolute evil in the whole, but only of the defeftivenefs of our under standings. Nay, we may conclude, that the whole progreffive fcheme of nature and providence, com prehending all creatures, and the entire feries of events which ever have been or ffiall be, is abfolutely the beft, and productive of the greateft happinefs that could poffibly be. For happinefs being the pro per object and end of benevolence, when this is ac- compapied in the agent with omnipotence and in finite knowledge, the greateft happinefs in the whole, muft be the intention and the effeft. Is it not a contradiction to fuppofe, that a benevolent being Would chooie to execute a fcheme which he faw Would produce a leffer meafure of good, when ano ther which he faw would produce a greater, was at the fame time prefent to his mind, and equally in his power to accomplifh ? But there is another kind of evil, to which and the confequences of it, the difficulty alfo relates, that is moral evil. Of this it cannot be faid that God is the author, or that he does at all approve it ; but yet upon the principle of his fole univerfal domini on, we muft conclude, it was in fome fenfe permit ted by his providence, and that it was forefeen by him without his intending to prevent it, which he could have done. Nay, the moft important mea fures' the Goodnefs of God anfwered. jgj fures of his conduft towards mankind, all known to him from the beginning, were formed upon the fuppofition of its being. Now the queftion is, how fuch a permiffion can confift with the moral perfec tions of the Deity ? It is to be thought, that a be ing ^infinitely holy, and utterly averfe to all moral turpitude, would not ufe his power to prevent it? That a being infinitely good, would leave his crea tures unfupported againft temptations to crimes which are ruinous both to themfelves and others, which fully the beauty of his own works, and tend to der feat the defign of them ; nay, that he would place his creatures, frail and fallible, in circumftances wherein he forefaw they would fall from their inno cence, and involve themfelves in mifery to be in flicted as a puniffiment by his own avenging hand ? The anfwer ufually given, and which, when fully and impartially confidered, feems in a great meafure to take off the force of the argument, Is, that mo ral evil js wholly to be imputed to the creatures themfelves who commit it ; that it proceeds from an abufe of their liberty, or free agency, which is a high privilege of their nature, worthy of the wif dom and goodnefs of God to give to fuch creatures, moft fuitable to their condition of being, abfolutely neceffary to virtue itfelf, and to the happinefs that arifes from it, which is the greateft happinefs they are capable of. It is not to be imagined, (which yet the objection neceffarily fuppofes,) that the good nefs of God, or his rectitude, require the exertion of his utmoft power for preventing evil. His attributes are exercifed in a perfect harmony ; and he never does, (it may be faid in fome fenfe, he cannot do,) any thing, but what is agreeable to them all. His power, which cannot poffibly be controuled by any oppofite ftrength or refiftance, is always, and muft be directed in its exercife by wifdom •, and it is not an indignity to his abfolute omnipotence, to fay, he cannot do any thing but what is fit and reafonable O q to 198 The principal Objections againft to be done. In like manner, holinefs and goodnefs are to be confidered as perfeftions, or principles in the divine nature, which exert themfelves, not ne ceffarily, but freely ; or which do not require all to be done, in every inftance, which can poffibly be done by abfolute omnipotence, in order to accom- plifh their ends, or attain what they incline to. In this, as in other cafes, the wifdom of God requires that his operation ffiould be according to the order which he has eftablifhed, and to the nature of things which he has wifely framed to be preferved inviola ble. As in the government of the inanimate crea-r tures, he afts fuit ably to their natures, moving and difpofing of them by the irrefiftible determination of his fovereign will, fo his influence on moral agents, is fuch as does not deftroy the effential powers which he has given them. Let it be more particularly confidered, firft, that perhaps there is not, nor can be, any being of a limited underftanding, above the poffibility of being mifled in its moral conduft $ and all the orders of created free agents muft natu rally be in a ftate of trial, till by a right ufe of li berty their integrity is confirmed. If it be fo, it does not neceffarily follow from the nature of liberty itfelf; nor is it a contradiction, that rectitude fhould be immutable, for the divine, rectitude certainly is fo ; but it arifes from the natural imperfeftion of finite minds, and the fixed order of the divine ope ration on created things, in a congruity to their feve ral natures. Every imperfeft agent, having a variety in his frame, muft have propenfions to particular objects which are adapted to the indigence of his condition ; which propenfions, in a regular moral conftitution, are under the government of confcience, but their being does not depend upon it. They are excited by the prefence of their fuitable objects, or perhaps without it ; and though their firft motions, and per haps their continuance in, the mind for fome time, may the Goodnefs of God anfwered. \gn may be innocent, yet it is eafily conceivable that they may demand a gratification, in circumftances and degrees, which confcience forbids. Here then is a tendency or a temptation to evil, from which the creature by the right ufe of its own powers may efcape, and thereby be more confirmed in virtue ; but a poffibility of falling and corrupting itfelf, feems to be infeparable from every finite nature ; and even the danger of it feems naturally to attend the ftate of all finite moral agents, during fome part of their exiftence. However that be, we know that we are poffeffed of fuch a liberty, that we are capa ble both of doing right and wrong; and our moral powers fo conftituted, with fuch a freedom, we can not help thinking a very high privilege ; whereby we are raifed above the condition of many other beings, and have the effential foundation of noble enjoy ments, Secondly, The human mind neceffarily ap pears to itfelf the caufe both of the moral good and evil which is done by it. When our hearts reproach us for doing wrong, we afe confcious of no con- ftraint, but that it was our own choice ; and we were furnifhed with all the defences againft it which we could expect or defire as free agents, and which might have been effeftual, if we had carefully ufed them, and duly exercifed our reafon. When our confciences approve us for having done right, we are fenfible that we acted with equal freedom, which is the very ground of inward fatisfaftion ; and that no power is wanting to that moral integrity which yields true felf-enjoyment. The mind therefore, I fay, appears to itfelf the caufe both of good and evil. The capacity is derived wholly from God, and is preferved by him ; the particular determination js wholly from ourfelves ; only influenced, fo far as is confiftent with our free agency, by fetting before us fufficient mptives to good : yet the mind has a na tural power of making a wrong choice. We muft then be condemned by our own hearts, in charging ' O 4 thes 200 The principal Objections againft the human conftitution as defeftive to the purpofes of virtue, and thereby of happinefs, and impeach-' ing the goodnefs of its author ; fince we are confci ous to ourfelves, that we are furniffied with all which is neceffary, and know of no power that is wanting to our doing good and efchewing evil. Thirdly, Whereas it is alledged, that fince God forefaw men would abufe their liberty ; that they would pervert that which is right, and thereby make themfelves unhappy ; goodnefs feems to have requir ed, that the occafion of fuch an abufe ffiould have been prevented. The anfwer, fo far as relates to the divine prefcience, is, that it has no manner of in fluence on future events, nor does at all affect the nature or the being of them. It ought not to be faid that things are future, or certainly will come to pafs, becaufe they are foreknown, but they are fore- rknown becaufe they are future. Events to come, as well as thofe which are prefent, or paft, are known to God, juft as they are in themfelves, and in their intire caufes. The whole feries of neceffary caufes and effects is feen by his perfect underftanding from the beginning to the end. What he has determined to do by his own power is foreknown, as afcertained by that determination. But the trarrf- greffions of his creatures, of which themfelves are the fole caufes, appear quite otherwife : they are the actions of free agents, the futurity of which is no more determined by his appointment, than the ac tual production -of them is effected by his power. As the bare knowledge of crimes prefent, or paft, does not communicate the leaft degree of their guilt, but may confift with a perfect abhorrence of them, and the tendered compaffion for theoffender, fo may the fore-knowledge of them when future, unlefs fomething be omitted by the prefcient being which was neceffary for preventing them, and which was not only in his power, but fit and reafonable for him to do. Fourthly, the Goodnefs of God anfwered. 20* Fourthly, It muft be acknowledged that, ftrictly fpeaking, it was in God's power to have prevented Hioral evil altogether. If a finite intelligent being cannot be abfolutely impeccable, yet he certainly could have created moral agents much more perfeft than men are ; given them a greater meafure of know ledge ; fet the motives of virtue in fo ftrong a light before them, as more effectually to fecure their at tachment to it; and he could have placed them in a ftate much more free from temptations, and confe quently in lefs danger of making defection. Nay, as liberty itfelf is the gift of God, depending wholly on his pleafure, he could have prevented the abufe of it by with-holding it altogether, if nothing elfe was fuf ficient, or he could have prevented the conjuncture of circumftances in which he forefaw liberty ceuld be abufed. But the queftion is, whether goodnefs and wifdom required that fuch methods ftould be taken ; or rather, if upon the narrow view we have of the works of God and the whole fyftem of the univerfe, we can pretend to judge that the prefent conftitution, in this branch of it which relates to free agents, is inconfiftent with the wifdom and moral perfeftions of the fupreme Being ? Shall we take upon us to fay, that the order of the creation, and the ends for which it was made, did not require, or even allow that there fhould be fuch a rank of beings in it, con ftituted as we are, with underftanding, liberty, and moral affeftions, but capable of fin, tempted to it, and thereby in danger of becoming unhappy through their own fault ? If we fuppofe one in a fuperior condition of being, having an underftanding vaftly more enlarged than the human, and a more exten five view of the univerfal fyftem, which compre hends many orders of created intelligences with va rious degrees of perfeftion and enjoyment, can we pretend to affirm that it would appear to that mind incongruous in nature, that there ftould be fuch a fpecies of rational creatures as mankind, with all the 202 The principal Objections againft appointed weaknefs and imperfeftion of their pre fent ftate ; or even that it would not appear a very proper part of the divine plan, neceffary to the beau ty and harmony of the whole, varioufly related to the reft, and forming a fcene wherein the perfeftions of the Deity are admirably difplayed, and where good is the true charafter of the intire fcheme ? But though fuch a fuppofition is reafonable, and (hews that our underftandings are too weak, and our know ledge too fcanty to comprehend this fubjeft ; confe quently, with how little judgment men take upon them to cenfure the works of God, of which they know fo little ; we may confider the human confti tution, and our whole ftate of being in this world, with all the advantages and difadvantages of it, in a way more accommodated to our capacity : that is, we may confider it by itfelf, abftraftly from its rela tion to the reft of the univerfe ; and even in that view, it will appear no uneligible thing, and that the good in it over-balances the inconveniency which arifes from the danger that attends liberty. Would not one who confiders the privileges of our nature, and the various enjoyment which belongs to the ge neral condition of men, together with that meafure of perfeftion and felicity which we have in profpeft, if we duly ufe our own powers, and improve our opportunities, even though it be accompanied with the hazard of moral evil and unhappinefs, (which is only to be incurred by our own fault but may be avoided if we are not wanting to ourfelves, and we -may reafonably hope, from the goodnefs of God, for all neceffary affiftance in order to it ;) would not, I fay, one think this ftate in the whole, preferable to non-exiftence ? And if it appears to us preferable, then it is to be acknowledged good, to the praife of the author's benevolence, notwithftanding its frailty and mutability ; and although, in the event, it could not reafonably be expected, but that fome of fuch the Goodnefs of God anfwered. 203 fuch an order of beings would fall into fin and un happinefs. What has been faid on this fubjeft is agreeable to the explications given by the moft eminent ancient philofophers of the origin of evil. They attributed it, not to an independent evil agent, nor to unqualified matter, (into which fome had abfurdly enough re folved moral defects themfelves,) but to what they called the neceffity of imperfecl beings : Meaning, that as all creatures muft neceffarily have fome degree of imperfeftion ; particularly, the neceffary imperfeftion of created free agents implies that they may poffibly err, and aft contrary to right, fo the placing them in fuch a poffibility is by no means to be imputed to any deficiency of wifdom and goodnefs in God, but is the inevitable refult of their nature and condition of being ; fo that if they ffiould exift at all conftituted as they are, it muft be in their power to do wrong. For example, fuch a creature as man, compounded of flefh and fpirit, muft have a variety of affeftions ; fome higher, and fome lower ; fome which determine him to purfue the proper perfeftion of his fuperior faculties as the chief end of his being, and others which attach him to the inferior part of his conftitu tion, which muft alfo be preferved by his care, during the time appointed for its fubfiftence. Since then, there are fuch different tendencies in the nature of man, and liberty alfo effential to him, he muft be capable of acting differently according to the different direftion of his inftinfts and affeftions ; and his ac ting always right could not be abfolutely fecured, or the poffibility of moral evil avoided, without fuch an interpofitibn of almighty power, as would import an effential change in his frame and his ftate. In other words, if the divine perfeftions required that fin fhould be abfolutely prevented, or not at all permitted, they required that fuch a being as man in a ftate of probation, ffiould not be created : Which fcarcely any .confiderate perfon will have the hardinefs to affirm. 1 Another 204 The principal Objections againft Another confideration of great importance for our rightly underftanding this fubjeft, and vindicating the divine perfeftions, is, that God over-rules the moral evil which his providence permits, fo that it be-r comes the occafion of good. Tho' he has laid us under an inviolable law not to do evil that good may come, (for the evil we do, proceeding from corrupt affeftions, a profefs'd intention of good by the fame aftions muft be an abfurd and utterly inconfiftenj: pretence ; nor have we any certain foreknowledge of the fuppofed good event, or power to bring it to pais ;) yet he is under no fuch reftraint by the perfect: purity and goodnefs of his nature, but that he may fuffer his creatures, (fo far fuffer, as not to hinder them by an irrefiftible exertion of his almighty power,) to deviate voluntarily from the rule of right, intend ing to take the opportunity from their errors, of ma- nifefting his wifdom and other attributes in a glorious manner, and of producing effects in the whole bene ficial to his creation. As the obligation of prevent- ing evil muft be limited in the manner before ex? plained, to what is fit and reafonable to be done, without infringing the effential liberty of rational agents, (which is God's own rule of proceeding, and alfo the rule he has given us for regulating our con duft towards our fellow-creatures ; for he has not allowed us under the pretence of reftraining them from fin, to encroach upon their freedom,) (no man furely imagines that charity requires or will juftify him in it ;) fo inftead of being inconfiftent with the moft perfeft rectitude and goodnefs, it is a great de- monftration of both, and of wifdom, to turn the follies and faults of men, in the event, to an occafion pf promoting virtue and public happinefs. Would it not be very commendable in any human govern ment, from the very irregularities of fubjefts, in their own nature deftruftive, to take the opportunity of enacting wholefome laws, and forming ufeful fchemes, which, with the tendered pity to offenders fhould the Goodnefs of God anfwered. 205 fhould not weaken the public fecurities, but tend more effectually to promote the common good ? There is indeed a great difparity between human governments and the divine in this refpeft, that their forefight of the behaviour of fubjefts is limited and uncertain, and therefore it is not in their power, nor can they be obliged to take effectual meafures for preventing crimes : Whereas God knows all things future as well as prefent with the greateft clearnefs and certainty. But this does not alter the cafe fo far as it relates to the point we are now confidering. For as his pre fcience is not the rule of his actions, but his perfect reafon and the fitnefs of things ; fo on the other hand, the wifdom of human governors and their goodnefs would be juftified, if they did foreknow future tranf- greffions without interpofing to prevent them by any methods of force, provided they could foreknow with Certainty, and had it in their power to bring to pafs from fuch tranfgreffions, an increafe both of moral nd natural good ; which we are fure God actually does, in many inftances, and have reafon to believe he does it univerfally. We may confider then, what good the permiffion of moral evil appears to us in faft fubfervient to, at leaft the occafion of, and which it may reafonably be fuppofed that God intended. Firft, it is evident, that his own perfeftions are varioufly difplayed in con fequence of the fins of his creatures, and particularly of mankind. The perfeft purity of his nature, or his averfion to evil, could not have appeared fo fully if evil had never been ; nor his impartial diftinguifh- ing juftice in rendering to all moral agents according r.o their works. And above all, his goodnefs by the occafion of fin ffiines marvelloufly ; his patience is ex ercifed towards his guilty creatures ; he ffiows a defire to the offending works of his hands, and is kind to the unthankful and the evil, at the fame time that he has an indignation againft their crimes ; and pardoning mercy, of which there could have been no notion in J2 o 6 The principal Objections againft a ftate of innocence, appears now one of the moft amiable glories of the Deity. It may be juftly faid, that the whole human race, though by corrupting their ways they have greatly altered their condition for the worfe, yet they all continue in a ftate of trial, the objects of the divine goodnefs, which is not di- minifhed by their fins, but exalted into pity ; and that God has not left any of them without witnefs of his mercy, whereby they are invited to repentance, that they may be finally happy in his favour, tho' goodnefs has appeared in a diftinguiihing peculiar manner to fome of them beyond others. If it be faid, that fuppofing this to be true, that God has taken occafion from the fins of men to manifeft his own perfeftions the more illuftrioufly, it follows in deed that he has erected a monument to his glory ; but how does it turn to the good of his creatures ? I anfwer, that the glory of God and the happinefs of the intelligent parts of the creation are infeparable ; and whatever manifefts the former actually does and was by him intended to promote the other. The dif- plays of his power and wifdom, even in inanimate nature, muft be fuppofed to have been principally de figned for the benefit of rational beings in contem plating and enjoying it, for which purpofes all the parts of the material world, known to us, are fitted in a wonderful variety. Much more the exercife o£ the divine attributes, (and efpecially goodnefs towards moral agents themfelves,) has a direft tendency to excite in them, and alfo in other intelligent beings who are not the immediate objects of it, pious and devout affeftions, naturally accompanied with a high enjoyment ; and thereby to promote virtue and uni verfal rational happinefs, more than in a different ftate of things there could have been occafion for. Secondly, The permiffion of fin is fo over-ruled by divine providence as to afford, by the confequences ot it, an occafion for the various exercife of virtue ; and thereby advancing the true perfection and happi nefs the Goodnefs of God anfwered. 207 nefs of the human nature. Sin has introduced thefe calamities and diftreffes into the world which try the integrity of good men, their patience, and confidence in God ; and thefe are the finifhing and moft amiable parts of a beautiful moral charafter. We may fur ther obferve, that the paffions and frailties of men tending to animofity and difcord, are direftly and immediately the occafion to others of praftifing the moft excellent virtues : They are the occafions of their exercifing forbearance, meeknefs, and the for- givenefs of injuries, all fum'd up in benevolence, the nobleft affection of the mind. Thefe virtuous difpo fitions, by thus varioufly exerting themfelves, are greatly ftrengthened ; and fo the capacity of the mind for various rational enjoyments is enlarged. Every inftance of their probation, and the refolved vigorous exercife of them againft a contrary tendency or vio lent temptation, lays a foundation for farther improve ment in goodnefs, and brings a return of true and folid pleafure ; fo that from this ftate of infirmity and difcipline the mind naturally grows up to a more exalted virtue, and to an increafe of happinefs, which otherwife it could not be capable of. We know not indeed what room there might be for a diverfity of virtuous exercifes, even in perfeft innocence, whereby good affeftions might be confirmed, and the fatisfac- tion refulting from them increafed. But we know that, in our prefent ftate, fome very important branches both of piety and charity are occafioned by the moral imperfeftions of men, as well as by fome degrees of mifery ; and that the praftice of thefe vir tues eminently contributes both to private and public good. Whereby it appears, that good and evil are wifely mixed together, and fet againft each other in the condition of mankind, and that the permiffion of evil, (fo far as God does permit it,) is not unworthy of the beft of beings ; fince his providence over-rules it, in the event, to the promoting of good, as an qccafion of the moft various and illuftrious exercife of virtue, 2 o 8 The principal Objections againft virtue, and of adding a high relifh to the enjoyment which arifes from it. And Laftly, We may take the ftate of mankind, con taining this puzzling appearance of moral evil, in another view, that is, as related to the reft of the ra tional creation ; which, if it does not explain the difficulty, fhews that, in all probability, the reafon why we do not attain to a full and fatisfying folution of it is, that the fubjeft is above our comprehenfion, and that therefore the objection is founded not on evidence, but ignorance. It is not unreafonable to fuppofe that the affairs of this lower world, (princi pally thofe of its chief inhabitants,) have a relation to fuperior natures, and are extenfively ufeful to the whole fyftem of intelligent creatures. That there are in the univerfe other fpecies of rational agents befides mankind, and above them, cannot well be doubted. When we confider the magnificence of the works of God -, the vaft fabric in which he has difplayed his power and wifdom -, that there are other globes at an immenfe diftance from that where we dwell, and of incomparably greater magnitude : Who can imagine that they are all void of beings capable of rational en joyment, and of celebrating the Creator's praife ; and that this little earth is the only habitation of intelli- gencies ? Now if there be a variety of particular fy flems in the moral as well as the natural world, and a diverfity of adminiftration in the divine government of them, they may have a mutual relation which we do not difcern, and the affairs of one may anfwer pur pofes in another, ahd in the whole, which may fur- pafs our prefent comprehenfion. As the ftate and Situation of diftant orbs render them ufeful to the earth, which may be alfo ufeful to them in a different way, all confpiring to make one regular harmonious fyftem of material nature ; the like order may be, and we have reafon to believe there is eftablifhed, among the feveral kinds of rational beings, which ^nder different particular ceconomies, do all of them together the Goodnefs of God anfwered. 209 together make one beautiful and moral fyftem. Who then that does not comprehend the whole, can take upon him to cenfure a part ? Can he pretend to judge, that this mixt imperfeft ftate of ours is a blemifh in the univerfal frame, when he does not know how varioufly it may be related, and what purpofes it may ferve in the kingdom of God, and what events may arife from it beneficial to the whole, in the fcheme of providence? Nay, upon this view of things, (which is vaftly too large for our narrow underftand- ings,) can we poffibly be fure, that the permiffion of evil among men is not a neceffary part of the intire moral conftitution ? This confideration may juftly filence the impious clamours of ftort-fighted mortals againft the wifdom and goodnefs of God, fince it ffiows that they really amount to no more than this, that we cannot comprehend his counfels. And if we purfue our inquiries further into a future exiftence, where the laft punifhments are to be inflicted on men for their wickednefs, (which our own foreboding thoughts naturally lead us to, and the fcriptures ex plain it more fully as a moft powerful argument to re ftrain men from evil,) of that ftate We can, at prefent, form but a very imperfeft idea ; the notices we have ofit being only fuch as are intended for our advantage during our probation. But we may be affured that the moft exaft meafure of rectitude, wifdom, and goodnefs will be obferved in it. For if we have fuf ficient evidence that thefe perfeftions are the true cha rafters of the aftive fupreme mind which governs all, it would be unreafonable not to allow that they ffiall prevail every where and in every ftate ; and confe quently, that the laft refult of all the divine difpenfa- tions, comprehending the permiffion of evil, will be the greateft abfolute good. The fum of what has been offered upon the fub jeft is, That God is not the author of moral evil, nor did he fore-ordain it in his everlafting counfels, as any part of his works : On the contrary, he always Vol,, I. P difapproves 52 1 d The principal Objections againft, &c". difapproves it as an irregular produftion, whereof th6 creatures themfelves are the fole caufes, and directly oppofite to the effential reftitude of his nature. But as he permits it in time, fo far as not to prevent it by fuch extraordinary interpofitions of his omnipotence as would violate the free-agency of his rational crea tures, (which free-agency is an effential part of their conftitution, neceffary to their anfwering the ends of their being ; neceffary to their praftifing virtue, their attaining moral perfeftion and rational happinefs;) fo he forefaw it from eternity, and he chofe to execute that fcheme of creation and providence, as in the whole abfolutely the beft, upon which he knew that moral evil was unavoidable. We ourfelves plainly difcern that the permiffion of fin actually is, in many inftances, the occafion of good ; that it may be fo in many more inftances and ways ; but we cannot com prehend them, becaufe we cannot fee the infinitely various relations of things in the univerfe. Indeed this muft neceffarily be the cafe with imperfect under- ftandings, that things muft appear to them differently from what they really are. We may therefore con clude that the objection, as formidable as it may feem at firft, does not affeft the doctrine it is urged againft, which is otherwife fo well eftablifhed ; but that all the moft ffiocking appearances of evil in the world, the oppreffion of innocence, thefuccefs of ty ranny, the coveteoufnefs, pride, wrath, and fuper ftition of men fpreading defolation thro' the earth,— that, I fay, thefe, and other appearances like them, may terminate in good. It has often been fo, and the confideration of the perfect goodnefs and wifdom of God, whofe power is irrefiftible, fatisfies us that it will be fo univerfally. And for the miferies of in corrigible finners in the other world, they ftall be no greater, than what public order, and the univerfal good of the rational creation, requires them to be. DIS- [ 211 ] DISCOURSE IX. The Goodnefs of God explained and improved. [Abernethy.J Mark x. 18. There is none good but one, that is God. TH E moft important doftrine which our Sa viour afferts in the text, that God is good, which the fcripture conftantly teaches, (and indeed the very being of religion depends upon it,) I have endeavoured to prove by the manifold and moft vifible fruits of the divine beneficence which are fcat- tered over all the earth, among the numberlefs mul titude of living things which are in it, and for which the liberal author of nature has plentifully provided, giving every one what is moft convenient for it, an enjoyment fuitable to its nature and capacity ; parti cularly, by the frame and conftitution of the human nature, made for various happinefs, and the admini ftration of providence towards mankind. And I have endeavoured to vindicate this doftrine againft the ob jeftions taken from the appearances of evil, both na tural and moral, which are in the earth. The defign of the prefent difcourfe is to explain this glorious at tribute of the divine nature, and to ftew what is the P 2 application, 2 1 2 The Goodnefs of God application, and the praftical improvement we ought to make of it. Now, in order to underftand the more diftinctfy what is meant when we fay that God is good, or at tribute that perfeftion to the Deity, let us, firft, con fider the notion of goodnefs in general. And here we proceed upon a fure and clear foundation ; for fcarcely is there any thing of which we have a more diftinft idea, no fenfible being or quality is more ea fily perceived : The mind of man as readily diftin- guiffies between goodnefs and the contrary difpofition in a free agent, as we know the difference between black and white by our eyes, or between other oppo fite qualities by any of our fenfes. Goodnefs then, in the ftrift and proper fenfe in which we are now confi dering it, (not as comprehending univerfal reftitude, which it is fometimes ufed to denote, and which con- ftitutes the intire charafter of a good moral agent,) fignifies benevolence, or a difpofition to communi cate happinefs. This is the plain meaning of the word when we apply it to man, or any other intel ligent being. A good man is one who from an in ward inclination exerts his power in doing good ; not who is the paffive inftrument or occafion of it, (which even an inanimate thing, incapable of any kind of intention may be,) or who acting for his own private intereft, and from merely felfiffi motives, may be accidentally ufeful to the public or to fome of his fellow- creatures ; but he is a good man who afts vo luntarily and of choice for the benefit of others, and his inclination and his aftive powers terminate upon that as their proper end. In the fame fenfe, though in an infinitely more per feft manner, and higher degree, God is good ; that is, He is a being of kind affection, who from an in ward principle of good -will exerts his omnipotence in diffufing happinefs far and wide, in all fitting pro portion, according to the different capacities of the creatures which are the proper objects of goodnefs, i and explained and improved. 213 and according to the direftion of his moft perfeft wif dom. It is a very wrong notion which fome have of the moral perfeftions of God, particularly his good nefs, that they are high excellencies of his nature, not only fuperior in degree, and free from all infirmity, but wholly different in kind, from moral qualities in the creatures ; having indeed an analogy to them, becaufe of their producing fome fimilar eftefts, but no otherwife attributed to the Deity than as human paffions are, in a figurative and improper fenfe ; and in their real nature fo tranfcendent, that our under- ftandings cannot form a diftinft conception of them, fo that the words whereby they are expreffed, have no fuch determinate idea annexed to them as when they are ufed for the moral difpofitions of inferior agents. 'This has an unhappy tendency to deftroy true praftical religion ; for it effentially confifts in an imitation of the divine and moral perfections, and a fuitable affectionate regard to them, together with the genuine fruits of it in fincere obedience to the laws of God; all which muft be defeated, if our appre- henfions concerning the moral attributes are uncer tain. If when we fay that God is holy, righteous, true, and good, we mean only that he is fomething we don't know what, incomprehenfibly high and ex cellent ; which produces, it is true, fome effects like thofe which the properties in men fignified by thefe words would produce, but of the inward principle it felf in the fupreme mind we have no clear idea, — ¦ How can this be the object of our adoration, of our reverence, love, and efteem ? We know diftinctly what the goodnefs of other agents is ; that it means a dif pofition to do good to others, or to make them happy ; and this, in proportion to the degree of it, appears to us amiable. But if the goodnefs of God be not the fame, only more perfect in the principle, and more extenfive in the meafure of its exercife than it can be in inferior beings, what is there in it to engage our affections and our gratitude ? How, again, can P 3 we> 214 The Goodnefs of God we, according to this confufed and undetermined fenfe of the divine goodnefs, make it the object of our confidence, which is an effential part of religion ? And how can it be the rational foundation of hope and of inward fecurity and peace to the human mind ? All our expectations of good, confidered as merely gra tuitous, from any agent, are founded on the fuppo- fition of a benevolent principle in him. But if bene volence in God be a quite different thing from what it is in other good beings, fo that we cannot diftinctly perceive what it is, how ffiall we hope for any thing from him ? And laftly, how can we follow God as dear children, and particularly, imitate his goodnefs (which certainly is a moft important branch of our duty, and abfolutely neceffary to our pleafing him,) if we do not underftand what his goodnefs is, or have not a determinate idea of it ? Let us obferve in the fecond place, That we muft take care not to impute to the fupreme abfolutely per fect Being any thing like human infirmity. There are weakneffes which cleave to our nature in every part of it, which accompany the exercife of all our powers, even our moral capacities, and beft affections. To underftand this the better, and that we may avoid the dangerous error of attributing any imperfection to the Deity, let us confider that there are two great principles of action in the mind of man, benevolence and felf-love, which are really diftinct, and form dif ferent ultimate ends, which we purfue without feeing, at leaft attending to any connection or dependence be tween them. Self-love determines us to feek private good, or our own happinefs : By benevolence we are inclined to purfue the good of others. And this every man who ferioufly reflects, will find in himfelf, though in fome it is weaker, and in fome ftronger, according to the degree of men's attention to it, and of its vi gorous cuftomary exercife, whereby it is confirmed, and its power encreafed, the force of habit being added to that of nature. From this we gather, what are the ends explained and improved: 215 ends of our being, I mean, for which God ordained it i and they are, happinefs and ufefulnefs. The gracious Creator intending that the individual fhould be happy, planted in every one felf-love, by which all are car ried to the purfuit of that end ; and he intended the good of the whole, and therefore united all men in the bond of benevolence. But thefe two principles have each of them particular affections and paffions belonging to them, in order to give them the greater efficacy in cafes which moft require their vigorous ope ration ; and to anfwer the circumftances of our prefent ftate. The general defire of our own happinefs is cool and difpaflionate, directing to a regular uniform courfe of action. But there being a variety of things necef fary or convenient for the prefent life which it would not put us upon feeking, ufing or avoiding, with the difpatch and earneftnefs that is required, therefore this want is fupplied by particular appetites and paffions, attended with an uneafinefs fufficient to give them the needful force. In like manner, a common undif- tinguifhing benevolence which unites us to the whole human fpecies, nay to the whole fyftem of intelligent beings, in itfelf a noble and very ftrong principle, yet is not fufficient to all purpofes in the prefent con dition of mankind, confidering the imperfection of our underftandings and other circumftances. There fore there are particular inftincts of the publick kind planted in us, and many of them alfo are attended with uneafinefs, to make them the more vigorous and active. For example, the helplefs ftate of children requires a peculiar care ; and there is a ftrong affec tion to them planted in parents, which puts them upon running the utmoft hazards and enduring extreme toil and pain, for the relief of their tender off-fpring. And becaufe mankind in this world are liable to, and fome of them actually fall into great dangers and dif- treffes, therefore have we the common, powerful, and painful inftinct of compaffion exciting and determining - P4 Hi 216 The Goodnefs of God us fuddenly to exert all our ability as the urgent need requires. It is here that we muft carefully diftinguiffi, (as un doubtedly there is a great difference,) between the goodnefs of God and men. The univerfal, calm, and difpaffionate benevolence, we may fafely attribute to him in the ftrifteft and moft proper fenfe, having nothing in it but what is excellent and worthy of his tranfcendent glory ; as the meafure of it which our nature is adorned with, is in us the nobleft part of the divine image. But we muft not imagine that there is in the Deity any of the infirmity or uneafinefs, v/hich in men accompanies particular kind affeftions : and when fuch affections are afcribed to him, as they fre quently are in fcripture, it muft only be underftood in a figurative fenfe, by way of analogy, and we muft take care to remove from our idea of them, all the imperfeftions and pains which we know by experience cleave to human paffions, even of the moft generous and beneficent kind. Thus, God is reprefented as our father, and as having a paternal tendernefs for us ; nay a greater, a more continually careful, and watchful love, than a mother has for her fucking child, which gives us a very high idea of his kind- nefs: But we ffiould be far from imagining any thing in him of the weaknefs or uneafinefs which attends the affection of an indulgent earthly parent. His pity alfo is defcribed in very ftrong terms. Alluding to the exertion of that inftinct in the human nature, it is faid, that his bowels found for the diftreffes of his creatures, and that he is aflfliffiedin their rfiflic tions. But the meaning of all this is no more, than that his un- difturbed benevolence continually exercifed towards them, produces more perfeftly the effefts which the tendereft human compaffion would produce, without the weakneffes and the pains of it. Thirdly, It feems to be a juft and neceffary confe quence from what has been already obferved, that the goodnefs of God extends to all the proper objects of explained and improved. 2 1 7 of goodnefs. We know nothing in ourfelves, nor can imagine any thing in moral agents to limit that general good-will, which muft always appear to us the glory of an intelligent nature. We know nothing, I fay, to limit it, but particular attachments, and partial diftinguiffiing affeftions, which are very ufeful in our prefent ftate, becaufe of its indigence and weak nefs; but they always carry in them the idea of im perfeftion, and are therefore not to be attributed to the fupreme Being. From which we conclude, that wherever there are fit objects of good-will, and he knows them all, his good-will is exercifed towards them. And this, when we calmly confider it, raifes the divine beneficence high in our efteem ; nor could that attribute in any other view, or fup pofing it more confined in its exercife, appear to our minds fo amiable, and fo perfeft. Now if the whole fyftem of beings that are the proper objects of good nefs, that is, which are capable of happinefs, be the intire objects of God's kindnefs and care, it follows, that as he is perfeftly wife, and knows all the poffible relations, connexions, and dependencies of things, his beneficence, in conjunction with infinite wifdom, always determines him to do what is beft in the whole, or for the moft abfolute univerfal good. _ How can it poffibly be imagined but that the moft extenfive benevolence, in a being perfeftly intelligent, muft produce the moft extenfive happinefs, which is its pro per fruit ? And hence we further infer, that as in the prefent ftate of mankind, fome unhappinefs is mixt with all the good they poffefs; as fome degrees of pain or uneafinefs may be neceffary to the greater good of individuals, and the fufferings of individuals may be neceffary to the good of the whole, or to a general and more extenfive good of many ; fo we may be fure that one or other of thefe is always the cafe in the divine adminiftration, though not being able to com prehend the intire fcheme, we cannot fee it in every particular inftance ; — We may be fure, I fay it is al ways fo, that when any individual creature fuffers, it 2i 8 The Goodnefs of God it is for the greater good of that creature itfelf or for a more general good. And applying this to moral agents, the principal objects of the divine beneficence, whenever they fuffer, as they do often by the hand of the righteous judge of all the earth for their faults, it is always either for their own amendment,) which is the greateft immediate good to them, and will end in their happinefs,) or elfe it is for a more publick advantage to the moral world. What has been faid, reprefentsGod as neceffarily in tending the greateft good of the rational creation ; but that neceffity muft be underftood in a way confiftent with the moft perfeft free-agency: It arifes not from a defect of power or liberty, but from the abfolute per feftion of his moral attributes, and of his wifdom. There are fome things which are commonly faid to act neceffarily, as inanimate beings, (though properly fpeaking they do not aft at all.) So the fire burns, and the fun gives light ; and in beings endued with freedom, fome of their capacities are not the fubjefts of that freedom. Thus we ourfelves are confci ous of liberty in acting ; but we are confcious, at the fame time, that liberty does not belong to all the powers of our nature ; our underftandings are exercifed neceffarily, and perceptions arife in them independently of our own choice. In like manner, we muft con ceive a difference between the natural and moral at tributes of the Deity : He is neceffarily not only im menfe and eternal, but omnifcient; but he is freely juft and good : Thefe attributes belonging properly to his will, which is effentially free in its exercife, as the image of it is in the liberty of intelligent creatures; they exert themfelves not neceffarily, (meaning by that, independently on his own choice, ) but voluntarily, which makes them appear fo amiable, worthy to be praifed and admired, as the virtuous inftinfts of our nature direft us to efteem inferior free-agents, who are beneficent and juft. Still however it is as truly impoffible, (though for a different reafon,; that God fhould explained and improved. 219 fhould not be juft and good, or that he ftould not exerciio? juftice and goodnefs, as that he ftould be ignorant or weak, or even that he ftould ceafe to be. The point now under confideration is certainly of the greateft importance to the purpofes of praftical religion, £0 direft our fentiments concerning the con duct of divine providence towards mankind, to re gulate our affections to God, and our expectations from him. On the one hand, we are not to confider the divine goodnefs, as if it were an unintelligent principle acting neceffarily, (which fuppofition tends to deftroy all true piety, all reverence and efteem of God, and gratitude to him ; and as he is a being of the moft perfeft wifdom and reftitude as well as benevolence, we are not to entertain any expeftations from him, but fuch as are worthy of his intire chara fter, not to hope for any thing but what is reafonable and fit, and what it becomes the wife and impartially righteous, as well as gracious governor of the world, to give: ) On the other hand, fince the divine goodnefs is and muft be exercifed towards all the proper objefts of goodnefs, and in the beft manner carries on the greateft abfolute good or happinefs of the whole in telligent fyftem, it is evident that God does not aft towards any of his reafonable creatures in the way of abfolute dominion. He is indeed abfolute fovereign, who can do whatever pleafeth him in heaven and earthy whofe power the united ftrength of the creatures can not refift, none can flay his hand, or fay to him, What doft thou? The inanimate part of the creation is un der the fole command of his irrefiftible will ; he fpeaks and it is done, he commands and it ftands faft ; but his will is always for good to the beings which are the objefts of beneficence, that is, which are capable of happinefs. No other reafon can be affigned for bringing them into being, than that he was fo good as to intend the communicating of happinefs ; and there is no other end purfued in the whole of his government over them. As the good rulers of civil focieties, 220 The Goodnefs of God focieties, ftiled in fcripture Gods upon earth, are the fathers of their people, the true end of their au thority is only the public good, to which they ffiould continually attend, and which they ffiould conftantly aim at in the exercife of their power, in inflicting pu- nifhments as well as difpenfing rewards, never acting from caprice, or a luft of domination, and merely to ffiew their own greatnefs, which is unworthy of a wife governor ; fo the government of the fupreme Law-giver and Lord of the whole world, of the good nefs as well as greatnefs whereof the beft and the higheft civil authority is but a faint image, is always invariably conducted by the fame rule, having no other defign than the greateft abfolute good ; never appointing any of his creatures to happinefs or mifery, as an arbitrary fovereign, and merely becaufe he will, but according to the moft perfeft wifdom, equity and goodnefs, and fo, as in the beft manner to promote the advantage of the whole creation. Some expref- fions of fcripture have been interpreted to a different fenfe, and underftood as fignifying that God appoints men even to final happinefs and mifery, merely from an abfolute will, without any confideration of their be haviour. Particularly fome expound thus thefe words of the Apoftle, Rom. ix. 20, 21, which are an anfwer to the fooliffi cavils and complaints of men againft the equity of the divine government over the nations of mankind ; — Nay but, O man, who art thou that replieft againft God, ftall the thing formed fay to him that form ed it, why haft thou made me thus? Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the fame lump to make one vefflel unto honour, and another unto difhonour? But this paffage has no relation to the exercife of God's authority, as judge in difpenfing happinefs or mifery to the individuals of mankind, in which the meafures of equity and goodnefs direfted by wifdom to purfue the univerfal good, (hall be exaftly obferved -, but it re lates to nations, and other great colleftive bodies of men, fome of whom God raifes up, bellowing high pri vileges explained and improved. 22 1 vileges upon them ; and others he calls down, after having permitted them to continue long in their wickednefs, abufing his patience, whereby his power and juftice appear the more eminently in their de- ftruction. The fubjeft there treated of, is the re jection of the Jews from the national advantages they poffeffed as the people of God, and the calling of the Gentiles, which the Apoftle refolves into the fovereign- ty of providence, and juftifies his doing fo, by decla rations of the old teftament, concerning the difference God made between Jacob and Efau, without any con fideration of their having done good or evil, which declarations evidently relate not to themfelves per- fonally, but to the pofterity. As in all the works of God there is a beautiful variety ; fome have higher, fome lower degrees of perfeftion, in which his wifdom and his fupreme dominion are manifefted ; fo his pro vidence makes a diftinftion among men with refpeft to gifts and outward privileges : But he is good to all, and will judge every one of mankind with the moft impartial equity, according to the improvement they made of the talents committed to them, and their obedience to the laws they were under. Laftly, The only principle from which we can con ceive God acts towards any object without him, or towards any or all of the creatures which derive their beings from him, is goodnefs. When we reflect upon ourfelves, (and it is by attending to our own powers and affections of which we are confcious that we take our rife to the confideration of, and forming fuch a judgment as we are able to form concerning fuperior intelligent natures, and even the fupreme,) we find, as has been already obferved,. two general fprings of action in our mind, felf-love and benevolence. All our particular defires, affections, and paffions may be reduced to thefe two, and are comprehended in them. We cannot, I think, help judging after the fame manner concerning all other beings like our felves, that is all free.agents, that they conftantly purfue 222 The Goodnefs of God purfue either their own good or the good of others. For we have no notion of any other fpr ings of action than affections (or fome principles ai lalogous to af fections in us) which conftitute the fmds of rational action ; and no agent can have any object of affection, but either himfelf or fome other being. Now, ap plying this to our conceptions of tl ie Deity, and his manner of acting, we cannot imag ;ine that he acts for himfelf in the fenfe we are now f peaking of; that is, that in any of his works, or ii 1 any fact which terminates on other beings, he purf' ues his own hap pinefs, in fuch a fenfe as to impl y indigence, and that his happinefs depends on fometh ing without him. A being which is felf-fufficient, and abfolutely perfect and bleffed, and who was fo from e ternity before any thing befides himfelf fubfifted, canr lot want any thing to make him happy, and therefore c annot be fuppofed to defign the fupply of his own wan ts in any thing he does. What can any creature pof libly give him, or what can he receive from it ? He ' was perfectly fatis fied in himfelf, and in the conten iplation and enjoy ment of his own infinite excellence t& from everlafting, and therefore muft be fuppofed to act towards all things without him, from a motiv e of mere goodnefs. It may be alledged, that as the j Deity is interefted by his goodnefs itfelf in the affai rs of his reafonable creatures, he has complacency in their happinefs, which is originally his own gift ; he is pleafed with their good moral conduct, and that felicity which is the refult of it, and the contr ary is difpleafing to him ; we can hardly avoid appr< ehending that his en joyment has fome dependence c >n their behaviour and their condition. Far if we fo rm our notion of the perceptions and fentiments of c ither intelligent beings, by a regard to what we find i n ourfelves, we do not know how to feparate the : approbation of a good moral cha.racter, and the happinefs confequent upon it, from pleafure •„ and tlie < lifapprobation of a bad character with a fenfe oV the mifery that follows it, from explained and improved. 22f From fome degree of uneafinefs. It may therefore be fuppofed that God forefeeing thefe oppofite events which muft differently affect him, for his own fake determined to choofe the one, and do whatever was fit for avoiding the other ; that is, acted not merely for the good of his rational creatures, but for himfelf or his own enjoyment. If this reafoning be ever fo juft, it does not, nor ought to diminifh in our efteerh the benevolence manifefted in the work of creation, and the good communicated to the crea tures. Is any being accounted the lefs beneficent be caufe he finds pleafure in his beneficence ? Is any man the lefs generous and difinterefted in lupplying the wants of the indigent who can be no way profitable to him, becaufe he has, and knows before hand he fhall have fatisfaction in his liberality ? Much lefs can the complacency which the fupreme independent Eeing has in the manifeftation of his goodnefs, be thought any diminution of that goodnefs, or be any pretence for alledging that he acts from felfifh motives, as if he wanted any thing, the communication of good being the immediate end of his works, chofen for its own fake, and not from any indigence of his. Befides, the changes which happen in the condition of the crea tures, their acting right or wrong, their being happy or miferable, ftould not be imagined to affect the Deity, tho' perfectly perceiving them, and perfectly pure and good, in the fame manner as they do good men, or any other finite good agents. They have, and cannot avoid having, new affections excited by events to them intirely new ; pleafure arifing from prefent good, pain from prefent evil, which they had not while it was future. But he to whofe mind no thing has any appearance different from what it had in his eternal foreknowledge, poffeffes the fame unvaried tranquillity in all the viciffitudes of time. The whole feries of events, in the forefeen order, paffes under the obfervation of his eye without any alteration or ex citing any emotion in his undifturbed perfect mind. a He S24 The Goodnefs of God He is capable of no furprife, no painful fenfation ol forrow from any calamity, or of refentment againft any moral diforder, nor properly of joy, as that figni fies a new fenfation of pleafure, from any good which arrives. All things which come to pafs are compre hended in the fcheme of providence which was formed in his eternal counfels ; and as the appearances of evil were not unexpected, they produce no uneafinefs. And the afore-appointed good iffue is the fubjeft of his everlafting, delightful, ferene contemplation, not heightened by its arrival, as it is in weak minds, to furprifing and tumultuous delight. Upon the whole, fince all the good that is in the creatures, natural or moral, is originally from God, and all the enjoyment to him which can be fuppofed to arife from it, is the refult of his own operations, always the fame and un interrupted ; it may be properly called felf-enjeyment infeparable from his own perfeftions and the exercife of them ; and therefore the end of his works, is not the acquifition of felicity from other beings, but the communication of good to them, or in other words, the principle is benevolence. It is commonly faid that the glory of God is the end of the creation and of all his aftions towards the creatures. And if this be the meaning— -that all his aftions, his forming the world, and his whole admi niftration in the government of it, is worthy of him felf, becoming the moft excellent and perfeft of all beings, and that his perfeftions are manifefted in con junction, and in a beautiful harmony by all his works, it is juft. None of the divine attributes is ex ercifed fingly. As eternal power is clearly feen, being underftood by the things which are made, the fame things manifeft eternal wifdom ; and as goodnefs is evidently the charafter of God's government of the moral world, the moft perfeft reftitude ftines in it with equal luftre. In this fenfe, he is glorified in all his ways, and all his works -, and in his eternal counfels, he intended it fhould be fo. But if we enquire con- cernirjg explained and improved. -zzt: cerning the principle from which the fupreme Being acts in framing and difpofing both the material and the rational creation, the former evidently fubfervient to the other, I think it appears from what has been already faid, that it can be no other than benevolence; and confequently the end is no other than the com munication of perfeftion and happinefs, which he diffufes through all the univerfe, in fuch meafures, and with fuch variety, as at the fame time to manifeft his glorious power and wifdom. But thoughitmaybe faid, (in the fenfe juft nowmen- tioned,) that the glory of God is the end of his works, and of his eternal purpofes,we ffiould take care to avoid another, and avery wrong meaning of that expreffion. Let it be far from us to entertain any fuch thought concerning him, as if he had any thing like the am bitious views of weak mortals, to raife monuments to his honour. The defire of honour is indeed an ori ginal defire in our nature, and a very ufeful part of our conftitution -, having a tendency to the fupport of virtue, and to the public good : But it carries in it the marks of infufficiency and dependence. The great God is therefore infinitely above the need of it ; and it is beneath the high perfeftion of his nature to aft from fuch a motive. We cannot, I think, but acknowledge in our hearts, that to aft from a prin ciple of pure difinterefted goodnefs, and with the fole defign of communicating good, is more excel lent and amiable ; and to conceive thus of the Deity, is to conceive of him the moil highly and honourably, which is the beft rule we can follow in forming our apprehenfions concerning him. It is true, God re quires that his reafonable creatures ffiould make his glory the end of their aftions ; that they ffiould ho nour him with their devout acknowledgments, and the outward figns of adoration, which will appear to themfelves a reafonable fervice, and what the beft principles in their nature direft them to. But even this he requires for their fakes, not his own ; and the Vol. I. Q^ affec- 226 The Goodnefs of God affections he has planted in their nature whereby they are determined to it, bear the plaineft marks of his goodnefs, for it is their moft delightful exercife, and affords the higheft enjoyment they are capable of. What has been faid under this laft head, fhews us the reafon of the affertion in the text, that none is good but God : Which is not to be underftood ab folutely, for there is real moral goodnefs in fome creatures ; but the fupreme Being alone is effentially and immutably good, the fole original fountain of all goodnefs and happinefs. And this is peculiar to him, that whereas from the limited condition of all other intelligent agents, it neceffarily follows, that their own happinefs muft be an object of their purfuit, and an end of their actions, (they feek it from God, and they receive it from him) he, having in himfelf an underived fufficiency for his own unchangeable blef- fednefs, infinitely above the need, or even the poffi bility of an addition from any other caufe, acts purely and wholly from a principle of benevolence. I come, In the next place, to confider what is the proper application and practical improvement of this whole fubject. And, firft, we and all intelligent creatures are indifpenfably obliged to praife God, to call upon eur fouls, and all that is within us, to blefs and mag nify him. This is a tribute which our own reafon, and the inftinct of gratitude planted in our nature, will teach us to pay to him, as a kind and gracious ¦ benefactor. We cannot indeed but highly efteem a beneficent difpofition wherever it appears, though we ourfelves do not partake of the benefits which flow from it. What acknowledgments then are due to the univerfal benefactor, the original author of all happi nefs, to whofe favour we ourfelves owe our being, and all the enjoyments we poffefs, and on whofe bounty all our future hopes depend ? His compaffion to us is not leffened by the diffufivenefs of his liberality to other beings : We are as much and conftantly ¦ cared for by him, as if we were the fole objects of his care. explained and improved. 227 care. And fince in an infinite variety of creatures, which are capable of enjoyment, not one is neglected, he gives to all that which is convenient for them. Thofe, whofe faculties enable them to difcern his hand fo freely opened to diftribute various happinefs, ought to join according to their feveral capacities, in celebrating the glory of his benignity. Particularly, (as an affection for our own fpecies is natural to our minds, and infeparable from them, when we confider God as the common father of mankind, doing good to them, and leaving none of them without witneffes of his tender pity, He muft in that view appear very amiable to us, moft worthy to receive our united thankfgivings and honour. The narrow notions which fome have of the divine goodnefs, as if it were confined to a few, while others no lefs capable are overlooked or rejected, and which tend to change the idea of the attribute itfelf into that of arbitrary will, ---Thefe notions, I fay, feem to take their rile from the felfiffi defires too prevalent in fome minds, of enjoy ing happinefs by wayof peculiar property and diftinftion from their fellows. But to a well- difpofed benevolent fieart, the more extenfive beneficence ap pears, the more it is efteemed ; and there cannot be a more delightful objeft of its contemplation, than the mercy of God difpenfing its gifts freely to every individual of the human race, reaching out its unfpar- ing hand to fupply all their wants, and making no other diftinftion than what. arifes from the different qualifications of the particular objefts, and what wif dom requires to be made for the greater advantage of the whole. This, which I hope has been fuffi ciently ffiewn to be the juft way of thinking concern ing the divine philanthropy, challenges our moft af fectionate efteem ; indeed fhould raife it to the higheft admiration. And when we confider that the love of God is the only fpring of our happinefs, indeed all happinefs ; and that he does good, not like needy creatures, who give^ hoping for fomething again, 0^2 , (the 228 The Goodnefs of God (the very beft of them, not unreafonably, nor to their reproach, feek the continuance and increafe of their felicity as not immutable and abfolutely per feft ;)---when we confider that the only principle of his aftions is pure benevolence ; and his kind inten tions terminate on the happinefs of other beings, the greateft and moft univerfal happinefs as their ultimate end ; do not our moft exalted praifes, the utmoft gratitude of our fouls, fink far beneath what we muft acknowledge to be due ? What fhall we render to the Lord for all his benefits ? What returns can we make^ which ffiall bear any proportion to the kindnefs of his unmerited affection, or the fovereign freenefs of his mercy, and the extent of its fruits, for both are not only unparalleled, but exceed our comprehenfion ? Surely it becomes us to celebrate his glory, and to offer him the facrifice of our thankfgivings, with fin cerely willing and joyful hearts. No one can imagine that the praifes of our lips only, or the mere external profeffions of gratitude, are a fuitable or will be an acceptable acknowledgment of his favour. What goodnefs,— fuch unexampled goodnefs firft of all de mands, is true undiffembled and fuperlative love, which will naturally arife in our minds, if we care fully attend to the motives of love contained- in the charafter of the objeft, and particularly his benignity ; and if we do not fuffer ourfelves to be diverted and prepoffeffed by an immoderate indulgence of felfifh affections. Accordingly this is the fum of religion, to which the divine goodnefs is the ftrongeft motive, and as our Saviour calls it, the firft and great com mandment ; * Thou fhalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy foul, and with all thy mind, that is fincerely, and conftantly. Secondly, The goodnefs of God is the proper ob jeft of our reverence and fear, as well as love. Thus the prophet f Hofea defcribes the religion of the Ifraeliks in the latter days, after that long afflictions, * Mat. xxii. 37. f Hof. iii. 5. and explained and improved. 220 and other methods of divine inftruftion fhall bring them to jufter fentiments and better difpofitions, than thofe which prevailed among them during their de generacy, They fhall fear the Lord and his goodnefs. Such a perfeft charafter as that of the Deity, com prehending all moral excellencies, and particularly glorious benevolence, calls for the moft awful re fpeft of all attentive minds: and an ingenuous heart will be afraid of offending him, for this very reafon, becaufe he is fo good, and will conceive an indigna tion againft fin on this account, that it is not only a difhonour done to the fupreme law-giver, but ingra titude to the beft benefactor. Who would not be affiamed of fuch bafenefs, as to provoke and affront one who is continually kind and beneficent even to the unthankful and the evil, and always heaping fa vours on the undeferving ? Thefe two principles, the love and the fear of God, are the great fecurity of our duty, and will be the lafting fprings of fincere obe dience to his commandments. The fcripture con ftantly teaches us, (and ,it muft be very evident to the reafon of men,) that pious affeftions, gratitude and reverence to the beft of beings, are in vain pretend ed to, without the praftice of virtue. This is the love of God? and this is his fear, that we do his will ; that we fulfil the works of his law written in our hearts, and declared in his word, by living fo-. berly, righteoufly, and godly in this world. And this confideration of the divine goodnefs ffiows the folly of fin, as well as ingratitude and bafenefs. For how unreafonable is it that men ffiould tranfgrefs thofe commandments which are given them merely for their own fakes, and to make them happy? All the bad effects of their djfobedience and provocations muft fall upon themfelves. * If they fin what do they againft God? or if their tranfgreffions be mull tiplied, what do they unto him ? The fole intention pf his laws is their good ; of which they may de^ * Job xxxv. (?. O 2 prive 230 The Goodnefs of God prive themfelves by their wickednefs, but cannot af fect his unchangeable happinefs, which has no de pendence on any thing in their power. Thirdly, As to the goodnefs of God we owe our being, all the powers of our nature, the privileges of our condition, and whatever happinefs we poffefs, fo it is the juft object of our affectionate confidence, and the only foundation of our hope for the future. What fecurity can we, or any creatures have, that our exiftence and all the advantages and enjoyments we have, fhall be continued, or our felicity increafed, but that the father of lights from whom every good gift comes down is without variablenefs or ftadow of turn ing. But let it be remembered, that we are not to entertain expectations from the divine goodnefs, as if it were an unintelligent pronenefs to communicate benefits : it is exercifed with freedom and the mani- feftations of it are alv/ays directed by the moft per fect wifdom. And fince the intire end which the good governor of the world purfues is the greateft abfolute good, or the higheft happinefs of the whole rational fyftem, it is unreafonable to expect a profu- fion of "beneficence towards every individual, in fuch a way, and upon fuch terms, as would be hurtful to the whole. But it ought not to be faid, that this renders our hopes with refpect to ourfelves utterly uncertain, fince we, not being able to comprehend the fcheme of the divine adminiftration cannot conclude concerning any particular fuppofable event, however grievous it may be to us, or other individuals, that it is inconfiftent with the moft public good, and therefore our confidence in the moft perfect goodnefs, thus explained, cannot make us fecure againft it. For, befides that doing all for the beft, muft appear amiable to us in the fupreme agent, our minds ne- teffarily approve it, and we ought therefore to ac* quiefce in it with pleafure, it cannot be reafonably imagined that the extreme infupportable unhappr- jjefs of individuals can be neceffary to the good of the explained and improved. 23 r the whole, excepting one cafe which our reafon fuf ficiently inftrufts us to be aware of, and we have it in our power to prevent it. The cafe is this, we are fure that for God to make no difference between good and evil in moral agents, and to communicate as much happinefs to the vicious and wicked as to the beft and moft virtuous, that this would not be for the greateft good of the world, but deftruftive of it, as tending to take away the greateft encouragement to, and to fubvert the very foundations of virtue, which is the true happinefs of rational creatures : and there fore for men to pretend, that they truft in tlie good nefs of God, while they live in contempt of his laws, and perfift impenitently in their wicked courfes, is the higheft prefumption ; fuch expectation of favour from him being contrary to the reafon of things, and the eftablifhed order of his government, and inconfiftent with goodnefs itfelf directed by wifdom, which re quires that a diftinction ftould be made between the righteous and the wicked by the judge of the world, at fuch time, and in fuch manner as he fees fit, and that tranfgreffors fhould be punifhed for the fafety and benefit of the whole. But if we faithfully and conftantly adhere to our duty, and our hearts do not condemn us, then have we confidence towards God on a folid foundation, that however, in the prefent ftate, all things come alike to [all, and there is one event to the good and to the /inner, yet finally, and in the main, it fhall be well with the righteous, and that happinefs is infeparably connected with virtue. It amounts to the fame thing, if we fet this point in fomewhat a different light, and confider the pre- fumptuous and pretended hopes of impenitent finners in the mercy of God, as inconfiftent with the no tions] which reafon, as well as the fcripture teaches us of his other attributes, his wifdom, his juftice, and the effential reftitude of his nature, which will not fuffer us to believe that he will always, and in the whole of his adminiftration, heap his benefits Q^4 with- 232 The Goodnefs of God without diftinftion on the righteous and the wicked, Nor is this any reflection on his moft perfeft good nefs, which requires to its exercife a proper qualified objeft. As the only objeft of power are things pof fible, and the only objeft of wifdom are things rea fonable and fit, fo among moral agents, the only qualified objects of the divine goodnefs, in the fenfe here fpoken of, that is approbation, are the fincerely virtuous. And as the perfeftions of the Deity are exercifed in a perfeft harmony, infinite power never does, it may be faid, cannot do, what is difagreea ble to wifdom or to the moral attributes, fo the mo ral attributes never interfere with each other : good nefs is not manifefted in fuch an undiftinguilhing manner, as to diftonour the righteoufnefs of the fu preme ruler. But of all finners they are the moft inexcufable, and have the leaft reafon to expect the divine favour, who prefuming upon it, take encou ragement from thence to continue in their difober dience, who, as the fcripture expreffes it, * Turn the grace of God into lafcivioufnefs, and -f becaufe fentence againft evil works is not fpeedily executed, therefore wholly fet their hearts to do evil. Such have reafon to expect a peculiarly fevere puniffiment, and that, as Mofes fpeaks, J The Lord will not fpare them, who hearing the words of his law, blefs themfelves, faying, we fhall have peace, though we walk in the imaginations of our hearts : or, as St. Paul teaches, \\ They who defpife the goodnefs and forbearance of God, which fhould lead them to repentance, and perftfting in the hardnefs and impenitence of their hearts, treafure up to themfelves wrath againft the day of wrath, and revela tion of the righteous judgment of God. And, Laftly, We ftould always endeavour to imitate the divine goodnefs. That which is the glory of the fupreme Being, and adds a luftre to all his other per feftions, muft even in the inferior degree in which the reafonable creatures are capable of it, be the • Jt^de iv f Ecclef.viii. 11, | Deut. xxix. 19, 20. || Rom. ii. higheft explained and improved. 233 higheft excellency of their nature. And according ly, beneficence is always regarded among men as the nobleft quality, as that which fignifies the moft per feft charafter, and procures the moft univerfal efteem, * St, Paul, agreeably to the general fenfe of mankind, makes a diftinftion between the righteous and the good man ; the former is juftly valued, but the other appears much more amiable and praife- worthy. And as thus we fhall be perfeft like our heavenly father, and obtain the approbation of men, the confcioufnefs of having merited it and of poffef- fing that excellent quality, always (hewing itfelf by its genuine fruits, will always yield the greateft in ward peace and fecurity to our own minds. We fhall reflect upon it with pleafure, and look forward to eternity with confidence, for God will furely reward them who follow his example ; who with fincere af fection purfue the great end of his own adminiftra tion, the univerfal happinefs, and are merciful as he is merciful. * Rom. v. PISCOURSE [234 ] DISCOURSE X. The Juftice of God explained and proved. [Abernethy.] Pfalm lxxxix. 14. , *ffuftice and judgment are the habitation of thy throne. JUSTICE has always been confidered by wife men as one of the principal moral virtues. It contributes eminently to the univerfal good of mankind ; for without it the peace and order of fo- cieties could not poffibly fubfift, nor could any indi vidual enjoy the privileges of his nature, and the advantages of his condition with fafety. It is one of thofe qualities belonging to human difpofitions and aftions which we neceffarily approve ; and the things which are juft, always appear virtuous and praife-worthy. We conclude therefore, that juftice has the ianftion of God's own authority, and is an efiential part of his law of nature : and fince we conceive in it an abfolute excellence every way wor thy of his fupreme dignity and glory, we attribute it to himfelf, and number it among his moral perfec tions. 'Tis true, there is a great difference between the exercife of juftice, and even the foundations of it, in God, and in men. For there being an equa lity The Juftice of God, &c. 235 lity among them in their moft important interefts, they have all demands of right one upon another, and fundamental privileges not fubjeft to any hu man authority, which cannot be invaded without ini quity. Whereas no creature can lay him under any previous obligation, nor have an independent title whereby they may claim any thing from him ; for their very beings, and all they have in poffeffion or expectation, are his gifts. But fince it appears in his own conftitution, that there is an eftablifhed re lation of perfons and things, and a fitnefs refulting from it that the condition of moral agents ffiould be according to their behaviour, we may be fure he will preferve that relation inviolable, and always act agreeably to that fitnefs, or that the judge of the whole world will do right. This has been ever received as an effential principle of religion : indeed if it be denied, the foundations of piety are deftroyed at once, and there can be no fuch thing as a rational fear of God. It is elegantly expreffed and ftrongly afferted by Elihu, as a point wherein all jnen of un derftanding are agreed,— * Far be it from God that he fhould do wickednefs, and from the Almighty that he fhould commit iniquity. For the work of a man fhall he render unto him, and caufe every man to find accord ing to his ways. Yea furely God will not do wickedly, neither will the Almighty pervert judgment. In dif- courfing on this fubjeft, I will firft endeavour to give you a true notion of the juftice of God, and to prove that it is an abfolute perfeftion of his na ture. Secondly, to ffiew, more particularly, in what inftances it is exercifed. Firft, To ftew what is meant by the juftice of God, and to prove that it is an abfolute perfection of his nature. In explaining the divine attribute of goodnefs, I obferved that it is the fole principle from which the fupreme Being afts towards the proper ob jefts of it ; that is, all fenfitive and intelligent crea- * Jobxxxiv, 10, 11, \z. Cures, 236 The Juflice of God tures, and that it extends to them alJ,-~That he be ing infinitely above all indigence or the need of any thing from without to the continuance or increafe of his felf-fufficient, moft perfeft, and unchangeable happinefs, always exerts his power in forming and difpofing of things purely from a motive of bene volence, and with an intention not to receive but to communicate happinefs ;- --and that the intire ade quate objeft of the divine beneficence is the whole fyftem of living things ; to all which he does good in fitting proportion, according to their feveral ca pacities, efpecially the rational fyftem or the moral ivorld, for the univerfal happinefs whereof he con ftantly provides in the beft manner, diffufing his bounty to each individual, under no other limitation than what arifes from the wife defign of fubordinat- ing it to the moft public good. If this be fo, juftice can be no otherwife confidered than as goodnefs to wards moral agents regulated in its exercife by wifdom; or, as wifely, and in the moft proper manner pur fuing, not the private and feparate, but the united good of all intelligent beings. And indeed this is the worthed, and moft becoming notion we can have, of the juft and wife adminiftration of the univerfal fovereign Monarchy, to which its low image, the idea of a good human government naturally leads us. For the chief, nay the fole end of civjl authority being the good of the community over which it is appointr ed, and the good of particular perfons, whether ma giftrates or fubjefts, fo far only, as it is confiftent with and fubfervient to that ; all afts of power ought to purfue it uniformly, and ought to be fo defigned by the perfons with whom power is entrufted. What then is the juftice of a human governor? Nothing elfe than his promoting to the beft of his underftand ing, the fafety and happinefs of the fociety. Not only juftice is to be exercifed confidently with that defign, but affection to the public is the true prin ciple of it, and the public good fhould be its ulti mate, explained and proved. 237 mate end. The fole motive to the inflicting of ne ceffary puniffiment ffiould not be paffion, or a regard to the fuppofed rights and honour of affronted Ma jefty as a feparate intereft ; but the fame goodnefs of difpofition, or benevolence to the colleftive body, and defire of promoting the general welfare, which in other inftances (where it can be fafely done,) pro duces effefts that give pleafure to all as far as they can reach, without putting any one to pain. In like manner ought we to form our conceptions concern ing the juftice of God. Having an unlimited do minion over all intelligent beings, he is inclined by the benignity of his nature to do them the greateft good, and to promote their moft extenfive happinefs. But that fame benignity of his nature, exerts itfelf freely with perfeft wifdom, and therefore differently, according to the diverfity of their conduft and cir cumftances ; it ffiews favour or communicates plea fure to qualified objefts, having for its ultimate end the producing of the greateft monument of good. It with-holds favour, or inflifts puniffiment on the particular unqualified objefts of happinefs, for the fame ultimate end, the producing of the greateft good. In other words, the divine juftice ov righteouf nefs, (however it may be differently apprehended as a diftinft property, and it may be ufefully fo repre fented, yet)really is nothing elfe but his goodnefs di- refted to its exercife by infinite wifdom to purfue its proper end, the greateft and moft abfolute good of all rational beings in the beft manner, and with that diverfity in its adminiftration, which their different behaviour and circumftances require. We ought, above all things, to avoid imputing to the Deity infirmities and- paffions like thofe we find in ourfelves, and which often corrupt the fprings of aftion, even mixing themfelves with good dii- pofitions. - 1 obferved before, in explaining the good nefs of God, that befides the principle of benevo lence in the human mind determining it to feek the 1 public 238 The Juftice of God public happinefs, there are likewife particular in ftinfts planted in our nature, not felfifn, but inclin ing us to affift and relieve our indigent fellow crea tures ; fuch as compaffion and natural affection, which are attended with weaknefs and perturbation ; and thefe we ought not to attribute to God, except in a figurative fenfe and by way of analogy. We have at leaft equal reafon to avoid attributing, to him painful and diflurbing refentment, which often arifes in the human mind againft moral evil ; which, fo far as it proceeds from the conftitution of nature and is faultlefs, feems to be intended as an excitation to juftice. The fupreme mind is altogether free from what is ftriftly and properly called wrath, and from the leaft degree of uneafinefs, in difapproving the faults of his creatures ; and when it is neceffary to ufe the chaftening rod, or even to proceed to the fe vered puniffiment, he does it with the fame undif- turbed calmnefs, and the fame benevolent difpofi tion, which is manifefted in thofe which we call afts of clemency and mercy. This I take to be the true notion of the divine juftice, fetting it in the moft amiable light, and re prefenting him as what he truly is, the beft of beings. Nor does it give the leaft encouragement to fin by diminifhing our apprehenfions of its penal effects. For furely it does not alter the nature of puniffiment or abate its feverity, to fay that goodnefs requires it : but our judge muft appear to us the more venerable, when we confider him as not depriving any one be ing of the happinefs it is capable of, but for a grea ter and more general good. To explain the exercife of this attribute otherwife, and reprefent it as ulti mately intending the honour of God, of his majefty, and authority, as the end of his adminiftration, dif- tinct from, and fuperior to the greateft good of in telligent beings,— -This is to render it lefs intelligible, and lefs agreeable to the beft fentiments of our minds. For they muft efteem that government the moft ex cellent explained and proved. 239- cellent and perfeft, which purfues the moft public happinefs as its laft end, and not the glory of the fovereign, as an intereft different and feparated from it. But however that may be, and fuppofing that juftice and goodnefs are to be confidered as diftinft at tributes of the Deity, yet ftill they are infeparably joined together in his perfeft ¦ moral character, and their interefts never interfere, nor are they exercifed inconfiftently. Divine juftice is not fo rigorous as to demand any thing contrary to goodnefs ; nor is goodnefs fo indulgent as to require any thing which juftice does not allow, no more than infinite power and wifdom towards each other. And it muft be re membered, that we have a clear and diftinct idea of juftice as well as of goodnefs, and of certain invaria ble meafures to be always obferved in the exercife of it ; otherwife it can be of no ufe to the purpofes of religion, and regulating our moral conduct with a refpect to God. How can we either love or fear, hope in, or avoid being obnoxious to the juftice of God, and how can we imitate it in our behaviour to wards our fellow-creatures, unlefs we know what it is, and by what rule it proceeds ? We are fure that the fupreme, righteous, and wife ruler of the world, will preferve inviolable that order which he has efta blifhed ; that he will conftantly and uniformly aft according to his approbation of moral goodnefs in his rational creatures, and his difapprobation of the contrary. Though he may not during their trial fo remarkably interpofe as a judge, in rewarding the virtuous and punifhing the wicked ; yet he has given all men fufficient reafon to believe that it ffiall be fo, fome way, and at fome time or other, and to many has declared exprefly, that there is a time appointed in which he will judge the world in righteoufnefs. All this being clearly and diftinftly apprehended by us, the divine juftice is a proper and a determinate object of our efteem, reverence and fear. It adds great force to the eternal laws which are given to men, written t> '240 'The Juftice of God written upon their hearts, to be the rule of their aftions ; and is of great ufe as a glorious pattern to all mankind, whereby their comrnon happinefs would be moft effectually fecured. But if we do not know what the juftice of God is ; only" have this confufed general notion, that it is a high uanfcendent excel lence of his nature which we cannot comprehend, nor underftand how it will be manifefted, and what meafures in his final diftriburion to moral agents the fupreme ruler will obferve,— What influence can this have on our tempers or behaviour ? From what has been faid, it plainly appears, that God is, and neceffarily muft be juft, or that juftice infeparably belongs to his character, and is an effen tial perfeftion of his nature. If it be included in goodnefs, as it feems to be, the fame arguments which prove him to be good prove him alfo to be juft. Indeed it cannot be fuppofed with any pre tence of reafon, that thofe two qualities are feparable in any wife agent. If he is good, and difpofed to promote the happinefs of others as far as poffibly he can, his underftanding muft be very defeftive not to know that the impartial diftribution of juftice is the moft effeftual means of fecuring the peace, and the happinefs of focieties. On the other hand, if he is thoroughly and univerfally righteous, he muft be good ; for without goodnefs, what is called juftice, degenerates into tyranny. 'Tis true, there may be fuppofed a difference between a righteous and a good man ; but in that fuppofition the former is a very imperfeft charafter, and therefore the diftinftion can not take place in the Deity, whofe attributes moral, as well as natural, are all abfolutely perfeft. But it was never fuppofed, or can be fuppofed, that a man can be good with any tolerable degree of under ftanding, without being at the fame time righteous: the connexion is fo apparent between righteoufnefs and the moft univerfal happinefs of rational beings, which is the fupreme objeft of goodnefs. But explained and proved. 2 4! But if we ffiould allow all the diftinftion between juftice and goodnefs which can be allowed with any pretence of reafon, ftill we have certain evidence that God is a juft being. It muft be acknowledged ; otherwife all religion and virtue are no more than infignificant words: it muft be acknowledged, I fay, that there is a real and effential difference between right and wrong, or moral good and evil. The fenfe of this is fo deeply engraven on our hearts, that it is impoffible for us not to difcern it ; and not to efteem the. intelligent being who afts according to that difference, and difapprove the contrary charac ter. Is it then poffible for us to doubt whether the molt perfect of all intelligent beings is juft or un juft ? Whether he, who difcerns all things, and all their differences and relations, fees that right is pre ferable, and in itfelf more excellent than wrong, and will aft accordingly ? Is it poffible for us, when any moral agent deviates from the rule of righteoufnefs, not to impute it either to a defect of underftanding or of power, or to fome corrupt affection ? But none of thefe caufes of error can be imagined to affect the fupreme Being, perfect in knowledge, in finite in power, and uncapable of being milled by any temptation. He has no intereft of his own to ferve by iniquity ; his authority is derived from no fuperior, nor is he accountable to any. Of whom can he be afraid that he fhould pervert judgment, or whom can he be ftudious to pleafe, that he ffiould be biafs'd by partial affection, fince all are equally his creatures and fubject to his difpofal ? He has laid us under the ftricteft obligations to righteoufnefs, how then can we imagine that he is unrighteous him felf? To this purpofe is the reafoning of Elihu, on the fubject of divine juftice, and it feems tc3 have great force, f Who hath given him a charge over the earth, or who hath difpofed the whole world? If he fet his heart upon man; if he gather, unto himfelf t Job xxxiv. 13, 14, 15, 17, 18. Vol. I. R his 242 The Jufiice of God his fpirit and his breath, all flefh fliall perijh together, and man fljall turn again unto duft. Shall even he that hateth right govern ; and wilt thou condemn him that is moft juft ? Is it fit to fay to a King thou art wicked, and to Princes ye are ungodly ? How much lefs to him that accepteth not the perfons of Princes, nor regardeth the rich more than the poor, for they all are the work of his hands ? I come in the Second place, to ffiew more particularly, in what inftances the divine juftice is exercifed. And here we muft confider the true character of the Deity, which is that of the fupreme moral governor of the world. Suppofing the idea of juftice in general to be fettled, that it is rendering to all their due, the practice of it muft be different, according to the different relations and conditions of the perfons be tween whom it takes place. It requires a man to preferve inviolated the rights of another man over which he has no authority ; to render a fuitable re- compence for fervices; to fulfil contrafts, and to make reftitution for wrongs. But the righteoufnefs of a ruler confifts in diftributing to all fubjefts re wards and puniffiments, according to the known, ac leaft fufficiently promulged laws of the fociety. And the righteoufnefs of God, who can be confi dered in no other capacity than that of the fupreme univerfal ruler of all moral agents, confifts in ren dering to them according to their works, including their affeftions, intentions, motives, and every cir- cumftance neceffary to a true eftimate of their mo ral reftitude or evil, which are all perfeftly known to him. In the divine adminiftration, which comprehends the whole extent of created exiftence and the entire feries of events, there is a vifible relation between life and the courfe of inanimate nature : The latter being fo direfted as to anfwer the purpofes of the other, by impreffions on its organs of perception, and by ex erting its active powers, fo that there is apparent ceco nomy explained and proved. 243 nomy in the conduct of the animal ftate ; and fuper- intending providence by the difcipline of pleafure and pain arifing from fenfible objects, determines living creatures to purfue the ends for which they were made. But in the government of moral agents, whofe life is capable of great variety, as well as fuperior kinds, of enjoyment, and of oppofite unhappinefs ; the like difcipline being applied to higher purpofes, that is, pleafure being connected with virtue, and pain with moral evil, obtains the charafter of righteous. Upon this view, we may confider as included in the exer cife of divine juftice, all inftances in which, (whether by extraordinary interpofition, or by the eftabliffiment of nature in its ordinary courfe,) providence teftifies an approbation of moral reftitude, caufing natural good to follow it, and difapprobation of vice and iniquity, by making pain of any kind the confequence of it. But thefe are fo various that they cannot be enumera ted. Not to- mention furprifing events, (which have been before obferved to carry in the judgment of all men, (who own a fuperintending providence,) the vi fible marks of rewards and puniffiment,) there are un deniable tendencies and eftefts in the ordinary admi niftration, and refulting from the prefent conftitution of things, which favour virtue and difcountenance wickednefs. Who, that attentively confiders the ge neral condition of mankind in this world, can queftion the truth of Solomon's obfervation,---* That length of days is in the right hand of wifdom, or religious virtue, and in her left hand are riches and honour. Tempe rance, induftry, and the fecial virtues, are naturally productive of health, reputation, and riches,' which contribute to the long and eafy enjoyment of life ; whereas ficknefs, poverty, infamy, and fometimes untimely death, are the apparent effefts of luxury, idlenefs, fraud, and violence. If there is an intelli gent being at the head of nature, who guides all the notions and operations of inferior caufes -, who framed the human conftitution, and preferves its powers in * Prov. iii. 1 6, R * their o 244 The Juftice oj God their natural exercife ; who formed men into focieties, induing them with focial difpofitions, and directing the exertion of them to their proper ends ; can it be doubted but he is a friend to virtue, and an adverfary to moral evil ? Or that thefe are indications of righ teoufnefs, as the charafter of his government? Again, if we look into the interior part of the human frame, and obferve how its powers operate, confidering it as the workmanfhip of God, we ffiall fee yet clearer manifeftations of his juftice, in the ftrifter and more neceffary connection which there is between virtue and pleafure, and between moral evil and pain. No fooner we are confcious of any good affection exerting itfelf, than a pleafing fenfation arifes in the felf-approving mind, even before the compleated virtuous aftion which increafes the pleafure, becaufe the good affec tion then has its full effeft. On the other hand, in ward ffiame, and felf-tormenting reflections neceffa rily accompany a confcioufnefs of immoral difpofitions, and grow with them in every ftep of their progrefs, and all their bad effefts. For proof of this, the proper appeal is to experience, and every man's heart will witnefs to him that it is true, unlefs a long courfe of profligate wickednefs has deftroyed his natural fenfe of right and wrong ; in which cafe human nature is vi- fibly depraved and loft to all rational felffenjoyment. The ways therefore of wifdom are, by the unalterable appointment of God, ways of pleafantnefs, and all her paths are peace : The contrary, are ways of forrow and mifery. And here is a farther inftance of a juft moral government in nature, or of the divine righteoufnefs, adding a fanction of rewards and puniffiments which executes itfelf, to the law which is written in the hearts of men. , But ftill it muft be acknowledged, that tho' thefe are inftances of the divine juflice!, and particular me thods by which it is exercifed, yet it is not fully ma nifefted in them. The obfervations which have been made on the common courfe of providence do not hold uni- explained and proved. 245 univerfally ; the beft men are not always the moft profperous in the world, tho' virtue tends to profpe- rity. Sicknefs, poverty, and reproach happen often to the good and to the bad promifcuoufly ; nay fome times true religion is the very caufe of grievous fuf fering from the hands of wicked men. And even what may more properly be called the fanction of the law of nature, the inward fatisfaction and peace which accompanies a confcioufnefs of virtuous integrity as its reward, and the anguiffi which attends men's ielf- accufing thoughts as the prefent puniffiment of their fins, even this does not appear as one would expect the refult of a judicial proceeding ffiould do. It rifes and falls, Dot always in exact proportion to merit and demerit ; but men have it in their power to make it more or lefs fenfibly felt. Sometimes good men thro' their own weaknefs and inattention, have not all the enjoyment of their own fincerity which they might have ; and bad men, by increafing their wickednefs, harden themfelves into an infenfibility, and leffen the feeling of their, own fufferings for it. We muft there fore conclude, that the prefent ftate of this world, tho' it is not without ftrong intimations of the divine juftice, yet it is not the proper fcene for that attribute to difplay itfelf fully in ; and that God has appointed a future time wherein he will judge men, and all other moral agents, in righteoufnefs, rendering to them all according to their works. From what has been laft obferved, we have a fatis- faftory anfwer to the objeftions which are commonly made againft the equity of the divine government. Some difpenfations of providence carry at firft view an appearance of being favourable to the wickednefs of men, and of feverity againft true piety and virtue. The covetous, and ambitious profper in wicked de vices for increafing their wealth and power by me thods of deceit and cruelty; while the innocent are caught in their fnares, and fall a prey to them : Some times the moft eminently virtuous are the moft bar- R 1 baroufly 246 The Juftice of God baroufly ufed. The anfwer to all which is, that we ought not to make a judgment concerning the divine adminftration by fingle unconnected events -, for it is an intire fcheme comprehending the whole feries of events. And therefore, as in other obvious cafes, a fyftem is not rightly underftood, nor a true judgment pro nounced upon it merely by feeing and confidering its unrelated parts, but by difcerning their mutual rela tions; fo to a right judgment of this moral fcheme, it would be neceffary to fee the remoteft iffue of things comprehended in it, which being above the reach of human underftanding, particular difpenfations, ( which are only parts of the great defign,) muft be but very imperfectly underftood by us, and it would be ex tremely raft to pronounce them inconfiftent with wifdom, equity, and goodnefs. We know by ex perience, that fome events which at firft were (hock ing, and feemed to be very grievous, have afterwards appeared in a quite different light, not only juft, but wifely meant for good. We may well fuppofe it to be fo in other cafes, to the end of which our knowledge does not reach. But when the myflery of God ffiall be finifhed, when the great plan of his providence ftall have its full accompliftment, then, and not till then, ftall the divine moral attributes be perfeftly vindicated, to the conviction of all rational beings; all difficulties relating to this fubjeft cleared up, and the objeftions filenced which fhort-fighted mortals now make, but which really have no other foundation than in their own ignorance ; at prefent the ways of God are to us unfearchable, and his judg ments paft finding out. This however we know, and it ought to fatisfy us, that fince there are plain difcoveries of a ruling intelligence in the univerfe which formed and difpofes all things in it •, fince the fupreme Being is the natural governor of all his crea tures, and the moral governor of all rational agents ; fince from the conftitution of our own nature, and by convincing arguments drawn even from the pre fent explained and proved. 247 fent adminiftration, it appears that he is on the fide of virtue, and that he is juft and good; fince thefe things arefo, his juftice ftall finally, and in the whole, be fully manifefted for the good of his creation. Let us, next, fuppofe that mankind are now in a ftate of probation, (which is a fuppofition in all re fpefts worthy of the wifdom of God, and not incon fiftent with any of his perfeftions, and we have great reafon to believe it is faft,) when we confider the weaknefs and imperfeftion of thehuman capacity, both intellectual and moral, and the furprifing improve ment it makes by due application and exercife, (which depends principally on the mind itfelf,) and when we confider the circumftances of our ftate exaftly fitted to the defign of trying us, and giving the oppor tunities of making progrefs in knowledge and vir tue; — Allowing this fuppofition, I fay, it is evi dent that the appearances of our prefent condition are juft fuch as they ought, or as in reafon they could be expected to be. That is, it was not rea fonable to think that divine providence ftould in terpofe any otherwife than it now actually does, not by difpenfing to all men enjoyment and hap pinefs of all kinds, or pain and mifery in exaft pro portion to the good and evil of their difpofitions and behaviour, (for then their ftate would not be pro bationary ;) but by affording them fufficient means of virtue, yet leaving them at liberty to ufe them or not, or giving ftrong intimations, but not an intuitive knowledge fuch as ftould neceffitate their affent or attention, that God is a lover of moral reftitude in his creatures, and will fupport its intereft. If it be fo, and the principles before-mentioned be true, the confequence, I think, is very plain, that God will diftribute rewards and puniffiments to every one of mankind ; and the juftice of his government re quires him to do fo. This is all the length that our unaffifted reafon can carry us in the knowledge of a, future divine retribution. R 4 In 248 The Jufiice oj God In what manner, at what time, and with whit folem- nity God will judge the world in righteoufnefs, muft be unknown to us without a revelation : And fo muft the nature and circumftances of that ftate to which men ftall be adjudged ; any farther than that it ftall be well with the righteous, and ill with the wicked, or that in general, the former ftall be happy, and the other unhappy. As the human mind is naturally capable of great variety in its condition, and of paffing thro' (and we have reafon to believe, nay cer tainly that it actually does pafs thro') feveral ftages of exiftence ; during it's continuance in one ftage, the knowledge it has of another is very imperfeft. Some have imagined that the appearances of our prefent fituation could not be accounted for any other way fo well, as by the fuppofing a pre-exiftence of our fouls, and thofe appearances to be the confequences of their behaviour in that ftate. But this is only conjecture, , the fuppofition appears to reafon poffible, and but barely fo. We have a very familiar inftance, known to every one, of an important change in the ftate of the mind, tho' it is only a gradual and progreffive change, that is, from infancy to mature age. How different are the notions, the exercifes, and enjoy ments of a child, and a grown man ? And how im perfect are the views which the mind in its firft mature condition, has of manly, that is, of rational and virtuous employments and pleafures ? Like this is the difference (and fo St. Paul, very fitly makes the comparifon -f) between the prefent and future ftate, with refpeft to the fentiments and improvements of the mind, tho' the effential powers are the fame, .and will remain for ever ; and it is but a Very imper fect notion we have now, of what we our felves (hall be hereafter. We think, and reafon, and fpeak but like children concerning the affairs and entertainments of that vaftly fuperior life to come, in comparifon with which the prefent is only an infancy of being. This however, which is directly to the prefent pur pofe, -J- 1 Cor. xiii. ii. explained and proved. 249 pofe, we muft conclude, and our idea of the divine juftice neceffarily leads to it, that the condition of every particular perfon (hall be according to his works or moral improvement in the probation-ftate, without excepting one individual, and without regard to any other confideration. And not only fo in general, but the meafure or degree of future happinefs ffiall bear an exact proportion to the degree of virtue attained in this world ; and the meafure of puniffiments will bear an exact proportion to the degree of moral evil in the temper and practice of men here ; and in other words, the laft and decifive judgment of God, and every particular fentence pronounced by him, will be impartial and equitable. Both thefe characters are included in the very notion of juftice, and muft be underftood to be meant when we attribute that per fection to the Deity. Impartiality is fo effential to righteoufnefs in judicature, that refpetl of perfons is the very thing meant by corrupting or perverting judgment. And for equity, (confifting in the propor tion of degrees determined by the fentence of a judge, between merit and rewards, and between guilt and puniffiment,) this is fo far implied in the idea of juftice, that every inftance of deviation from it muft be imputed to a defect of that quality, or elfe to a de fect of wifdom or power. Now it is certain, that with God there can be no partiality. For as all crea tures originally derive their being from him, every capacity in their nature, and every good in their condition is his gift, there could be no regard to one more than another. And thro' all the periods of their duration nothing can be done by any of them, no ufe made of the powers he bellowed on them, which can alter his difpofitions and purpofes towards them : None indeed which can pleafe him except the improvement of thofe powers to the proper ends ap pointed by himfelf, that is, nothing which can mif- Jead him from the rule of right or abfolute impar tiality, and no caufes can be imagin'd which render the divine judicial proceedings unequal or deficient ia 250 The Jufike of God in the proportion of juftice. For as he has no un equal partial affeftion towards his creatures, and there can be no fufpicion of his departing from unbiafs'd integrity, fo it is impoffible any the leaft circumftance which enters into the merit of moral actions, ftould be hid from his underftanding ; or that he ffiould not exactly difcern the precife degree of goodnefs or evil which is in them. And in the whole moral ftate of every individual agent it is equally abfurd to fuppofe, that his adjudging and effectually applying a propor tionable reward or. a proportionable degree of puiiifh- menr, ffiould be hindered thro' his own impotence, or by the refiftance of any oppofite power. Let us now confider what is the proper application to be made of this important principle both of natu ral and revealed religion. Firft, as the final iffues of the divine judgment are of all events the moft momen tous to us, (for it afcertains our greateft happinefs or mifery, fo as no power can prevent it, no wifdom can provide againft it) this doctrine teaching us by what rule that judgment will proceed, and what mea fures will be obferved in it, at the fame time teaches us how to form our expectations from it. Men are naturally anxious about their condition hereafter; nothing can afford greater contentment to their minds at prefent, than the well grounded hope of future happinefs -, but how is that to be attained ? Our ftate is to be determined by the fentence of a righteous judge, according as our works are good or bad. And therefore it muft be the greateft vanity, and the high eft prefumption, for men to expect happinefs hereafter, whofe hearts accufe them of wickednefs deliberately committed and obftinately continued in. Surely the ftate of that creature muft be very defperate, and very deplorable, whofe hope depends on the Almighty's perverting judgment in its favour. But men deceive themfelves by fondly imagining that fomething elfe will be accepted inftead of integrity of heart and pu rity of hands ; that an external denomination, a re ligious profeffion, a partial obedience, or a purpofe of fu- explained and proved. , 251 future amendment, will recommend them to the fa vour of God, which is really to fuppofe that he is not • a righteous judge. On the other hand, the man whofe heart does not condemn him has confidence towards God, becaufe he is a perfectly juft governor, by whom no fervice fincerely performed to him, nor inftance of refpect to his commandments, will ever be forgotten. Unlefs this were known to be the character of the judge, and that the meafures of righteoufnefs will be obferved by him in judgment, no man could have any rational confidence. He might take his chance in a caprici ous adminiftration ; but the only foundation of rea fonable hope is, that diftribution will be made with impartial equity. It is certainly becoming frail crea tures, and whofe hearts accufe them of many moral defects, to ftand in awe of .the divine juftice; and, as St. Peter exhorts, to pafs the time of their fojourning in fear, if they call on the father who without refpecl of perfons judgeth all men *. But ftill a felf-approving mind is naturally fecure, fupported by this perfuafion, that right ffiall finally prevail in the univerfe ; and therefore looks forward, without confternation, to the laft refult of things, when all irregularities ffiall be rectified, when the proud ffiall be no more profperous, nor innocence oppreffed, but all men ffiall receive ac cording to their deeds done in the body, and not ac cording to their outward actions only, but the preva lent affections and purpofes of their hearts ; for J every fecret thing fhall be brought into judgment, whether it be good or bad. Secondly, The confideration of God's juftice to be finally manifefted in appointing the condition of all men according to their works, ffiould teach us patience under the difficulties of our prefent ftate. Though the ways of providence are now involved in obfcurity which is impenetrable to human knowledge, and in our broken view of its all-wife proceedings fome events have an appearance quite contrary to righteouf nefs, 4- 252 The Jufiice of God nefs, the laft judgment will fet all thefe feeming ine qualities right. And to them who endure perfecution for confcience fake, this is a great fupport of patience, that it is, as St Paul fpeaks *, a righteous thing with God to recompence tribulation to thofe who trouble them ; and to them who are troubled a final happy reft, when he fhall be glorified in the falvat'ion of his faints, and take vengeance on them who knew him not, nor obeyed his laws. It is often grievous to good men, that their characters, (which may be numbered among their moft important interefts in this world,) fuffer by wrong human judg ment, both in the forms of public authority and pri vate cenfure. But there lies an appeal to a fuperior righteous tribunal ; and with minds fupported by a confcioufnefs of their own fincerity, it may well be accounted a very fmall thing -f to be judged by men, feeing he that finally judgeth is the fupreme, infallible, and juft Lord. This confideration however, fhould prevent the rafli judgments of men ; ffiould make them cautious in their proceedings even where they have a right to judge ; and reftrain the liberties they too often take of reproaching their neighbours ; efpe cially of judging the motives and intentions of their hearts, which is God's prerogative, for he only J will bring to light the hidden things of darknefs, and make manifeft the counfels of the heart, that every one may have that praife and recompence which is juftly due to him. Thirdly, God in his juftice, as well as his other moral perfections, is the beft example for us to imi tate, as far as the frailty of our nature will allow. It is our glory as reafonable creatures to be capable of imitating him ; and as our confciences bear as full teftimony to the rectitude of this as to any other part of his law written in our hearts, we muft be felf- condemned, and therefore unhappy, in acting con trary to it. It is true, our fellow-creatures have de mands of right upon us which no other beings can have upon the almighty maker of all things ; and there- * 2 Theff. i. 6 f 1 Cor, ir. 3. X 1 Cor. iv. 5. explained and proved. '253 therefore our fatisfying thofe demands, is a doing juftice which cannot properly be called an imitation of him. But fince there is an apparent equity refult- ing from the relations of perfons and things, to which the fupreme Ruler has a regard in his adminiftration, this is a ftrong motive to our governing our conduft by a regard to the fame equity, even where our con dition being effentially different, our afts of juftice afe no way parallel to his. And efpecially, the exer cife of human authority ffiould, as exaftly as poffible, follow the pattern of that perfeft righteoufnefs which governs the world. Princes are called Gods upon earth, their power duly exercifed being the neareft refemblance of the divine univerfal dominion. But if their power degenerates into tyranny, if under the colour of authority they opprefs their fellow-creatures, they are then guilty, not only of the greateft injuf- tice to men, but the higheft dilhonour to God the fountain of all lawful authority, * by whom kings reign righteoufly and princes decree juftice, and to whom human ufurpations, the perverting of judgment, and violence, are no otherwife to be attributed, than the moft malicious afts of the wickedeft beings, the devils themfelves : that is, they are permitted by his pro vidence for the trial of men's virtues, or for the pu niffiment of their tranfgreffions. Since he who is the abfolute fovereign of the whole world, accountable to none, never afts arbitrarily in the government of his creatures, but always with perfeft equity, how dare ambitious mortals, (who -f- fhall die like men, and fall like the tyrannical princes which have gone before them,) enflave and opprefs their fellow-mortals, who in the main privileges of human nature are equal with them, and ffiall ftand upon a level with them before the fupreme tribunal ? Shall they govern by arbi trary will, or by caprice and paffion, inftead of juf tice ? Surely fuch encroachments on the rights of hu manity, which are under his protection, and fuch in- • Prov. viii. 15. f P&l. lxxxii. 7. dignity 2 c.4 The Juflice of God dignity to his own government, cries aloud to the righteous God for vengeance ; and to refift its def truftive exorbitances by reafon, and force under the conduft of reafon, is not only juftified but laudable, nay ftrictly required by the principle of piety towards God, as well as benevolence to mankind. I have now finifhed my intended explication of the divine moral attributes. They might, indeed, have been confidered much more largely, and diftinguiflied into a greater variety. Mercy, and grace, and patience, are fometimes reprefented, (and very ufefully,) to practical purpofes, as diftinct perfections of the Deity. But if we confider them as properties of the divine nature, analogous to the different fprings of moral action in the human mind, (which is the only way we have of forming our moft accurate notions concern ing them,) it is plain thofe laft mentioned, are really the fame, diverfified only by the manner of exercife or manifeftation, and by the condition of the objects. The grace of God is, his favour to the undeferving, to reafonable creatures who were obnoxious tohisdif- pleafure by their offences ; or favour manifefted be yond what they could have had any affurance of ac cording to the original difcovery of his will, and terms of their acceptance. To his goodnefs they owe their being, the continuance of it, and whatever happinefs they poffefs or hope for. But as their reafon muft teach them to expect future bleffings from him upon the condition of fincere and perfevering obedience to the law of their nature, a fenfe of guilt ffiakes the foundations of their confidence. In this cafe favour continued or offered, is grace ; for that fuppofes the object to be both finful and miferable to fuch a degree as greatly to magnify the compaffion which interpofes for its relief. And the patience of God, is the lenity of his government manifefted in his fufpending the execution of judgment, that finners may have the op portunity of repentance, thereby to prevent their dcftructioii. But in all this variety of operation, the principle explained and proved. 25^ principle is the fame, divine benevolence ; vvhich ffiines the more glorioufly (becaufe it appears moft pure and difintereftedj in the miferies and diftreffes, the guilt and obftinacy, of the creatures towards whorrf it is exercifed. ' In like manner the truth of God in the moral fenfe, (comprehending veracity or fincerity in his commu nication with other intelligent beings fo as not to de ceive them, and fidelity in fulfilling his promifes,) this does not appear ftrictly fpeaking to be a diftinct attribute. Indeed as veracity is to the human mind a beautiful moral object, (we cannot but approve it, and difapprove the contrary as odious and deformed,) it is very natural to afcribe it to the Deity as a branch of his perfect moral character ; which is not to be underftood in this fenfe, that in all the knowledge we derive from him, (and it is all the knowledge we have, J things are ftill reprefented as they really are in themfelves, and as he fees them. The contrary is evident. The ideas we have by our external fenfes, fof which God is the original author,) are not com plete reprefentations of the nature of material ob jects ; nor do our faculties feem to be fitted for com prehending the effences of any beings ; and confe quently, the knowledge which God communicates does not reach fo far. But it is obvious, that fin cerity does not require any perfon to make known to others all the truth which he himfelf knows ; (it were impoffible that an infinitely intelligent being ffiould do it ;) but only to difcover the truth which they have a right to know in purfuance of their mu tual relation, or to prevent their falling into errors which may be hurtful to them. Now God can be under no previous obligation to his creatures. All the good they poffefs, and the farther good they hope for, proceeds folely from his bounty ; and therefore their reafonable expeftations that he will not miflead them to their hurt, or fo as to fruftrate the defign of his own beneficence, however juft thefe expeftations 1 be, z^6 The Juftice of God, &c. be, (and indeed they are more juft and certain than thofe which are founded on the demands of ftrifteft right from their fellow-creatures,) yet they really have no other foundation than this, that his favour will be manifefted to fuch beings confidently and uni formly, in carrying on his original kind intentions concerning them : In other words, the truth of God is nothing elfe but his goodnefs exercifed towards in telligent beings of imperfeft underftandings, in a way fuitable to their nature and condition. After the fame manner muft be underftood that other branch of his truth, faiihfulnefs; which really means no more than the immutability of his goodnefs, or elfe it may be confidered as included in juftice. So fidelity is commonly underftood as included in the righteouf nefs of men ; and according to either of thefe views, it is comprehended in the divine attributes already explained. D I S- [ 257 3 DISCOURSE XL The Love of God explained and recom mended. [Aberneth v.] Matthew xxii. 37. Thou fhalt love the Lord thy God with all thy Heart, and with all thy Soul, and with all thy Mind. IF we have clear and fatisfying evidence of the being of God, of his perfeftions natural and moral, of his having created the heavens, the earth, the fea, and all things which are in them, and of his providence preferving them all, difpofing the whole feries of events in them with the moft perfeft wifdom, and for the greateft good, we can fcarcely avoid this important inquiry, What regards are due to him from us his reafonable creatures ? By looking into our minds we will perceive that they are diffe rently affected with the objefts that are prefented to them ; fome excite defire, fome joy, and others horror and averfion, and thefe different affections to different objefts are fubdivided into various kinds. Though they come under the fame common denomination of defire and averfion, yet the inward perceptions of them have very little affinity with each other ; for example, the defire of meat and the defire of virtue, Vol. I. S the 258 The Love of God the averfion to bodily pain, and the averfion to moral turpitude. But whatever variety there is in them, they all originally belong to our nature, and refult from our conftitution, we cannot make and we can not deftroy them. It may be in our power, by an habitual attention to fome objefts, to ftrengthen the affeftions of the mind to them, and by diverting their attention from other objefts, to weaken its affeftion to them, whereby the one obtains a prevalence over the other, forming our temper and engaging our pur fuit : But the original affections themfelves are con ftituted by nature the fame and invariable, no more in the power of the mind, and dependent on its choice, as to their being or not being, than fimple" ideas are. Here we fliall find ourfelves obliged to reft. As the materials of our knowledge are limited, the imagination and the underftanding may varioufly compound, affociate, and diftinguiffi them, but can create us no new ones, fo are our affections. When any objeft is propofed to the perceiving faculty, (per haps before it is propofed, as in the cafe of bodily appetites,) whether it be by fenfe, by reflection, or in whatever manner, a certain propenfion towards it naturally arifes, which we cannot hinder, nor alter, nor transfer to a different kind of objefts. For in ftance, the defire of food prevents any reafoning, de liberation, or choice, and we cannot poffibly excite it to any other objeft : There is an approbation and efteem of moral excellence, as natural to the human foul, which we cannot apply to any thing which is not apprehended to be moral excellence : And the fame may he faid concerning all our other affeftions, fhe objefts are limited, and the movements of the mind towards them depend folely on the conftitution of our nature. It is in vain therefore to call in the affiftance of foreign motives, fuch as thofe taken, from intereft, from the hope of happinefs, or the fear of mifery : Thefe may ftrongly affeft the mind, and operate on the fprings of aftion, producing an earneft purfuit. explained and recommended. 2£f) purfuit, but the difcerned qualities of objefts them felves can only excite affections to them. A man may be convinced that it is for his intereft to have a particular affeftion ; but this cannot immediately pro duce it, nor have any other effeft towards it, than to engage his earneft attention to the objeft till the ex-> citing qualities are apprehended ; and as foon as they appear, the affeftion naturally arifes of itfelf. It is farther to be obferved, that as objefts are in troduced into the mind by various ways, fome by fenfe, and others by reflection, at the firft difcern- ment of certain material beings there is raifed a defire or averfion to them : And by attending to the volun tary operations of our minds, and to the external aftions of other moral agents, (the evidence of their inward difpofitions,) nay to imaginary charafters con fidered under the diftinftion of morally right and wrong, there arife direftly oppofite affeftions, the difference of which we fee as plainly and neceffarily as we do the difference between defire and averfion to fenfible things. All thefe equally belong to our na ture, but are not of equal importance to the principal ends of it. Hunger and thirft are the appetites of man ; bodily pleafure and pain are his natural fenfa tions, of which he cannot diveft himfelf, but when he deliberately attends to honefty, benevolence, and fidelity, an affeftion to thefe qualities is as natural to him, and a diflike of the contrary. To confine real affections to the objects of fenfe, and treat all others as imaginary, muft proceed from the moft ftupid in confideration. We know with the greateft certainty, (becaufe we are intimately confcious of it,) thatfome- thing exifts which cannot be perceived by our eyes, nor ears, nor any other corporeal organs, which is the object of our moft intenfe love : We know that we have as diftinct ideas of reafon, wifdom, order, goodnefs, and juftice, as of any fenfible qualities ; and that they as really affect our minds, tho5 in a dif ferent manner ; and that as thefe kinds of ideas are S 2 the 260 The Love of God the principal fubjects of our fpeculation, fo our prin cipal happinefs depends upon them, indeed without them humanity would be degraded to a level with the brutal nature, and its enjoyments confined within a very narrow circle. Now if there are other beings, (not perceived by the external fenfes, but whofe exiftence is fully proved,) to whom intellectual and moral qualities or perfections belong, which qualities in the degree wherein we difaern them are highly efteemed by us, and the matter of our enjoy ment ; Thefe beings are alfo the objects of affections which are natural to the human mind : Efpecially the moft excellent of all beings, who is abfolutely perfect in knowledge, wifdom, rectitude, and goodnefs, juftly challenges our higheft efteem and moft affectionate regards. Nay, they will naturally and ultimately, of their own accord, terminate upon him, if we have a firm perfuafion of his being, and of thofe his attri butes, and if we carefully attend to them. Perhaps fome men having firft formed their idea of love by, and accuftoming themfelves to appropriate the word to that emotion or paffion they feel, and which they call love towards other fubjects, have but a confufed notion of the love of God, and even think it mere enthufiafm. But let us ferioufly confider the feveral obvious characters of the Deity, as they are mani fefted to us by his works, and obferve the impreffions they make and cannot but make on a calm unpreju diced mind, we ffiall then underftand the affections to him which naturally arife in every human heart not funk in ftupid infenfibility and vicioufnefs, and which are comprehended in this fum of piety, Thou fhalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy foul, and with all thy ftrength, and with all thy mind. Firft, The mind of man cannot avoid diftinguifhing in things which are prefented to it, between beauty and deformity, regularity and confufion, being pleafed with the one, and difpleafed with the other. A care ful explained and recommended. 26 1 ful attention improves this fenfe, and makes the dif ference more difcernible and more affecting, but it has a foundation in nature. Scarcely any one is fo ignorant and fo unaccuftomed to obferve the diver fity of forms, as not to fee a fuperior excellence in fome above others, confifting in order, proportion, and harmony ; and to men of more enlarged under ftanding, and a more exquifite tafte, the love of fuch beauty rifes to a greater height, and gives a pleafure far exceeding all fenfual gratifications. Whence does this proceed ? And to what caufe ffiall it be attributed ? Surely it proceeds from our frame, and we are fo conftituted by nature ; but yet if we obferve how fuch beauty ftrikes our minds, we ffiall perceive in it a re ference to an original, adefigning intelligence, which produced it, and which is apprehended to be more excellent. When a man views attentively any cu rious production of human art, immediately it occurs to his thoughts, that this is not the effect of chance, which can never be the caufe of order, nor give any pleafure to the mind, but that it is the refult of con^- trivance ; and it is hisdifcerning the characters of un derftanding in the exact adjuftment of the feveral parts, with their various relations, and the harmony of the whole, that gives him the agreeable entertain ment. Without this, if there be any affection ex cited, it is but low, of a quite different kind from that which we are now confidering, and ftill in pro portion as the marks of wifdom are difcovered in any work, fo is our fenfe of its beauty and the pleafure of contemplating it. The materials are capable of any form, the moft difagreeable as well as the moft plea fing, and they are never apprehended to have formed themfelves, it is the difpofing intelligence which at tracts the affection, and gives delight. If from the low efforts of human fkill and genius we take our rife to the works of nature, we ffiall fee vaftly more exquifite beauty, a more exact propor tion, and perfect uniformity, amidft an infinitely S 7, greater 262 The Love of God greater variety of parts. Take any piece of inani mate nature diverfified as we fee it, the vifible hea vens, the wide feas, huge tracts of mountains, large forefts, or any other which fills the fight ;— -Thefe ftrike the contemplative mind with a delightful fen fation, abftracting from all regard to the ufefulnefs of them ; but if we examine the fenfations narrowly, it will appear to arife from the difcerned regularity of the objeft, in other words, the manifeftation of wife defign in framing it. Add thefe works one to ano ther, confidering at the fame time their mutual rela tions, (the everlafting hills fettled on their unmove- able foundations) the tall trees waving their (lender tops in the fluid air, and ffieltering a multitude of feeble inhabitants, yet fafe ; the valleys overfpread with herbage and corn, for the fuftenance of man and beaft ; the vaft ocean circumfcribed by limits, which its waves in the greateft fury of them cannot pafs over; the celeftial orbs preferving their original dif- tances from, and ffiedding upon earth their benign influences ;) in this view the idea of order grows upon us, that js of grand defign, which is the juft and the natural objeft of affectionate admiration. But all this is only an imperfeft (ketch of that ftupendous fabric, the univerfe, in every part of which, that falls under our obfervation, the fame regularity appears, and a perfeft harmony in the whole. If we defcend to a particular furvey of nature's works, the variety is furprifing ; the curious frame of every individual is aftonifhing ; and the convenient difpofal of them all, is amazing. What a numberlefs multitude of living forms do we behold on this earth itfelf, the very Joweft of them inimitable by art, the ftructure of each fo nice that no human underftanding can difcern, nor penetrate into the fecret fprings of its movements, and all fo properly placed as to have the beft means of prefervation, and a full opportunity of exerting their vital powers ? If we carry our inquiries into the ex tent of created exiftence, beyond the reach of fenfe, ,a the explained and recommended. 263 the modern improvements which have been made in fpeculative knowledge will lead our reafon to appre hend Worlds above worlds, the limits of which we cannot fo much as conjecture, and where the like order prevails as in our globe. So that the effect furpaffes our imagination, much more the caufe. Yet ftill the affection is a real natural affection, and the object is a really exifting object, though incomprehenfible. For let any man deny if he can, that his mind loves and is pleafed with order, as the effect of wife defign ; and the more exact the order is, and the more compre- henfive the defign, the greater pleafure it yields, and the higher efteem it raifes of the author. Nor ffiall I endeavour to prove, but fuppofe it as what you are fully convinced of, that there is one fupreme, eternal, all-comprehending mind, the fountain of being, and parent of the univerfe, who flretched out the heavens by his wifdom, and eftablifhed the earth by his difcre- tion ; the original fource of all beauty, harmony, and wifdom ; and therefore the adequate object of our higheft efteem and affection. The intellectual and moral world contains a yet more wonderful and glorious difplay of the divine wifdom, than the corporeal fyftem and the animal kingdom. A multitude of derived and dependent beings, indued with underftanding and felf-determining powers, the image of the author's felf-original fpiritual nature and attributes, each a diftinft confcious felf, poffeffed of a dignity and perfeftion which we cannot help think ing fuperior to the whole of inanimate nature, all difpofed of in the beft manner, the moft fuitable to their capacities, and united in one fociety by the com mon bond of benevolence, every individual directed by the inftincts of its nature, fo far as a voluntary agent in fuch circumftances could be fo direfted, to promote the common good, — How glorious is this great family in heaven and earth, under a wife and beautiful ceconomy, all cared for by the providence of its father ! How amiable is he ! I do not fpeak of S 4 moral 264 The Love of God moral qualities, and difpofitions in them, (a faint fimi litude of his perfect moral charafter, which is the ob jeft of another affection,) but confidering the whole fyftem of rational creatures placed in fuch order as they are, and under an adminiftration fuitable to their nature, it appears to be an amazing produftion of power, and a wonderful manifeftation of wifdom ; which perfeftions concurring in one agent are the ob jefts of our efteem and reverence in the degree wherein they are difcerned. And as it is in contemplating the fabric of the material world, our idea of the creator's underftanding and greatnefs, and our admiration rifes in proportion to our knowledge of his work ; the more accurately we examine its parts, and the farther we enlarge our confiderations of its unmeafurable magni tude, the more curious and the more magnificent it appears ; fo it is here. If we fludy the conftitution ot a fingle intelligent creature, its various powers and affeftions as they are related to each other, and all harmonioufly confpiring to anfwer the ends of its being, it is an aftonifhing contrivance. And if we confider the diverfity of degrees in mental accomplifh- ment which appear among the individuals of our own fpecies, all under the direftion of the father of lights ; and the vaftly more enlarged capacities with which fu perior orders, (we know not how many of them, nor with what diftinftions,) are indued, all of them in different ways fulfilling the law of their creation, and having different enjoyment fuitable to their feveral capacities ;-- Who can think of the great author with out admiration, or forbear praifing him with the moft affectionate efteem ? Laftly, If we confider all thefe works, each of them apart fo marvellous, their number incomprehenfible, their extent prodigious, their order fo exquifite, all* I fay, derived from one mind, a fingle agent, how wonderful is he ! All. the beauties ftared among the numberlefs beings in heaven and earth, and the har mony of the whole, are the effefts of his (kill and con trivance; explained and recommended. 265 trivance.; and all the fcattered rays of underftanding which in different degrees are to be found in the feveral orders of intelligent creatures, are emanations from this one pure eternal fountain of intellectual light. Can the human heart be indifferent to fuch a being ? No furely -, the attentive unprejudiced mind will find a refpect to him arife in it which is unparallePd in the whole compafs of its affeftions, as the dignity and ex cellence of the object is without any parallel. The objects which are limited, and which it can thoroughly comprehend, are not adequate to its afpiring defires, it ftill feeks fomething beyond them ; but it lofes it felf delightfully in the contemplation of infinite in comprehenfible excellence, (in the prefent cafe infinite wifdom,) which neceffarily attracts the higheft venera tion of an intelligent nature. Secondly, Another effential perfection of the Deity is goodnels, which naturally appears to our minds amiable, and is the object of love in the ftricteft fenfe. Indeed without this, God himfelf could not be the complete object of our higheft defires and moft perfeft enjoyment. For however venerable wifdom may ap pear, and the contemplation of it entertaining, it is not the only, nor the chief good of man : We have other affections which muft have their fuitable objects, and they appear in a different light from that of mere fpeculation, to make the mind happy. Of goodnefs We have a very diftinct idea ; every man underftands by it a difpofition to communicate happinefs. We are con fcious of fome degree of it in ourfelves, and we are convinced of it in others by its genuine fruits ; but wherever it appears, and whenever the mind reflects upon it, it appears lovely, the object not only of ap - probation as fome other qualities are, but of a ftrong affection. Let any man fet againft each other in his own thoughts thefe oppofite characters, one benevo lent and kind, ready to do good as far as it is in his power, and uniformly acting from that principle ; the other malicious, endeavouring the deftruction and 1 mifery 26f> The-Love of God mifery of all within his reach, or even perfectly felfifli, intent wholly on the purfuit of private enjoyment, without the leaft regard to the happinefs of other beings, nay, diftreffing them in the greateft degree, and in their higheft interefts, if they ftand in the way of his own fatisfaction in any refpect ; aud let him try if he can preferve a perfect indifference of heart to wards thefe characters, without preferring the former to the latter. The truth is, they muft be creatures otherwife made than we are, to whom difinterefted goodnefs is not an object of love, and who find no pleafure in the contemplation of it. I fhall not infill on the evidences of God's goodnefs ; they are the fame with the evidences of his being. His works have the characters of beneficence as well as of power and wifdom ; and a benevolent principle, as truly as eternal power and godhead, is an invifible excellence of his nature, which from the creation of the world is clearly feen, being underftood by the things which he has made. What an amazing variety of en joyment belongs to the fenfitive and the rational life, all derived from the divine bounty ? How wonderfully is dead nature accommodated to the ufes of living things ? And as the fupreme Being, the creator of the world, has filled it with the fruits of his liberality, that which raifes our idea of this principle in him as an object of affection, is, the freenefs and difintereftednefs of it; Every inferior agent depending on another for the pre fervation of his being and for his happinefs, muft be fuppofed to need fomething from without, and to have particular defires which ultimately terminate in him felf. But how can we conceive of any other fpring of action than benevolence in the abfolutely felf- fufficient and independent being ? There is therefore none good but one, that is God, none effentially and immutably good, none befides him who acts always folely from that principle. Here is goodnefs in perfection, which muft appear amiable to every mind that bears any re- - femblance explained and recommended. 267. femblance of it and be the fubject of delightful medita tion. If thefe are our apprehenfions concerning the Deity, one can hardly conceive what ffiould flop the courfe of our love to him. It is true, there are other parts of his charafter, (to be afterwards ob ferved,) which when compared with our own, may damp our hopes from him, and produce fear. But fince even imperfeft kind difpofitions neceffarily at tract our affeftion, the idea of perfeft fupreme good nefs, (abftracting from all other confederations,) would feem to be an object which muft have irrefi ftible charms for the human heart; and that we fhould not be able to confider it without a fenfible pleafure. It may therefore juftly be feared, that as fome men's habitual impreffions of God, (particu larly in their devotion,) have more of a joylefs awe, and fervile dread, than a delightful complacency, this proceeds from their mifreprefenting him to them felves, as a being who acts towards his creatures merely in the way of arbitrary dominion, appoint ing them to happinefs or mifery only becaufe he will. Whereas the true notion of infinite goodnefs, di rected in its exercife by the moft perfect wifdom, and having always for its object the greateft and moft extenfive happinefs, would infpire the mind with fentiments of ingenuous gratitude, and thereby be the beft fecurity of our fincere obedience. At the fame time, there is no reafon to allege that the ten dency of this is to encourage a prefumptuous con fidence in finners, as imagining they may go on fe- curely in their trefpaffes with hopes of impunity; (which can only proceed from a wretched depravity of heart, and a wrong notion of the divine good nefs, as if it were a blind undiftinguifting pronenefs to the communication of happinefs ;) for befides that every confiderate perfon muft fee that fupreme good nefs itfelf has eftablifhed an inviolable connexion be tween virtue and felicity, the true fenfe of that glo rious 2 68 The Love of God rious and amiable perfection, even naturally and immediately begets an inward ftame and remorfe for having diffionoured it, and fome degree of hope is abfolutely neceffary to repentance. But let us confider ourfelves as the particular ob jects of the divine favour,---That whatever good we poffefs of any kind, whatever excellence we are con fcious of in the frame of our nature, and its pre eminence above other kinds of creatures in the world about us, ---That largenefs of underftanding where by we are entertained with an infinite diverfity of objects, ---Thofe natural affections which yield us a great variety of pleafure,---our moral capacities and improvement, which are accompanied with a high fenfe of worth, The privileges of our condition, That provifion which is made for our eafy enjoyment of life, whether by the means of our own invention and induftry, and the affiftance of our fellow-crea tures or without them, ---and The greater happinefs we hope for hereafter,— All thefe and all other good things, however conveyed, are originally owing to the bounty of God. Now the affeftion of gratitude is fo natural to the mind of man, that we ffiall fcarcely allow him to be reckoned one of the fpecies who is altogether void of it ; at leaft, to be ungrate ful is univerfally accounted one of the moft aban? doned and profligate charafters. But furely this principle ought to operate moft vigoroufly towards the greateft beneficence ; and there is none that may be compared with that which God has ffiewn to us. Shall we be much affected with the kindnefs of our fellow-creatures, and difpofed to make thankful ac knowledgments for their favours ? And ffiall we be infenfible of that goodnefs to which we owe our be ing and our very capacity of happinefs, as well as the materials of it ? This is the nobleft objeft of hu man affeftion, in which the mind, firmly perfuaded and fteddily contemplating it, refts fully fatisfied. And though the exercife and manifeftation of this divine explained and recommended. 269 _ divine principle towards ourfelves, gives us the moft convincing proof of it, and a very lively fenfe of its amiable excellence, yet does not the affeftion ulti mately terminate in our own happinefs,, fo that we fhould be juftly faid to love God for our own fakes, but in fupreme Goodnefs itfelf, which muft appear the moft complete and worthy objeft of love to every intelligent and moral being whofe judgment is not mifled by prejudices or inattention, and which is not deeply corrupted in its moral affeftions. Thirdly, we may confider the intire moral cha racter of the Deity. All his moral attributes may be fummed up in goodnefs, which is probably the jufteft way we can conceive of them as aftive prin ciples in him. Perhaps in inferior charafters benevo lence may be rightly called the fum of virtue ; but of the fupreme independent being we cannot think more becomingly than that this folely is the fpring of his aftions. Yet confidering the variety of its exercife according to the different condition of ra tional creatures, and how varioufly individuals are affected with thofe very meafures which they (leddily purfue as their great end (the univerfal good,) hence arifes a diverfity in our conceptions concerning that moft fimple uniform principle which is without va- riablenefs or ftadow of turning. We know how to diftinguift in imperfeft human charafters between the righteous and the good : the laft is the finifting quality, yet others are neceffary : and applying this to God, we have fomewhat different notions of his goodnefs abftraftly confidered, and of the reftitude or hoiinefs of his nature, his juftice, and his truth ; all which in conjunction with unchangeable goodnefs make up his true moral charafter, and are the intire object of our affection. Now, let any man calmly confider how his mind is affected towards thefe qualities in a limited de gree of perfection. Let him try what a difference his heart naturally makes between the generous pa triot, 27 Q The Love of God triot, the faithful friend, the inflexibly righteous. judge, the kind benefactor, and the directly oppo fite characters as they are reprefented in hiftory. Whether the one does not neceffarily attract his ve neration and efteem, and the other beget his con tempt and averfion, though they are fuppofed to be at the remoteft diftance from his perfonal knowledge, and without a poffibility of having any effect on his own intereft. Let him place thefe contrary ob jects in a nearer point of view, applying the charac ters fo far as they may be juftly applied within his particular acquaintance ; (for the condition of the world is not at any time either fo good or fo bad, but that this diftinction is manifeft ;) ftill it will evi dently appear that the righteous is more excellent than his neighbour ; and that unblemifhed integrity, with all the public and private virtues, command a peculiar refpect, fhining through all the obfcurity which fuperftition and a party-fpirit have been able to throw upon them, and ftill as the moral charac ter rifes i* perfection, our efteem for it proportion- ably increales. But let us fuppofe a being of the moft perfect rec titude, goodnefs, and all other moral excellencies, in the neareft fituation, and moft intimately related to ourfelves;— That there is a conftant intercourfe between him and us,---We have daily opportunities of obferving his conduct, fhe manifeftations of his amiable attributes, and on the other hand, our be haviour is continually in his view.— -That we have received innumerable benefits, indeed our all from his bounty, and conftantly^ depend upon him for every thing we need ;-— That he is our fupreme im mediate governor, and that our prefent and future ftate, with all the changes in them, are abfolutely under his difpofal ; furely we cannot doubt but this Being is the proper object of our higheft affection. And if far inferior degrees of moral goodnefs in our fellow-creatures neceffarily attract veneration and efteem,, explained and recommended. 271 efteem, (even though beheld at a diftance,) and our intereft is not concerned in the effects of it ; fuch abfolute perfection placed in the ftrongeft point of light, being exerted upon ourfelves, muft raife in every attentive mind a fuperlative reverence and love. But let us obferve the natural workings of the hu man heart towards fuch a perfect moral character, fo manifefted, and falling within our knowledge, whereby we ftall underftand the genuine operations of the love of God, and be able to difcern them in our own minds. Firft, it is accompanied with a de fire of imitation. Since we ourfelves are indued with a moral capacity, it feems to be utterly inconfiftent, and what human nature is not capable^of, that mo ral excellence ffiould be an obj^gpSr affectionate efteem, yet without a defire of •refembling it. Let any man fix his attention to the amiable ideas of ho nefty, juftice, mercy, and fidelity, as exemplified in, a particular moral agent well known to him, and try whether he does not find fecret earneft wiffies in his own foul, that he were poffeffed of the fame qua lities ? Indeed this principle feems to have a very great influence on the generality of mankind, whofe tempers and behaviour are in a great meafure formed by example, never without the appearance of fome moral fpecies to recommend it ; and it is the great practical principle of religion. For, according to men's notions of the Deity, fo are their difpofitions and their moral conduct ; of which the hiftory of all ages, and all religions, afford us very plain inftances. Juft fentiments concerning the fupreme Being, as perfectly holy, righteous, and good, naturally tend to produce, and when ferioufly confidered with hearty and pure affection, actually have produced the like tempers and manners in men, carrying human vir tue to its greateft height of perfection ; whereas the erroneous opinions of many concerning the difpofi tions of their Gods, (ftill retaining an idea of their dominion,) 272 The Love of God dominion,) have, above all things, corrupted their morals by the defire of imitation, and added the ftrongeft fanction to their vices. Such is the force and the natural operation of love to moral agents, thofe efpecially who are fuppofed to be in a fuperior condition, and above all, the acknowledged object of religious refpect. And by this clear evidence we may try the fincerity of our profeffed love to the true God ; nor can any attentive mind that would not wilfully deceive itfelf, be at a lofs in judging by thefe plain fcripture rules, * Be ye followers of God as dear children, -f And if ye call on the father, who without refpetl of perfons judgeth all men, be ye holy in all man ner of converfation, as he who hath called you is holy. Secondly, fincere love to the Deity, confidered as a being of the moft perfeft moral charafter, with whom we have to do in fuch a variety of important relations, and in whofe prefence we are continually, is always accompanied with an earned defire of his approbation. If we look carefully into our own hearts, we ftall fipfd that this never is, nor can be feparated from an affectionate efteem ; and that the love of any per fon naturally direfts us to form our conduft to his liking, and make it our conftant ftudy to pleafe him. So it is in inferior inftances ; children make it their principal endeavour to pleafe their parents, fervants their mafters, and fubjefts their fovereigns ; not *i»rfly fo, but they who live together upon terms of the' moft perfeft equality, are determined by their fojjkl affeftions, to render themfelves agreeable to earSfether. It is thus that the defire of honour, and the fear of difgrace, (powerful principles of action in the human nature,) are to be accounted for: our mutual affections ftrongly engage us to feek mutual efteem ; and while we love mankind, it is impofli- ble to be wholly indifferent whether we have their approbation or not. But as this principle makes a * Eph. v. 1. | Pet. i. 17--1C. diftinc- explained and recommended. 273 diftinction among men, (for a well-difpofed mind values the approbation of others in proportion to their wifdom and virtue,) fo it operates in the fame manner towards beings of different orders. Intelli gent agents of other fpecies are the objects of our efteem as well as mankind ; and if we fuppofe our-* felves under their obfervation, it will naturally be our defire to approve our conduct to them according to the degree of their apprehended wifdom and fu perior moral excellence. Efpecially the fincere love of that being who is fo intimately prefent with us as to know the fecrets of our hearts, and who is un- parallel'd in all moral perfections, our gracious fa ther, guardian, and governor, will determine us to make it the principal aim of our lives, and of all our deliberate defigns and aftions, that we may be approved of him. If therefore God has made his will known to us ; if he has direfted us after what manner we fhall aft fo as to pleafe him, our obe dience is the natural expreffion of our love to him, and in vain ffiall we pretend to have that affection in our hearts, while we do not keep his commandments. But every man has the work of the divine law written in his heart. By a fair and unprejudiced attention to the firft dictates of his own mind upon every queftion relating to his moral conduct, (without entering into perplexing debates, which generally take their rife from fome degree of inward diftonefty, and tend to error rather than the knowledge of the truth,) he knows what will be acceptable to his great ruler and judge, fo far as to affure his heart, and have confi dence towards him ; which by the unalterable ap pointment of fupreme goodnefs is the genuine refult of integrity in all good affeftions, comprehended in loving the Lord our God with all our heart, and foul, and ftrength, and mind. The fame practical principle of love to God, which is manifefted by obedience to his precepts as its infe parable effect, will alfo produce an abfolute fubmif- Vcl. I. T hou 274 The Love of God fion to the appointments of his providence, with in tire confidence in him. For if we have habitually uoon our minds an affectionate fenfe of his fupreme dominion, exercifed with the moft perfect wifdom, and conftantly and invariably purfuing, as its chief end, the sreateft good, what can follow more natu rally than that we ffiould be fatisfied in all events, and wholly refigned to his will ? Thefe two, a fincere uniform difpofition exerted in practice to keep his commandments, and a chearful unrepining fubmif- fion to his providence, conftitute that temper of mind in which true piety confifts, and which is the perpe tual fource of inward ferenity and joy. So far as we deviate from them, and are confcious of rebellious in clinations and of unfubmiffive difcontent, mifgiving fears arife in our minds of his difapprobation ; becaufe then it appears that we are not made perfect in love, for love made perfect by the fruits of obedience and refignation, only, cafts out fear. The fupreme Being, whofe glorious character juftly claims our higheft affection and moft devout regards, is not indeed intuitively difcerned by us ; he is not the immediate object either of our external or internal fenfes. -f Behold (fays Job) I go forward but he is not there, (vifible J and backward, but I cannot perceive him ; on the left hand where he doth work, but I cannot behold him ; he hideth himfelf on the right hand that I cannot fee him. It is by our reafon we are con vinced of his exiftence and his perfections. Bat if we are thoroughly convinced ; and if his being, as he is in himfelf abfoiutely perfect, righteous, and good, be the real object of our underftandings, nature di rects the exercife of our affections to him ; which do not wholly depend on our manner of apprehending their objects, but our perfuafion concerning the reality of them. Suppofe a perfon of eminent worth in a fituation remote from our acquaintance, and we have naother knowledge of his being and virtues than we \ Job xsiii. 8, g» have explained and recommended. 27$ have of other diftant fafts ;— This character will attract our veneration, tho' it may nut affeft our minds fo fenfibly as immediate converfation would do. And fuppofe us to have only rational, not fenfible evidence, that a friend is fo near as to remark our words and aftions, we ffiould furely have a regard to his pre fence fuitable to our efteem of his charafter. In like manner, if we believe that the invifible God is inti mately prefent with us, that in him we live and move and have our being, and that he is acquainted, not only with our outward aftions, but our moft fecret rhoughts,---What can be more rational than that we fhould form our conduft with an eye to his approba tion ? That we ffiould walk before him, (as the fcrip ture expreffes a religious courfe of life) and be perfeel, that is, fincerely righteous and good as he is; this, one would think, muft be infeparable from a firm perfuafion, and a high efteem of his abfolutely per fect moral charafter. There may be, and very probably will be an in tirely different manner of apprehending the divine Being and perfeftions in the future ftate. There is no difficulty in conceiving that the human mind may have faculties and ways of perceiving objects wholly new, and of which we can now form no idea, as we know that various intelligent creatures are endued with various capacities, whereby are conveyed to them ideas peculiar to themfelves. Why may we not fuppofe that the fupreme Being himfelf, and his glo rious attributes, ffiall be the immediate object of the mind's intuition, difcerned not by the diftant and un- affefting way of reafoning from effects to their caufes, but as clearly and direftly as we now perceive the ob jects of fenfe, or even our own powers and operations ; which the f acred writers defcribe by feeing him face to face, and knowing as we are known, and illuftrate the fuperior excellence of it above our prefent manner of conceiving the fublime fubjeft, by an allufion to the difference between the knowledge of children and of T 2 growrA 276 The Love of God grown men. The affeftions then will operate ac cording to the clearer views of the underftanding, in a manner of which we have not now a diftinft notion. But fince we find by experience that fenfible things, (low as they are in their nature, and of little impor tance to the main ends of our being, yet) do by their immediate prefence, and the ftrong impreffion they make upon our minds, excite vehement defires, and raife fenfations of pleafure, which the cool and ratio nal confideration of the fame objefts could never pro duce ; and moral qualities, even imperfeft in their kind, and but imperfectly underftood, yet attract very intenfe affeftion, and are contemplated with great delight ;--- we muft conclude that infinite power, wifdom, and goodnefs, in conjunction, (which gave birth to the univerfe, and is th» fole caufe of all created being, and all felicity, feen not darkly and through a glafs, but fhining upon the foul in its full unclouded fplendor,) will fill it with joy unfpeakable and full of glory, be the adequate object of its higheft affeftions, the center of reft, its laft end, and moft complete happinefs. In the mean time, obfcure knowledge, cold and languid affeftions, and imperfeft enjoyment, belong to our prefent ftate of probation and difcipline, through which we are paffing to a more exalted con dition of exiftence. Our bufinefs therefore is, with out repining at the appointments of providence, to improve the capacities and advantages we now enjoy, fo as the proper end of them may be attained. Par ticularly, fince our knowledge of God is not by in- tution, but by reflection and reafoning, which are the proper exercifes of our own powers, we ought to employ our felves aftively in them. We know that the mind can turn its thoughts and attention to par ticular objefts, and ufe other means which by obfer vation and experience appear conducive to its im provement in the knowledge of them. In the pre fent cafe, this feems to be the principal duty which 1 the explained and recommended. 277 the fupreme Being requires of us. For fince by the conftitution of our nature, we have affections which will of themfelves arife towards him when known ; and fince we are endued with a capacity, and furniffied with the means of knowing, rather than with the actual knowledge of him ; the moft obvious obliga tion on creatures in fuch a ftate, and the moft im portant part of their trial is, to improve that capa city by deliberate attention and reafoning, and to apply themfelves diligently to the ufe of thofe means. It follows, that the exercife of fincere piety, all fumm'd up in the love of God, is always proporti onable to our clear and diftift perception of his nature and attributes, in a rational way ; and therefore it is neceffary to religion that we preferve the free and un- difturbed ufe of our intellectual powers. Our affec tions to other objects are excited by fenfe without con fideration. The imagination, which often mifleads the judgment, heightens their fervour; and the paffions which violently agitate the foul, (and always need to be redrafted rather than inflamed,) feem, in their original intention and within their proper bounds, rather defigned to ferve the purpofes of the animal life and our condition in this world, thart the fublime exercifes of the mind, and the higheft ends of our being: but true devotion, which is wholly founded in the underftanding, always keeps pace with its calm and deliberate exercife ; and the rule by which we ought tojudgeof its fincerity, isnotextatic rapture and vehement emotion of mind, but a conftant refignation to the will of God, and a fteddy purpofe of approving ourfelves to him in the whole courfe of our actions ; for this is the love of God, that we keep his command ments. T 3 DIS- [ 278 ] DISCOURSE XII. The neceflary and immutable Difference between Moral Good and Evil. [Chandle R.j Isaiah v. 10. Wo unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darknefs for light, and light for dark nefs ; that put bitter jor fweet, and fweet jor bitter. HERE can be no ftronger argument, or furer evidence of an univerfal and intire cor ruption of mankind, than their confounding the natures of moral good and evil, and paying no regard to the eternal and immutable diftinftion be tween virtue and vice. This muft proceed not from any natural incapacity to difcern the effential difference between thefe things, but cither from a fhamelefs ob- ftinacy and impudence in vice, or elfe from a mind and confcience abfolutely perverted and blinded by criminal indulgences and finful paffions. God's ancient people, the Jews, had the fame com mon light of nature and reafon to guide them, which all other nations had ; and befides this, were favoured with a fyftem of excellent laws given them by Mofes their lawgiver, under the direftion of Jehovah himfelf, who formed them into a republick: laws which fup pofed, The Immutable Difference, &c. 279 pofed, and were generally founded upon this eternal and immutable difference. Under fuch advantages, one would not eafily imagine, that they ftould dege nerate into fuch ftupidity and wickednefs, as to lofe all fenfe of what their own reafon, and the law of God fo plainly and ftrongly dictated to them. But it is the too common and fatal effeft of obftinacy in vice, that it not only captivates and enflaves men, but darkens their underftandin°;s, hardens their con- fciences, and corrupts their judgments ; even fo far, as that it oftentimes almoft extinguiftes their natural fenfe of things, and renders them incapable of clearly difcerning the evidence and certainty of the moft ob-1 vious and important truths. This was the cafe of many amongft the Jews. They had fallen into the moft criminal exceffes, and aban doned themfelves to the worft of fins, till by degrees they grew fo intirely corrupted, as either to lofe all manner of apprehenfion of the difference between moral good and evil, or at leaft to endeavour to de fend themfelves and others in their impieties and vices, by pretending to reafon and argue that there was none. This is what "God threatens them for with the fevered puniihment, in the words of my text : Wo unto them that call evil good, and good evil ; that put darknefs for light, and light for darknefs ; that put hitter for fweet, and fweet for bitter. Thefe things, though of different natures, are here joined together, to denote, that the difference of nature and confe quences between moral good and evil, virtue and vice, is as certain and real, as that between any na tural and fenfible objefts whatfoever ; and that it may be as eafily difcerned by the minds of men as the dif tinftion between light and darknefs is by the bodily eye ; and that it argues as great peverfenefs to dif pute or deny it, as it would be to difpute or deny the difference between litter and fweet, or between the moft contrary and oppofite reliftes of the palate what foever : fo that thefe words inform us, T 4 I. That 280 The immutable Difference between I. That the difference between moral good and evil, is certain, neceffary, and immutable. II. That this difference is as eafily and clearly to be difcerned, as the difference between any na tural and fenfible objefts whatfoever. III. That the confounding, or habitually difregard- jng this effential and immutable difference, will be attended with the moft pernicious and de ftruftive confequences. I. Thefe words inform us, that there is as certain and immutable a difference between moral good and evil, virtue and vice, as there is between darknefs and light, and bitter and fweet ; a difference not accidental to, but founded in the nature of the things themfelves ; not merely the refult of the determination and arbb trary will of another, but which the very ideas of the things themfelves do really and neceffarily include. That a circle is not a fquare, nor a fquare a triangle ; but that they are effentially different figures, and have diftinft affections and properties, and that they do not convey the fame or fimilar ideas, is obvious to every man who hath eyes to behold them, and an underftanding to difcern the attributes that are pecu liar to them. In like manner, piety to God, grati tude for benefits received, juftice and charity, tem perance and chaftity, and the like virtues, are as effen tially diftinft from, and do convey as oppofite and different ideas to impiety, ingratitude, injuftice, un- charitablenefs,, intemperance, luft, and the like vices ; fo that it is abfolutely impoffibk they can form the fame ideas, or raife fhe fame fentiments or apprehen- fions in our breafts : and though men may difregard thefe intrinfick and neceffary differences in their practices, through the warmth of paffion, of the pow erful influence of corrupt habits ; yet they can no more moral Good and Evil. 281 more deftroy them, nor actually reconcile, and make the ideas of them to coincide, and become indivifibly the fame, than they can unite the two extremes of heaven, or make the two oppofite fenfations of light and darknefs, fweet and bitter, cold and heat, to be come abfolutely the fame. Hence it follows, That if moral good and evil, virtue and vice, are naturally and effentially different, and do convey abfolutely diftinft and even oppofite ideas ; this difference is ftriftly and properly eternal, i. e. It was as true, from all eternity, that light could not be the fame thing as darknefs, nor darknefs as light ; that virtue could not be the fame thing as vice, nor vice as virtue ; or that thefe things could not con vey one and the fame idea, as it can be true that they do not now. And fuppofing the eternal and immu table exiftence of God, the ideas of thefe things, muft have been the fame in his all-perfect mind from eter nity, as they now are, and have appeared to his un derftanding with the fame oppofition and contrariety of nature to each other as they do now. This is evi dent from the very notion of the divine knowledge ; which confifts, not in having an infinite number of confufed, difordered, and unconnected ideas, but in difcerning the very nature of things, feeing them as they really and truly are, and in perceiving their re fpeftive relations and connections, their neceffary and unalterable oppofitions and repugnancies, together with all the confequences that may poffibly or certainly flow from thefe their habitudes to each other. To con ceive things otherwife than they really are, is not knowledge, but the want of it. 'Tis ignorance and error ; and therefore God cannot conceive moral or patural good to be moral or natural evil ; becaufe this would be to conceive things otherwife than they really are ; and of confequence the diftinftion between mo ral good and evil is as eternal as the knowledge of God himfelf, /. e. ftriftly and abfolutely eternal. Hence 282 The immutable Difference between Hence it farther follows, that this difference betweeri moral good and evil, is abfolutely immutable, and inca pable of any poffible alteration. Whilft the nature of thefe things remains what it is, they muft ever be the fame in the perceptions cf the divine mind ; and as the difference between them is effential, neceffary, and ftriftly eternal, that difference muft remain ne ceffarily and eternally, i. e. immutably the fame ; and therefore the mind or will of God cannot be fuppofed capable of altering their natures ; becaufe it implies an abfolute impoffibility, and becaufe impoffibilities are no objetls of power : and therefore if God could be fuppofed capable of willing fuch an alteration, it muft be a will without influence or efficacy. God may indeed bring into atlual exiftence a great variety of creatures, with very different powers, facul ties, and relations to each others ; and who, in con fequence hereof, may be under obligations to difcharge duties of very different kinds and natures : or God may alter the nature of the very beings themfelves, which now exift. He may lower angels to the ftate of man; he mav exalt men into the condition of angels, or de- grade them into brutes or ' ftones ; or raife up cut of ftones children for himfelf. In all thefe cafes, as the nature and circumftances of external beings, actually exifting, may vary, fo muft their relations too -, and of confequence the duties refulting from thefe different flares, charafters, and relations, will vary as the na ture and relations of the beings themfelves do. But the nature of moral good and evil, in their whole ex tent, and in their relation to every clafs of reafonable beings, doth not in the leaft depend upon their actual exiftence. Before ever any created being received its exiftence, God had, within himfelf, the ideas of all poffible fu turities, of the nature of all beings that ffiould after wards have life, of their feveral relations to himfelf, and one another -, and faw what fitneffes, obligations, and duties would and muft refult from, and belong to 2 - creatures ' moral Good and Evil. 283 creatures thus formed and conftituted. Without this he could never have created them at all. He faw it abfolutely and effentially fit, that all beings, created with reafonable powers, fhould own and acknowledge their dependance on, and obligations to himfelf, their great former and father ; confult the prefervation and welfare of their own natures, and according to their refpeftive abilities and opportunities, promote each others happinefs, and govern all their aftions fo as fhould moft effectually conduce to thefe excellent purpofes. God faw thefe fitneffes as certainly and as clearly, when as yet his creatures had no being, as he could do after their actual exiftence : and therefore, as the ideas of fuch beings and fuch relations do ne ceffarily infer thefe confequent fitneffes arifing out of, and not any ways accidental to the things themfelves, even antecedent to the actual exiftence of fuch beings, the fitneffes refulting from fuch relations, when actu ally taking place, muft be abfolutely unalterable. Nor is it in any manner derogating from the power of God to affirm, That he himfelf is not capable of altering or confounding the nature of thefe things. No perfon of reflection and candor would fcruple to affirm, That God cannot make the doftrine of tran fuhftantiation to be true, i. e. that God cannot make a wafer of bread, to be God himfelf, vhilft it retains the accidents and properties of a wafer ; nor the one fingle individual body of Chrift, to be really and actually prefent in ten thoufand places at once ; nor his body to be whole, unbroken, and uneaten at the fame time that it is eaten, chewed, broken, and devoured. Every one that can fee at. all, may fee the infinite abfur- dity, and the abfolute impoffibility of fuch affertions, and immediately difcern the moft palpable and irre concilable contradiftions. If therefore God cannot make thefe things to be true, becaufe they imply a neceffary contradiction to all truth, by a parity of reafon, he cannot do any other thiag which implies as certain and irreconcilable a contradiction to truth ; confequently he cannot alter the nature of moral good and 284 The immutable Difference between and evil ; his will can never make the one to be the other, becaufe the very ideas of them imply an effential oppofition to each other, or the negation or abfence of each other ; and therefore, the uniting, reconciling, and making them to be one and the fame thing, in volves in it an impoffibility and abfurdity. Hence we may fee the true fenfe and meaning of the expreffion, which hath been often made ufe of on this fubjeft, viz. That the difference between moral good and evil, virtue and vice, is fo effential and neceffary, as to be intirely independent on the will of God. Poffi bly the phrafe may feem a little harfh, at firft view, to perfons not accuftomed to reafon on this fubjeft. But, as I apprehend it juft, fo I hope you will be fully re conciled to it, when explained with proper care and caution. When therefore 'tis afferted, That the dif ference between moral good and evil, is independent on the will of God ; the meaning is not, that the mind of God had not, from all eternity, a full difcernment of this diftinftion, or that there ever was any period of duration, when the idea of this difference was not prefent to his all-perfect mind ; or that God ever did not, or could not, will that his reafonable creatures, when exifting, ffiould guide their aftions according to it -, or that the will of God, injoining moral virtue, and forbidding moral evil, doth not carry in it a very ftrong and powerful obligation upon them to praftife the one, or forbear the other ; or, that God could not have formed beings with different powers and rela tions, if he had fo willed, and by confequence under very different obligations from what they now are ; or, that the exiftence of the creatures that now are, and their refpeftive obligations actually taking place, is not to be refolved into the will and pleafure of God. No ; none of thefe things are implied in this affertion. The true and only meaning of it is, That the diftinftion between moral good and evil doth fo arife out of the nature of the things them felves, as not to be originally and properly the mere effeft of the divine order and will, fo as that it never •wnnlrl moral Good and Evil. 28 w would have been, had not God willed and commanded it to be ; but that this difference did originally and eternally fubfift in the mind of God, as certainly as the difference between light and darknefs, and was, in idea, ever prefent with him, before ever it became the law of his creatures, and appeared to them as the matter of his command and will ; and is itfelf that neceffary, invariable, and eternal rule by which God himfelf regulates and determines his own will and conduft to his creatures -, and which thepefore, as a rule of aftion to himfelf, muft be fuppofed to be in dependent of, and prior to, not the exiftence of God, which is abfolutely eternal, but to the will of the eternal God, and to be indeed the great reafon and meafure of all his aftions towards his creatures. And indeed, nothing appears to me with greater evidence, certainty, and clearnefs, than that, if the ideas of all truth fubfifted eternally in the mind of God, truth in its original and nature, can, in no fenfe, be the crea ture of power, or the mere effeft of arbitrary pleafure; but ftriftly coeternal with God himfelf : and thus far, as intirely independent of his order and will, as his own being, perfeftion, and happinefs. And, I apprehend, that this difference of things, arifing out of their very natures, is not only true, but a truth of the utmoft importance, for fettling and afcertaining the proper foundation of moral good and evil ; yea, of fuch importance, that we cannot even form any true conceptions of the perfeftions and at tributes of God without it. For inftance; when we fay that God doth neceffarily exift ; doth not this fup pofe a natural and fixed difference between neceffary and precarious exiftence, eternal as the being of God, and abfolutely independent on his will ; becaufe, was the exiftence of God dependent on his will, it would direftly deftroy the notion of its being neceffary ? In like manner, when we fay, that God is eternal, im menfe, intelligent, all-powerful, and the like, we mean, that God is not a temporary, limited, unconfcious, impo tent 286 The immutable Difference between tent being ; and by confequence do fuppofe, that the diftinftions between eternity and time, immenfity and limitednefs, intelligence and unconfcioufnefs, power and weaknefs, are not arbitrary, and owing merely to the will of God, but as neceffary and eternal as the being of God himfelf; becaufe without the perfeftions I nave mentioned, we can have no poffible concep tions of God, nor any poffible conception of thefe perfeftions, without including in it an abfolute nega tion of their contraries and oppofites. In like manner, with refpeft to God's moral per feftions, when we fay, That God is wife, and juft, and good, and eternally and unalterably fo, we mean, at leaft, that God is not a foolifh, unrighteous, evil, and cruel being ; and therefore muft fuppofe, that the dif ference between wifdom and folly, juftice and injuitice, evil and good, cruelty and mercy, is abfolutely eter nal and unalterable as God himfelf, of whom we af firm the one, and deny the other, and therefore is not owing to his willing that it ftould be fo, nor al terable at his pleafure, nor dependent on him for its continuance. For if the diftinftion between thefe moral entities, or objefts, was merely arbitrary, and originally the refult only of the will of God, it can never be affirmed of him, that he is eternally and im mutably the one, and not the other : for upon this fuppofition he was not wife, or juft, or good, till he willed to be fo ; and might have been foolifh, unjuft, and evil, by a like determination of his will, if there be no effential, immutable difference in the things themfelves : nor can there be any poffible certainty of God's continuing, for the future, to be wife, and juft, and good, and not the cor.tr.ary. For if there be no other dilference between the one and the other, but what the will of God hath conftituted, that will ceaf- ing, or altering, thefe diftinftions, in confequence, muft ceafe or alter, and God m.ay be evil inftead of good, or rather good and evil at the fame time, which is an evident abfurdity and contradiction. moral Good and Evil. 287 So that I apprehend it plainly appears, that the very notion of God implies the neceffary, effential, eternal, immutable, and independent difference be tween moral good and evil : and indeed without this fuppofition we could have no fure and fixed rule of aftion ourfelves as reafonable creatures. For if piety, juftice, charity, and the like virtues, are the creatures of mere power, and the precarious effefts of abfolute will and pleafure ; * power and will may immediately alter them, cancel men's obligations to regard them, and fubftitut'e in the room of them impiety, injuftice, and cruelty, as the great obligations and duties of human nature. Nor can there be, upon this fuppo fition, any one fubftantial reafon alledged, why fuch a change ffiould not take place. For if there be no effential and immutable diftinftion between thefe things, arifing out of their very natures ; if fome of them are not originally and unalterably good, and others not originally and unalterably evil ; abfolute power and will can have no certain and fixed rule and reafon to pafs any determination concerning them, but muft aft upon the moft lawlefs, unliable, and capri cious foundation poffible. To urge here that the will of God will be certainly and immutably rightly determined, and that therefore we may be fure he will always will that which is fit and good, is to fay ; either that God makes the in- trinfick difference of things the ruie of his determina tions, and the meafure of his will ; which is to affirm, that this difference is in the things themfelves, and therefore antecedent to, and independent of his will, which is what I am arguing for : or elfe, that God will immutably determine that which is juft and good, though juftice and goodnefs have no certain and ne ceffary foundation in nature, and therefore have no ne ceffary excellency and perfeftion in them ; but are mere indifferent, arbitrary things, fet up by power, and to be deftroyed by power at pleafure ; reafonable and fit only during the pleafure of him that conftitutes * Fid. Cicer, deLegibus, I. i. c. 16. them 288 The immutable Difference between them fo, and unreafonable and unfit upon the change of his will, and the contrary determination of it. The confequence of which is, that there can be no poffible certainty that God ffiall always will that which is now good, in oppofition to what is now called evil, but the One or the other, as caprice or humour fhall direft him ; which immediately becomes either good or evil, and on the contrary evil or good, for no other reafon, but becaufe he without reafon wills them to be fo. According to which fcheme the foundations of religion and moral virtue muft be as precarious as that will, which hath no effential difference of things, nor any fixed rule of truth and reafon to influence and de termine it. Having thus eftablifhed, and I think demon ftrated the neceffary and unalterable difference between moral good and evil, virtue and vice, I proceed farther to obferve : That there are certain original and unalterable fitneffes and unfitneffes which do arife from thefe eternal and immutable diftinftions, as neceffary and un changeable as the diftinftions themfelves; which fit neffes or unfitneffes were eternally prefent to the all- comprehenfive mind of God, and as clearly difcerned by him as the natural differences of the things them felves from whence they flow, i. e. in other words : fuppofing the exiftence of reafonable beings, it is im mutably reafonable and fit that they ftould regard and praftife that fyftem of moral virtue, which be longs to their natures and refpeftive charafters, and abftain from the contrary moral evil. Moral good and evil are, I think, a kind of relative terms, i. e. they do fuppofe either in idea or aclual ex iftence certain reafonable beings, and certain relations in which they ftand to each other. Before ever the creation was formed, God was in and from himfelf pof feffed of infinite perfeftion, of all that power and wifdom, which could not but exert themfelves in all afts of juftice and goodnefs to his creatures, after their being brought into actual exiftence ; the original fit nefs moral Good and Evil. 289 nefs of which conduft towards them was clearly dif cerned by God, whilft they were yet only prefent in idea to his mind, and arofe from thofe apprehended relations which were actually in time to fubfift between God and them. And as God had jnothing to deter mine him in the foimation of the world, but the di reftion. of his own infinite underftanding and wifdom, he was undoubtedly at liberty to form what fyflems of beings he thought proper. He might have formed other creatures than what he hath, or produced fome or all of thofe which now exift, in a different man ner from what he actually hath done. He might, for inftance, have ftocked our earth with inhabitants at once, and formed them in the fame manner as he did our firft parents. And of confequence, as the prefent frame of things is owing to the wifdom, the good pleafure and will of God, fo the fitneffes of things which now actually take place, and that par ticular fyftem of moral virtue which mankind are ob liged to regard and conform themfelves to, muft, as far as it is a conftitution of things actually exifting, be refolved into the fame good pleafure and will of God ; becaufe thofe relations of mankind to each other, from whence their peculiar moral obligations flow, are folely of his appointment and forming. When indeed God had actually given being to rea fonable creatures, of fuch particular capacities and circumftances, their relations to each other, and the fitneffes and obligations refulting from them- became /certain and neceffary. When he determined that the race of mankind ftould be propagated in the manner it now is, he determined that the relations of parents and children ftould actually take place, and thaC therefore thofe particular fitneffes and obligations, that parents ftould take care of their children, and that children ftould be dutiful and grateful to their parents, ftould be the certain and immutable law of their nature and condition ; and when thefe relations once actually fubfifted, the fitneffes of thofe duties Vol. I. U necef- 290 The immutable Difference between neceffarily refill ted from them, and were no longer dependent on the will of God, whether they ftould carry in them any reafonable obligation or not ; and when they become the matter of an immediate divine command, they were not therefore reafonable only be caufe commanded, but commanded becaufe naturally, and antecedently reafonable. But if God had pleafed to form the whole race of mankind at once, as there would not then have actually exifted amongft them the relations of parents and children, parental ten- dernefs and filial gratitude would not have been things fitting in fuch a ftate, could not have been the matter of a divine command to them, and therefore could have laid them under no obligation, either in reafon or from authority. So that as the prefent frame of the world, and the relations that actually fubfift amongft mankind, are owing to the fovereign wif dom and pleafure of the great creator, though it was eternally and immutably true, that fuch relations when ever exifting, would certainly infer fuch fitneffes and obligations in reafon, yet that the prefent fyftem of mo rality doth now actually take place amongft us, is in tirely owing to the fame wifdom and pleafure of God ; but is not alterable by the will of God, whilft the pre fent frame of things, and the relations that now fub fift amongft mankind, continue to remain what they now are. And the reafon of this is evident, becaufe the fit nefs and unfitnefs of moral good and evil are as ne ceffary and certain, as the natural and original diffe rence between them. For inftance, moral virtue con fifts, either in the right difpofition of a reafonable be ing's mind, or in his right behaviour towards other be ings, to whom he bears fuch peculiar, relations. The fitnefs therefore of moral virtue arifes from the certain connexion there is between a being fo circumftanced, and fuch a particular difpofition as is correfpondent to his nature and circumftances ; and between the diftin- guifbing relations he fuftains to other beings, and fuch moral Good and Evil. 291 a behaviour as is anfwerable to thofe relations. If I have powers and faculties which render me capable of confideration and reflection, it is an inftance or duty of moral virtue, that I ffiould employ my powers and faculties for this end and purpofe ; and the fitnefs of this inftance of moral virtue confifts in this, viz. in the certain and evident relation that the having rea fonable powers bears to the regular and proper ufe of them. If I am a creature derived and dependent, gratitude and love, and praife to the great author of my being, are alfo inftances of like moral virtue ; and the fitnefs and reafonablenefs of thefe mpral duties arife from the neceffary relations of creator and creature, the connection between benefits con ferred, and benefits received, the reception of benefits, and the proper acknowledgment of them by thofe who have them. If there be any perfon whom God hath appointed as the faviour of mankind from igno rance, vice, and mifery ; to inftruft, reform, and go vern them, and bring them to a ftate of perfeftion and happinefs ; and if this perfon hath by his example, doctrines, fufferings, death, and refurreftion, done every thing that is neceffary and fit to anfwer thefe purpofes of the wifdom and mercy of God ; the ne ceffary confequence is, that fubmiffion to him in all his charafters, and a thankful acknowledgment of his benefits, are alfo things effentially fit in themfelves, and neceffary inftances of moral virtue ; things as eternally and immutably fit, as any other branches of moral virtue that can be named, becaufe there is an original, neceffary, unalterable, relation between fuch charafters and benefits conferred, and fuch a fubmif fion to an acknowledgment of him. And as there is no one duty relating to our bleffed Saviour, which the gofpel revelation injoin us, but what neceffarily refults from fome charafter or relation, that he bears to us ; thofe duties will appear to be, in the ftrifteft fenfe, of moral obligation, and amongft the eternal and unal terable fitneffes of things. The fame might be de- U 2 monftrated 292 The immutable Difference between monftrated of all other inftances of virtue that are properly moral, that there is a real proportion and im mutable fitnefs and correfpondence between them and the relations and charafters to which they belong ; the unavoidable confequence of which is, that moral evil or vice muft be naturally, abfolutely, in itfelf, and therefore always unreafonable and unfit ; becaufe there is no relation and natural connexion, but an ori ginal and immutable difproportion, oppofition, and contradiction between the difpofition and behaviour that vice implies, and the acknowledged relations and charafters of mankind. The having reafonable powers can have no poffible relation to, or natural connexion with the negleft or the abufe of them ; nor an oppo fition to the government of God and proving ungrate ful to him, ever be ffiewn to be the proper refult or reafonable confequence of having received being, and the fupports ofit from his goodnefs ; but on the con trary appear at firft view to imply an abfurdity and contradiction. As therefore the difference between moral good and evil, and the fitneffes and unfitneffes which refult from them, is certain in itfelf, and immutable in its na ture, I would farther obferve, that this is the fupream, and original, and univerfal rule of aclion to all reafona ble beings whatfoever. It is the one certain and un erring rule efGod himfelf, who as he hath no fuperior, can receive laws from none, nor have any external power to oblige and conftrain him. But that he hath a reafon and rule of action within himfelf, is as evi dent as that he ever acts at all, and as certain, as that he will always act wifely and well. Now this rule of action to the divine being, I think we can conceive to be nothing elfe but his all-comprehenfive knowledge, or his perfect conception of the natures of all things, the relations which the feveral beings he hath formed ftand in to himfelf, and to one another, the fitneffes and unfitneffes which belong to them, the meafure and degree of their powers and faculties, and all tlie feveral moral Good and Evil. 293 feveral circumftances of their beings. Having this full perception of all things he can never be at a lofs how to act, nor poffibly do amifs through error and miftake ; being poffeffed of infinite power he can ne ver act wrong, through impotence and weaknefs ; hav ing no being fuperior to himfelf, he can never receive law from another, nor act contrary to the moral fit nefs of things through force and constraint ; having no irregular paffions, affections, and inclinations, he can never be perverted, and biaffed from within himfelf, to an unreafonable and unbecoming conduct. In a word, being abfolutely free from every external con- ftraint, and internal defect, his power can have no other guide, nor his will have any thing elfe to deter mine it, but his own infinite underftanding and wif dom. And as he difcerns all things as they really are, his will muft ever be determined rightly, according to the immutable natures and eternal differences of things themfelves, and the refpective natures, conditions, and circumftances of the feveral creatures which he hath formed. The confequence of which is, that what is the inva riable and eternal rule of the divine conduct, muft be the fupream, and moft perfect rule of action to all rea- fonahle beings whatfoever ; becaufe it is impoffible that there can be any rule of action more excellent in it felf, or more worthy the regard of reafonable beings, than that which the uncreated and all-perfect God makes the meafure and ftandard of his own conduct ; I mean the immutable differences of things, and the fitneffes and unfitneffes which neceffarily refult from them. Such is the perfection of the divine nature, that as God can have no other rule of action but this, fo he needs none ; and as to all created beings, the more invariably they act by it, fo much the more per fect and compleat is their virtue and goodnefs. As they are indeed the workmanffiip of the firft caufe, as their particular powers, perfections, and relations, are the effects of his power and conftitution, all thofe fit- U 3 neffes 294 The immutable Difference between neffes and duties which flow from them are to be looked on and regarded as inforced and injoined by his au thority and will -, it being as evidently the will of the great Creator that we ffiould perform all thofe duties of moral virtue which are the refult of, and neceffa rily connected with our nature and relations, as it was that we ffiould be the particular kind of creatures that we are. And therefore the will of God is a real and immutable obligation upon us, to which we ffiould al ways pay the higheft deference and fubmiffion. But even this comes under the general notion of the ori ginal fitneffes of things, and is not an obligation of a diftinft nature and kind from them ; becaufe, if any one was to be afked, Why the will of God ffiould be obeyed ? he could give, I apprehend, no other ratio nal anfwer, but that it is eternally and immutably fit, that all creatures ffiould obey the will of their creator and God. Not that mere power carries in it, of itfelf , any proper, reafonable obligation ; or, that the arbi trary will of another is, without other confiderations, a reafon for fubmitting to it. No ; 'tis abfolutely fit that God's will ffiould be obeyed ; becaufe he hath a fovereign and unalienable right in his creatures, and will not command any thing that is unreafonable and unfit for them to do. And therefore, though the will of God be a reafon and certain rule of aftion to all his creatures, yet is it not any thing diftinft from the everlafting fitneffes of things, but included in them, and indeed a neceffary and effential branch of them. I would only farther add on this head, That this notion of the immutable and eternal obligation of moral virtue, is not one of the peculiar difcoveries of the reafon and good fenfe of the prefent age, but is plainly taught both in the records of the Old and New Teftament. On this account the Pfalmift fpeaking of the moral part of the jewiflo law, fays ; -j- Thy righte oufnefs is an everlafting righteoufnefs, and thy law is truth : § The righteoufnefs of thy teftimonies is everlafting. t Pftl. cxix. 142. § Ver. 144. Con- moral Good and Evil. 295 * Concerning thy teftimonies I have known of old that thou haft founded them for ever. Or, as the words ffiould be rendered : I have known of old, "JTTRfD from thy tefti monies, that thou haft founded them for ever. I have long fince been convinced, from the nature and intrinfick goodnefs of them, that they are of eternal and immu table obligation. And again; -fThy word is true from the beginning ; and every one of thy righteous judg ments is for ever. Thefe are expreffions evidently re lating to the eternal and immutable nature of the moral law of God. Upon the fame foundation is St. Paul's advice to the Philippians § ; Whatfoever things are true, whatfoever things are honejt, whatfoever things are juft, whatfoever things are pure, whatfoever things are lovely, whatfoever things are of good report ; if there be any virtue, if there be any praife, think on thefe things : expreffions, that neceffarily fuppofe, and infer, that truth, honefty, juftice, purity, and, in a word, all the real virtues of human life ||, are effentially different from their contrary vices ; are lovely and amiable in their nature, reputable and praife -worthy in their pra ctice ; and which both God and man will not fail to approve and commend. And this leads me, II. To the fecond general head ; which is to fhew you, that this difference between moral good and evil, and the fitneffes and unfitneffes which they neceffarily infer, is as eafily and certainly to be difcerned by man kind, as the differences between any natural or fen fible objefts whatfoever. This, I think, is evidently fuppofed in the words of my text : Wo unto them that call evil good, and good evil ; ' that put darknefs for light, and light for darknefs ; that put bitter for fweet, and fweet for bitter. Thefe two latter natural contraries are added by way of illuftration of the former ; the prophet not really blaming the Jews for putting dark nefs for light, or bitter for fweet, which no perfons who * Pfal. cxix. 152. f Ver. 160. § Chap iv. 8. (| Vid. Ciccr. de Legibns, 1. i. c. 16, ij, U 4 had 296 The immutable Difference between had the ufe of their fenfes could do ; but for calling evil good, and good evil, endeavouring to confound and alter the nature of virtue and vice ; which argued as great ftupidity, or wilful obftinacy, as if men fhould pretend, and affirm, that light was darknefs, and fweet bitter, and the contrary. The fenfes of men teach them to diftinguiffi between thefe and the like natural objefts, and neceffarily prevent them from confound ing them. And it is as obvious to the underftanding of all men, which is to the mind what the eye is to the body, that evil cannot be good, nor virtue vice, -whatfoever falfe methods vicious men may take to blend them, or how unwilling foever they may be to attend to thefe certain unchangeable diftinftions in their practice. There are fome things fo perfectly plain and felf- evident, as that they neither need, nor are capable of demonftration. They are fo obvious to the mind, as foon as propofed, as not to admit of any medium, either to explain or prove them. That truth is not falftood, that light is not darknefs, that eafe is not pain, are propofitions of this kind. And is it not as (elf-evident and certain, that gratitude is not ingrati tude, that kindnefs is not cruelty, that bafenefs is not honour, nor falftood fidelity ? Do not thefe things convey abfolutely, and neceffarily, diftinct ideas ? The moment they are underftood, do they not appear eter nal and irreconcilable contraries ? There may indeed be fome cafes and actions, concerning the nature of which, how far they are right, and how far wrong, it may not be eafy to determine. But the reafon of this is, not becaufe men are ever at a lofs to diftinguilh between thefe oppofite characters and qualities of right and wrong, good and evil ; but becaufe they fome times know not how properly to apply them ; they do not underftand fome principal circumftances of the actions themfelves, or the true reafons and motives from whence they proceeded. Had they a perfect view of all thefe things, they would as eafily and certainly know moral Good and Evil. 29 7 know whether to pronounce them good or bad, vir-; tuous or vicious, as they would, whether to pronounce the place where they themfelves were prefent, fmall or great, lightfome or dark. Was one to aik the very plaineft man that ever lived, who had but common underftanding and fenfe, whether or no light could ever be made darknefs, or pleafure made by any being to become the fame thing as pain ; though he had never been converfant ft the fchools of philofophy, yet he would not be at a lofs to make the true determination : he would immediately fee, that as thefe things are abfolutely contrary to one another in their very natures, they could not be made fo by, nor depend for their continuing what they are, on the will and pleafure of any being whatfoever ; becaufe, as darknefs is the negation, or want of light, it is as impoffible for any being to make darknefs light, as it is for him to make the fame things to be and not to be at the fame time. And would he not fee it to be an equal abfurdity to affirm, That the dif ference between virtue and vice is merely accidental and arbitrary, and depends for its being, or conti nuing fo, upon the will and pleafure of another ? Would he want rules of philofophy and any long train of reafoning to convince him, that no being can make impiety, injuftice, intemperance, uncharitable- nefs, lewdnefs, and cruelty, which neceffarily, and, in their very nature, imply the negation and want of piety, juftice, temperance, charity, chaftity, and com paffion, to become the felf-fame things as thefe very virtues, which they imply the utter want of? And as this effential difference between good and evil is as obvious and plain to the minds of men, as any- firft principles poffibly can be, fo, I apprehend alfo, is the reafonablenefs and fitnefs of praftifing vir tue in oppofition to vice. No man needs any argu ments to convince him, that pleafure is better than pain, fweet preferable to bitter, and light more com fortable than darknefs. Nature and experience are infal- 298 The immutable Difference between infallible rules of judgment in thefe things, and men do almoft inftinctivcly choofe the former as better than the latter, without any long train of reafoning to perfuade and determine them, and without any regard to the command of a fuperior, obliging them to fuch a choice. And I imagine, that nature and experience are equally fure guides in things of a mo ral nature -, and that it. is as evident to all men, who have not corrupted their minds by bad principles, evil paffions, and vicious habits, that moral good is better in itfelf, more amiable in its nature, and more bene ficial in all its confequences, than moral evil ; and that when they judge impartially, they can no more help approving virtue, in oppofition to vice, than they can help, approving harmony in oppofition to difcord, or thofe things that give them pleafure preferably to thofe that occafion them pain. As they need no com mand or law to enable them to difcern the natural dif ference in thefe things, they as little need them to help them to pafs the true judgment concerning them, or to teach them which, upon the whole, is fitteft for them to choofe and refufe. Nature itfelf feems to have been friendly to man kind in this refpeft, which hath implanted a kind of conftitutional abhorrence of vice in their minds, an in- ftintlive prejudice againft it, and fear to commit it. And though they are too often led by the ftrength of appetite, and warmth of paffion to do evil, yet, in the beginning, 'tis generally with great reluctance and oppofition of mind. Their better judgments and con sciences reclaim againft their praftices, and reproach them for doing what they know they ought not to do. Vice is really a kind of art that requires fome length of time to become dextrous, and grow any con fiderable proficients in. Men muft firft druggie with themfelves, and ufe no fmall pains to difle and fupprefs the natural oppofition of their minds to it, before they can be tolerably eafy in a vicious courfe, and commit iniquity wtthgreedinefs and pleafure. Frequent cudom will moral Good and Evil. 299 will undoubtedly gradually wear off that natural ten- dernefs, reluctance, modedy, and fenfe of honour, which the God of nature hath implanted in mens minds, as a guide to, and a check upon their aftions, as redraints from vice, and motives to virtue ; and, by degrees, fo harden them in fin, as that they may, at length, find little uneafinefs within themfelves upon account of it, and become infenfible to all the mo tives to religion and virtue. The fame may alfo hap pen in natural things. Men may fo accudom them- - felves to bitter, as gradually to reconcile themfelves to it, and lofe the difagreeable and unpleafing fenfation of it. And though poifon be abhorrent to the con ftitution and frame, and men naturally dread it as fatal and deftruftive ; yet they may fo habituate them felves to it by frequent and long praftce, as to be able to take very confiderable quantities of it with out fear or harm. But ftill, as this doth not alter the original natures or qualities of poifon or bitter, fo neither doth mens habituating themfelves to wicked nefs and vice, till they have loft all dread and terror in the commiffion ofit, in the leaft change its ¦-.3. jure and properties, render it one jot the lefs evil in itfelf, or lefs contrary to the natural uncorrupted dictates of their minds and judgments. Were we to crowd together into one defcription all the vices of human nature, and could we point out that fingle perfon to whom fuch a dreadful defcription would agree ; Would not all men confpire to look on him with deteftation, and unite in condemning fo vile and execrable a charafter ? Would they not fly from him as a monfter in his kind, and all of them judge him abfolutely unworthy the converfe of the whole fpecies ? But why, if virtue and vice are mere arbitrary diftinftions, or if the knowledge of this dif ference lay really remote from the meaneft underftand- ings, and was not to be difcerned without a great deal of previous inftruftion, difficulty, and labour ? Yea, with refpeft to particular vices, did any one ever cooly 1 think 300 ¦ The immutable Difference between think that the being of a God was to be treated with infolence, contempt, and fcorn ; that curfes and ex ecrations are the proper language of a man, or that perjury was ever meritorious and praife- worthy ? Did ingratitude ever appear to any man in his fenfes, as an amiable and commendable quality in its nature, or as equally lovely and beautiful- as a grateful difpofi tion ? Was injuftice ever thought or defcribed as a real excellency, or treachery efteemed preferable to true honour, falftood to truth, or cruelty to compaf fion ? Wfould any man cherifh in his bofom, or harbour in his family, an abandoned wretch, whom he knew would attempt the chaftity of his deareft relatives, otherwife injure the perfons of his family, or rob and plunder him of his fubftance ? Would any one chufe to enter into confidence with a tale-bearer or flanderer ; or commit his reputation to one, whom he fupefted or knew would betray and ruin it ? Did any one ever think, that the dignity of the human form was increafed by drunkennefs, or that gluttony and excefs are real ornaments in themfelves, or imply in them any thing fit for, and worthy of imitation ? In a word, there are no particular vices that can be named, to which human nature is incident, but thofe who commit them will find certain occafions and rea fons to cenfure them, and to determine on the fide of the contrary virtues. Whence comes it thus, that all forts of men, of the moft different capacities and fen timents as to moft other things, yet all concur, with out reafoning or delay, to pafs the fame impartial judgment on thefe ; and chufe to tranfaft the moft important affairs of their lives with perfons of an efta blifhed charafter, for wifdom, piety, honour, and uni verfal virtue, rather than with thofe of an abandoned and profligate one ? Whence comes it but from hence ; That they do as certainly fee, and can as eafily and readily difcern the difference between moral good and evil, and the excellency of virtue in preference to vice, as they do the natural difference between light and moral Good and Evil. 301 and darknefs, and the preferablenefs of eafe and hap pinefs to pain and mifery ? Indeed moral and natural good, i. e. virtue and happinefs, and moral and natural evil, i. e. vice and mifery, are almoft conftantly and infeparably con nected ; and the unavoidable confequences of virtue and vice, of which all men are judges, and which they cannot help difcerning, plainly ftew which is moft reafonable and fit in itfelf, and beft worthy their approbation and choice ; confequences that affect par ticular perfons in all the moft valuable concerns of their being, and are not lefs vifible in the greater and leffer focieties of men themfelves. So that as virtue is, in the confideration and idea of it, much more lovely and commendable than vice, fo all external appearances are intirely in favour of it, and power fully lead men to the love and praftice of it. And it would be thus were there no laws at all ac tually injoining the praftice of virtue. Mere autho rity and command add no intrinfick excellency to the things commanded, make them neither better nor worfe than they were before, infer no obligation in reafon to obey them, nor carry with them any con viction to any reafonable mind whatfoever. The na ture of things is ftubborn and obftinate, and will not bend to power and law, nor vary in the leaft in obedi ence to the mere motions of will and pleafure. Should all the powers on earth confpire together to enaft, That darknefs ftould be light, pain pleafure, ficknefs health, and life death, the attempt would be as ridi culous as vain. Or ftould they ordain by law, that wickednefs and impiety, intemperance and debauchery, covetoufnefs and rapine, luft and cruelty, malice and envy, ftould appear amiable and praife-worthy in every man's confcience and judgment, ftould con duce to the peace and comfort, the prefervation, health, ufefulnefs, and happinefs of human life, or tend to the good order, ftrength, honour, and welfare of fo cieties, in oppofition to juftice and equity, charity and bene- jo 2 The immutable Difference between benevolence, temperance and chaftity ; every one im mediately fees that fuch a law would be abfurd and unnatural, could not accomplifh the intended effect, ' and therefore could not poffibly carry in it any man ner of reafonable obligation and weight ; and that therefore the making ufe of power and violence to en force fuch a law muft be tyrannical and wicked. So that 'tis obvious to the common fenfe of mankind, that all unreafonable laws are in themfelves null and void, for this plain reafon, becaufe they are unreafon able ; and therefore it muft be as evident to them, that the reafon of things, or the goodnefs and fitnefs of what is commanded by law, is the ground and foundation of every law that reafon and confcience can oblige us to obey ; and of confequence, that there are fome things good and fit in themfelves, and uni verfally difcerned and acknowledged to be fuch, and therefore proper to be made the fubjefts of law, and enforced by authority, becaufe reafonable and fit, an tecedent to it. 'Tis really thus even with refpeft to the laws of God himfelf. That we ffiould love him, and offer our grateful acknowledgments to him, as the author of our beings, the giver of all our mercies, and the only objeft of our happinefs, was evidently reafona ble and fit in its own nature, antecedent to any direct law of God injoining it ; and is therefore made the matter of a divine law, becaufe it was originally, and in itfelf proper and fit for God to command. In like manner juftice and charity, and all the private and focial virtues, have evidently a natural reafonablenefs in them, and do in their praftice neceffarily and im mutably tend to private and publick happinefs ; and therefore they are intrinfically and unalterably good, and have in faft been known to be fo by the reafon and experience of all men in all ages and nations, and are^ therefore originally fit to be inforced by the authority and law of God. And with refpeft to all other things whatfoever that have the fanftion of a divine moral Good atid Evil. 303 divine command, they have fome real antecedent fit nefs either of means or end, that is the true reafon of their injunction by God. So that the reafon of every good and wife law is antecedent to the law itfelf; and as this reafon is only the real and intrinfick excellency, fuitablenefs and fitnefs of the thing commanded, this excellency and fitnefs muft be generally plain and obvious, to thofe who are to be governed by law, is antecedent even to the laws of God, independent, in this refpeft, on his will, and the eternal and invaria ble rule and meafure of all its determinations. And as this is plain from reafon, fo it is fuppofed, and plainly afferted in divine revelation. Indeed unlefs this were the cafe, mankind would be no proper judges of the truth and excellency of any real revelation, nor of the falftood and impofture of a pretended and fpurious one. Unlefs the difference between good and evil is real and immutable, and the difcernment of it plain and eafy, they would have no certain and fixed rule what to receive and what to reject, but might as well fubmit to and embrace the worft reli gion in the world, that had but a pretence of reve lation, as the beft. But as no kind of external evi dence, and wonderful appearance of things can prove any religion to be from God, that contains in it either abfurdities or falftoods, that gives really diftonoura- ble and unworthy reprefentations of the perfeftions and ways of God, that prefcribes fuperftitious and impious methods of worftipping him, or that teaches -and countenances immorality and vice : it follows from hence, that it is by marks of this kind that men are to judge of every kind of religion that pretends to infpiration and divine authority. But if there be either no difference in the nature of things themfelves, or if this difference is fo fmall and uncertain, as that mankind are not capable of difeerning and underftand ing it, then they have no certain rules by which to judge of the nature and defign, the truth or falftood of revelation real or pretended, and therefore can be 304 The immittable Difference between be under no obligations to give themfelves any thought or trouble whatfoever about it. But as this is not true in faft, fo all the revelations we have from God do fuppofe the contrary. Even Mofes could appeal to the people : What nation is there fo great that hath ft a- tutes and judgments fo righteous, as all this law which I fet before you this day * ? And St. Paul tells us of the Gentiles themfelves, that though they had no law, no law by external revelation from God, yet they were a law to themfelves f, viz. by the plain dictates of their natural reafon and confeiences ; and that they fhewed that the work of the law was written in their hearts, as their confeiences bare them witnefs, and their thoughts ac- cufed or excufed one another ; it being evidently the work and bufinefs of a law, to do what the confei ences of the heathens actually did, viz. to point out the difference between good and evil, and to cenfure or juftify men according as they do either the one or the other. And with refpeft to chriftianity, that rule of the apoftle holds univerfally good § : Prove all things, hold faft that which is good; a precept that can have no other reafon and fitnefs but this ; that good and evil are effentially different, and that mankind are abundantly capable of difcerning, and making the proper choice between them. And that they ftould do fo will fully appear from, III. The third and laft general, which is to (hew you, that the confounding, and habitually difregard- ing this effential and immutable difference of things will be attended with the moft pernicious and deftruc- tive confequences. Wo unto them that call evil good, and good evil. This wo is pronounced upon the cor rupt and profligate Jews by the prophet in the name of God, and the puniffiment contained in it is immedi ately after particularly defcribed : |.| As the fire devour- eth the ftubble, andthe flame confumeth the chaff, fo ftoall * Deut. iv. 8. f Rom. ii. 14. § 1 Thef. v. 21. || Ver. 24, 25, 26, 29. their moral Good, and Evil. 30^ their root be as rottennefs, and their bloffom fhall go up as duft. Therefore is the anger of the Lord kindled againft his people, and he hath ftretched forth his hand againft them, and hath fmitten them, and the hills did tremble, and their carcafes were tore in the midft of the ftreets. ¦And he will lift up an enfign to the nations from afar, they fhall lay hold of the prey, and fhall carry it away, and none fhall deliver it, i. e. befides all the judgments I have inflifted on them already, I will deliver them over into the hands of their enemies, and they ftall carry them away with all their treafures into a long and miferable captivity. If indeed we confider only the natural confequences that do, more or lefs, neceffarily and infeparably flow from an habitual difregard to, and contempt of the effential differences between moral good and evil, we ftall find an immediate puniftment connected by the conftitution and providence of God, with almoft every kind of immorality and vice ; and that with refpeft to particular perfons and focieties in general. As to individuals, not to mention thofe f uneafineffes and fears of mind, thofe inward terrors and reproaches of confcience which are oftentimes the fad effects of fin ; there are many other inconveniencies flowing from it, which are evident arguments of the divine difapprobation, and certainly demonftrate the folly and mifchief of vice, and that to depart from evil is the trueft underftanding. Every one knows, for there are ten thoufand inftances in almoft every age and nation to prove it, that all indulgences, contrary to the rules and obligations of moral virtue, have a natural and direft tendency to deftroy the vigour of men's reafon able powers, to diffipate and wafte their worldly fubftance, and to reduce them to poverty and diftrefs. f At vero fcelerum in homines atque impietatum nulla expiatio eft. Itaque pcenas luunt, non tam judiciis, qua? quondam nuf- quam erant, hodie multifariam nulla funt, ut lint tamen, perfe- pe falfa funt, fed angore confcientice, fraudifque cruciatu. Cicer. de Leg. 1. i. c. 14. Vol. I. X They 306 The immutable Difference between They leffen men's reputation and good charafter in the world, and by rendering them contemptible, and often infamous, deprive them of many valuable op portunities of fuccefs, and greatly contract their abi lities for ufefulnefs. They weaken and diforder their conftitutions, prepare their bodies for the moft vio lent diftempers, fubjeft them to the moft grievous pains, and often end in bitternefs and death. Nor are thefe bad confequences lefs vifible in Socie ties themfelves, than in private perfons. When the diftinftions between -good and evil are generally disre garded, and the manners of a nation become almoft univerfally profligate ; the honour and credit of a people muft fink in proportion, their reputation, weight, and influence abroad muft leffen, their trade and commerce muft decay, the publick ftrength be enervated, the force and authority of law and go vernment become weak and impotent, diforder and confufion fpring up in the room of them, liberty, that greateft of all earthly bleffings, grow more and more precarious, perfons of all ranks and degrees become venal and fervile, and prepare the way for utter ruin and diffolution. To thefe things have been owing the fall of the greateft empires and kingdoms, that have been the moft powerful and famous in the world, as hath been frequently obferved with great juftice and truth by thofe who have tranfmitted the hiftories of them down to us. Whereas whiift nations have con tinued vif tuous, they have generally continued power ful and ftrong ; whiift they have had no internal fymp- toms of weaknefs and diffolution, they have had lefs to fear from any external violence, and been capable of exerting themfelves with that refolution and vi gour, which hath been neceffary to their fecurity and prefervation ; fo that was nothing elfe to be regarded but the natural tendencies of things, we might well pronouce a wo to that people, who put good for evil, and evil for good. But tnor-al Good and fcvil . %tf But befides this, furely there is a God that governs the world, and whofe providence is not Wholly inat tentive to, and regardlefs of the moral ftate and cha rafter of nations : a God to whom* from the incor ruptible reftitude and purity of his nature, a general corruption of manners muft be highly difpleafing, and Who can never be fuppofed to look with a very favou rable regard upon a people who have loft all fenfe of moral good and evil, and are become univerfally de generate from all the original principles and plaineft rules of moral virtue. As he hath all the powers of nature abfolutely under his controul, and can make the elementary world fubfervient to the purpofes of his providence, I fee no abfurdity in fuppofing what re velation feems very plainly to point out, that he may, and will, when the fins of any people make it necef- fary^ -j- Citrfe them in the city and the field, in their baf- ket arid in their ftore ; in the fruit of their body and the fruit of their land, the increafe of their kine, and the flocks of their fheep ; make the peftiknce cleave to theni till if hath confumed them ; § the heavens over them to become as brafs, and the edrth under them to be as iron ', caufe them to be fmitten before their enemies, |] and ftrangers to get above them very high, fo that they ftall not be the head bnt the tdil of the nations' ; or fend amongft them \ a new king who fhall not know Jofeph, and who fhall fet over the people cruel task-mafters^ to effiSt them with their burthens. Thefe and the like ca lamities have befallen nations as the puniffiments of an univerfal degeneracy and corruption of manners, and I think thefe are the evils they have in fuch cir cumftances a great deal of reafon always to fear, if there be a providence that really regards the affairs of mankind, and is concerned to maintain the intereft of religion and virtue iri the worlds And thus have I largely fpokert to the feveral things contained in this t Deut. xxviii. 16, 17, 18, 21. 4 Ibid. 23, 25. j| Ver. 4^44. J Exod.i. 8, 11. X 2 paffage $oB The immutable Difference between paffage of the infpired prophet, I fhall now conclude all with fome fuitable inferences. i. We may fee the great wifdom of God, and his goodnefs to mankind, in making thofe things, which are of the greateft importance to them, and in which their duty and happinefs is moft direftly and effentially concerned, to be fo exceeding evident and plain to them, as that if they will but ufe their underftand- ings, they may as plainly didinguift and difcern them, as they can any fenfible objefts with their eyes, or fuch things as are pleafant and wholefome by their tafte and palate. 2. We may infer from what hath been faid, how ftrong and unchangeable all men's obligations are to the praftice of religion and virtue ; as unchangeable as the very nature and reafon of things, and as their inclinations are to purfue pleafure before pain, and to embrace happinefs in preference to mifery. 3. We may infer the great folly and abfurdity of men's giving favourable names to vice, and endeavour ing to fereen the malignity and deformity of it by the honourable appellations of virtue. Vice is fo very ftameful and odious a thing, as that, one would hope they are but comparatively few arrived to that pitch of infenfibility and impudence, as openly to glory in the thing itfelf, and chufe to be accounted remarkable for impiety and wickednefs. And becaufe oftentimes men's natural confeiences would cenfure and render them extremely uneafy, if they allowed themfelves in the habitual praftice of crimes that would admit of no poffible excufe ; they endeavour to palliate their faults, and bring them as near as they can to real virtues. Thus fome men who are fordidly penurious and covet ous, would fain have it all pafs for frugality, andthe commendable care of their families and friends. Revell ing and drunkennefs is changed into good nature and fellowftoip. Lewdnefs wears the genteel name of gal lantry and politenefs. Ambition and envy cover their 1 defor- moral Good and Evil. 309 deformity, and become reputable and popular, by putting on the garb of merit and patriotifm. Cenfure and reproach, reviling and feandal, put off their fury- drefs, and make their appearance in the facred habit of fanclity and zeal. Thus changed, not in nature, but appearance and name, vice feems to them a lefs formidable and odious thing, and is fometimes embraced and harboured as an heavenly virtue. But is not fuch a conduft an argument of the extremeft folly ? Can any imagine, that this thin and fhamelefs cover can conceal their true charafter from the all- knowing God ? or, that by mifcalling vice, they can transform it into a real perfeftion, and thus confound the unalterable nature and differences of things ? ftould Satan drefs himfelf like an angel of light, he would be Satan ftill ; his nature would continue the fame, though his appearance was altered, and his qua lities be truly devilift under the moft radiant drefs of celeftial glory. In like manner vice can never lofe its nature and qualities, it will ftill be vice, a contra riety to God and his laws, to the truth, and reafon, and immutable nature of things, and to the true ho nour and happinefs of men, palliate it as much as you pleafe, and call it by whatever favourable names you will. Harbour it in your breafts and it will defile you. Indulge it in your lives and it will fink you under fub- ftantial guilt. Compare it with the rule of reafon, and the law of God, and it will immediately appear in its true deformity. Think of it in its confequences, and the dreadful fcene that will immediately prefent itfelf, will be horror and defpair. Let us therefore return to the original truth and fimplicity of things -, nor de ceive ourfelves by mifreprefenting or overlooking our vices and follies. Let covetoufnefs be in every fhape, looked on as a fordid meannefs unworthy a man. Let revelling and drunkennefs no longer appear in the innocent garb of good nature. They are a ftame and reproach to human nature, and degrade men fometimes into fomething meaner than brutes, and X 3 fome- 3 1 o The immutable Difference between fometimes transform them into furies and devils,. Let lewdnefs and debauchery ever be accounted what they really are in the fight of God, and all reafonable men, as lawlefs and cruel triumphs, over ruined mo- defty, injured virtue, and proftituted honour and in nocence. Let rank ambition no longer conceal its deformity under the facred cover of patriotifm and publick fpirit ; but ever be detefted as an uneafy, reftlefs, treacherous, faithlefs, impatient, unfatiable, fervile, mercenary, fawning, imperious monfter. Let fcandal, reproach, cenforioufnefs, and raft judgment, ever be abhorred, as certain proofs of a diftempered, envious, and bigotted mind, and as fure marks, not of a religious, but of an enthufiaftick and fuperfti- tious zeal ; that hath neither knowledge to enliven it, nor reafon, humanity, or Confcience to direft it. ft a word ; let us faithfully and honeftly attend to the reafon of things, and the reprefentations* given of them jn divine revelation ; and hot judge of them by paffion, appetite, and prejudice ; or by falfe, fel- filli, and partial views of them. Thus ftall we learn that fear and abhorrence of vice, which is effentially neceffary to preferve us uncorrupted amidft the temp tations of an enfnaring world, and grow into that fixed a.'.v.l habitual approbation of true piety and vir tue, which is neceffary to the honour and comfort of the prefent Ufej and to fecure us the happinefs pf a. P I S» [3» ] DISCOURSE XIII. God's Moral Government. [ DuCHAL. ] Psal. xcviii. a. With righteoufnefs jhall he judge the world. t | "\HAT the works of nature ftew contrivance and defign ; that certain ends are accom- JL plifted by certain means, which are fitted and were intended to ferve them ; that there is a re gular order of caufes and effefts maintained from age to age ; and, in a word, that the univerfe is the work and conftantly under the direftion of a fuperintend- ing mind, is a matter fo plain, that it is wonderful, that any thinking perfon could ever bring himfelf to doubt of it, much more to deny it ; and in the room of the original intelligent almighty power to put ne ceffity or chance, (words, which in the prefent argu ment really have no meaning) to one or the other of thefe, as the original caufe, afcribing all things in the univerfe. But when men have got the idea of an intelligent agent, who made the world and governeth it by his providence, and confider themfelves as the creatures of that power, by which all things were created, and in which every individual fubfifteth ; when they con fider the conftitution of human nature, with all its X 4 powers, 3 1 2 Gods moral Government. powers, affeftions, and principles of aftion, as the work of God ; then that fenfe of right and wrong, of moral good and evil, which is the great diftinftion of mankind from all the inferior orders, appeareth to demand particular notice ; as being not only in itfelf confidered the higheft and moft important faculty of rhe mind, but as what is given us for directing our conduft, and as what principally pointeth out to man his chief end, and that, which is his fupreme good. That the fenfe of right and wrong muft have been intended by the author of our beings, as a law or rule for directing our conduft, is evident ; for it is impoffible to feparate a fenfe of right and a fenfe of obligation. A thing is right, therefore it is to be done ; a thing is wrong, therefore it is not to be done ; is the original language of nature, with which every man is acquainted ; and while the fenfe of right and wrong remaineth, the heart inftantly and neceffarily ap- proveth what appeareth to be right, and condemneth , what is judged to be wrong. But it is an inquiry of the utmoft moment to vir tue and to human happinefs, how the Creator is dif pofed and affected towards his creatures, whom he hath placed under this law, as they obferve it, or de viate from it, in their aftions. It may be imagined, and this appeareth plainly to have been the fenfe of fome perfons, that, though the univerfe and all the creatures in it are the work of an original intelligent caufe, perfeftly wife, powerful, and beneficent, and the whole creation is governed by the fole fuperin-' tending providence of this being, and particularly, that all the inftinfts and affeftions, planted in the heart of man, are his workmanffiip -, yet he doth not at all attend to the temper or behaviour of men, as being, according to the moral quality of them, the objefts of his approbation or difpleafure : that, tho' he hath given to his creatures the fenfe of good and evil, of right and wrong, as a means of ferving thofe purpofes by them, which he had in view, yet he him felf Gods moral Government. 31* felf hath not that regard to right and wrong, which we find in our own minds, nor any thing analogous to it : and that, therefore, he is not difpleafed with the tranfgreffion of this law of our natures, nor hath any pleafure or complacency in our obedience : and that we are never to expect any interpofition of his to give us tokens of his favour for having purfued that which is right, or of his difpleafure for having done what is wrong : that men are, by the laws of nature, tho roughly furnifted for ferving the purpofes of this life ; but that this is all that is to be expected ; and that by eftablifting and maintaining this conftitution of things, the Creator hath made provifion for preferv- ing the world in that ftate, which will anfwer his original defign. Very widely different from this way of thinking is the fenfe of thofe, who confider the Supreme Being as a lawgiver, and a moral governor, in the proper fenfe of that word ; believing, that as he hath, in the fenfe of right and wrong, written a law upon the heart of every man, and hath planted in every man a confcience to approve or difapprove of his actions, as they are good or evil ; fo he is himfelf attentive to the conduft of every individual ; is pleafed with the conformity of his temper and aftions to the law, that he hath given him, and difpleafed with the; tranfgreffions of it -, and will interpofe to teftify his pleafure or difpleafure by fuch rewards or puniffi ments, as perfeft wifdom ftall fee fit and neceffary to anfwer the end of a moral adminiftration ; fit for fupporting and encouraging virtue, as the moft ex cellent of all things ; for difcouraging vice, and fo preferving a good order in his own creation. And that, though God doth not interpofe in the prefent ftate of things by any afts of his, fo as fully to an fwer what reafon ultimately expefteth from a perfeft moral ruler in rewarding the good and punilhing the bad, yet another ftate of things is to be expected, in which the great defign of his moral adminiftration fhall 3 14 God's moral Government. fhall be perfected, and he, as judge of the world, will do right to every fubjeft of his moral king dom. Now, whether the Supreme Being doth or doth not aft the pa/t of fuch a ruler, is an inquiry un- queftionably of the utmoft confequence. If men be lieve, that he doth aft it, then there is an unfpeak- able weight laid into the fcale of virtue, additional to all confiderations of the beauty and excellency of it, and of the prefent advantages annexed to it in the pleafing approbation of confcience, and the happy fruits of it, with refpeft to health, charafter, and eftate. And there is nothing, which can fo effectu ally deter men from vice, as a thorough perfuafion, that thereby they difpleafe their Maker and Supreme Ruler, and that he will one day interpofe to make them fenfible of this, by inflicting puniffiment pro portioned to their crimes. And as the dread of this muft give great pain to the difobedient, fo from a fenfe of God's moral government, and a confcioufnefs of being the objefts of his favour, the moft pleafing and joyful hopes fpring up to the virtuous and good. So that all men muft be affected, and conduft them felves in a very different manner, as they do or do not believe, that God afteth the part of a moral ruler over them. That in this great argument every man, who will attend to the firft principles of reafon and morality, may come to a fatisfaftory decifion in his own mind, let us begin with thofe things, which are moft fimple and plain, and try, how far clear and found reafon ing .will carry us toward a proof, that God doth act the part of fuch a moral ruler. Every man findeth, that he himfelf, his powers and faculties, his temper, inftinct, and inclinations, are the objefts of his reflecting thoughts, and of va rious operations of his underftanding, and affeftions of the heart. And furely no man can. imagine, that the Creator of all hath not this reflecting power, by z which God's moral Govermnent. 315 which his exiftence and his perfeftions become the objefts of his own contemplation. Again we know, that in the powers and faculties conferred upon us, and in the inftinfts and affeftions, which are planted in the heart, we have a perception of excellency, that is delightful to us. Some things, in our frame and conftitution, we efteem, as they are of great ufe in life ; other things are not only ufeful, but in themfelves lovely. And muft we not likewife believe, that the Supreme Being hath a perception of excellency in his own perfeftions ? Or doth it not appear moft ftocking abfurdity to afcribe to him per fection in the higheft poffible degree, and at the fame time to fuppofe, that he difcerneth no excellency in it ! the moft glorious ftate of exiftence poffible, and yet no fenfe of this, nor delight refulting from the contemplation of it ! The mind immediately pro- nounceth this the moft unnatural of all conceptions. Let us apply this particularly to the goodnefs of God. We fee the plain footfteps of goodnefs in all his works. We difcern it in the kind and good af fections, which are planted in the heart of man: we fee jt in innumerable things, with which providence hath furniffied us, which are not at all neceffary for the fupport of life, but contrived merely for our delight : we difcern in the general fyftem of things about us, which doth not manifeft any thing like a defign formed and carried on, to make living crea tures miferable, but direftly the reverfe of this, fee ing the laws of nature, without exception, do all tend to the good and happinefs of the creation. Now goodnefs ever appeareth to our minds excellent and lovely. And as we clearly perceive, that God is good, and have reafon to afcribe goodnefs to him in its higheft perfeftion, can it enter into the heart of man, that he hath not a perception of excellency, that he doth not delight in his own perfeft goodnefs ? Will any man fay, that it is not in its nature moft excellent and lovely ? And fhall we imagine, that the f«T 316 God's moral Government. fupreme moft perfeft mind doth not difcern this ? But if he hath a perception of excellency in good-' nefs, and loveth it, furely that, which is contrary to goodnefs, and is therefore difcerned to be unlovely of deformed, muft be the objeft of his averfion. To fay, that God hath no perception of excellence in his goodnefs, and that he hath no delight in the contemplation of it, is to fay, that he is incapable of the higheft happinefs, of which we have any idea : not only fo, but that he is incapable of that happi nefs, which he hath actually communicated to his creatures, and which is the moft perfeft enjoyment of being : an happinefs, which furely cannot be incom patible with the higheft perfeftion, but which, in deed, according to all our ideas and reafonings, ne ceffarily fpringeth from it. In the fame manner, we may reafon concerning any quality or difpofition in the divine mind, that falleth under a moral confider ation, as becoming, as lovely, as right, the contrary to which is wrong. Farther, as God hath planted in his creatures a power, by which they apprehend what is good and right, and approve it ; and condemn what is evil and wrong : it is certain, that he muft himfelf know what is good and right, what is evil and wrong. For he muft neceffarily know that, of which he hath given to his creatures a clear perception. And if fo, and at the fame time he is utterly regardlefs of right and wrong, this is not only not what reafon direfteth us to fuppofe in the moft perfeft mind, but it is that, from which we cannot feparate the idea of depravity, and the, greateft imperfeftion ; an infenfibility to, an utter negligence of, good and evil, of right and wrong, appearing clearly to the mind I Doth not this carry in it the idea of the greateft defect poffible ? And will ever nature, will ever the heart of man, fuggeft any fuch thing, with refpeft to the original of all excellency and perfeftion -? Let Gods moral Government. 317 Let this, then, be fixed in the firft place, that God hath a perception of excellency in his own goodnefs and righteoufnefs ; that he is delighted and happy in them ; and that whatfoever is contrary to, them, muft be to him difagreeable, and the objeft of diflike and averfion. And when this is fixed as a principle not to be contefted, it will be perfeftly clear to the mind, as a confequence from it, that God hath planted in the heart of man the fenfe of right and wrong, not merely to ferve certain purpofes in his creation, which were neceffary to the accompliftment of his own great defign, without being himfelf at all affected by any fuch fenfe; but that he hath given it as a law, with our obedience to which he cannot but be pleafed, as he muft be difpleafed with our negligence of it, and our tranfgrefiions againft it. If he hath com placency in his own moral perfeftion, he muft ne ceffarily have complacency in thofe moral agents, who, by obeying his laws, became, according to the meafure of their capacity, conformable to it ; and they, who do not fo obey, muft neceffarily fall under his difpleafure. And every man will fee it is impof- fible, that a being, who perceiveth excellency in goodnefs, and deformity in evil ; to whom the for mer, as fuch, is lovely, and the latter hateful, ffiould not regard moral agents, who do that, which is good, with approbation and love, with diflike and dif pleafure, thofe who do evil. What, that can be called perfeftion, could we afcribe to a being, who had no refpeft to good and evil, to right and wrong, in his conduft ? Without this refpetl there is no fuch thing as excellency or worth at all. On the contrary, in having it ro the higheft perfeftion, according to all our ideas and apprehenfions, the higheft excellency confifteth. And furely nothing can be more unnatural, than to believe that the Supreme Being, who governeth the whole univerfe, and who hath made a multitude of crea tures capable of difcerning right and wrong, will fup- 3 1 8 Gocts moral Government* fupport that refpeft to this diftinftion, which cori- flituteth a right moral charafter, and which maketh his creatures refemble his own perfection. Hence it will be evident, that the perfeft good nefs of God is not to be confidered as a principle of aftion exerting itfelf indifcriminately, to communi cate all poffible pleafure and happinefs to his crea-1 tures, without regard to moral charafters. To do fo, might, in fome fenfe, be called goodnefs ; but it could not poffibly confift with' that diftinftion be^> tween moral agents, as by doing that, which is good, they become neceffarily the objefts of divine appro bation, or by doing evil they become neceffarily the objefts of difplicence -, which diftinftion God will ever maintain, and which his own unchangeable per-* feftion maketh it impoffibk for him to negleft. In this the foundation is laid of a moral govern ment, under which the good, and obedient to the laws, which God hath given them, are not only affured of being the objefts of his approbation and favour, but have reafon to expect, that he, who is the fovereign ruler of the univerfe, will teftify his approbation, by taking care of, and making their! happy : and the difobedient and wicked have reafon to apprehend, that they ftall fuffer under his dif pleafure. This is what nature direfteth us to look for from a perfeft moral ruler, and that he will, by certain afts of his own, reward the good and dutiful* and punifli tranfgreflbrs. Here it is to be confidered, that, in the prefent ftate of things, God hath efta-^ blifhed a conftitution, by which he hath annexed joy and delight to the praftice of righteoufnefs, and manifold other advantages, with refpeft to health* reputation, and eftate ; and fo ordered things, that the finner ftall be expofed to fuffering, in thefe re fpefts, by his own perverfe ways ; and we frequently fee great mifery the natural and unavoidable confe-- quence of vice. This conftitution is of very great moment, and indeed, in fome refpefts, the principal- thing, God's moral Government. '319. thing in the divine adminiftration, and fheweth evi dently, that the Supreme Being is a friend to virtue ; and therein we difcover moft important fteps of a moral government. For while that conftitution re- maineth, virtue will be, in a great meafure, reward, and vice puniftment to itfelf. But furely this is not all, that is to be expected under a perfect rn°ral ad miniftration. For if God fhould no otherwife inter pofe to teftify his pleafure or difpleafure, as his fub jefts have or have not obeyed his laws, it would be juft the fame thing, as if there were no fuperinten-. dent of our conduft and aftions at all. And if we ftould fuppofe, that fuch a conftitution, once framed, could fubfift without any attention of the author to it, or care of it, or any interpofition of his whatfo ever ; it would be the fame thing, as if there were no God at all. A perfect moral government im- plieth in it, that the Supreme Ruler is attentive . to every individual, and that as he is pleafed or difpleafed with the moral conduft, fo he will by certain afts make his pleafure or difpleafure moft fenfibly mani feft ; fo that the dutiful and obedient ftall find them felves gainers by having rendered themfelves the ob jefts of his favour, and the rebellious ftall fuffer un der his difpleafure. For the illuftration of this, let it be attended to, that there are many things the objefts of our hopes, and fears, which are intirely the fovereign power of God, and are not at all connected with, or depen dent upon, that original conftitution, that hath been mentioned, in which many advantages are annexed to the praftice of virtue, and difadvantages and fuffer ings to vice. Such are, principally, the continuance or extinction of our being, which is a matter, that lieth at the foundation of all. And fuch are all the favours and bleffings, and all the evils and calamities, which, by divine providence, are appointed in our lot, quite independent of our conduft ; and yet no man but muft be fenfible, that his ftate, with refpeft to 320 Gods moral Government. to happinefs or mifery, may be greatly affected by them. Now from God, confidered as a perfeft mo ral ruler, fuch an attention to individuals is to be expected, that in determining thofe matters, which are wholly in his fovereign power, and quite inde pendent of any agency of ours, he ffiould ffiew, that he loveth and approveth of the good, and is dif pleafed with the wicked ; and that the adminiftration ffiould be fuch, that, without exception, men ftould receive according to their works. Particularly, if we are at prefent deep fufferers by ftudying to do our duty, and to pleafe our Maker ; if we meet with perfecution in charafter, eftate, or life, by wicked oppreffbrs, nature direfteth us to hope, that he, as fovereign Lord and Judge, will interpofe to redrefs our grievances, and right our wrongs ; and that he will not permit unrighteoufnefs finally to triumph in our fufferings. And if we faw a moft diftrefsful lot appointed by providence for a perfon of worth, while the wicked flourifhed in all imaginable profperity, we ffiould expect fuch a turn, as would compenfate for the fufferings of the righteous, and make it mani feft, that God was his friend ; while the wicked ffiould find, that,' notwithftanding his paft profperity, he was really an objeft of difobedience to his Maker. And we fhould moft afluredly expect, that whatever became of the bad and the vicious, the governor of the world would not deftroy the beings of fuch as obeyed, and made it their ftudy to pleafe him ; but that he would continue them in exiftence, and that in fuch a ftate, as would give opportunity and en couragement to the praftice of righteoufnefs, the moft excellent thing in his creation. Such is the language of nature concerning the go- vernment of God; and violence muft be done to nature, and the fentiments of the heart oppofed, when men go into contrary fchemes. Who can (land by it, as a thing, that appeareth natural and rational, that God doth not perceive an excellency in his own good- God's moral Government. 321 nefs, and righteoufnefs, and truth ; that thefe are not objefts of delightful contemplation to him, and the contrary difagreeable ? Or that he knoweth right and wrong, good and evil ; but with the cleareft per ception of them, is quite infenffble to them, without all approbation of the one or difapprobation of the other ; and doth not aft with any refpeft to them, confidered as excellent, or the contrary ? That he hath planted a fenfe of right and wrong in the hearts of his creatures, to be the rule of their condu6t ; but is neither pleafed or difpleafed with them, on account of their acting or not acting agreeably to this law ? That the moft affectionate and dutiful are not, on ac count of their being fo, the more the objefts of his favour ; nor the moft wicked and abandoned rendered, on account of their crimes, the more the objefts of his difpleafure ? Or that, fuppofing the former ftould be the objefts of his favour, and others the objefts of his difpleafure, yet he will never interpofe to make them fenfible of this ; and that, though he hath all power and authority, and perfeftly knoweth every individual, yet the beft and moft worthy ftall not, by any interpofition or aft of his, after having at firft formed a conftitution of nature, be the better for his love ; nor the ftate of the worthlefs the worfe for his difpleafure ? That oppreffed righteoufnefs ftall never be taken into his protection ; nor triumphant wick ednefs fuffer under his. cenfure ? Thefe are fentiments, which the reafon and heart of man can never em brace. They are not only repugnant to all our ideas of divine perfeftion, but indeed inconfiftent with that regard to virtue, which we evidently fee in the ori ginal conftitution of nature. But as, ' in thefe obfervations and reflections, I have endeavoured to point out the foundations, upon which we believe God's moral government of the world ; lib it hath been intimated, that, in the pre fent ftate of things, the defign and fcheme of a per feft moral adminiftration is not compleated ; that is, Vol. I. Y we 322 God's moral Government. we do not fee fuch a didinction in all refpects made between the good and, the bad, as, under a govern ment perfectly righteous and impartial, we might rationally expect. The original conftitution of na ture, and the laws of it, which are fo friendly to vir tue, have been taken notice of. But with refpect to the diftribution of the favours of providence, which' hrve no connexion with virtue, nor are the natural fruit and refult of it, we fee, that the diftinction be tween the good and bad is not, in every inftance, obferved ; nay, the diftributions of providence are, in a great meafure, promifcuous. Tt is an old and juft obfervation, that no man knoweth love or hatred by all that is before him ; * that all things come alike to all ; that there is one event to the righteous and . the wicked, to the good and bad, to the clean and the unclean, to him that facrificeth, and to him, that facrificeth not ; as is the good, fo is the ftinner, and he that fweareth, as he, that feareth an oath. And agreeably to this, the Pfalmid obferveth, -f that the wicked profper ; that there are no bands in their death, that their ftrength is fii ;n, they are not troubled like other men, neither are they plagued like others. Their eyes ftand out with fat, th ?y< have more than their hearts could wifh. Behold, thefe are the ungodly, who profper in the worjd ; they increafe in riches. On the other hand, it is often feen, that the bed and worthier! perfons fuffer under deep calamity, fuch as ficknefs and diforder of body, pe nury and want, reproach and contempt. And what is mod of all to be confidered, is, that in innumerable inftances they have differed extremely, even to death, by doing juftice to their own confeiences, and, obey ing the laws of their Maker. T hey have been; in the courfe of providence, delivered into the hands of cruel perfecutors, who have put them to exquifite to. ments, and to death. J They have had trial of cruel mo ckings and fcourgings, yea, moreover, of bonds * Ecclef. ix. i, 2. -J- Pfal. lxxiii. 3, 4, 5, 7, 12. J Heb. xi. 36—39- and God' s moral Government . 323 and imprifonent ; they were ftoned, they were fawn afun der, were tempted, were flain with the fword, they wandered about in fheep -skins and goat -skins, were def- titute, affliSed, tormented; ,of whom the world was not worthy ; they wandered in defarts and in mountains, in dens and caves of the earth. All, who are acquainted with the hiftory of the world, know, that men, who would be dutiful and loyal to the Supreme Ruler, have been often expofed to fuch fufferings as thefe, and have loft life, and, upon fuppofition, that death is the utter extinction of it, have loft being, in the fupport and defence of the caufe of truth and right eoufnefs. Now are thefe events, which we would expect under a perfect moral adminiftration ? Are they confiftent with the very firft principles concern ing God's love of, and regard to, virtue ; and his difpleafure at vice, upon fuppofition that the fcene is intirely clofed in this world ? Under a perfect mo ral adminiftration, is virtue, in any one inftance, in any one individual, to be finally unhappy ? Are the wrongs and grievances of the good and righteous, thofe wrongs which they fuffer in the caufe of righteoufnefs, and for the fake of it, never to be redreffed ? And is wickednefs finally to triumph over oppreffed worth and integrity ? Can it be fo un der a perfect moral adminiftration, v/hich will render to every man according to his works ? No : this is a thing, which cannot be received as truth ; nor ever will fit eafy upon the mind. And what are we then to believe ? That the cafe is as hath been reprefented ; that virtue, in innumerable inftances, doth fuffer deeply, even to death, without any interpofition of the Supreme power in its favour, is evident. That, therefore, the defign of a moral adminiftration is not perfected in this world, is apparent. What are we then to conclude ? That God doth not act the part of a moral governor at all ? This, we have feen, is utterly irrational, and inconfiftent with all our ideas of divine perfection. What can remain, then, but Y 2 that 324 Gods moral Government. that we conclude, that the fcene is not clofed in the prefent ftate of things ; and that we ftall exift after death, and in that ftate of exiftence, the fcheme of a moral government, of which we evidently fee the foundations laid in this world, ftall be carried on to perfeftion. This is that, in which we muft reft. This the heart immediately embraceth, as the only clear folution of all the difficulties, with which, upon any other hypothefis, we are embarraffed. Many are the arguments, which have been offered for the immortality of the foul, taken from the na ture of it as an immaterial fubftance, from the ex tent of its powers and faculties, and the improve ment without end, of which it is capable ; from that, which is manifeftly the fupreme good of fuch a crea ture, and which hath no neceffary conneftion with the enjoyments of mere animal life. But indeed the ftrongeft and moft fatisfying argument, which reafon alTordeth, feems to be' taken from God's moral go- verment. If he afteth the part of a moral ruler at all, we cannot doubt, but that his government will be moft perfeft, and under which no individual will find juft reafon to complain. But if there be one fingle inftance, in which a perfon perifteth in fup port and defence of the caufe of truth and righteouf nefs, this cannot be the cafe ; there would then be 3 foundation for complaint. God hath planted in the heart of man certain principles, by which he intended the conduft ftould be regulated. In acting upon thefe principles, and doing the will of God, men have often been obliged to give up all temporal pof- ilffions and enjoyments, and even life itfelf. Thefe they muft have parted with ; or have violated their own confeiences, and acted in contradiction to the will of God. And yet under a perfeft moral admi niftration, under which thefe facrifices in the caufe of virtue muft be had in the higheft eftimation, they are to have no real redrefs for this fuffering, but fink at dc.uh into non-exiftence ; and are not at all diftin guifted God's moral Government. 325 guifhed from the moft worthlefs and abandoned cha rafter. Every impartial and attentive perfon will immediately judge, that it is impoffible, that this ftould be the cafe ; or that the expeftations, which we cannot avoid forming upon the principles in this difcourfe laid down, ftould be all mere delufion, and that we ftould be finally cheated, even to the lofs of our exiftence, by cleaving to that, which, according to our prefent frame, muft appear to us above all things excellent, lovely, and pleafing to our Maker. If then there be a perfeft moral government, there muft be a future ftate. If we give up the latter, we muft give up the former. And indeed every one, who will candidly weigh the arguments for it, will be fo convinced, that nothing, but a demonftration of the impoffibility of our exifting after death, could make him believe, that, at death, the fcene is intirely clofed ; and furely no man will undertake to demon- ftrate this. • Is it not moft natural, indeed unavoid able, for oppreffed virtue, fuffering under vexatious perfecution and ill ufage of every kind, fuffering tor ments and death, to look up to the power above as its fanftuary, to look for redrefs and deliverance ? And the mind could be overwhelmed by nothing, fo much as an imagination, that there is no fuch power, or that no friendftip or protection is to be expected from it. To be perfuaded of this, muft make the world appear a gloomy fcene indeed, and the great family of God, as if it had no head, feeing thofe pur pofes of government, which are the moft material ftould not be at all anfwered. Nay, in what fenfe at all can God be faid to be the governor of moral agents, if he hath no regard to their aftions, as good or evil ? And they are therefore, to have no refpeft at all to him, from whom, however they conduft life, they are to expeft neither love nor hatred, have nothing to hope, no thing to fear, and fo may be faid, in truth, to have nothing to do with him. And there really feemeth y3 to 326 God's moral Government. to be no medium, either we muft regard God as our moral, with whom, therefore, we have a very near, and the moft important of all conneftion ; or elfe think and aft, as if there were no God at all over us. And what is of the utmoft importance in this matter, is, that our conftitution naturally leads us to fall in with this conception of God, as our moral ruler, to whom we are always accountable. Whereas, by en tertaining conceptions of an intelligent being, who is the caufe of all things, and who hath given us the fenfe of right and wrong, and yet doth not at all regard our moral conduft, the utmoft violence is done to our natural conceptions of the order of the moral world, the mind is intirely unhinged, and is loft in confufion and diffatisfaftion. Now what nature and reafon fuggeft concerning the government of God, we find fully eftablifhed, and confirmed in the holy fcriptures, where, by exprefs revelation, we are allured, that God will judge the world in righteoufnefs, and give to every man ac cording to his works. Under the Jewift admini ftration, which was of a very peculiar kind, the fanftions of the divine law were taken from temporal things. Profperity was promifed to that people, while they were obedient to the laws of God ; and great adverfity was threatened, if they ftould be re bellious againft him. And that whole oeconomy did plainly fuppofe an extraordinary interpofition, pe culiar to the Jews. But that cifpenfation is now fu- perfeded. Our Bleffed Saviour hath introduced a re ligion fitted and defigned to be univerfal ; and all the fanftions of his laws are taken from the world to come. He hath brought life and immortality for the righteous clearly to light, and hath pointed out a ftate of puniffiment for the rebellious and impenitent. * He teacheth us, that there cometh a time, when the fervants of God, and the fubjefts of his kingdom, fhall be called to an account for their improvement •'Mat. xxv. 14. and Luke xix. 12. Of Gods moral Government. 3 27 of the talents, wherewith they have been intruded ; and that while the flothful and wicked fervant ffiall be rejected and punifhed, the dutiful, and he, who was attentive to his matter's will, and to the bufinefs alotted to him, ffiall be accepted and rewarded ; and that in proportion to the improvement he hath made, when the great judge cometh, he will call all man kind to an account. * He will feparate them accord ing to their real charafters, as a fhepherd divideth the fheep from the goats ; that the wicked ffiall go into everlafting puniffiment, and the righteous into life eternal, -f He teacheth, that they, who differ for righteoufnefs fake, fliall inherit the kingdom of heaven, and that upon this account their fufferings may be matter of real and exceeding joy to them, if And that the righteous ffiall hereafter thine as the fun, in the kingdom of their father. § He fheweth its, that they only fliall be accepted of God, who do his will ; and that all hopes, founded upon any thing elfe, is building upon the fand. The facred writers, after him, affure us of the fame things ; || That to them, who by a patient continuance in well doing, jeek after glory, and honour, and immortality, eternal life fhall be given ; and that to them, who do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteoufnefs, indignation, and wra'h, tribulation and auguijh, are in referve, to every foul of man, who doth evil, whether of Jew or Gentile, for there is no refpeft of perfons with God. ^That the wicked fhall not inherit the kingdom of God ; neither fornicators nor adulterers, nor abufers of themfelves with mankind, nor thieves nor covetous, nor extortioners, nor revilers, nor drunkards, ffiall inherit that kingdom. But that for them, who have finifhed their courfe happily there is a crown of righteoufnefs in referve, which God, the righteous judge will give to all them, who love his appearance. That ** as a man foweth, fo fhall he alfo * Mat. xxv. 31. f Mat. v. io. % Mat. xiii. 43. § See Mat. vii. 21, 29. || Rom. ii. 6. 12. % 1 Cor. vi. 9. ** Gal vi. 7. Y 4 reap: 328 Gods moral Government. reap : He, who foweth to the fpirit, fhall of the flefh reap corruption -, and he, who foweth to the fpirit, fhall of the fpirit reap life everlafting. That we ought not to be weary of well-doing ; for in due time we fhall reap, if we faint not. And as the holy fcriptures clearly point out a future date, which ftall be a date of rewards and puniffiments, fo they ufe the very dronged expreffions and the mod fignificant meta phors, to fet forth the happinefs of the righteous, and the fufferings of the wicked and finally impenitent. But as mankind are all of them chargeable with guilt and great moral imperfeftions, and all have finned and come fhort of the glory of God, fo repentance and remiffion of fins are preached in the name of Chrid to all nations ; and we know, that if the un^ righteous forfaketh his way, and turneth to the Lord-, he will have merty upon him, and abundantly pardon him * ; and that -j- there is no condemnation to them, who are in Chrift Jefus the Lord, who walk not after the flefh, but after the fpirit. We are likewife clearly informed, that not finlefs perfeftion, but fincerity, is the term of our acceptance with God. And we have all poffible encouragement to obedience, from the great and precious promifes of the affurance of God's holy fpirit, and that he will always countenance and encourage our good attempts, and give us effeftual aid. In a word, we are affured, that all, who come up to the terms of acceptance declared in the gofpel, ftall be acquitted in the great day of judgment. in all this the gofpel fpeaketh language, which mud be perfeftly agreeable and pleafing to every in genuous mind. And therein we have the anthority of God exprefsly interpofed to edablift our faith of his moral government, and to point out clearly the meafures of his adminidration, which mud to all, who are unprejudiced, appear mod worthy of his fpotiefs purity, and infinite goodnefs ; and which proceed with that regard to true worth and holinefs * If. Iv. 7. f Rom, viii. 1 . w v.; God's moral Government. 320 which is due to that, which, in the judgment of all, who can difcern, mud be the mod excellent of all things. Indeed this may be faid to be the only thing, which is excellent, in as much as nothing is truly fo, but by deriving from it. Power and underftanding, in the utmod extent, feparate from goodnefs and reftitude, mud appear great and dreadful ; but they are not lovely : it is by their being under the influ ence of goodnefs, that they become amiable. And if we feparate from any being, any charafter, righte oufnefs and goodnefs, there remaineth nothing in our idea of it, which the mind pronounceth to be excel lent. Thus I have endeavoured to explain to you the foundations of God's moral government, and ftall now make fome praftical reflections upon the fubjeft. Fird, it mud undoubtedly be matter of great joy to every well-difpofed and good mind, that righteouf nefs is condantly the objeft of principal attention to the Supreme Being ; that it will be condantly under his care and protection ; that however it may fuffer in the prefent date of imperfeftion and difcipline, yet it fhall be finally happy ; and that while we have the tedimony of confcience to our fincere endeavours to conduft life according to the law originally written upon our hearts, and the precepts given us in the word of God, dudying to correct whatfoever we know to have been amifs in us, and to cultivate every worthy and good difpofition qf foul, we ftall be the objefts of our Maker's love and complacential regard, that he will take care of our interefts, and make us for ever happy. That as the rules and meafures of his adminiftration are unalterable, and he ever will do what is right, fo in all events it will be well with the righteous. Were it not fo, and we ftould fup pofe, that the Supreme Ruler did not love righteouf nefs, and would not take care of it, in what a me lancholy light mud the univerfe appear to a virtuous mind ? What a painful reflection, that, what he can not 330 Gods moral Government. not but account the mod excellent thing in the crea tion of God, ftould be neglected ? That in the eye of the parent of the univerfe, right and wrong, good and evil, the very bed and the very word moral cha rafter, made no difference v/ith refpeft to his regard and favour. Thefe are things, which mud greatly difcourage the votaries of virtue, and make way for the prevalence of all irregular and vicious paffions. For who but mud imagine, that the planting in the heart of man a fenfe of excellency in virtue, was in tended as a mere delufion, if it is fuppofed, that the Almighty Governor, of the world maketh no account of it ? And what man would be edeemed to act a wife part, in fuffering for the fake of virtue and of confcience, in lofing his very being in that caufe ? Nay, if there is no regard in the power, who go verneth all, to right and wrong, who could form any judgment of his adminidration ? And what rule could we have for directing our expeftations from it ? On the contrary, how pleafing to think, that he, who governeth all, is perfeftly and unchangeably good and holy ; that he will ever aft the part of a friend to righteoufnefs-, that the whole of his adminidration will be regulated with an eye to it, and that his al mighty power will ever be engaged in the fupport and defence of it ? How pleafing to think, that as his eye is upon every individual, fo he will gracioufly notice and reward every good aftion ; that the leaft thing, done from good and worthy principles, ffiall not be over-looked, ftall not be forgotten ? How perfeftly in charafter did our Bleffed Saviour fpeak, T."hen he faid, * Whofoever ftoall give a. cup of cold wa ter to one of thefe little ones, in the name of a difciple, ftoall in no wife lofe his reward ? It is very comfortable to think, that by doing that, which is good, we be come the objefts of our Maker's edeem and love. This above all things gratifieth that defire of honour, which is fo natural to the human heart, and pre- * Matt. x. 42. vaileth Gods moral Government. 331 vaileth moft in the mod ingenuous minds. But to know farther, that virtue and true holinefs will be the objeft of our Maker's care, and that in all events he will provide, that it ffiall be well with the righteous, is the very' dronged encouragement to the praftice of righteoufnefs, which can be given. As on the other hand, what can fo effectually deter men from vice, as to know, that by doing that, which is evil, they fall under the difpleafure of the Supreme Being, that they fhall not go unpunifhed ; but have fuch penalties inflifted upon them, as are neceffary to ferve the pur pofes of his perfect moral adminidration. In a word, as there is, in this adminidration, the mod perfect and beautiful order, fo without it, there is nothing which could be called order, and we could have no fecurity of happinefs in exidence. For furely an indifcrimi- nating goodnefs could give us no fuch fecurity, a goodnefs exerted confidently with all the oppreffion of the virtuous, and all the malignity of the bad and vicious, and making no didinction between them. It is a drong prefumption in favour of the religion of Chrid, as a religion of divine authority, that it hath fo clearly and fully edabliffied the belief of God's moral government. What we are led to by the prin ciples of reafon and morality, is fully explained and brought home to the heart of every man by the Chriftian revelation. Hereby every man is enabled to judge, whether he is, or is not, the object of his Maker's favouf -, and whether he is to look for re ward or puniffiment, happinefs or mifery, in the world to come. And having mentioned this drong pre fumption in favour of Chriftianity, give me leave farther to obferve, that the oppofition, which hath been made to the religion of Chrift, and attempts to overthrow the authority of it, may be owing, partly at leaft, to the lufts of men, thofe irregular and im pure lulls, which cannot bear the feverity of the Chriftian difcipline, and muft be ever at enmity with the purity of the Chriftian fpirit. Where men have 1 not 3 3 ^ God's moral Government. not learned to deny themfelves, but will indulge in unlawful 'gratifications, the Chridian religion will ftand grievoufly in their way, as it prefenteth to their minds future feenes exceedingly awful, a righteous judgment to come, and fevere punilhment in referve for the wicked and impenitent. But fhould fuch per fons be able, to overthrow, in their own judgments, the authority of that religion, they are never the nearer their great purpofe of providing for the tranquillity of their minds in vicious courfes, while they have reafon to believe God's moral government of the world.. To make themfelves quite eafy, it is ne ceffary, that they ftould get the better of all the principles of natural religion, as well as of Chridianity. And this is a thing never to be done. Thefe prin ciples have fuch a foundation in reafon and nature, and in the fenfe of right and wrong, that, till this is intirely exterminated, all their attempts mud be vain. And on the other hand, no man, who believeth God's government, and can be pleafed, and think himfelf happy, under fuch an adminidration, but mud be a friend to the religion of Chrid, and with the univerfal prevalence of the true fpirit of it; And if any man, fhould be capable of rooting out of his mind all the principles of natural religion, and of exterminating the fenfe of good and evil, of right and wrong, intirely ; what a date he mud be in ? loft to all fenfe of excellency, and beauty in life ! Iod to all human enjoyment ! incapable of being edeemed or beloved ! not difpofed to confer, unworthy of re ceiving any favour ! Words cannot defcribe it. But, in the fecond place, as we do all profefs mod firmly to believe our maker's moral government, let us aft a part worthy of fuch a perfuafion. Setting God ever before us, let us endeavour, in all refpefts, to approve ourfelves to him, accounting it not only our unquedionable duty, but our highed intered to do thofe things which are pleafing, and avoiding, as the very greated evil, whatfoever is difpleafing in his fight. What Gods moral Government. 333 What can our principal bufinefs in human life be, but to do the will of God ? If this great point is not attended to, what can our labours and diligence in any other mat ters avail to the true ends and purpofes of our being ? How ridiculous, and abfurd an appearance that per fon maketh, who employeth himfelf in every thing elfe, but of his proper bufinefs is utterly negligent ! And let no man deceive us ; he ,who d,oth righteoufnefs, is righteous, even as he is righteous. Our religion, to anfwer the declared end, muft confift in that temper and courfe of life, which is an imitation of God ; it muft confift in purity, in chaftity, in the fruits of the fpirit, which are goodnefs, righteoufnefs, and truth. Thefe are the things, which make men meet for the inheritance of the faints in light. And that religion, which is dimmed up in the love of God and charity, is what faith was intended to produce ; and is the great defign of the gofpel, in which fincere Chridians with * open face beholding, as in a glafs, the glory of the Lord, are changed into the fame image, from glory to glory, even as by the fpirit of the Lord. ' And it is the mod manifed abufe of the gofpel, and of the goodnefs and mercy of God, made manifed in it, to mifreprefent it fo, that it ftall be underftood to un dermine the foundations of true morality, and of that government, under which every individual ftall be accepted or rejected, according to his real character, and ftall reap as he hath fowed. Believe it, there muft be repentance, from dead works, there muft be holinefs of heart, and life, there muft be the love of God, there muft be an intire charafter formed ; or we cannot ra tionally hope for acceptance. This is the language of nature, as well as of the holy fcriptures every where. Thirdly, for fuch as continue in a wicked courfe of life, how awful the apprehenfions, which arife from the moral government of God I They are un- quedionablv, the objefts of his difpleafure ; and this * 2 C fluence the minds of men, in order to ferve the wife purpofes of his providential government ; and what reafons there are to induce us to believe, that there is actually fuch an influence.-— That the fupreme and in-> finite Being may have an immediate and eafy accefs to the human mind, whenever he pleafes, is beyond all reafonable contradiction. As he originally formed it, he mud be thoroughly acquainted with its internal frame ; with the ftrength and extent of its faculties in each individual; with all the different ways in Which it is capable of being impreffed ; and with what variety, and degree of force, impreffions may be excited and fixed in it, confidently with the natural and regular exercife of its moral powers, and its defign and ufe in the Crea tion. And whatever his infinite wifdom knows to be poffible, whatever it fees in any fuppofeable circumdance to befit and expedient, his boundlefs and uncontrouk- ble power mud enable him to effect. There is not therefore the lead difficulty in admitting, that the firft caufe of all things can influence the minds of men ; but whether he ever will, whether he ever does, aft in this manner, thefe are the only queftions. Now 1 think there are feveral clear probabilities, to one that confiders the matter impartially, on the fide of allow ing this influence, which cannot be fo much as pre tended to by thofe who oppofe it : And, of confequencey it muft appear much more credible on the common principles of reafon, without the additional light and evidence of revelation, than the contrary fcheme. And in the firft place, that many wife purpofes may1 be ferved by fuch an influence, is in general eafy to be' particuldr Providence confidered. '351 Conceived, even by our (hallow and limited under- ftandings. " For the mind being the fpring of all hu- " man actions, whatever influences its judgments, " counfels, and determinations, muft proportionably " influence the ftate of human affairs ; and may, in " fome inftances, direct and regulate the greateft and " moft important events." By God's interpofing, in particular cafes, to moderate, and govern the views, difpofitions, and paffions of mankind, the courfe of the world may in many refpects be vaftly different from what it would otherwife have been : " Great - -fluence, with refpect tp the minds of men, is agree able to all the dictates of pure and uncorrupted reafon. And nothing can be fo fuitable to the character of God, as a Being abfolutely perfect, the Creator, go vernor, father and friend of mankind, nothing^ ex actly agrees with his concern for the happinefs of his creatures, and peculiar delight and complacency in virtue, as that fcheme ; which fuppofes him, by a gentle and gracious communication with the mind, to affid peni tent finners in reforming their evil habits ; to drength- en the refolution of the good and virtuous, and render their duty eafy and delightful ; to fupply inward ftrength for extraordinary trials, and inward fupport and comfort in fpecial exigencies ; to lay reftraints, on intemperate paffion, and divert from hurtful purpofes. " And all this may be done by fuggeding proper " thoughts to the mind in a clear and ftrong light, and *' with only that degree and force of impreffion, which *' is naturally adapted to counterbalance contrary pre- 11 judices, and excite and fix the attention."— A clear view of advantage, or of great inconvenience and mifery, of the amiabknefs and honour of one courfe, and of the fhame and infamy of another, of the improbability of fuccefs, the irreparable mifchiefs of a difappointment ; thefe things, I fay, and fuch other general principles by which the minds of men are influenced, will check the paffions, animate or divert a prefent refolution, in fpire new purpofes, alter our opinion of particular me- thodsof action which we were beforeintent upon; "And *' confequently this is the main part, if not the whole,of " that internal influence, which is neceffary to be admit- *' ted in the general courfe of God's moral providence." From whence it follows, that it may be carried on in. a way perfeftly agreeable to the make and conftitu tion of the human mind, and confident with the due and regular exercife of its inherent faculties. " Nay, " it is entirely .analogous to what we know to be the " common courfe of things, in the vifible conftitution " of particular Providence confidered. 355 " of nature ; in which it was originally intended and " provided, that mankind ftould mutually offer ar- " guments, fugged powerful and determining motives, " inform, convince, and perfuade each other ; nay, in " which it was originally provided, that fuch occur- " rences ftould frequently happen, as will, notwith- " handing our utmod reluctance and averfion to ic, " engage our attention, and almbft conftrain and force " us to reflect." And the influence of God upon the mind, in the way in which it has been above ex plained, is of the fame kind; perfuafive, ftrong, and awakening ; and whatever difference there may be fuppofed to be in the propriety of the methods of con viction, and the degree of light and evidence, yet we find, by experience, that it is fcarce ever to be dif- tinguifhed from the fuggeflions and operations of our own reafon, and that we are dill left to our own choice and determination, and confequently to the perfect ex ercife of our natural liberty. So that it does not ap pear to be in the lead inconfident with the edablifhed laws of nature, but may itfelf, for all that we are ca pable of advancing to the contrary, be one of its eftablifhed fecret laws ; and no valid objection can be made to it, from any of the fixed rules of divine go vernment, nor from any certain principles of reafon. I now proceed, (having faid enough on the firft head, viz. how far a divine influence on the minds of men may be allowed in general, and to what particular cafes extended) to (hew, In the fecond place, that this alone, exclufive of all immediate influences on neceffary caufes, and the laws eftablifhed in the material world, will conftitute a par ticular providence of vaft extent, and of great effect With relation both to private and public happinefs.— It may not only affect, in its confequences, many con fiderable inftances of happinefs here ; but extend its beneficial influence to the future world, and remain, in the pleafures and advantages refulting from it, to all eternity. — It may have a great fhare in fixing the A a 2 ftate 356 The Doctrine of a ftate of our fellow-creatures ; the, temper of whofe minds, the forming of their manners, their fuccefs* profperity, and honour, may very much depend on our refolutions and courfe of action : For the happi nefs of men is not wholly determined by their own dif pofitions and behaviour ; but fprings in a great mea fure from their fituation, and from the qualities and purfuits of thofe to whom they are moft ftriftly united, and with whom they are called to converfe. And an influence that is at firft entirely perfonal, and where the fubjeft of it, too, is of an obfcure charafter, may not only expand and dilate itfelf to great multitudes; but fettle, at lad, after feveral intermediate events impoffible to be traced, in flagrant and grand events, that are of the higheft concern and importance to whole focieties.— Add to all this, that impreffions made on feveral different minds, at one juncture, may pro duce effects neither intended nor forefeen by either of the immediate agents ; but, at the fame time, effefts that are critical, and, in the utmoft degree, momentous and ufeful. And all may be owing to their being in troduced at proper feafons, and uniting their influence ; and if the interpofition had failed but in one of thefe inftances, the whole defign might have been rendered abortive. A proper and feafonable addrefs to the minds of princes, efpecially, and fuch as have the con~ duct of public affairs, may decide the fate of nations, and eftabliffi liberty or flavery. Such an influence, and at a certain period too, may promote a fecure and lafting tranquility ; and the want of it introduce the defolations and horrors of war : which may be fuc ceeded by a gradual declenfion, and at length by the utter deftructiou of the moft flourifhing dates and e m • pires.— And all thefe things put together, (which may be occafioned by the communication of God with the mind of man, exclufive of all influence on the mere material world) mudcbnditute a particular providence of very wide and diffufive concern ; fince (as was at firft propofed to be ffiewn) it may reach to the princi pal particular Providence -confidered. 3 rj pal affairs of the prefent life, as well as extend itfelf to an eternal duration. To conclude : The doftrine of the text, as it has been particularly and largely illudrated in this and the foregoing difcourfe, is an undeniable reafon for the mod folemn and condant reverence of the Supreme Being, on whom we abfolutely depend. It teaches us, likewife, that our only fecurity lies in his pro tection, and in being the objefts of his gracious re gard : for, otherwife, by innumerable cafualties, againd which we cannot defend ourfelves, he can fruitrate all our fchemes, and blaft all our pleafures. We learn, that the preparation of the heart in man, and the anfwer of the tongue, is of the Lord ; that even the king's heart is in the hand of the Lord, and as the rivers of water he turneth it, which way foever he pleafe th ; that the Lord increafeth the nations, and deftroyeth them, he inlargeth the nations, and ftraitneth them again ; that he doth according to his will in heaven, and in the earth, in the feas, and in all deep places ; in whofe hand our breath is, and whofe are all our ways.— So that in all circumdances, whether profperous or ad verfe, we fhould acknowledge the wife appointment of the great inviftble difpofer of events ; and, confequently, be thankful to him for every indance of profperity, and patient and humble under afflictive vifitations. If we thus difcharge the proper duties, of every date and condition of life, and are diligently imployed in the praftice of univerfal virtue, we may not only rejoice in the general notion of God's over -ruling providence, but in the comfortable profpeft of its fpecial direction and favour ; and may each of us fay, in the fublime and triumphant language of the prophet Habakkuk— Although the fig-tree fhall not bloffom, neither fhall fruit be in the vines, the labour of the olive floall fail, and the fields fhall yield no meat, the flock fhall be cut off from the fold, and there ffiall be no herd in theftalls, [i.e. tho' there be the utmoft diftrefs, confufion, anddefolationinnatute.] yet I will rejoice in the Lord, / will joy in the God of my . falvation. D I S- [ 35*" ] DISCOURSE XVI, The true Ground of the Argument, from Reafon, ibr a future State. [Foster. ] Eccles. ix. 2. All things come alike to all, There is one event to the righteous and to the wicked ; to the good and to the clean, and to the unclean ; to him that facrificeth, and to him that facrificeth not : As is the good, Jo is the jinner ; and he that jweareth, as he that feareth an oath. THIS obfervation of Solomon is the ground of one of the ftrongeft arguments, that the light of nature fuggeds, for a future date ; in which there will be a more remarkable didinftion made betwixt good and bad men, than the fettled conftitution of things, and the general laws of nature, which take place in the prefent fcene of our exidence, will poffibly admit of; and a more adequate and im partial didribution of rewards and puniffiments. The force of this argument has been almod univerfally ad mitted, as having its foundation in fenfe and expe rience : and it muft be allowed, I think, to carry with it the utmod ffiew of probability, as long as it is fuppofed— — that there is in nature an eternal dif ference The Ground of the Argument, &c. 3 59 ference between virtue and vice ; that mankind are fubjeft to a moral government ; and that the fupreme being, to whom they are accountable, is unchange ably wife, righteous, and good. But we are too apt to deftroy, in a great meafure, the weight of our own arguments, by pufhing mat ters to an extreme. We attend only to the fingle point which we have immediately in our view, without confidering that truth is a connected and uniform fcheme, and, in all the parts of it, perfeftly corref- pondent and harmonious that arguments which contradict, mud of neceffity deftroy, each other And that we cannot take a more fure and effeftual method to demolifh that very fabrick, which we are mod fond of raiting, than by building on inconfiftent principles. And, if I miftake not, fomething of this inconfiftency too plainly appears in the reafonings of mankind, concerning the natural rewards of virtue, and puniffiments of vice, in this life, when thefe rea fonings are applied to different purpofes : By which means, jud as much as they gain in one argument, they lofe in another, perhaps, equally important; and either the ¦caufe of virtue itfelf is injudicioufly expofed, or, elfe, the natural evidences of a future ftate of retribution ate obfcured and diminifhed. Thus we find, that if the point to be proved be the immutable diftinction between moral good and evil ; if the profeffed defign be to evince and difplay the eflen- tial and intrinfic excellency of the former, andmalig- nity of the latter ; then the reafoner is apt to expatiate, without a fufficient guard, on the prefent rewards of moral reftitude, and punifhments of fin and impiety, as if both the one and the other were, in -moft in ftances at leaft, real, conftant, unavoidable. " A *' proper diftinftion is not made between the tendency " of virtue, and the actual confequences oi virtue."' Thefe are confufedly mixed and blended together, as if they were precifely the fame idea. Virtue is incau- tioufly reprefented as if it was, in fact, its own re- A a 4 ward j 360 The Ground of the ward ; and vice as if it was, in fact, its own punift ment. And by thus exaggerating the pleafures of the one, and the miferies attending the other, beyond truth, and, in a variety of caufes, againft experience; by defcribing what only would be the natural refult of both, if many unavoidable accidents did not intervene, as their certain and neceffary effects ; and by fuppofing, moreover, that the Providence of God frequently, and .even-in common cafes, interpofes in an invifible but ex traordinary manner, to protect, fupport, and favour the upright, and, on the contrary, to bring cala mities anddifgraces upon the workers of iniquity: by fuch midakes, I fay, and confus'd reprefentations as thefe, the true condition of human life is confider- ably difguifed ; it has few marks left of its being an initiatory fcene, a date of probation and difcipline, and much more of the appearance of a date of recom pence, and compleat fcheme of moral government.—- *' For the more clearly we can trace rewards and pu-^ ^'.niftments actually annexed to virtue and vice here, " it will probably be imagined, thatthereis, \npro- " portion, the lefs ground to expeft the diftribution " of them hereafter." Or if this ftould be thought, by the more confiderate part of mankind, not to con clude abfolutely (as indeed in reafon it could not) againft a future ftate of more equal and full retribution, the proofs of this important doftrine would, however, be more perplexed and intricate ; fcepticks and infidels might take occafion, from hence, to grow more licenr tious and infolent ; and weak minds would be the more eafily bewildered, and loft in a maze of uncer tainty. But there is- another error, the oppofite extreme to what I have now been fpeaking of, which is much , more common ; *' and that is aggravating the miferies *' of good men, and defcribing the circumftances of " virtue and piety as quite difconfolate and forlorn in " ftis life, in order to ftew, in a ftronger light, the fS neceffity there is of fuppofing it introductory to ano-r «c the*.'* Argument for a future State. 361 " ther." And this, tho' a grofs miftake, and, as I ftall hereafter demonftrate, of vaftly injurious confe quence, is founded, among other falfe grounds, on fome perverted paffages of fcripture ; and particularly on the affertion of Solomon in the text, that all things come alike to all ; and that there is one event to the righteous, and to the wicked. Solomon's premifes, from whence this conclufion is drawn, are undeniably right ; but the inference itfelf has no manner of relation to them, and is intirely wild and unnatural. For this great and wife writer was only difcourfing of thofe external events that happen, according to eftablift'd and hitherto unvaried laws, in the ordinary courfe of nature and providence. He intended nothing more, than that the fovereign ruler of the world did not, in general, think it fit to interpofe miraculoufly, in order to prevent that promifcuous diftribution of good and evil, which, in various cafes, muft fpring inevitably from the original conditution and frame of the uni verfe. And as to what are the natural and probable confequences of virtue and vice, together with the in fluence which they feverally have on the happinefs or mifery of the Human race, thefe are points to' which he could have no view at all, becaufe they are abfo lutely remote from the defign and feope of his whole argument : Which was only to prove, that there is no way of knowing, certainly, good or evil by any thing that is before us ; becaufe fuch is the difpofition of things, in this probationary date, that the fame events happen indifcriminately, from fixed and neceffary laws of nature ; and may be brought about by different, nay by quite oppofite caufes ; and the very fame na tural good and evil, which are oftentimes occafioned by moral good and evil, mud frequently alfo, with refpeft to us, be accidental and entirely unavoidable. How fond foever therefore men may be, to fupport a favorite fcheme, of engaging Solomon on their fide, they can never, with the lead colour of plaufibility, ftr^jn the words of the text fo far, as to make them I fpeak 362 The Ground of ifoe {peak this fenfe " that the pleafures of virtue arid " vice are equal; and that, if we exclude the confi- '*' deration of futurity, the pious man has no advan- " tage above the profane, nor the benevolent man " above the malicious and cruel, nor he who carefully " governs his temper, and enjoys the bleffing of cool " and regular paffions, above the diffolute anduncon- *' trouled libertine." This, indeed, itfelf is going a prodigious length ; it is, to the common realbh of mankind, an unaccountable drain of extravagancey becaufe it afferts that to be the plan and defign of pro vidence, and the prefent real ftate of Human nature, which not only contradicts univerfal experience, ' but is in itfelf abfolutely impoffible. For as virtue and vice are, and muft be, an eternal oppofition to each other ; and confequently as the pleafures, which im mediately flow from fuch inconfiftent and repugnant principles, muft of neceffity be not only of a diftinft, but of a contrary, kind : from hence it certainly fol lows, that if the one deferve to be purfued, the other ought for the fame reafon to be ftounned and neglected; if the one be noble and excellent, the other muft be bafe and defpi cable. " The fame kind of external " advantages may indeed, in fome inftances, happen " to be procured both by a ftriftly moral, and by an " irregular and unfair, praftice ; but to imagine that " there can, upon the whole, be an exact equality be- " tween the pleafures and benefits arifing from both " of thefe, is to fuppofe this moft flagrant abfurdity, " that the effects may, in every tircumflance and every1 " degree, be the fame, where the caufes are not only " quite different, but have a direft and irreconcileable " contrariety in their very nature." So that if we attempt to eitablifh a fundamental article of religion on fuch vifion ary and romantick fancies, on principles like this, which confutes and deftroys itfelf, we fave the infidel the trouble, of undermining religion by his own art a.nd fophiftry, by doing the work to his hands ; Argument for a future State. 363 hands ; becaufe, as we build without a foundation, the fuperftructure mud link and fall of courfe. " Others, therefore, being fenfible perhaps of this " error, and yet fearing that the yielding the argu- ct ment, in point of natural happinefs to the caufe of " virtue, will invalidate their reafonings for a future " date of retribution, have avoided the inconfiftency, V but by increafing the abfurdity" By affertingj that if the term of man's exidence is confined to the prefent life, the virtuous are in general, and excepting only a few fingular and eminent cafes, of all perfons the moft unhappy. — " A ftrange pofition ; that, one " would think, none who had ever known what it " was to gratify an irregular appetite on the one hand, " or who had tafted the refined and fubftantial plea- -*' fures of virtue on the other, could be capable of ad- " vancing and defending ;" and which a general con fideration of the fubjeft, without entering minutely into the difcuffionof particulars, will be fully fufficient to expofe. For if it be true, that moral and religious men, con fidered without the hope and expectation of futurity, are more miferable than the immoral and impious, and that not only merely in fome extraordinary cafes, but in the common and regular courfe of human life ; if this, I fay, be true, (which every one, for the honour of his nature, mud at lead wifh to be falfe) it can only be on fuch principles, as will render thofe, who are devoted to the purfuit of virtue, more miferable than even the brutes themfelves : I fay than the brutes themfelves, becaufe no other principles can poffibly judify fo drange an affertion, but thofe which follow — " That fenfual exceffes, if there be no life hereafter, " yield a more folid and manly happinefs, than fub- " mating to the redraints of reafon and religion; that " a fecret and fuccefsful fraud is the fource of truer " pleafure than a drift adherence to the rules of equity "and honour ; and a mean degenerate felfifhnefs than, fl generofity and univerfal benevolence.— — And if this again 364 The Ground of the " again be true, it undeniably follows, that' the plea- *' fures of fenfe, upon the fuppofition that there is no *' other life, mud be preferable to intellectual and mo- " ral enjoyments ; thofe of the inferior, and lefs nobk, " to thofe of the more excellent and fublime part in our *' compofition. And if fo, fenfitive gratifications " mud bC always preferable to thofe of a moral nature. " For if a life of reafon and virtue, to eternity, be more " eligible than a lite of fenfe, it mud be fo, in itfelf, " in every part and period of our duration ; and, on "• the contrary, if a fenfitive happinefs be, in itfelf, or *' excepting a few rare and extraordinary indances, " more valuable than a rational and moral happinefs in *' any part of duration, it mud, of neceffity, be fo in " every part of duration, i. e. to all eternity : And *' the man ought for ever to be degraded, that the brute *'- may be exalted." Befides, this injurious reprefentation of human life not only involves in it all thefe abfurdities, confidered as a fpeculative error, but is attended with moft per- nieiSus confequences : Of which, as a fufficient fpe- cimen to ffiock a ferious and confiderate mind, I need only mention thefe three. That it weakens the principal argument, by which we can pretend to prove, folidly, the difference of moral good and evil ; which argument is, " the natural tendency of the former, at "all times, to happinefs, and of the latter to mifery." That it gives an unbounded fcope to immorality and vice, where men are fo unhappy as not to believe another date of exidence hereafter- And, finally, that it leffens even the argument for a future date, which it is intended to illuftrate and difplay in a ftrong- er light ; and, for the fake of which, it fo degrades and vilifies the prefent circumftances of human nature, and defcribes virtue itfelf as little better than a capri cious and arbitrary conftitution, and an empty name. " For it is, principally, from what we know of the " nature of things in this life, that we can draw juft ,c conclufions with reference to their defign upon the *' whole. Becaufe virtue, in what we fee of it here, " aooears Argument for a future State. 365 ". appears to have a tendency to happinefs, we fairly pre- " fume that it was originally defigned for happinefs." And as this defign fails of being executed, . very re markably in fome inftances, and to a confiderable de gree in all, by many unavoidable events, againft which we are unable to guard in the fituation wherein weare now placed ; we are led to expect, upon tlie beft grounds of probability, that it will be compleated here after. " But if we had no proof, from our experi- t.i ence and obfervation on facts, that virtue was ap- ti pointed to be the fource of human happinefs, or, *' which amounts to much the fame, that the ideas of *' virtue and happinefs, have in. nature, a connexion *' with each other ; we ffiould have much lefs reafon *' to hope, than we have at prefent, that the maker **, of the world intended it for happinefs in any fcene li of our exiftence. And if it was from itfelf, and " from the original laws of the whole conftitution, " more miferable than vice here ; I can fee no clear " medium by which to demonftrate, that it would not " be miferable for ever." Thus have I ffiewn how the account of the reward of virtue in this life has been aggravated, in order to demoftrate its intrinfic excellence, and how far it has been diminiftoed, together with the prefent puniffiment of vice, to heighten the natural evidences of a future retribution. And now there only remain two things more, that are neceffary to be infifted on, to finifh what. I intend upon this fubjeft, and remove all the material difficulties relating to it. The firft is, to en quire what is the true ftate of the cafe, in oppofition to both the extremes above-mentioned ; and then to fhew, fecondly, that as this affords, on the one hand, convincing evidence of the effential difference 'of moral good and evil, by means of the fanctions annexed to them at prefent ;. it alfo leaves the ftrongeft and moft cogent probabilities of a future more exaft and im partial recompence. The true ftate of the argument, with refpeft to the natural rewards and puniffiments of virtue and vice, in 366 The Ground of the in this life, will, I believe, be comprehended under' the following heads. Firft, that virtue, in general, tends to the "happinefs, and vice to the mifery, of man kind. Secondly, that the happinefs arifing from virtue is of a nobler kind, and more durable in its nature, than any that can fpring from ungoverned exceffes. If felf-complacency, and felf-applaufe, be principal ingredients in the happinefs of every intelligent and re flecting being, virtue muft tend to happinefs ; and if felf-condemnation, felf-abhorrence, inward diforder, remorfe, and fhame, are the neceffary fprings of infeli city to the human mind, vice muft tend to mifery. And the happinefs of the former muft, in itfelf, be a'S much more excellent than that of the latter, as reafon is fuperior toffenfe, and animal inftinct . From whence it plainly follows, in the third place, that fo far as the natural confequences of virtue and vice are permitted actually to take place, the ballance of happinefs will un deniably lie on the fide of virtue So far, I mean, as it reful rs properly and folely from thefe two different methods of conduft, and is abftratted from all extra neous and foreign confiderations. To this, therefore, I may add, by way of corollary, " that if we fuppofe " the outward advantages of health, fortune, and the " like, to be exaftly equal, the pleafures of the good " man, even here, may juftly upon the whole claim " the preheminence" Befides all this, virtue is unde niably neceffary to the good of mankind in general confidered as a community, a fyftem of creatures linked together by fecial affeftions and one univerfal intereft; and, confequently, it muft tend to advance the hap pinefs of every individual in his focial charafter ; which is a very confiderable, and indeed the chief, part of the prefent happinefs of man. So that, in the fifth and laft place, we may fairly lay down this as the dim and refult of the whole, that if there were no future life it would ftill, in the common and regular courfe of things, be the intereft of all mankind to be virtu ous. And even in extreme exigencies, the cafe is not fo much altered as may be generally imagined. For if Argument for a future State. 3 67 if a man fecures his eftate, or preferves his life, by finful and cowardly compliances, the fhame of having ' acted with fo much meannefs and diftoonour may, to an ingenuous mind be more intolerable than tortures or death. " There may be fuch bitter and dinging re- " morfe, where there is no fear of punifhment, arifing "from a reflection on the bafenefs of aftions in them- " felves, as may render even an infidel fubdantially and " exceffively miferable." And in this cafe I will ven ture to pronounce, that it would have been his happi nefs to be inflexibly honed, tho' reproach, poverty, and even the lofs of life, were the certain and unavoidable confequence. And as the fhort and general account, which has now been given, proves, beyond all reafonable ex ception, that there is an eternal and immutable fitnefs in virtue, and malignity in vice-, fo, which is the next thing to be confidered, it leaves the dronged proba bility, that can fairly be defired, of this great and important truth, that notwithdanding the rewards and puniftment of moral good and evil that are interwo ven, as it were, with the univerfal conditution of na ture, there yet remains a future date of more adequate and unexceptionable retribution. For, in the firft place, the evils and miferies to which all good men are expofed, from the common frailty of human nature and general imperfeftion of the world, arq fufficiently numerous to prevent their being compkatly happy -, notwithdanding it be allowed, that the pleafures refulting from integrity are vadly fuperior to thofe falfe and polluted joys, which are de rived from vice and fenfuality. Secondly, As virtue in this life can never of itfelf conditute perfect happinefs, fo there are cafes fuppo- fable of intenfe pain and fuffering, in which it can hardly be imagined to render exiftence here below, upon the whole, eligible; or, if barely eligible, no mark of the divine delight and complacency in virtue ; nor what would be thought, by any one, a fuitable reward 368 The Ground of the reward ofit. Should it be here faid, that, in the moft melancholy and deplorable circumftances that can be imagined, virtue will always make a man more happy± or rather lefs miferable, than its contrary : I anfwer, that this alone is not fufficient ; " but it muft render " him more happy, if no other recompence be in- " tended, than vice is or ever will be in any poffible " circumftances." For if vice be, at airy time, more happy than virtue, the conclufion, upon comparing the two cafes together, whatever they are, can be no other than this, " that virtue is puniffied, and vice re- " warded." Add to this, thirdly, that the natural good and evil confequences of virtue and vice are frequently ob- ftructed, or evaded, in all which inftances there is, pro perly fpeaking, no reward or puniffiment at all ; and that they are neither fo remarkable in themfelves, norfo univerfal, nor fo certain in the prefent life, as may rea fonably be expected -will fupport a firm and fteady in^ tegrity under difcouragements and oppreffions, or counter-ballance the ftrong allurements of worldly honour and pleafure : And further, that there is a great variety of cafes, in which the calamities of good men are notorious, but the reward of their virtue is not feen ; and in which the outward advantages, which wicked men enjoy, are confpicuous and exceedingly remarkable, while the puniffiment of their vices is en tirely concealed and hid from public obfervation. And, in every cafe of this kind, the man of virtue will be fo far from being didinguifted by his fuperior hap pinefs, that he will rather appear to be the miferable man. And confequently one great end of rewards and puniftments, if there be no future life, is entirely frudrated, which is this; to make fuch a didinftion between all indances of virtue and vice, as fhall en force the former, and difcourage and redrain the lat ter -, as ftall excite to the one, and deter from the other, in every kind and in every degree. In Argument for a future State. 36$ In the laft place, notwithftanding the provifion of leffer rewards and puniffiments in this life, yet if they are not continued, and difpenfed more regularly and equitably in a future date, " the moft virtuous of man- " kind will often be the leaft rewarded, and the moft " vicious the leaft punifhed." I rank thofe among the moft virtuous, who have taken mod pains, and differed the greatelt inconveniencies, for the advance ment of religion, and the good of their fellow-crea tures ; thofe who bravely fuffer and die in defence of virtue and liberty ; and thofe among the moft vicious^ who have fo effectually dupified their natural con fcience of good and evil, as to be abandoned of all fhame and remorfe. The laft of thefe, it is plain, avoid the word and mod dreadful puniftment of their vices here, by being hardened and infenfible ; and are much lefs miferable, if there be no futurity, than finners of the very loweft degree of guilt, who are fubjeft to the anxious horrors of an alarmed and trou bled confcience. And, on the other hand, the gene rous fufferer for truth, and for the welfare of man kind, is lefs rewarded, upon the whole, than another of common and far inferior virtue, who has not been expofed to fuch rigorous and fevere trials. — And is not this a demonftration, that there mud be another life to rectify fuch prodigious inequalities as thefe ? Does not this certainly follow from admitting the ex idence and perfeftions of God, and his righteous go vernment of the moral world ? Is there any medium between the denial of this principle and downright atheifm? I think' indeed there cannot be : And, more- Over, that if it be fit to reward virtue, and punifh vice, in any particular, it muft be fit to do it, pro- portionably, in every particular ; and that therefore the reafoning here made ufe of plainly and ftrongly enforces a future ftate not only of ' ftrict and impartial retribution fo far as it goes, but of univerfal retribu tion. This feems to be moft confiftent with the ideas Vol. I. B b of 370 The Ground, &c. of fupreme wifdom and goodnefs, and with the com mon principles of equity. To conclude ; the notion of a Deity, without a Providence, is utterly infufficient as to all purpofes of religion and morality ; a Providence, with refpeft to mankind, is nothing, without government ; nor go* vernment without laws ; nor laws without univerfal, certain, and vifible functions, adapted to the entire cafe, i. e. to the capacities, fituations, difficulties, and weakneffes of the fubjefts, their reluctance to obedience, their inward, whether natural or acquired, biaffes, and their external temptations to deviate from the rule of government: Nothing of which is here adequately provided for. The prefent is, upon the whole, a promifcous fcene of irregular and confufed appearance ; with very indiftinct and imperfect traces of ditlributive juftice : It can, therefore, be reafonably confidered in no other light, than as the beginning of the firft ftep towards a more perfeft rational exidence, the intro duction and path to immortality. Otherwife, how little, by his vadly precarious tenure of life, is man advanced above the flowers of a day, and the infects and animals of a few months or years growth, and al ternate viciffitudes of pleafure and pain ! What a trifle is his dignity of nature ! How diminutive his impor tance and rank in the creation ? DIS- [ 371 ] DISCOURSE XVII. The Evidences of Chriftianity briefly ftated, and the New Teftament proved to be genuine. [Doddridge.] 2 Pet. i. 16. — We have not followed cunningly devifed fables.--* IT is undoubtedly a glory to our age and country, that the nature of moral virtue has been fo clearly ftated, and the praftice ofit fo ftrongly inforced, by the views of its native beauty, and be neficial confequences, both to private perfons, and focieties. Perhaps in this refpeft, hardly any nation or time has equally, certainly few, if any, have ex ceeded our own. Yet I fear I might add, there have been few ages or countries, where vice has more o-e- nerally triumphed, in its moft audacious, and, in other refpefts, mod odious forms. This may well appear a furprifing cafe; and it will furely be worth our while to enquire into the caufes of fo drange a circumdance. I cannot now enter into a particular detail of them. But I am per fuaded, none is more confiderable than that unhappy difregard, either to the gofpel in general, or to its moft B b 2 peculiar 372 The Evidences of Chrifiianity peculiar and effential truths, which is fo vifible amongft us, and which appears to be continually growing. It is plain, that like fome of old, who thought and profeffed themfelves the wifeft of mankind, or in other words, the freeft thinkers of their age, multitudes among us have not liked to retain God and his truths in their knowledge : And it is therefore the lefs to be wondered at, if God has given them up to a reprobate mind (a) ; to the moft infamous lucfts, and enormities; and to a depth of a degeneracy, which, while it is in part the natural confequence, is in part alfo the juft, but dreadful puniftment of their apoftacy from the faith. And I am perfuaded, that thofe who do in deed with well to the caufe of public virtue, as every true Chriftian mod certainly does, cannot ferve it more effectually, than by endeavouring to eftablifh men in the belief of the gofpel in general, and to affeft their hearts with its mod didinguifhing truths. The latter of thefe is our frequent employment ; tine former I ftall now, by the divine affiftance, ap ply myfelf to ; and I have chofen the words before us, as a proper introduction to fuch a defign. They do indeed peculiarly refer to the coming of cur Lord, which the apodle reprefents as atteded by that glory, of which he was an eye-witnefs on the mount cf transfiguration, and by that voice from heaven which lie heard there : But the truth of thefe facts is evi dently connected with that of the gofpel in general. I am perfuaded therefore, you will think they are pro perly prefixed to a difcourfe on the general evidences of Chriftianity. And I hope, by the divine affiftance, to propofe them at this time in fuch a manner, as ffiall convince you, that the apoftles had reafon to fay, and that we alfo have reafon to repeat it, We have not fol lowed cunningly devifed fables (b). I have often touched on this fubjeft occafionally ; but I think it my duty at prefent to infid fomething more largely upon it. You eafily apprehend, that it (e) Rom. i. 28. (b) 2 Pet. i. 16, 17, 18. is briefly ftated, &c. 373 is a matter of the highed importance, being indeed no other than the great foundation of all our eternal hopes. While fo many are daily attempting to deftroy this foundation, it is poffible, that thofe of you efpe cially, who are but entering on the world, may be called out to give a reafon of the hope that is in you (c). I would therefore, with the apoftle, be concerned, that you may -be ready to do it. It may fortify you againft the artifices, by which the unwary are often deceived and enfnared, and may poffibly enable you to put to filence their foolifhnefs (d). At leaft it will be for the fatisfaftion of your own minds, to have confidered the matter ferioufly, and to be confcious to yourfelves, that you are not Chriftians merely by education, or example, (as had you been born elfewhere) you might have been Pagans or Mahometans ; but that you are fo upon rational evidence, and becaufe (as the facred hif- torian expreffes it, J you knovo the certainty , of thofe things in which you have been inftructed. (e). To open and vindicate the proof of Chriftianity in all its extent, would be the employment of many difcourfes ; nor would it, on the whole, be proper to attempt it here. All that I now intend here is, to give you a fummary view of the moft confiderable arguments, in that which feems to me their moft pro per and natural conneftion ; that fo you may be able to judge of them better, than you could poffibly do by a few fcattered remarks, or by the moft copious enlarge ment on any fingle branch of them alone. I ffiall en deavour to difpofe thefe hints fo, as that they may be fome guide to thofe, whofe leifure and abilities may lead them to a more ample and curious enquiry; that they may not be intangled in fo complex an ar gument, but may proceed in an orderly manner. And if any of you, my friends, defire a more parti cular information on any of thofe heads, which I now but briefly digged, you may depend upon it, that faithful minifters of every denomination will think (c) 1 Pet. iii. 15. (d) 1 Pet. ii. 15. fe) Luke i. 4. D u - it 374 The Evidences of Chriftianity it an important part of their duty, to give you all the private affiftance they can. It is my hearty prayer, that God would enable me to plead his caufe with fuccefs ; that he would open your underdandings to receive thefe things, and drengthen your memories to retain theni ; that you may not be like children, toffed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the fleight of men, and the cunning craftinefs, whereby they lie in wait to deceive (f) ; but may be ftrong in faith, giving glory to God (g); th?t, your faith being more and more edabliflied, it may appear, that the tree is watered at the roots; and all your other graces may grow and flourifh, in an equal pro portion. But before I proceed, I mud defire you to obferve, that there is no proof in the world fo fatisfaftory to the true Chriftian, as to have felt the transforming power of the gofpel on his own foul. As that illiterate man whofe eyes were miraculoufly opened by Chrift, when he was quedioned by the Jewifto Sanhedrim, who endeavoured with all their Sophiftry to prove Chrift an impoftor, anfwered with great fleadinefs and con- dancy, and with a great deal of reafon too, This rat? thing I know, that whereas I was blind, now I fee (h) : So the mod unlearned of the difciples of Jefus, hav ing found his foul enlightned and fanftified, and felt his heart fo effectually wrought upon, as to bring him home to his duty, his God, and his happinefs, by the condraining power of the gofpel, will defpife a thoufand fubtle objeftions which may be urged againft it : And though the crofs of Chrift be to the Jews a fiumbling-block, and to the Greeks foolifhnefs, yet with this experience of its faving energy, he will honour it in the midft of all their contempt and ridicule, as the power of God, andthe wifdom op God (i). In this fenfe, though the miraculous communication of the fpirit be ceafed, he that believes, hath ftill the witnefs (f) Eph. iv. 14. fg) Rom. iv. 20.. (b) John ix. 25. ft) l Cor.i, 23, 24, in briefly ftated, &cf 375 in himfelf (k) ; and while the fpirit beareth witnefs with his fpirit, that he is a child of God (I), he cannot doubt, but that the word, by which he was, as it were, begotten unto him, is indeed a divine and incorruptible feed (m). And perhaps, there are certain feafons of prefling temptation, in which the moft learned, as well as the mod: illiterate Chriftian, will find this the fured an chor of his hope. Neverthelefs, it mud be acknowledged, that this glorious kind of evidence, is like the white ftone, men tioned in the Revelation, in which there was a new name written, which no man knew, but he who received it (n). God has therefore made other provifion for the honour and fupport of his gofpel, by furnifhing it with a variety of proof , which may with undiminifhed, and indeed with growing conviction, be communi cated from one to another. And we ffiould be greatly wanting in gratitude to him, in zeal for a redeemer's kingdom, and in charitable concern for the conver- fion of thofe who reject the gofpel, as well as for the edification of thofe who embrace it, ftould we wholly overlook thefe arguments, or negleft to acquaint our felves with them. This is the evidence, which I am now to propofe ; and I defire you would hear it with. a becoming attention. I fpeak to you, as to ra tional creatures ; judge ye of the reafonablenefs of what I ffiall fay. In profecution of this great defign, I ffiall endea vour more particularly to ffiew you, ---that if we take the matter on a general furvey, it will appear highly probable, that fuch a fcheme of doctrines and precepts, as we find Chriftianity to be, ffiould indeed have been a divine revelation ;-— and then, that if we examine into the external evidence of it, we ffiall find it certain in fact, that it was fo, and that it had its original' from above. (k) i John v. 10. (I) Rom. viii. 16, (m) Jam. i. iff. l Pet. i. 23. (n) Rev. ii. 17. B b 4 Firft t 376 The Evidences of Chriftianity Firft, let me ffiew, " that taking the matter merely " in theory, it will appear highly probable, that fuch a " fydem as the gofpel ffiould be indeed a divine reve- «' lation" To evince this, I would more particularly prove, — that the ftate of mankind was fuch, as greatly to need a revelation ;— that there feems, from the light of na ture, encouragement to hope that God ffiould grant one ; —that it is reafonable to believe, if any were made, it fhould be fo introduced and tranfmitted,- as we are told Chriftianity was ; and that its general nature and fubftance ffiould be fuch, as we find that of the gofpel'is. If thefe particulars are made out, here will be a ftrong prefumptive evidence, that the gofpel is from God ; and we ffiall have opened a fair way toward that more di rect proof, which I principally intend. 1. " The cafe of mankind is naturally fuch, as *' greatly 'to need a divine revelation." I fpeak not here of man in his original ftate ; though even then, as many have largely lhewn, fome in ftruftion from above feemed neceffary to inform him of many particulars, which it was highly expedient that he fhould immediately know : But I fpeak of him in the degenerate condition in which he now fo evidently lies, by whatever means he was brought into it. It is an eafy thing to make florid enco miums on the perfeftion of natural light, and to de ceive unwary readers with an ambiguous term *, (which ftall fometimes fignify all that appears even to.the divine underdanding, and fometimes no more than the meaned of the human race may, or than * This Dr. Tyndd has done in, fo grofs and palpable a manner, that it is furprifmg that fallacy alone ihould not have expofed his Chriftianity as ajd as the tseaticr., to the immediate contempt t>f every intelligent reader, they briefij-ftated, &c. 3/y they actually do attain ;)xhut let fact fpeak, and the controverfy will foon be determined. I appeal to all, that are acquainted with the, records of antiquity, or that have any knowledge of the mod credible ac counts of the prefent ftate of thofe countries where Chriftianity is unknown, whether it is not too obvious a truth, that the whole Heathen world has lain, and ftill lies in wickednefs (o). Have not incomparably the greater part of them been perpetually bewildered in their religious notions and praftices, vadly dif fering from each other, and almod equally differing on all.fides from the probable appearances of truth and reafon ? Is any thing fo wild as not to have been be lieved, any thing fo infamous as not to have been prattifed by them, while they have not only pretended to juftify it by reafon, but have confecrated it as a part of their religion ? To this very day, what are the difcoveries of new nations in the American or Afri can world, but generally fpeaking, the opening of new fcenes of enormity ? Rapine, lud, cruelty, hu man facrifices, and the mod dupid idolatries, are, and for ought I can find, always have been, the mora lity and religion of almod all the Pagan nations under heaven : And to fay, that there have dill been fome fmothered fparks of reafon within, which,, if cherifhed, might have led them to truth and happinefs, is only faying, that they have been fo much the more crimi nal, and therefore fo much the more miferable. But you live at home, and hear thefe things only by uncertain report. Look then around you within the fphere of your own obfervation, and fee the tem per and charafter of the generality of thofe, who have been educated in a Chriftian, and even in a pro teftant country. Obferve their ignorance and forget- fulnefs of the divine Being, their impieties, their de baucheries, their fraud, their oppreffion, their pride, their avarice, their ambition, their unnatural infenfi- bility of the wants and forrows and intereds of each (o) i John v. 19. other; 37^ The Evidences of Chriftianity other ; and when you fee how bad they generally are in the midd of fo many advantages, judge by that of the probable ftate of thofe that want them. Judge upon thefe views, whether a revelation be an unneceffary thing. 2. " There is, from the light of nature, confi derable encouragement to hope, that God would fa vour his creatures withy^ needful a bleffing as a reve lation appears." aa That a revelation is in itfelf a poffible thing, is evi dent beyond all ftadow of a doubt. Shall not he that made man's mouth (p), who has given us this wonder ful faculty of difcovering our fentiments, and com municating our ideas to each other, ftall not he be able to converfe with his rational creatures, and by fenfible manifedations, or by inward impreffions, to convey the knowledge of things, which lie beyond the ken of their natural faculties, and yet may be highly conducive to their advantage ? To own a God, and to deny him fuch a power, would be a notorious contradiction. — But it may appear much more du bious, whether he will pleafe to confer fuch a favour on finful creatures. Now I acknowledge, that we could not certainly conclude he would ever do it ; confidering on the one hand, how judly they dood expofed to his final dif pleafure ; and on the other, what provifion he had made by the frame of the human mind, and of na ture around us, for giving us fuch notices of himfelf, as would leave us inexcufable, if we either failed to know him, or lo glorify him as God ; as the apodle argues at large (q). Neverthelefs methinks, we ftould have had fomething of this kind to hope,, from con fidering God as the indulgent father of his creatures ; from obferving the tender care which he takes of us, and the liberal fupply which he grants for the fupport (p) Exod. iv. ii. (%) Rom. i. 20, & feq. of briefly ftated, &c. 379 of the animal life ; efpecially, from the provifion which he has made for man, confidered as a guilty and calamitous creature, by the medicinal and heal ing virtues which he has given to many of the pro ductions of nature,which in a date of perfeft reftitude and happinefs man would never have needed. This is a circumdance, which feemed drongly to intimate, that he would fome time or another gracioufly pro vide fome remedy to heal men's minds ; and that he would interpofe to indruft them, in his own nature, in the manner in which he is to be ferved, and in the final treatment which they may expect from him. And I think, fuch an apprehenfion feems very con gruous to the fentiments of the generality of mankind ; as appears from the many pretences to divine revelation which have often been made, and the readinefs of multitudes to receive them on very (lender proofs : This fhews how naturally men expect fome fuch kind interpofition of the deity : A thought, which might farther be confirmed by fome remarkable paffages of Heathen writers, which I have not now time particu larly to mention. 3. We may eafily conclude, " that if a revelation " were given, it would be introduced and tranfmitted " in fuch a manner, as Chriftianity is faid to have " been." It is exceeding probable, for indance, that it ffiould be taught, either by fome illudrious perfon fent down from a fuperior world, or at lead by a man of eminent wifdom and piety, who ftould himfelf have been, not only a teacher, but an example, of univerfal goodnefs. In order to this it feems probable, that he ftould be led through a feries of calamity and didrefs ; fince otherwife he would not have been a pattern of the virtues, which adorn adverfity, and are peculiar to it. And it might alfo have been expected, that in the extremity of his didrefs, the bleffed God, whofe meffenger 380 The Evidences of Chriftianity meffenger he was, fhould, in fome extraordinary manner, have interpofed, either to preferve, or to recover him from death. It is moreover exceeding probable, that fuch a per fon, and perhaps alfo they who were at firft employed as his meffengers to the world, ftould be endowed with a power of working miracles ; both to awaken men's attention, and to prove a divine miffion, and the confequent truth of their doctrines ; fome of which might perhaps not be capable of any other kind of proof; or if they were, it is certain that no method of arguing is fo fhort, fo plain, and fo forcible, and on the whole, fo well fuited to the conviction, and probably the reformation of mankind, as a courfe of evident, repeated, and uncontrolled miracles. And fuch a method of proof is efpecially adapted to the po- pulace, who are incomparably the greater part of mankind, and for whofe benefit, we may affure our felves, a revelation would chiefly be defigned.- I might add, it was no way improbable, though not in itfelf certain, that a difpenfation ffiould open gradually on the world ; and that the moft illuftrious meffenger of God to men ffiould be uffiered in by fome predic tions, which ffiould raife a great expectation of his appearance, and have an evident accompliffiment in him. As for the propagation of a religion fo introduced, it feems no way improbable, that having been thus eltablifhed in its fird age, it ffiould be tranfmitted to future generations by credible teftimony, as other impor tant facts are. It is certain, that affairs of the utmod moment, which are tranfafted amongd men, depend on teftimony : On this voyages are undertaken, fettle- ments made, and controverfies decided ; controverfies, on which not only the edates, but the lives of men depend. And though it muft be owned, that fuch an hiftorical evidence is not equally convincing with miracles which are wrought before our own eyes ; yet it is certain, it may rife to fuch a degree as to exclude all briefly fiated, z$c. 381 all reafonable doubt. And I know not why we ffiould expect, that the evidence of a revelation ffiould be fuch, as univerfally to compel the immediate affidance of all to whom it is offered. To me it feems much more likely, that it ffiould be fo adjuded, as to be a kind of touch- ftone to the tempers and charafters of men ; capable indeed of giving ample fatisfaftion to the diligent and candid enquirer, yet attended with fome circumdan- ces, from whence the captious and perverfe might take occafion to cavil and objeft. Such might we fuppofe the evidence of a revelation would be, and fuch it is maintained, that of Chriftianity is. The teachers of it fay, and undertake to prove, that it was thus intro duced, thus eftablifhed, and thus tranfmitted ; and we trud, that this is a drong prefumption in its favour : efpecially as we can. add, 4 " That the main dotlrines contained in the gofpel " are of fuch a nature, as we might in general fuppofe, " thofe of a divine revelation would be, rational, prac- *' tical, and fublime." One would imagine, that in a revelation of a reli gion from God, the great principles of natural religion ffiould be clearly afferted, and drongly maintained : Such I mean, as the exidence (r), the unity (/), the perfeftion (/), and the providence of God («) ; the ef fential and immutable difference between moral good and evil (w) ; the obligation we are under to the va rious branches of virtue, whether human, focial, or divine (x) ; the value and immortality of the foul (y) ; and the rewards and puniffiments of a future date (2). One would eafily conclude, that all thefe particulars mud be contained in it ; and that upon the whole, it (r) Heb. xi. 6. (f) Mark xii. 29. 1 Tim. ii. 5. ft) Matt, v. 48. fu) Matt. x. 29, 30. fnxi) Ifai. x. 20. 2 Cor. vi. 14. fx) Matt. xxii. 37, 39. Phil. iv. 8. Tit. ii. 12. (y) Matt. x. 28. xvi. 26. fx.) Rom. ii. 6—10. Matt, xxv. 46.* fhould 382 The Evidences oj % Chriftianity fhould appear calculated, to form men's minds to a proper temper, rather than to amufe them with curi ous fpeculations. It might indeed be farther fuppofed, and probably concluded that fuch a revelation would contain fome things, which could not have been learnt from the highed improvements of natural light : And confi dering the infinite and unfathomable nature of the bleffed God, it would be more than probable, that many things might be hinted at, and referred to, which our feeble faculties fhould not be able fully to compre hend. Yet we ffiould expect, to find thefe introduced in a praftical view, as directing us to duties before unknown, or fuggeding powerful motives to make us refolute and condant in the difcharge of the red *. As for ceremonial and pofitive inditutions, we fhould imagine, at leaft in the molt perfeft date of the reve lation, that they ffiould be but few, and thofe few plain ly fubfervient to the great purpofes of praftical religion. I ffiall only add, that forafmuch as pride appears to be the mod reigning corruption of the human mind, and the fource of numberlefs irregularities ; it is ex ceeding probable, that a divine revelation ftould be cal culated, to humble the fallen creature, and bring it to a fenfe of its guilt and weaknefs ; and the more evi dently that tendency appears, other things being equal, the greater reafon there is to believe, that the original of fuch a fcheme is from above. Your own thoughts have undoubtedly prevented me in the application of thefe charafters to the Chriftian revelation. The judice of that application I mud not now illudrate at large. But I mud beg leave to ad vance one remark, which will conclude what I have to fay on this general : Which is, that as the Chriftian fyftem is undoubtedly worthy of God, fo confidering the manner in which it is faid to have been introduced, (feparate from the evidence of thefe facts ; which is af- * Particularly on what terms, and to what degree, pardon and happinefs might be expelled by finful creatures. terwards briefly ftated, &c. 383 terwards to be confidered,) it is extremely difficult to imagine, from whom elfe it could have proceeded. I will readily allow, that neither the reafonablenefs of its doctrines, nor the purity of its morals, will alone prove its divine original ; fince it is poffible, the reafon of one man may difcover that, which the reafon of another approves, as being, in itfelf confidered, either , true in theory, or ufeful in praftice. But this is not all ; for in the prefent cafe it is evident, that the firft teachers of Chriftianity profeffed, that they were taught it by divine revelation, and that they were impowered by God with miraculous endowments for the confirma tion of it. Now if it were not indeed fo as they profef fed, how can we account for fo ftrange a phenomenon, as fuch a doftrine introduce dwith fuch pretences ? If it were not from God, whence was it ? From good, or from evil angels or men ? Wicked creatures, as our Lord drongly intimates (a), would never contrive and propagate fo excellent a fcheme ; nor can we imagine, that holy angels, or righteous men would thus be found falfe voitneftes of God (b), or have attempted to fupport the caufe of religion and truth, by fuch im pious and notorious falftoods, as their pretenfions muft have been, if they were falftoods at all. And thus much for the firft branch of the argu ment : If you confider the Chriftian fcheme only in theory, it appears highly probable ; fince a revelation was fo much needed, might fo reafonably be expected, and if it were ever given, would fo far as we can judge, be thus introduced, , and be in the main attended with fuch internal characters. And though we have not as yet exprefly proved, that the gofpel was introduced in fuch a manner, as the defenders of it affert ; yet it would be ftrangely unaccountable, that fo admirable a fyftem of truth and duty ftould be advanced by the prince of darknefs, and the children of wickednefs -, as it muft have been, if the perfons firft employed in the (a) Matt. xii. 25,-29, fb) 1 Cor. xv. 15. pro- 384 ' The Evidences of Chriftianity propagation ofit were not endowed with power from on high (c). To embrace the gofpel is fo fafe, and on the whole, fo comfortable a thing, that I think a wife man would deliberately and refolutely venture his all upon it, though nothing more could be offered for its confir mation. But, bleffed be God, we have a great deal more to offer in this important caufe ; and can add, with ftill greater confidence, that it is not only in theory thus probable, but, Secondly, " That it is in fact certain, that Chriftianity " is indeed a divine revelation." Here I confefs the chief drefs is to be laid ; and therefore I ftall infid more largely on this branch of the argument, and endeavour, by the divine affidance, to prove the certainty of this great fact. You will natu rally apprehend, that I fpeak only of what is common ly called a moral certainly * : But I need fpeak of no more ; for in many cafes, fuch kind of evidence gives the mind as ample, and as rational a fatisfaftion, as it may find even in fome fuppofed mathematical demon- ftration ; fince there it is poffible, at lead in a long d eduction of particulars, for the mod fagacious of mankind to fall into a midake. Now, in order to fettle this grand point as cle aras I can, I think it may be proper to prove, I. That the Books of the new Teftament, as they are now in your hands, may be depended upon as written by the firft preachers and publifhers of Chriftia nity. And, II. That from hence it will certainly follow, that what they affert is true, and that the Religion they fc) Luke xxiv. 49. * Which, though it amount not to ftrift demonf ration, is fuch kind of e-vidence as fuits paft matters of faft, and is fufficient to make a candid and rational enquirer eafy in his affent. teach.. briefly fated, &c. 385 teach, brings along with it fuch evidences of a Divine Authority, as may mod judly recommend it to our Ac ceptance. Each of thefe heads might furnifh out matter for many volumes ; but it is my bufinefs to hint at the mod obvious and important thoughts, by which they may briefly be illuflrated and confirmed. 1. I am to prove to you, " That the books of the " New Teftament, now in your hands, were written " by the firft preachers and publifhers of Chriftianity. '\ You fee I confine the prefent proof to the books of the New Teftament. Not that I think the authority of the Old to be fufpefted, or the ufe of it by any means to be defpifed. God forbid ! It is an invalua ble treafure, which demands our daily delightful and thankful perufal, and is capable of being defended in a manner which I am perfuaded its fubtiled enemies will never be able to anfwer. But the nature of my prefent argument, and the limits of my time, oblige me at prefent to wave the proof of it ; any farther than as it is implied in, and dependent upon, what I have more immediately in view. In the procefs of the difcourfe, though I ffiall ftu- dioufly avoid any oftentation of learning, yet it will be abfolutely neceffary to affert fome things which cannot certainly be known, without fome little ac quaintance with ancient writers. You cannot, moft of you, be fuppofed to have formed fuch an acquaint ance ; but I take it for granted you will readily believe, that I will not lie for God, nor talk deceitfully for him (d). I ffiall fay nothing of this kind, but what I know to be contained in thofe writings : and you may affureyourfelves, that no man of common fenfe, what ever his moral or religious charafter were, would ven- fd) Job xiii. 7. Vol. I. C c ture 386 The Evidences of Chriftianity ture in fuch an age as this, publickly to cite paffages, as from authors in every one's hands, which he cannot prove to be contained in them. Having premifed thefe things, I go on to the argu ment ; and fliall advance in it by the following de grees. I fhall prove, that Chriftianity is an an cient religion -, that there was fuch a perfon as Jefus of Nazareth, crucified at Jerufalem about feven- teen hundred years ago -, —that the firft preachers of his religion wrote books, which went by the name of thofe, that now make up the volume of our New Tefta ment ; that they are preferved in the original to the prefent times ;- and that the tranftation of them, which you have, is in the main fuch, as may be de pended upon as faithful. And then I ffiall have clearly made out what I propofed in this firft part. 1. It is certain, " that Chriftianity is not a new " religion, but that it was maintained by great mul- "• titudes, quickly after the time in which Jefus is faid " to have appeared." That there was, confiderably more than fixteen hun dred years ago, a body of men, who went by the name of Chriftians, is almoft as evident, as that a race of men was then exifting in the world ; nor do I know, that any have ever been wild and confident enough to difpute it. If any ffiould for argument fake queftion it, they might quickly be convinced by a confiderable number of Chriftian writers, who lived in the fame, or the next age *, and mention it as a thing notorioufly certain, that Chriftianity was then of fome ftanding in the world ; fome of them giving directions and exhor tations to their brethren, and others forming apologies, to * Such as Clemens Romanus, Ignatius, Polycarp, Jufiin Mariyr.r Irenaus, Tatian, Athenagoras, and Theophilus Antiochenus,. who all wrote before the year 200, and fome in xhefrft century : Not to urge Barnabas, and Hermas ; nor to mention any of thofe cited by Eitfe- bius, whofe books are all 16ft, except fome fragments, preferred chiefly by that excellent writer. briefly ftated, &c. 387 to their enemies, for which there could not otherwife have been the leaft foundation, We might have ac- quiefced in their teftimony, had it been alone ; but it is confirmed by that of Jews and Heathens, who, by their early invectives againft the Chriftians, do moft evidently prove, that there was fuch a body of men in the world. The mod confiderable Roman Hiftorians, who lived in this age, and wrote of it, are Tacitus, and Suetonius, who both publiffied their writings above fixteen hundred years ago ? and they are always, and very judly appealed to, as pregnant wit neffes upon this occafion.— For Tacitus affures us, " that in Nero's days," who begun his reign about twenty years after the death of Chrift, '' there was a " vad multitude of Chriftians, not only in Judea, but " at Rome too ; againd whom Nero raifed a perfecu- " tion, attended with fuch circumdances of ignominy " and cruelty, as moved the compaffion even of their " enemies ;" of which number this hiftorian evidently was. Nay he plainly intimates, that this was not the firft attempt which had been made to cruffi them ; though this attempt was fo early as we have heard.— His contemporary Suetonius, in his more concife man ner, atteds the fame. ---And Pliny the intimate friend and correfpondent of both, being employed in Trajan's Time to perfecute the Chriftians, writes an account of them to that emperor, which, though commonly known, muft be mentioned, as it is fo highly import ant. After having fpoken very favourably of their moral charafter, he adds, " That many of both fexes, " and of every age and rank, were infefted with this " fuperftition ;" as he thinks fit to exprefs it ; " that it " was got into the villages, as well as the cities ; and " that, till he begun to put the laws in execution " againd them", the temples of the Heathen Deities " were almod deferted, and hardly any could be found " who would buy victims for them." It might be added, that Marcus Antoninus, who wrote a few years after Pliny, mentions the Chriftians, " as exam- C c 2 t' pl^ 388 The Evidences of Chriftianity " pies of a refolute and obdinate contempt of death :" And it is generally fuppofed, they are the Galileans, whom Epictetus fpeaks of, " as thofe whom praftice " had taught to defpife the rage of their armed ene- " mies." I ffiall difm'ifs this head with obferving, that it tends greatly to the confirmation of Chriftianity, that each of thefe celebrated and ancient Pagan writers, at the fame time that they atted the exidence of fuch a body of men profefling it, inform us of thofe' extream per fections which they underwent, in the very infancy of their religion ; a fact alfo farther apparent from the apologies addreffed by the Chriftians to their perfecutors, which, whatever imperfeftions may attend the manner in which fome of them are writ, appear to me fome of the mod valuable remains of antiquity, (the facred records only excepted,) efpecially thofe of Juftin Martyr, TertuUian, and Minutius Ftelix. ¦ — This fundamental point is then abundantly made out; that there were valt numbers of men, very quickly after the time when Jefus is faid to have appeared on earth, who profeffed his religion, and chofe to endure the greated extremities, rather than they would abandon it. From hence it will be eafy to fhew, 2. " That there was certainly fuch a perfon as Jefus " of Nazareth, who was crucified at Jerufalem, when* " Pontius Pilate was the Roman Governor there." It can never be imagined that multitudes of people, ftould take their names from Chrift, and facrifice their lives for their adherence to him, even in the fame age in which he is faid to have lived, if they had not been well affured, there was fuch a perfon. Now feveral of theauthors I have mentioned plainly affert, that the Chriftians were denominated from Chrift ; nay, Tacitus exprefly adds, " that he was put to death under Pon- " tius Pilate, who was Procurator of Judxa, in the " reign of Tiberius" And it is well known, that the pri- briefly ftated^ &c. 389 primitive Chriftian apologifts often appeal to the Acts of Pilate, or the Memoirs of his government, which he, according to the cudom of other Procurators, tranf mitted to Rome,) as containing an account of thefe tranfaftions : And as the appeal was made to thofe, who had the command of the public records, we may affure ourfelves fuch tedimonies were then extant. But it is a fact, which our enemies never denied ? They owned it, they even gloried in it, and upbraided the Chriftians with it. The Jews therefore in fome of their earlied writings fince thofe times, call Jefus by the ig nominious name of " the man who was hanged, or cru- " rifled," and his followers, " the fervants of the " crucified perfon." And Lucian rallies them for de ferring the pompous train of the Heathen Deities, to worfhip one whom he impioufly calls " a crucified im-' '" poftor. "--[Spartian alfoaffures us that the emperor Alexander Severus entertained fuch high thoughts of Chrift, " that he would haveadmitted him into the num- *' ber of his Deities, and have built a temple to him, " had not his Pagan fubjefts vigoroufly oppofed it." And Porphyry, though an inveterate enemy to Chrifti anity, not only allowed there was fuch a perfon, but honoured him " as a mod wife and pious man, ap- " proved by the Gods, and taken up into heaven for " his diftinguifted virtues."] — I might add a great deal more on this head ; but it already appears as cer tain as ancient hiftory can make it, and incomparably more certain than mod of the facts which it has tranf mitted to us, that there was at the time commonly fuppofed fuch a perfon as Chrift, who profeffed him felf a Divine teacher, and who gathered many difci- ples, by whom his religion was afterwards publifted in the world. 3. It is alfo certain, "that the firft publifhers of *< this religion wrote books, which contained an account lf of the life and doftrine of Jefus their mader, and C c 3 " which 390 The Evidences of Chriftianity *' which went by the name of thofe that now make up *' our New Teftament." It was in the nature of things exceeding probable^ that what they hady^K and heard, they would declare and publift to the world in writing (e) ; confidering, how common books were in the age and countries in which they taught ; and of how great importance an acquaintance with the hiftory and doftrine of Chrift was, to the purpofes which they fo ftrenuoufly pur fued : But we have much more than fuch a presumptive evidence. The greateft adverfaries of Chriftianity, muft grant, that we have books of great antiquity, written fome fourteen, others fifteen, and fome fix teen hundred years ago * -, in which mention is made of the life of Chrift, as writtenby many, and efpecially by four of his dif- ciples, who by way of eminence are called the Evan- gelifts. Great pains have indeed been taken to prove, that fome fpurious pieces were publifted under the names of the apoftles, containing the hidory of thefe things: But furely this mud imply, that it was a thing known and allowed, that the apoftles did write fome narrations of this kind ; as counterfeit coin im plies fome true money, which it is defigned to repre sent. And I am fure he mud be very little acquainted with the ancient ecclefiaftical writers, who does not know, that the primitive Chriftians made a very great difference between thofe writings, which we call the canonical books of the New Teftament, and others: Which plainly ftews, that they did not judge of writings, meerly by the names of their pretended au thors, but enquired with an accuracy becoming the (e) i John j. 3. * Such as Tatian, Iraneus, TertuUian, Clemens Alexandrinus, Ori gen, Eufebius, and many others : See Jones of the Canon, Part iv. Introduil. Juftin Martyr's controverfy with Tripho, and Origen's with Celfus, prove that Jeius and Heathens allow'd, not only that there were fuch Books, but that they contained the Religion oi Chriftians. 1 im- briefly ftated, &c. 391 importance of thofe pretences. The refult of this en quiry was, that the Four Gofpels, the Acts, Thirteen Epiftles of Paul, one of Peter, and one of John, were received upon fuch evidence, that Eufebius, a mod ac curate and early critic, in thefe things, could not learn that they had ever been difputed * : And afterwards the remaining books of the New Teftament, Hebrews, James, the Second of Peter, the Second and Third of John, Jude, and the Revelation, were admitted as ge nuine, and added to the red -, though fome circum ftances attending them rendered their authority for a while a little dubious. On the whole it is plain, the ¦primitive Chriftians were fo fatisfied in the authority of thefe facred books, that they fpeak of them, not only as credible and authentic, but as equal to the oracles of the Old Teftament, as divinely infpired, as the words of the fpirit, as the law and organ of God, and as the rule of faith, which cannot be contradicted without great guilt ; with many other expreffions of the like kind, which often occur in their difcourfes. To which I may add, that in fome of their councils, the New Teftament was placed on a throne, to fignify their concern, that all their controverfies and aftions might be determined and regulated by it. On the whole then, you fee, that the primitive church did receive certain pieces, which bore the fame titles with the books of our New Teftament. Now I think it is evident, they were as capable of judging whether a book was writen by Matthew, John, or Paul, as an ancient Roman could be of de termining whether Horace, Tully, or Livy, wrote thofe which go under their names. And I am fure, the intereft of the former was fo much more concerned in the writings of the apoftles, than that of the latter in the competitions of the poets, orators, or even their hiftorians ; that there is reafon to believe, they would take much greater care to inform themfelves fully in the merits of the caufe, and to avoid being * Eufeb. Ecclef.. Hift. Lib. vi. cap. 25. C c 4 im- 39? The Evidences of Chriftianity impofed upon by artifice and fiction. Let me now fhew, 4. " That the books of the New Teftament have " been preferved in the main uncorrupted, to the pre- *' fent time, in the original language in which they " were written." This is a matter of vad importance, and bleffed be God, it is attended with proportionable evidence ; an evidence, in which the hand of providence has indeed been remarkably feen ; for I am confident, that there is no other ancient book in the world, which may fo certainly, and fo eafily, be proved to be authentic. And here, I will not argue merely from the piety of the primitive Chriftians, and the heroick refolution with which they chofe to endure the greated extre mities, rather than they would deliver up their bibles, (though that be a confideration of fome evident weight;) but ffiall intreat you to confider the utter impoffibility of corrupting them. From the firft ages, they were received, and read in the churches, as a part of their public worfhip, juft as Mofes and the prophets were in the Jewifh fynagogues ; they were prefently fpread far and wide, as the boundaries of the church were increafed ; they were early tranflated into other languages, of which tranfiations fome re main to this day. Now when this was the cafe, how could they poffibly be adulterated ? Is it a thing to be fuppofed, or imagined, that thoufands and millions of people ffiould have come together from didant countries -, and that with all their diverfities of lan guage, and cudoms, and I may add, of fentiments too, they ftould have agreed on corrupting a book, which they all acknowledged to be the rule of their faith, and their manners, and the great charter by which they held their eternal hopes. It were madnefs to believe it : efpecially when we confider what num bers of hereticks appeared in the very infancy of the church. briefly ftated, &c. 393 church, who all pretended to build their notions on fcripture, and mod of them appealed to it as the final judge of controverfies ; now it is certain, that thefe different parties of profeffing Chriftians were a perpe tual guard upon each other, and rendered it impoffi ble for one party to praftife grofly on the facred books, without the difcovery, and the clamour of the reft. Nor mud I omit to remind you, that in every age, from the apodles time to our own, there have been numberlefs quotations made from the books of the New Teftament ; and a multitude of commentaries in various languages, and fome of very ancient date, have been written upon them : So that if the books themfelves were loft, I believe they might in a great meafure, if not entirely, be recovered from the wri tings of others. And one might venture to fay, that if all the quotations, which have ever been made from all the ancient writings now remaining in Europe, were to be amaffed together, the bulk of them would be by no means comparable to that of the quotations taken from the New Teftament alone. So that a man might with a much better face difpute, whether the writings afcribed to Homer, Demofthenes, Virgil, or defar, be in the main fuch as they left them ; than he could quedion it concerning thofe of Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Peter, James, and Paul, whether they are in the main fo. I fay, in the main, becaufe we readily allow, that the hand of a printer, or of a tranfcriber, might chance in fome places to infert one letter or word for another, and the various readings of this, as well as of all other ancient books, prove, that this has fometimes been the cafe. Neverthelefs thofe various readings are generally of fo little importance, that he who can urge them as an objeftion againd the affertion we are now maintaining, mud have little judgment, or little integrity ; and indeed, after thofe excellent things which have been faid on the fubjeft by many defenders of 394 The Evidences of Chriftianity of Chriftianity, if he have read their writings, he mud have little modedy too. Since then it appears, that the books of the New 'Teftament, as they now dand in the original, are, with out any material alteration, fuch as they were, when they came from the hands of the perfons whofe names they bear -, nothing remains to compleat this part of the argument, but to ffiew, 5. " That the tranftation of them, now in your *' hands, may be depended upon, as in all things *' moft material, agreeable to the original." This is a faft, of which the generality of you are not capable of judging immediately, yet it is a matter of great importance : it is therefore a very great plea fure to me to think, what ample evidence you may find another way, to make your minds as eafy on this head, as you could reafonably wifh them. I mean, by the concurrent teftimony of others, in cir- cumdances in which you cannot imagine they would unite to deceive you. There are, to be fure, very few of us, whofe office it is publicly to preach the gofpel, who have not ex amined this matter with care, and who are not capa ble of judging in fo eafy a cafe. I believe you have feen few in the place where I now dand, that could not have told you, as I now folemnly do, that, on a diligent comparifon of our tranftation with the original, we find that of the New Teftament, (and I might alfo add, that of the Old,) in the main faithful and judi cious. You know indeed, that we do not fcruple on fome occafions to animadvert upon it ; but you alfo know, that thefe remarks affeft not the fundamentals of religion, and feldom reach any farther than the beauty of a figure, or at mod the conneftion of an argument. Nay, I can confidently fay, that, to the beft of my knowledge and remembrance, as there is no copy of the Greek, fo neither is there any tranftation of briefly flated, &c. 395 of the New Teftament which I have feen, whether an cient or modern, how defeftive or faulty foever, from which all the principal facts and doctrines of Chrif tianity might not be learnt, fo far as the knowledge of them is neceffary to falvation, or even to fome confi derable degrees of edification in piety. Nor do I ex cept from this remark, even that mod erroneous and corrupt verfion, publifhed by the Englifh jefuits at Rheims, which is undoubtedly one of the word that ever appeared in our language. But I defire not, that with refpeft to our own tran ftation of the New Teftament, a matter of fo great moment as the fidelity of it fhould red on my tefti mony alone, or entirely on that of any of my brethren, for whofe integrity and learning you may have the greateft and jufteft efteem. I rejoice to fay, that this is a head, on which we cannot poffibly deceive you, if we were ever fo defirous to do it. And indeed in this refpeft, that is our advantage, which in others is our great calamity, I mean the diverfity of our reli gious opinions. It is certain, that wherefoever there is a body of diffenters from the public eftabliffiment, who do yet agree with their brethren of that eftabliffi ment in the ufe of the fame tranftation, though they are capable of examining it, and judging of it ; there is as great evidence as could reafonably be defired, that fuch a tranftation is in the main right : for if it were in any confiderable article corrupted, moft of the other debates would quickly lofe themfelves in this : And though fuch diffenters had all that candor, tendernefs, and refpeft for their fellow Chridians, which I hope we ffiall always endeavour to maintain, yet they would, no doubt, think themfelves obliged in confcience to bear a warm and loud teftimony againd fo crying an abomination, as they would ano ther day appear free from the guilt of a confederacy, to poifon the public fountains, and dedroy the fouls of men. But we make no complaint on this fubjeft ; me all unite in bearing our tedimony to the oracles of Godf '396 The Evidences of Chriftianity, &c. God, as delivered in our own language. Oh that we were equally united in regulating our doftrine, and our difcipline, our worfhip, and our praftice by them ! You fee then, on the whole, how much reafon there is to believe, " that the books of the New " Teftament, as they are now in your hands, were " written by thofe whofe names they bear, even the " firft preachers and publifhers of Chriftianity." This is the grand point ; and from hence it will follow, by a train of eafy and natural confequences, that the gofpel is moft certainly true : But that is a topic of ar gument abundantly fufficient to furnifh out matter for another difcourfe. May God command his blef- fing on what has been already laid before us, that through the operation of his fpirit, it may be ufeful for edablifting our regard to the fcripture, and for confirming our faith in that Almighty Redeemer, who is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, the firft and the laft iff) ; whom to know is life everlafting (g), and in whom to believe is the great fecurity of our eternal falvation ! Amen. (f) Rev. i. 8, 17, (s) John xvii. 3. D I S- [ 397 ] DISCOURSE XVIII. The Evidences of Chriftianity deduced from the New Teftament allowed to be genuine. [ DODD R i DGE. ] 2 Pet. i. 1 6. • — We have not followed cunningly devifed Fables--. WHEN we are addreffing ourfelves to an au dience of profeffing Chriftians, I think we may reafonably take it for granted, in the main courfe of our minidry, that they believe the truth of the gofpel, and may argue with them on that fup pofition. To be ever laying the foundation would be the part of an unwife builder, and be greatly detri mental to your edification and comfort, and I may add, to our own. Neverthelefs, Chriftians, we do not * defire, that you ffiould take it merely upon our word, that your religion is divine, and your feriptures infpired. We defire, that your faith, as well as your worfhip, fhould be a reafonable fervice * ; and wifh, that, in this refpeft, all the Lord's people were as prophets -f- ; that as every Chriftian is in his fphere fet for the de fence of the gofpel ||, each might in fome meafure be able to affert its truth, and if poffible, to convince * Rom. xii. i. | Numb. xi. zo. |[ Phil. i. 17. gain- 39S The Evidences of Cbriftianity gainfayers (a). Therefore, as we are often hinting at the" chief arguments, on which this facred caufe is efla- blifted, (edablifhed, I truft, fo firmly, that the gates of hell fhall never prevail againft it (b) ;) fo I thought it might be agreeable and ufeful, on this occafion, to ftate them a little more largely, in their proper con neftion and mutual dependance. And I chofe the rather to do it, as thefe difcourfes are efpecially in tended for young people, who in an age in which infi delity fo much abounds, can hardly expect to pafs through the world, if they are called to converfe much in it, without fome attacks on their faith ; which may be very dangerous, if they are not provided with fome armour of proof againft them. It is indeed, (as I before obferved) above all things to be defired-, that the heart may be eftablifhed with grace (c) ; for we are then moft fecure from the danger of forgetting God's precepts (d), when they have been the bleffed means of quickening us to a divine life. Yet as other arguments have their ufe, and in fome degree their neceffity too, I fhall go on briefly to propofe them. I beg therefore, that you would renew your atten tion, while I relume the thread of my difcourfe, in an entire dependance on the bleffed fpirit, by whom the gofpel was at fird revealed and confirmed, to add fuc- cefs to this humble attempt for its fervice, and for your edification. I am now fhewing you, that Chriftianity, which be fore appeared in theory probable and rational, has in fact a convincing evidence : not only that it may be, but that it certainly is true ; — as it is certain, that the New Teftament, as now in your hands, is genuine ;—¦ and as it may with great evidence be argued from thence, that fhe gofpel is a revelation from God. The firft of thefe points I have endeavoured to prove at large ; and without repeating what I faid in confirma tion of it, I now proceed to ffiew; (a) Tit. i. 9. (b) Matth. xvi. ig. (,-) Heb. xiii. 9. (d) Pfal. cxix. 9j. II. " That allowed to be genuine. 395 II. " That from allowing the New Teftament to be " genuine, it will certainly follow, that Chriftianity " is a divine revelation." And here a man is, at fird, ready to be lod in the multiplicity of arguments which furround him. It is very eafy to find proofs ; but difficult to range and difpofe them in fuch an order, as bed to illudrate and confirm each other. Now I chufe to offer them in the following feries, which feems to me the mod na tural, and perhaps may be mod intelligible to you. The authors of the books contained in the New Teftament were certainly capable of judging concerning the truth of the facts they atteded; — their character, fo far as we can judge of it by their writings, renders them worthy of regard ; — and they were under no temp tation to attempt to impofe on the world by fuch a dory as they have given us, if it had been falfe : fo that con fidering all things, there is no reafon to believe they would attempt it : But if they had, they mud pro bably have periftoed in the attempt, and could never have gained credit in the world, had their tedimony been falfe. — Neverthelefs it is certain in faft, that they did gain credit, and fucceed in a mod amazing manner againd all oppofition. It is certain therefore, that the facts they affert were true ; and if they were true, then it was reafonable for their contemporaries, and is reafonable for us, to receive the gofpel as a di vine revelation ; — efpecially, if we confider what has happened in the world for the confirmation of it, fince it was fird propagated by them. This is the conclu fion to which I was to lead you ; and I beg, you would ferioufly confider each of the fieps, by which we arrive at it. r. It is exceeding evident, " that the writers of the " New Teftament certainly knew, whether the facts " they afferted were true, gr falfe." And 400 The Evidences of Chriftianity And this they muft have known for this plain reafon; becaufe they tell us, they did not trud merely to the report, even of perfons whom they thought mod Cre dible ; but were prefent themfelves, when feveral of the mod important facts happened, and fo received them on the teftimony of their own fenfes. On this St. John in his epiftle lays a very great and reafonable drefs : That which we have feen with our eyes, and that not only by a fudden glance, but which we have atten tively looked upon, and which even our hands have hand led of the word of life, i. e. of Chrift and his gofpel, — declare we unto you (a). Let the common fenfe of mankind judge here. Did not Matthew and John certainly know, whether they had perfonally and familiarly converfed with Jefus of Nazareth, or not ? whether he had chofen them for his condant attendants and apoftles? whether they had feen him heal the ftick, difpoffefs devils, and raife the dead ? and whether they themfelves had received from him fuch miraculous endowments, as they fay he bedowed upon them ? Did not they know whether he fell into the hands of his enemies, and was publickly put to death, or not ? Did not John know, whether he faw him expiring on the crofs, or not ? and whether he re ceived from him the dying charge which he records (b) ? Did he not know, whether he faw him wounded in the fide with a fpear, or not ? and whether he did, or did not fee that effufion of blood and water, which was an infallible argument of his being really dead ? Con cerning which, it being fo material a circumdance, he adds, He that faw it bare record, and he knoweth that he faith true (c) ; i. e. that it was a cafe, in which he could not poffibly be deceived. And with regard to Chrift's refurrection, did he not certainly know, whether he faw our Lord again and again ; and whether he handled his body, that he might be fure it was not a mere phantom ? What one circumdance of his life could he certainly know, if he were midaken in this ? (a) i John i. i, 3. (b) John xix. 27. (c) John xix. 35. Did .allowed to le genuine. 40! Did not Luke know, whether he was in the (hip with Paul, when that extraordinary wreck happened, by which they were thrown affiore on the ifland of Malta ? Did he not know, whether while they were lodged to gether in the governor's houfe, Paul miraculoufly healed one of the family, and many other difeafed perfons in the iftand, as he pofitively afferts that he did (a) ? Did not Paul certainly know, whether Chrift ap peared to him on the way to Damafcus, or not ? whether he was blind, and afterwards on the prayer of a fel- low-difeiple received his fight? or was that a circum- ' dance in which there could be room for midake ? Did he not know, whether he received fuch extraordinary revelations, and extraordinary powers, as to be able by the impofition of his hands, or by the words of his mouth, to work miracles, and even to convey fuperna- tural endowments to others ? To add no more, Did not Peter know, whether he faw the glory of Chrift's transfiguration, and heard that voice, to which he fo exprefly refers, when he fays in the text, We have not followed cunningly devifed fables, but were eye-witneffes of his majefty, -when there came fuch a voice to him ;— and this voice we heard (b). Now Matthew, John, Luke, Paul, and Peter, are by far the mod confiderable writers of the New Tefta ment ; and I am fure, when you reflect on thefe parti culars, you mud own, that there are few hiftorians, ancient or modern, that could fo certainly judge of the. truth of the facts they have related. You may per haps think, I have enlarged too much in dating lb clear a cafe : but you will pleafe to remember, it is the foundation of the whole argument ; and that this branch of it alone cuts off infidels from that refuge which I believe they would generally chufe, that of pleading the apoftles were enthufiafts ; and leaves them filent, unlefs they will fay they were impoftors : For you evidently fee, that could we fuppofe thefe facts to be falfe, they could by no means pretend an involun- (a) Aftsxxviii. 7,— 9. (b) 2 Pet. i. 1 6, 1 8. Voi,. I. D d tary 4© 2 The Evidences of Chriftianity tary midake, but mud, in the mod criminal and aggra vated fenfe, as Paul himfelf expreffes it, be found falfe witneffes of God (a). But how unreafonable it would be to charge them with fo notorious a crime, will in part appear, if we confider, 2. " That the character of thefe writers, fo far as we *' can judge by their works, feems to render them *' worthy of regard, and leaves no room to imagine •' they intended to deceive us." I fhall not day to fhew at large, that they appear to have been perfons of natural fenfe, and at the time of their writing, of a compofed mind ; for I verily be lieve, no man that ever read the New Teftament with attention, could believe they were idiots or madmen. Let the difcourfes of Chrift in the Evangelifts, of Peter and Paul in the Acts, as well as many paffages in the Epiftles be perufed ; and I will venture to fay, he who is not even charmed with them, mud be a dranger to all the juded rules of polite criticifm : but he who fuf- pects, that the writers wanted common fenfe, mud him felf be mod evidently deditute of it ; and he who can fufpeft they might poffibly be diffracted, mud himfelf, in this indance at lead, be jud as mad as he imagines them to have been. It was neceffary however jud to touch upon this; becaufe, unlefs we are fatisfied, that a perfon be himfelf in what he writes, we cannot pretend to determine his charaMer from his writings. Having premifed this, I mud intreat you, as you perufe the Nezv Teftament, to obferve what evident marks it bears, of fimplicity and integrity, of piety and benevolence ; which when you have obferved, you will find them pleading the caufe of its authors, with a refidlefs, though a gentle elo quence ; and powerfully perfuading the mind, that men who were capable of writing fo excellently well, are not, without the dronged evidence, to be fufpefted of acting fo detedably ill, as we muft fuppofe they did, (a) i Cor. xv. 15. allowed to he genuine* "403 Sf in this folemn manner they were carrying on an im- pofture, in fuch circumftances as attended the cafe be fore us. For, (1.) The manner in which they tell their amazing ftory, is moft happily adapted to gain our belief. For as they tell it with a great detail of circumftances, which would by no means be prudent in legendary writers, becaufe it leaves fo much the more room for confuta tion -, fo they alfo do it in the moft eafy and natural man ner. There is no air of declamation and harangue $ nothing that looks like artifice and defign : No apolo gies, no encomiums, no charafters, no reflections, no digreffions : But the facts are recounted with great fimplicity, juft as they feem to have happened ; and thofe facts are left to fpeak for themfelves, and their great author. It is plain, that the reft of thefe writers, as well as the apoftle Paul, did not affeft excellency of fpeech, or flights of eloquence, (as the phrafe fignifies), but determined to know nothing, though amongft the moft learned and polite, fave Jefus Chrift, even him that was crucified (0) : A conduft that is the more to be admired, when we confider how extraordinary a theme their's was, and with what abundant of variety of moft pathetick declamation it would eafily have furniffied any common writer ; fo that one would really wonder, how they could forbear it. But they rightly judged, that a vain affectation of ornament, when recording fuch a (lory as of their own knowledge, might perhaps have brought their fincerity into queition, and fo have rendered the crofs of Chrift of none effect (p). (2.) Their integrity does likewife evidently appear in the freedom with which they mention thofe circum ftances, which might have expofed their mafter and themfelves to the greateft contempt, amongft prejudiced and inconfiderate men ; fuch as they knew they muft generally expect to meet with.' As to their mafter, they fcruple not to own, that his country was infa- (0) 1 Cor. ii. 1, 2. (/>) 1 Cor. i. 17. D d 2 mous 404 The Evidences off Chriftianity mous (q), his birth and education mean (r), and his life indigent (/) ; that he was moft difdainfully rejec ted by the rulers (t), and accufed of fabbath-breaking, (u) blafphemy (wf andfedition (x) ; that he was re viled by the populace, as a debauchee (y) a lunatick (z), and a daemoniac (a) ; and at laft, by the united rage of both rulers and people, was publickly executed as the vileft of malefactors, with all imaginable cir cumftances of ignominy, fcorn, and abhorrence (b) : Nor do they fcruple to own that terror and diflrefs of fpirit into which he was thrown by his fufferings (c), though this was a circumftance, at which fome of the Heathens took the greateft offence, as uttterly unworthy fo excellent and divine a perfon.— -As to themfelves, the apoftles readily confefs, not only the meannels of their original employments (d), and the fcandals of their former life (e) ; but their prejudices, their follies, and their faults, after Chrift had honoured them with fo holy a calling : They acknowledge their flownefs of apprehenfion under fo excellent a teacher (/), their unbelief (g), their cowardice (h), their ambition (*'), their rath zeal (k), and their foolifh contentions (/). So that on the whole, they feem every where to for get, that they are writing of themfelves, and appear not at all folicitous about their own reputation, but only that they might reprefent the matter juft as it was, whether they went through honour or difloonour, through evil report or good report (m). Nor is this all ; for, (q) John i. 45, 46. vii. 52. (r) Luke ii. 4, — 7. Matt. xiii. 55. Mark vi. 3. (/) Matt. viii. 20. Luke viii. 3. (t) John vii. 48. 1 Cor. ii. 8. (u) John v. 16. 14. 16. (iu) Matt. ix. 3. xxvi. 65. John x. 31, — 36. (x) Luke xxiii. 2. John xix. 12. (y) Matt. xi. 19. Luke vii. 34. (z.) John x. 20. (a) John vii. 20. viii. 48. (b) Matt, xxvii. 32, — 44. (c) Matt. xxvi. 38. Luke xxii. 44. Matt, xxvii. 46. ( 27> 3Z>— 37' 4°' 41- xvii. 2> 3. xxvi. 22, 23, 7.7, xxvjii. 23^ Meffisb, Evidences of Chriftianity. 42 s Meffiah, or the anointed One (c): But we are more particularly told, that this great event fhould happen, before the government ceafed in the tribe of Judah (d) ; while the fecond temple was danding (e) ; and a little before its deftruction, about 490 years after a command given to re-build Jerujalem (f) ; which was probably iffued out in the feventh year of Artaxerxes Longimanus, or at lead within a few years before, or after it. It is predicted, that he ffiould be the feed of Abraham (g), ¦born of a virgin, of the houfe of David (h), in the town of Bethlehem (i) 5 that he ffiould be anointed with an extraordinary effufion of the divine fpirit (k), in virtue of which, he fhould not only be a perfeft and illudrious example of univerfal holinefs and goodnefs (I), but ffiould alfo perform many extraordinary and beneficial miracles (m) ; neverthelefs, that, for want of external pomp and fplendour, he ffiould be rejected and infulted by the Jews (n), and at length be cut off and flain by them (0 ). It is added, that he ffiould ¦arife from the dead before his body Ihould be corrupted in the grave (p) ; and fhould be received up to heaven, and -there feated at the right hand of God (q) ; from whence he ffiould in a wonderful manner pour out his fpirit on his followers (r) ; in confequence of which, though the body of the Jewifh people perifhed in their obdinate oppofition to him (/), yet, the Gentiles ffiould be brought to the knowledge of the true God (t), and u kingdom edabliflied amongd them, which from fmall beginnings ffiould fpread itfelf to the ends ¦of the earth, and continue to the remoteft ages (u). fc) Dan. ix. 25, 26. Pfal. ii. 2. fd) Gen. xlix. 10. (f) Hag. ii. 7, 9. ff) Dan. ix. 25,-27. fgj Gen. xii. 3. xviii. 18. xxii. 18. fhj Ifai. vii. 14. xi. 1. Jer. xxiii. 5,6. ft.) Mic. v. 2. fi) Ifai. xiii. I. lxi. 1. ft) Ifai. xiii. 1,4. liii. 9. Pfal. xiv. 7. (m) Ifai. xxxv. 5, 6. (n) Ifai. liii. 2, — 4. (0) Ifai. •liii. 7, — 9. Dan. ix, 26. (p) Pfal. xvi. 9, 10. Ifai. xxvi. 19. liii. 10, — 12. (f) Pfal. xvi. 11. ex. 1. (r) Joel ii. 28, 29. (j) Ifai.vi. 9, 10. xxix. 10. xlix. 4, 5. liii. 1. lxv. 2. (t) Pfal. ii. 8. xxii. 27. lxxxvi. 9. Ifai. ii. 2,. 3. xi. 10. xiii. I, 4, 6, 7. }iW. 22. xlix. 6,~I2. Mai. i. n. (») Dan. ii. 44. vii. 13, 14, 27. E e 3 Befides 422 Evidences of Chriftianity* Befides thefe mod material circumftances, there were feveral others relating to him, which were either exprefly foretold, or at lead hinted at ; all which, with thofe already mentioned, had fo evident an ac- complifhment in Jefus, (allowing the truth of the fails which the apoftles tedified concerning him), that we have no reafon to wonder, that they ffiould receive the word with all readinefs, who fearched the fcriptures daily, whether thefe things were fo predicted there, as the apoftles affirmed (w). For I am perfuaded, that no wife and religious perfon could imagine, that God would permit an impcftor to arife, in whom fo great a variety of predictions, delivered by fo many different perfons, and in fo many didant ages, ffiould have an exact accompliftoment. When the apoftles were preaching to Heathens, it is indeed true, that they generally waved the argument from prophecy, becaufe they were not fo capable judges of it : But then they infift on another, which might as foon captivate their belief, and as juftly vindicate it, I mean, " the miracles performed by Chrift, and " thofe commiffioned and influenced by him." Many of thefe were of fuch a nature, as not to admit of any artifice or deceit : Efpecially, that mod fignal one of his refurreition from the dead, which I may call a mi racle performed by, as well as upon Chrift ; becaufe he fo exprefly declares; that he had himfelf a power to re- fume his life at pleafure (x). The apoftles well knew, this was a fact of fuch a nature, that they who believed this, would never doubt of the red : They therefore often fingle this out, and lay the whole drefs of their caufe upon it (y). This they proved to be true, by their own teftimony miraculoufty confirmed » and in prov ing this, they edablifhed Chriftianity on an impreg nable rock. For I may fately refer it to any of you (iv) Afts xvii. n. (x) John x. 18. (y) Afts ii. 24, — 32. iii. 15. iv. 10. v. 30, 32. x. 40, 41. xiii. 30, — 39. xvii. 31. xxvi. 23. Rom. x. 9. 1 Cor. xv. 3,r~8, 12,-22, W Evidences of Chriftianity. 42 J fcf3 judge, whether it is an imaginable thing, that fcod ffiould raife the dead body of an impoftor ; efpe cially when he had folemnly appealed to fuch a refur- rection, as the grand proof of his miffion, and had exprefly .ffxed the very day on which it was to hap pen (2). I perfuade myfelf you are convinced by all this, that they, who on the apoftles teftimony believed, that the prophecies of the Old Teftament were accomplifhed In Jefus, and that God bore witnefs to him by miracles, and raifed him from the dead, had abundant reafon to believe, that the dotlrine which Chrift taught was di vine, and his gofpel a revelation from heaven. And if they had reafon to admit this conclufion, then it is plain, that we, who have fuch fatisfaftory evidences, on the one hand, that the teftimony of the apoftles was credible, and on the other, that this was the fubftance of it, have reafon alfo to admit this grand inference from it, and to embrace the gofpel as a faithful faying, and as well worthy of all acceptation (a). This is the thing I was attempting to prove ; and here I ffiould end the argument, were it not for the confirmation it may receive from fome additional confiderations, which could not properly be introduced under any of the preceding Heads. I add therefore, 7. In the lad place, " that the truth of the gofpel '* has received farther, and very confiderable confir- " mation, from what has happened in the world fince " itwasfirdpublifhed." And here I mud defire you, more particularly to confider, — on the one hand, vihatGodhas been doing to eftabl/Jh it -,---and on the other, the methods which its enemies have been taking to deftroy it. (1) Confider " what God has been doing to con- «' firm the gofpel fince its fird publication ?" and (%) Matt, xxvii. 63. John ii. 19, 21. (a) 1 Tim. i. 15. E e 4. you 424 Evidences of Chriftianity. you will find it a farther evidence of its divine eri-i. I might here argue at large, from its furprifing propagation in the world ;-- -from the miraculous powers, with which not only the apoftles, but fucceeding prea chers of the gofpel, and other converts, were endowed ; . -from the accomplifhment of prophecies recorded in. the New Teftament ; and from the prefervation of the Jews as a diftinct people, notwithdanding the va rious difficulties and perfecutions through which they have paffed. I might particularly urge, in confirmation of the truth of Chriftianity, " the wonderful fuccefs with te which it was attended, and the furprifing propaga- *' tion of the gofpel in the world." I have before endeavoured under a former head to ffiew you, that the gofpel met with fo favourable a reception in the world, as evidently proved, that its firft publifhers were capable of producing fuch evidence. of its truth, as an impofture could not admit. But now I carry the remark farther, and affert, that con fidering the circumdances of the cafe, it is amazing that even truth itfelf, under fo many difadvantages, ffiould have fo illudrious a triumph ; and that its won derful fuccefs does evidently argue fuch an extraordi nary interpofition of God in its favour, as may juftly be called a miraculous atteftation to it. There was not only one of a family, or two of a city taken, and brought to Zion (b) ; but fo did the Lord haften it in its appointed time, that a little one became a thoufand, and a fmall one a ftrong nation (c). And as the apoftles themfelves were honoured with very re markable fuccefs, fo this divine feed was propagated fo faft in the next age, that Pliny tedifies, " he found « the Heathen temples in Achaia almod deferred:" And TertuUian afterwards boads, " that all places (b) Jer. iii. 14, ic) Ifaj. lx, 22. but Evidences of Chriftianity. 425 '*« but thofe temples were filled with Chriftians -, fo that " were they only to withdraw, cities and provinces " would be depopulated." [Nor did the gofpel only triumph thus within the boundaries of the Roman em pire ; for long before TertuUian was born, Juftin Mar tyr, in his Dialogue with Trypho the Jew, which feems to have been written not much above an hundred years after Chrift's death, declares, " that there was " no nation of men, whether Greeks or Barbarians, *c not excepting thofe favages, that wandered in clans " from one region to another, and had no fixed ha- " bitation, who had not learnt to offer prayers and " thankfgivings to the Father and Maker of all, in *' the name of Jefus who was crucified.]" Now how can we account for fuch a fcene as this, but by faying, that the hand of the Lord was with the firft preachers of the gofpel, and therefore fuch multi tudes believed, and turned unto the Lord (d) ? How had it been poffible, that fo fmall a fountain ffiould pre fently have fwelled into a mighty river, and even have covered the face of the earth, had it not fprung from the fanftuary of God, and been rendered thus triumphant by his almighty arm ? Had this new religion, fo direftly contrary to all the prejudices of education, been contrived to footh men's vices, to affert their errors, to defend their fuperfti- tions, or to promote their fecular intereds, we might eafily have accounted for its prevalence in the world. Had its preachers been very profound philofophers, or polite and faffiionable orators, many might have been charmed, at lead for a while, to follow them : or had the princes and potentates of the earth declared them felves its patrons, and armed their legions for its de fence and propagation, multitudes might. have been terrified into the profeffion, tho' not a foul could by fuch means have been rationally perfuaded to the be lief of it. But without fome fuch advantages as thefe, we can hardly conceive, how any new religion fhould (j) Aflsix. iu fo 426 Evidences of Chriftianity. fo ftrangely prevail ; even though it had crept innj the world in its darkeft ages, and mod barbarous countries, and though it had been gradually propofed in the mod artful manner, with the fined veil induf trioufiy drawn over every part, which might at fird have given difguft to the beholder. But you well know, that the very reverie of all . this was the cafe here. You know, from the appa rent conditution of Chriftianity, that the luds and er rors, the fuperditions and intereds of carnal men would immediately rife up againd it as a mod irrecon- cileable enemy. You know, that the learning and wit of the Greeks, and the Romans, were early em ployed to over-bear and ridicule it. You know, that as all the herd of Heathen deities were to be difcarded, the priefts, who fubfifted on that craft, muft in in tered find themfelves obliged to oppofe it. You know, that the princes of the earth drew the fword againd it, and armed torments and death for the def- truftion of its followers. And yet you fee, that it triumphed over all, though publiffied in ages, and places, of the greated learning and refinement ; and propofed, not in an ornamental and artificial manner, but with the utmod plainnefs ; the doctrines of the crofs being always avowed as its grand fundamentals, though fo notorious a ftumbling-block both to Jews and Gentiles (e) ; [and the abfolute neceffity, not only of embracing Chriftianity, but alfo of renouncing all idol worfhip, being inlided on immediately and in the dronged terms, though it mud make the gofpel appear rhe mod fingular and unfociable religion that had ever been taught in the world.] Had one of the wits, or politicians of thefe ages, feen the apoftles, and a few other plain men, who had been educated amongft the ioweft of the people, as mod of the firft teachers of Chriftianity were, going out armed with nothing but faith, truth, and good- nets, to encounter the power of princes, the bigotry of (e) 1 Cor. i. 23". priefts, Evidences of Chriftianity. 427 priefts, the learning of philofophers, the rage of the populace, and the prejudices of all; how would he have derided the attempt, and faid with Sanballat, What will thefe feeble Jews do (f) ? But had he feen the event, furely he mud have owned, with the Egyp tian magi, in a far lefs illudrious miracle, that it was thejsnger of God (g) ; and might judly have fallen on his face, even amongd thofe whom he had infulted, with an humble acknowledgment that God was in theift of a truth (h). I might here farther urge, " thofe miracles, which " were wrought in confirmation of the Chriftian doc- " trine, for a confiderable time after the death of the " apoftles." The mod fignal, and bed atteded of thefe, was the difpoffeffion of devils ; whom God feems to have permitted to rage with an unufual violence about thofe times, that his fon's triumph over them might be fo much the more remarkable, and that the old ferpent might be taken in his oWn craftinefs. I doubt not, but many of you have heard, that more than two hundred years after the death of Chrift, fome of the mod celebrated defenders of the gofpel, which the church has in any age produced, I mean TertuUian, and Minutius Foslix, do not only challenge any of their Heathen enemies and perfecutors, to bring them a Demoniack, engaging, at the hazard of their lives, to oblige the evil fpirit, in the name, and by the au thority of Chrift, to quit his poffeffion ; but do alfo appeal to it, as a fail publickly known, that thofe who were agitated by fuch fpirits, dood terrified, and amazed in the prefence of a Chriftian, and that their pretended gods were compelled then to confefs them felves devils. I wave the teftimonies of fome later writers of the Chriftian church, led the credulity of their temper, (f) Neh, iv. 2. (g) Exod. viii. 19. (h) 1 Cor. xiv. 25. joined 42§ Evidences of Chriftianity. joined with the circumdances attending fome of the jaSts they record, ffiould furniffi out objeftions againft their teftimony ; though I think we cannot, without great injudice to the charafter of the learned and pious Auguftin, fufpeft the truth of fome amazing facts of this kind, which he has atteded, as of his own perfonal and certain knowledge. Nor mud I on this occafion forget to mention *-* the accompliftoment of "federal prophecies, recorded in " the New Teftament," as a farther confirmation given by God to the gofpel. The moft eminent and fignal inftance under this head, is that of our Lord's prediction concerning the ieftruclion of Jerufalem, as it is recorded by St. Mat thew in his twenty -fourth chapter. The tragical hif tory of it is mod circumitantially defcribed by Jofe- phus, a Jewifh prieft, who was an eye-witnefs of it ; and the defcription he has given of this fad calamity, fo exaftly correfponds to the prophecy, that one would have thought, had we not known the contrary, that it had been written by a Chriftian on purpofe to il- ludrate it : [And one can never enough admire that feries of amazing providences, by which the author was preferved from mod eminent danger ; that he might leave us that invaluable treafure which his wri tings contain. We have no need of farther evidence, than we find in him, of the exaft accompliftoment of what was prophefied concerning the deftruttion of Jerufalem : but our Lord had alfo foretold the long continued defola- iion of their temple (i) ; and I cannot forbear remind ing you of the awful fanftion which was given to that part of the prediction: for it is well known, thataHea- thenhiftorian has affured us, that when Julian the apo- ftate, in deliberate contempt of that prediction, folemnly and refolutely undertook to rebuild it, his impious (i) Matt, xxiii. 38. xxiv. 2. defign Evidences of Chriftianity. 429 defign was miraculoufly frudrated again and again, and the workmen confumed by globes of fire, which broke out from the foundations.] The prediction of St. Paul concerning the man of fin, and the apoftacy of the latter times (k), is alfo well worthy of our remark. And though a great deal of the book of Revelation be dill concealed under a dark veil ; yet the divifion of the Roman empire into ten kingdoms, the udirpation, perfecution and idolatry of the Romifh church, and the long duration of the papal power, with feveral other extraordinary events, which no human prudence could have forefeen, and ; which have happened long fince the publication of that book, are fo clearly foretold there, that I cannot but look on that part of fcripture as an invaluable trea fure ; and think it not at all improbable, that the more vifible accompliftoment of fome of its other pro phecies may be a great means of reviving the Chriftian caufe, which is at prefent fo much on the decline. " The prefervation of the Jews as a diftinct people^ is another particular under this head, which well de fences our attentive regard. 'Tis plain they are vadly numerous, notwithdand ing all the flaughter and deftruftion of this people, in former, and in latter ages. They are difperfed in various mod didant nations, and particularly in thefe parts of the world where Chriftianity is profeffed : and though they are expofed to great hatred and con tempt, on account of their different faith, and in mod places fubjefted to civil incapacities, if not to un- chridian feverities -, yet they are (till moft obdinately tenacious of their religion : which is the more won derful, as their fathers were fo prone to apodatize from it ; and as mod of them feem to be utter dran- gers, either to piety, or humanity, and pour the greated contempt on the moral precepts of their own (i) 2 ThefT. ii. 3—12. 1 Tim, iv. 1—3, law, 430 'Evidences of Chriftianity. law, whife they are fo attached to the ceremonial infti tution ofit, troublefome and inconvenient as they are. Now ferioufly reflect, what an evident hand of pro vidence is here ; that by their difperfion, prefervation, and adherence to their religion, it ffiould come to pafs, that Chriftians ffiould daily fee the accompliftoment of many remarkable prophecies concerning this people ; and that we ffiould always have amongd us fuch a croud of unexceptionable witneffes to the truth of thofe ancient Hebrew records, oh which fo much of tlie evidence of the gofpel depends : records, which are many of them fo full to the purpofe for which we alledge them, that (as a celebrated writer very well obferves,) " Had the whole body of the Jewifh na- " tion been converted to Chriftianity, men would " certainly have thought, they had been forged by V Chriftians, and have looked upon them, with the " prophecies of the Sybils, as made many years after " the events they pretend to foretell." And to add no more here, the prefervation of the Jews as a diftinct people evidently leaves room for the accomplifhment of thofe Old and New Teftament ^promifes (1), which re late to their national converfion and reftoration j whereas that would be impoffible in itfelf, or at leaft Impoffible to be known, if they were promifcuoufly hlended with other people. On the whole, it is fuch a fcene in the conduft of providence, as I am well affured cannot be paralleled in the hiftory of any other nation on earth, and affords a mod obvious and im portant argument in favour of the gofpel. Thus has Chriftianity been farther confirmed, fince its firft publication, by what God has done to eftablijb it. It only remains, that we confider, (/) Deut. xxx. 3 — 5. Ifai. xxvii. 12, 13. xiv. 17. xlix. 6. liv. lix. 20, 21. Ix. lxi. Ixii. lxv. lxvi. Jer. xxiii. 5, 6. xxx, 8 — 24. xxxi. 31 40. 1. 4. 5. Ezek. xi. 17 — 20. xx. 34 — 44. xxxiv. 11 — 31. xxxvi. 21 — 38. xxxvii. 21, 28. Hof. i. 10, 11. ii. 14 — 23. iii. 4, 5. Joel iii. Amos ix. 11 — 15. Obad. ver. 17 — 21. Mic. vii. 14 — 20. Zech. vii. 7 — 23. x. 6 — 12. xii. IO. xiv. 9 — 21. Rora. xi. 25 — 27. 2 Cor. iii. 16. 3 (2.) What Evidences of Chrifiianify. 43 1 (2.) What confirmation It receives, " from theme- ." thods which its enemies have taken to dedroy it." And thefe have generally been, either perfecution^ or falfeboodj or cavilling at fome particulars in the re velation, without entering into the grand argument oa which it is built, and fairly debating what is offered in its defence. Now who would not think the better of a caufe, for being thus attacked ? At fird you know, that the profeffors, and efpecially the preachers of the gofpel, were feverely perfecuted. In every city bonds and imprifonments awaited them (m). As foon as ever the apoftles began to preach Jefus and his refurrection, the Jewifh rulers laid hold on them, and having confined and fcourged them, driftly prohibited their fpeaking any more in that name (n). A little while after, Stephen was murder'd (0) ; and afterwards James (p), and fome other of the apoftles. Now certainly fuch a conduft did evidently ffiew a confcioufnefs, that they were not able to anfwer the apoftles, and to fup port their own caufe by the fair methods of reafon and argument ; to which, fo far as the hiftory informs us, they made no pretence ; but attempted to bear them down by dint of authority, and to filence them by brutal force. The time would fail me, ffiould I attempt particu larly to (hew, how thefe unrighteous methods were purfued in fucceeding ages, and didant countries. The favage cruelties of Nero to thefe innocent and holy men Were fuch, as raifed the pity even of their ene mies : yet this was one of the lead extenfive and de- druftive of the ten general perfecutions,vihicharofe in the Roman empire,hefides feveral others in the neighbour ing countries, of which ecclefiaftical hiftory informs us. (m) Afts xx. 23. (») Afts iv. 17. v. 40. (0) Afts vii. 58. (p) Afts xii. 2. Thefe 43 2 Evidences of Chriftianity. Thefe early enemies of the gofpel added falfehood and Jlander to their inhumanities. They endeavoured to murder the reputations of the Chriftians, as well as their perfons, and were not afhamed [to reprefent them as haters of the whole human fpecies, for no imaginable reafon, but becaufe they would not affociate themfelves in their idolatrous worfhip, but with regard to charity and truth, were flrongly bearing their teftimony againft it :] Nay, they* charged them with human facrifices, inceft, idolatry, and all the crimes, for which them felves and their foolifh Gods were indeed judly deted- able ; but from which the Chriftians knew how to vin dicate themfelves, highly to their own honour, and to the everlafting reproach of thefe malignant and pedi- lent accufers : and they have not failed to do it in many noble apologies, which through the divine pro vidence are tranfmitted to us, and are incomparably the mod valuable of any ancient uninfpired writings. Such were the infamous and fcandalous methods, by which the gofpel was oppofed in the earlied ages of the church ; and I cannot forbear adding, " that tf the meafures more lately taken to fubvert it, efpeci* " ally amongft ourfelves, feem to me rather to reflect a " glory upon it." Its unhappy enemies have been told again and again, that we put the proof of it on plain fact. They themfelves do not, and cannot deny, that it prevailed early in the world, as we have ffiewn at large. There mud have been fome man, or body of men, who fird introduced it : They generally confefs, that Chrift and his apoftles were the perfons : and thefe apoftles (on whofe tejlimony what we know of Chrift chiefly depends,) mufthave been enthufiaftsor impoftors, if their tedimony was falfe. Now which of thefe fchemes will the unbeliever take ? It feems, that the Deifts of the jpi'efent age fix on neither, as being fecretly con- fqioas they can fupport neither; but they content themfelves with cavilling at fome circumdances attend ing the revelation, without daring to encounter its grand evidence ; i. e. they have been laborioufly at- ' tempting Evidences of Chriftianity.- 435 tempting to prove it " to be improbable, or abfurd, " to fuppofe that to have been, which neverthelefs " plainly appears to have been fact." One mod weakly and fophidically pretends to prove, in defiance of the common fenfe of mankind, that the light of nature is a perfect rule, and therefore that all revelation is needlefs, and indeed impoffible. Another difguifes the miracles of Chrift by falfe and foolifh reprefentations of them, and then fets himfelf to ridicule them as idle tales. And a third takes a great deal of fruitlefs pains to fhew that fome prophecies referred to in the New Tefta ment are capable of another fenfe; different from that in which the Apoftles have taken them. Thefe things have been fet in a very artful and fallacious light by perfons, whofe names will be perhaps tranfmitted to pofterity, with the infamous glory of having been lea ders in the caufe of infidelity ; but not a man of them undertakes direftly to anfwer, what has been faid to afcertain the grand fact. Nay, they generally take no more notice of the pofitive evidence, by which it is even demonftrated,, than if they had never heard it pro pofed ; though they cavil at incidental paffages in thofe books, in which it is mod clearly dated. And as for what they have urged, tho' perhaps fome, whowere be fore weary of Chriftianity, may have taken occafion from their writings to reject it ; and others for want of con- fulting the anfwers to them, may have been unwarily infnared ; yet the examination of thefe points has been greatly for the honour and vindication of the truth, which feems on this occafion to have been fet in a clearer and dronger light than ever, at lead in thefe later ages. The caufe of Chriftianity has greatly gained by de bate, and the gofpel comes like fine gold out of the fur nace, which the more it is tried, the more it is appro ved. I own, the Defenders of the gofpel have appeared with very different degrees of ability for the work ; nor could it be otherwife amongd fuch numbers of them : but on the whole, though the. patrons of infi- Vol. I. F f Selity 434 Evidences of Chriftianity. delily have been maders of fome wit, humour, and addrefs, as well as of a moderate ffiare of learning, and generally much more than a moderate ffiare of affurance ; yet fo great is the force of trutfj, that (un lefs we may except thofe writers, who have unhap pily called for the aid of the civil magiftrate ^n the controverfy, ) I cannot recollect, that I have feen any defence of the gofpel, which has not, on the whole, been fufficient to eftabliffi it, notwithdanding all the fophi- dical arguments of its mod fubtile antagonifts. [This is an obfervation, which is continually gain ing new drength, as new affaults are made upon the gofpel. And I cannot forbear faying that as if it were by a kind ot judicial infatuation, fome who have di- dinguifhed themfelves in the wretched caufe of infide lity, have been permitted to fall into fuch grofs mifre- prefentations, fuch fenfelefs inconfiftencies, and fuch pal pable falfehoods, and in a word, into fuch a various and malignant fuperfluity of naughtinefs ; that to a wife and pious mind they mud appear like thofe venomous creatures, which are (aid to carry an antidote in their bowels againd their own poifon. A virtuous and well bred deijt mud turn away .from fome modern pieces of this kind with fcorn and abhorrence -, and a Chriftian might almod be tempted to wifh, that the books, with all their fcandals about them, might be tranfmitted to poderity, led when they come to live, like the wri tings of fome of the ancient heathens, only in thofe of their learned and pious anfwerers, it ffiould hardly be credited, that ever the enemies of the gofpel in fuch an enlightned age ffiould be capable of fo much impiety and folly.] Thus I have given you a brief view of the chief ar guments in proof of Chriftianity ; and the dim of the whole is this. The gofpel is probable in theory ; as confidering the nature of God, and the circumftances of mankind, there was^ reafon to hope a revelation might be given ; and if Evidences of Chriftianity. 43 5 if any were given, we fhould naturally apprehend its internal evidence would be fuch as that of the gofpel is, and its external fuch, as it is laid to be. But it is alfo true in fail ; for Chriftianity was. early profeffed, as it was fird introduced by Jefus of Nazareth, whofe life and 'doctrines were publifhed by his immediate attend ants ; whole books are preferved dill in their original language, and in the main are faithfully tranflated into our own : fo that the Books of the New Teftament now in your hands may be depended upon, as written by the perfons whofe names they bear. And admitting this, the truth of the gofpel follows by a train of very eafy confequences ; for the authors certainly knew the truth of the facts they relate ; and confidering what appears of their character and circumftances, we can ne ver believe they would have attempted to deceive us ; or if they had, they could not have gained credit in the world ; yet they did gain it in a remarkable manner ; therefore the facts they atteded are true : and the truth of the gofpel evidently follows from the certainty of thofe fails, and is much confirmed by what has happened in the world fince the fird publication of it. I ffiall conclude what I have to fay on this fubjectj with a few words by way of refle5iion. 1. Let us gratefully acknowledge the divine good nefs, in favouring us with fo excellent a revelation, and confirming it to us by fuch an ample evidence. We fhould be daily adoring the God of nature, for lighting up the fun, that glorious, though imperfeft image of his own unapproachable ludre ; and appoint ing it to gild the earth with its various rays, to cheer us with its benign influences, and to guide and direft us, in our journeys, and our labours. But how in comparably more valuable is that day-fpring from on high which has vifited us, that fun of righteoufnefs, which is rifen upon us, to give light to (hem that fit in dark- F f 2 nefs, 436 . Evidences of Chriftianity. nefs, and in the fhadow of death, and to guide our feci into the way of peace (f ? Oh Chriftians, (for I now addrefs myfelf to you, whofe eyes are fo happy as indeed to fee, and your ears as to hear (r),) what reafon have you for daily and hourly praife ! When your minds are delighted with contemplating the riches of gofpel grace, when you view with wonder and joy the harmonious contrivance of our redemption, when you feel the burden of your guilt removed, the freedom of your addr.efs to the throne of grace encouraged, and fee the profpeft of a fair inheritance of eternal glory opening upon you ; then in the pleafing tranfport of your fouls, borrow the joyful anthem of the pfalmift, and fay, with the humbled gratitude and felf-refignation ; God is the Lord, who hath given us light ; bind the fa crifice with cords, even to the horns of the altar (f), Adore God, who firft commanded the light to fhine out ef darknefs, that by the difcoveries of his word, and the operations of his fpirit, he has fhined in your hearts, to give you the knowledge of his glory, as reflected from the face of his fon (t). Let us all adore him, that this revelation hath reached us, who live in an age and country fo didantfrom that in which it fird appeared j while there are to this day, not only dark corners, but regions of the earth, which are full ef the habitations of idolatry and cruelty (u). Let me here peculiarly addrefs myfelf to thofe, whofe education and circumdances of life have given tfrm opportunities of a fuller enquiry, into the date of thofe ancient or modern nations, that have been left merely to the light of unafiided reafon ; even to you, firs, who are acquainted with the hidory of their Gods, the rites ot their priefts, the tales, and even the hymns of their poets, (thofe beautiful trifles ;) nay, I will add, the reasonings of their faged philofophers, all the pre carious, and all the erroneousthings they have faid, where religion and immortality are concerned. I have (pi Mai. iv. 2. Luke i. 78. 79. (r) Matt. xiii. 16. ff) Pfal. wiii. 27. ft) 2 Cor. iv. 6. ' fu) Pfal. lxxiv. 20. fometimes Evidences of Chriftianity. 437 fometimes thought, that God gave to fome of the moft celebrated Pagan writers that uncommon ffiare of ge nius and eloquence, that they might, as it were, by their art embalm the monders of antiquity ; that fo fucceeding ages might fee, in a more affecting view than we could otherwife have done, how weak the hu man mind is in its bed edate, and the need, which the greated, as well as the meaned of mankind have, of being taught by a revelation from above. Permit me to remind you, that while you are daily conver- fing with fuch monuments as thefe, (as I know fome of you are), and are alfo furveying the evidences of Chriftianity, in a larger, and more didinft view, than it was proper for me here to propofe them, you are under peculiar obligations, to be very thankful for the gofpely ourfelves, as well as to compaffionate the cafe of thofe, to whom it has never been offered, or by whom it is flighted. And this leads me to another reflection ; 1. What reafon have we to pity thofe, who reject this Noxious gofpel, even when they have opportunities of enquiring into its cleared evidences. Such undoubtedly there are in our own age and na tion ; and furely we ffiould fometimes bedow a com paffionate thought upon them, and lift up an humble prayer for them; if Gad pzradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth -, that they may recover themfelves out of the fnare of the devil, who are now led captive by him at his pleafure (w). We ffiould pity Heathens, and Mahometans, under their darknefs and errors : but how much more deplorable is the cafe of thefe, who, though they dwell in Em manuel's land, and in the valley of vifion, turn it into the vaUey of thefhadow of death, by clofing their eyes againd fo bright a luffre, and ftopping their ears againft the voice of the charmer (x) ? They are indeed in their own conceit the only people, and wifdom will die with (vj) 2 Tim. ii. 25, 26. ,(ft) Pfal.lviii, 4, 5. F f 3 them 43? Evidences of Chriftianity, them (y).; fo that to be fure, they will fcorn our pity s but who can forbear it ? Is there a more melancholy thought than this, that the Son of God ffiould have done fo much to introduce and edabliffi the gofpel, and his fpirit fo much to perpetuate and increafe its evi dence, and that after all, it ffiould be contemptuoufly defpifed, even by creatures who are periffiing without it ? That the bleffed Jefus, indead of being received with open arms as the great deliverer, ffiould either be treated as an empty name : or if acknowledged to be a real perfon, ffiould then be reprefented as a vifionary entkuftidft, or a wicked impoftor ; for there is no other alternative ? And this, not only, though I believe, mod frequently, by men of profligate and abandoned lives, but fometimes by perfons of external morality and decency, of great humanity and fweetnefs of temper, (for fuch I know are to be found amongd them), as well as men of wit and genius, of polite nefs and learning, of human prudence and experience in affairs. I may alfo add, that it is the cafe of fome, who were the children of pious parents, who were trained up in religious exercifes, who once difcovered ferious impreffions, and gave very encouraging hopes. Alas, whither are they fallen ! and whither have we reafon to fear, they will at length fall! How fliall we fhelter thofe, that were once our brethren, that are perhaps ftill our friends, from the awful fentence, which the gofpel denounces againft all that reject it, without any exception ? As to the wretches, that add infult and derifion to their infidelity, I tremble to think of that load of guilt, which they are bringing on themfelves, and how near they approach to the unpardonable fin, it they have not already committed it. For the red, who behave in a more moded and fober manner, it will, no doubt, be a very difficult tafk to convince them ; and fo much the rather, as fome of them, by too eafy atranfition, have renounced many of the mod important principles of natural religion^ nay, I might fy) Job xii. 2. add, Evidences of Chriftianity. 439 add, even the whole of it, together with the Chriftian revelation. But the influences of divine grace are al mighty ; let us recommend them to thefe, and omit no other proper method, either of recovering thofe who are already feduced, or at lead of fecuring thofe who are not yet infefted, but may be (as mod of the youth are, efpecially in the mod populous places,) in eminent danger of the contagion, To this end let me add, 3. How reafonable is it, that Chriftians ffiould form a familiar acquaintance with the great evidences of our common faith ! It is what we fo apparently owe to the honour of God, to the intered of Chrift, to the peace of our own fouls, and the edification of others, that I hope, I need not urge it at large : efpecially confidering what was faid in the introduction to thefe difcourfes. In confequence of all, let it be your care to make the evi dences of Chriftianity the fubjeft of your ferious reflec tions, and of your frequent converfe : efpecially, dudy your Bibles, where there are fuch marks of truth and divinity to be found, that I believe, few that have familiarly know them, and have had a reliffi for them, were ever brought to make fhipwreck of the faith as it is in Jefus. Above all, let it be your care to aft on the rules which are here laid down ; and then, you will find your faith growing in a happy proportion, and will experience the truth of our Sa viour's declaration, that if- any man will refolutely and faithfully do his will, he fhall know of the Chridian doctrine, whether it be of God (z). I verily believe, it is the purity of its precepts, which lies at the bot tom of mod men's oppofition to it ; or a natural pride of heart, which gives them an averfion to fo hum bling a fcheme ; or a fond affectation of feeming wjfer than others, in rejecting what mod of their (z) John vii. 17. Ff4 neighbours 440 ' Evidences of Chriftianity. neighbours do at lead profefs to believe. When thefe unhappy prejudices and conceptions are by di vine grace conquered and rooted out, the evidence of truth will daily appear with an increafing ludre ; as the light of the fun does, to an eye recovering from a film, with which it had been overgrown, and which before had vailed it with midnight in the midd of noon. Once more, 4. How folicitous ffiould we be to embrace and obey that gofpel, which comes attended with fuch abundant evidences ! I may undoubtedly addrefs myfelf to mod of you, my friends, and fay, as Paul did to king Agrippa, Believeft thou the prophets (a), and I may add, the evangelifts, and the apoftles ? Yes, I know that you be lieve them ; yet let me intreat and charge you, not to red here -, but attentively to examine, how far your hearts are affected, and your lives regulated by fuch a belief. The Chriftian revelation is a praftical thing ; and it is heard, it is believed, it is profeffed, and even defended in vain, if it be not obeyed. Therefore do we fo frequently read of obeying the truth, and obeying the gofpel, as a matter of fo great importance (b). In this gofpel, the wrath of God is revealed from heaven againft all ungodlinefs and unrighteoufnefs of men ; but it is revealed with redoubted terror againd that audacious finner, who holds the truth in unrighteouf- nefs (c). In this gofpel, the Lord Jefus Chrift is «e- alted, both as a prince, and a Saviour (d) ; and it is not with impunity, that the impenitent rebel can re ject his yoke, and trample on his blood : for if he that defpifed Mofes' s law died without mercy, of how .much forer puniftment, than even a capital execution, (a) Afts xxvi. 27. (b) Rom. ii. 8. vi. 17. Gal. iii. 1. sThcff. i. 8. 1 Pet. i. 22. iv. 17. (c) Rom. i. 18. (d) Afts v. 31. muft Evidences of Chriftianity. 441 muft they be thought worthy, who have poured con tempt on fuch a fovereign, and on fuch a redeemer (e) ? Oh let it be mod ferioufly and frequently recol lected, that this gofpel is the toucb-ftone, by which you are another day to be tried : the balance, in which an impartial judge will weigh you ; and mud on the whole prove your everlading triumph, or your ever- lading torment. The bleffed God did not introduce it with fuch folemn notice, fuch high expeftation, fuch pompous miracles, fuch awful fanftions, that men might reject, or difhonour it, at pleafure : but it will certainly be found, to the greateft, and the meaned, of thofe that hear it, a faviour of life unto life, or a, faviour of death unto death (/). Let it therefore be your immediate care, to enquire, which of thefe it is like to prove to your fouls ; fince it is fo far from being a vain thing,' that it is really your very life (g). If it has hitherto been defpifed,- and that bleffed Redeemer, in whom it fo apparently centers, has been neglefted; remember, that all which has been faid in confirmation of its truth, does but in effeft prove, that the hand writing of God him felf is fet to the fentence of your eternal condemna tion. Oh therefore allow not yourfelves a moment's red, till you have with humble fubmiffion applied to his throne, while yet there is hope that it may be re- yerfed, And as for you, my brethren, who have received Chrift Jefus the Lord, be exhorted to walk in him (h) ; fince it is the defign of his gofpel to teach us, to deny ungodlinefs and worldly lufts, and to livefoberly, righte- oufty, and godly (i) ; and this, not only as you have fo comfortable an affurance, that your labour fhall not be in vain in the Lord (k), but as it will be, on the whole, the mod effectual method you can take in your refpeftive dations to promote the gofpel. If you (they wounded religion in a vital part ; and overturned the doftrine of future rewards and puniffiments, which hath been, and mud ever be, the chief foundation of virtuous obedience. The praftice of thefe two con tending fefts, was perfeftly fuitable to their principles : the followers of the one, were fcandalous libertines j the difciples of the other, notorious hypocrites : and between them, the knowledge and power of true re ligion were entirely dedroyed. It was high time then for the wifdom of God to vindicate his injured law, and to revive languiffiing and decayed religion, among * Matth. xxiii. 23. G g 3 his 454 The Situation of the World af his antient people. To recal the Jews from their former wandrings, the Almighty had with fuccefs em ployed the minidry of his holy prophets : but the malignant didempers of that age, would not have yielded to any common remedy : a conceited and perverfe generation would have liflened to' no inferior meffenger ; and therefore, the great prophet was fent forth in this due time, to explain, to extend, and to perfeft the lav/, and to fill Zion with judgment and righte oufnefs *. But the deplorable fituation of the heathen world with regard to religion, called dill more loudly for an immediate interpofal of the divine hand. I ffiall not mention the charafters of the heathen deities, in famous for the mod enormous crimes ; nor defcribe their religious worfhip, confifting frequently in the viled and mod (hameful rites. Certain it is, the more any .man honoured fuch gods, the worfe himfelf was ; and the oftner he ferved them, the more wicked he would become. It is the fpirit and genius of heathen religion which I ffiall endeavour to reprefent. Thefe, according to the apodle's obfervation, were in all things too much fuperftitious *. Stately temples, expenfive facrifices, pompous ceremonies, magnificent fedivals, with all the other circumdances of ffiew and fplendour, were the objefts which falfe religion prefented to its vota ries : but jud notions of God, obedience to his mo ral laws, purity of heart, and fanftity of life, were not once mentioned as ingredients in religious fervice. Superdition never prevailed among any people, but at the expence of morals. The heathen fuperdition, far from giving any aid to virtue, feems not to have had the lead connexion with it. No repentance of pad crimes, no future amendment of conduft, are ever prefcribed by it, as proper means of appeafing {he offended deities. " Sacrifice a chofen viftim, bow down before an hallowed image, be initiated in the * Jfe. xxxiii. 5. * Afts. xvii. 23. facred the Time of Chrift's Appearance: 455 facred myderies ; and the v. rath of the gods will be averted, and the thunder drop from their hands." •Suitable to thefe fentiments, is the behaviour of Balak king of Moab, defcribed by the prophet Micah. That prince had provoked the God of Ifeael; and in order to regain, his favour, thought of the fame means, which fuperdition employs to mitigate the rage of its falfe gods. Wherewith, fays he, fhall I come before the Lord, and bow myfelf before the high God ? Shall I come before him with burnt -offerings, with calves of a year old ? Will the Lord be pleafed with thoufands of rams, or with ten thoufands of rivers of oil ? Shall I give my firft-bom for my tranfgreffton, the fruit of my body for the fin of my foul * ? To do juftly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with God, were acceptable fervices, which made no part inthe fydem of heathen religion. Happily, the wifdom and fimplicity of antient go vernment, checked the progrefs of this infectious prin ciple, and corrected in fome -degree, its poifonous and deftruftive qualities. But no fooner had the ty ranny of the Roman emperors removed this redraint, by fub verting liberty, than fuperdition made its ad vances on the world by fudden and mighty deps, and exercifed an uncontrouled dominion in every corner of the earth. Tyranny and fuperdition, like thofe other dedroyers of mankind, famine and pedilence, are nearly allied. Superdition breaks the fpirit, and prepares it for fervitude. Tyranny, for this reafon, encourages fuperdition, and employs it as an ufeful auxiliary to illegal power. Accordingly, Rome adopt ed the gods of almod every nation, whom (he had conquered ; and opened her temples to the groffeft fuperditions of the moft barbarous people, tier fool ifh heart being darkned, fhe changed the glory of the un corruptible God, into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds and four-footed beafts, and creeping things y. * Micah vi. 6, 7, 8. t R°m. >• 2I> z3- Gg4 AS 456 The Situation oj the World at At this time, therefore, did a good God, in pity to his deluded creatures, publiffi the Chridian revela tion. By it, the God of truth was made known ; and the idols of the nations were moved at his prefence y. Rational and fublime in its doftrines, humane and beneficent in its precepts, pure and fimple in its wor fhip -, no religion was ever fo well calculated as Chrif tianity, ro reprefs the inroads of fuperdition, and to edablifh an acceptable and manly devotion, confifting in fpirit and in truth J. No period can be mentioned, when indruftion in thefe important articles, would have been more feafonable or neceffary. The abfurd fictions, and abominable praftices of fuperdition, had gone near to extinguifh the natural fentiments of the human mind, concerning the fupreme Being, and to banifh his name and worfhip from the earth. No wonder, men, under thefe circumdances, ffiould liden, with joy, to the Chridian revelation, which delivered them from that hateful yoke, and taught them, to ferve God without fear, in holinefs, and righteoufnefs be fore him *. V. Let us confider the world with regard to its do- medic fituation : a view, perhaps, lefs extenfive and magnificent than thofe, which hitherto have engaged our attention ; but not lefs important. The private and domedic fituation of mankind, is the chief cir cumdance, which forms their charafter, and the great fource of their happinefs or mifery. Any poifon in this fountain, communicates itfelf to the manners of men; any bitternefs there, infects all the pleafures of life. Many circumdances of the mod fatal in fluence on domedic virtue and happinefs, occur to attentive obfervers of the period under review. Domedic fociety is founded in the union betwixt hufband and wife. Among all civilized nations, this union hath been edeemed facred and honourable ; and from it are derived thofe exquifite joys or forrows, •fife, xix. 1. ijoliniv. 24. * Luke i. 74, which the Time of Chrift's Appearance. 457 which can imbitter all the pleafures, or alleviate all the pains in human life. In the antient world, there prevailed two praftices equally pernicious to the peace and happinefs of the married date. From the moft early times polygamy feems to have been univerfal among the eadern nations ; and men married as many wives as their fancy wiffied for, or their fortune could maintain. Now, this praftice not only appears to be contrary to the intention of the Almighty, who at fird created but one perfon of each fex, and hath fince preferved an admirable proportion betwixt the number of males and females, whom he fends into the world ; but by it likeways, were banilhed from domedic life, all thofe enjoyments which fweeten and endear it. Friendfhip, focial intercourfe, confidence, and the mutual care of children, were utterly unknown : on the one hand, rigour, voluptuoufnefs, jealoufy ; on the other, fubjeftion without love, fidelity, or virtue. One half of the human fpecies became the property of the other ; and the hufband, inftead of being the friend and proteftor of a wife, was no better than the mafter and tyrant over a (lave. The envy and difcord which were introduced into the families of Jacob and Elka- nah, by a plurality of wives, are but imperfeft pic tures of the enormities occafioned by the fame prac tice, under mafters lefs virtuous, and in ages more diffolute and luxurious. Where-ever the Chriftian religion is eftablifhed, an end hath been put to an in- ditution fo inconfident with the felicity of domedic life. Marriage fuitable to the ordinance of God, is rendered a friendly and undiffoluble alliance betwixt two perfons ; and tranquility, confidence, and joy blefs an union, begun and cemented by mutual love. In the wedern parts of the world, the maxims with regard to marriage were more conformable to nature : one man was confined to one woman ; but at the fame time, their laws allowed a praftice, which introduced the mod fatal diforders into domedic life. The Almighty, becaufe of the hardnefs of their hearts, permitted the Jews, on certain occafions, to give 458 The Situation of the World at give a writing of divorcement to their wives *. Accord ing to their ufual cudom, the Jews dretched this in dulgence to mod extravagant lengths ; and, defining the cafes in which they pretended divorces to be law ful, with a minute and over-curious accuracy, they altogether perverted the inditution of God. Their doctors permitted divorces for caufes fo trival and ri diculous, as cannot be mentioned in a grave difcourfe. The utmoft diffolution of manners, was the effeft of fuch licentious opinions : and our Saviour found the abufes to be grown fo enormous, as to render the ftrifteft and mod precife limitations of the Mofaic pre cept abfolutely neceffary. Nor was this matter on any better footing among the heathen nations. Divorces, on very flight pre tences, were permitted both by Greek and Roman le- giflators. And tho' the pure manners of thefe repub lics, redrained, for fome time, the operation of fuch a pernicious inditution ; tho' the virtue of private per fons feldom abufed the indulgence which the laws al lowed them : yet no fooner had the progrefs of luxu ry, and the edabliffiment of defpotic power, vitiated the tade of men, than the law with regard to divor ces, was found to be amongd the word corruptions which prevailed in that abandoned age. The facility of feparation rendered married perfons carelefs of ob taining or praftifing thofe virtues which render do medic life tranquil and delightful. The education of children, was utterly neglefted by parents, who often met together, with a fcheme of feparation in both their thoughts. Marriage, indead of redraining, ad ded to the violence of irregular defire ; and under a legal name, became the viled and mod fhamelefs pro- ftitution. From all thefe caufes, the married date fell into difreputation and contempt ; and it became neceffary, by penal laws, to force men into a fociety where they expected no fecure and lading happinefs. Among the Romans, domedic corruption grew, of a * Mark x. 4, 5. hidden, the Time of Chrift's Appearance. 459 fudden, to an incredible height ; and perhaps, in the hiftory of mankind, we can rind no parallel to the un-, difguifed impurity and licentioufnefs of that age *. , It was in a good time, therefore, that our Saviour aboliffied a praftice, which had been one of the mod fertile fources of thefe diforders. The bonds of the marriage-union were, by him, rendered almod indif- foluble ; and the cords of love were drawn the clofed poffible. Political projectors may pleafe themfelves with imaginary advantages, refulting from the liberty of divorces ; but reafon, as well as the experience of mankind, juftify the wifdom of the divine decree con cerning them. If the manners of men be not ex tremely pure and fimple, the lead indulgence in this article hath always proved fatal to the peace and vir tue of domedic life ; and whatever remains of thefe we now find in a diffolute age, mud be intirely afcri- bed to that regulation in the gofpel y, which fuper- ficial reaibners reprefent as a grievance, tho' it be in truth the greated bleffing to mankind. If the vices of thofe, who are at the head of do medic fociety, needed reformation ; the fufferings of thofe who were fubjeft to them merited relief. So many are the wants of human fociety, that far the greater part of mankind is condemned to condant toil and labour in order to fupply them. In the an- tient world, the condition of this numerous and ufe ful race of men, differed widely from that, wherein they are now placed. They were not freemen, but (laves, who occupied the inferior, tho' neceffary, da tion in human life. Their labour, was not a volun tary duty to the fociety, which intitled them to a re ward ; it was an hard tafk, impofed without their con fent, and exafted with the utmofl rigour. The num ber of perfons reduced to this unhappy condition, was immenfe. In thofe parts of the world, whofe hidory and fituation are bed known, above two thirds of the whole inhabitants are computed to have been in a •* Rom. i. 26, &c. f Matth. v. 32. date 460 The Situdtion of the World at ftate of flavery. The perfons, the goods, the chil dren of thefe flaves were the property of their maflers, difpofed of at pleafure, and transferred, like any other poffeffion, from one hand to another. No ine quality of condition, no fuperiority in power, no pre text of confent, can judify this ignominous depreffion of human nature, or confer upon one man, the right of dominion over the perfon of another : but not only doth reafon condemn this inditution as unjud; experience proved it to be pernicious both to maders and flaves. The elevation of the former, infpired into them pride, infolence, impatience, cruelty, and voluptuoufnefs : the dependent and hopelefs date of the latter, dejected the human mind, and extinguifh- ed every generous and noble principle in the heart. Were I to mention the laws and regulations of the mod civilized dates among the antients, concerning thefe unfortunate fufferers ; were I to relate the treat ment which they met with, from perfons the moft renowned for their virtue ; maxims fo inhumane, and aftions fo barbarous, would excite the dronged pity and indignation, in an age, which never beheld the tyranny of the oppreffor, nor heard the groans of the captive. 'Tis true, while men enjoyed thofe wife inditutions of government, which we formerly defcribed, the date of fervitude did not become altogether intolerable ; many expedients were ufed for mitigating the rigour of command, and lightening the yoke of obedience : but, upon edablifhing defpotic government in the Roman empire, domedic tyranny rofe, in a fhort time, to an adonifhing height. In that rank foil, every vice, which power nouriffies in the great, or oppref fion engenders in the mean, thrived and grew up apace. Flere then is an objeft worthy the attention of that merciful God, who deliver eth the foul of the afflicted from violence, who heareth the cry of the needy, and him who the Time of Chrift's Appearance. 46 1 who hath no helper *. The groans of fuch an innu merable multitude of his reafonable creatures, berea ved of the nobled privilege of their nature, liberty and independence, would not, we may believe, be uttered in vain. He could not always keep filence and be ftill, when he beheld their wretched fituation, fo dedruftive of happinefs, and fo fatal to virtue. At lad, the divine wildom interpofed ; and when the evil had become intolerable, and feemed to be pad cure, the promulgation of Chridianity brought an effeftual and timely remedy. It is not the authority of any fingle detached pre cept in the gofpel, but the fpirit and genius of Chrif tian religion, more powerful than any particular com mand, which hath abolifhedthe praftice of flavery thro' the world. The temper, which Chridianity infpired, was mild and gentle -, and the doftrines it taught, added fuch dignity and ludre to human nature, as refcued it from the difhonourable fervitude into which it was funk. All men, of every condition, are de clared to be the offspring of the fame God, and the heirs of the fame heavenly inheritance : one Saviour redeemed them from iniquity by his death, and one fpirit worketh powerfully in their hearts. Where-ever fuch opinions prevail, no human creature can be re garded as altogether infignificant and vile ; even the meaned acquire dignity, exterior didinftions difap- pear, and men approach nearer to that original equa lity, in which they were at fird placed, and are dill viewed by their impartial Creator. What a wonderful and bleffed change hath Chrif tianity produced in the face of the world ! Along with the knowledge of it, liberty, humanity, and do medic happinefs, diffufed themfelves over every cor ner of the earth. It is deemed a virtue, to admire and praife thofe illuftrous perfonages, who delivered mankind from the rage of tyrants, and vindicated the violated laws and conditution of their country : and *Pfal. Ixxii. \jz- is 4-6i The Situation of. the World at is no admiration due to the generous fpirit of that re ligion which redcred liberty, not to one nation or fo ciety alone,, but refcued from the word fervitude, far the greater number of the human race, and acquired for them that happy freedom; which they dill enjoy ? When we behold Chridianity making its progrefs thro' the world, and working, every where, fuch an im portant alteration in the condition of mankind ; we may well apply to a temporal deliverance, what the prophet fpoke concerning a fpiritual falvation : Be hold the acceptable year of the Lord is cornel Liberty is proclaimed to the captive, and the opening of the prifon ¦ to them that are bound ; they fhall reft from their forrow^ and from their fear, and from the hard bondage wherein they were made to ferve *. The abolition of domedic flavery was the occafion of another change in the manners of men, which is no lefs remarkable. Captives taken in war, were, in all probability, the fird perfons fubjefted to perpetual fer vitude : and when the neceffities or luxury of man-' kind increafed the demand for flaves, every new war recruited their number, by reducing the vanquiffied to that, wretched condition. Hence proceeded the fierce and defperate fpirit, with which wars were car ried on among antient nations. While chains and flavery were, the certain lot of the conquered, battles were fought, and towns defended, with a rage and obdinacy, which nothing but the horror at fuch a fate could have infpired : but by putting an end to the cruel inditution of flavery, Chriftianity extended its mild influences to the praftice of war ; and that bar barous art, foftened by its humane fpirit, ceafed to be fo dedruftive. Secure, in every event, of perfonal liberty, the refiftance of the vanquiffied became lefs obdinate, and the triumph of the victor lefs cruel. Thus humanity was introduced into the trade of war, with which it appears to be almod incompatible ; and it is to the merciful maxims of Chridianity, much * Ifa. lxi. i. xiv. 3. 3 more the Time of Chrift's Appearance. 463 more than to any other caufe, that we mud afcribe the little ferocity and bloodfhed, which accompany modern victories. Even where the paffions of men are fierced, and mod highly inflamed, the powerful genius of our religion interpofes, and redrains the fury of war, and lets bounds' to its dedroyiag rage. The benevolent fpirit of the gofpel, delivereth the captive from his fetters, loofeth thofe who were appoint ed to death *, and faith to the fword which is ready to devour, return into thy fcabbard, and be ftill \: It hath become a faffiionable topic among political reafoners, to celebrate the mild nefs and humanity of modern manners, and to prefer the charafter of pre fent times before the antient : to what caufe ffiall we afcribe this important revolution, in the fentiments and difpofitions of mankind ? Not to the influence of better inflituted governments ; for in legiflative wif dom the antients far excelled us : not to the effefts of a better-directed education; that duty, ffiamefully neglefted by us, was among them an objeft of chief attention : not to our fuperior refinements in elegant and polite arts ; there we mud be content to equal, without pretending to furpafs the antients. The Chrif tian religion, hid from ages, but now manifefted to the world, is the only caufe capable to produce, fo great an effeft. That wifdom which is from above, is pure, and peaceable, gentle, eafy to be intreated, full of mercy J. Genuine Chridianity is didinguiffied above all other religions, by the mildnefs of its fpirit : the enemy of every praftice which hardens the heart : the en- courager of every virtue, vvhich renders the charafter humane. Where ever it hath been edabliffied in pu rity, and praftifed with zeal ; kindnefs, long-fuffering, weeknefs, bowels of mercies, charity [), are the graces which accompany it. Even the vices and inventions of men, which have mingled themfelves with the truths of God, have not been able intirely to dedroy their * Pfal. cii. 20. t Jer- x'v'i- 7- J James iii. 12. || Col. iii. 12. effects: 464 The Situation of the World at effefts. Under all difadvantages, the genius of the gofpel exerts itfelf, civilizing the fierced and moft barbarous nations, and infpirijig a gentlenefs of dif pofition, unknown to any other religion. Along with the bed fpiritual blefiings, the mod valuable temporal mercies have been communicated to the world, by Chridianity. It not only fanftifies our fouls, but refines our manners ; and while it gives the promifes of the next life, it improves and adorns the prefent : that happy change, which the wifdom of man could not effeft, God in his good time ac- complifhed by manifefting to the world the myftery hid from ages and generations. Thefe obfervations, which we have made, fugged many ufeful reflections, with regard to the future and univerfal propagation of Chridian knowledge. At the time when the difciples of Chrid fet out, in obe dience to their Lord's command, to teach all nations ; no undertaking could appear, in the judgment of man, more wild and improbable : but, befides the bleffing of God, which accompanied them where- ever they went, we have difcovered feveral circum dances in the fituation of the world, which contribu ted powerfully towards the fuccefs and facility of their enterprize. Aided by thefe, the word of Godincreajed, and the number of difciples multiplied greatly *. The weaknefs of God became ftronger than men ; and in a fhort time, he enabled the foolifto things of the world, to confound the wife ; the weak things of the world, to con found the things which are ftrong -, and things that are not, to bring to nought things that are y. That the fame effeftual bleffing of God dill continueth to fe cond every fincere and vigorous attempt, to fpread the knowledge of his name, we have good reafon to believe. What powerful unknown caufes may co operate with this bleffing of the Almighty, we are not yet permitted to difcover. It cannot, however, be more improbable, that the influences of Chridia- "- Afts vi. 7. \ 1 Cor. i. 23, 27, z8. nity the time of Chrift's Appearance. 46 c nity fhall reach farther, than it once was, that they ffiould reach fo far; And, after we have feen the light of the gofpel penetrate into fo many dark places of the earth ; why- doeth it feem incredible, that its fplendor ffiould, at lad, fill the world, and fcatter the remainder of darknefs which covereth the nations ? It is obvious to obferve one circumdance, which cannot fail of introducing the gofpel into didant na tions with great advantage. That part of the world, wherein Chridianity is edablifhed, infinitely furpaffes the red in all the iciences and improvements which raife one nation above another in reputation or power. Of this fuperiority, the Europeans have availed them felves to the utmod, in every project for extending their empire or commerce ; and have brought a great part of the globe into a dependence, either upon their arts or arms. Now, thefe fame attainments in fcience or policy, might be employed to good purpofe, on the fide of religion : and tho' hitherto fubfervient to the defigns of intered or ambition, may we not flat ter ourfelves, that, at lad, they ffiall become noble indruments in the hand of God, for preparing the world to receive the gofpel ? This glorious profpeft may be diftant ; but it is not imaginary. Even in a degenerate age, zealous and aftive fpirits have arifen, and focieties have been formed, upon the generous plan of propagating the knowledge of Chrid to nations far off, which never heard his fame, nor have feen his glory *. What they have already done, encourages the mod fanguine hopes of farther fuccefs. And, if it fhall pleafe God to increafe the number, and ftrengthen the hands, of fuch well-difpofed perfons : if he ffiall fee fit, to haften his time when one fhall become a thoufand, and a fmall one ftrong y : then might we expeft that the knowledge of the Lord would fill the earth, as the waters cover the fea % ; that the defart would bloffom as the rofe ||, and * Ifa. lxvi. 19. t Ifa. Ix. 2. % Ibid. xi. 9. II Ibid. xxxv. 1. Vol. I. Hh the 466 The Situation of the Worldt &c. the wildernefs become a fruitful field * : then might the fpirit of Chridianity, which languifhes fo Vifibly in thofe places where it hath long been planted, re vive with new vigour in unknown lands, and ffiine with its firft fplendor, among the people who now fit in darknefs and in the region and ftoadow of death y : Then might the folitary place rejoice J, the barren break forth into finging \\, and the tongue of the dumb praife the Lord %. *. Ifa. xxxii. 15. f Matth. iv. 16. J Ifa. xxxv. I. || Ibid. liv. 1. fl Ibid. xxxv. 6. DIS- [467] DISCOURSE XXI. Christ the Light of the World. [Amor y.J John viii. 12. Thenfpake ffefus again to them faying, I am the light of the world; he that follow eth me fhall not walk in darknefs} but fhall have the light of life. THESE words contain an argument ufed by our Saviour with his hearers, to prevail upon them to fubmit to his authority, and embrace his religion. The argument is this : That in this method they would gain affurance in matters of very great importance, as to which they had be fore been ignorant or uncertain ; fuch clear light as would give them full fatisfaftion of mind at prefent, and conduft them to eternal happinefs. Light, by an eafy and elegant metaphor, fignifies knowledge or in ftruftion ; becaufe what the one is to the eye for guiding the body, the other is to the mind for inform ing the judgment, and directing the moral conduft. He therefore that gives indruftion to others, may be called a light to them ; and he that gives indruftion to all mankind in affairs of the greated importance, and fuch indruftion as would lead them, if purfued, to never-ending life and happinefs, may judly be ftiled the light of the world, and the light of life. As Hh2 the 468 Chrifi the Light of the World. the fun is, to the natural world, the common fountain of light, fuch was Jefus, by his doftrines and pre cepts, to the moral ; his religion being adapted for the indruftion and guidance of all mankind, and recom mended to the world with the brighted evidences of divine authority. Whoever therefore impartially confiders the doftrines, precepts, and promifes of the gofpel, may be eafily convinced, that our Saviour, with the juded reafon, affumed this title, the light of the world, the light of life ; for, befides his giving mankind a clear and confident fummary of thofe reli gious truths and duties which were difcoverable by reafon, and free from all thofe errors men had before mixed with them, he difcovered to them feveral great and important truths, as to which they were before ignorant, or in doubt ; truths which have the mightieft influence to excite mankind to the praftice of good nefs, to clear the darknefs and confufion they were involved in, and guide them to life and happinefs My prefent bufinefs will be to make good this af fertion of our Saviour in the text, by an enumeration of particulars ; from which it will appear, that our Saviour revealed to the world feveral noble truths be fore unknown, ornot clearly and fully known ; truths of the greated fervice to the virtue and happinefs of mankind. As I go over the feveral indances, I ffiall endeavour to make it evident, that the doftrines and precepts added by the gofpel to natural religion, and the truths which the world knew, or might have known before, are, in themfelves credible, worthy the perfeftions of God, and accommodate to the date of mankind, and therefore highly advantageous for us to know or praftife ; and that this, which maybe called the internal proof of Chridianity, is a drong induce ment to every confiderate perfon, to embrace the Chridian religion, and follow our Saviour, who was indeed the light of the world, and the light of life, con ducting men to life eternal. Though fome of the truths I fhall inftance in, were before difcovered to the Chrift the Light oj the World. 469 the Jews in the Old Teftament, yet, as to thefe, our Saviour juftly claims the honour of being the light of the world, fince it was purely by means of his religion they were made known to all mankind ; and though fome others were more fully revealed by his apoftles than by our Lord himfelf, yet the honour of thefe be longs to him, fince he taught his apoftles thefe, either immediately or by the divine fpirit, which, after his afcenfion, he fent down upon them. That this dif courfe may not run out too great a length, omitting others, I ffiall confine myfelf to the following in ftances : The account Chriftianity gives us of the original of evil : the doftrine of a particular providence : the full affurance of the pardon of all fins on repentance ; and the difpenfing this pardon in a way confiftent with the honour of the divine holinefs and govern ment, through the death and mediation of the Son of God : the full and exprefs promife of divine affiftance : the information, that the prefent is a final ftate of trial : and that the reward of the imperfeft virtue of a ffiort life, will be compleat and everlafting happinefs : and particularly, that our victories over the flefh, and keeping it in fubjeftion to reafon, ffiall be recom- penced by raifing our bodies from the grave, glorious, fpiritual, powerful, and immortal : the fetting apart & feventh day for the public worfhip of God, and more intire application to the duties of piety and virtue : the inditution of the facraments, and the minidry. — Thefe additional doftrines and duties will, upon a review, appear improvements of natural religion worthy of God, for their tendency to render our piety and virtue more eafy and perfeft ; and proofs that our Saviour, who communicated the knowledge of them to mankind, was the light of the world, and the light of life. H h 3 I. The 470 Chrift the Light oj the World. I. The account Chridianity gives us of the en? trance of evil, moral and natural, into the world, and its prevalency, is of great advantage to us ; and by informing mankind of this, our Saviour proved himfelf the light of the world: befides what reafon offers, for vindicating the divine perfeftions and pro vidence in this difficult inquiry, to which Chridians have an equal right with the Deifts, revelation acquaints us with feveral particulars of great ufe for clearing the difficulty. Reafon informs us, 'tis fit intelligent and free beings ffiould be tried and approved, before they are rewarded, and be edabliffied in virtue, before they are fixed, unalterably, in happinefs : fince other- wife God would not govern them according to their nature, which renders them capable of an approved virtue, and they could not enjoy the highed fatisfac- tion of all ; the fatisfaftion arifing from confcious in tegrity, maintained amidd difficulties and tempta tions, and from thus rendring themfelves proper ob jefts of the divine complacency. From reafon we far ther learn, that if it be fit our love to God and goodnefs ffiould be tried by difficulties and tempta tions, it really makes no difference on the whole, whether thefe be more or fewer, dronger or weaker, provided our great Creator and Governor make an- fwerable allowances, or grant anfwerable affidances ; proportion the reward to the difficulties of the con flict, and, accepting lower attainments in goodnefs where the oppofition is dronger, reward them as he would higher attainments in more advantageous cir cumdances. That God will thus deal with us we are affured by reafon, fince he is infinitely wife and good, knows our frame, knows what in every aftion is ftritlly ours, and what is tp be imputed to the unavoid able influence of conditution, education, and the like ; fees the drength of the virtuous difpofition, though ftrgggUng beneath, and almofl; pver-whelmed by op pofite inclinations and disadvantageous external cir: cumftances, Chrift the Light of the World, 47 1 cumdances, 'tis fcarce difcernable by human eyes ; and mud approve, love, and reward us, in. proportion to what is properly our own in every virtuous aftion, and deduct from the account of every aftion, in ap pearance vitious, whatever is really owing to caufes and circumftances out of our power. Reafon farther informs us, that the ftrong inclinations in our frame to fenfible good, and averfions from fenfible evil, and the paffions founded on thefe, which occafion fo much irregularity in our conduft, are yet proper trials of our virtue ; which is to ffiew its drength in the deady government of them ; and that all the natural evils we complain of, as want, pain, ficknefs, difappoint- ments, and the like, are either proper correctives Qf vice, or neceffary for exercifing, approving, or in creafing our fubmiffion to God, our love to good nefs, our compaffion to the unhappy, and numerous other virtues ; the prefent internal fatisfaftions, and future rewards of which, will abundantly compenfate for all we fuffer in their praftice. Thefe, and other confiderations, reafon offers in vindication of the wifdom, holinefs, and goodnefs of God, which feem impeached by the drong propenfities in our conditu- tion, to objefts that prove the occafions of fin, and by the many natural evils which abound amidd his * works. And this defence is drengthened by the Chridian revelation, which informs us, that this date of things was not the original appointment of God, but took its rife from the wilful tranfgreftion of the fird pa rents of mankind (a) ; that their fin would not have been differed to produce fuch effefts, had not God provided an equal remedy, fore-ordained before the foundation of the world (b) ; had he not determined to make anfwerable allowances (c), and give anfwerable afliflances ; had he not, in confideration of the ffiarp- nefs of the trial, appointed it to be but fhort, and not only refolved to accept an imperfeft virtue, but reward it, through the obedience of his Son, with (a) Gen. chap. iii. (b) 1 Pet. i. 20. (c) Gen. iii. 15. H h 4 perfeft 472 Chrift the Light of the World. perfeft and everlafting happinefs (d), with eternal life (e), the reward annexed, in the original conftitution, to unfinning obedience ; fo that as in Adam all die, in Chrift all are made alive ( f). This dilution St. Paul gives us at large, Rom. v. from verfe 12. to the end, where he exprefly affures us, that all the ill effefts ow ing to the difobedience of the firft Adam, were fully remedied by the good effefts following the perfeft obe dience of the fecond ; and, that as by the offence of one, judgment came upon all men to condemnation, fo by the righteoufnefs of one, the free gift came upon all men to the juftification of life ; and where fin abounded, in its perni cious fruits, grace did much more abound in the contrary. As for the vanity, difappointments, and wretched- nefs which attend the prefent date, the permiffion of thefe appear wife and kind ; fince we are, according to the doftrine of the gofpel, after a few days fpent here, defigned for a fpiritual and divine happinefs in another world (g), and hereby prevented from eafily giving up ourfelves to fenfual Good (h), to the de- bafing our fpirits, fpoiling their reliffi for rational pleafures, andlofing this divine everlading felicity (i). The fuperditious and dreadful apprehenfions of the Deity, which the view of the world of mankind might otherwife occafion, are, by this reprefentation of the divine defigns towards us, intirely prevented ; and we are formed to the highed veneration and love, to a firm truft and a cheerful refignation to an infinitely wife and good God, who over-rules what to appear ance are the greateft evils, for the produftion of the greateft good. We are alfo, by the fcripture account of the fall and its confequences, hindred from indul ging to the violence of inclination and paffion, under pretence that they are natural ; as it teaches us that this is not a part of original nature, that the permiffion pf it was defigned for the trial of our virtue, and, that by being ftriftly mpderated, it may prove the occa- fj) Rom. v. ig. () Prov. iii. 6. (?) Matt. vl. 23. (r) 1 Pet. v. 7. 3 power Chrift the Light of the World. 475 power can really hurt him. It is therefore a great excellency in the Chriftian revelation, that it not only difcovers to us, in the ftrongeft light, thofe general principles of the divine perfeftions and providence on which this faith is built, but places, in the cleared and moft familiar light, this particular important truth, and gives it the fanftion of the moft exprefs authority. III. The affurance that God's pardoning mercy ex tends to all fins and allfinners, on condition of repen tance and amendment, is another invaluable part of the Chriftian revelation ; and by affuring us of this, Chrift was, in a moft defirable inftance, the light of a guilty world. Though reafon gives good ground to hope, God will pardon the penitent and thoroughly reformed, yet how far his pardoning mercy ffiall ex tend, whether to great fins repeated after frequent renunciations, to fins that have left a great difability on the mind for the future practice of goodnefs, or which have had mod mifchievous confequences to the world beyond our power to repair, and efpecially where a great part of life hath been waded in the fer vice of vice; as to thefe particulars, reafon cannot give a didinft anfwer entirely fatisfying ; at mod 'tis filent, whether fuch great tinners, though real penitents, fhall receive any reward, and of what kind and de gree. God is free in the exercife of his goodnefs, and difpenfing unmerited and forfeited favours ; and therefore what ffiare fuch ffiall receive, it cannot cerr tainly fay. It is therefore an invaluable part of the Chriftian fcheme, admirably fuited to the frail and corrupt date of mankind, that it aflures the forgive- nefs of all fins to the penitent, that alone againd the HolyGhofi being excluded(/), becaufe it renders repen tance impoffible, dedroying ail the gofpel- motives to it, by afcribing to evil fpirits the fulled evidences of its truth, the miraculous gifts of the Holy Spirit. (/) Matt. xii. 24, and following verfes. How 476 Chrift the Light of the World. How ffiould all of us, therefore, who are confcious to fo many offences againft God, and need fo much his pardoning mercy, rejoice in thofe full affurances, that the blood of Christ cleanfeth from all fin (t), and that all manner of fin and blafphemy fhall be forgiven to the penitent and reformed (u) ? What can be better adapted to beget an ingenuous forrow and repentance, for having offended fo good a God, and to animate our endeavours after the moft advanced degrees of holinefs, as the beft return to fo gracious and fo com paffionate a fovereign and friend ? What can better prevent the hardening influence of defpair, or what infpire a dronger abhorrence of vice, than a view of its ingratitude and bafenefs, as committed in abufe of fuch goodnefs ? And farther allowing the moft, that reafon, when cool and undifturbed, could in a good degree afftire us, that the pardoning mercy of God would reach to all fins repented of, it would yet be greatly defirable to have exprefs affurances of this from God himfelf, in his word. Guilt and its con- fequents, grief and fear, cloud the mind, make truths of this kind appear in a doubtful light, and incline us, even when we moft need the affurance of their truth, to reverfe thofe judgments we had formed in our cool hours, and to doubt of the mercies of God extending to us fo guilty (w) : whereas the clear and exprefs declarations of God in his word always remain the fame ; and as at fuch times we are in no difpofi tion to doubt the truth of his word, neither can we .queftion the extent of his grace when fo fully afferted. IV. The manner of difpenfing this free and exten five grace of God, through the atonement of the blood of Chrid, and his confequent mediation at the right hand of God, is only to be learned from the Chridian revelation -, and by difcovering this, our Sa viour proved himfelf to be the light of the world : he (t) 1 John i. 7. («) Matt. xii. 31. (iv) See Mr. Grove on the proof of a future ftate, from reafon, chap. ix. § 3, 7, and 8. tells Chrift the Light of the World. 477 tells US himfelf, his blood was to be fhtdfor many, for the remiffion of fins (x) ; and in Chrift we have redemp tion, through his blood, even the forgivenefs of fins, ac cording to the riches of the Father's grace (y) : he was delivered for our offences, and raifed again for our juf- tification (z). Who then fhall condemn ? Shall Chrift who died ? yea rather who is rifen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who alfo maketh inter ceffion for us (a) : God, who is not only a Being fupremely good, but a mod wife and holy Governor, was con cerned fo to difpenfe his pardoning mercy to a finful world, as at the fame time to encourage them to re pent, and to prevent their prefuming on his good nefs, and abufing its rich difcoveries to greater cor ruption and wickednefs, the natural difpofition of all tinners. Guilt makes men fufpicious and fearful of God ; and while they are uncertain of his accepting them, they cannot eafily refolve on the labours of mortification and a thorough amendment ; they there fore need the fulled difcoveries and dronged af furances of the divine forgivenefs, to encourage them to fcatter their guilty fears, and melt and overcome the obdinacy of their hearts : at the fame time, the farther they have proceeded in vice, and the more they want thofe affurances of mercy, the more dif pofed are they to abufe them ; to think fin, they have fo long indulged, a light evil, when God freely for- . gives it, and to negleft true holinefs as an unneceffary, becaufe difficult attainment. Though God, as they think he could do no lefs, demand repentance and fu ture obedience, yet, they fancy, he will not rigoro-ufly infid on them, but be as ready to excufe or forgive fu ture tranfgreiTions as paft. Obedience to the laws of God, and the deady praftice of true goodnefs, are effential to the perfection and happinefs of mankind : an infinitely wife, holy, and good God, cannot but will men ffiould praftife thefe, and do whatever is be- (x) Matt. xxvi. 28. (y) Eph. i. 7. (z) 2 Rom.iv.25. (a) viii. 34. coming 478 Chrift the Light of the World. coming him to promote their practice. It was there fore worthy the wifdom of the great Governor of the world, to temper his full difcoveries of pardoning mercy to finners, with a proportionable difcovery of his abhorrence of vice, and love of holinefs : and this he hath done, by giving up a perfon of fuch high dignity as his only begotten Son, not only to be made flefto, and Jive upon earth for the promotion of piety and virtue, by his indruftions and example, but to die on the crofs as an atoning facrifice ; by appointing that He, who willingly undertook our caufe, and gave up himfelf to this difficult work for our fakes, ffiould, to manifed the Father's concern for his vio lated laws, fuffer and die to confirm the obligation of them ; and difcovering, in this fubmiffion, the moil excellent virtue and obedience, caufe the conceffions made to him in favour of guilty men, to appear as the reward of his extraordinary merit, as well as encou ragements to the penitent to exert themfelves to the utmoft. What could more demonftrate the concern of the divine Being, to advance holinefs and root out vice, than his fubjefting, for this end, his only be-' gotten Son to the meannefs and labours of a mortal condition, and the fuffering of death ? What could more declare his abhorrence of the difobedience of mankind (excepting the dedruftion of the difobedient, which this method was defigned to prevent) than his not empowering, even his own Son, to grant us a full pardon, but on condition of his becoming obedient unto death (b), and thus appointing him who was not only mod dear to his father, as his only begotten, but as perfeftly fubmiffive and obedient, to expiate our fins by his death, that we might be effectually con vinced what our fins deferved ; and on account of the Son's meritorious obedience and death, granting him a power to give not only a full pardon of fins pad, but eternal life to thofe that believe, that are thoroughly repentent, and fincerely, though imperfectly good (c). (b) Rom. v. 19. (c) John xvii. 1—5. The Chrift the Light of the World. 479 The merciful goodnefs of God, and the motives to re pentance; from ingenuity and gratitude to a pardon ing God, are equally great and affecting, as if our fins had been forgiven without a propitiation ; nay greater, fince God himfelf provides the propitia tion (d), and thus ffiews it is not owing to an indif ference to our fins, but to his unbounded mercy and goodnefs, that he forgives them. We are alfo drongly convinced of the great malignity of moral evil, by the agonies the Redeemer endured to take it away ; and engaged not to abufe the goodnefs of God fo grofly, as to continue praftifing what he hated, more than he loved the life of his own Son. If it be objected, Where is the Juftice of punifhing the innocent, that the guilty may efcape ? I anfwer, There is no injudice in permitting thofe evils to fall on the innocent, which to the guilty are puniftoments of fin, when important ends of the divine government are hereby anfwered ; when the fuffering party voluntarily fubmits to thofe evils, and when even thofe evils ('his fubmitting to them being in him an inftance of the . mod perfeft virtue) procure to him the higheft happinefs and reward. And this is the fcripture account of the affair : No man took our Saviour's life from him, but he laid it down of himfelf ; and therefore the Father loved him, becaufe he laid down his life, and becaufe he humbled himfelf, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the crofs (e) ; therefore God highly exalted him, and gave him a name above every name (f), and a power to give eternal life to as many as he had given him (g) ; that is, to all the penitent and fincerely good. Suppofe a king, out of a concern to maintain his authority, and fecure the future obedience of his fubjefts, refufe, even at the requed of his own fon, to recal banifhed rebels, unlefs his fon would go to them in their baniffiment, and endeavour perfonally to re claim them to a fenfe of their rebellion, and of their fd) 1 Johniv.9, 10. (e) Johnx. 17, 18. (f) Phil. ii.9. (£) John xvii. 2. duty, 480 Chrift the Light oj the World. duty, and the prince willingly undertake this, 'tis certain, by living for a time with the banifhed, he fuffers what is the punifhment of their rebellion, though himfelf innocent ; and this without any injuftice, be caufe it is his own choice, and becaufe he hath the fiatis- f action of reclaiming the rebellious, and* as a reward, fees them redored to their country, and receives him felf a ffiare in his father's throne. It is the happinefs . of God himfelf to communicate good ; and this our Saviour is rewarded with in the highed degree, by re ceiving a power to confer everlading happinefs on all the human race;' who do not abfolutely unfit them felves for it. In this method of (hewing favour to mankind the innocent is not puniffied, that the guilty, as fuch, may efcape ; but he fuffers thofe evils, to excite in them a fenfe of their guilt; and bring them to a temper which may qualify them for mercy. The guilty, after all, are not forgiven but upon condition of repentance and reformation, which is the whole the objectors contend for, as neceffary to fecure the honour of the divine laws and government : and if, befides the repentance and reformation of the guilty, the fuf ferings and death of our voluntary Mediator are re quired and accepted, the honour of the divine holi nefs and government are certainly better guarded. It is true, did the obedience and death of Chrift excufe us from the neceffary obligations of holinefs and obedience, and would God on account of thefe re ceive and make happy the unholy and impenitent, there would then be unanfwerable drength in the ob jeftion ; but there is really none, when this atone ment is fo propounded as to increafe our obligations to repentance and holinefs (h) ; and we are not al lowed, on any other terms, to expeft advantage from it (i). Chrift crucified, for our fins, is therefore the wifdom of God, and the power of God unto falvation of all them that believe (k). And this method of recon ciliation, though reafon could not difcover it, is yet 'h) Titus ii. 14. fi) Rom. vi. 1 — 17. fi) 1 Cor. i. 23, 24. readily Chrift the Light of the World. "4S1 readily approved and fubmitted to by reafon when dif covered by God, fince it is not only not unreafonable, but worthy of God, and mod frequently and exprefly taught in a revelation, which has all defirable exter nal evidences of a divine original. I have been the longer on this head, becaufe this is a didinguiffiing doftrine of the Chridian religion, and without fuppofing its truth, the appointing a Being of fuch unparalleled dignity as the only begotten Son of God to become incarnate and die, appears unaccount able, fince a common prophet might have anfwered every other purpofe, excepting the taking away the fins of the world by his death, and regaining immortality for mankind by his perfect obedience. As to the mediation of Chrift, founded on his atonement (/), and our being appointed to afik every bleffing in the name of Chrift (m), this conditution is fitted to keep alive a facred awe of the divine Ma jefty (n) ; fince, as finners, we cannot be freely ad mitted to approach him, but through his fon's me diation (0), and to cherifh the deeped humility in us amidft the privileges we are advanced unto, and the large expeftations in which we are indulged. It na turally preferves on the mind a ftrong abhorrence of fin, which bars our free accefs to an infinitely good God, while, at the fame time, we are raifed to a filial confidence in our approaches to God, who can ad drefs him in the name of his Son, who is the propi tiation for our fins (p). And it farther inftrufts us, moft convincingly, in the love of the Deity to holi nefs and goodnefs, and his concern for our perfeftion in them, when every prayer, in the name of Chrift, is fitted to put us in mind of God's rewarding his Son's love to mankind, and his expenfive undertaking to reftore holinefs and happinefs to the human race, with the power of difpenfing thofe invaluable bleffings of pardon, the aids of the divine fpirit, and eternal life ; fl) Rom. viii. 34. fm) 1 John ii. 1,2. fn) John xvi. 23, 26. fo) Heb. xii. 24, 28, 29. (p) Heb. x. 19—22. Vol. I. I i a 4Si.' Chrift the Light of the World. a reward and happinefs than which there cannot besj greater conferred, fince it is the highed happinefs of God himfelf that he is perfeftly good, and communi cates the greated good ; and therefore the nobf-.d dif covery of his love to the perfeftion of goodnefs in his Son, that he thus rewards his labours to redore man kind to virtue, perfeftion and happinefs. V. The full and exprefs promifes of divine affiftance in the praftice of virtue, and the purfuit of immor tality, are another valuable part of the Chridian reve lation ; a favour reafon could not affure us of, though it gave good hopes of its being granted ; and by affuring us of thefe, our Saviour merited the title of the light of the world. To reafonable men, apprehen- five of the excellency and obligation of piety and goodnefs, there is nothing fo difcouraging as the con fcioufnefs of their weaknefs, and the difficulty they find from within to furmount temptation, and act with deadinefs in conformity to the convictions of their minds ; incumbered as they are by irregular inclina tions and habits, continually diverted by fenfe, often fet wrong by bad education, oppofed by the follies, vices, and ill examples of others, and frequently lofing fight of their duty and the motives to it, in the mod important feafons of trial, and finding it returning at lad only to ffiame them for an unfuitable conduft. In fuch circumdances nothing can be more encouraging, nothing more valued by an honed mind, than the af furance of divine aids. How defirable the affurance, that an ever prefent God, who knows our frame, is tenderly concerned for our perfeftion and happinefs, and will not only make every favourable allowance, but, if we exert ourfelves, and implore his aids, pro portion our drength to our trials (q), keep off tempta tions, which in a carelefs or foft hour would ruin us, never fuffer us to be tempted above what we are able (r), ©r by peculiar affiftances make every trial iffue in the fo) Matt. vi. 13. fr) 1 Cor. x. 13. 3 eftab- Chrift the Light of the World. 483" £ dablithment of our piety and virtue, and the increafe of our future happinefs ! No temptation can dand againd an honed mind, full of a fenfe of the excel lency and importance of holinefs, thus encouraged, and thus fupported. How valuable therefore are thefe affurances, that if earthly parents know how to give good gifts to their children, much more will our heavenly rather give his holy fpirit to them that afk him (f) ; that his grace fhall be fufficient for us, and his drength ap pear illuftrious in our weaknefs (/) ; and that if we work out our own falvation with fear and trembling, with a holy caution, left by negligence or vitious in dulgence we forfeit his kind influences, he will work in Us both to will and to do (u)\ What an advantage the prefence and care of a prudent, tender, and faithful friend, who will watch our unguarded hours, and in- finuate the rules and encouragements of religion, in the moft favourable or the moft needful feafons ! How much more advantageous and animating the conftant vigilance and favour of an ever prefent God, who hath an immediate accefs to our fouls, who knows them in all their weakneffes, and who can infinuate or excite, in the moft prevailing way, a fenfe of our duty or danger, and the nobleft motives to exert ourfelves ! Reafon could not give an abfolute affurance of thefe affiftances ; for though it convinces us we need them, yet, till we know how we came to need them, it could not certainly fay, our wanting thefe was not a proof we had before forfeited them. Farther, though rea fon can affure us that God will make gracious allow ances for temptation and oppofition, that our abilities are the meafure of our duty, and that God will reward us at laft, according to the fincerity, vigour, and conftancy of our endeavours, yet it could not cer tainly inform us, that God had not left us to ftruggle with all oppofition in our own ftrength ; and that having given us underftanding, confcience, and li- ff) Luke xi. 13. Matt* vii. 7---11. (t) 2 Cor. xii. 9. (u) Phil, ii. 12, 13. I i t berty3 '484 Chrift the Light of the World, berty, he did not expeft we fhould, with thefe alone, make good our ground. The effeft of this apprehen- fion, even in the beft, would be difheartning their at tempts after exalted degrees of virtue, and difpofing them to be content with lower and eafier attainments, efteeming the other as above them ; and thus failing of that eminent virtue they might really arrive at, and with eafe too, if encouraged by the hope of divine af fiftances, and bleffed with them. Though fome there fore of the Heathen philofophers (x), cheared their difciples with the hope of divine affiftances, yet others (y), who were great friends to virtue, were of this opinion, That fuccefs in things without us might be afked of the gods, but virtue was to be fetched wholly from ourfelves. In contradiction to this opi nion, what a vad advantage is it to confider ourfelves as always acting under the obfervation of the bed of Beings, ever ready to cherifh and confirm, as well as approve and reward our virtue ! The confcioufnefs of the prefence of fuch a being, and fuch a friend, and the condant apprehenfion of his perfeftions and love to us, which thefe expeftations from him naturally cherifh, will often, without any additional drength communicated from above, give a force to the mind, which reafon, deditute of this hope, is a dranger to, and be crowned with fuccefs. In a world, where vir tue is often fo ill treated, and fo violently oppofed, where ill examples abound, where vice is often ca- reffed, and men are remarkable at the fame time for wickednefs and profperity, what adrengthning to vir tue is the confcioufnefs of the prefence, aid, and favour of the fupreme Being ! And what an advantage is it to Chridians, that we are allowed, yea, obliged to pray to God, and depend on him for his affidance ? Thus keeping warm the conviction of his prefence (x) Socrates in Xen. de Mem. 1. i. c. 4. and Plat. Ale. fecund* Xenoph. Cyropsed. 1. v,ii. c. 45. and Antonin. 1. ix. 140. f-y) .... Virtutem autem nemo unquam acceptam Deo retulit Fortunam a Deo petendam, a feipfo fumendam fapientiam. - Cic. de Nat. Deorum, 1. iii. 136. J whom, Chrift the Light of the World. 485 whom, elfe, we might too eafily forget ; by degrees concluding, that if God would not affid virtue now he would not reward it at lad, and, if it was fo little his care, it ffiould be lefs ours. This advantage is yet more confiderable with regard to thofe who, by faulty compliances, have drengthned irregular inclinations, and by contracting habits of vice, have rendered a virtuous temper next to impoffible to them alone. What would remain for thefe, but to fit down in a ful- len defpair of virtue and true happinefs, or to give up the reins to their vitious paffions, if deditute of di vine aids ? How could reafon barely from their want of help, affure fuch of obtaining it, when their great want was a proof of their former great guilt and abufe of their liberty ? To have gone far in vice, is the cafe of a great part of mankind, and was the cafe of the whole world, with a few exceptions, when the gofpel appeared. How important then, how neceffary a doftrine was. that of divine affiftances, and the pro mife of the fpirit ? and what a proof is it of the excel lency of our religion, and its proceeding from the great lover of virtue ? If you take thofe mod favour ably inclined and circumdanced for becoming good, yet their confcioufnefs of the changeablenefs of their refolutions for virtue, of the condant weight of fenfe, inclination, paffion, cuftom and ill example, of their being eafily furpriied in an unguarded hour, and in a few moments Jofing the ground they had been long gaining ; how heartlefs mud it render their endea vours, in comparifon of his who is encouraged by the promife of the fpirit ? Will they not in prudence de cline the nobled indances of a virtuous conduft, be caufe difficult to accompliffi, and chufe that mean in religion and virtue, which is only eligible with regard to external poffeffions ? Since therefore thefe affifl- ances may be fo difpenfed as to leave room for the ex ercife and increafe of a real virtue in us, fince human virtue, and confequently human happinefs, may be thus advanced to the highed perfeftion, the promife T i 2 .of 486 Chrift the Light of the World. of divine affidances mud be allowed a very valuahje part of the Chridian revelation, and ought to recom mend it to every man fenfible of his frailty, and of the infinite excellency and importance of true goodnefs. VI. The certain information that the prefent is a final date of trial, and that the reward given to the imperfeft virtue of a fhort life will be perfect and ever lafting happinefs, is another glorious difcovery we owe to the gofpel ; by revealing which our Saviour ap proved himfelf the light of the world, and the light of life. It was the opinion of fome of the wifed Hea thens (z), That though this life was a date of trial, the iffue was not final : that becaufe the virtue of the bed here was imperfeft, they would not immediately pafs into a date of compleat and everlading felicity, but be continued on their trial in another life, in dill more favourable circumdances for virtue, and not be fixed unchangeably happy till they had reached per feftion : and that although the wickednefs of the wic ked would be punifhed in the next date, yet none be^ fides the defperately wicked and abfolutely incurable, even by puniftoments, would be utterly ruined ; but that after fmarting fome time, to bring them to themfelves, they would be again tried, though in circumdances lefs advantageous for their reaching virtue and happi nefs : and perhaps, without the light of revelation, this may be thought the modprobable account of a future ftate. Thefe notions, 'tis obvious, may be eafily abufed by ill-difpofed men, for their encouragement under the negleft of true goodnefs at prefent, and leave them, with lefs reluctance, to follow their in clinations, when they have the hope of amending their bad conduft in a future date, though evil habits, after a while, render it almod impoffible in the prefent. Thefe apprehenfions of a future date cannot rouze them from their inattention and vitious indulgences, like the belief that the prefent is a final ftate of 'trial, that (k) See Plato's Phcedo, and Virgil's iEneid. B. vi, v. 699, &c, nm. Chrift the Light of the World. 487 f:ow is the accepted time, now is the day. of falvation (a). That 'tis appointed for men once to die, and after death the judgment (b), when vie floall be judged according to what we have done in the body (c), and the wicked be puniftoed with everlafting deftruction from the prefence of the Lord (d) ; falling into mifery great as their crimes, and from which there is no redemption (e), no hope of rifing again to virtue and happinefs (f). Though under the gofpel, men believe this life to be their only time of trial, yet how negligent of their eternal intereds, how vitious are the mod ? How great then would be their fecurity and negligence, if they could freely indulge themfelves with the hope, that ffiould they aft their part ill here to the end, they might re trieve all in a following date ? Delays to an uncer tain futurity, and the hope of repenting hereafter, ruin the moft now ; what then would be the confe quence, if thefe hopes were rendered reafonable by the belief they were to be tried again in another date ? Let us next confider their profpeft of future happi- nels : what a low encouragement to druggie with con trary inclinations and habits, violent temptations and anoppofing world, which neceffarily render our virtue very imperfeft, is this belief, that we ffiall indeed be more happily fituated in a future ffate, but not arrive at compieat and unchangeable happinefs till, after a long time, and repeated trials, we have attained a compleat virtue ? What a low encouragement is this to creatures furrounded with fo many difficulties and temptations, in comparifon of the glorious affurances of the gofpel ? That if we approve ourfelves faithful during this moment of trial, if we aft well our part during this fhort life, labour, and trial, and danger, and imperfeftion ffiall then be no more ; but we ffiall be confirmed in holinefs and happinefs, never more to be in danger of finning or differing, Bleffed are the pure in heart, for they fhall fee God (g). The righteous fhall go into life eternal (h). And in the next ftate, (a) 2 Cor. vi. 2. (b) Heb. ix. 27. (r) 7 Cor. v. 10. (i) 2 Theff. i. 9. (e) Matt. xxv. 46. (/) Luke xvi. 26. thai 488 Chrift the Light of the World. that which is perfect fhall come, and that which is in part be done away (i). Au inheritance incorruptible, unde fined, and that fadetb not away, is referved in heaven for thofe who are kept by the mighty power of God, through faith unto falvation (k). Thefe divine en couragements are only to be had from revelation. Reafon could not affure us, that the imperfect virtue of a moment ffiould be rewarded with perfect and everlaft ing happinefs, but would rather direft us to fear the contrary. God is a free mader of his unmerited fa vours, and in what degrees he will confer them, can with certainty be learned only from himfelf. 'Tis to Jefus therefore, the light of life, we are indebted for the promife of glory, honour, and immortality, fince eter nal life is the gift of God, through our Lord Jefus Chrift (I). How ffiould this endear the gofpel to us, confirm us in the belief and profeffion of it, and excite to an an fwerable conduft ? How fhould it animate us to prefs on to the nobled heights of piety and goodnefs, fince our purity, our reward, and our happinefs throughout eternity, will be proportionable to the degrees of good- nets we reach in the prefent date ? VII. To the gofpel alone, or to Chrift as the light of life, we owe the difcovery of this important part of our future blefiednefs, that our druggie with the fleffily inclinations, and keeping the body fubjeft to the mind, ffiall be rewarded with the foul's receiving, at the refurreftion, a body fpiritual, glorious, powerful, and immortal ; which fhall be in a far greater degree fubfervient to our holinefs and happinefs to eternity, than it was in its prefent animal date an hindrance to both. The temptations of the flefh are the moft power ful, with the generality, in the prefent life ; becaufe its inclinations are mod violent, and its pleafures mod affecting: they can hardly conceive of any happinefs wherein the body is not fome way intereded, are apt to imagine it the mod effential part of their compofi- .7} 1 Cor. xiii. M3. (k) 1 Pet. i. 4, 5. (/) Rom. vi. 23. tion, Chrift the Light off the World. 489 tion, and facrifice the calmer, purer delights of know ledge, devotion, goodnefs, and friendfhip, to the more grofs and tumultuous pleafures of fenfe : and this is the fource of mod of the wickednefs in the world. What an advantage therefore to the caufe of virtue, and what an encouragement to keep under the body, and to regulate the gratifications of fenfe in a condant fubordination to the purity, perfeftion, and happinefs of the mind, is this affurance we have from the gofpel, that if we thus mortify our bodies now, we ffiall be recompenfed in kind as well as degree ; receiving, atthe ' refurreftion, bodies for ever exempt from all the infir mities, fickneffes and fufferings of our prefent mortal ones, as well as from their irregular inclinations : bodies that, by the pleafures of fight, harmony, beauty, and perfeft aftivity, ffiall contribute in a far higher degree to the joy and perfeftion of the mind, than the greated fenfual enjoyments now do to our fa tisfaftion (m); or the greated bodily fufferings, for the caufe of religion, to our uneafinefs (k) ? This is an encouragement which groffer minds are capable of apprehending, and being influenced by immortal health, beauty, and vigour, the moft glorious fcenes to entertain the fight and imagination, and celedial harmony to raviffi the ear. This doftrine of the re furreftion of our bodies, free from all their prefent evils and imperfeftions to glory, beauty, and immor tality, is peculiar to the gofpel ; human reafon could not difcover it, though it affents to its truth on the declaration and promife of God, and the fenfible proof of its certainty and defirablenefs in the refurreftion and glory of our Saviour. The antient philofophers thought a refurreftion impoffible, or undefirable ; but herein they erred, not knowing the fcriptures, and the power of God. God hath exprefly promifed it to us : he can as eafily raife the body again as he made it at firft ; and when it is raifed with the glorious qualities defcribed in the New Teftament, a re-union (m) Rom. viii. 18. (n) 2 Cor. iv. 14—18. with 49° Chrift the Light of the World. with it will be as advantageous to the foul, as an ever- lading union with it in its prefent ftate would be un happy. The fifteenth chapter therefore of the firft epiftle to the Corinthians, is of vaft more fervice to the bulk of mankind, to animate them againd all dif ficulties from the flefhly principle, and by every fa crifice to approve their love to virtue and goodnefs, than volumes of the philofophers. VIII. The feparating a feventh day for the public worfhip of God, and a more intire application to the ftudy and praftice of religion, is another very valuable part of the Chridian revelation ; by rendering the knowledge and obligation of which univerfal, our Saviour was a light of the world. Reafon informs us that God, who is the author and preferver of life, the God of our time, hath a right to be immediately ho noured, at lead, with a part of it : that public wor fhip is a duty obliging all, being neceffary to preferve among mankind an habitual conviction of the divine providence, government and right in us, and the reverence of the Deity ; being a fit acknowledgment that we are in common indebted to God, and depen dant on him for innumerable bleffings in fociety ; and the bed method for pious and reaionable men, who preferve an habitual regard and gratitude to the Deity, to communicate thefe to others, and thereby promote their virtue, perfeftion, and happinefs ;, the concern and duty of all as reafonable, focial, and benevolent Beings, and the common offspring of God : and if public worfhip be a duty, 'tis neceffary there be a time fixed for it, in order to the joint performance. And reafon, if attended to, will farther indruft us, that beings capable of virtue, devotion, and intel lectual pleafure, inclofed in bodies of flefh, and fituated in a world filled with fenfual amufements, diverfions and temptations, by which the mind is greatly hindered from applying to its proper employments and plea fures, thofe great truths and duties which are its per- Chrift the Light of the World. 491 feftion and happinefs, reafon will indruft us that fuch beings, befides an habitual regard to the Deity in their general conduct, and the daily exercifes of devotion which iuppoit and exprefs it, ffiould at proper fea- fons retreat farther from the amufements, didraftions, and cares of the world, in order to revive and fix deeper the impreffions of the great principles, rules and motives of piety and virtue, and to difpofe the mind for the enjoyment of a fpiritual happinefs in a future date ; to leffen the influence of this world, and make an habitual piety and virtue more eafy and prac ticable. So far reafon fpeaks clearly, for, informing us the end is neceffary to be attained, it obliges to ufe the means bed fubfervient to it ; but then, what that proportion of time exaftly is, which is bed for an- fwering thefe ends, reafon cannot readily decide, much lefs with fuch a clearnefs and certainty, as ffiould oblige and determine all to comply, which yet is ne ceffary for the full beauty and order of public focial worfhip ; for engaging the mod inconfiderate and ftu pid to attend it for their improvement, and to prevent that disturbance and confufion which would arife, from one part of the fociety being wholly engaged in worldly purfuits, while the other was employed in the v/orlhip of the Deity. On thefe accounts, it appears worthy the divine wifdom to appoint that proportion of time it faw bed fitted to anfwer the purpofes of re ligion, a proportion that would not break in on the neceffary cares and labours of life, nor yet return fo feldom as in a manner to lofe its efficacy, and leave mankind under the dominion of the cares and pleafures ¦of the bodily life. Befides, the divine goodpefs might incline him to fuch an appointment, in compaffion to the poorer and 'more dependant part of mankind, and to the beads our fervants, whofe hard or covetous maders might not otherwife, in innumerable cafes, allow them proper eafe and refreffiment. From the beginning of the world therefoie, God fet ^apart a feventh 492. Chrift the Light of the World. feventh day for this end ( ral fentiment of every wife and confiderate man, as it is the profefs 'd judgment of St. Paul. Both thefe are cer tain and eftablifhed maxims in the nature of things, and not the new and peculiar principles of revealed religion. But what of all this ?- --Becaufe mankind are inca pable of pleafing their maker, by yielding an abfolute and invariable obedience to the eternal laws ot righte oufnefs -, does it follow from hence, " that they can- " not render themfelves acceptable to him, by auni- " verfal courfe of fincere obedience?" Are good difpo fitions, and fincere endeavours to ferve and honour him, of no fignificancy with the wifeft and moft compaffionate of all beings, "for want of fomething, " which the very original conftitution of our nature " has put it quite out of our power?" Is the prevail ing turns and biafs of our minds infufficient to plead for us ; " and are our involuntary and unallowed imper- " feftions of weight enough, even with impartial " mercy to condemnus ?" Becaufe virtue does not pro perly, and in an exact notion of equity, merit the tran- fcendent honour and felicity, to which it is the gra cious appointment of God that it ffiall be hereafter ad vanced, " has it, therefore, no lovelinefs and worth in " it, to render it a fit and fuitable objeft of peculiar " favour and complacency ?" Thefe, furely, are in ferences drawn at random, and by confounding things that have no relation to each other : And it feems, on the contrary, to be one of the firft principles that the light of nature teaches ; that the righteous God mult necefjarily, and determined by his own effential moral rectitude, love righteoufnefs, and take pleafure in the up- Juftification explained. 543 upright. St. Paul therefore, when he upbraided the midaken and conceited Jews, with going about to eftabliffi their own righteoufnefs, could not defign to depreciate perfonal virtue and inherent goodnefs, becaufe thefe are the chief excellence and honour of every in telligent being : and, when they are the prevailing temper and habit of the mind, render a man more worthy of the efteem of his fellow-creatures, and better qualified for the grace of God, than any other thing, without them, can poffibly do. • If we compare together mere faith and moral righte oufnefs, the latter has vaftly the preference with refpeft to intrinfic and real value. There may be a faith per feftly orthodox, or a clear and firm affent to all fpecu- lative principles of religion, in thevikft and moft de- teftable charafters. For even the devils believe, and tremble. Nay, if God from his mere pleafure, and to ffiew forth his fovereignty had fo determined, thefe fame devils might have been, as far as I can fee, im- putatively cloathed with the righteoufnefs of another, and might alfo, under that fplendid covering have been prefented before the fupreme judice as perfect, with the fame drift truth and propriety, as this pri vilege can be allowed to the ungodly and finful part of Adam's race ; continuing finful and ungodly. And yet, furely, if while they were dreffed in thefe robes not their own, they retained their malignant and dia bolical difpofitions, " they mud in every fenfe of the " word, that carries with it guilt, horror, and igno- " miny, have remained devils dill. "---But could you fuppofe f ' a moral change to be effefted, in the temper " and inward complexion of the apoftate fpirits -," were it poffible for them " to become thoroughly and ha- " bitually benevolent, merciful, humble, reverent of " God, and adorned with complete reftitude of nature-," they would no longer appear, as they did, before dif- graceful, they would no longer excite dread and abhor rence, but be really turned into angels of light. The conditution of their nature would be harmonious and regular ; 544 <^>e Scripture doctrine of regular ; and confidered merely, with refpeft to the qualities they were then poffeffed of, they mud of ne ceffity be grateful and acceptable to God. But the making them in themfelves amiable, and juft objefts of efteem, is an effeft that no clearnefs, extent, or drength of faith, no imputation of what does not inherently bet- long to them, no borrowed righteoufnefs can ever produce. And indeed the language of the gofpel is evidently in this drain, that we are judified, not by the per fect righteoufnefs, but by the death of Chrid : The New Tedamentaffuresus, that not his obedience, but our own faith, is imputed to us for righteoufnefs ; that God fent his fon in the likenefs of finful flefh, that the righteoufnefs of the law might be fulfilled in, or by us, and not by him for us ; and that the great Governour of the world, in the revelation of his jud and imparr tial judgment, will render unto every man, not as works, performed by another, have been transferred and placed to his account, but according to his own deeds. Nay, farther, ffiould we admit this doftrine to be true, man kind could no longer be confidered as in themfelves, and folely in themfelves, moral and accountable creatures ;» nor would the future judgment " be an equitable did " tribution of rewards and puniftoments, but only God's " awful and uncontroulable execution of his own ar- " bitrary and irreverfible decrees :"— by which fuppo fition the bafts of Chridianity is undermined, and the whole frame of it falls to the grpund ; nor " does it " fall alone, but buries in its ruins, the religion of *' nature and reafon too." And befides this, the doc trine, which I am now oppofing, renders repentance, perfonal reformation, and inherent reftitude entirely needlefs. F or if a folemn covenant was ratified between God and the Mediator, that he mould fulfil the law for the elect race of mankind ; and that they ffiould be reckoned perfectly righteous in his .righteoufnefs, and as having perfectly obeyed in his obedience— What is there left for man to do ? God has been fatisfied in all his Juftification explained. 545 his demands ; his law, his honour, his rigorous relent- lefs juftice are all fatisfied -, and therefore, in drift equity, he can demand nothing farther. The believer indeed out of mere generofity may, if he pleafes, add works of righteoufnefs of his own, but his main in tereft is fecure without it : and the favour of God, in virtue of the antecedent covenant made with Chrift, (and fulfilled on his part) is certain and irrevocable. Add to all that has been faid, that this notion, of a fubftituted and vicarious righteoufnefs, feems abfurd even to common fenfe, and to the mod natural and eafy reflections of men. For obedience and righteouf nefs are, in the nature of the things themfelves, per fonal qualities, and entirely fo. Every man is that only (and can be nothing elfe) which he is in himfelf. " If he is prophane, proud, and intemperate, he can ne- " ver be the lefs fo, for another man's being perfeftly " devout, humble, and regular." If he is unjuft, he muft be unjuft ftill; if unholy, unholy ftill. And if his vices are naturally and intrinfically deteftable, " he, " alfo, mud continue to be the fit and proper fubjeft! " of diflike and averfion." And it fhould be con fidered further, that the obedience of Chrift (which, upon every fcheme, he was only capable of yielding as a fubjeCied and dependent creature) that the obedience of Chrift, I fay, was wholly due for himfelf '; and therefore could, by no means, be an equivalent for the obedience that was due from any other fingle being in the uni verfe. Far be it from us, then, to impute this con fufed heap of errors to the chridian doftrine, which is in all the parts of it worthy of God, and chiefly re commends itfelf to the edeem and reverence of the truly wife. — For the fum of it, as it refults from the foregoing difcourfe, which has been built on plain evidences and demondrations of fcripture, is in ffiort this, " That the law of faith, by which Chriftians are " faid to be justified, amounts to no more, as to the " main fubdance and intent of it, than the law of fin- " cerity :"— -That faith was never defigned to denote Yc. T N n the 546 The Scripture doctrine of, &c. the bare affent of the mind to principles of truth, nor ever dands for a barren and inefficacious fpeculation ; but always fignifies an internal and genuine principle of piety and habitual virtue, is always confidered as an aft of integrity, an eminent example and demonftration of it.-— That if our faith really led to immorality, it would be prefumption and blafphemy to dile it a di vine faith : but as it teaches us to afpire after the fub- limeft height and utmoft extent of virtue, if our conduct be ficentious and diffolute, it mud, upon this very ac count, be the more fcandalous and inexcufable.— That immoral aftions fpeak intelligibly, and proclaim to all the world either that it is our opinion that our faith is good for nothing, and ought not to be allowed its natural influence ; or elfe, that we are to be held by no tye, and can fet at defiance the mod facred principles, which is an infallible fign, that fcarce a fpark of ho nour or probity of mind is fubfiding within us. And for the very fame reafon, on which faith is accepted and rewarded when it is a mark of integrity, it mud of ne ceffity, be rejected as an infufficient plea, by our up right and all-difcerning Judge, when it is attended with flagrant diftoonefty. So that upon the whole, the law of righteoufnefs by faith comes to much the fame, if we take in the foundation and true fcope of it, and all the cafes to which, by a parity of reafon, it may and muft be extended ; it then, I fay, comes " to much the " fame with that more general rule laid down by St. " John, that he that doeth righteoufnefs is righteous." For juftifying faith, as it is above explained, may with great propriety be diled an aft of moral righteoufnefs. It fprings from virtue, and terminates in it : " In vir- " tue, the fincere practice of which, according to the " light and advantages which they feverally enjoy, may " be confidered as an uniform and invariable law of .u righteoufnefs with refpeft to all nations; and a ."means of .procuring indulgence and mercy for " .many, 'whip n^ver heard of Chrift, from the father and " friend of the whole race of mankind." DIS- [547] DISCOURSE XXV. Religious Obedience founded on Perfonal Perfuafioni [Aberneth Y.j Rom. xiv. 5. '¦¦-' Let every Man be fully perfuaded in his own Mind. THERE have been, in every age of the church, different fentiments among Chridi ans concerning points both of belief and praftice ; and it cannot be reafonably hoped that it ffiould be otherwife, while we know but in part. Di verfity of judgments is a natural confequence from human imperfeftion, which cleaves to believers as well as others : And fince our capacities, means of information, and diligence, befides many other things, which have an influence on the underdanding, are fo unequal, is it ever to be expefted we ffiall perfectly agree in our opinions ? But mud the peace of the church on that account be broken ? Then it could never poffibly be preferved, and all the rules of the gofpel concerning it would be impracticable, indeed mere infignificancies ; for they mud depend on a moft precarious, nay impoffible condition. But certainly our bleffed Redeemer was not wanting in his care for neceffary order and harmony among his fervants : xt . We 548 Religious Obedience founded We may therefore fafely conclude, that fuch an agree ment in fentiments, is no part of that neceffary order, fince he has made no provifion for it. On the con trary, all the directions which he and his apoftles gave about charity and forbearance, fuppofe differences to remain among Chriftians : Indeed they are fuch, as if we did conform ourfelves to them, there would be an end of unchridian debates and contentions, not in an exaft unanimity of judgment and uniformity of praftice, but in charity, which is the bond of per- feclnefs. My text has an immediate reference to the divifion between the Jewifh and the Gentile Chridians, about the obfervance of the Mofaical rites. The Jews, even after they were converted to Chridianity, not only retained a great affeftion for their antient ufages, but were perfuaded the law enjoining them was of perpe tual obligation : It is probable too, they had an ex ceffive veneration for the cudoms received by tradi tion from their fathers, which were founded on no divine inditution at all. But whether the midake took its rife from the one or the other of thefe caufes, that is, whether they believed the ceremonial law was ftill in force, or weakly imagined themfelves bound to obferve the traditions of the elders, the conviction of their own minds was their rule, and their con feiences direfted them to the didinftion they made between meats and days. On the other hand, the Gentiles, who never had been under the yoke of Mofes 's law, or the conditution of the Jewifh church, were by their fird inftruftions in Chridianity fo far from any injunction to obey, as to be taught their freedom from that heavy burden, and the reafon they had to ftand faft in their liberty, and not to be entangled with the yoke of bondage ; tho' charity in fome cafes might direft them to wave their privilege, and comply with their weak brethren for avoiding offence. Thus far, however, the difference was innocent ; tho' in fuch cafes, truth mud always be on one fide, and error on m Perfonal Perfuafion. 549 on the other. And here the midake was, on the part of the Jews, retain'd too with obdinate preju dice againft the convincing evidence of plain gofpel- declarations, confirm'd by a multitude of miracles, efpecially the gift of the fpirit, by the hearing of faith without the works of the law. At lad, the diffentions of thefe parties grew to fuch a height, as to affeft their charity and chridian communion, not by the natural tendency of difference in opinion, but from the lufts of men that war in their members. He who was well inftrufted in gofpel-liberty, and neglefted the abrogated didinftion of meats and days, de fpifed his brother who was otherwife minded, as weak and ignorant ; and he, on the other hand, was cen- fured by him as profane, for treating with contempt, things which feemed to be dill facred by divine ap pointment, or by a venerable ecclefiadical cudom. Then the holy fpirit faw it needful to interpofe ; and by his direftion the apodle lays down fuch rules, as, if duly obferved, would perpetuate concord among Chridians, in that and all parallel cafes. The dim of them is this : The fervants of our Lord mud not prefume to judge or condemn one another, fince all mud ftand before his tribunal, and there receive ac cording to what they have done in the body : They mud not venture to judge before the time, or declare any out of his favour for profeffing opinions, and ufing prac tices, wherein it is impoffible for men to know they aft infincerely : Nor mud they make arbitrary inclo- fures within the church of Chrid, the doors or which are, according to his will, left open to all his true difciples ; nor form themfelves into fefts, didinguiffi- ed by peculiar tenets and ufages : Such as we cannot know to be unworthy of God's acceptance, we ffiould not judge unworthy of our fellowffiip, but receive them as brethren into chridian communion, and not exclude them by the rigid ted of an exaft agree ment in doubtful and difputable points. N 3 The $$o Religious Obedience founded The words of my text are a drong inforcement of this peaceful and charitable demeanour of Chridians one towards another : For if every man, in order to his acceptance with God, ought to be fully perfuad ed in his own mind, then furely it is reafonable they ffiould be left to their own freedom, and not com- pell'd by methods of violence to aft with a gain-fay ing or doubting confcience ; which is the plain ten dency of fevere reproachful cenfures, and an exclu fion from the privileges of fellow-chridians. In fuch cafes, to judge and to reject thofe who are weak in the faith, is to aft direftly againd the will of God, and againd the intered of true religion : For God requires that his people fhould be willing, and that his fervice ffiould be their choice upon full conviction ; and therefore while they druggie with their remain ing infirmities and prejudices, and are growing up by degrees, from error into the knowledge of truth, he bears with them, communicating light as they are capable "of it. This was the way our bleffed Sa viour treated his difciples ; who, on many occafions, appeared flow of heart to brieve the truth, and indeed were poffefs'd with drong prejudices againd it : Yet he never thrud them away from his fociety for their ignorance and errors, but exercifed patience towards them, till at lad, under his gracious care, and by his meek and compaffionate indruftions, they arrived at mature knowledge. But, ah ! how unlike the fpirit of their great "m'ader ? When he went to receive c kingdom to himfelf, his fervants began to rule over their fellowrfervants with rigour ; they mud be bea ten into their duty, and even the underdanding of it by the terrors pf excommunication, and the wrath of God denounc'd againd them, not for acting con trary to the perfuafion of their minds, but according to it: Truth, or what is judg'd fo by men, mud be forc'd upon them, whether they can receive it or not -, and for the fake of what church-guides are pleas'd to call decency, (taking their notions of it too much from on Perfonal Perfuajion. 551 from this world) a drift compliance in things con- feffedly unferiptural, at lead uneffential, mud be ri- gorouffy enjoin'd. But I defign to confider the words which I have taken for the fubjeft of this difcourfe, not only as they are of ufe to Chridians in their focieties, recom mending charity and mutual forbearance, but as a di reftion to every man fingly : And they contain this important doftrine, that religious obedience is founded on perfonal per fuafion. We have all of us to do with God, and every man at lad mud give an account of himfelf in particular. It concerns us therefore to govern ourfelves by fome deady principle, which may give us confidence towards our great Lord at his appearance : It is from him we are to expeft our re ward, and what may pleafe him ought to be the only point in quedion with his fervants : The decifions of men are not infallible declarations of his mind, and we cannot be fafe in fubmitting to them abfolutely ; tho' our doing fo may fecure us againd the reproaches of the world, yet it will not be a fufficient defence againd the reproaches of our confeiences, or the dif pleafure of God. The apodle rather recommends another rule, name ly, the full perfuajion of our own minds ; I fuppofe it will be allow'd he means a perfuafion concerning the truth of what we profefs, or the lawfulnefs of what we do. To imagine that we are neceffarily deter- min'd to a particular opinion, as if he had faid, let every man have a right perfuafion, and let his fenti ments be exaftly agreeable to the truth, otherwife he ffiall not be accepted : I fay, to imagine this, were to make the rule entirely ufelefs, becaufe it could never be applied, and to contradict the plain defign of the whole chapter : For he all along fuppofes a difference both of judgment and praftice to remain ; and yet teaches that it will not affect the date of any man with refpeft to the favour of God. For the king dom of God is not (the effence of Chridianity does not N 4 confiit 552 Religious Obedience founded confift in, and our acceptance does not depend on) meat and drink, (any external obfervances, or ab- daining from them, or mens different opinions con cerning them) but righteoufnefs, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghcft, for he that in thefe things ferveth Chrift, is acceptable to God, and (ought to be) approved of men*. I think therefore, it is certain the text mud be thus underdood : " All fincere Chridians have not *' attained to an equal meafure of underdanding, *' nor can be, after their mod impartial inquiries, *' of the fame fentiments in every particular : But " let none be ffiock'd in their charity towards others, " or in the hopes of their own acceptance on that *' account. Let every man enjoy the freedom of fol- " lowing the light of his confcience, and no Chrif- " tians carry their zeal for agreement fo far, as to " break jn upon the effential condition of our title " to God's favour, which is acting fincerely accord' " ing to the inward conviction of our minds." The apofile's rule, according to this plain fenfe of it, is fo evident, fo perfeftly agreeable to the inva riable reafon and nature of things, and to the de clarations of the gofpel, not a few texts only, but the general defign and tenor of the Chridian revela tion ; that one would think there Ihould be no debate concerning it. But the intereds and paffions of men dividing them into parties, and engaging them to purfue other ends than purely thofe of religion, have given birth to drange inventions, and been able to raife fuch clouds as involve the mod pbvions important truths in thick darknefs. I (hall therefore think it not unneceffary to ilffidrate by fome arguments what fhe fpirit of God has here fo clearly taught us. But before I come to that, I fliall, I. Explain the nature of the perfuafion which is here required, and whereby a man mud hope to be approved of God, and judified to himfelf, * Rom. xiv. j 7, 18. II. I fhall en Perfonal Perfuafion. 553 II. I ffiall confider the proper objeft of our perfua fion •, or what things they are-, concerning which we mud be perfuaded. And then, III. I fhall endeavour to illudrate by fome argu ments the apodle's doftrine in my text. I. I am to explain the nature of the perfuafion which is here required, and whereby a man mud hope to be approved of God, and judified to himfelf. We ffiall fatally midake, if we think ourfelves fafe in fol lowing every rafh and indeliberate judgment, the hady fuggedidns of a vain unguided imagination, or of irregular defires and paffions ; fuch a conduft is fo far from being either rational or religious, that it is the perfeft reverfe of them both : Indead of pleafing God, it is the greated affront to his autho rity, and to aft, or rather to be acted, by the impetu ous fury of a blind and brutal impulfe, indead of being perfuaded in one's own mind. Every one that un derftands the actings of his own foul, and ferioufly reflects on its powers, knows what difference there is between being perfuaded, which is an affent form'd upon evidence and attentive reafoning, and an inde liberate determination without evidence and without enquiry. It is true, in the affent of our minds to, or diffent from any propofition, we are wholly paf five, being neceffarily and inevitably determin'd by the evidence which appears to us. It is not in our power to refufe, or fo much as fufpend fuch an affent or diffent ; not from any faulty impotence, but, as far as I can fee, from the effential frame of the foul itfelf, and in that wherein by the very conditutjon off our nature we have no liberty, there can be nei ther moral good nor evil. But fince we know by ex perience, and the fcripture teaches us, we are apt to run into midakes thro' inattention, and the fecret in fluence of our affeftions and paffions ; it muft be our unquedionable 554 Religious Obedience founded unquedionable duty, as it is indeed the bed ufe we can make of our reafon, to guard againd the fprings of error, efpecially in the judgments and refolutions we. form concerning points of faith and obedience to God ; which being of the greated importance to our falvation, the freed exercife of our underdandings is required in them, that we may ferve God, and promote our own happinefs, as becomes rational creatures. From hence I infer two neceffary conditions of that perfuafion, which only will render us acceptable in the matters of belief and praftice. 17?, That it be de liberate -, for fudden and raffi conclufions, without duly weighing the reafons upon which they are found ed, and what evidence there may be on the oppofite fide, are the reproach of intelligent natures, dich as ours ! which, not being capable to comprehend at one view the reafon of things, mud therefore proceed leifurely, and fupply, as far as we can, the defeft of capacity by ferious confideration. idly, Our perfua fion ought to be unprejudiced, free from paffion, or the influence of any confideration, except that which fhould rationally determine us -, that is, in the pre fent cafe, any thing but the pure evidence of the mind and will of God. When foreign motives are brought into the counfels of the foul, and it inclines to one fide of the quedion in debate, by the opinions of other men, by worldly intered, by the biafs of its own corrupt affeftions, by a fond refpeft to pre- conceiv'd notions, which render it unwilling thro' pufillanimity, pride or floth, to undergo the fatigue of an impartial examination, or bear the reproach of a difcovered midake -, when any of thefe things, of others of a like nature, influence the mind, it fails in its duty,, and comes ffiort of that perfuafion upon which alone it can aft with fafety. But if thofe two conditions are duly obferv'd, I do not fee what more can poffibly be required according to the effential conditution of our fouls, or according to the gofpel, to our acting with confidence as ap proved on Perfonal Perfuafion. 555 proved to God and to ourfelves ; for afting according to a perfuafion thus qualified, is the very effence of fincerity -, by which only it is, that any of the fons of men cart affure their hearts before God: It mud be confeffed, that none of mankind can attain to it per feftly in this world ; we are ftill obnoxious to errors of judgment, and failures in praftice, through inat tention and prejudices, irregular appetites and paffions, the weaknefs' and vices of the mind, of which we ffiall not be altogether diveded in this imperfeft date. But yet fuch an upright difpofition, I mean, fuch prevailing degrees of it (and I have ffiewn where in it confids) may be attained, as will not only ren der us acceptable to God, but afford us fufficient ground of confidence that we are accepted ; for otherwife, one end of the gofpel revelation would be defeated. Our Saviour fpoke, and his apodles wrote to Chridians that their joy might be full* ? that they might know they have a title to eternal lifeh : But that joy and knowledge they could have no other way than by an inward tedimony of their fincerity ; and fince rity may be known in the manner I have mentioned, or which is the fame thing, afting habitually accord ing to the perfuafion of our own minds, in the fenfe of the apodle, and fo far as the prefent infirmity of hu man nature will allow. He is a fincere perfon, and may enjoy the comfortable affurance of his fincerity, who in oppofition to his worldly intered, and the fin ful inclinations of his heart, faithfully endeavours to do the will of God, and to abdain from every known fin, who willingly, and with a ready mind, embraces every difcovered truth, and renounces every difcovered error, and who continually labours to find out his remaining fins and midakes, that he may re ject them ; fuch a perfon, I fay, is fincere, and may know himfelf to be fo, though there are dill defects in his fincerity, through the unfeen and unallowed * John xi. 1 1. f John v. I 3. influence 556 Religious Obedience founded influence of the corrupt motives of his heart. This feems to be the only juft foundation upon which a man can aft in the matters of confcience, fo as to pleafe God and have a witnefs in himfelf; and happy is he who is thus perfuaded in his own mind. But fure ly none is able to judge of it, except every man's own confcience : 'Tis there the pleafures of felf-ap probation are felt, and the pains of a reproaching heart. No man knoweth thofe things of a man, fave the fpirit of a man which is within him : We may in deed fometimes, even in judging of ourfelves, and the perfuafion of our minds, be embarrafs'd with dif ficulties and fcruples, which generally take their rife from the influence of wrong motives ; but a confi derate perfon will find, in conducting himfelf by this rule, that freedom of thought, not hurried by the violence of the imagination and paffions, that un- didurb'd tranquillity, which he knows to be the happied date of his mind, its very health and ftrength. You may obferve the peculiar force of the apo- ftle's expreffion, let every man have a plerophory, or as it is very well render'd in our tranflation, let him be fully perfuaded : The matter being of the greated im portance, let him, in all cafes of confcience, ufe his utmod endeavours to obtain the greated certainty he can poffibly arrive at : Let him not content himfelf with a (light and fuperficial examination ; for all the jndudry he can ufe is required, and nothing lefs will bear him out. Not that we can expeft an equal de gree of evidence in all cafes of duty and of confci ence ', we mud be fatisfied with fuch a meafure of it as the nature and circumdances of the thing will ad mit, and in difputable cafes we ought to chufe that fide on which the greated clearnefs lies. Thus we can never be under a neceffity of afting againft or without conviction ; for a fincere foul will always find a re fuge either in doing or forbearing, and it may be hoped on Perfonal Perfuafion. 557 hoped an impartial and patient enquiry will iffue in a perfuaded judgment and firm refolution. But in every cafe let a man preferve his own liberty inviola ble, and not be induced, by refpeft to men, or any worldly confideration, while he is perfuaded on the contrary, or while he doubts to eat meats or abftain from them, to obferve or neglect days ! in fine, to do or forbear any thing that falls within the wide fphere of confcience, wherein the lad decifion of his own underdanding mud be his immediate rule. II. i" am to confider what is the proper object of our perfuafion ; or what things they are concerning which we muft be perfuaded. And 'tis plain from the occafion and fcope of the apodle's difcourfe, he fpeaks of things which are not effential to Chridianity, but yet matters of confcience. The Jewifh and Gentile Chri ftians were agreed in the fundamental doftrines and the great duties of religion. There were no debates among them concerning faith in our Lord Jefus Chrift, tend repentance towards God -, only they differed about ceremonial injunftions, which fome thought were ftill in force; others that they were aboliffied. We may therefore infer, that in all parallel cafes, the fame rule takes place ; that is, in all cafes, wherein the reafon of men and the fincerity of Chridians permit them to differ. For can it be imagined that the apoftle would, by the direftion of God's fpirit, give fuch a folemn decifion, upon a debate arifing among Chridians, wherein he only applies a general rule to a particular cafe; and yet not intend, that the fame rule fhould be applied in other cafes ex aftly parallel, and where the reafon of it equally holds ? Or can any one think, that in the different judgments and praftices of the primitive Chridians, about meats and days, no man, or fociety of men, fhould impofe on others, but every man ought to be fully perfuaded in his own mind ; and in other things of a. like nature, wherein confcience is as much con cerned, 5-5 8 Religious Obedience founded cerned, no fuch freedom was to be allowed ? We may therefore, in all fuch cafes, aft with confidence, according to our beft light; for 'tis plainly the doftrine of my text, that dncerity, or following our own perfuafion with the neceffary qualifications 1 have men tion'd, will render us acceptable to God, even tho' that perfuafion ffiould be in itfelf wrong. The direc tion was given to the Jewifh as well as Gentile con verts, to thofe who erred, as well as thofe whofe judgments were better inform'd, and might be fafely followed by both : for I can never believe they would be not only allowed, but required to aft according to their perfuafion, which was indeed an erroneous one, (I mean, that of the Jews) if at the fame time there was any reafon to fear the error of that perfuafion would be imputed to them, or hinder their acceptance with God. If it be faid, our opinions cannot alter the nature of things, and that God having revealed his will to us, requires our conformity to it, according to its real meaning and defign, and not according to our own midaken notions ; might not the fame objeftion have been made to the apodle in the cafe which he clearly decides againd it ? But indeed it is founded on a midake, as if God did abfolutely require of us, as the condition of pleafing him, an infallible certain ty in underdanding his word, and the drift confor mity of our fentiments to the truth. If it were fo, how unhappy would the condition be of the bed upon earth, fince all are liable to errors ? And God knows, they are inevitable, whereas he chiefly regards fince rity ; and wherever it is found, he approves it. It is the fubjeftion of the foul to the light of confcience, that is, the laws of God, as we underdand them, and regulating our aftions by it, that pleafes God. The determination of the judgment, whether right or wrong, does not depend on our choice, and can be under no law, any further than that we are indif- penfably bound, upon pain of the divine difpleafure, to on Pe? final Perfuafion. ^g to an impartial examination, and to the regular ex ercife of our own faculties (as far as that falls within the direftion of the mind itfelf) for difcover ing and in receiving truth. The apodle has determined this as plainly as words can do u\ in the very cafe of the text, for in the 14th verfe he fays, I know and am per fuaded by the Lord Jefus, that there is nothing unclean of itfelf : there the truth of the matter is declared ; as if he had faid, the Jews indeed have no fufficient reafon for obferving the diftinftion of meats ; for that is intirely abrogated now under the gofpel : but then he adds ; to him that efteemeth any thing to be unclean, to him it is unclean ; tho' his opinion cannot alter the nature of the thing, yet 'tis a rule to him ; and in difregarding it, that is, in afting againd the light of his confcience, his guilt is as great as if the thing was unclean of itfelf. But though I have faid what is very evident from the fcope and connexion of the apodle's difcourfe, that in this text, the things wherein our full perfua fion is required, are things of an inferior nature, not fundamental doftrines and precepts of Chridianity ; yet in matters of the higheft importance, we cannot poffibly be accepted without perfuafion. To fay we could, would be in effeft to fay, we may be faved by a mere profeffion and a courfe of external aftions, that is, by hypocrify ; which is fo far from being true, that on the contrary, nothing is more hateful to God. 'Tis certain indeed, that no man to whom the. gofpel is declared is an infidel without a crime ; but his fin does not confifl in the error of his judgment, but in the attachment of his heart to his luds and worldly intereds, whereby he is mifled and prejudiced againd the truth. And this perfeftly agrees to the doftrine of our Saviour himfelf; who pronounces judgment againd unbelievers becaufe of their fin. He that believeth not, is condemned already*. But in the words » John iii. 18. immediately $60 Religious Obedience founded immediately following, he explains the reafon of the condemnation, and fhews what is the effential malig nity of Unbelief ; And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darknefs ra ther than light ; becaufe their deeds were evil*. I fhall, in the third place, illuftrate by fome arguments the apoftle' s doctrine in my text. i. Let us attend to what our own underdandings will naturally fugged to us on this fubjeft. Religion, according to our mod obvious notions of it, is a reafonable fervice, performed to the fupreme intelligent Being, who obferves the mod fecret thoughts of his creatures, in order to recompence them. If we ffiould dippofe that God does not know, or does not regard the operations of our minds in the homage we pay him, the effential foundations of all duty to him are dedroyed ; but no one can believe that, who has any fear of God left in his heart. It follows, there fore, that in proportion to the concurring exercife of our rational powers, fb is the fincerity and the ac ceptance of our religious profeffions and aftions. If an external work, which deliberately perform'd, and with confent and prefence of mind, would pleafe God, ffiould be done without deliberation and defign, it is no more pleafing, nor entitles to a reward, than if it were not at all done, or done by another perfon. For certainly what God requires, is the obedience of men, that is, of intelligent creatures ; to do any thing under the notion of fervice to him, without the approbation of our underdandings, is not to ferve him at all, but indeed to affront him, and to de- bafe ourfelves beneath the dignity of our nature, by neglefting to improve our reafon,which is our greated excellency, to the mod valuable purpofes for which it was given us, the glory of our Creator, and our own- * John iiii. 19. happinefs. on Perfonal Perfuafion: 561 happinefs. In affairs of far lefs moment, we find ourfelves obliged to fee with our own eyes, and aft ac cording to our own perfuafion ; though it may be con venient to confult with perfons reputed wife, the lad determination dill is in ourfelves, and it cannot be otherwife if we are free agents. Aftions done with freedom and underdanding, and they only are human aftions, and thofe alone which proceed from a con viction that God requires and approves them, are religious. 'Tis impoffible, by the very frame of our nature, that the laws of God ffiould bind us other- wife than as we underdand them ; which is fo far true, that invincible ignorance difcharges from all obli gation to obedience ; therefore our own perfuafion mud be the immediate foundation upon which we aft : and whatever guilt may be in erroneous judgments, as they take their rife from prejudice and infincerity, they are fo far a rule, and to contradict them in practice, is the greateft prof anenefs ; for the divine au thority direftly obliges the confcience, and he who does not conform himfelf to its light, equally rebels againd God, whether his belief be right or wrong. 2. Tho' it is not properly the defign of the gofpel to teach us this doctrine, becaufe it is a principle of reafon and natural religion, which the chridian reve lation fuppofes ; yet 'tis evidently agreeable to the fcope of the fcriptures, fo that according to them neither faith nor obedience can be without it. Our bleffed Saviour addrefs'd his indruftions to men indi vidually, and call'd upon every one to confider for himfelf, what he was to believe and what to do, that he might be acceptable to God. 'Tis certain, his religion could, never have obtain'd in the world any other foot than that of liberty, and a right in every man to conduft himfelf in matters of confcience by the perfuafion of his own mind ; for mankind were al mod univerfally prejudiced againd it, and the fecu lar and ecclefiadical powers vehemently oppos'd it. Vol. I. O o N©w, 562 Religious Obedience founded Now, what fhould a perfon do in fuch a cafe to whom the gofpel was preached ? he mud either refign his underdanding and confcience to be direfted by others, or put on a refolution to weigh the pretenfions of our Lord impartially, and the arguments which fup ported them, that fo he might believe and profefs and praftife according to the bed light he could attain to : the former of thefe methods would for ever keep him out of the kingdom of God, and perpetuate his averfion to Chridianity ; the latter would naturally lead him into it. Now, may I not venture to affirm that the prin ciple, upon which alone men could become Chrif tians at fird, is a good one, a fcriptural one, and ought dill to be allow'd among Chridians, with all its jud confequences, and to be applied in all cafes in which it bears an application ; that is, in all cafes wherein confcience is concern'd ? For can it be thought our bleffed Redeemer would draw men into his fervice by perfuafion only, the bands of a man, allowing them the freed exercife of their own underdandings, which afterwards they mud renounce, and be put under the power of fallible mortals like themfelves ? or wou'd he have the great effentials of his religion enforc'd only by perfuafion, and yet allow a rigid impofition in inferior points, wherein an error is infinitely lefs dan gerous, yet in the lead of them to aft againd con viction is damnable ? We find the apodles after their bleffed mafler's afcendon, when by the infallible guidance of the holy fpirit which was granted them, they fully inflrufted the churches in the fublime points of divine revelation, and leaving the principles of the doctrine of Chrift, went on to perfettcn, never us'd any other method, than that of argument and perfuafion, leaving every man to judge for himfelf, and to believe and praftife as he had fufficient evi dence to determine him. They never forc'd light on weak believers, (that is, they never forc'd profef fion on Perfonal Perfuafion. 563 fion againd light, for real conviction cannot be forc'd) or compelled them by meer authority, but would have the fubjefts of Chrid captivated only by reafon ; and till they obtain'd a fufficient meafure of knowledge, they mud be allow'd to follow their own imperfeft light, without being upbraided or cenfured for it. The principal cafe in which Chridians at that time were of different opinions, was that to which my text refers ; and here you fee the apodle afferts, in the ftrongeft terms, the neceffity of perfonal perfuafion. And this doftrine he teaches uniformly in his other writ ings. In the epidle to the Philippians he fpeaks to the fame purpofe, and probably on the fame occafion, Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus mind ed : and if in any thing ye be otherwife minded, God will reveal even this to you. Neverthelefs whereto we have already attained, let us walk by the fame rule, let us mind the fame thing *. 3. Everyman has, or may have, a fufficient evi dence of this in himfelf. 'Tis commonly and very judly faid, that virtue carries its own reward with it, in the inward, fincere joys and fatisfaftion, which attend the praftice of it. This is a fanftion which God has added to his laws, arifing from the very conditution of our nature ; fo much the more power ful, becaufe 'tis condant and immediate in its appli cation. No fooner a good aftion is done, than a man is fatisfied from himfelf ; pleafure fprings up in his mind and a felf- applauding joy, which a ftr anger cannot intermeddle with : No fooner a tranfgreffion is committed, but prefently judgment is pronounc'd, and puniffiment inflifted in the confuming torments and anguiffi of a reproaching heart. Now the force of thefe prefent rewards and puniffiments, which are one great motive to religion, efpecially depends on * Chap, iii- 15, 16. O o 2 perfonal 564 Religious Obedience founded perfonal perfuafion : For confcience is a monitor as well as a judge ; it always gives fentence according to its own light, and not another's. No man ever felt any wounds of fpirit for afting contrary to the decifions and judgments of other men, while he himfelf was not convinc'd by them, and while he preferv'd a due regard for the light of his own underftanding ; no man ever poffefs'd the comfort of felf-approbation, and the teftimony of his confcience, by complying with the fentiments of others, while he acted againd his own. This argument, founded on experience, which can never fail, becaufe it neceffarily arifes even from the make of human nature, is alfo confirm'd by ex prefs texts of fcripture. The apodle's rejoicing was the teftimony of his confcience *. And to the end that others might enjoy the fame folid and lading confolation, he prefcribes this general rule, But let every one prove his own work, and then he fhall have rejoicing in himfelf alone, and not in another -j-. How fhall a man have rejoicing in himfelf by proving his own work, unlefs he approves it to himfelf, that is, to the light of his own confcience, the perfuafion of his own mind? The great prejudice againd this doctrine, is, that it feems to fap the foundations of human authority, at lead extremely to weaken it, and narrow its pro vince, by exempting from its jurifdiftion all matters of confcience, or whatever may be fo call'd by men allowed the utmod liberty of judging for themfelves ; and if every one may do what is good in his own eyes, how ffiall order be preferv'd in the world or in the church ? Let us confider this objeftion imparti ally : In order to which it may be divided into thefe propofitions, which I think contain the whole fenfe. of it. Firit, according to the principles I have laid down, matters of confcience are not under human * 2 Cor. i. 12. f Gal. vi. 4. jurifdiftion, on Perfonal Perfiuafion. 565 jurifdiftion, for if every one ought to aft according to the perfuafion of his own mind, no man is to be de- termin'd by the decifions of men ; and confequently in thefe cafes all are exempted from human authority. Secondly, that every man mud judge for himfelf what is properly a matter of confcience, and is not accountable to, nor can be redrain'd info judging, by any power on earth. Thirdly, the liberty which this feems to allow, being boundlefs, for there is not any thing wherein confcience may not be pleaded or pretended ; if fuch a plea be fufficient, it would feem to make void all obligation on fubjefts to obey any human authority whatfoever. And, to compleat the argument, they reprefent this as fo great an abfurdi - ty, that becaufe of it we ought to reject the principle from which it is inferr'd. This is the fubdance of what has been the mod plaufibly offer'd againd the right of every Chridian to aft according to the full perfuafion of his own mind in matters of confcience : But I mud own it does not appear to me convincing, and of fufficient weight to determine us to depart from a principle which is fo evidently founded on fcripture and reafon. I ffiall therefore, as a conclu fion of this difcourfe, by confidering thefe propofi tions I have mentioned, further explain the apodle's rule in my text, and ffiew how it affects, or feems to affeft, the jud exercife of human authority, civil and ecclefiadical. As to the fird propofition, namely, that matters of confcience are not under human jurifdiftion ; it is not only a plain confequence from the text, but the very de fign of it : For the apodle would have no Ghridians, or fociety of Chridians, pretend to call their brethren to account for their conduft in thefe things, or exercife any power over them ; and for that end he edabliffies this maxim, that every man ought to be perfuaded in his own mind; from which it evidently follows, that no man can be fafe in a blind fubmiffioti O 0 3 to 566 Religious Obedience founded to the decifion of others, whatever authority they have, or in whatever dations they are placed. If fuch a fubmiffion had been the duty of Chriftians, why would not the apodles have enjon'd it, fince it mud have determined all their differences ? Why would he not have propos'd fo eafy an expedient as that their governors ffiould meet in council, and hav ing maturely confidered the points in controverfy, give judgment, in which all ought to acquiefce ? Or rather might he not have demanded an univerfal obedience to his own apoffolical authority ? But fo far from the lead infinuation of any fuch method for peace, that on the contrary, when in this very chapter he declares his own perfuafion concerning the matters in debate, which he does in the dronged terms, / know and am perfuaded by the Lord Jefus there is nothing unclean of itfelf*, at the fame time lie allows every man to follow the light of his private judg ment. For indeed confcience has a fupremacy in it felf, I mean fo far as not to be fubjeft to any tribunal upon earth ; it acknowledges no fuperior but God, and to him alone it is accountable : If it were other- wife, our obedience would not be to God but to men. The fecond propofition, that every man mud judge for himfelf what is properly a matter of confcience, is neceffarily imply'd in the nature of confcience, and mud be allowed, in order to edablifli to every man the real privilege of following his own perfuafion. Confcience is nothing elfe but the judgment of a man concerning himfelf and his own aftions compared with the Jaw of God, and as fubjeft to his authority. Now, how is it poffible that one man ffiould deter mine for another, how far this judgment fhall extend, and to what indances ? To limit and prefcribe to it, is, in effeft to deny it altogether. If one man * Ver. 14. efieemeth on Perfonal Perfiiaffion. 567 'efteemeth (that is, judgeth there is fanftity in) one day above another, another man efteemeth every day alike ; ffiall the former of thefe be decided by the latter and make his opinion a rule, while he is not convinced in his own mind ? That is really to fay, he fhall refign his underftanding, which is not in any man's power to do ; he ffiall judge and not judge at the fame time ; he ffiall believe contradiftions. And if others mud determine for us what are matters of confci ence, our privilege of following our own light will be brought into a very narrow compafs, indeed re duced to a meer ffiadow : For upon that abfurd fup pofition, what defence can be made againd the mod grievous ufurpations ? Thofe who exercife the mod arbitrary authority over the very underdandings and confeiences of men, have no more to do than declare that the matters wherein they prefcribe and give laws, are not matters of confcience, and under that pretence enforce the greated feverities. It would fcarce be neceffary to infid on fo plain a cafe, but that this is the very pretence under which all impofitions on confcience fereen themfelves. The name of confcience is facred and venerable among men, at lead among Chridians : There are few who will own any fuch claim as that of dominion over it, or that they make any encroachments on its rights : But then they fay it mud be circumferib'd within its proper bounds, and authority mud not be ffiamm'd by humour and hypocrify, under the fpeci ous pretence of mens acting according to their pri vate perfuafion. Thus fome alledge there is a fuffi cient liberty referv'd to confcience, if no decifions are made by men againd the fcriptures rightly under ftood : Others that human authority in the affairs of relio-ion is only to be exercifed in modes and circum dances, in which cafe the plea of confcience is not to be regarded ; for 'tis really groundlefs. Now to all fuch pretences, and all invafions of the effen- O o 4 tial 568 Religious Obedience founded tial chridian rights of private judgment, however colour'd and difguis'd, I would only oppofe the fo lemn queftion which the apodle puts in the verfe pre ceding my text, Who art thou thatjudgeft another man's fervant? Who but the fearcher of hearts can tell whether the plea of confcience is real or not ? For men to fay it is not, is to enter into the fecrets of other mens hearts, and take upon them to judge what God alone can judge. Or, if the meaning be, that againd fome human decifions there is no real plea of confcience, that is, there is no ground for it ; what can this fignify, but that in their opinion it is fo ? But can the opinion of one man, or any num ber of men, be a rule to another ? then we might forfake the apodle's rule, and no more infid on our right to be every man perfuaded in his own mind. I cannot but obferve that in the debated cafe among the primitive Chridians, to which my text immedi ately refers, there was as great appearance of reafon for neglefting the pretence of confcience, and attributing it to prejudice and obdinate humour, as can well be fuppofed in any other. What ground had the Jewifh converts for their alledged diftinftion of days, or for the purity of fome meats, and the impurity of others ; the infpired teachers of Chridianity had fufficiently ffiew'd them all fuch things were aboliffi'd, under the gofpel ; God himfelf did interpofe by many miracles to demondrate the power of the word of truth in op pofition to the weaknefs of the Jaw, and its ceremo nies ; nay, the apodle does exprefly declare his per fuafion that nothing was unclean of itfelf. How would impofition triumph, if it had fuch advantages on its fide, and with an impetuous clamour run down all refidance, imputing it to unaccountable peeviffinefs never to be fatisfy'd ? But the holy apodle was actuated by another fpirit ; he held the right of private judg ment to be facred and inviolable ; that every man's confcience mud be a rule to himfelf, and fo far a rule en Perfonal Perfuafion. 569 rule to others, that no encroachments mud be made upon it. The only quedion now remaining is, thirdly, U^he- ther this liberty does make void all obligations on fubjefts to obey human authority. It mud be own'd, agreeably to the principles I have afferted, that no determina tions of human power can in any cafe bind the confci ence, which is immediately fubjeft to the authority of God alone. Its voice is to be heard, and its dic tates obeyed againd all the decrees of men that op pofe them -, which is really no more than to fay, that God is to be obeyed rather than man. 'Tis true, that fometimes the laws of God and men coincide, fo far as to enjoin the fame external actions ; and that we are bound to obey the juft commands of our fuperiors, not only for wrath, but alfo for confidence fake ; yet it will not follow, that even in ^thefe cafes human authority binds the confcience ; which is apparent from this plain confideration, that the fame principle of confcience equally obliges us to duties wherein no human power does interpofe, as in the relation of equals, and to afts of charity : nay, con fcience lays as drift an obligation on rulers to perform their duty to their fubjefts, as on fubjefts to obey them. But no more in the one cafe than in the other, is there any authority over confcience : For confcience does equally oblige the magidrate to grant the reafonable requeds of the fubjeft, and the fubjeft to obey his lawful commands. 'Tis true likewife that there is nothing in the whole compafs of human life and aftairs, but what may fome way fall within the wide pro vince of confcience ; and thus far men in whatever dation have no right to determine fo as by their authority to oblige others. Yet that does not hinder but that fome of the fame things may in other re fpefts, and on. other accounts, not as matters of con fcience, be fubjeft to human fuperiors, and properly be govern'd by them, 0 To 570 Religious Obedience founded To fet this matter in a clearer light, we ought to confider didinftly the two kinds of human authori ty ; civil, and ecclefiaftical. The fird is an ordinance of man very agreeable to the . will of God, for the excellent purpofe of preferving peace and order in civil focieties ; and mud be fuppos'd to be furniffied with fufficient powers for anfwering that end. But magiftrates have no more authority than any of the red of mankind (that is, they have no proper au thority at all) in matters of confcience as fuch ; they cannot by their laws oblige their fubjefts to receive any propofition as a truth of divine revelation, or do any aftion as a duty to God : For in thefe cafes it is effentially neceffary, that we ffiould profefs and praftife purely out of refpeft to God ; and wherever any pretended weight is added to his authority, in fo far as that is regarded, it really diminiffies from the fincerity of obedience, and confequently is a real pre judice to true religion. But this does not in the lead impair the magidrate's jud power, who has dill enough referv'd for his care, even the whole extent of outward human aftions which regard the publick peace. Under that confideration alone they are pro per for his cognizance, and he has fuch an authority as no pleas of confcience can fuperfede. As to ecclefiaftical authority, we cannot judge of the nature and defign of it better than by the accounts which the apodles give us of their own ; for it will fcarcely be alledg'd, there is any church power greater than theirs was. Now they tell us, they had no do minion over the faith of Chriftians ; and confequently none over their confeiences. For tho' we commonly didinguiffi matters of confcience into matters of faith and of practice, yet really faith extends to the whole compafs of duty ; for whatfoever is not of faith is fin. They (the apodles) exprefly fay, the power given them was for edification ; which being the proper end, ex plains the nature of it. A power for edification is a power on Perfonal Perfuafion. 571 power to promote truth and fincere religion, which can never be promoted by mens being obliged to act contrary to the inward conviction of their own minds, or without it ; therefore the apodles mud be under ftood to have difcl aimed any authority obliging Chrif tians in fuch a manner. And from hence we may fee the jud limits of church-power : its decifions bind the confcience as far as men are convinc'd, and no farther ; any higher claim of authority not only can not be inferr'd from the defign of ecclefiaftical power, according to the fcriptures, namely, edification, but indeed is utterly inconfident with it. I do not fpeak of that which is not only the right, but the indifpenfable duty of chridians, to feparate from the fellowfhip of thofe who are called brethren, and walk diforderly, that is, as the apodle defcribes them, Fornicators, covetous, idolaters, miters, drunk ards, extortioners*'; or who in any other like inftances notorioufly tranfgrefs the plain and effential precepts of Jefus Chrid : For the apodle exhorts the Corin thians to put away the inceduous perfon from among them ; and afferts their right (which is the common right of all Chridian churches) fo far as to judge thein that are -within. This power, which really is of felf prefervation, info far as it off efts the guilty, can only puniffi their fcandals, not their fins ; and has of it felf no other proper and immediate tendency than to produce an external reformation, not real religion, which wholly depends on the authority of G6d, and the motives of another world. But will it at all follow, that becaufe we ought to deny the tokens of Chridian communion to thofe who fin agaiift their light, and are felf condemn' d, therefore we ffiould alfo deny them to fuch as walk according to their light, tho' different from ours in points that are not effen tial ? Becaufe the rules of the gofpel direft us to fepa- * 1 Cor. ver. i c . . rate §J2 Religious Obedience founded rate from thofe who are openly feandalous and pro fligate in their lives, doing thofe things which the common fenfe of mankind condemns ; therefore we may alfo feparate from fuch as differ from us, in things wherein the reafon of men and the fincerity of Chriftians permit them to differ ? In the former of thefe cafes, the apoftle requires the Corinthians not fo much as to eat with the diffolute and immoral : In the latter, the apoftle requires the Romans to receive the weak into the greated intimacies of their religious fellow- ffiip. Or finally, becaufe to preferve the external purity of a vifible church, marks of difgrace are put on fuch abominable aftions, (agreeably to the gene ral prevailing fentiments of mankind, who have an nexed honour and diffionour to the aftions which have the outward appearance of virtuous and vici ous) can it be judly inferr'd that merei ecclefiaftical authority is fufficient to determine points of confci ence, fo that any thing fhall commence good or bad, duty or fin, only by its declarations, and a man may red fatisfied in them without the perfuafion of his own mind ? I confefs fuch as are of opinion that any man or fociety of men have any fuch authority lodg'd in their hands by our Lord Jefus Chrid, not only may, but are bound to acquiefce in their determinations : And like this probably was the cafe of the Judaizing Chridians, who obferv'd fome days, and other cere monies, merely on the fcore of tradition, which dur ing their weaknefs was a rule to them. But this is fo far from proving that ecclefiaftical power does prcperly and of itfelf bind the confcience, that indeed it de monstrates the contrary : For in all fuch cafes the only foundation upon which a man can aft confcienti- oufly, is his private perfuafion -, it limits and circum- fcribes the extent of human authority, and is not li mited and circumfcribed by it. If a decifion of men binds any perfon, 'tis in matters wherein he thinks they on Perfonal Perfuafion. 575 they have power : When they carry their pretenfions farther, determine things wherein his judgment does not allow their authority, their decrees mud be re garded by him as void ; and confequently if any one's confcience difallows human authority in the lowed indances wherein 'tis exercifed, its afts can produce no obligation upon him -, elfe the rights of private judgment may be invaded in all cafes, and confci ence given up to the will of men : For it is as really injur'd if a man be forced to aft againft its light in a circumftance, as in an article of faith ; and in the leaft things, he that doubts is damn' d, if he complies. From all which it is apparent, that ecclefiaftical authority has no power over confcience ; indeed none at all but what confcience gives it, and therefore muft yield to its fuperior, whenever their voices differ. The direftion given to the Corinthians, Let all things be done decently, and in order*, is alledged by many to be a fuffioient foundation for the church's power in points of external order. But what thofe points are, even proteftants are not agreed : Some extend them to ceremonies and modes of worfhip, which are neither exprefly commanded nor forbidden in the word of God ; others limit them to the natural cir cumftances of aftions : Upon thefe different opinions, different fchemes of ecclefiaftical conftitutions are erefted. Without entering into this debate, I ffiall only make fome remarks to explain that text, as far as it has any relation to my prefent fubjeft -, whereby it will appear, that no proper authority, however limited in fome Chridians, binding others againft or without the perfuafion of their own minds, is founded upon it. Fird, the rule is prefcribed to the members of the Corinthian church, concerning themfelves and their own aftions, and no authority committed to fome over, others. The fame perfons who had been guilty of * 1 Cor. xiv. 40. the 574 Religious Obedience founded tlie diforders and indecencies, mentioned in the pre ceding part of the chapter, are in the conclufion re quired to do all things decently and in order ; not the lead infinuation, as if the governors of the church were entruded to execute the apodle's precept, far lefs that they were to be the file judges of what is de cent, and the people indifpenfably oblig'd.to fubmit to their determination. Common fenfe itfelf and dif- cretion (fetting afide the chridian virtues, which will incline men to a regular behaviour in all things) are fufficient to fecure the outward decorum of affemblies, which only the apodle is there fpeaking of ; and there is no need of a proper jurifdiftion. He does not fo much as once mention authority, nor at all enforce his direftion by it ; but all along argues from fuch plain reafons as all are equally judges of. Again, there is not in that chapter, nor any where elfe in fcripture, either precept or example for excom munications, or any other ecclefiaftical cenfures to be in flifted for what the church may think indecent, or what is really in itfelf fo. Thefe are things of an inferior nature, not to be put in balance with the weightier matters of religion. The apodle in the fame epidle exhorts the Corinthians to avoid the infectious com pany of fcandalous perfons ; and when one in their communion was guilty of in c eft, they mud purge out the old leaven -,t but for irregularities in their congrega tions, tho' thofe they committed were very grofs, he contents himfelf with advifing them to reform ; not a word of rejecting the guilty, or debarring them from any part of Chridian communion, therefore ec clefiaftical power in matters of decency and order mud be perfuafive only ; fince, according to the laws of Jefus Chrid, its appointments have no fanftions added to them. It is of dangerous confequence for the church to lay too great ftrefs on points of apprehended order, as if they were equal to the great chridian virtues ; and tranfgreffors on Perfonal Perfuafion. $y$ tranfgreffors againft the one and the other to be treated after the fame manner ; for thus men are led to over value things which are infignificant in comparifon, and place a great deal of religion in them, or to difefteem the very vitals of Chridianity, as if they were not more important than the arbitrary and vari able aftions of human contrivance, or the more uncer tain appointments of human prudence. And ladly, let it be confidered how a proper and abfolute authority in fome Chridians to determine and oblige others to fubmit to their determinations in points of order, can confid with the right of private judg • ment, which belongs to all Chridians, and which protedants zealoufly contend for, as the effential prin ciple of the reformation. For let us fuppofe, that go vernors make a decree purfuant to the powers they claim, and the perfons affected by it cannot in confci ence comply, or declare they cannot ; either authori ty mud dop, or confcience be trampled on ; either fome mud judge for others, what is a point of mere order to be fubmitted to, and what is a finful impo- ¦ fition to be refided ; and who dare trud them, un lefs he knows they are infallible ? or elfe, every man mud judge for himfelf : The former is a popifh prin ciple, the latter deftroys a proper ecclefiaftical power, which ffiall bind confcience even in the matters of order and decency. And now, to conclude : Since it is fo evident that our Lord Jefus Chrid has not only granted all his difciples the privilege, but driftly enjoin'd them to enquire into his will revealed in the gofpel, that from thence they may learn what to believe and what to praftife, and without fubmitting implicitly to human declarations and decifions in any point of faith or duty, may by following impartially their own light, the full perfuafion of their 'own minds, obtain his approbation : Let us ufe this privilege and obey this precept, hav ing always a clofe and immediate regard to him ; and as $j6 Religious obedience founded, Sec. as being accountable to him only, not to men : Let us ftand faft in the liberty wherewith he hath made us free : Let us call no man or fociety of men our maders ; for one is our mafter even Chrift, and all we are brethren. On this foundation alone we ffiall have confidence to wards him, and boldnefs in the day of judgment. DIS- t 577 ] DISCOURSE XXVI. The Delusive and Bloody Spirit of POPERY. A Sermon preached in the prefence, and by the appointment, of the Synod of Perth and Sterling, October, 1754. [For dyce.] Rev. xviii. 23, 24. -By thv Sorceries were all Nations deceived ; and in her was found the Blood of Prophets, and of Saints, and of all that were fiain upon the Earth. TFI E S E emphatical words exhibit to us the two principal features of a very furpri fing pifture, which we find in this book of Revelation, reprefenting a mondroufly delufive and perfecuting power, that was to make its appearance in fome after-period. This terrible power hath al ways been underdood by the bed interpreters of fcrip ture to be none other than that of the church of Rome, long ago edabliffied under the pretence of an authori ty purely fpiritual, but dill applied to purpofes the mod different imaginable. And indeed, whoever fhall compare the pifture itfelf with the date of the world for many ages pad, in relation to religion, will, y0- t u ~ I doubt 578 'the delufive and bloody I doubt not, be obliged to own, that it is as com pleat and charafteridic a reprefentation of Popery, in its mod flourifhing times, as could poffibly have been given, had " that mother of abominations" actually exided, when fhe was fhadowed out to the prophetic mind of our apodle. The chapter in which our text lies prefents us with a lively prophecy of the ruins of the church of Rome in fome future time, as publiffied by three angelic voices. The firft declares the certainty of that ruin, the fecond the extremity of it, and the third its irrecoverabknefs ; affigning withal the reafons of a retri bution fo awful, viz. her fpiritual witchcraft, and her fhocking cruelty ; both are very drongly expreffed in the words before us : " For by thy forceries were " all nations deceived ; and in her was found the " blood of prophets, and of faints, and of all that *' were flain upon the earth." The laft expreffions require no paraphrafe. They are dreadfully intelligible. The firft are explained by the apoftle Paul, where (peaking of the man of fin that was to be revealed, in a drain which correfponds furprifingly with the apodle John's defcription, he faith, that this fon of perdition was to " come with all " deceivablenefs of unrighteoufnefs in them that pe- " riffi ;" an energetic hebraifm, which feems to inti mate not only that the grand apodate then fpoke of fhould ereft and maintain his kingdom by the mod impious frauds, but that he ffiould dedroy the fouls of men by numberlefs ungodly arts of rendering them religious without religion ; I mean, deluding them with a fond opinion of their piety, whild guilty of the greated enormities, and then, by the moft fatal kind of magic, making them dream of para- dife on the very verge of hell. It is in the latter point of light that we propofe to view the forceries of this wicked inchantrefs. After which we will look a little, and but a little, (it is a fpeftacle of horror !) at that fcene of blood, where (he (talks Spirit of Popery. $jc} ftalks along with infernal fury, drunk with her daughter of the almighty's fervants, and boading of her zeal for the almighty's intereds. From both furveys, fo mournful to religion and humanity, we will then turn our eyes, with joyful and grateful ad miration, to our own highly-favoured date, and afterwards apply the whole. Firft, We are to take a view of the forceries of the church of Rome, or of thofepleafing but dedruftive de- lufions, by which fhe cheats her votaries into a perfua fion of their fafety, at the fame time that (he leaves them " in the gall of bitternefs, and the bond of iniquity ;" nay, that (he makes them fevenfold more the children of the devil than (he found them. To lead the more regularly to this part of the fubjeft, let us take things from the beginning, even as far back as the earlied notices we have of the hidory of the univerfe. Now we gather from the facred records, that the Eternal having formed innumerable hods of glorious and happy creatures, to be the fird and highed fub jefts of his government, whole legions of thofe rofe in rebellion, and became degenerate and miferable beings, whofe fole employment and delight it was to do mifehief amongd the works of God ; and that ac cordingly Satan, the head of the revolt, found means to draw into it the creature Man, whom the creator had new-made, and placed in a date of innocence and blifs. Thus he introduceth on our earth a king dom of his own, in oppofition to the kingdom of Jehovah. But the great and good governor of the world, who " loveth righteoufnefs, and hateth " iniquity," refolves to overthrow this infolent ad- verfary, and, taking pity on the new race, whom the malicious and artful fpirit had contrived to ruin, he is gracioufly pleafed to promife, that " the feed of " the woman ffiall bruife the head of the ferpent." He fulfils his promife : " In the fulnefs of time he " fends forth his fon made of a woman," with P p 2 ample 580 The delufive and bloody ample authority and qualifications to fubdue the origi nal apodate, to reduce deluded men to their duty, and by that means to redore them to their primitive felici ty. In ffiort, " the Son of God is manifeded to de- " droy the works of the devil." In profecution of this noble defign, worthy of the perfeft reftitude and benevolence of its author, our deliverer doth no fooner appear on the public theatre, than he openly proclaims war with the powers of dark nefs, after having privately baffled the perfonal af- faults of their prince. He raifeth, fo to fpeak, a dandard of truth and goodnefs in the name and on the behalf of his Father. He calls upon his unhap py brethren of mankind, to throw down the weapons of this unnatural rebellion, and to follow him. He publiffieth a general indemnity. He pardons, enter tains, encourages all that come over to him. He leads them on againd the common enemy. He makes them " more than conquerors." How ? Not indeed by external might, or worldly power, but by the majedy and the energy of his religion. In it he propofeth fuch a plan, as, if truly underdood, and deadily followed, cannot fail to recover men from ig norance and corruption ; and, by illuminating their minds, and purifying their hearts, to make them " partakers of a divine nature," and fubjefts of the great empire of light and love. Yes, my bre thren, it is the glory of the chriftian fyftem, that its precepts, prohibitions, doftrines, and examples, are all direftly calculated for the reftoration and perfec tion of human nature, as might be ffiewn at large, were it neceffary. It is not neceffary. Thofe with whom we are concerned in the prefent argument, agree with all profeffing Chridians, that the gofpel is " a doftrine according to godlinefs," and immediately adapted to promote it^. But now, we fay, that they have fo adulterated that doftrine, as to pervert it entirely from its genuine nature and original ufe, y making void the com- " mand- Spirit of Popery. 581 " mandments of God, by the traditions of men." We fay, that in place of the myftery of godlinefs, they have framed and adopted a myftery of iniquity ; an adoniffiing compound of wicked opinions and wicked obfervances, fuited to keep men in ignorance and cor ruption, and, by namelefs flattering illufions, to con ceal from them their danger. In a word, we fay, that the fydem of Popery is a direft apodacy from the religion of Chrid -, and the praftice of Popery, a di reft revolt from the kingdom of Chrid ; and all this under the impudent pretext of its alone retaining that religion, and alone defending that kingdom. It is thus that we explain, at lead in part, the prediction relating to the dragon's giving her power to the beaft. We confider the church of Rome as the principal retainer, or prime minider, if I may be indulged the phrafe, to the prince of the dark king doms ; employed and fupported by him, and in re turn upholding and propagating his dominion over " the children of difobedience," who are dazzled with a phantom of liberty, whild " they are taken " captive by him at his pleafure." We would not be underdood to mean by this, that all are daves to Satan, who are votaries of Rome. God forbid. It were drange want of underdanding not to allow a poffibility of being pious or virtuous in that communion, corrupt as undoubtedly it is. It were equal want of candour not to acknowledge, that it hath in faft produced many perfons of unquedion able piety and virtue, and fome who have foared, perhaps, as noble heights in the fpiritual life, as ever were attained by uninfpired mortality. This, I think, is certain, that a man may be midaken, greatly mif- taken, in many things relating to his religious prin ciples, and yet be perfeftly fincere in his religious prac tice. The goodnefs of his affeftion, the drift nefs of his education, the influence of thofe truths which he retains, and the affidance of that grace, which is ne ver denied to the confcientious, may well be fup- P p 3 pofed- 582 The delufive and bloody pofed' fufficient to overbalance for the ill effefts even of tenets exceedingly erroneous. It is manifedly the judgment of an apoftle, formed in confequence of an heavenly vifion, vouchfafed him on purpofe to over come his prejudices on that very fubjeft, that there are perfons to be found, " who fear God and work righteoufnefs in every nation ;" — in every nation, and of courfe, under every form and afpeft of relir gion. We Proteftants condemn the church of Rome for her want of charity. Let us never imitate her in the mod anti-chriftian of all difpofitions. But, neverthelefs, we cannot help dill thinking that the native tendency, I fay the native tendency of her religious fydem is to make men irreligious under a fpecious mafic of zeal, or to lead them to purfue an imaginary righteoufnefs to the negleft of a real one. This we affirm in general, and we endeavour to prove what we affirm, from the whole compofition and genius of popery. At prefent we can only give a fample of our proofs, with refpeft to fome particu lars ; from which, however, it will not be difficult to judge of the red. Chriftianity, we all know, aims immediately at the heart ; that is, fets itfelf to reform and regulate the inward man in the fird indance. As its morality points chiefly to internal purity, being all refined yet folid ; fo its ritual leads direftly to internal devotion, being alike fimple and expreffive. It pronounceth the highed beatitude to " the pure in heart," and promifeth the divine acceptance to thofe only " who " worfhip in fpirit and in truth." It prefcribes no pompous ceremonies. It prohibits all odentatious fervices. In ffiort, it calls off the attention of its difciples from whatever is merely mechanical, formal, or fanciful in religion, to whatever is moral, vital, and fubdantial. Now popery doth jud the reverfe. It introduceth an endlefs train of fenfelefs and filly, yet ffiewy and fanftimonious obfervances ; the parade of which plays fo perpetually on the popular ima gination, Spirit of Popery. 583 gination, as to leave neither leifure nor difpofition for minding any thing more rational or more real. So many facraments, fads, and fedivals, however fuperfluous, abfurd, and burdenfome ; fuch indefatiga ble faying and hearing of prayers, though in an un known tongue; fuch continual erodings and counting of beads,though perfeftly childiffi ; fuch external grima ces and bowing to images, though rank idolatry ; all this, and a great deal more of the fame kind, being mixed up with infinite folemnity, doth fo intoxicate the un guarded populace, that they fancy themfelves wonderful ly devout and holy for being out of meafure fuperditious. Their defigning or deluded prieds fail not, in the mean time, to forward the pleafing drunkenefs by their writings and difcourfes, as well as by all the infinuation of private addrefs, till they have in flamed the vulgar mind into the mod paffionate ad miration and tranfporting pride of a certain plaufible exterior, totally didinft from true religion, and in effeft exclufive of it. To prevent their inebriated followers from turning fober, and fo difcovering the deceit, they take care to keep them in profound ig norance, and to inculcate upon them as a fundamen tal maxim, that fuch ignorance is the mother of devotion. To make all fure, they hide from them the fcriptures, which were given to make men good and wife to fal vation. Thofe fcriptures which all are concerned to know, thofe very fcriptures, which Chrift himfelf commands all to fearch, Chrift's pretended vicar for bids all to fearch, excepting the clergy. So that if any layman, defirous of being afeertained concerning his Maker's will, prefumes to look into his Maker's word, without permiffion from the bifhop or inquiff- tor ; or without the advice of the minider or confef for, or even after all this without a licence in form, he cannot receive abfolution for his fins, and for this grievous fin amongd the red, unlefs he fird furren- der up his bible to the ordinary. Having thus fhut out the broad day-light of heaven, and fet up in lieu of it the miferable taper of human v " * authority, 584 The delufive and bloody authority, often deceitful and always uncertain, the curfed magician of Rome hath the faired opportunity to work his fpells, and call up what fpeftres of fu perdition he pleafeth, in order to awe and impofe on the daring multitude. I think I fee him, like fome frightful conjurer in a gloomy cell, with all his fymp- toms of deceit about him, pretended reliques, real images, fiftitious faints, falfe legends, and forged tra ditions, playing innumerable tricks with the fouls of men, and bewitching them into all manner of ido latrous, detedable, and damnable praftices ; exaftly agreeable to that drong defcription of him already referred to, in which the apodle Paul, fpeaking in the anticipating dile of prophecy, hath thefe remark able words ; " whofe coming is after the working of " fatan, with all power, and figns, and lying won- «' ders, and with all deceivablenefs of unrighteouf- " nefs in them that periffi." Such is the perfon Eternal God ! fuch is the perfon who pretends to be like Thee infallible, the fovereign judge- of truth, and the unerring guide of Chridians ! Unhappy fouls, that are under the guidance of fuch a man ; of a man too, who hath been declared " fubjeft to no " law, but by the plenitude of his power entitled to " make right wrong, and wrong right ; to make " virtue vice, and vice virtue -, to difpute with all " laws human and divine ; and to do all things above " law, without law, and againd law." With what peculiar propriety doth the apodle, the mod maderly of all writers, term this impudent impodor, that wicked one, or lawlefs perfon, as the original word doth fignify; and dill more emphatically, the man of fin, the fon of perdition. Such hath he always been in his public charafter ; in his private one he hath often, God knows, been very little better : Very little better, did I fay ? were there ever fuch execrable monders upon earth, as many of the popes have been ; whofe names are infamous to this day, for perfidy, for cruelty, for lud, Spirit of Popery. 585 luft, for infidelity, for blafphemy, for every brutal, every diabolical excefs, that can outrage heaven, or fhock humanity ? I appeal to the tedimony of their own hidorians. I appeal to the confeffion of the keened advocates for popery. And could thofe very monders oh dupendous impiety ! oh unparalelfed effrontery ! thofe very monfters could call them felves the reprefentatives of Jefus Chrift, of that ador able perfonage, " God manifeded in the flefh," who whild he preached to mankind the divine life, was himfelf a perfeft model of it, the immediate " beam " of his Father's glory, and the exprefs image of " his perfon." What pedilent effefts mud it needs produce on the manners of a religious fociety, to have fuch reverend profligates, fuch abandoned im- podors at the head of it ; more efpecially confider ing their extraordinary influence and vafl domination; indeed their example alone, in fuch circumdances, mud be infinitely pernicious. Nor is the matter at all mended by the example of many of their faints, whofe principal recommen dation to the honour of faint/hip, appears from hif tory to have been often tranfeendant flagitioufnefs, or tranfeendant frenzy ; fo that they were complimented with a didinguifhed place in heaven, who were un worthy or unfit to live on earth. And thofe cano nized wretches are held up as patterns of imitation, nay, as objefts of adoration, as well as the fird fa vourites and privy counfellors of the Almighty, and powerful interceffion with him, for their mortal bre thren. Now I fubmit it to the meaned underftand ing, what fort of impreffion it mud neceffarily make onVnorant or enthufiaftic minds, to be taught that perfons may be, and actually have been, exalted to the higheft imaginable dignity in the other world, for committing the greated imaginable villainy in this; and withal, to be worked up by all the ma chinery of fuperdition to the mod facred venera tion for dich odious charafters. After 586 The delufive and bloody After what hath been faid, we need wonder the lefs, though dill we mud wonder, at the abominable artifices the roman church hath fallen upon, to affure men of heaven without a fingle grain of holinefs, provided, they will pay her fufficiently for their admif- fion. Our mader who came from thence declares, that none can enter there, but by the drait gate, and the narrow way of real regeneration, efficacious faith, and perfevering obedience. His apodles preach the felf-fame doftrine. It is the ground-work of his whole religion : And to engage men effectually " to ' ' deny all ungodlinefs and worldly luds, and to live " foberly, righteoufly, and godly, looking for the " bleffed hope," is the very fuperdrufture intended to be raifed on it by the grace of the gofpel. Now the roman church overturns this glorious fabric of evangelic virtue at once, by fapping the foundation of it ; I mean, by perfuading men, that fuch virtue is not neceffary to their falvation, but may be fupplied and fuperfeded by a variety of other methods, much more agreeable to their inclinations, in ffiort, perfeftly confident with all their vices. And here there opens fuch a fcene, fuch a gulf of delufion and perdition : ¦ Pilgrimages, penances, purgatory, prayers for the dead, prayers to the faints, auricular confeffion, extreme unction, maffes without number, an in- exhaudible bank of merit -, and, above all the red, indulgences, pardons and difpenfations, as many, and as large, as can be defired by men, or purchafed for * money ! Indeed thefe lad may be confidered as a main pil lar of that amazing drufture of wickednefs, which Popery hath erefted on the ruins of Chriftianity. It is abundantly notorious, that there is fixed in a public office at Rome a rate for fins, according to the nature and degree of each, where the mod heinous and hor rible are not excepted, even the breach of oaths the mod folemn and important, the murder of a parent, or the debauching of a fider. Quake, oh earth 1 tremble, ye heavens ! and all ye dars withdraw your tremble. spirit bf' Popery."7 587 mining ! The infamy dops not here. It is alike notorious, that the Pope for a larger dim grants in dulgences for many generations, fometimes for thou fands of years together. Need I mention, after this, the open traffic of pardons and dipenfations, that was carried on in Germany by thofe — what ffiall I call them? — Thofe fpiritual pedlars, or hawkers, the ftrolling friars, whofe unheard-of abufes in retail ing them, gave rife to the bleffed reformation. And what, my brethren, is the natural language of the popifh doftrine and praftice in this particular ? — " Are you drongly inclined to any fin whatever, yoti " need not redrain yourfelf at all, go to the prieft, " and he will give you an indulgence. Have you " been actually guilty of any fin whatever ; make *' yourfelf intirely eafy, go to the prieft, and he " will give you abfolution. Never fear, man, " you may perpetrate the blacked crimes, and be " abfolved for payment j or even without it, on per- «' forming fome trifling ceremony of unfanftified " devotion." Now, to make men believe that they may thus indulge to any wickednefs, or every wick ednefs, with perfeft fafety for the next world, as well as for this, is fuch a maAer- piece of deviliffi policy for dedroying human fouls by multitudes, is fuch an enormous delufion of hell, that I can find no fize of words to clothe the bulk of it. " Let it go naked " then, that men may fee it the better ;" to borrow the expreffion of a favourite author, on a different occafion. Thus have we confidered fome of the chief ingre dients of that inchanting " cup full of abomina tions" with which the mighty forcerefs of Rome de ceives her unhappy adherents, and which accounts indeed but too well for that fpritual blindnefs and def perate profligacy, which raged like an univerfal and deep contagion, through all the popifh countries. Yet all this is but a part of her wickednefs. For whild " (he makes the inhabitants of the earth drunk *' with the wine of her fornication, fhe herfelf is " blood 588 Tb^TdiTuJitt-Tmar-Tmn^ .. " drunk with the blood of the faints, and with the " blood of the martyrs of Jefus ;" or, as it is in our text, " In her was found the blood of prophets and " of faints, and of all that were flain upon the earth." Which you will remember was The fecond thing we propofed to confider briefly. Now, I fay, that this fanguinary proditute, not con tented with ruining the fouls of thofe who are feduced by her, thirds to murder the bodies of thofe who are not. And accordingly, armed with bulls in one hand, and faggots in the other, provided with an hor rid apparatus of axes, racks, and gibbets, and ac companied with an hideous train of holy executioners, " fhe goes forth to make war with the faints, and to wear them out;" and fhe pretends oh tremen dous blafphemy ! fhe pretends to go forth in the name and caufe of the prince of peace, " who came " not to dedroy mens lives, but to fave them ;" whofe fpirit is peace, whofe legacy is peace, whofe whole gofpel is ho other than " glad tidings of peace " on earth, and good-will towards men." Such a fpirit, fuch a legacy, and fuch a gofpel be came him, who, as we obferved before, defcended from the bofom, and appeared on the behalf of the God of peace, and the parent of mankind, in order to defend and enlarge the kingdom of righteoufnefs and peace. Satan, the adverfary of God and man, having as was already hinted, laid the foundations of an oppofite kingdom, fubverfive of the intereds of both, he labours to fupport and extend it, not only in perfon, but by his agents on earth and in hell. Of all his agents on earth, we maintain that the dreadful power we are defcribing is the mod affidu- ous and the mod fuccefsful. We maintain, that in managing this work, he fudains, like his mader, a double charafter, that of a deceiver, and that of a murderer. The fird we have endeavoured to make appear. For the fecond, we appeal to all hidory. And here a whole cloud of witneffes prefents to us an aftonifhing and wounded fight. 1 imagine I fee Spirit of Popery. $$g fee the fouls of thofe that have been flain by that fanftified butcher " for the tedimony of Jefus,' and /lain under pretence of zeal for that amiable name ; I imagine I fee them rifing up in millions, and hear them crying out with a voice that ffiakes the pillars of heaven, " How long, oh Lord, holy " and true, dod thou not judge and avenge our " blood on them that dwell upon the earth/' and on that blood-thirdy city ? Let impartial hiftory recount if (he can recount, the numbers of God's creatures that have been mur dered in God's name by that bloody impodor. Let hidory tell of the. carnage committed in the many holy wars. The holy wars ! undertaken for the extirpation of infidels. Let her tell of the cruel proceedings againd the Proteftants in Hungary, in France, in Flanders, in Germany, in Bohemia, in the Palatinate, and many other parts. Let her tell of the fires in Smithfield, particularly in the reign of Mary of England ; of the Armada of Spain, in the reign of Elizabeth ; of the Gunpowder - plot, in the reign of James the fird ; a confpiracy truly worthy of hell and Rome ! Let her relate the maffacre of Paris on St. Bar- . thokmew's day, in which about thirty thoufand Pro teftants were butchered in cold blood *. Let her relate too the maffacre of Ireland, in the reign of Charles the fird, in which about an hundred and fifty thoufand proteftants -, I fay, above an hundred and fifty thoufand protedants were bar- baroufly murdered in the (pace of two months, * It is worthy our obfervation, that no fooner did the news of this day's dreadful work arrive at Rome, than the Pofe went in proceffion to the church of St. Lewis, and there returned public and folemn thanks for it to the merciful parent and faviour of men And the fame mocking fcene was reprefented in a fplendid picture, with this infcription, THE TRIUMPH OF THE CHURCH. chiefly 590 The delufive and bloody chiefly by the popifh prieds. And let the fame faith ful hand paint the daughter of about forty millions of poor Americans ; I fay, about forty times ten hun dred thoufand poor Americans, on pretence of their refiding the attempts made for their converfion, as well as on accounts purely political. And let her pencil draw, if it can find adequate colours, the horrors of that infernal (laughter houfe, the Inquifition ; where all that the imagination of de mons can invent, or the malignity of demons inflict, to infult and torture, and if poffible to damn the miferable viftim, is praftifed in terrible perfec tion. Let hidory proceed to rehearfe But nature fickens at the dory. — Religion turns away her ear with abhorrence, and groans for her fuffering and bleeding children ! Let us haden to a more comfortable theme. Let us fpeak, as we promifed to do, In the third place, of that glorious deliverance wrought for thefe nations from the delufion and per fecution of popery ; which your piety, my reverend fa thers and brethren hath taken care to preferve the particular remembrance of, within your immediate circle, by appointing difcourfes relative to it to be preached before you from time to time. The ap pointment with which you have honoured me on this head, I now obey with pleafure. I rejoice with you, and all the friends of religion and liberty, in the noble triumphs obtained by both at the bleffed periods of the reformation and the revolution. I rejoice with the whole kingdom of light, in the happy victories then gained by the combined powers of Chriftianity and public zeal. Adored be that all-infpiring and all-fupporting providence, which raifed up and carried on, with a fpirit truly wonderful, thofe religious and civil heroes, who made fo illudrious a dand for the intereds of truth and of mankind ! Would your time permit, with what delight could we enter into the detail, and point out to your ad miring Spirit of Popery. 591 miring view, that honourable band of fird reformers, who, throwing off their mental fetters, broke from the dungeon of popifh fuperftition, led forth the ever lafting gofpel, long defaced and imprifoned there, difplayed her in her antient honours, and raifed her banner before the nations ; proclaiming, as " the " captain of falvation" himfelf had done formerly, proclaiming in his name, " liberty to the captives, " the opening of the prifon to them that were bound, " proclaiming the acceptable year of the lord." Im mediately after we might ffiew you multitudes who had been deeping in their chains, and dreaming they were free, awaking at the animating call, wondering at the enchantment that had held them fo long, burding their bonds afunder, marching out into open day ; the open day of evangelic light, and all exult ing in " the glorious liberty of the Son of God." By the way, when we talk with fuch high appro bation of thofe excellent perfons who fird fet on foot this wondrous work, we do not pretend once to infinuate, that they were guilty of nothing weak, or of nothing wrong in their manner of conducting it. Great failings, it hath often been obferved, are nearly allied to great virtues. When the fpirits of men are (harpened by debate, and dimulated by oppofition, it is certain that even the wifed and bed will betray an unbecoming keenefs, and be hurried into mifcar- riages, which, in a calmer hour and milder mood, they would condemn exceedingly. The danger is confi- derably increafed by a particular kind of warm and daring enthufiafm, which fires and roufes them, when engaged in any difficult important/rz^/c? ; and which, whild it comes in aid of the cooler principles of piety, and the feebler dictates of reafon, that were infufficient alone to carry them through, is apt withal at times to abufe them. And where is the man who can anfwer for himfelf, that, in a fimilar conjunfturq he could be fure of efcaping the fnare ? But to re turn : I might $()2, The delufive and bloody I might even proceed to reprefent to you that dif tinguifhed deliverer of immortal name, who when the fiend of Popery, and his kindred devil tyranny, were fad regaining their fway in thefe iflanfts, from whence they had been happily expelled, came with the moft diftinguiflied and heroic zeal, and drove them back again .to Rome, their native abode, and chofen feat of ernp