i^ 
 
 
 PRINCETON, W. J. 
 
 
 Divjsioji 
 
 SeclioH Cr:C^-- :-■•■/ 
 
 Shelf. Number \fA..fr^. 
 
DISCOURSES 
 
 ON CO . ^'il^O^<^ y\!j 
 
 VARIOUS SUBJECTS 
 
 O F 
 
 NATURAL RELIGION 
 
 AND THE 
 
 Chriftian Revelation. 
 
 By SAMUEL BOURN. 
 VOLUME II. 
 
 '2.o(pixy $1 XaxS/A£v ly 7o7g TfAEta?. i Cor. ii. 6. 
 
 Non enim toner e nee fbrtuito fati iff creati fumus : fed profede 
 fuit quadam 'vis, ^u^e gcneri confuleret hmnano : nee id gtg- 
 tseret, aut ahret, quod cvm exantlavijfet cmnes labores, turn 
 incideret in mortis malum /empiternum : portum potius para- 
 turn nobis ^ ferfuglum futemus ; qua ziiitiam I'elii pajjis per^ 
 tvehi liceat. Cic. Tufc. ^aji. Lib. I. 
 
 LONDON: 
 
 Printed for R. G r i f f i t h s, in the Strand. 
 MDCCLX. 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 O F T He 
 
 SECOND VOLUME. 
 
 DISCOURSE I. Page 3 
 
 O 
 
 N the Providence of God in the pre- 
 feryation of his living creatures. 
 
 PSAL M xxxvi. 6. 
 O Lord, thou preferveft man and beafi, 
 
 DISCOURSE Ilandlll. P. 33, 6s 
 
 On the juftice of Divine Providence. 
 
 EzEKiEL xviii. 29. 
 ArQ not my ways equal -, are not your ways 
 
I 
 
 CONTENTS, 
 
 DISCOURSE IV. Page 91 
 On public calamities. 
 
 Luke xiii. i, &c. 
 
 ^bere were prefent at that feafin^ fome that 
 told him of the Galileans^ whofe blood Pi- 
 late bad mingled with their facrifices. And 
 yefus answering [aid unto them^ Suppofe ye 
 that ihefe Galileans were finners above all 
 the Galileans, hecaufe they Juffered fuch 
 things? I tell you nay: but except ye re- 
 pent ye Jhall all likewife perijh. — Or thofi 
 eighteen, upon whom the tower of Siloam 
 fell, andjlew them, think ye that they were 
 fnners above all men that dwelt in ferufa- 
 lem F I tell you nay : but except ye repent^ 
 ye jhall all likewije perijh, 
 
 DISCOURSE V. Page 115 
 
 On the right ufe of the underflanding ip 
 Religion. , 
 I Cor. xiv. 20. • 
 
 /;; underfianding be men, 
 
 D I S- 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 DISCOURSE VI. Page 139 
 On the office and dignity of Chrift. 
 
 Acts v. 31. 
 
 Him hath GOD exalted to be a Prince and 
 a Sa'uiour, 
 
 DISCOURSE VII. Page 165 
 
 Obje6lions againft the Gofpel and the evi- 
 dence of it anfwered, 
 
 I Cor. i. 22. 
 
 'The yews require afign^ and the Greeks feek 
 after wifdom : but we preach Chriji cru- 
 cified-, to the yews a ftitmhling-blocky and 
 tg the Greeks foolijhnefs : but to them that 
 are called^ both yews and Greeks, Chriji, 
 the power of GOD, and the wifdom of 
 GOD. 
 
 DISCOURSE VIII. Page 237 
 
 Salvation derived, not from human merit, 
 but divine mercy. 
 
 R O M. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 Rom. vii. 24. 
 
 wretched man that I am! who Jhall deliver 
 me from the body of this death ? I thank 
 GOD, thro Jejus Chrift our Lord, So then 
 with my mind I myfelf ferve the law of 
 GOD; but with my flefo, the law of 
 Jin, 'There is therefore now no condemna^ 
 tion to them which are in Chriji fefus^ who 
 walk not after the flejh, but after the fpirit. 
 For the law of the fpirtt of life in Chriji 
 fefus hathfet me free from the law of fin 
 and of death, 
 
 DISCOURSE IX. Page 259 
 On the nature of the Chriflian Religion. 
 
 Rom. xiv. 17. 
 
 The kingdom of GOD is not tneaf and drinks 
 but righteoufnefsy and peace ^ and joy in the 
 Holy Ghofi. 
 
 PISCOURSE X. Page 285 
 
 On religious joy. 
 
 Philipp. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 Phi LI pp. iv. 4» 
 
 Rejoice in the Lord always j and again Ifay, 
 Rejoice. 
 
 DISCOURSE XI. Page 323 
 
 On religious gratitude. 
 
 Psalm ciii. 2. 
 hkfs the Lordy O ?ny Soul, and forget not all 
 his benefits, 
 
 DISCOURSE XII. Page 349 
 On religious fear. 
 
 Luke xii. 4. 
 
 And I fay unto you, iny friends, Fearnot them 
 that kill the body, and after that have m 
 more that they can do : but I will forewarn 
 you whom you Jl^allfear. Fear him, who 
 after he hath killed, hath power to caji 
 into hell: — yea J fay unto you, Fear him. 
 
 DISCOURSE XIII. Page 375 
 On religious obedience. 
 
 Mat- 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 Matthew vi. lo. 
 T'hy will be done. 
 
 DISCOURSE XIV. Page 399 
 
 On religious induftry. 
 
 John vi. 27. 
 
 Labour not for the meat that pertjheth, but 
 for that meat which endureth to everlajiing 
 lije. 
 
 DISCOURSE XV. Page 421 
 On religious liberty. 
 Rom. xiv, 22. 
 
 Hafl thou faith F Have it to thyfelf before 
 GOD. Happy is he that condemneth not 
 himfelf in that thing which he alloweth : 
 and he that douhteth is damned if he eat ; 
 bccaufe he eateth not of faith : for whatfo- 
 ever is not of faith is fn. We then that 
 are firong ought to bear the infirmities of 
 the weak, and not to pleafe ourfelves. Let 
 
 ^. evety one of us pleafe his 7ieigh hour for his 
 good to edification* 
 
 D I S- 
 
DISCOURSE I. 
 
 On the Providence of God in the 
 Prefervation of his Hving Creatures. 
 
 -©•t^^^^^^^^t^lJC^^^^isJ^^^^^J^^^^^ 
 
 Vol. II. B 
 
( 3 ) 
 
 Psalm Xxxvi. 6. 
 O Lord, thou prefervefi man and beajl: 
 
 TH E genei-al defign of this Pfalniy 
 is to aflert the moral perfedions 
 and providence of God, againfl; 
 that difregard and contempt, which wicked 
 men difcover in their converfation and 
 anions. 
 
 From obferving the carelefs and profli- 
 gate lives of fome men, the Ffalmift draws 
 this conclufion; That they had no fear of 
 GOD bejore their eyes, no regard to the 
 divine government and providence: that 
 however they might in words own GO0 
 the maker of all things; their a6lions were 
 a denial of his righteous judgment, his care 
 over his creatures, and his infpedion into 
 the affairs of mankind. This ke exprefly 
 ,^/v=£L^;*^g^ aflertSj 
 
 PHIITCEITOIT N^ 
 ■BEC. NOV 1881 J 
 
 Sj^m --^^^ 
 
4 On the Providejtce of God in the 
 
 aiTerts, here and in other places, to be the 
 true language of an immoral and vitious 
 courfe : the tranfgrejjion of the wicked faith 
 within my hearty there is no fear of GOD 
 before his eyes. Then follows a general 
 chara6ler of fuch perfons: they are negli- 
 gent of God and abandoned to falfliood 
 and wickednefs. After which, inftead of 
 dire6lly reproving their impiety, and de- 
 telling the falfe ground of their vitious 
 practices j the PJahnift (by an elegant A- 
 poftrophe, frequent in poetical writings, 
 and efpecially proper to a Pfalm or Oda) 
 addrelTeth himfelf immediately to God : 
 ^hy mercy ^ O Lord, is in the heavens^ and 
 thy faithfidncfs reacheth unto the clouds — — 
 Thy right eoifnefs is like the great fnoiintains — 
 
 ihy judgments are a great deep. O Lord^ 
 
 thou preferveji man and beaft. 
 
 Notwithstanding the negligence and 
 contempt, which fmners difcover of the 
 juflice and mercy of God, and his provi- 
 dential regard to his creatures j notwith- 
 
 lland^ 
 
Frefewation of his Living Creatures, 5 
 
 ilanding the fufpicious and uneafy reflec- 
 tions, which may poffibly arife in the minds 
 of fome good men, concerning the divine 
 condu6l and adminiftration ; yet accord- 
 ing to the pious Pfalmijl^ his univerfal 
 providence, and all his moral attributes, 
 remain perfe6l and unalterable. The ex- 
 tent of them is not abridged, nor the cer- 
 tainty and ftabihty of them fhaken, by 
 the ftrongefl efforts of human wickednefs : 
 they are high as the heavens, deep as the 
 ocean, firm and durable as the great moun- . 
 tains, andextenfive as the creation. And 
 tho' the ways of God are myflerious, and 
 his counfels and fchemes above our com- 
 prelienfion, as the heavens are above the earth ; 
 tho' all his operations are condu6led by a 
 judgment profound and unfathomable, as 
 the great depth of the fea j yet the fenfible 
 effedls of his beneficence, and inflances of 
 his providence, are fo many and great, fo 
 conftant and univerfal, as to remove all 
 iuft ground of diftruft, and afford us ra- 
 tional fatisfaclion and confidence. So that 
 B 3 the 
 
6 Ofi the Providence of God in the 
 
 the children of men have the greateft reafon 
 to own his preferving goodnefs, to fly ^o 
 his protection, and put their truji under the 
 fhadow of his wings. The Pfalmijl then 
 concludes with intimating, that in the di- 
 rection even of prefent affairs, how pro- 
 mifcuous and undiftinguifhing foever it 
 may feem, God hath a pecuHar regard to 
 good and upright men, and in the iffue will 
 make it apparent, in their prefervation, 
 and in the deftru(5lion of the wicked. 
 
 From the words of the^xt, O Lord^ 
 thou freferveft man and heafty we are led to 
 take a general view of the providenc^i o£ 
 God, in the prefervation of his living 
 Creatures. 
 
 God is elegantly Ailed by the Apoftle, 
 ^he bleffed and otily potentate y who alone hath 
 immortality : he alone exifleth of himfelf, 
 and the manner of his being is peculiar to 
 himfelf: all other things are by derivation 
 from him, owe their exigence to his will, 
 
 and 
 
Trefervatton of his Living Creatures, 7 
 
 and have an abfolute dependence upon 
 him : the world is fupported by his power, 
 and univerfal life, in its various degrees and 
 progreflions, fuftained by his providence* 
 As he made all living creatures, they are 
 the obje6ts of his continual care. He hath 
 replenifhed the univerfe with innumerable 
 animals in a vaft variety of different 
 fpecies; and all partake of his univerfal 
 regard, and live u])on the provifion of his 
 bounty. As he made the world with af- 
 tonifhing magnificence; he prefides over 
 and governs it for the purpofes for which 
 it was made : his eye furveys the fcenes 
 his wifdom hath difplayed ; his hand fup- 
 ports the fabric his power hath raifed. He 
 at firfl endowed matter with its various 
 properties, arranged the elements of the 
 world, fixed the gloriows lights of heaven, 
 lodged the feeds of all plants and herbs in 
 thebofom of the earth; and it is owing 
 to his providence alone, that the ftate of 
 the univerfe remains unchanged, that the 
 powers and productions of nature n$yer 
 B 4 fail, 
 
8 On the Provide?2ce of God in the 
 
 fail, that the regularity of feafons, the in- 
 fluence of the fun, and fruitfulnefs of the 
 earth, are preferved, and the fuppUes by 
 which all life is fupported, are derived in 
 a continual fuccefiion. 
 
 Divine providence hath furnifhed the 
 brute-creatures with thofe various fenfes, 
 inftin6ls and powers, fitted to their diffe- 
 rent ranks and conditions of life, which 
 ferve to warn them of things noxious and 
 dangerous j which enable them to feek, di- 
 flinguifli and prepare proper aliments 
 and habitations; and which determine them 
 to provide with admirable care for the in- 
 creafe of their own fpecies : thefe fenfes 
 and affe6lions do not proceed from their 
 own confideration or choice, but are wholly 
 involuntary, and implanted in them by a 
 fuperior power, for the purpofe of pre- 
 ferving animal life. They find fuitable 
 matter of fuflenance, fituated within the 
 reach of their natural fagacity and induftry, 
 and convenient places oi refuge and habi- 
 tation : 
 
Prefervation of his Liviitg Creafmrs. g 
 
 tation : fo that no fpecies are left deftitute 
 of the means of life, or of fuch a fituatioii 
 and nourifliment as are agreeable to their 
 nature, as well as necefTary to their wants. 
 
 Mankind are born into the world with 
 a more excellent nature, but in a more 
 helplefs and infirm condition, than mofl: 
 other animals : their wants, capacities and 
 defires are more numerous and extenfive, 
 and require a more ample fund of pro- 
 vifion. Accordingly, they are diflinguifli- 
 ed, not only by their fuperior nature, but 
 by the greater care and more liberal fup- 
 plies of divine proyidence. Earth, air, and 
 fea, the clouds and Hghts of heaven, yield 
 a larger tribute, and in more various ways, 
 to their fupport. The brute- creatures are 
 made fubje6l to their dominion, and fpend 
 their labours and lives for human prefer- 
 vation and benefit. Men themfelves are 
 alfo made one for another, and defigned 
 and prompted in their own nature, not 
 each to his own piefcrvation only, but to 
 
 a more 
 
to Oft the Providence of God in the 
 
 a more public intereft and fervice. And 
 it is admirable to contemplate the corref- 
 pondency between the human fenfes and 
 faculties, and external objects -, the co-ope- 
 ration of the different and contrary ele- 
 ments of the world in the accommodation 
 of human life^ and the mutual depen- 
 dence and fubferviency of the feveral crea- 
 tures, to each other's ufe and benefit ; ef- 
 pecially in the various relations of liuman 
 fociety, in which every individual is not 
 only endowed with the principle of felf- 
 prefervation» but obliged alfo, by afFe6lion, 
 convenience, or interefl;, to ferve and fup- 
 port his fellovv-creatures. 
 
 The fertility likewife of every part of 
 tlie inhabited world, from which all ani- 
 mals draw their fuftenance, deferves our 
 attentive obfervation. Aftonifhing effe6t 
 of divine providence ! That not only the 
 rich bofom of the fruitful earth, but the 
 wafle fields of empty air, and the wide 
 defart of the ocean, afford a proper and 
 2 plentiful 
 
Prejervafhft of his Lhtng Creatures, i r 
 
 plentiful nouriftiment, for the various in- 
 numerable creatures, which live and move 
 
 in thofe fluids ! The flores of divine 
 
 bounty are likewife inexhauftible : God 
 hath eftablifhed a fund in nature equal to 
 all demands, and never to be drained by 
 confumption : there is no apparent decay 
 in the univerfe : the powers of the world 
 retain their vigour perfe6l : the fun always 
 fliines with its wonted heat and fplendor : 
 the clouds ftill return after the rain : the 
 fruitfulnefs of the foil is not abated : the 
 feafons eonftantly fucceed each other, and 
 the earth fails not to pay an annual tribute 
 of proviiion for the fupport of its number- 
 lefs inhabitants. Whether we confider the 
 conftancy, the largenefs, or the variety of 
 the fupplies furnifhed in nature for the 
 prefervation of life ; wedifccver in all, the 
 wondrous efFeds of a moft wide and libe- 
 ral providence. All things around us, 
 which contribute to our fubliftence and 
 welfare, are only the vifible means, inftru- 
 ments, or channels, by whi^h our invifible 
 
 pre- 
 
12 On the Providence of God in the 
 
 preferver and benefaclor conveys his bene-- 
 ficence to us. The powers of nature are 
 his agents, to execute the 'purpofes of his 
 providence. The v^^orld is his magazine 
 from which we draw all fupplies ; and all 
 that we receive is to be afcribed to his ori- 
 ginal bounty, who is the one Lord and 
 propr 
 
 ietor of all things. 
 
 The Holy Scriptures contain many ex* 
 ccllent defcriptions on this fubjecl. In him 
 we live, move, and have our being. All fouls 
 are his ; and in his hand is the breath of every 
 livi?7g thi?2g. He holdeth our foids in life, 
 and his vifitation preferveth our fpii'its. He 
 is reprefented as Lord of the world and all 
 its inhabitants, and claiming them as his 
 property : every beafl of the forejl is mine, 
 and the cattle upon a thouf and hills, I btow 
 all the fowls of the mountains, and the wild 
 beafis of the field are mine. T'be world is mine^ 
 and the fulnefs thereof. And all living crea- 
 tures are elegantly defcribed as expe6ling 
 fuftenance at his hands : the eyes of all wait 
 
 upon 
 
 4 
 
Prefervation of his Living Creatures, 13 
 
 upon thee y and thou givejl them their meat in 
 due feafon. Thou openeft thy hand, and fat if- 
 fiejt the defire of every living thing. And 
 thofe continual fupplies which are imme- 
 diately produced by the operation of the 
 elements, are in Scripture properly afcribed 
 to the providence of God. He caufeth the 
 grafs to grow for the cattle, and herb for the 
 fervice of man : that he may bring forth food 
 out oj the earth \ and wine which maketh glad 
 the heart of man, and oil to make his face to 
 Jhine, and bread which flrengtheneth mans 
 hearts And whereas formerly many na- 
 tions, flruck with the glory and beauty of 
 the heavenly bodies, and admiring their 
 fruitful influence, worfliipped the whole 
 hoft of heaven, efpecially the fun ; we may 
 obferve the propriety of our Saviours fen- 
 timent and expreffion, when he faith, 
 GOD caufeth his fun to pAne^ and his rain 
 to dejcend. And in another place he beau- 
 tifully reprcfents the divine care and pro- 
 vidence, as extended, not only to man- 
 kind, but to the fowls of the air, which ?2ei- 
 
 ther 
 
14 On the Providnice of God in the 
 
 ther fow, nor reap, nor gather into ftores-^ 
 and further, even to the grafs and flowers 
 of the field, which he hath clothed with 
 richnefs and beauty above ail human art. 
 
 Some have imagined it inconfiflent with 
 the greatnefs of the Supreme and all-perfe6t 
 Being, t0 extend his providential care to 
 creatures fo minute and infignificant, as 
 fome of the inferior animals: not confider- 
 ing, that mankind themfelves, and even 
 the angels of heaven, are in comparifc^ 
 infinitely beneath him, and in this view, 
 unworthy of his regard. As the produc- 
 tion of the meaneft living creatures is the 
 work of divine power and wifdom, fo 
 their prefervation in life is the efFe6l of 
 his providence: and it refults from the 
 perfeBion of the divine nature and provi- 
 dence, that he is unmindful of nothing which 
 he hath made j and that notwithftanding 
 the immenfe grandeur and multiplicity of 
 his works, and the fuperior dignity and 
 importance of fome creatures in compa- 
 
 rifon 
 
PrefervOtion of bis Li'vhig Creatures, 1 5 
 
 rlfon of others, no part tho' ever fo mi- 
 nute is overlooked j no creature tho' ever 
 fb insignificant is forgot ; but all have a pro- 
 portionable fhare of his regard, ai\d ar^ 
 obje6ls of his all-comprehenfivc provi- 
 dence. And on the other hand, it pro- 
 ceeds from the imperfeBion and narrov^r 
 limits of the human mind, that men can- 
 not attend to a multiplicity of things at 
 the fame time, but while they are employ- 
 ed about v/hat is of greater importance, are 
 under a neceflity of overlooking and neg- 
 le6ling other things which are of inferior 
 confequence. There is indeed a kind of 
 prefumption, in pretending to know, what 
 is of great importance, and allerting that 
 the prefervation of any creature isfo, in 
 the eye of fovereign and perfe<5l wifdom : 
 yet we are foolifhly apt to impute our li- 
 mited and partial ideas of great and littJcy 
 of vcfluabk and worthlefs, to the unlimited 
 mind of God, who certainly doth not fee 6S 
 manfeetht and whofe judgment infinitely 
 excels all human ellimation. But thus far 
 
 our 
 
1 6 On the Providence of God in the 
 
 our BlefTed Saviour confirmeth our natural 
 reafoning on this fubject: that if the in- 
 ferior animals partake of the bountiful re- 
 gards of providence, and a fparrow falls 
 not to the ground without him j how much 
 more are mankind the objects of his care ? 
 
 Vulgar minds are moft apt to be af- 
 fected with a fenfe of divine providence, 
 when they fee fomething extraordinary and 
 wonderful, and, as they imagine, beyond > 
 or contrary to, the ufual courfe of nature. 
 But this is the efFe6l of their weaknefs and 
 ignorance. The conllant operations and 
 imiform courfe of nature are to be con- 
 fidered as the great proof and effect of a 
 divine providence, much more than any 
 feeming deviations. And there are perpe- 
 tually occurring to us, in the natural 
 courfe of things, numberlefs events as 
 truly miraculous, as thofe, which from 
 their rarity and fingularity, have obtained, 
 in a more itrict fenfe, the name of mira- 
 cles. That the fun or the earth moves 
 
 con- 
 
Prefervation of his Living Creatures. 1 7 
 
 continually, is as truly marvellous, as if 
 we fuppofe that the motion was once fuf- 
 pended. The formation of every infant 
 in the womb, is as wonderful an efFe6l, and 
 argues divine power and wifdom as much 
 as the original formation of Adam from 
 the duft of the earth. And the prefervation 
 of every fmgle perfon in life, confidering 
 the various and unaccountable caufes and 
 operations which muft concur to that end, 
 is as real and great a miracle, or in other 
 words, as manifeft an effe6l and demon- 
 ftration of the power and providence of 
 God, as the railing him to life again from 
 the dead. The only difference is, that the 
 one kind of events have occurred very fel- 
 dom, and to very few witnefles; whereas 
 the other are repeated daily to every man's 
 obfervation, and therefore excite little ad- 
 miration or attention. 
 
 Indeed our own experience is abun- 
 dantly fufficient to convince us of the pro- 
 vidence of God in our prefervation. No 
 
 Vol. II. C per- 
 
1 8 On the Providence of God in the 
 
 perfon can abfolutely aflure himfelf of one 
 moment's continuance in life or in exift- 
 encc. Every one who refle6ls will be fen- 
 fible of his own infufficiency to uphold his 
 own being, or fupply his own wants. We 
 feel our dependence upon fomething above 
 us, and are as it were confcious of a fuperior 
 power which fuftains and preferves • us; 
 Our very frame and conflitution is a my- 
 ftery to us j the vital union of foul and 
 body, their mutual influences and incef- 
 fant operations are unaccountable, and 
 produced not by any defign or power of 
 our own, but by fomething independent 
 of our will. The beating pulfe, and the 
 internal motions of the various fluids of 
 the body, continue uninterrupted, with- 
 out any thought or defign of our own to 
 that end : nor are we able to fupply any 
 thing that is wanting, either in the frame 
 of our bodies, or in the faculties of our 
 minds i or finifli what is defective ^ or 
 make that which is crooked, Jlraight : we 
 cannot add to our ftatiire 07ie cubit^ nor make 
 
 I one 
 
Prefe.rvation of his Living Creatures. 1 9 
 
 one hair of our head white or black. And 
 in the narrow courfe of our actions or 
 attempts, how often do we meet with a 
 fuperior power which checks and controuls 
 us, baffles our defigns, and difpol'es of 
 us quite contrary to our flrongeil in- 
 clinations, and mod confident hopes ? In 
 a word, we find experimentally, that we 
 are not our own mailers j and that it is not 
 in us to fix our own capacity, condition, 
 or duration; but that our meafures of 
 ftrength, underllanding, and time, are 
 afligned to us by a fecret and fovereign 
 power, which bears an irrefiftible fway 
 over us, allots our ftate and duration, and 
 preferves or deftroys us. So that without 
 having recourfe to any remote or abftrufe 
 arguments, every perfon may find fuffi- 
 cient ground, in his own frame and con« 
 flitution, and from his own fenfe and ex- 
 perience, to believe and acknowledge an 
 all-governing providence, on which he 
 depends, and to which he owes life and 
 prefer vation. 
 
 C 2 From 
 
20 On the Providence of Ged in the 
 
 From the whole preceding difcourfe we 
 may obferve, in the firft place, God's right 
 of dominion over his creatures -, which is 
 founded not only on his creative power, 
 but on his governing wifdom and preferv- 
 ing providence. He is alone equal to the 
 infinite charge, fuperintends the whole 
 world, fuftains all life, and inceffantly 
 gives to his creatures all they have and all 
 they are : and hence hath an abfolute right 
 to difpofe of them according to his own 
 fovereign will j that is, in fuch a manner, 
 as he alone, independent of all other will 
 and opinion^ fhall judge mofl conducive 
 to thofe ends, which his perfefl wifdom 
 and goodnefs approve. To him it belongs 
 to aflign to every being throughout the 
 univerfe its refpe^live rank and fphere of 
 adlivity, its degrees of capacity and ftrength, 
 and compafs of fupply^ to contrail or 
 enlarge them ; to exalt one and deprefs 
 another j io kill and to make alive ; to wound 
 and to heal. The times of all animals are 
 in his hand ; and he prolongs or cuts them 
 
 fhort 
 
Trefervation of his Living Creatures, 21 
 
 fhort as he pleafesj to one he grants a 
 longer, to another a fhorter fpace of ex- 
 iilence ; fome he ordains mortal, others 
 immortal ; to ibme he appoints but a mo- 
 mentary, to others an everlailing duration. 
 And in all thefe inflances he a6ls by a pre- 
 rogative, which muft belong to him both 
 of neceflity and right. And no creature 
 can juftly murmur and complain againft 
 God 5 " Why is my time fo fliort or fo 
 " precarious ? Why is my age but a hands 
 «' breadthi Why am I liable to perifli fo 
 " foon, or fo fuddenly ? Why am not I 
 " made immortal ? Why is my rank or 
 " nature fo mean in comparifon of others 
 " far fuperior ? my powers fo limited and 
 " defedive? Why are not my fupports 
 " more fure; my talents more confide - 
 " rable j my influence more extenfive; my 
 " circumftances in thefe and other refpeds 
 ** more advantageous." 
 
 C 3 There 
 
22 On the Providence of God in the 
 
 There is no room for fuch complaints: 
 fmce no creature can claim of right one 
 moment's continuance of exigence or fup- 
 port, which are owing to, and conftantly 
 derived from the free bounty and provi- 
 dence of God : and if he abridges our 
 days or our fupplies, he doth no more 
 than refume v/hat he at firft gave, and 
 what he hath fo long, without the leaft 
 obligation, fuffered us to enjoy. And we 
 ougiit to acquiefce in the many undeniable 
 and fignal marks of his providential care 
 and kindnefs ; and attribute his other more 
 mvilerious and unaccountable proceedings 
 to a wifdom, which far furpafles the bounds 
 or our comprehenfion, and fay with the 
 FJalmiJiy 'Thy mercy, O Lord, is in the hea- 
 iims, and thy faithfulnefs reacheth unto the 
 clouds: thy righicoufnefs is like the great 
 mountains ; thy judgments are a great deep, 
 Lord^ thoii prejerveji man and be aft. 
 
 Secondly : Let us hence entertain ad- 
 miring and grateful thoughts of the divine 
 
 care 
 
Prefervation of his Living Creatures. 23 
 
 care and goodnefs in our prefervation. 
 How extenfive and wonderful is that pro- 
 vidence of God, which comprehends in one 
 view the whole boundlefs creation, and 
 the fupport of every living creature ! How 
 fhall an infinite number and variety of 
 ftill-returning wants be duly fupplied? 
 What ftores of provifion can fuffice to fuch 
 an immenfe and endlefs confumption ? 
 What proportion or comparilon is there, 
 between the utmofl abilities or concep- 
 tions of men, and the extent of divine 
 wifdom and providence? And when we 
 contrav5l our reflexions to a narrower fphere, 
 to our own private experience ; when we 
 confider our own prefervation amidfl all the 
 dangers our frail nature is liable to, the 
 arrow that jiieth by day^ and the pejiiience that 
 walketh in darknefsy the inward difeafes 
 and outward violences ; whilil all nature 
 around adminifters to our fapport, and our 
 various wants have been regularly fatisfiedj 
 and the curious internal Itrudure of our 
 bodily frame, and fyftem of our mental 
 C 4 faculties, 
 
24 On the Providetice of God in the 
 
 faculties, have contiuued for fo long a time 
 unimpaired j when we refle6l upon all the 
 evils we have efcaped, the fuccefTes we have 
 obtained, and the bleffings we have en- 
 joyed f we cannot but be ftruck with a 
 
 lively and grateful fenfe of divine favour 
 and protection, and fhall naturally adopt 
 the language of the Pfahmji, Blefs the Lardy 
 O my Joiil^ and forget not all his benefits : who 
 healeth thy difeafes, who redeemeth thy life 
 from de/irutlion, who crowneth thee with loving 
 kindnefs and tender mercies. 
 
 Thirdly : Let us imitate, according to 
 our capacity, the divine providence and 
 goodnei's, by extending our care and con- 
 tributing our part to the fupport and wel- 
 fare of our fellow- creatures. God hath 
 not only formed mankind for fociety and 
 mutual afiiftance, but hath eflablifhed in 
 fome meafure a connexion and dependence 
 between the human fpecies and thofe in- 
 ferior animals which are made ferviceable 
 to man, and put in fubje(51:ion to him. 
 
 And 
 
Prefervation of his Living Creatures, 25 
 
 And the fame divine law of nature and 
 reafon, which hath fubjected them to our 
 ufe, equally binds us to ufe them with mo- 
 deration and mercy, and to provide due 
 fuftenance for them. Cruelty towards the 
 brute-creatures is furely contrary to the 
 will of that Almighty Creator, whofe kind 
 providence and tender mercies are over all 
 his works, A righteous mauy faith Solomon ^ 
 regardeth the life of his beafl. To defend 
 the brute-creatures from the outi'age and 
 oppreffion of mankind, is the fpirit and 
 defign of feveral precepts in the Mofaic 
 Law. And it is alledged as a reafon of 
 the divine mercy in fparing Nineveh^ not 
 only that there v^tVQ Jix-fcore thoiifand per^ 
 fons in that great city, who could not difcern 
 between the right hand and the left j but alfo 
 much cattle. 
 
 If now the inferior creatures have a juft 
 claim to our merciful regard 5 and if the 
 Creator and Lord of the univerfe extends 
 his providence to them 3 how ftrong obU- 
 
 gations 
 6 
 
2-6 On the Providence of God in the 
 
 gations of humanity and mercy are man- 
 kind under to one another ; who are made 
 of the fame fpecies, and conne6led toge- 
 ther in rational fociety ? And how diffe- 
 rent is our temper from the divine difpo- 
 fition, if we are regardlefs of the life and 
 fafety, and inattentive to the wants and 
 miferies of our fellow-men ? if we neglect 
 to provide for thofe of our own houfehold thro* 
 idienefs, or rob them of a due fupport, 
 to fpend it in riot and excefs ; or grind the 
 face of the poor, and flarve thofe who de- 
 pend upon us for fubfiflence, to gratify 
 a miferable and infatiable avarice ? How 
 oppofite is this condu61: to the goodnefs 
 and providence of God j and how odious 
 in his fight? — Such perfons, the Apofile 
 juftly declares, are worfe than infidels. Let 
 us cherifh a liberal and communicative dif- 
 pofition, defirous that others partake with 
 us of the fupports of life, and unwilling 
 that any fhould perifh, or be reduced to 
 mifery, for want of that fuflenance which 
 we might afibrd. Doth God exercife a 
 
 con- 
 
Prefervation of his Living Creatures. 27 
 
 conftant providence over mankind, and 
 make heaven and earth and fea contribute, 
 in a wonderful manner, to furnifh us wixh 
 the necefTaries and conveniencies of life ? 
 And doth he moreover give to the beaft his 
 food, and to the fowls that cry ? Doth he 
 open his ftores, and diftribute with an un- 
 envious hand to the whole living creation ? 
 
 How ill does it become us niggardly to 
 
 hoard up, or waflefullyconfumeuponour- 
 felvcs, that which the prefervation and 
 welfare of our fellow-creatures demand 
 from us ? A confideration of the all -pre- 
 ferving providence of God, certainly ought 
 not to end in a barren fpeculation j but to 
 produce in our minds a fimilar difpofition, 
 and teach us not to confine our providence 
 to our own wants and defires ; but to ex- 
 tend our care and liberality, in due pro- 
 portion, to all within the reach of our in- 
 fluence and acquaintance. 
 
 Lastly : Let us rely upon the divine 
 protection for the future : the providence 
 
 of 
 
28 On the Providence of God in the . 
 
 of God has hitherto been our fupport, and 
 is equally able to fuftain us for the future. 
 And therefore timid and anxious cares and 
 ^n extreme folicitude about our own pre- 
 fer vation, are inconfiflent with true piety 
 or a juft confidence in the divine care and 
 goodnefs. To live in continual dread of 
 poverty and calamity, or even death it- 
 felf, is vain and unreaibnable, and implies 
 -an unbecoming diftrufl of the providence 
 :of God ; which is always equally attentive 
 to the pi'efervation of his creatures, and 
 which is never wanting to good men, who 
 put their truft in him. Much lefs does it 
 become us to be always taking thought 
 what wejhall eat, or what we flxill drink, or 
 wherewithal we fiall be doathed, or to be 
 fwallowed up with care about the fecuring 
 and encreafing our worldly fubftance. 
 They who know not God, or have no ju/l 
 apprehenfions of his providence, may 
 feek after thefe things with great anxiety 
 and uncafmefs: but let us, according to 
 our Saviour's exhortation, feek in the firji 
 
 placs 
 
Prefervation of his Lwi?2g Creatures, 29 
 
 place the kingdom of GOD, a?td his righte- 
 oufnefs', and for the reft, after ufmg our 
 diligent ' endeavour, commit ourfelves to 
 the providence of our heavenly Father, who 
 knoweth what things we have need of and is 
 ever ready to fupply his fervants with v^^hat 
 is convenient for them. Let us banifh all 
 vain anxiety and exceflive folicitude about 
 our future condition in life, and caft our 
 care upon him, whofe care extends to the 
 v^iiole vi^orld of living creatures. 
 
 D I S- 
 
DISCOURSE II. 
 
 On. the Juftice of Divine Provi- 
 dence. 
 
(33 ) 
 
 EzEK. xviii. 29. 
 
 Are not my ways equal y are not your ways 
 unequal ? 
 
 TO believe that the world is under 
 a mod juft government, and the 
 affairs of it adminiftered with perfect 
 equity, by that almighty being who made 
 it 3 is a principal foundation of religion, 
 and fupport of the piety and hope of 
 good men. And the wifefl and beft men 
 in all ages have embraced this perfuafion, 
 having fought for and difcovered argu- 
 ments fufficient to fatisfy their own 
 minds. 
 
 But tho* this hath been the general 
 belief of good men, efpecially thofe who 
 have examined carefully, and without 
 
 Vol, II. D preju- 
 
34 ^^ ^^^ yufiice of 
 
 prejudice, the grounds of religion; yet 
 many have been difturbed with difficulties, 
 fome have been tempted to doubt of di- 
 vine juflice, and others have unwarily 
 entertained notions dire6liy contrary to it. 
 This hath proceeded, either from the na- 
 tural weaknefs of their judgment ; or their 
 being too much afFe<5led with fome appear- 
 ances of inequality in the condu6l of 
 God's providence; or from the influence 
 of education and falfe inflruclion ; by 
 which they have imbibed a fyftem of faith 
 in regard to the divine difpenfations, con- 
 taining things irreconcileable to oiir natu- 
 ral notions of juftice and equity. 
 
 The former feems to have been the cafe 
 of the pfaimifl, when he tells us, That hi i 
 feet were almofl gone, a?id his fleps had well- 
 ^^Z^fi'^P^r fi^ ^^ ^^^-^ envious at the foolijhy 
 when be faw the profperity of the wicked ; 
 ]and hecaufe he faw the ungodly profper in the 
 istfotid and increafe in riches^ was tempted 
 to qucllion, bow GOD knows; and whe- 
 
 ,ther 
 
Divine Providence. 35 
 
 iher there be knowledge in the. mofl high f 
 i. e. whether God takes any cognizance 
 pf men's a6lions and behaviour : and be- 
 caufe he himfelf had met with many- 
 troubles and great affli6lions in life, fell 
 into a fufpicion, that he had cleanfed his 
 heart in vain^ and wajhed his hands in Inno- 
 cence^ to no purpofe. But it is to be ob^ 
 ferved, that he afterwards corre6ls him- 
 felf, and condemns his own folly and ig- 
 norance> in entertaining fuch groundlefs 
 and impious doubts : fo Ignorant was 7, and 
 as a heajl before thee. 
 
 As to the people of Ifrael in the Fro^ 
 phefs time, it is evident from this chapter, 
 they had fallen into notions which dero- 
 gated from the divine juftice and impar- 
 tiality : and whether their error was found- 
 ed on their own fuppofed experience of 
 the methods of divine providence $ or on 
 a mifconftrudtion of a claufe in the fourth 
 commandment, 7hat GOD would vlfit the 
 iniquities of the parents upon the children 
 
 D 2 unf^ 
 
36 On tbt Jujiice of 
 
 unto the third and fourth generation of them 
 that hate him j — or whether it fprung from 
 fome other caufe 5 it was grown fo popular 
 as to pafs into a proverb among them; 
 at leaft, they applied a common proverb 
 to this meaning and purport. They faid, 
 ^be fathers have eaten four grapes ^ and the 
 cbildrens teeth are fet on edge: By which 
 they meant, that children are punifhed for 
 the crimes of their parents, and fufFer the 
 effects of divine difpleafurc in their ftead : 
 and that this was the ufual method in 
 which the divine providence chofe to pro- 
 ceed ; transferring the punilhment due 
 to the aftual tranfgrefibrs upon their off- 
 fpring and poflerity, even tho' they fhould 
 be innocent of the like crimes, and refufe 
 to follow the wicked fteps of their ances- 
 tors. In this fenfe, it is plain, the pro- 
 phet underflood them, and accordingly 
 refented it, as an injurious refledion upon 
 the juflice of God and the equity of his 
 'proceedings. And wc find him, through- 
 out this chapter, expoftulating with them, 
 
 re- 
 
Divine ProviJenct, gjj^^^ 
 
 reproving them in the name of God, and 
 vindicating the divine juftice with a par- 
 ticular earneftnefs, in oppolition to this 
 charge. He aflerts, tha^ it is not the 
 method of God's providence to punifh the 
 innocent in Head of the guilty, or to im- 
 pute the fms of parents to their pofterity : 
 but on the contrary, if the fin fees the 
 iniquity of his father and forfakes it^ and 
 refufeth to follow his wicked example) 
 he fiall not die^ he Jhall furely live; and the 
 foul that fnneth if Jhall die : i. e. the guilty 
 perfon alone fhall undergo the punifhment 
 due to his own crimes. And he adds this 
 general expoflulation, Are not my ways equal, 
 faith the Lord-, are not your ways unequal ? 
 
 The ways of God are'all perfe^ly juft, 
 equitable and impartial ; and if men are 
 led to doubt of his juftice, or attribute 
 iniquity to him ; it proceeds chiefly from 
 the iniquity of their own v/ays, and the 
 unjuft difpofition of their own hearts. If 
 thf_y were more difpofed to govern their 
 D 3 cwn 
 
2 S On the yujlice of 
 
 own a6lions according to reafon and equity, 
 they would be under lefs temptation to 
 queflion thoje of the fupreme governor of 
 the world, and better qualified to form a 
 right judgment of them. An honeft and 
 unprejudiced mind is the beft qualification, 
 for judging of the perfections and provi- 
 dence of God, and for embracing all the 
 doctrines of true religion. 
 
 In the following difcourfe, wefhall (i.) 
 fhevi^ the evidences of divine juftice and 
 equity in the conftitution and government 
 of the world. (2.) Shall obviate the prin- 
 cipal objeclions. (3.) Shall inquire into 
 thecaufes of men's errors and doubts on 
 this fubje<5t. 
 
 (i.) We are to fhew the evidences of 
 divine juflice and equity in the conftitution 
 and government of the world. In. con- 
 ceiving of God, we naturally attribute to 
 hjm the highefl excellence. For as he is 
 
 the 
 
Divine Providence, 3 g 
 
 the author of all that is good, amiable, 
 and ufeful in the whole creation, he mufl 
 be more excellent and perfect than all> 
 and no creature can in any quality, or at- 
 tribute, be equal to the Creator. As juflice 
 then is a quality, which men are in fome 
 degree pofTefled of, and efleemed by them 
 as excellent and honourable 5 it muft be 
 afcribed to God in the higheft degree. So 
 the author of the book of Jol> argues. 
 Can mortal man be more ju/i than Godf can 
 man be more jiifi than his Maker f — From 
 the pra6lice of this virtue among men, 
 and the univerfal fenfe and efteem they 
 have of it, we naturally conclude, that 
 it is far from GOD that he fioiild pervert 
 jti/iice, and from the Almighty that he fhottld 
 do iniquity. And to imagine any degree 
 of injuftice or partiality in the fupremc 
 being, is not only derogating from the 
 excellence of his nature^ but attributing 
 to him what men condemn and abhor in 
 one another. 
 
 D 4 Fur- 
 
4© On the ^Jujiice of 
 
 Further ; the juflice of God refults 
 from his abfolute perfe<5lion : as he is in- 
 capable of error or evil afFe6lion -, as no 
 temptation can approach him j as no event 
 can difturb his defigns who forefees all 
 things } as no pafTion can alter the difpo. 
 fition of his mind, which is unchange, 
 able J as he can have no private view or 
 interefl feparate from the good of the 
 whole creation, who is pofTefled of all 
 things, and infinitely happy in his own 
 nature; as he hath unerring wifdom to 
 difcern, perfedl goodnefs to intend, and 
 almighty power to execute, whatfoever is 
 beft and conducive to the univerfal good j 
 — Hence we conclude, that in the uni- 
 verfal plan of divine providence and go-r 
 vernment over the world, there is nothing 
 can be altered or amended, nothing made 
 more juft or equal or happy in the whole, 
 The juftice of God in all the exertions of 
 it, in the diftributions of punifhments ^s 
 well as rewards, is wholly included in 
 his wifdom and goodnefs. He is juft 
 
 becaufe 
 
Divine Providence* 41 
 
 becaufe he is wife and good. He punifhes 
 the wicked, in order to maintain the good 
 order and happinefs of the whole world. 
 And therefore to deny his juftice in any 
 refpe6l, and efpecially by fuppofing that 
 he puniOies beyond what the ends of per- 
 fedt wifdom and goodnefs require, is de* 
 faming his whole moral charadler. 
 
 If we confult the Heathen writers, wc 
 fhall find what infoj'mation the light of 
 nature gave them: and the fentiments 
 which their own reafon and refle6lioa 
 fuggefted, were fuch as may ferve to con- 
 vince us, that God hath implanted in all 
 men fome natural apprehenfions of his 
 governing juftice, For they generally 
 agree in attributing this perfection to their 
 fupreme Deity, and in defcribing him as 
 offended at the crimes, and pleafed with 
 the piety and good a6lions of men. They 
 fuppofed a divine vengeance to be in pur-r 
 fuit of every criminal, flow indeed in its 
 motion, and travelling as it were with 
 
 leaden 
 
j^z On the yujlice of 
 
 leaden feet, but fure to overtake the offend- 
 er at laft, wherefoever he might fly to 
 avoid it. And the do6\nne alfo of a fu- 
 ture ftate of rewards and punifhments was 
 generally believed, tho' clogged with a 
 multitude of abfurd fi6lions. Some in- 
 deed exprefs great doubts of its reahty: 
 becaufe they found themfelves prefTed 
 with great difficulties and obje6lions 
 on' both fides. The ftrength of their 
 own reafon enabled them to conceive 
 hopes, that the world was under a wife, 
 and juft providence: yet the many ex- 
 amples occumng to their obfervation, of 
 vrickednefs profpering, and virtue fuffer- 
 ing, perplexed their minds j as they feem- 
 ed to overthrow the fuppofition of a per- 
 fe6l diftiibutive juftice according to men's 
 deferts in this world. And on the other 
 hand, the invifible unknovm nature of a 
 future flate, together with the abfurd and 
 chimerical ficlions attending the vulgar- 
 belief, tempted them to queftion, if not 
 altogether reje^l the do6lrine itfclf.- And 
 
 it 
 
Divine Frovldente, 4j 
 
 it feems, as if human reafon never could 
 have attained to a foUd foundation of be- 
 Ueving a Hfe to come, vi^ithout the aid of 
 a divine revelation.— How much then are 
 we indebted to the Gofpel of Chrift, 
 which hath brought immortality to light, and 
 eftabliflied our belief of the divine juftice 
 and goodnefs, and our hope of an eter- 
 nal life, on more fure and fatisfadlory 
 grounds ! 
 
 The Gofpel folves all prefent appear- 
 ances of inequality in the conduct of pro- 
 vidence, by giving us a full aflurance of 
 a final diftinclion and feparation which 
 will be made in another world between 
 the righteous and the wicked; when the 
 one fliall be rewarded, and the other pu- 
 nifhed, according to the meafure of good 
 or evil they have done in this world. By 
 thus difcovering and afcertaining the rela- 
 tion of the prefent to 2i future ftate, it re- 
 conciles all events to a perfeft adminiftra- 
 rion of divine government. In the 
 
 writings 
 
4^ On the Ju/lice of 
 
 writings of the Old Teilament, the juftice 
 of God is acknowledged and celebrated, 
 as difpenfed at prefent in the diftindion 
 which is made between the virtuous and 
 the wicked in this life : the protection, 
 the inward peace and comfort, the repu-» 
 tation, and other advantages, which good 
 men generally obtain ; and the perplexities 
 and miferies which wicked men generally 
 experience, or the punifhments which 
 ufually overtake them in the courfe of 
 God's providence in this world. — But in 
 the New Teftament, whei'ein immortality i: 
 brought to lights our views are principally 
 dire6led to 2i future ftate, and a period of 
 univerfal judgment and recompence. And 
 that great perfon who appeared in our 
 nature, and in obedience to the will of 
 God, died for our falvation, is ap- 
 pointed to be the minifter and difpenfer of 
 the divine juftice and mercy to mankind, 
 according to their deferts. When the di-» 
 vine purpofes in the prefent conflitution 
 of things are accomplilhed, there will be 
 
Divine Providence, 4.5 
 
 a revolution, when the diftrlbutive juftice 
 of God fhall be fully revealed to the con- 
 viclion and approbation of all men, by 
 the glorious appearance of Jefus Chrift, 
 who w\\\ come at the appointed time to 
 judge the world in righteoufnefs, to fepa- 
 rate the good and bad, to place the 
 one in proper habitations of everlafting 
 blifs, and to make an utter deftruclion of 
 the other. — This great office and dignity 
 of our Redeemer is fublimely defcribed by 
 his forerunner John the Baptift. There 
 Cometh one after me^ who is mightier than /, 
 -whofe Jhoes I am not worthy to hear ; — whofe 
 fan i% in his hand, and he will throughly purge 
 his floor, and will gather his wheat into the 
 garner i and will burn up the chaff with uh- 
 quenchabk fire. Our blefled Saviour de- 
 fcribes his own office by a like jufl and 
 beautiful comparifon. He compares the 
 good and bad among mankind to wheat 
 and tares growing together in the field : and 
 when the time of harvefl is come, he will 
 fend forth his angels^ and they Jhall feparate 
 
 the 
 
46 On the Juftice of 
 
 the tares from amongjl the wheats mid bind 
 them 171 bundles to burn them 3 ajid the wheat 
 he will gather into his barn. He is then 
 the chief minifter of the divine juiHce, 
 goodnefs and mercy to mankind, who 
 will come at laft to purge the creation, 
 and to colleB together all things that offend, 
 and them that do iniquity y and throw them 
 Into di furnace of inextinguifi able fire : i. e* 
 to confume and make an utter end of 
 every thing unprofitable, ofFenfive, and 
 prejudicial, and to eftablifh for ever the 
 virtue, peace and happinefs of mankind. — 
 This account is fo reafonable in itfelf, and 
 fo agreeable to our bed ideas of the per- 
 fection and government of God, that 
 there can be no difficulty in giving our 
 hearty affent and belief to it. It ought to 
 give us entire fatisfaftion ; efpecially when 
 we obferve how perfeftly and harmoni- 
 oufly, according to the Gofpel-fcheme, 
 the juftice of God in punifhing the 
 wicked and incorrigible, coincides with 
 his mercy in forgiving the penitent, and 
 
 hi^ 
 4 
 
Divhie Frovtdenci. \j^ 
 
 his goodnefs in rewarding the virtuous : all 
 equally confpiring to one end, the greateft 
 good and happinefs of the whole world. 
 
 Now tho' the arguments already al- 
 ledged in proof of the perfe^l juftice of 
 God, drawn from the exigence, exercife, 
 and efteem of juflice among men;, and 
 from the other attributes of the divine 
 nature, as incapable of error, andexetnpt 
 from temptation, from his perfecl good- 
 nefs to intend, wifdom to difcern, and 
 power to execute whatfoever is beft in his 
 government over the univerfe; and alfo 
 from the general apprehenfion of man- 
 kind, not excepting the heathen world; 
 and finally from the doftrine and authori- 
 ty of the holy fcriptures; — tho* t]xt(Q 
 arguments may be thought fufficientj yet 
 it may add great fatisfadlion to thoughtful 
 and inquifitive perfons, to point out the 
 experimental evidences v/hich occur of the 
 juftice of divine providence in the prefent 
 ilate of human affairs, and to Ihew the 
 
 differ- 
 
4.t On the Jujlitf of 
 
 difference which it adually makes between 
 the virtuous and the wicked in this world : 
 that good men enjoy very manifeft and 
 fenfible efiedls of the divine favour, which 
 the vitious are deprived of; and that the 
 latter undergo many troubles and mife- 
 ries in confequence of the divine difplea- 
 fure, from which the former are exempt. 
 
 This is a point of the greateft import- 
 ance. — For, if it fhall clearly appear, 
 that according to the general courfe of 
 things, virtue and goodnefs are encou- 
 raged and rewarded in fome degree in this 
 life, and wickednefs punifhed j that the 
 diftributive juftice of God's providence 
 actually begins and vifibly difcovers itfelf 
 here, in protedling and favouring the 
 
 good, and punifhing the bad ; we have 
 
 then a folid ground to believe and con- 
 fide in it, and to expedl that it will be 
 carried on and perfe6led hereafter. But 
 to fuppofe that the ftate of this world is 
 in utter confufion ; that the belt comforts 
 
 and 
 
Dhine Providence, 49 
 
 and felicities, and the greatefl pains and 
 miferies of this life, are thrown promif- 
 cuoufly on the good and the bad without 
 any difference 5 this fubverts the beft evi- 
 dence we can have of the divine juftice. 
 And to reprefent things in blacker colours, 
 as if wickednefs generally flouriflied, and 
 virtue fuffered ; this inftead of ftrengthen- 
 ing our faith in an invifible world and the 
 rewards of it, would fill the mind of a 
 confiderate perfon with diffidence and de- 
 fpair. It would deflroy all reafonable be- 
 lief of a divine revelation. For how 
 fhall we confide in the promifes of the 
 Gofpel, if we do not Jir/i believe that God 
 is a being of truth? how fliall we dread 
 the threatnings of it, if we are notjirji 
 convinced that he is jufl to punifh iniqui- 
 ty ? or how fhall we live in hope of a 
 ftate of immortal happinefs, if we are not 
 frft perfuaded of his mercy and goodnefs ? 
 — But being previoujly convinced of the 
 perfe6tions of God, and his regard to the 
 piety and virtue of his creatures, by the 
 Vol. II. E m^rk 
 
^o On the 'Jujlice of 
 
 marks we fte, and the effe6ts we experi- 
 ence in this world; we (hall then be eafily 
 difpofed and duly prepared to believe a 
 future world ; where the diftinguifliing 
 providence and rewarding juftice of God 
 will be continued and compleated. " Ha- 
 " ving this foundation vifibly laid here, 
 " we may eafdy and reafonably conclude 
 " that the fuperfl:ru6lure will be finifhed 
 " hereafter. From that degree of order 
 " and meafure of diftributive juftice 
 «* which we fee takes place in this world, 
 " we naturally apprehend a larger fcheme j 
 " and may refolve ourfelves by a fatisfac- 
 " tory account, why things are not com- 
 " pleated in this llate, but their accom- 
 " plifhment referved to fome further 
 " period *." 
 
 Let us then enquire, what efFe6ls may 
 be difcovered of a diftributive juftice in 
 this world -, what marks of divine favour 
 to the righteous, and difpleafure againft 
 
 * Shaftfbury. 
 
 the 
 
Divine Providence, 51 
 
 the wicked. Let us confider whether the 
 law of our nature, and the general courfe 
 of things, under the providence of God, 
 be not maniteftly in favour of virtue and 
 
 goodnefs, and an enemy to vice. The 
 
 holy fcriptures plainly reprefent this as the 
 realftateof things; and conftantly aiTert, 
 that God exercifeth his juilice in this 
 world, in protecting and blefling good 
 men, and piiniihing the wicked. They 
 always give the advantage to the righteous* 
 and defcribe them as in a happy flate, en- 
 joying great comlorts and bleffings, under 
 the divine prote6lion and favour j and the 
 wicked, as harrafied with fears, troubles, 
 and dangers, and living under the frowns 
 of the Almighty. There are innumerable 
 declarations in the Pfalms and Proverbs, 
 which point out the advantages of virtue, 
 and the unhappy confequences of vice^ 
 Our Saviour in the beginning of his dif- 
 courfe in the fifth of Matthewy recom- 
 mends the feveral virtues from their ex- 
 cellent nature, and happy effeds; and 
 E 2 afTu- 
 
^2 On the yujlice of 
 
 aflureth his difciples, that tho' they fliould 
 be perfecuted for righteoiifnefs fake^ and ob^ 
 liged to abandon all their poirefTions, yet 
 they would be amply recompenfed in this 
 prefent world. And the Apoille Paul afTerts 
 that godlinejs with contentment is to be confi- 
 dered diS great gain at prefent : For it hath the 
 fromife of the life that now is, as well as of 
 
 that which is to come, In order then to 
 
 verify the fentiments of holy fcripture, as 
 well as to fatisfy the reafon of our own 
 minds, in building our faith on a certain 
 foundation; we muft attend to the gene- 
 ral procedure of God's providence over 
 mankind in this world. And the more 
 extenfive and accurate our obfervations 
 are, the more we fliall be convinced, that 
 how unequal foever the ways of men are^ 
 the ways of GOD are equal, and the courfe 
 of his providence juft and right. 
 
 But in order to obtain the requifite 
 fatisfa6iion, we ought to be cautious of 
 felecling and dwelling upon particular 
 
 cafes ; 
 
Divine Providence. 53 
 
 cafes ; which would be reafonmg from a 
 partial view, and building upon an unequal 
 foundation: on the coatrary, we fliould 
 rather proceed upon the mofl general and 
 comprehenfive view of the world, and the 
 courfe of affairs in it. Mankind are to 
 be confidered at large, and a profpe61: 
 taken of the ilate of good and bad men 
 upon the whole, in order to difcover the 
 indications of a providence and the ftrokes 
 of divine juftice, in diftributing bleflings 
 to the one and punifhment to the other. 
 
 The fubjedl is refolvable into this gene- 
 ral inquiry : whether upon the whole, 
 virtuous and good men, or the unjufl and 
 profligate, enjoy more happinefs in life, 
 and fuffer lefs inconveniences and evils ? 
 For if good and pious men derive any ad- 
 vantage and fatisfa6lion from their own 
 virtue, fuperior to wicked men, or are 
 exempted from any evils to which the 
 latter are fubje6l ; this effe6l our reafon 
 will teach us to afcribe to the intention of 
 E 3 the 
 
£^. On the yuftice of 
 
 the divine wifdom and juftice, in making 
 the conftitution of the world fuch as we 
 find it to be, and in direcling the feries of 
 events as they a6lually take place. The 
 natural connexion of caufes and efFe6ls, 
 is owing to a prefiding mind, whodefign- 
 ed that plan of things which actually 
 exifls, and in which we are daily conver- 
 fant. And therefore, our judgment of 
 the divine temper and difpofition is to be 
 rationally founded on our experience of 
 the nature of things, and the different 
 effe(5ls of different condu61:. Nor need we 
 be afraid of refling the caufe of God and 
 religion on this foundation of evidence, 
 to which the holy fcriptures themfelves ap- 
 peal, and to which in all our reafonings we 
 muft necelTarily have recourfe at lafV. 
 
 For the point of enquiry concerning 
 the preference of virtue or vice in refpe6l 
 to the happinefs of life, and for which 
 we appeal to experiei*ice of fa6ls, is fo far 
 from being difficult to be decided, that no- 
 thing 
 
Divi72e Promdence* 5^ 
 
 thing is more eafy and certain, or fo uni- 
 verfally allowed. For how much foever 
 men are influenced by various paiTions and 
 appetites lo evil a61ions ; yet their general, 
 I may fay, univerfal judgment, is, that 
 virtue, and^ not vice, is the means of 
 happinefs : that the habits of fobriety and 
 goodnefs conduce to the enjoyment of life, 
 and not thofe of 4ebaucheiy and wicked- 
 nefs. And tho' we fet afide all confidera- 
 tion of another world, and regard this life 
 and world onlyj yet it is far better and 
 happier for men to live in fobriety, peace, 
 honefty, and charity, than to be abandon- 
 ed to excefs, to fraud, rapine, treachery, 
 and malice : and nothing could be more 
 abfurd and fliocking to any perfon of 
 common underftanding and experience, 
 than to maintain the contrary. For what 
 is vice and wickednefs, but men's abiifing 
 themfelves, or one another ? or what is 
 virtue and religion, but men's improving 
 themfelves, and doing good to others? 
 E 4 And 
 
56 On the Jiijlice of 
 
 And whence do the greateft plagues and 
 miferies of Hfe proceed, but from men's 
 abufe of themfelves, or of one another ?— 
 From riot and excefs, from treachery and 
 diflionefty, from envy and mahce, in a 
 word, from the wickednefs of mankind ? 
 Infomuch, that if vice was to prevail uni- 
 verfally, and all piety, juftice, humanity 
 and fobriety were extinguifhed in the 
 hearts of men j the world would be a 
 fcene of horrible diforder, and human 
 life become fo miferable, that we fcarcely 
 need to fuppofe a worfe hell for the punifh- 
 ment of fo wicked a race of beings. And 
 on the other hand, how fmall a propor- 
 tion foever of virtue and piety there is 
 thought to be in the world ; yet it is 
 owing to that proportion, whether great- 
 er or lefs, that mankind are fo happy as 
 they are, and human life fo comfortable 
 and agreeable as it is found to be : and it 
 is from the goodnefs of men's hearts, and 
 from their actually pradifing in a confi- 
 derable degree the duties of temperance, 
 
 of 
 
Divine Providence, 57 
 
 of public and private juftice, of piety to 
 God, of fincerity, humanity and kind af- 
 fection to each other ; that the peace and 
 order of the world, and the beft entertain- 
 ments and pleafures of life are derived. 
 
 And if this be the real ftate of things, 
 as every man muft be fenfible it is 3 if 
 mankind are more or lefs happy, as there 
 is more or lefs virtue and goodnefs in the 
 world J and if the greatefl comforts and 
 enioyments of life proceed from men's io- 
 bricty, prudence, piety, juft treatment of, 
 and kind affecSlion to one another j and 
 the greatefl miferies from intemperance, 
 injuflice, mutual oppreffion, and other 
 vices i — need we any ftronger proof of the 
 juflice of God ? — Efpecially if we con- 
 lider, that this is an univerjal eJeSl, not 
 peculiar to any one place or country ; but 
 that in all nations, communities, and fo- 
 cieties throughout the whole world, the 
 more fmcerely virtuous and religious men 
 are, and the more mutual confidence and 
 good-will lubfifl: among them, the happier 
 
 that 
 
^8 On the 'Jujiice of 
 
 that nation or Ibciety becomes; can 
 "we refolve this untverfal effeSi into any 
 otlier caufe, than the providence of God 
 governing the world by an univerfal law 
 and conftitution, which is perfe6tly juft 
 and right ? For there cannot be a more 
 clear and certain demoftration of the dif- 
 pofition of the almighty Maker and go- 
 vernor of the world than this is, or a 
 plainer indication which fide he efpoufes j 
 and that he is not a patron or favourer of 
 wickednefs, or an mdifFerent fpe6lator; 
 but is the righteous Lord ivho lo'veth righte- 
 cufrefsj and iJuhofe countenance beholds the 
 upright. For if making mankind more 
 happy or more miferable, in proportion 
 to the degrees of virtue or vice which 
 prevail in the world, be not an a6lual 
 diftribution of divine juftice in this world 3 
 what can we mean by the Juflice of God ? 
 Or what ftronger proof can we have of 
 
 't? If it be faid, that this univerfal 
 
 effeSl is owing to the nature of mankind, 
 or the conflitution of the world j this is 
 
 all 
 
Divine Providence. ^'g 
 
 all the concelTion we defire. For it fol- 
 lows undeniably, that the nature and con- 
 ftitution of things is in the whole jull: 
 and right : and what is that contlitution 
 but the fcheme and intention of the wif- 
 dom and juftice of God. 
 
 It is unreafonable that we fhould be fo 
 much afFefted with fome apparent excepti- 
 o?is, and lay great flrefs upon them ; as if 
 the argument refled on a few particular 
 inftances ; without attending to what is 
 the real ftate of things in the whole, or 
 taking any view of the general effect and 
 influence of divine providence: whereas 
 the great weight of the argument lies upon 
 the general ftate of things. For if we 
 fuppofe the lot and condition of good 
 men put into one fcale, and that of wicked 
 men into the other ; it is evident that a 
 few fmgle inftances are comparatively 
 of very little weight. The great and main 
 queftion is, whether the ftate of good or 
 pf bad men is in general happier ? Which 
 
 fort 
 
6 9 On the yuftice of 
 
 fort of pcrfons enjoy more fatisfadlion, 
 more eafe and contentment in their own 
 minds, and are better pleafed with them- 
 felves, and their own conduct and condi- 
 tion ? And if we were to confult upon the 
 means of a happy life, and to direct and 
 advife any perfon according to ourbeft 
 judgment, how he might enjoy life the 
 longeft, with the greatefl: fecurity, with 
 the feweft troubles, and the mod fatif- 
 fa6lionsj which courfe fliould we advife 
 
 him to take ? The ways of villany and 
 
 debauchery ? Or the itraight road that 
 
 religion points out ? The way of honefly 
 
 and virtue ? What method do parents, 
 
 who are exceedingly defirous of the wel- 
 fare and happinefs of their children in 
 this world, ufually take in order to that 
 end ? Do they indeed inftruct them in the 
 v/ays of vice, and train them up to 
 habits of wickednefs ? Or do they defire 
 to make them fober, virtuous, and religi- 
 ous, as the way to do well and to be 
 
 happy ill the world ? Thefe are 
 
 auef- 
 
Divine Providenc$, 6i 
 
 queftions which admit of no debate, and 
 which all men will fufficiently agree in 
 determining. 
 
 x^ND thus the argument is brought to 
 ql fliort ilTue and certain conclufion. For 
 if vitious men do in general fuffer for 
 their wickednefs ; and if virtuous and 
 good men are in general happier by the 
 pra6lice of virtue j if fuch is the pre- 
 vailing effect and general confequence ; 
 whether we afcribe it to the conftitution of 
 the world, to the nature of fociety, to 
 the order of civil government, or to the 
 frame of the human mind, or to all of 
 thefe in conjanftion, as the immediate 
 caufes i the argument is eftablifhed, and 
 cannot be overthrown: we need no fur- 
 ther witnefs in the caufe. Human experi- 
 ence, and the common fenfe of mankind, 
 vindicate and prove the juflice of God 
 as rewarding virtue and punifhing vice in 
 the prefent Hate. 
 
 Having 
 
62 On the Jujiice of. Sec, 
 
 Having reprefented this great evidence 
 of the Juflice of God, arifing from the 
 general order and feries of efFeds, which 
 is the plan of divine wifdom in the con- 
 jftru6lion and government of this world . 
 we fliall proceed in the following difcourfe^ 
 to confider the objeclions which may fcem 
 to arife oppofite to the foregoing evidence. 
 For tho' no obje6tions ariling from par- 
 ticular inftances can deftroy a proof 
 founded on general and conftant experi- 
 ence J yet as all objections relate to the 
 prefent pollure and fcene of things in this 
 world, and may weaken, tho' not dejlroy 
 the general evidence, and are apt to make 
 a great imprefiion on minds not accuftom- 
 ed to a larger and more comprehenfive 
 
 view of things ; it will not be ufelefs to 
 
 confider and obviate them, as far as we 
 are able to give a jufl: folution. 
 
DISCOURSE III. 
 
 On the Juftice of Divine Provi- 
 dence. 
 
 M^®#€^t^®^^0§^0#^^#^00^§.:i& 
 
I 65 ) 
 
 Ezek. xviii, 29, 
 
 'Are Hot ihy ways equal ? Are not jmtr waji 
 unequal f 
 
 IN dircourfing lipoh the divine juflice, 
 we fhall now proceed to the objedti- 
 bns, aiifmg from the apparent inequality 
 bf divine providence in the prefent fcene 
 t)f things; 
 
 '^ For tho' the providence of God has 
 '«* To conftituted the world, the frame of 
 " human nature, and the connexion of 
 ** caufes and effe'6ls both natural and 
 " moral, that a general dillindion is 
 ** preferved, and preference given to vir- 
 ** tue in oppofitidn to vice, in refpe6l to 
 " the enjoyment and happinefs of life 3— 
 " yet this diftindion and prefererice are 
 ** hot fd Vifiblc, fo conflant, or fo exten- 
 
 VoL, 11. F five. 
 
66 On the yujiice of 
 
 *' five, as feems requifite to the abfolute 
 " perfection of the divine government 
 " For it might be expe6led, at firft view, 
 " from perfe6t juflice and an infallible 
 " providence, not only that mankind in 
 *' general fliould become more or lefs 
 " happy in proportion to their practice 
 " of virtue or vice j but that every fmgle 
 " perfon fliould be rewarded or punifhed 
 " in exa6l proportion to his deferts ^ and 
 «' that God would extend his juftice to 
 *f every individual and every a6lion equal- 
 " ly and at all times. Whereas this does 
 *' not appear to be the real ftate of things. 
 " The guilty are known fometimes to ef- 
 " cape punifliment, and the innocent to 
 " fufFer: and there are many examples 
 *' of good men involved in troubles and 
 '* miferies, and wicked men flourifliing 
 " in eafe and profperity," 
 
 To this it may be replied, in the Jrji 
 place, that we are not competent judges 
 of the real condition or happinefs of other 
 
 men. 
 
Divine Providence, 67 
 
 men. We are fo apt to judge from ap- 
 pearances and external circumftancesj and 
 with fo many prejudices, and fo imperfe6l 
 a knowledge; that we are as liable to 
 make a falfe eftimate as a true one. And 
 the real happinefs or mifery of every par- 
 ticular perfon depends fo much on the 
 temper and fituation of his mind, and fo 
 little on his outv/ard eftate, that we havg 
 no fufficient evidence on which to give 
 judgment. For tho' we are confcious of 
 what pafleth in our own minds, we cannot 
 enter into thofe of other men, and know 
 all that pafTes there. And therefore the 
 juftice of God may extend itfelf with re- 
 fpe6l to individuals much further than we 
 are acquainted with, or are apt to ima- 
 gine. And that it does thus extend itfelf 
 in a very fenftble degree^ we are taught by 
 experience. For it is certain, that if men 
 are uneafy and tormented in their minds 
 for any a61:ions they have done, it is not 
 for their good a6lions, but their evil ones ; 
 that it is hardly poflible for any man to 
 F 2 commit 
 
68 On the Juftice of 
 
 commit any great a£l of wickednefs, 
 without fuffering for it in this world 5 in 
 his own mind at leaft, if in no other 
 refpe6l5 and that men ufually feel a pain- 
 ful difguil and diflatisfaclion after doing 
 what they know to be wrong j and on the 
 contrary, are never more eafy and fatif- 
 fied with themfelves than when they have 
 done worthy and commendable a6lions. 
 And therefore, the lefs we confult apj^ear- 
 ances, and the more we penetrate into the 
 real ftate of things, inequalities will be 
 found in a great meafure to vanifi, and 
 the ways of providence appear more equals 
 than at a fuperficial view we are tempted 
 to imagine. 
 
 Secondly ; admitting that good and 
 bad men are not always rewarded at pre- 
 fent exa6lly in proportion to their deferts : 
 this difficulty we may folve, by a know- 
 ledge founded on conftant experience, 
 which teacheth us that mankind are under 
 a conftitution or fyflem of nature; and 
 
 that 
 
Divine Providence. 69 
 
 that God does not govern the world by 
 particular acls of power, or by fpecialin- 
 ierpofiticns, but by general laws-, which 
 cannot pojjibly be exempt from all excepti- 
 on, or be fo formed as to efFe6l equally 
 every fubjedl comprehended under them. 
 And all men good and bad partake of 
 the fame nature, live in the fame elements, 
 and are members of the fame fociety, or 
 in a word, are fubje6l to the fame confti- 
 tution of the world 5 they mufl: all be ne- 
 cefTarily fubjefl to the like wants, difeafes, 
 injuries, oppreffions, or other natural in- 
 cidents and calamities. Nor ean the ap- 
 parent defeas and irregularities arifmg 
 from hence be remedied or removed, ex- 
 cept by the power of God interfojing in a 
 
 fupernatural or miraculous manner. 
 
 It remains then to inquire, whether fuch 
 miraculous interpofttlom are requifite to vin- 
 dicate the divine yuflice ? Or in other 
 words, whether it is reafonable in us to 
 expe6l them ? And whether they would 
 not be attended with greater inconveni- 
 
 F X ences 
 
70 On the Juftice of 
 
 ences upon the whole j and fo the ojily 
 prefent remedy become much isoorje than 
 what we mainly imagine to be the great 
 dijeafe oi , nature, or defeB in the provi- 
 dence and juftice of God ? 
 
 It [may feem agreeable to our kind af- 
 feftions and defires, to wifh that God 
 wouid-make ufe of his fovereign power, 
 and by a fpecial interpofition fave a good 
 nian whom we fee expofed to iome terrible 
 calamity, and which is inevitable in the 
 natural courfe of things. But if fuch 
 pafticular ■ exertions of divine power are 
 i:eafonably expe6led in favour of any fingle 
 perfon, orl the fole account of his virtue 
 and goodnefs 5 muft they not for the fame 
 reafon be extended to every perfon who is 
 
 equally quahfied and deferving ? But 
 
 this is introducing fuch an endlefs train of 
 miraculous interpofitions as would fui>vert 
 the pfefent conftitution cf things and the 
 eftablifhed connexion of caufes and effects. 
 And if -We confider that all human pru- 
 dence 
 
Divme Providence, 71 
 
 dence, defigns, and a6lions, depend upon a 
 knowledge of the fixed properties of 
 things and connexion of natural caufes 
 with their effects j we fliall fee that fre- 
 quent and continual interruptions would 
 be fo far from contributing to order and 
 good upon the whole, that they would 
 introduce confufion and uncertainty, flib- 
 vert the foundations of human care, pru- 
 dence, and activity ; and inftead of promo- 
 ting virtue, encourage negligence and 
 prefumption.- An expectation, therefore, 
 of fupernatural interventions to preferve 
 us from thofe evils of life to which the 
 natural flate of the world renders us liable, 
 and which it is the bufinefs of human 
 prudence to guard againlT:, by the ufe of 
 thofe lawful means which providence hath 
 put in our power; is unjuft, and carries 
 in it fomething of abfurdity and impiety. 
 How great foever the evil is, or whatever 
 degree of virtue or merit belongs to the 
 perfon incident to that evil ; we cannot 
 rationally prefume, that the laws and 
 F 4 opera- 
 
7^ On the JuJIice of 
 
 operations of nature will be fufpended on 
 his hehalf. Shall the earth be fcrfakenfor. 
 thee t Shall the rock be removed out of ifs- 
 place? Shall the moft wife and admirable 
 conflitution of things be infringed, and 
 thofe important laws of nature, on which 
 the whole order and harmany of the uni- 
 verfe depend, be interrupted, for thy pre- 
 fervation ? What pride and prefumption is 
 this, to imagine purfelves and our own. 
 poor flock of virtue of fuch immenfe value, 
 and importance in the eye of the almighty. 
 Governor pf the univcrfe \. 
 
 vVkfn the Devil tempted aur Saviour, 
 he placed him, it is faid, upon a pinnacle, 
 of th(? temple, and perfuaded him to call 
 himfelf headlong, quoting that prophetic 
 exprelTion in the ])ialms, that GOD 'would, 
 give his Angels charge concerning him, leji 
 h£ fxidd dafi his foot againjl a ft one. This, 
 palfage is apppfite to pur prefent fubje6t, 
 V as written for our inftruclion, and con- 
 tains a fublime fenfe. The Devil grounds 
 
 his 
 
his temptation on our Saviour's con-: 
 fcious knowledge of his own dignity, and 
 of the importance of that bufinefs for 
 which he was fent into the world : as if* 
 confidering his own importance, he could 
 not prdume too much on the divine care; 
 and had a right to truft his prefervation 
 to the fpecial power of God, in any man- 
 ner, or on any occafion. And if a mira- 
 culous interpofition can be reafonably exr 
 pe6led in behalf of any fmgle perfon, it 
 certainly might for his prefervation. But 
 our Saviour ftiles this, not trufitng in, but 
 tempting GOD j i. e. vainly prefuming 
 Upon his particular interpofition, contrary 
 to the knovv^n laws of nature, and rules o£ 
 human prudence and felf prefervation." 
 And we may obferve hence, how facred 
 ancj important the eilablifhed orders and 
 laws of nature are : and that to expe6t 
 that Gop will infringe them by fpecial 
 a6is of his povi^er, to anfwer private ends 
 and little purpofes, is derogating from the 
 honour of the divine government and the 
 
 excel- 
 
74- ^^ ^^^ yiiP^<^f rf 
 
 excellency of thofe general laws by which He 
 governs the world. It is in fa6l expe6ling, 
 that he will abufe his own power, by fub- 
 Jecling it to the caprice, folly, imprudence, 
 
 and. prefamption of his creatures. But 
 
 it may be proper to obferve, that this ar- 
 gument does not diminifh, the credibility 
 of the miracles wrought by our Saviour 
 and his apoftles, but rather ferves to efta- 
 blifii our belief of them. For thefe mira- 
 cles were evidently wrought, not for any 
 little, private, or unworthy purpofes J not 
 fpritheidehveranfe or prefervation of par- 
 ticulaf , perfonsift'om temporal calamities 
 ^ipid levils : for tho' they were apparently 
 Veneficeiit in this.refpecl, th's v/a.s not the 
 great end and intention of them; which 
 iy^s.f.'of the mofl general ?ci\d. extenfive na- 
 ture, coincident with the great deligns of 
 tbe divine wifdom, and fubfervient to thofe 
 uriiverfal fends, ^f or" which he conflituted 
 the world and the' laws and orders of na- 
 tiurei : 
 
 tiri) ;fn*'n3voa sni ^ 
 
 -h3K9 To 
 
Divine Providence, y^ 
 
 To proceed in the third place : that we 
 
 may more efFedlually remove from our 
 
 minds all objections againfl the juflice of 
 
 God, and miftrufl of the defigns of his 
 
 providence, on account of thofe temporal 
 
 evils to which good men are naturally 
 
 expofed, as well as wicked men 5 let us 
 
 attend more clofely to the nature and con- 
 
 fequences of them: and perhaps we (hall 
 
 find fuch advantages, and fo much good 
 
 refulting from thofe very evils, as we were 
 
 not apprized of 5 and which may amount 
 
 in the whole to an over-ballance.— — For 
 
 inilance, does not the experience of fome 
 
 bodily fatigues and pains, ferve to quicken 
 
 our tafte and heighten our enjoyment of 
 
 health, eafe, and pleafure ? Do they not 
 
 prevent that ilagnation and feeblenefs of 
 
 mind, which is the greateft enemy to the 
 
 enjoyment, as well as a6livity of life, and 
 
 which renders us infenfible even to the 
 
 greateft comforts and bleflings ? Are not 
 
 the evils of life the proper fubje6l and ex- 
 ercife of human prudence and diligence ? 
 
 Do 
 
76 Oti the Jujlke of 
 
 -^Do not fome of oviv greatejl virtues and 
 liiOit (igreeahle difpojitiojis of mind refult 
 
 from them ? Did no one fuffer ; where 
 
 would be compafjion f Was nothing to be 
 endured ; what exercife of patience f 
 Were there no dangers ; wliat room for 
 either courage or condziB ? Was no one 
 wronged ; where would be publick jujiice 
 or fri'uuic forgivenefs ? Were there no 
 faults, follies, or vices in the world j where 
 would be that amiable and excellent tem- 
 per of mind called candor ? If men were 
 not mutually dependent on one another, 
 and mutually fubje^t tOi caie another's 
 powers, wills,, and inclinations j whence 
 could mutual rejpecl ari£e^ Whence gene- 
 rous fympathy, kind adions, grateful re-- 
 turns, and the ivbole fecial harmony of 
 life ? — Thus we ouglit not to confider the 
 evils of X\h fepanately y but fliould attend 
 tp comiexions and confequences j and elli- 
 I5i,ate together' with them the good which 
 yedou.nds from them ; which is often more 
 than a compenfation. — Befidesi thofe par- 
 ticular: 
 
bivine Providence. 77 
 
 ticular virtues which are pecuUar to the 
 prefent ftate of mankhid, and which arife 
 from the evils of it natural and moral, 
 have a great effea: in forming fuch gene- 
 ral habits of piety and focial goodnefs, 
 as are the bed qualifications for a higher 
 and more perfe6l (late. 
 
 Finally : in regard to ail feemlng Ine- 
 qualities and intricacies of divine provi- 
 dence which may yet remain unfolved and 
 inconfiftent with our ideas of jufticej it 
 h fufficient to obferve, that the juftice of 
 a being of abfolute perfe6lion, in his go- 
 vernment of the univerfe, muft neceflarily 
 tranfcend all our conceptions. For tho' 
 we are capable of conceiving a clear and 
 right apprehenfion of divine juftice in its 
 general defign and end ; or as intending, by 
 a diftribution of rewards and punifhments, 
 to promote beneficent ends, and the good 
 order and happinefs of the intelligent uni- 
 verfe ; yet the aSliial exercife of it, in an 
 infinite variety of modes, times, and de- 
 
yS On the yujlice of 
 
 grees, in an unknown connexion of caufes 
 and efFefts, in an endlefs progreflion of 
 events, and in attainment of ends, which 
 in grandeur and excellence infinitely fur- 
 
 pafs our largeft comprehenfion ; the 
 
 cidlual exercife of it in many inllances muft 
 neceflarily be imperceptible, unintelligible, 
 and even contrary to human apprehenfions, 
 or to thofe particular ideas of an adminif- 
 tration of juflice, which are moft familiar 
 to mankind. Such inftances then ought 
 not to deflroy our confidence in the juftice 
 of God. For if the beft condu6l of the 
 - ivifeji men is fometimes unintelligible to per- 
 fons of inferior capacity j if we often con- 
 fide in the good intentions of our fuperiors, 
 tho* we do not underftand the reafons of 
 their conduct; if thofe. who are moll con- 
 cerned for the welfare of others, as phyfi- 
 cians, parents, or governors, often apply 
 means to that end, which are painful, la- 
 borious, and troublefome, to thofe whole 
 welfare they are promoting ; — why fhould 
 we ' imagine, that the mere exiftence of 
 I ajty 
 
Divine Providence, o^ 
 
 giny evil in the world, efpecially of thvfe 
 evils which are the proper difcipline of 
 human life, and from which we often fee 
 much good refulting, is inconfiftent with 
 the jtijiice or goodnefs of the all-wife governor 
 of the world ? 
 
 Having thus far pleaded the caufe of 
 the divine juftice, againft thofe mifappre- 
 henlions or obje6lions, which may arife 
 in men's minds from the feeming inequa- 
 lity of the ways of providence in the 
 prefent fcene of affairs ; I iliall in the laft 
 place point out the principal caufes of 
 men's errors and doubts on this fubjeft.-*- 
 And in the firfl place, they arife from the 
 imperfeclion of our knowledge. Could 
 we pervade the whole nature and fyilem 
 of things, and difcern the infinite con- 
 nexions and correfpondencies, which not 
 only take place in the various parts of the 
 fyftem of mankind, but extend from 
 world to world, and from age to age, how 
 aftonifhing would our view of things be>? 
 
 and 
 
do Oh the yujlice of 
 
 and how abfolutely perfe6t would the 
 
 works of the almighty appear ? But we 
 
 fee nothing beyond the little precin6l of 
 our habitation j and do not perfectly under- 
 fland even that fliort fcene which is pre- 
 fented to our view, but are frequently 
 miftaking one thing for another, and paf- 
 fing a falfe judgment on human life and 
 the events of the world. The better we 
 tinderftand our own nature and the world 
 around us, the more wifdom, juftice, and 
 goodnefs we fhall find in the whole con- 
 llitution. But our minds are biafTed by 
 partial views and particular events, tho* 
 they conclude nothing in regard to the 
 whole. 
 
 In the fecond place, the corruption of 
 men's hearts is a principal caufe of error 
 and falfe judgment concerning the ways 
 of divine providence. Men confcious to 
 themfelves of unjufl difpofitions in their 
 own minds, are moft apt to be fufpicious 
 of the intentions of other perfons and 
 
 agent?, 
 
Divine ProvidencBi Si 
 
 agents, even the greateft of beings and 
 fovereign agent of the univerfe. They are 
 not only willing to believe that other men. 
 have no more regard to juflice than them- 
 felves J but are tempted to apprehend that 
 the divine nature and difpofition may be 
 of the fame kind. The difpofitions of men 
 have a flrong influence upon their judg- 
 ments : and if thofe are unjufl and tyran- 
 nical, and tempt them to abufe their own 
 powers and faculties ; they hence fufpe6t' 
 that others will do the fame ; and conne6t 
 fo ftrongly together the idea of power in 
 any being with a temptation or difpofition 
 to abufe that power, that they cannot cor- 
 dially believe, that a being of almighty 
 power is at the fame time perfedly juft and 
 beneficent, and employs his power to no 
 other ends than the greateft utility and 
 good of the whole world. At leaft, they 
 flatter themfelves with hopes of impunity^ 
 and of efcaping the fcourge of divine juf- 
 tice ; falfely imagining, from a partial 
 view jof the flate of the world, that cer- 
 
 VoL. II. G taia 
 
82 On the Jufiice of 
 
 tairr advantages or pleafures may be reaped 
 from fraud and wickednefs, preferable to 
 thofe refulting from integrity and virtue. 
 
 Thirdly: another fource of mifappre- 
 henfions and doubts concerning divine 
 providence, is the particular doBrines 
 which have fometimes prevailed, and 
 which, if true, would actually derogate 
 from the divine perfections of juftice and 
 and equity. For inilancci if men believe, 
 that God will not dejiroy the wicked in 
 another world, as the Gofpel affirms j but 
 Vx^Il preferve them for ever, in order to 
 inflict upon them endlefs torments, and 
 make their wickednefs and mifery ever- 
 lafting ; — it is impoflible that they can be- 
 lieve, at the fame time, his perfe6iy«y'?/V^, 
 much lefs his infinite o-W-^.?/} : — Or if they 
 believe that he transfers the punifhment 
 dae to any crimes from the guilty to the 
 innocent; — if it is an article of their faith 
 that God punifheth all mankind, not for 
 their own fins, but for the fm andxlifobe- 
 
 diencc 
 
l)ivifie Providence. 83 
 
 dience of their firji parents \ This tends 
 
 to confound their natural ideas of divine 
 providence, and the equity of his govern- 
 ment over the world : and if men efpoufe 
 miflaken principles, and imagine that to 
 be fa6l and the real flate of things, vi^hich 
 is not fo ', it is no v^'onder they labour 
 under perplexities, and find infuperable 
 difficulty, in attempting to reconcile their 
 imaginary fyftem of things with perfe6l 
 wifdom and juflicci and therefore are 
 ready to conclude, The ivays of GOD are 
 unequal. 
 
 The Ifraelkes m the prophet EzekieFs 
 time faid, The fathers have eaten four grapes^ 
 and the children s teeth arefet on edge. And 
 many in thefe latter ages of chrifitanity 
 have faid, that our fir ft parents eat the for - 
 hidden fruity and all their childre7i and pof 
 terity to the end of the world dxtpunijhed 
 for it. But the words of the prophet in 
 expoftulating with, and reproving the IC. 
 raelites for their defaming the divine 
 G 2 cha- 
 
84 On the yuflice of 
 
 characler, and mifreprefenting the pro^ 
 ceedings of his providence, are equally 
 applicable to chriftians of later times. As 
 J live, faith the Lord^ ye fiall not ufe any 
 more this faying. Behold all fouls are mine : 
 As the foul of the father^ fo alfo the foul of 
 the fon is mine. T'hefoid that fi?meth, it foall 
 die. But if a man be jujl, and doth that 
 which is lawful and right, he fhall furely live, 
 faith the Lord God. If he beget a fon that 
 is a robber, a fiedder of blood, an oppreffor 
 of the poor and needy; he f:all not live, he 
 fiall furely die, his blood fall be upon him. 
 Noii' Ic, if that pa fon beget a fon that jeeth 
 all his father s fins which he hath done, and 
 confidereth and doth not fuch like ; he fiall not 
 die for the iniquity cf his father, he fiall 
 furely live. Tet fay ye. What? Doth not the 
 fon bear the iniquity of the father ? *' Do 
 t* not men bear the iniquity of their firft 
 " parents ?" No. JP''hen the fon hath done 
 that which IS lawful and right, and hath kept 
 all my ftatutes and hath done them, be fimll 
 furely live. The foul that fimieth it fi:all die; 
 
 The 
 
Divine Providence. 85 
 
 'The fin JJjall not hear the iniquity of the fa- 
 ther, neither f mil the father bear the iniqui- 
 ty of the fin. The righteoufnefs of the righte- 
 ous fiall be upon him, and the wickednefs of 
 the wicked JJja II be upon him, Tet ye fay, 
 the way of the Lord is not equal. Are not 
 my ways equals Are not your ways unequal "^ 
 Therefore I will judge you upon every one ac- 
 cording to his ways, faith the Lord God. 
 Repent and turn from all your tranfgreffions . 
 fo iniquity flmll not be your ruin^ Cafi away 
 from you all your trangrefions, and make you 
 anew heart and a new fpirit. For why will 
 you die ? For I have no pleafure in the death of 
 him that dieth^ faith the Lord God. Where^ 
 fore turn yourfehes and live. 
 
 To conclude i in order to gain clear 
 apprehenfions of the governing juflice 
 of God, and the intentions of his provi- 
 dence ; we miifl endeavour to undeViland 
 fomcthing of the divine condu61, and be- 
 ware of niiftaking his difpenfations, and 
 mifi eprefenting his anions, or imagining 
 G 3 the 
 
86 On the Jufiice of 
 
 theconflitution of the world and the condi- 
 tion of human life to be different from 
 what it is : left we foolKhly impute to 
 God the defe6lsof our narrow underftand- 
 ings, the unjuft imaginations of our 
 he^^ts, or the groundlefs fuppofitions and 
 tenets of weak men-, and hence defame 
 the adorable character of the greatcft and 
 beft of beings. V/e fee manifeft fymp- 
 toms and inconteftable evidences of a di- 
 vine providence, juftice and beneficence, 
 in the conftitution of this world, and the 
 prefent fcene of human life. And if we 
 cannot refoive all difficulties or dark ap- 
 pearances 5 we ought to remember, that the 
 fchemes of divine wifdom and juflice are 
 not bounded by the narrow limits of this 
 world, or confined to any period of time, 
 but are extended thoughout the univerfe 
 and to endlefs a2:es. And when the fcenes 
 of other worlds and of future ages are 
 difclofed to us, we may become more com^ 
 petent judges, and difcern thofe vaft efre6ls 
 of a wife contrivance and juft difpofition 
 
 of 
 
Divine Providence, Sj 
 
 of all things, of which we have now 
 fcarce any conception. 
 
 In the mean time, let prefent arguments 
 fuffice to our fatisfa6lion : and let a deep 
 conviction and conftant belief of the uni- 
 verfal prefiding, perfe6l and eternal juilice 
 of God, difpofmg affairs, rewarding virtue 
 and punifhing wickednefs here and here- 
 after J be our governing principle thro' 
 life, deterring us from vice, and fupport- 
 ing and animating us in the conllant 
 practice of all virtue. 
 
 G4 
 
DISCOURSE IV. 
 
 On Public Calamities, 
 
(9> ) 
 
 Luke xiii. i, &c. 
 
 I'here *were frefmt at that feafon^ fome that 
 told him of the Galileans , whofe bhcd Pi- 
 late had mingled with their facriJices.-^And 
 "jefus anfwering faid unto them^ fi^PP^fi y^ 
 that thefe Galileans were Jinners above all 
 •the Galileans, becauje they fiiffered fuch 
 things f I tell you nay : but except ye repent 
 ye fiall all likewife perifi.- — Or thofe eigh^ 
 teen, upon whom the tower of Siloamfell^ 
 a?id Jlew them, think ye that they were fin" 
 ners above all men that dwelt in yerufalem? 
 I tell you nay j but except ye repent, ye fiall 
 all likewife perifi, 
 
 F all the public events of human 
 life, none raife a greater alarm, or 
 more engage the attention of mankind, 
 than thofe which involve multitudes in a 
 
 fuddeu 
 
92 On Public Calamities. 
 
 fadden calamity or deflruftlon. Devafta- 
 tions occafioned by war, famine, peflilence, 
 or feme violent commotion of the elements, 
 are heard of in remote places, and fpread 
 a general confternation. Curiofity, corn. 
 pafijon, a fenfe of our liablenefs to the 
 like difallers, and a regard to our own 
 prefervation, concur in exciting our at- 
 tention to fuch events : and moft men are 
 forward in forming conjeilures and con- 
 clufions, concerning the caufe and end of 
 them. Yet the reafons for which the di- 
 vine wifdom permits them, are remote 
 from human knowledge. The imprtlTions 
 they make are 'uiolenty but not lafting: 
 men's pajjions are affected, but not their 
 ^udgmerd convinced : then* jear is excited, 
 but neither their faith flrengthened, nor 
 their lives reformed : in the midll of their 
 concern ation they are exceedingly devout^ 
 without making any improvement in wif- 
 dom and virtue. Many are apt to draw 
 fah'e or partial conciufioiis from them; 
 either impioufiy difcruiling the juflice and 
 
 goodnefs 
 
0/z Public Calamities: gj 
 
 goodnefs of God, or vainly prefuming tc) 
 know his defign, or uncharitably cenfur- 
 ing the unhappy fufFerers, or flatterhig 
 themfeives with an opinion of their owit 
 fuperior innocence and goodnefs. — It is 
 a matter of importance then, and will ht 
 the care and ftudy of every wife man, on 
 all fuch occafions, to beware of prefunlp^ 
 tion^ and by juft and proper refleftions, 
 to apply the terrible calamities which befal 
 his fellow-creatures, to his own improve- 
 ment in piety and virtue. 
 
 To this end, let the wifdom of our SavU 
 our dire6l us j and let us carefully attend tQ 
 the inilruclions he hath ?iven us on this 
 
 fubje6l. In the words of the text, we 
 
 find him a6lually reproving and recLifying 
 an error, which has been too popular in 
 all ages, and vv/hich feme of his difciples 
 had adopted. They fuppofed, that when 
 men fuffered any unufual calamities, or 
 periflied in any finguiar manner 5 it was 
 a proof of their fmgular guilt; and that 
 
 God 
 
94 On Public Calamities. 
 
 God intended by fuch events to pun'illi 
 them for their vvickednefs. With this 
 view they came to our Saviour, and related 
 to him the terrible fate of certain Galileans^ 
 whom Pilate had furprized and maflacred, 
 as they were offering facrifice. To which 
 he replied : S>uppofe ye that thefe Gali- 
 leans were finners above all the Galileans, 
 hecaiife they fiiffered fuch things? I tell you, 
 nay ; but except ye repent, ye fiall all likewife 
 perijh. Or thoje eighteen upon 'whom the 
 tower of Siloamfell and Jlew them ; think 
 ye that they were finners above all men that 
 dwelt in yerufalem ? I tell you, nay : but ex^ 
 cept ye repent, ye jl:all all likewife perifi. 
 
 On this palTage we may make the three 
 following obfervations. — In the firft place, 
 that cur Saviour admoniflicth us, not to^ 
 flatter ourfeives w^ith a vain imagination, 
 that we are more innocent and virtuous 
 than others, becaufe we efcape the calami- 
 ties in which they arc involved. Second- 
 ly, tliat he inftrucls us not to cenfure the 
 
 the 
 
On Tiiblic Calamities* 95 
 
 the fufFerers, or impute their calamities to 
 their guilt. It was only the fudden and 
 fmgular manner, in which the Galileans 
 and the eighteen Jews perifhed, which 
 tempted feme of Chriji*s difciples, to in- 
 terpret that event as a punifhment of their 
 wickednefs : had they periflied in any o- 
 ther manner more common to mankind, 
 no one would have thought of afcribing it 
 to their guilt. Now our Saviour denies the 
 fmgularity of the manner to be any evidence 
 of their fmgular guilt : and confequently 
 it was no mark or evidence at all of any 
 guilt. Such calamities therefore are not 
 to be confidered as punifliments, or as 
 judgments of God upon men for their 
 wickednefs. And in facl, whoever takes 
 a comprehenfive view of the flate of hu- 
 man life, will be convinced, that the mofl 
 innocent perfons are equally liable to, and 
 as frequently fuffer fuch external calami- 
 ties, as the mofl guilty: and that in all 
 public defolations, both are equally in- 
 volved without diftindion : and therefore 
 
 3 that 
 
^6 On Public Calamities, 
 
 that fucii events have 7to relation to men'^ 
 refpe6live moral charaflers and deferts.— - 
 Thirdly, w^e may obferve, that our Saviour 
 here predicts the deftruclion of the Jew^ 
 ijh nation at the fiege of Jerufalem : ex^ 
 eept ye repent y ye fiall all likewife periflo : or 
 as it fliould be rendered, in like manner * 
 i. e. in a deftruclion fimilar to the calami- 
 ties, in which the aforementioned fufferers 
 perilhed: which accordingly came to pafs. 
 For as Pilate the Roman governor llev/ 
 thofe Je'ivs as they were offering facrifices ; 
 and as thofe eighteen were crufhed to deaths 
 
 by the fall of the tower in Siloamy fo 
 
 the nation in general, being alTembled to 
 offer facrifices at Jerufakmy were fur* 
 rounded and deflroyed by the Roman ar- 
 mies, or periflied at la ft in the ruins of 
 the city and temple. So fully were the 
 words of our Saviour verified ; nayy but 
 except ye repent^ ye JJjall all perijl) in 
 the like tnanner. The parable follow- 
 ing the text was fpoken at the fame time, 
 and contains 2ipredi6iion of thtjame event. 
 
 Now 
 
On Public Calamitmi 97 
 
 Now from this paflage of our Saviour, 
 let us endeavour to make fome rational and 
 ufeful refle6lions upon thofe tragical events 
 and public calamities which we fee or 
 hear of in the woild. And firfl let us 
 conlider them with a view to divine pro- 
 vidence. — Secondly, with refpe6l to the 
 fufferers, and to ourfelves. 
 
 First, we are to confider fuch tragical 
 events and general calamities with refpeft 
 
 to the providence of God. And here it 
 
 is more curious than ufeful to endeavour 
 to trace out the immediate caufes of them : 
 whether they be owing to the convulfion 
 of the raging elements, and the violent 
 operation of thofe mighty powers, with 
 which God has endued the feveral parts of 
 the material fyftem ; or to thofe other 
 elements, the violent paffions of men, and 
 the operation of a furious ambition and 
 revenge, in the bofoms of mankind:— 
 they are to be confidered in the fame re- 
 ligious view, as equally related to, and 
 
 Vol, IL H origi- 
 
98 On Public Calamities. 
 
 originally proceeding from that power and 
 providence of God, which difpofeth all 
 events, which conftituted the powers and 
 paffions of human nature, and the pro- 
 perties and operations of the material 
 world J and v^^hich can equally over-rule 
 
 and dire6l both at his pleafure. There 
 
 are two inftances, one of each kind, men- 
 tioned in the text j and our Saviour makes 
 the fame reflection upon both. 
 
 To fome perfons it may feem difficult 
 to reconcile fuch events, where numbers 
 are promifcuoufly involved in the fame 
 calamity, with the juftice and goodnefs of 
 the fupreme Difpofer. For however juft 
 the calamity and deilru6tion of wicked 
 men may appear ^ we may put the queflion 
 with Abraham, wilt thou dejlroy the righte- 
 ous with the wicked? And, fiallnot the judge 
 of the whole earth do right f 
 
 In anfwer to fuch kind of obje6lions, 
 we may afk on the other hand ; who can 
 
 3 prefume 
 
On F libit c Calamities, no 
 
 prefume upon the fcore of his fmgular 
 innocence and virtue, to plead a right of 
 exemption from fuch calamities ? Who is 
 there that does not defervc, in fome in- 
 ftance or other, the divine difpleafure ? At 
 leafl who can arrogate to himfelf fo much 
 merit, as to fay it is unjuft in the ahnighty 
 Difpofer, to permit him to fall with others 
 in a common ruin? Are not all guilty be^ 
 fore GOD? And is there any that doeth 
 good andjinneth riot^ I— At lead is it not a 
 high degree of prefumption and vanity in 
 any mortal, to im.agine his own life of fo 
 much importance, or his own piety and 
 virtue fo meritorious, that God is obliged 
 to interpofe miraculoufly ; for his prefer- 
 vation from a deilru6i:ion, in which others 
 around him are involved ? What is man 
 in his beft eftate, fuppofing him endued 
 with the higheft virtues and accomplifli- 
 ments attainable by human nature, in the 
 eye of the infinite being, but a mean and 
 fliort-lived reptile in the duft of the earth ? 
 ——It is true, that not a fparrcw falleth to 
 H 2 the 
 
100 Ojt Public Calamities, 
 
 the ground without him : but how fmall Is 
 the dilierence in his eye, hov/ great Ibever 
 it may appear to our little minds, between 
 the minuteft infedV, and the greatefl per- 
 
 fon in the world ? Mankind indeed are 
 
 of a higher order, and greater value, than 
 the brute-creatures j as our Saviour beau- 
 tifully infl:ru6ts his difciples : not afparroiii 
 falleth to the ground without hitn : a?2d are 
 not ye much better than they : ye are oj more 
 value : fear not therefore^ but repofe a con- 
 fidence in the divine care. Thus he 
 
 leads us to a jufl: knowledge of ourfelves ^ 
 and equally guards us, on the one hand, 
 from a falfe prefumption upon the fpecial 
 protection of heaven ; and on the other, 
 from an anxious difndence and defpair, as 
 if our lives were of no moment, or be- 
 neath the notice of the all-wife governor 
 of the world. 
 
 We ought always to remember, what 
 experience if attended to will fufficiently 
 inform us of, that God governs the world, 
 
 by 
 
On Public Calamities, loi 
 
 by the general powers and properties, 
 which his wifdom has fixed, in the con- 
 flitution of human nature, and in the 
 various elements, of which the world is 
 compofed. And if we confider the im- 
 menfe and unknown powers of nature, 
 a6ling in a frequent or perpetual oppofi- 
 tion to each other ; ought we not rather 
 to admire, that providence of the Creator, 
 which has fo retrained, tempered and uni^ 
 ted them, as to produce fo much ferenity 
 and harmony, to preferve human life in 
 fo regular a manner, and to furnifh fuch 
 various and agreeable fcenes, as are con- 
 tinually prefented to us ? Ought we not ra- 
 ther to admire fuch wifdom and goodnefs, 
 than to be ftruck with horror and diffi- 
 dence, and tempted to impeach divine provi- 
 dence J tho* the elements of matter, or the 
 paffions of men, feem fometimes to break 
 thro' the regular and prefcribed bounds, and 
 inftead of being falutary, become deflru6iive. 
 The ufual and regular courfe of divine 
 providence and beneficence, ought much 
 H 3 more 
 
102 On Public Calajnities* 
 
 more to engage our attention and grati- 
 tude, than the unufual calamities move our 
 fear and awe. For it is by the cords of a 
 majj, and the bcmds of lo've, that God in- 
 tends to draw men to himfelf, and con- 
 ciliate our efteem afiediion and obedienccj 
 rather than to compel us, by motives of 
 terror and aftonifhment. And the wifeft 
 and moil ingenuous minds, will not have 
 recourfe to fmgular events, tragical dif- 
 aders, and public defolations, in order to 
 i-^e the hand of Gop's providence, and be 
 convinced of his righteous judgment. We 
 may much better learn and underfland the 
 wifdom juflice and goodnefs of the divine 
 adminiftration, from the ftated oeconomy 
 of the world, the regnlar formation of 
 things in it, and the ufual procefs of 
 events j than from thofe uncommon and 
 aftonifhing accidents, where nature feems 
 to be difturbed, and to produce monflrous 
 births, and the world to be unhinged, and 
 thrown into confufion.— And with re- 
 gard to fuch events, a wife man will con- 
 
 fidei*. 
 
% On Public Calamities, 103 
 
 fider, that as the human body is liable to 
 particular diforders, and the confli(5l of 
 violent diftempers, which is notwithftand- 
 ing no impeachment of the wifdom of the 
 hand which formed it j— fo the world 
 itielf may be of a fimilar conftitution, and 
 be fubje6t in like manner, to accidental 
 convulfions of the potent elements : and 
 in both J will admire the wifdom of God, 
 who has given to nature fo flrong an effi- 
 cacy, and conftant propenfity to heal it- 
 felf, to difcharge what is noxious to the 
 conftitution, and to recover its ufual ftate 
 of health and vigour : and inftead of 
 being tempted to diftruft the divine wif- 
 dom and goodnefs, will adore that pro- 
 vidence, which binds and unites the whole 
 world together, which reconciles the moft 
 difcordant things in nature, andfocounter- 
 poizes the contrary v/eights and powers 
 in it, as to preferve the univerfal ballance^ 
 to make all things coincide in fo much 
 harmony, and jointly produce fo benefi- 
 cial effeds. That havock and defolation 
 
 K 4 arc 
 
104 On Public Calamities, 
 
 are fometlmes occalioned, by hoftilities of 
 war, by peftilential diftempers, or con- 
 tending elements, is not a matter of won- 
 der : — the proper fubje6l of our admira- 
 tion is, that fuch deftru61:ive events hap- 
 pen fo feldom, and in fo few places ; and 
 that upon the whole, human life is main- 
 tained in fo much fecurity and tranquility, 
 and the order and conftitution of the 
 world ilill preferved ; which is owing to 
 the power and goodnefs of that being, 
 who, in the elegant expreffion of the 
 Pfahniji, ftiUetb the raging of the fea, and 
 the tumults of the people. And certainly, 
 had not the world been conftituted by in- 
 finite wifdom, and was it not fuperin- 
 tended by a divine providence j the earth 
 had long fince returned to its primitive 
 chaos, and the fyiiem of nature fallen 
 into univerfal defolation. 
 
 Having confidered fuch events with a 
 view to the providence of God ; let us in 
 the next place attend to them^^ with a view 
 
 to 
 
On Fublic Calamities, 105 
 
 to the fufFerers, and to ourfelves.— — With 
 refpedl to thofe who unhappily perifh, or 
 are othervvife involved in fuch public cala- 
 mities ', it is extremely rafh in us, to make 
 fuch events a handle to pronounce a fen- 
 tence of guilt upon the fufFerers. For 
 befides the uncharitablenefs of fuch cen- 
 fures, do v^e not hereby prefume to under- 
 {land thofe w^ays and judgments of God, 
 which are mod unfearchable and paft our 
 finding out? — When indeed men bring 
 upon themfelves, by their own wickednefs, 
 difgrace, difeafcs, or death, according to the 
 natural and ufual courfe of things, or the 
 juftice of human law 3 it is here no rafli- 
 nefs to afTert, that they are fuffering pu- 
 nifliment for their tranfgreffions : but thefe 
 extraordinary events and public calamities> 
 are of a nature totally different, as there 
 is no natural or vifible connexion between 
 the fm and the fuffering j and confequently 
 no ground on which to form fuch a con. 
 
 clufion. Befides, as all mankind mufl 
 
 die, of what great importance is the ti?ne 
 
 or 
 
io6 On Public Calamities. 
 
 or manner? Or why fhould thofe that 
 perifh fuddenly in a common deftrudion, 
 be thought to bear the marks of divine dif- 
 pleafure, more than others, who tho' they 
 iurvive fach calamities, may linger out 
 life in anxiety and diflrefs, or perifh by 
 flow and painful difterapers ? We are fo 
 ignorant and incompetent judges of fuch 
 events, that it becomes us filently to refer 
 them, to the unfearchable wifdom of that 
 being, whofe judgements are a great deepy 
 and who is the prefer ver of man and beafi, 
 '^ho wounds and who heals, who kills and who 
 makes alivey who creates e^oil as well as goody 
 and who is not obliged to unfold to us the 
 niyfleries of his counfels. 
 
 It beft becomes us to purfue the wife and 
 falutary in(tru6lions of our Saviour, and 
 to apply fuch events to our own corre6lion 
 and amendment, and as a motive to repent- 
 ^x\zt and reformation. For if we are invol- 
 ved in fm and guilt, and do not repent and 
 become better, we (hall certainly, fometime 
 or other, be involved in deilru6lion, and 
 
 in 
 
On Public Calamities, 107 
 
 in fome m^jnner or other, experience the 
 dilpleafure of ahuighty God. What if we 
 were abfokitely fecure from the like cala- 
 mities, by which others are opprefled or 
 deftroyed ? Has not the all- wife governor 
 of the world various • ways and means, by 
 which to chatlife or punifli his linful and 
 rcbelhous creatures ? Or if we could be 
 fecure from all temporal calamities ; yet is 
 there not a righteous judgment hereafter? 
 And does not an eternal deflrudion finally 
 
 await the impenitent and incorrigible ? 
 
 But where is our fecurity from any evils or 
 calamities, however remote we may feem to 
 be, at prefent, from danger ? No proof can 
 be brought for our fecurity ^ nor does our 
 mountain ft and fo Jlrong that it cannot 
 be fhook. We are furrounded with the 
 fame elements, as the reft of mankind. 
 And it is in vain to flatter ourfelves with 
 entire fafety, either from the fword of our 
 enemies, or the ravages of the peftilence, 
 or the defolations of the tempeiluous and 
 
 warring 
 
Io8 On Tiiblic Calamities. 
 
 elements. For the words of the Apoftle 
 are often verified, that when men fay to 
 tbemfeheSj peace^ and are fecure in their 
 own imagination, then fudden dejlru^ion 
 cometb upon them. 
 
 It mufl: be confefTed, that the terrible 
 calamities, and general defolations, which 
 fometimes befal mankind, do not feem cal- 
 culated to infVruft and reform them : at 
 leafl they are not to be thought the prin- 
 cipal means, which God makes ufe of, to 
 convert men from their wickednefs to the 
 love and practice of virtue. And we may 
 learn from hiflory and obfervation, that 
 the principal efFe6l of them has been a 
 tranfient confl:ernation and terror, which 
 is foon worn off: and the elements have 
 no fboner returned to their ufual flate, 
 than men have returned to their ufual vi- 
 llous courfes : they operate for a while vi- 
 olently upon the pailions of mankind, and 
 move their fear and horror: but their 
 judgment and ccnfcicnce, their temper and 
 
 con- 
 
On Public Calamities* 109 
 
 condu6l have been in the main little altered 
 or amended. It is by a calm and rational 
 attention to the inflrudlions of divine wif- 
 dom, to the difference of virtue and vice, 
 and to the motives of the gofpel, that the 
 world is to be reformed, and the lives and 
 manners of men corre6led and governed ; 
 and not by the tranfient terrors of a fud- 
 den calamity, which feldom produce any 
 good and lading fruits. But notwithfland- 
 ing this, wife and confiderate perfons may 
 and will make a good ufe and jufi: appli- 
 cation of fuch events : and neither on the 
 one hand, give way to fuperftitious horrors 
 and unreafonable fears 5 nor on the other, 
 be inattentive to what pafTes in the world, 
 and negligent of the awful ftrokes of di- 
 vine providence. It becomes us to con- 
 lider in what fituation v/e are placed, to 
 what dangers we are expofed, and on whom 
 our time life and fafety depend : and to 
 remember, that as the order of things fuf- 
 fers fome cafual diflurbance and inter- 
 ruption, and nature feems to be thrown 
 
 into 
 
jio On Public Calamities i 
 
 into tranlient and partial convulfions;— 
 fo a period of all things will come at lafl, 
 when the world itfelf will labour under 
 mortal agonies, and haften to a total diflb- 
 lutioni when the whole fabrick of the 
 world Ihall fall to ruins, and make way for 
 an univerfal renovation. 
 
 By fuch confideratlons we (hall be power- 
 fully excited, to arm ourfelves with religi- 
 ous faith and fortitude, and with that con- 
 fcious integrity, which will be our beft 
 and only fupport : and this will be a foun- 
 dation to ftand upon, tho' the earth be 
 removed from under us. A fleady truft 
 in the wifdom and goodnefs of the al- 
 mighty Maker of the world, and the hope 
 of that immortality, which is brought to 
 light by the gofpel, and that refurrecSlion 
 to hfe which our Saviour is impowered to 
 beilow, when the foul fliall triumph over 
 death and the grave, and over the ruins 
 
 of a diffolving world; this faith and 
 
 hope, joined to a confcience void of of- 
 fence. 
 
On Tuhlic Calamities. Hi 
 
 fence, may banifli diffidence and dread, 
 and render us ferene and unmoved amidil 
 all events ^ knowing that no diforder or 
 confufion can ariie, no calamity or ruin 
 enfue, which the almighty Difpofer will 
 not finally convert into order and peace; 
 that death itfelf (liall be at laft changed in- 
 to life, deftru6lion into falvation, fear 
 and pain into triumph and joy, and the 
 tranfitory fcene of thisdifToIuble and perifh- 
 ing world, into eternal manfions, and a 
 world wherein righteoufnefs and happinefs 
 fhall dwell for ever. 
 
 Let this mind and this hope be in us; 
 carefully preferving our innocence, and 
 diligently improving in all knowledge and 
 virtue, banifliing fear and anxiety, en- 
 Joying freedom and peace of mind, and a 
 grateful fenfe of God's preferving goodnefs 
 and providence, and a confidence, that all 
 thiizgs Jhall work together for good to them that 
 love him and keep his command?7ients. 
 
®@@©@@®@t®@®®8s#@t-®®t(®@®# 
 
 DISCOURSE V. 
 
 Oil the right Ufe of the Underfiand- 
 ino^ in Rehgion. 
 
 ^^^00#03§)€'#00€^00##0^ii^rgJ^0 
 
 Vol. II. 
 
( 115 ) 
 
 I Cor. xIv. 20. 
 In underjiandtjig be men* 
 
 TO give attention to things moft ex- 
 cellent in their nature, benelicial in 
 their efFe6ls, and laftlng in their duration, 
 things moft requifite to the good of man- 
 kind and to our own happinefs j is evi- 
 dently the heft employment of the human 
 underftanding. On the other hand, To be 
 ferioufly bufy about trifles, and inattentive 
 to things of importance j to beftov/ much 
 labour and expence upon the body, and to 
 neglecl the culture of the mind ; to be te- 
 nacious of dark opinions and fuperfluous 
 ceremonies, and regard lefs of the cleareil 
 truths and m.oft ufeful inftruclions -, to be 
 captivated with an external fhow which is 
 of no value, and to negleft that virtue and 
 goodnefs which is of the greateft worth 
 I 2 and 
 
1 1 6 On the Right life of the 
 
 and the end of alt religion ; thefe are all 
 charafteriilics of a falfe judgment and a 
 little underfl:anding. 
 
 The nnderftanding of man, duly culti- 
 vated and improved, looks beyond thofe 
 minute obje6ls which childifi:i weak and 
 fuperftitious minds lay hold of and dwell 
 upon j and founds his religion on the mofl 
 enlarged conceptions he can poffibly form 
 of the greateil and beft of beings, and of 
 the intentions of his wifdom and goodnefs 
 in the formation of the world. But a 
 mindcontracled and poilefTed by little and 
 falfe ideas, conceives of God as being al^ 
 together fuch a one as hiwfelf', influenced by 
 particular aiieclions and antipathies, lov- 
 ing this fe6l and hating the other, requir- 
 ing the belief of unreafonable dodfrines, 
 delighted v/ith outward formalities, eafy 
 of accefs to fome, inexorable to others, 
 elefting a few to eternal life without rea- 
 fon, and damning all the reft without 
 mercy. Kence his zeal will be all em- 
 ployed 
 
XJnderftanding in Religion, 117 
 
 ployed about fpeculative points, the tra- 
 ditions of the elders, and the externals of 
 worfhip -y and he will feek to gain the di- 
 vine favour by a falfe fliow of devotion, 
 or contending for an unprofitable faith, 
 rather than by the fubftantial duties of an 
 innocent and beneficent life. Such er- 
 rors are beft corrected by opening and en- 
 larging the Under/landings of men, and 
 leading them to diftinguifh what is moil 
 excellent and important from every thing 
 trifling and fuperficiaL 
 
 There are in reality but three kinds of 
 religion in the world, tho' there are num- 
 berlefs different denominations. The firit 
 is a religion of the fenfes, when men's 
 minds are awed and captivated by fenfible 
 obje(fl:s, by edifices, images, founds, pof- 
 tures, proceffions, veflments, &c. in a 
 word, by a pompous apparatus of wor- 
 fhip : this is the very genius of Superftition^ 
 and fprings from, or produces, the moft 
 childifh mifconceptions of the nature of 
 
 1 3 God 
 
1 1 8 Ott the Right Ufe of the 
 
 God and the end of religion. The fecond 
 is a religion of the fajjions^ and confifts in 
 certain fervors and tranfports, in contrac- 
 tions or dilatations of the heart, in eleva- 
 tions or depreffions of the fpirits : this 
 tends to Enthifiajm. The third is a reli- 
 gion of the Underjiandingj when men are 
 duly convinced on rational evidence of the 
 great truths of religion, and deliberately 
 refolve to govern their actions according to 
 them. 
 
 In fa^l, every religion in the world is a 
 compofition of thefe three kinds : but is ra- 
 tional and ufeful only in proportion as it 
 partakes of the lafi kind^ or, as it is a- 
 dapted to the imde7Jia?2dings of men, and 
 contributes to preferve and ftrengthen the 
 judging faculty of the mind, in a due go- 
 vernment of the fenfes and affe6lions. 
 Yet we cannot entirely exclude either of 
 thefe latter from the fervice of religion y 
 nor ought this to be attempted under any 
 pretence of fliunning fuperftition or en- 
 
 thufiafm : 
 
VncierJIanding in Rcl'igtont iig 
 
 thuriafm : mankind are not capable of a 
 religion fo fpiritual and refined. The 
 [ejjfes^ and much more the afj'eSfmis^ are oi 
 great life in religion, when they are under 
 the government of a good underflanding. 
 They belong to the conftitution of our na- 
 ture } and are neceffary to excite us to ac- 
 tivity and diligence. The fpeculations and 
 opinions of the underllanding, how juft 
 and important foever, only operate by 
 producing affeEiion : and whoever can at- 
 tentively coniider the great do(5lrines of re- 
 ligion, without being in the lead affeBed^ 
 has good reafon to quefiiion himfelf, whe- 
 ther he has any belief of them. 
 
 But if the fenfes and afre6lions are not 
 under the government of a found judg- 
 ment ; they are blind guides in religio?i, and 
 may lead us into great abfurdities, into the 
 mean tricks of fuperfcition, or the wild 
 reveries of enthufiafm, 
 
 I 4 The 
 
I20 On the Right Ufe of the 
 
 The men who have invented, compiled, 
 propagated and eilabUflied religions in the 
 world, have adapted their fchemes with a 
 principal view either to the underftand- 
 ings, or to the paflions, or to the fenfes of 
 mankind , according to the different ends 
 which they had principally in view, viz. 
 either to rule and enflave the populace by 
 fuperflition j or to excite them to bold and 
 defperate actions by enthiifiafms or to in- 
 form and improve their minds by that 
 which alone is properly filled religion. 
 
 We fliall proceed to confider more par- 
 ticularly the right ufe of the human un- 
 derllanding in matters of religion, in re- 
 fpe6l to dodlrines and opinions 5 to forms 
 and ceremonies 3 and to moral praclice. 
 
 That there is an omniprefent, all- 
 powerful, mofl wife, jufl, benevolent, and 
 merciful Being ; that he rules over the ra- 
 tional world by the mofl perfect govern* 
 
 ment i 
 
JJnderJlanding m Religion* 12 1 
 
 merit ; that there is a life to come, in 
 which men fhall be rewarded according to 
 their a6lions -, that our BlefTed Saviour is 
 appointed the minifter of divine juftice 
 and goodnefs to mankind, and the judge 
 of the world : thefe are truths of moment, 
 the fundamental do6trines of religion in 
 general, and of chriftianity in particular, 
 which have a direct influence on the morals 
 of men, and a manifeft tendency to pro- 
 mote their virtue and happinefs. The de- 
 fign of the whole New Teftament is to di- 
 re6l and eftablifli the influence of thefe 
 do(5lrines upon the minds of men: and 
 every wife man will endeavour to under- 
 {land the importance and evidence of them, 
 and every good Chriflian to fupport the 
 belief and enforce tlie influence of them 
 in the world. 
 
 But when Chrifl:ians, inflead of attend- 
 ing to thefe great and evident principles of 
 the Gofpel, and recommending them to 
 others, became fludious and zealous only 
 
 in 
 
122 On the Right life of the 
 
 in fupport of obfcure and peculiar tenets, 
 difputable as to their foundation either in 
 reafon or fcripture, and of little or no in- 
 fluence to reform the lives of men, or 
 which tend to perplex their minds or con- 
 tract their tempers: when inflead of evinc* 
 ing the excellence of the laws of God, 
 and the obligations of yielding obedience 
 to them, they were framing and teaching 
 prefumptuous notions concerning his fecret 
 and eternal degrees >; whilfl inflead of fup- 
 porting the authority of Chriji and the re- 
 gard due to his precepts, they v/ere endea- 
 vouring to define his metaphyfical nature 
 and eiTence ; whilfl infiead of difTuading 
 men from fmful pra6lices, they were con- 
 tending for original fin -, and inflead of 
 perfuading men to do good, endeavouring 
 to prove that it is not in the power of 
 man to do any goodj whilfl inflead of 
 explaining and proving chriflianity, they 
 were making it improbable and unintelli- 
 gible } in all this they made a prepoflerous 
 ufe of the reafon God had given them, 
 T and 
 
Under flanding in Religion, 123 
 
 and how wife and learned foever they were 
 thought, departed from the true charader 
 of wifdom and underftanding. And the 
 mifery of the confequences was equal to 
 the folly of fuch attempts. Inflead of 
 knowledge and virtue, ignorance and cor- 
 ruption were largely diffufed; the beauti- 
 ful fimplicity of the Gofpel was defaced ; 
 and a religion of love and charity was per- 
 verted into a fubje6l of contention and an 
 engine of oppreflion. Hence wraths, 
 ftrifes, feditions, herefies, murders, were 
 propagated in the Chriftian world. The 
 harveft was anfwerable to the nature of 
 the feed : 'T'heyfowed the wind and reaped the 
 
 whirlwind. The general caufe of which 
 
 hath been this ; that men have not made 
 an honefl ufe of their underflandings, in 
 diftinguifliing thofe do6lrines which are 
 of real importance to the reformation and 
 good of mankind, from fuch as are infig- 
 nificant or hurtful. 
 
 In 
 
In like manner the weaknefs of the hu- 
 man underilanding hath appeared in the 
 bufy and folemn attention men have paid 
 to the modes and circumflances of worfhip, 
 inflead of regarding principally the moral 
 
 end and ufe of it. It was on occafion of 
 
 the Corinthiam affefling fome oftentatious 
 appearances in their public wordiip, inilead 
 of condu6ting it in the moll: inri:ru61:ive and 
 beneficial manner, that the Apoflle gives 
 them the admonition in the text : Brethren 
 be not children in under jianding : hnvbeit in 
 malice be ye children ; but in underjlanding be 
 ye men, 
 
 Alj. fuper/iition is founded either in ab- 
 folute ignorance ; or in a certain liftle?jefs 
 of mind, from whence it comes to pafs 
 that infignificant objefts and affairs 7^// z^^ 
 its capacity, and entirely poffefs its atten- 
 tion and afFeclions, to the exclufion of 
 things moll important and ufeful. Hence 
 the mere ceremonies of w^orfhip have at- 
 
 tradled 
 
TJnderftanding in Religion. 125 
 
 trailed profound veneration, and have been 
 thought of the greatefl moment and effi- 
 cacy, feparate from all moral efFe6ls in the 
 pradice of virtue and in the good of fo- 
 ciety. Tho' it is fo reafonable and fo eafy 
 to confider, that if a wife man chiefly 
 values the real efteem and fervice of others, 
 and defpifes mere ceremonies and verbal 
 profeffions in their behaviour to him; how- 
 much more will the all-wife governor of 
 the world chiefly regard integrity of heart 
 and a readinefs of mind to obey his will, 
 and rejedl the falfe figns and fuperilitious 
 mimickry of devotion to him. 
 
 But there is danger, on the other hand, 
 of falling into a contrary extreme, in both 
 the foregoing refpe6ls, from the fame 
 weaknefs, prejudice and narrow capacity 
 of the human mind. For fome men, when 
 they have difcovered the falfhood of fome 
 notions which they once ftrongly believed, 
 and the folly of fome cufloms for which 
 
 they 
 
126 On the Right XJfe of the 
 
 they once had a veneration, are apt to be 
 ftruck with amazement and perplexity, 
 are at a lofs where to fix, and begin to 
 queftion the certainty or the ufefuJnefs of 
 every thing in religion 3 and becaufe they 
 once believed fome things without evidence, 
 now reje6l things which have fufficient 
 evidence ; and becaufe they perceive that 
 many ufelefs and abfurd things have been 
 mixed with devotion, throw off all regard 
 to the public worfliip of God. 
 
 Now how much foever fuch perfons may 
 afcribe to their own enlarged underftand- 
 ings, and fuperiority of mind to vulgar 
 cuftoms and prejudices; yet in fa6l it is 
 the fame littlenefs of mind and precipitance 
 of temper, the fame want of attention, 
 and of an impartial and comprehenfive 
 judgment, which difpofes men to rejedl or 
 defpife what is true and ufeful, as to em- 
 brace what is falfe and hurtful: and it is 
 equally the part of every honeil and judi- 
 cious 
 
Vnderjianding in Religion] izy 
 
 cious pcrfon to fapport the true principles 
 of religion and the rational v/orfhip of 
 God, as to reject the extravagances of 
 credulity and ^ fuperflition. Indeed the 
 former is the only effectual means of guard- 
 ing men againft the latter. The pafTage 
 from infidelity to fuperftition, from 720 re- 
 ligion to the wor/l religion in the world, 
 is rather eaiy and natural than difficult. 
 The knowledge and belief of true religion 
 is the only firm barrier againft error and 
 fuperftition. As the only way to avoid 
 corruptions and tyranny in civil govern- 
 ment is not to throw oft^ all govern- 
 ment and reduce the ftate to anarchy 
 (which inftead of preventing is always 
 found to produce tyranny) but to fupport 
 a juft and legal government : fo the 
 only means, of guarding mankind againft 
 the corruptions of religion, are to pre- 
 fer ve the truth of religion and the pu- 
 rity of worfiiip, according to the genuine 
 inftrudionsofour Saviour and his Apoftles. 
 
 Men 
 
128 On ihe Right Ufe of the 
 
 Men of fhallow capacity and an impe- 
 tuous temper feldom adhere to a right me- 
 dium in their judgment and practice ; but 
 often run headlong from one extreme to 
 another. They either implicitly reverence 
 and admire whatever comes recommended 
 to them with an appearance of folemnity 
 and rehgion, and fo follow the track of 
 their anceilors and the cuftoms of the age 
 and place they live in ; or being once fet 
 free from the captivity of fuch imprefTions, 
 they iiy to the mofl oppofite part, and 
 think nothing can be true againft which 
 there lies any objedion, nothing ufeful that 
 is fubjeft to any inconvenience, and dif- 
 allow the beft ufe of things only becaufe 
 they have been abufed. 
 
 But this extreme is as juftly entitled to 
 the names of prejudice and folly as 
 the former. To difapprove a revealed re- 
 ligion only becaufe abfurd things have been 
 fathered upon it, or becaufe the nature 
 
 and 
 
Tjnddrftanding m 'Religion, 129 
 
 aiid evidence of it is attended with fonle 
 difficulty J to defpife the miniilration of 
 the Gofpel only becaufe it hath been cor^ 
 rupted 3 is confounding the moil important 
 diftinclions, rooting up the wheat with the 
 tares, and making havock and deftruclion. 
 There is nothing fo genuine in its nature, 
 or fubflantial in its foundation^ or bene- 
 ficial in its effeds, that is not liable to be 
 abufed and counterfeitcdj and the bejl 
 things may by an exceffive abufe and 
 thorough corruption become the 12;^?^/?. But 
 as we fliould call in queftion that perfon's 
 tmderjiandi77gj who inflead of carefully fe ] 
 parating and extirpating the weeds, ihould 
 think the only remedy v/as to dcftroy the 
 foil itfelf\ fo we may with equal reafon 
 queftion the foundnefs of his intelleSis^ who 
 from a violent antipathy to the corruptions 
 of chriftianity, is for difbanding Chriftian 
 focieties and deftroying the foundation of 
 religion in the minds of men.- 
 
 Vol. II, K We 
 
13© On the Right Ufe of the 
 
 We have thus far confidered the weak- 
 nefsand mifufe of the human underftand- 
 ing in a blind veneration of or attachment 
 to groundlefs or obfcure opinions and ufe- 
 lefs or fuperflitious forms, on the one 
 hand j and on the other, in a difefteem and 
 rejection of thofe doctrines and inftitu- 
 tutions which are founded on truth and 
 ufeful to mankind, and have confidered 
 i;oth extremes as proceeding from 2ijimilar 
 temper and capacity of mind, equally pre- 
 judiced, precipitate, and undiflinguifliing. 
 Every perfon, of a fedate and manly judg- 
 ment and honed difpofition, will be no lefs 
 defirous of admitting and fupporting what- 
 ever hath probable evidence and is bene- 
 ficial in effect, as of rejecting what hath 
 no fufiicient foundation or is prejudicial to 
 mankind. 
 
 Finally, in regard to moral praBice, 
 which is of the utmofl importance to every 
 man's own welfare and eternal falvation, 
 
 the 
 
Vnderfianding in Religiofi, 131 
 
 the proof of a good underflanding confifls, 
 in keeping the command?nents of GOD, in 
 preferring our duty to all other confidera- 
 tions, in knowing and purfuing what is 
 moft valuable in itfelf and moll conducive 
 to our happinefs. 
 
 Should any one ferioufly own it as his 
 ©pinion, that wealth is better than ho- 
 nefly, or intemperance better than fo- 
 briety, or that this life is preferable to an 
 immortal life, or. that it is a wife exchange 
 to gain the world with the lofs of his foul ; 
 fhould we not conclude him to be ftrange- 
 
 ly difordered in his in tellers f And if 
 
 men profefs the contrary opinions, yet 
 act thus in practice j do they not appear 
 to be equally, or much more, void of U?2- 
 derjiandi?2g ? For anions are of more im- 
 portance than wordi : the main teft of a 
 found mind is right conduct, and the 
 fteddy purfuit of what is mod valuable to 
 ourfelves and beneficial to fociety. How 
 
 K 2 in- 
 
132 On the Right Ufe of the 
 
 ingenious and crafty foever men are in the 
 fetches of poHcy and in compaffing their 
 own by-ends and worldly devices, they arc 
 but Children in tmderjlanding, whilft they 
 aim at nothing truely honourable and 
 ufeful to themfelves and to mankind. 
 
 Of all men th€ covetous and worldly 
 make the flrongefl pretenfions to pru- 
 dence and a good judgment, and are ap^ 
 to value themfelves for their policy and 
 penetration, in knowing the worth of 
 every thing, and how to draw profit to 
 themfelves, from every perfon and event 
 they are concerned with. To thefe are 
 oppofed the intemperate and the men of 
 gaiety, wit, and pleafure, who defpife the 
 maxims on which the former act, and 
 pride themfelves in a more lively genius 
 and quicker tafle of the enjoyments of 
 
 life. But if we could fuppofe both thefe 
 
 characters united in the fame perfon, and 
 tlie moil refined tafle in expending wealth 
 
 ad-ded 
 
JJnderfuindliig in licllglon. 1 33 
 
 flclded to the greatefl fagacity in gaining 
 it J v/ould he on account of thefe qualities 
 be entitled to the high cliaracter of vvif- 
 dom and a good underftanding ? and -k- 
 is our Saviour's judgment erroneous, of 
 his language without meaning, when he 
 reprefents the wifefi of beings, faying to 
 fuch a perfon. Fool., this night thy foul 
 (hall be required of thee ; theii whofe fhall 
 jhofe things be ivhichthou haji provided^ 
 
 How far foever the prudence and po- 
 licy of men may extend in the manage- 
 ment of their worldly affairs and in ef- 
 timating the comparative worth of earth- 
 ly poiTellions ; yet if they have never con-^ 
 fidered what worldly things in general 
 and on the whole are worth, if they know 
 not the value of virtue and of a good con- 
 fcience, if they have never thought of 
 the end and purpofe of life itfelf, and the 
 importance of the fucceeding eternal ftate 5 
 gre they to be thought men in imderfiand- 
 K 3 ing f 
 
134 ^'^ ^^^ Right Ufe of the 
 
 'ing f or are they not deflitute of the 
 higheft wifdom of a reafonable creature ? 
 At heft they only referable thofe children^ 
 who are acute and ingenious in their child- 
 ifli acquifitions and amufement, vvhilft 
 they negle6l to learn thofe things which 
 would be of the greateft ufe to them in 
 future life, and on which their fuccefs 
 and happinefs will depend when they come 
 to years of maturity. 
 
 There is nothing men are more am- 
 bitious of than to be thought men of 
 fenfe and judgment, and nothing more of- 
 fenfive to them than a contempt of their 
 underftandings. Let us confider then^ 
 what is the beft proof and efFe<5l of a 
 good underftanding. And as we are in 
 a ftate of minority and education^ in re- 
 fpeft to a future and eternal life; let us 
 wifely apply our rational faculties to the 
 beft improvement of this life : Left we 
 fliould difcover at laft that we have been 
 
 em- 
 
TJnderftanding in Religion* 135 
 
 employed to no valuable purpofe ; and 
 whilfl we have been bufy and thoughtful 
 about trifles^ have neglected things of the 
 greateft value and moment ^^ and which, after 
 the proper feafon of life is over, can never 
 be retrieved. 
 
 K 4 pis- 
 
DISCOURSE VI. 
 
 On the Office and Dignity of Chrljl, 
 
[ ^39 ] 
 
 Acts V. 31. 
 
 Him hath GOD exalted to be a Prijice and 
 a Saviour, 
 
 x4lRIOUS opinions have arifen a- 
 mong chriftians concerning the 
 power and office of our Bleffed Saviour.- 
 And this variety hath been a natural con- 
 fequence of their different underftandings 
 and methods of conception, their diffe- 
 rent means of inilru6tion and informa- 
 tion, and the different fenfes in which they 
 have interpreted the fame words of Holy 
 Scripture. Many attempts have been 
 made to remove thefe differences, to rec- 
 tify men's opinions, and to promote the 
 knowledge of truth. But fuch attempts 
 have not only failed of attaining the end 
 propofed ; but have been often made with 
 fo little judgment, or received with fo little 
 
 candour 
 
140 On the Office and Dignify of Chrift, 
 
 candour and impartiality 5 that inflead of 
 remedying that difTerence of opinion, which, 
 if an evil, is a njery fmall one ; they have 
 added to it that difcord of affection and 
 party-hatred, which is undoubtedly a "cery 
 great ev'iL 
 
 One thing which hath contributed to 
 render all fuch attempts inefreclual, or 
 produclive of confequences worfc than the 
 difeafc itfelf, hath been this. Men have 
 rather ftudied to divide and multiply the 
 characters afcribed to our Saviour in the 
 New Teftament, and confequently to per- 
 plex our minds in conceiving of them ; 
 than to reduce them to one intelligible 
 meaning: and particularly, have applied 
 thofe titles to the perfon of our Lord in a 
 jnetapbyfical fenfe, wiiicli are given to him 
 in Scripture folely on account of his office 
 ^nd dominio7i» 
 
 It will greatly facilitate our conception?, 
 and ftrsngthen our chriilian belief^ if we 
 
 con- 
 
On the Office arid Dignity of Chrijl, 143' 
 
 eonfider the various eminent titles and 
 chara6lcrs afcribed to him, as intended, not 
 to fignify different properties of his nature, 
 or offices of his mediation; but only, to 
 recommend him to our efteem and venera- 
 tion, in various aUufions to different dig- 
 nities and offices among men. For in- 
 
 ftance, in allufion to the office and dignity 
 of High-Prieff among the Jews ; he is faiil 
 to be our High-Priefty and to offer his cwm 
 blood as a facrijice for us. — In allufion to 
 patrons and interceflbrs in earthly courts ; 
 he is charafterized cur advocate with th 
 Father, and d'efcribed as continually making 
 
 interceffion for us. In reference to the 
 
 power and dignity of temporal princes; 
 he is ftiied, A prince mighty to fave to iht 
 iLttermofi, and his government an everlafting 
 kingdom. — - Compared to generals who 
 fight the battles of their country, and over- 
 throve its enemies ; he is denominated th 
 captain of our fakaticHy who fubdues our 
 fpiritual enemies. —And as angels, and 
 even eartldy governors are called Gods 
 
 in 
 
142 On the Office and Dignity of Chrifi, 
 
 in Scripture ; fo He is fometimes in a more 
 eminent fenfe fliled a GOD : not on ac- 
 count of his metaphyfical nature or efTence 
 (which the Scripture faith not a word of) 
 but on account of the dominion or go- 
 vernment, which God hath committed to 
 
 him for the eternal falvation of men. 
 
 And finally, as angels, and even good 
 njen, on account of their piety and good- 
 nefs, and the divine favour toward them> 
 are frequently called tlje Sons of God : fo 
 He is moft frequently, and in the mofb 
 eminent fenfe chara6lerized, the Son of 
 God: denoting by that title, not the deri- 
 vation of his effence, but his moral worth 
 
 and dignity in the divine eflimation. . 
 
 All thefe titles and chara6lers may be re- 
 duced to one and the fame meaning: re- 
 commending him to our efleem and con- 
 fidence, as being appointed of God the 
 Saviour Governor and judge of mankind 
 in refpecl to their eternal ftate; as qua- 
 lified and empowered to take care of our 
 mofl important interefls, and to beftov/ 
 5 the 
 
On the Office and Dignity of Chrij}, 143 
 
 the rewards of immortality on good 
 men. 
 
 It will confirm this explication, to ob- 
 ferve, That the privileges and bleflings we 
 derive from his mediation, are defcribed 
 in the fame allufions and figurative expref. 
 
 fions. As he was in a moft eminent 
 
 ^Qnk the Son of God , fo it is faid, that he 
 gave his followers a power or privilege to be- 
 come the Sons of God. As he is fliled the 
 
 heir of all things-, fo his true followers are 
 
 ftiled. Heirs of God and joi fit-heirs with him- 
 
 felf — As he hath the titles of King and of 
 
 High-Prieji j fo he hath made them to be 
 
 Kings and Priejis fo his God and Father, > 
 
 As He received from Got> a kingdom ; fo 
 he faith to his difciples, / appoint unto you 
 
 a kingdom. As he is faid to be one with 
 
 the Father j fo it is faid, that he raifeth his 
 followers to be partakers of a divine nature^ 
 and to be one with hijny even as he is one with 
 the Father. — And further, as he is def- 
 cribed /"r^/w'^ upon a throne of glory, and 
 
 coming 
 
f44 ^'^ ^^^ ^ffi^^ ^^^^ Dignity of Chrijl. 
 coming to judge the world j fo he declares 
 to his Apoftles, that they Jhozild fit down 
 with him on his throne^ and that they JJooidd 
 judge the twelve tribes of Ifrael. — In a word, 
 as He is filled the fir jl born a?nong many bre- 
 thren^ with whom he partook of human in- 
 firmity and mortality ; fo they are defcrib- 
 ed as partaking with him in his refurrec- 
 tion, exaltation, dominion, glory, and 
 joy. — All thefe expreflions and figures are 
 reducible to one and the fame meaning : 
 defcribing in various lights the grand ef- 
 fefl of our Saviour's enterprize : when all 
 thofe who have followed his example of 
 virtue and obedience, fliall be raifed from 
 the dead, in the likenefs, and by the power 
 of their exalted Princey be cloathed with 
 immortality, and inherit the kingdom pre-' 
 pared for them^ — where he refides and Ihall 
 reign for ever. 
 
 The apoflle Peter in the words of the 
 text reprefents the dignity of Chrijl in the 
 moft eafy and intelligible terms ; yet fuch 
 
 as 
 6 
 
On the Office and Dignity of Chrijl, 'i^^j 
 
 as comprehend the greatnefs of his cha- 
 ra6ter, and the end of his office : Him 
 hath God exalted to be a "Prince and a Savior, 
 The title of Prince implies the power or 
 dominion God hath committed to him : 
 and the term Savior the end for which that 
 power was given, namely, the falvation of 
 men.— All the titles and attributes, there- 
 fore, afcribed to our Saviour in his exalted 
 flate, unite in one general idea, v;hich is 
 that of a be?2efa5fory from v/hofe power 
 and goodnefs mankind derive benefits or 
 privileges of the higheft, moil lafting and 
 extenfive nature j namely, a refurreclion 
 to a future ftate, a perfe6l adminiftration 
 of juflice in that ftate, and to all good 
 men the pOiTcilion of immortality and end- 
 lefs happinefs. — To this dominion or em- 
 pire our Saviour rofe by his virtue, or his 
 mofl perfe6t and exemplary obedience to 
 the divine will. For it is faid, l^hat he 
 humbled himfelf and became obedient to death, 
 even the death of the crofs : and therefore 
 God highly exalted him. And he himfelf de- 
 VoL. II. L claresj 
 
1 46 On the Office and Dignity of Chtijl^ 
 
 clares, that God hath coimnitted all judgment 
 to h'lnij hecaufe he is the Son of Man. And 
 for this exaltation, as the reward of his 
 virtue and obedience, he prayed to the 
 Father Almighty, in thefe v/ords, a little 
 before his departure from this vv'orld : 1 
 have gIo7'ified thee on earthy 1 ha^oe fmifked 
 the work which thou gavejl me to do. And 
 now Father glorify me with thyfelf with the 
 glory which 1 had with thee before the world 
 was. 
 
 The author of the epiflle to the Hebrews ^ 
 in order to recommend our Saviour and 
 the gofpel-religion to the eflieem and ac- 
 ceptance of the fews, and obviate their 
 fcruples and prejudices, makes frequent 
 allufions to the Temple-fervice, and to the 
 ofSce and dignity of High-Prieft. For 
 the '^■[c-ws were educated in a high venera- 
 tion for thofe things; and therefore the 
 author made choice of fuch allufions and 
 figures as moft eae6lual to anfwer the end 
 propofed, viz. to make the fews willing 
 
 6 to 
 
On the Office and Dignity of Chrijt 14- 
 
 to relinquifh the pomp and ceremonies of 
 Judaifm, which were no better than empty 
 /hadows, and entirely embrace tlie fub- 
 ilantial and fpiritual religion of the Go/- 
 pel But our Saviour never defcribes his 
 own future dignity and office under ay^r^ 
 cerdotal chara6ler, but always under that 
 of a Frince, a Sovereign, zxi^ judge. And 
 therefore we may conchjde, that how 
 proper foevef the former allufion might be, 
 as addrefied to the Jews 5 yet the latter 
 charader is better adapted upon the whole, 
 to give us a juft conception of His media- 
 torial power and office. And it is this 
 latter which the Apoflles make ufe of, in 
 their firft deUvering the Chriflian doctrine 
 to the world: faying, "That God had raifed 
 tip Jefus from the dead, and made him Lord 
 and Chrifl', exalted him to be a Frince a?2d a 
 Saviour j in order that he might give repen- 
 tance and rejnijjion of Sins. 
 
 It is folely or principally in the kingly 
 
 characler that the dignity of our Saviour 
 
 L 2 is 
 
T48 On the OJice and Dignity of Chriji, 
 
 is prophetically defcribed in the writings 
 of the Old Teftament : as particularly in 
 Ifaiah, ix. 6. For unto us a child is born^ 
 unto us a fin is given, and the government 
 Jhall be upon his jhoidder, — —and of the iji- 
 creafi of his government and peace there Jhall 
 be no end. He is reprefented figuratively 
 as fucceeding to the throne of David : and 
 at the fame time his kingdom is defcribed 
 in fuch chara6lers as cannot all agree to 
 any human government. 
 
 The higheft dignities and mofl impor- 
 tant offices amongft men are no more than 
 (hadov^s or faint refemblances of the glo- 
 rious power and office of our Saviour in 
 the redemption of the world : and the 
 Scripture makes ufe of fuch fenfible allu- 
 fions to affift our feeble apprehenfions of 
 things fo fublime and fpiritual. But great 
 miftakes and errors have arifen from ad- 
 hering too much to the letter, without un- 
 derftanding or keeping in view the general 
 meaning and defign of all fuch expreffions, 
 
 When 
 
On the Office and Dignify of Chriji, 149 
 
 — When our Saviour fpoke to the Jews 
 of eating his flejh and di'inking his blood, and 
 they did not underftand his meaning; he 
 tells them, that his words were to be taken, 
 not literally, but figuratively or fpiritually. 
 For the letter, faith he, profit eth not hi fig : but 
 the fpirit giveth life . The words that I /peak 
 unto you, they are fpirit and they are lije : i. ۥ 
 They are not to be underftood in a grofs 
 and material fenk, but moral and fpi- 
 ritual. — So from the titles afcribed to our 
 Saviour in his exalted ftate, taken from 
 human dignities and offices, we fliould 
 learn to form the highell: and purefl con- 
 ceptions we are able, of His fpiritual dig- 
 nity, and of the great and beneficent end 
 of his office, as far excelling all that is 
 
 human and temporal. But as the Jews 
 
 of old, fo chriftians in later tinies have 
 been too apt to let their attention be wholly 
 employed about grofs and material things^ 
 even in their moft folemn and religious 
 performances. Hence they have paid a 
 veneration to the very elements of bread 
 L 3 and 
 
150 On the Office and Dignity of Chrijl. 
 
 and wine, which they receive in comme- 
 moration of our Saviour ; or to his body 
 and blood, in a literal carnal fenfe; while 
 they have neglected to fix their attention on 
 what is rational and fpiritual, what is mofl 
 excellent in itfelf, and mofl worthy of our 
 veneration j that perfe6l virtue of his mind, 
 that unlimited piety and obedience to the 
 will of God, and that mofl generous and 
 extenfive benevolence to mankind, which 
 he exemplified in voluntarily fubmitting to 
 death, even the death of the crofs. So in 
 conceiving of the mediatorial dignity and 
 office of our Saviour, chriftians are too 
 apt to intermix ideas of a low worldly 
 grofs or puerile kind. Nor is this to be 
 wondered at, when they are ready to af- 
 cribe, even to the fupreme and all-perfccl 
 being himfelf, the v/eaknefs and partial 
 afieftions of human nature. 
 
 Particularly, they fall into two con- 
 trary extremes: while fome have confider- 
 pd our Saviour as little more than a Pro- 
 phet 
 
On the Office and Dignity of Chrift. J 5 1 
 
 phet of God and a preacher of righteouf- 
 nefs : not confidering, that the falvation, 
 government, and difpofal of mankind in 
 a future ftate is a far higher end of his 
 enterprife and office, than any change or 
 reformation which could take pLace in this 
 world : and that to raife men from the 
 dead, and to judge them in another world, 
 is far more glorious than to work the 
 greatefl- miracles, and deliver the befl in- 
 ftrudions here on earth. Others on the 
 contrary have confounded the power and 
 dignity of our Saviour, with God's ab^ 
 folute perfeftion and boundlefs domi- 
 nion: and, OS if there could be no 
 intermediate powers or natures between 
 man and the one fupreme and infinite 
 beino-, have fuppofed the mediator to be 
 equal in all attributes, and the very fame 
 in elTence, witii God who appointed him 
 to be mediator ; and hence have afcribed 
 fuch compound and indeed contradiclory 
 titles to him, as are no vv^here to be found 
 i\i the New Teftament, Whereas it is ex- 
 L 4 predy 
 
152 On the Office and D-ignity of Chrijl. 
 
 prefly faid, that to us Chriflians there is but 
 one God the Father ^ and one Lord 'J ejus Chrift : 
 and that when we confefs him to be Lordy 
 it is to the glory of God, who conftituted 
 him Lord, exalted him to be a Pri?ice and a 
 Saviour, and gave him a name which is above 
 every name. Our Lord himfelf afcribes 
 his own power dignity and dominion, and 
 his hfe alfo, to the free gift of God : and 
 hath taught us no do6lrine more plainly 
 than that the redemption and falvation of 
 mankind is owing to the original good- 
 nefs and mercy of the Father Almighty. 
 
 If we will lay afide all doflrines and 
 traditions of men, and attend clofely to 
 the language of the New Teftament, and 
 endeavour to underfland it in a confiHent 
 rational and fpiritual fenfej we fhall not 
 find it fo myfterious and difficult, as fome 
 have imagined it to be, by various mif- 
 takes or mifconftruclions. Thofe fre- 
 quent allufions to human dignities and 
 ofhces, which we meet with in the defcrip- 
 
 tions 
 
On the Office and Digtiity of Chrifi. 153 
 
 tions of our Saviour's dignity and office, 
 are proper in themfelves to give us as clear 
 and rational apprehenfions as the human 
 mind is capable of. For as in human fo- 
 ciety, God hath conftituted various powers 
 and offices for the protection and benefit of 
 mankind 'y as all the bleffings of this life 
 are derived to us, not immediately from 
 the hand of the Almighty, but by the in-* 
 tervention of fuch perfons as his wifdom 
 hath appointed ) as it is the ufual order of 
 his providence, to make the virtues and 
 abilities of one man the means of convey- 
 ing the greateft benefits to majiy others ; as 
 the moft public and extenfive deliverances 
 in this vi^orld are accompliflied by fuch 
 eminent perfons as divine providence raifcih 
 up and qualifies for that endj — So^ com- 
 paring great things to fmail, and eternal 
 to temporal deliverances, afcending from 
 low things to high, and raifing our ideas 
 above all human power and dignity, we 
 may hence form juil and rational con- 
 ceptions 
 
154 On the' Office and Dignify of Chrifl: 
 
 ceptions of the mediatorial chara6ler, 
 dominion and office of our Saviour j and 
 may eafily apprehend the oeconomy of di- 
 vine wifdom and goodnefs, in our re- 
 demption by him That the Almighty 
 
 Father of mankind, moved by his own 
 paternal goodnefs, was pleafed to feiid into 
 the world, i?i the fidnefs of time, in the 
 fio-ht of men and angels, a perfon cloathed 
 v/ith flefh and blood, and with external 
 marks of meannefs and poverty, appoint- 
 ed to undergo the trials of this life, to 
 fuftain a chara6ler of perfe6l virtue and 
 obedience to the divine will, and to fuifer 
 death, even the death cf the rrofsy and 
 
 finally to rife from the dead; as a fuita- 
 
 ble preparation in order to his acquiring 
 the dominion and difcharging the office 
 intended for him, and becoming the eter_ 
 nal governor and judge of mankind : that 
 confcquently, GOD hath exalted him to be 
 a Prince and a Saviour ; not in any tem- 
 poral or v;orldly knit^ but in a far more 
 
 fublime 
 
On the Office and Dignity of Chrijl, 155 
 
 fublime capacity j and hath given him 
 fmver over all flejl:, to give eternal life^ to 
 all the virtuous and obedient. 
 
 The great Author and finiflier of our 
 Faith underwent the moft difficult trials 
 of virtue, and humbled himfelf to the 
 lov/eft eflate, that he might obtain the 
 high honour and glorious office of raifmg 
 mankind from the dead, and conferring 
 the rewards of eternal life. By his death 
 he gave the higheil inllance of his own 
 piety ; and by his refurreclion, the ftrong- 
 cft proof of his own power. By praftif- 
 mg every human virtue, he hath mofc 
 powerfully recommended virtue to us. 
 By appearing alive from the dead, he 
 hath convinced us of a life to come. By 
 fullaining the toils and pains of morta- 
 lity, he is become the Author of immor- 
 tality ; is gone before into the invifible 
 regions to prepare manlions for thofe who 
 >ollow him J and v.'ili return again with 
 
 power 
 
1^6 Oji the Office and Dignify of Chriji- 
 
 power and glory, to judge the world, and 
 to receive all who (hall be found worthy 
 into his everlafting kingdom. 
 
 To fum up the whole : as all the tem- 
 poral benefits of providence are conveyed 
 to us by fuch perfons or mediums as divine 
 vvifdom hath appointed ; fo the eternal 
 bleffings of divine forgivenefs and favour 
 are conveyed to mankind by the inter- 
 mediate power and goodnefs of Chrift 
 
 our Saviour. This doctrine is fo clearly 
 
 revealed and expreffed in the Holy Scrip- 
 tures, that all Chriftians may eafily agree 
 in it. And it is not only intelligible in 
 itfelf , but fufficient to the faith and prac- 
 tice, comfort and hope of every Chriftian. 
 Other opinions in regard to our Holy re- 
 ligion are of little moment. For while 
 men believe, that the Gofpel teaches the 
 moft peife6l virtue j and contains the 
 fure promife of eternal life, as the reward 
 of virtue; a promife made fure by the 
 
 refurredion 
 
On the Office and Dignity of Chrifl, 157 
 
 rerurre6lion and exaltation of our Savi- 
 our; and in effe6l of this Faith, live fo- 
 berfyy righteoiijly, and pioujly in the world ; 
 - — they are beyond all doubt the true dif- 
 ciples of Chrifi ; and wWS. be acknowledged 
 by him as fuch; at the fame time when 
 he will declare to others, I know you Jiofy 
 depart from me, all ye that work iriiquity, — 
 The point of the greateft moment then, 
 is to convince men thoroughly of the 
 truth of this doctrine, fepaiate from all 
 abilracl and metaphyfical fpeculations j 
 and to perfuade them to live under the 
 conftant practical influence of it. And 
 our mofl earneft application fhould be, 
 not to thofe whom we think miflaken 
 in fome particular and controverted opi- 
 nions; but to thofe who either entirely 
 reje6l the Chriftian Faith; or who pre- 
 tend to believe it, yet pay no regard to 
 it in their life and praftice; for fuch 
 pretended believers are in regard to all 
 the important ends of religion, if not 
 worfe, certainly, no better than Infidels. 
 
 We 
 
Ij8 On the Ojjice and Dignity of Chrifl, 
 
 We have thus far explained the doclrine 
 of the Gofpel concerning the power and 
 office of our Saviour -, and have endea-» 
 voured to make it appear inteUigible and 
 rational, that we may the more eafily 
 
 underftand and more firmly believe it. > 
 
 We lliall, in a following difcourfe, en- 
 deavour to remove the principal objec- 
 tions and prejudices conceived againft it; 
 and at the fame time obferve the principal 
 evidence for the truth of it. — In the mean- 
 time we fhail conclude with obferving in 
 general, the moral and pra6lical influence 
 of this doclrine. 
 
 No means or motives can be applied to 
 the human mind more powerful to correct 
 its vices and diforders, more proper to 
 improve and enoble it with the befl fen- 
 timents and the moll: virtuous affections, 
 with the fmcereft piety to God, and the 
 moft difintereilied and extenfive benevo- 
 lence to men, than a faithful attention to 
 the charafter and example of our Lord in 
 
 his 
 
On the Office and Dignity of Chrift, 159 
 
 his ftate of trial on earth, and his exalta- 
 tion to heavenly glory and dominion. 
 Here we fee the intention of the fupreme 
 Governor of the world to diilinguifli and 
 reward true virtue and obedience to his 
 will, and the greateil virtue with the high- 
 eft honour and happinefs. For our Sa- 
 viour, who is advanced in the invifible flate 
 to an eternal dominion over all mankind^ was 
 himfelf the beft of ma?ikind, and exhibited, 
 previous to his exaltation, the moflperfe6t 
 example of obedience to the will of God : 
 an example, not only to men among whom 
 he was converfant, but as we may weli 
 fuppofe, to all thofe fuperior beings, who 
 have any knowledge of human affairs. 
 
 What can fo efFe<5tualIy difengage our 
 minds from all fordid cares and paifions, 
 and every attachment to worldly poiledions 
 and pleafures ; what can fo powerfully ani- 
 mate them with great and pleafing hopes ; 
 as to contemplate our Saviour defpifmg the 
 glory and pleafure of this world, and v/ith 
 
 per- 
 
l6o Ofi the Office and Dignity of Chrijl, 
 
 perfe6t magnanimity embracing poverty 
 fuiferings and death, that fo he might fuf- 
 tain the nobleft charadler of virtue, and 
 rife after death to everlafling honour and 
 glory ? and to confider ourfeives as bound 
 by our holy profefTion to follow his fteps 
 as our leader, and like him, by a patient 
 continuance in well-doing feek Jor gloty honour 
 and immortality ; that fo we may receive 
 from his hand the unfpeakable gift of eter- 
 nal life ? 
 
 If this our Chriftian faith produceth no 
 effect, in reforming and governing our 
 lives, and in purifying our hearts from 
 finful aifeclions and defires ; fhall we not 
 be juftly pronounced incorrigible, and meet 
 with a heavier condemnation from the 
 righteous judge of the world ? Would it 
 not be better for us not to have known the 
 way ofrighteoufnefs, than after we have known 
 it to turn from the holy commandment delivered 
 to us^ — But if in confequence of our 
 Chriftian Faith and profeffion, we become 
 c the 
 
On the Office and Digtiity of Chrifl, 161 
 
 the true followers of Clirifl, and imitators 
 of his example; we may be afTured, that 
 as he was raifed from the dead, and ex- 
 alted to glory and dominion, fo all his 
 fmcere followers fliall in like manner be 
 raifed by him, and advanced to propor, 
 tionate degrees of honour andhappinefs in 
 his everlafting kingdom. — Which God of 
 his infinite mercy grant, thro' Jefus Chrifl 
 our Lord ; to whom be glory in the 
 churches throughout all ages. Amen. 
 
 Vol. II. M D I S- 
 
®®@®®#®0®®@©@l!&®@@®@@®@©0 
 
 DISCOURSE VIL 
 
 Objedions againft the Gofpel and the 
 Evidence of it, anfwer'd. 
 
 @«J^©^^@(|J0®^e^^^0^e^4*#^^^ 
 
 M 2 
 
( i65 ) 
 
 I. Cor. i. 22. 
 
 I'he yews require a fign, and the Greeks feek 
 after wifdom : but we preach Chrift cruci^ 
 fiedj to the Jews a ftumbling-block^ and 
 to the Greeks fooUPmefs : but to them that 
 are called^ both Jews and Greeks^ Chrift^ 
 the power of GOD, and the wifdom of 
 GOD, 
 
 AS the eye fees only the furface of 
 things, and takes in but a narrow 
 compafsj as it cannot difcern diflinftly 
 objeds at a great diftance, or penetrate 
 into the fubllance of what is near ; fo the 
 human underftanding is limited in the 
 like extent and proportion. But man- 
 kind being not duly fenfible of or attentive 
 to this imperfe6lion in their own under, 
 {landings, are continually imagining it to 
 
 M 3 lie 
 
1 66 ObjeSiiom againfi the 
 
 lie elfewhere. And tho' the works and 
 defigns of infinite wifdom muft necefarily 
 appear imperfeSl to us, in proportion as our 
 conceptions are limited^ yet we are often 
 ready to charge thefe appearances, as if 
 they were real defe6ls in the conftitution of 
 nature and the order of providence. 
 
 Hence the objections which have been 
 
 made, and the prejudices which have been 
 
 conceived, againft the firft principles of 
 
 religion. And if men have charged the 
 
 defedls of their own minds upon the uni- 
 
 'uerfal revelation of nature j we need not 
 
 wonder that they have done the fame, in 
 
 regard to the particular revelation of the 
 
 gofpel : lince no particular revelation can 
 
 be fupported by an evidence equal to that 
 
 of uiliverfal nature. But in both in- 
 
 flances, every wife and impartial perfon, 
 
 who underftands his own weaknefs and 
 
 ignorance, will be exceedingly cautious^ 
 
 left he impute either his own itnperfeBions, 
 
 or 
 
Go/pel anjwered, 167 
 
 or thofe of other men, to the conflitutions 
 of perfect wifdom. 
 
 Men have run Into two oppofite ex- 
 tremes equally unreafonable and prejudi- 
 cial : while fome have been ready to be- 
 lieve the greatefl abfurdities, and things 
 contrary to the cleareft reafon and the evi- 
 dence of their own fenfes ; others have re- 
 je6led the raoft rational and important 
 dodrines, only becaufe they implied fome- 
 thing beyond the narrow capacity of their 
 comprehenfion. As if there was no diffe- 
 rence between that which is abo'ue our ca- 
 pacity, and that which contradiSfs our fenle 
 and reafon : as if there was no difference 
 between affirming that an obje6l is too 
 gi'eat or too diftant for our eye-fight to 
 comprehend the whole of it, and affirming 
 it to be, what we clearly fee with our own 
 eyes it is not. — And we may here obferve, 
 that one extreme hath a tendency in the 
 ufual courfe of things to beget the oppofite* 
 Thus, fince many foUies and fupcrftitions 
 M 4 have 
 
ibS ObjeSiions againjl the 
 
 have been introduced under the name of 
 chriflianity, tho' in reaHty tending to fub- 
 vert and deftroy it i fince many chriflians 
 have fubftituted the deUifions of their own 
 imagination for the dodrines of the gof- 
 pei ; others being apprized of thefe abfur- 
 dities, have not only rejeded them, but 
 alfo the Gofpel itfelf: not being fohcitous 
 to diftinguiflibetv^een the errors of chrifli- 
 ans and chriftianity itfelf, betv^een the 
 inventions of men and the truths of 
 God. 
 
 In reality moft of the obje6lions which 
 have been offered, and mofl of the preju- 
 dices which have been conceived, by the 
 unbelievers in the prefent age, have not 
 been againfl: the gofpel itfelf, but againfl 
 fuch things as have been added to it, or 
 
 fubflituted in the Head of it. Yet fome 
 
 obje6lions have been made againfl the 
 real doctrines of the gofpel, and the evi- 
 dence by which it is fupported. And it 
 is of the greatefl importance to remove 
 
 . ' ' thefe 
 
Go/pel anfwered. 169 
 
 ihefe m a fatisfa6lory manner: all other 
 obje6lions will fall to the ground of them- 
 felves, whenever thofe corrupt additions, 
 which were the occafion of them, are 
 either abolifhed, or properly diflinguiflied 
 from genuine chriftianity. 
 
 The Apofile^ whofe words we have 
 quoted in the text, appears to have been 
 perfe6lly fenfible of the prejudices, which 
 ■fubfifled in the minds of men, againll the 
 gofpel in his days, and v/hich hindered its 
 fuccefs. He underftood alfo the different 
 notions and tempers of the Jews and 
 Greeks, who both rejeded the gofpel, but 
 from different motives : they had each 
 their peculiar obje<5lions and prejudices: 
 the Jews., faith he, require a fign: they 
 feem to have been chiefly aife<5led with 
 marks of power ^ were defirous above all 
 things of worldly dominion, and impati- 
 ently expedled to fee a mighty prince in 
 their MefTiah, who fhould perform won- 
 ders, and fubdue the whole world. There- 
 for e» 
 
] yo ObjeBions agaitijl the 
 
 fore, tho* our Saviour and his apoftles 
 wrought many undeniable miracles, yet 
 they were not convinced, becaufe this was 
 not that kind of power, which they chiefly 
 admired, and which they expe6led to fee 
 in their Mejjiah : and when they could not 
 deny the reality of the miracles, they eva- 
 ded the force of the evidence, by de- 
 manding ftill more and more miracles- 
 But unreafonable demands ought not to 
 be gratified, nor would there be any end of 
 complying with them. Thus the Pharifees, 
 after they had feen our Saviour work 
 many miracles on earth, went to him and 
 demanded of him a fign from heaven: to 
 which he replied, a wicked and adulterous 
 rrenerationfeeketh after a ftgn : and then re- 
 fers them to his own death and refurrec^li- 
 on, as a further evidence, and the flrong- 
 eft that would be afforded them : but inti- 
 mates in another place, that even that fur- 
 ther evidence would be infufficient to con- 
 vince them. On the other hand, the 
 
 Greeks, faith the apoitlc, feek after wifdom ; 
 
 they 
 
Go/pel anfwereL 171 
 
 they were great admirers of philofophy, and 
 ftrongly attached to their feveral fyflems, 
 which were taught and propagated with 
 the greateil fubtilty art and eloquence. 
 Therefore, tho' the apoftles taught the befl 
 kind of wifdom, and things agreeable to 
 true philofophy ; yet they were not convinced, 
 becaufe it was not that kind of wifdom^ 
 nor delivered with that artificial eloquence, 
 which they admired and fought after.— So 
 then in both inflances j if the miniftration 
 of the gofpel had been the power of men, 
 and the wifdom of men^ they would have 
 admired it : but as it difappointed their 
 cxpe6lations, and contradicted their fa- 
 vorite notions -, the Jews reje6led it with 
 indignation, and the Greeks with contempt: 
 it was an offence to the bigotted Jews^ and 
 
 folly to the conceited Greeks :- while to 
 
 the impartial and attentive of every nation, 
 who liftened to the call of truth, it was 
 the power of GOD, and the wifdom of GOD ^ 
 
 a- We 
 
172 ObjeBiom againjl the 
 
 We fhall endeavour then, purfuant to 
 the fenle of the apoftle in the text, to re- 
 move the obje6lions w^hich have been 
 raifed of late againfl the gofpel, and to 
 recommend it, in its original nature and 
 evidence, to the rational and cordial be- 
 lief of all who are defirous of underiland- 
 ing and embracing truth. 
 
 In the firfl place, it hath been alledged, 
 *' That the chriftian revelation, in its 
 " whole fcheme of facls, do6hines, and 
 *' evidences, is different from or inferior 
 " to what we might in rcafon expe6l, 
 *' from a divine revelation. And tho' the 
 " eternal falvation and happinefs of man- 
 " kind be an objefl worthy of the mira- 
 ** culous operation of divine power and 
 " goodnefs j yet we can fee no fufficient 
 ** reafons, why the divine wifdom fliould 
 " proceed by fuch a fcheme or conftitution, 
 " as the gofpel fuppofeth, in order to that 
 " end." 
 
 Thr 
 
Go/pel anfwered. 173 
 
 The proper anfwer feems to be this 
 «« That to conclude, from any fuch objec- 
 <' tions, againft the .truth of chriftianity* 
 i« is arguing from fpeculations to fa6ts5 
 <« and determining what God hath dont^ 
 « from what we think he ought to have done, 
 « It is no lefs than reverfing the juft and 
 «' natural order of our enquiries j and 
 «* inftead of examining into faBsy and 
 ** learning from them the a6lual conftitu- 
 " tions of divine wifdom, framing to our- 
 « felves a mere fiippofimi^ and rejefling 
 «« whatever doth not agree with the fcheme 
 i« which our wifdom hath fuggefted ; as 
 <« if it were unworthy of God to proceed 
 « in any manner, which our judgment 
 « cannot fully comprehend, or our fancy 
 « approve." — The words of the apo/lk, 
 in the verfe following the text, convey a 
 mod juft and rational fentiment, exprefTed 
 in the ftrongeft terms, in oppofition to 
 this vain conceit and prefumption, in 
 making our judgment the rule and mea- 
 fure of the divine condu6l. He fays, 
 
 Jhat 
 
174 ObjeSliom againjl the 
 
 'That the fooUJImefs of GOD excels the wifdom 
 cf men, and the weaknefs of GOD exceeds the 
 power of men. i. e. Thofe things in t^c 
 frame of nature, or the condudl of provi- 
 dence, which carry in them the lead 
 marks of power and wifdom, or which 
 appear to us the moft defedive weak and 
 ulelefs ; have yet a power in the creation 
 and ftruflure, and a wifdom in the con- 
 trivance and ufe of them excelling all hu- 
 man conception. There are many things 
 in the fcheme of creation and providence^ 
 for which we cxn fee no fufficient reafons 
 why they fhould be fo conftituted, or why 
 they fhould exift at all 5 which are not- 
 withftanding (as we may be well aflured) 
 the work or appointment of an all- wife 
 being. As fuch objeclions, therefore, are 
 of no force to deftroy our belief in natural 
 religions neither ought any of the like 
 kind to prevent our firm belief of the 
 chriftian revelation. 
 
 Se. 
 
Gofpel anfivered, 175 
 
 Secondly ; It hath been ob)e6led to the 
 
 gofpel do6lrine of our Saviour's office and 
 
 dominion J " That the almighty power 
 
 * of God can raife men from the dead, 
 
 * and confer eternal life upon them, witb- 
 
 * out a Mediator : that he alone is an all- 
 
 * fufficient Saviour, without the interven- 
 ' tion of any other power or perfon in the 
 
 * univerfe : and that it is more reafonable 
 
 * to fuppofe, that the future ftate govern- 
 
 * ment and difpofal of mankind fhould 
 
 * proceed from the immediate operation 
 
 * of infinite power and wifdom, than that 
 
 * a power fhould be committed for that 
 
 * purpofe to one who hath exifted in hu- 
 ' man nature, or to any other being in 
 
 * the univerfe." 
 
 To this objeflion it may be replied : 
 
 * That it is the property of vulgar minds 
 
 * to afcribe every extraordinary and unac- 
 
 * countable event to the immediate hand 
 
 * of omnipotence. That the more we 
 
 ' examine into the fcheme of divine pro- 
 
 " vidence 
 
176 Ohjecliom againjl the 
 
 " vidence in the conflitution of nature, 
 « we (hall be the more convinced, that 
 «' all events proceed from intermediate 
 
 " caufes or fubordinate powers. That 
 
 *' it is more reafonable to queftion, whe- 
 " ther the power of omnipotence be ever ex- 
 " erted in the production of any event, to 
 " which the powers of created or fub- 
 *' ordinate beings are equal ; than to af- 
 " cribe ail fuch events as we cannot ac- 
 " count for, to his immediate operation. 
 " — That all nature, as far as we can 
 " judge of it from obfervation, is a bound- 
 " lefs fcherae of mediation, between the 
 " highefl of beings and the loweft of his 
 '' creatures ; confifting of an infinite va- 
 *' riety of powers, ftates and degrees -, the 
 " fuperior governing over the inferior, and 
 " every power and part confpiring to the 
 '* good and perfedion of the whole-— 
 ** That the queftion here, is not concern- 
 " ing the pojjlble operations of divine 
 «* power ^ but the actual order and appoint- 
 *' ment of his ^xifdom, — That we find ex- 
 
 " peri- 
 
Go/pel a?ifwered. lyj 
 
 " perl mentally the order and conflltution 
 •* 'of this world to be fuch, that all divine 
 ** gifts and bleffings are conveyed to us by 
 '^ the virtues and powers of other beings 
 *' around us, on which we have a con- 
 
 " flant dependence. That in fa6l, the 
 
 «' providence of God brings men into this 
 " i'fe, prefer ves them in it, and fupplies 
 '' them with every thing requifite to their 
 ** wants, not by his own fole immediate 
 ^' power, but by meam of the elements of 
 ** the world, and q>{ men themfelves^ — That 
 " not only the life and health, fupport 
 " and happinefs, knowledge and virtue 
 *^ of individuals, are derived from inter- 
 ^'^ mediate benefadtors j but the mofl pub- 
 *^ lie and extend ve deliverances, privi- 
 " leges, and bleffings, to whole nations, 
 " and to mankind in general, are derived 
 ** from the power, wifdom and virtue 
 «' of thofe eminent perfons whom his pro- 
 ** vidence raifeth up for fuch important 
 
 «' fervices. And therefore, if any con- 
 
 " cluflon or argument can arife from 
 Vol. II. N " hence^ 
 
lyS ObjeBio?2s aga'mjl the 
 
 " hence, concerning the order of things 
 ^' and difp-ofal of mankind in a future 
 A Jlate • it tends rather to confirm than 
 <*'' invalidate our chriftian faith, con- 
 <*^' cerning ' the * power, agc^ncy, jurif- 
 **■' di6lion,' and office of onr blefied Savi- 
 "^ oitr,''as rat fed up and appointed, by 'the 
 <*" wifd^om of divine providence, to be the 
 ^*' 'S'dvH^cig7i of mankind, \\\ that Jl ate or 
 
 "' life which is to come." 
 
 ■ ■' • I 
 
 To belitve, thafk'itii'dll! the various con- 
 ftitutibns ^ of infinite wiftiom throughout 
 the unknown and boundlefs univerfe, there 
 Is an mvifible and every/ling kin'^dom efta- 
 biiflied far t-he eternal falvation and hap- 
 pinefs of air good men, and which is ad- 
 miniflered by a perfon, who underwent the 
 iiibft-'^rdiibus trials of virtue piety and 
 humanity,' th^t he might obtain this high 
 office and dominion; is fo far from im- 
 ply ingjri it •anything abfurd or irrational, 
 that it is eonformable to the plan of na- 
 ture, honorable to the divine perfedions, 
 
 and 
 
Gofpel an/were J, iyg 
 
 .and at the fame time promotive of folic! 
 virtue and fublime hope in the heait of 
 man* Was the whole human race aifem- 
 bkd together, to frame a petition for 
 themfelves, to the fupreme ruier and dif- 
 pofer of the univerfe, with an afTurance 
 that it would be granted J what more pro- 
 per addrefs could they prefentj what higher 
 privilege to the world in general could 
 the requeft, of the Father almighty 5 than 
 that in the courfe of his inrinite and eter- 
 nal providence, he would- vouchfafe to 
 confer upon them, the benefit qI fuch a 
 conftitution, as the Gofpel difclofes to us ; 
 that he would raife up for \}ci^mfuch a Sa- 
 viour Governour and Judge, who hath had 
 experience of human infirmity, and dif- 
 covered fo much benevolence and com-^ 
 paffion to mankind 5 and that the fole end 
 of his office and government (liould be, to 
 deliver good men from ail the evils of this 
 life, and raife them to a hfe incorruptible 
 and eternal ; to abolilh wickednefs and 
 mifery, and eflabliili virtue and happinefs 
 N 2 for 
 
1 So ObjeBions aga'mjl the 
 
 for ever. This is the do6lrine of the 
 Gofpeiy a do6lrine in itjelf worthy of all 
 acceptation^ adapted to the purefl: reafoii 
 and the higheft hopes of mankind. 
 
 Thirdly ; it hath been further obje^l- 
 ed, " That our chriflian faith, concerning 
 " the fubhme dignity and office of our 
 " Saviour, tends to divide our reHgious 
 " affe61ions, and to weaken our reverence 
 " and allegiance to the one fupreme and 
 " all-perfe6l being ; and that the revealed 
 " rehgion of the Gofpel, is inconfiftent 
 *• with or prejudicial to natural religion-" 
 
 In anfwer to this it is fufficient to ob- 
 fervej that this is a capital miftake, and 
 direftly contrary to the tenor of the new 
 teftament. By natural religion we mean 
 the religion of reafon and truth j confift- 
 ing in a fincere reverence of ahnighty God, 
 and in temperance, jultice, and univerfal 
 o-oodnefs. To preferve and extend this 
 religion in the world is the defign of the 
 
 chrifli^n 
 
Go/pel a?ifwered. 1 8 1 
 
 chriftian revelation. To this end it ap- 
 plies all its inftra6lions, precepts, promi- 
 fes, and threatnings. Particularly, when 
 as chriftian s we confefs J ejus Chrijl to be our 
 Lord, it is always to the glory of GOD the 
 Father. When we believe that he is ex- 
 alted to the high office, and honoured 
 with the divine commiilion, of judging 
 mankind, and conferring the reward of 
 eternal life on all who fiiall be found qua- 
 lified for it J we alcribe the greateft honour 
 to the divine government ; as we refolve 
 this conftitution, no lefs than that of the 
 vifible creation, into the will and purpofe 
 of God's infinite wifdoni and goodnefs, 
 and his paternal benevolence to his crea- 
 tures of mankind. Inftead then of di- 
 m'lnijlnng our reverence and gratitude to- 
 wards the fupreme and original giver of 
 all good i it ferves to heighten it, and to 
 render it a flronger principle of obedience 
 to his will, and a firmer hope of becoming 
 the objefts of his everlafdng goodnefs and 
 favour. As our deriving life, knowledge, 
 N 3 and 
 
J 8^ ObjeBicns againfi the 
 
 and all temporal benefits, fi'om parents, 
 teachers, and governors, does not impair 
 the obligations v/e are under to the origi- 
 nal author of all good, whofe inflruments 
 they are, and by whom, as a fit medium, 
 his providence confers thcfe benefits ; fo 
 our derivation of eternal life, and the 
 Jiappinefs of it^ from the mediatorial 
 power and the office of our Saviour, does 
 not derogate from the obligations we are 
 under, and the returns of giatitude and 
 obedience due to the GOD mid Father of our 
 Z,ord Jejus Cbrifi, by v^■hom he beflows the 
 eternal blellirjgs of his grace upon us. 
 .And as in the former inflance, we acknow, 
 ledge tliat divine ^ower and wifdom, which 
 framed this world and the fyftem of hu- 
 man focicty, v/ith ail its connexions and 
 '^dependencies, with a view to beneficent 
 ends; fo in the latter, we afcribe to God 
 the glory of that conftitution, by which 
 -men are faved to eternal life j and eiieem 
 hthe Gofpel oi cur faivation, as a peculiar 
 
 ground 
 
Gofpcl anfwered, 1S3. 
 
 ground of our praifes and thankfgiving jtp 
 the eternal fountain of all life and happi- 
 
 nefs. 
 
 Fourthly 5 Another objedion which 
 hath been often urged, arifes from the 
 want of univerfality in the chrifiian religi- 
 on. It is faid, " If God had given a re- 
 " velation to men, he would undoubtedly 
 *' have made it itnvoerfal^ that all might 
 " have enjoyed the benefit of it 5 and it 
 " would not liave been, confined to a corner 
 " of the earth, or a fev/ nations in it." 
 
 This objeftion is of the like kind with 
 the former: as it is arguing' frorh' what 
 they think God ought to have done, and 
 hence determining what he hatii ' done. 
 But nothing can be more fallacious,' thari 
 to frame an hypothefis in our ov/n minds 
 of what appears to us wifeft and bell, and 
 then conclude that a being of infinite wif- 
 clom will a6l according to it. His thoughts 
 and ways are above ours, as the heavens are 
 
 N 4 ahove 
 
184 Objections againft the 
 
 above the earth. He di tributes his gifts 
 and bleflings throughout the world in a 
 vaft variety, both in regard to nations and 
 to individuals, affording to fome larger, 
 and to others lefTer faculties and means of 
 improvement: To one he gives /-u?, to an- 
 other twOy and to another but one talent : 
 and his equity and goodnefs will appear 
 in demanding from men according to what 
 they have received, and rewarding or pu- 
 nifhing them, according to the improve- 
 ment or abufe of their refpe6tive talents : 
 As our Saviour hath moft juftly and beau- 
 fully reprefented. They who are not 
 favoured with the knowledge of the Gof- 
 pel, fliall be accountable only for that light 
 of nature, and thofc means of inftru6lion 
 and reformation, vi^hich they a6i:ually en- 
 joy, not for thofe advantages which they 
 never poflefTed : Other wife, the judge of 
 the whole earth would be in reality the hard 
 mafler^ who expe6ls to reap where he bath 
 not /own J and gather where he hath not feat- 
 tered, — If any are difpofed to afk, why 
 
 Go© 
 
Gofpel anfwered, 185 
 
 God bath not made all men equal, eithe*^ 
 as to their internal faculties, or any other 
 advantages j — the apoftle's words are a 
 proper and fufficient anfwer: Nay^ but 
 who art thoUy O man^ that repliejl againft 
 GOD ? Shall the thing formed fay to him that 
 formed it, ivhy haft thou made me thus f — -^ 
 That variety which we fee in the moral 
 and religious, as well as in the natural and 
 political ft ate of mankind, by which one 
 nation, or individual, is made fuperior to 
 others in capacity and advantages j is an 
 efFe6t of the unfearchable wifdom of God, 
 who diftributes his gifts, in fuch different 
 kinds and meafures, as he fees to be befl 
 upon the whole. And as in the fame houfe, 
 there are fome veflels formed for more 
 noble, and others for more ignoble ufes, 
 yet all anfwering their proper end j fo in 
 the world of mankind, the variety of con- 
 ditions men are placed in, with relpe6l 
 both to civil and religious advantages, is 
 fubfervient to the good of the whole: 
 And there are reafons for all the appoint- 
 ments 
 
1 86 Ob] e Si ion again fl the 
 
 merits of providence, tho' often fuch as 
 oar ignorance may prevent us from under- 
 ftanding. 
 
 What hath given rife to the foregoing 
 objection, hath been the rafli and prefump- 
 tuous error of fome chriftians, in affirm- 
 ing, that all who do not beUeve the Gofpel 
 are excluded from falvation -, according to 
 which falfe fuppofition, the knowledge of 
 the Gofpel becomes abfolutely necefiary 
 to men's acceptance vi^ith God: An error, 
 which is confuted, by many exprefs para- 
 ges in the new teftament : which alTure us, 
 that the faving power and mercy of GOD 
 fn Cbriji Jefus our Lord, is not confined 
 to the profeflbrs of chriftianity 5 but that 
 ^in every natiofi, he that feareth GOD and 
 fwork^tb righteoufnefs is accepted of him: that 
 Jill ,rnen jkall be judged according to their 
 worh : and all who have done goodjlmll come 
 forth to the refurreBion of life. Where men 
 rejs6l the Gof})el, or will give no attention 
 to it',- thip' the influence of cprrupt afTec- 
 
 tions 
 
Gofpel anfwered. 187 
 
 tions and vitious prejudices, which difpofe 
 them to love darkm[fs rather than lights be-, 
 caufe their deeds are evil ; they are account- 
 able for thus reje6ling the counfel of God 
 againfl: themfelves, and will be found cri- 
 minal, in proportion to the nature and 
 prevalence of thofe evil difpofitions, which 
 w^ere the caufe of their unbelief. But 
 where rnen have no means of coming at 
 the knowledge of chriftianity, their igno- 
 rance of it, and confequently their unbe- 
 lief, cannot poffibly be imputed to them 
 as a crime, in the judgment of any con- 
 fiderateand impartial perfon, much lefs in 
 the judgment of the all wife and moft 
 righteous governor of the world. And 
 therefore, men's involuntary ignorance of 
 the Gofpel, cannot be the leafl bar to their 
 acceptance with him, who is no refpeBer of 
 perfons j provided they follow the dictates 
 of their own confcience, and praclife thofe 
 duties which are agiceable to the natmal 
 reafon of mankind. This rule of the di- 
 vine judgment is clearly ilated by the A- 
 
 poflle 
 
l8S OhjeBlom againft the 
 
 poftle, in the fecond chapter of his epiftlc 
 to the Romans. 
 
 It may n-ot be ufelefs to obferve further, 
 that where there are men of honeft minds, 
 and willing to receive and prcfefs the truth, 
 who have notwithftanding contra6led fuch 
 mifconceptions of the nature and evidence 
 of the Gofpel, as lead them to queflion 
 the truth of it j the fault is to be princi- 
 pally charged on thofe chrifiians who have 
 corrupted or mifreprefented it. Yet on the 
 other hand, fmcerity of intention may not 
 nvholly juftify or excufe their unbelief, if 
 they negledl the proper means of informa- 
 tion j and judge of chriftianity, not from 
 a careful attention to the words of our 
 Saviour and his apojiles, but from the mif- 
 takes and mifreprefentations of others, who 
 have undertaken to defend or propagate 
 it. For it is the unquejflionable duty of 
 every perfon, to make ufe of the beft 
 aeans providence hath afforded him for 
 
 his 
 
Gofpel anpwered, 189 
 
 his own information in things of fo great 
 importance. 
 
 Fifthly ; The foregoing objecFtion will 
 be more fully anfwered in paffing on to 
 another 5 v/hich is, " That if chriflianity 
 *' be a divine revelation, it would have 
 ** been made plainer to the capacities of 
 " men, and not have been left liable to fo 
 <* much mifconftruclion and abufe." 
 
 To this, bclide the fame general anfwer 
 before given, fhewing the fallacy of argu- 
 ing from fpeculation to fa6t ; we may re- 
 ply more particularly : " That theprin- 
 
 ** cipal difficulties bave arifen, not from 
 " chriftianity itfelf, but from the fyflems 
 " of do6trine, which have been framed and 
 " propagated by men under the name of 
 
 " chriftianity. That the lefs regard men 
 
 " pay to thefe, and the more they attend to 
 *' the original di6lates of the great author 
 " of our holy religion, the more intelligi- 
 " ble they will find it to be. — That the 
 
 " know- 
 
190 Objedtlms againfl the 
 
 ." knowledge of chriftianity, like every 
 " other kind of valuable knowledge, is to 
 " be acquired by honeft application and 
 
 '' diligent ftudy. That it is agreeable 
 
 *' to the wifdom and juPtice of divine pro- 
 " vidence, to leave things in fuch a natural 
 " fituation, that mankind fnall come at the 
 *^ truth only in proportion to their fmcere 
 " and diligent enquiries after it ; while the 
 " carelefs and negligent ftiall remain igno- 
 " rant of it 3 and the conceited and pre- 
 ** fumpt-uous fhall- embrace error in the 
 
 *' ilead of it. That nothing lefs than a 
 
 " perpetual feries of miracki would have 
 " been requiiite to fecure chriilianity from 
 •' the negle6lj abufe and perverfion of 
 <* men ; and it may be doubted, whether 
 " even tJoat would have been fiifficient.— 
 " That the great etid oi our Saviour's me- 
 •" diation, power and office is the jahation 
 " of all righteous and good men in another 
 *' world; wd^iatever their fituation or ad_ 
 <* vantages have been in this y and whether 
 *« they have or have not known the Gof^ 
 I "pel. 
 
Gofpel anfwered, I91 
 
 «*-pel. — That it was 710 part oi our Savi- 
 " our's intention to fet up a government on 
 " earth, or to reduce all mankind to an 
 *« uniformity of religious faith and worHiip. 
 " 'And that the publication of the 
 
 <« 
 
 Gofpel, was only intended to have fuch 
 " an effect in the world, as would happen 
 *' to it in the natural courfe of things, and 
 "the ufual changes and revolutions in 
 " human fociety." 
 
 Sixthly; The lafl: objeclion we fhall 
 confider, is that which hath been urged 
 again ft the evidefjce of chriftianity, as in- 
 fufficient. It hath been fuppofed, " That 
 " a divine revelation ought to be attended 
 " with an evidence fo univerfal and unde- 
 " niable, as to overcome all oppofition, 
 *' and gain univerfal belief." 
 
 . To remove this obje6lion, let us obferve 
 <* in the firfl place, " That if the evidence 
 " for the truth of chriftianity, be fufficient 
 ** to determine the afient of a fmcere and 
 
 *' impar- 
 
19^ Ohje'5ftons againfl the 
 
 " impartial ^nqiiirer, it is vain and unrea- 
 
 '* fonable to demand more, That if the 
 
 " evidence was much greater than it is, the 
 " fame obje6lion might ftill be made, and 
 " the demahd might rife to an irrefiftible 
 " evidence.—^ — That after all, it is not eafy 
 " to determine what evidence, or whether 
 '* any would be irrefiftible : fmce the evi- 
 «' dence bf univerfal nature for th6 being 
 " and perfe6lions of God hdth been a6lu- 
 '='■• ally refifted by feme men, upon the fole 
 '* account of this obje6lion, that the 
 c' world and the things in it are not made, 
 " as they in their great wifdom think thcy 
 
 «« ought to have been made. And that 
 
 «* the clearefl and ftricleft dembnftratibn 
 " hath often been found infufficient to 
 " convince." The demand, therefore, of 
 an irrefiftible evidence is in itfelf abfurd. 
 
 In the next place, let us confider further^ 
 
 «' That to give attention to things of im- 
 
 «* portance, and to believe them in pro. 
 
 «* portion to the evidence accompanying 
 
 4 *' them, 
 
Gofpel anjwered. 209 
 
 ^* them, is one principal teft of an honefl 
 '* mind and a fincere love of truth. And 
 *' where men thro' difhoneft prejudices re- 
 " je6l that evidence which is proper and 
 " fufficient; there it is not probable that 
 " even a greater Would prevail. For if 
 " men are previoully determined to judge 
 '*' according to other principles and views, 
 " inftead of the real evidence of the caufe ; 
 " the clearnefs and flrength of proof will 
 " have no weight with them, nor fo much 
 " as enter into their confideration. And 
 " therefore the number, or quality, of 
 " thofe who have rejefled the Gofpel, ei- 
 " ther in this or any former age, doth not 
 " imply a defe6l of evidence; v/hile men's 
 «' judgments are biafied, and their afient or 
 ** diflent determined, by many other cir- 
 " cumflances and confiderations, as much, 
 *' or much more than by the real evidence of 
 " things. Efpecially when we confider, 
 *' how much the native truth and beauty 
 " of the chriflian revelation, hath been 
 «' artificially obfcurcd and deformed ; it is 
 Vol. XL O '' no 
 
2ro OhjeBioni-agalnfl the 
 
 ^Vno-wcnickrr'if fome men have conceived 
 "fuch prejudices againfl it, as are not eafj 
 "to be oveixome. And a .rationaL and 
 "firm, belief, can only atrife from a clofe 
 Vf attention, to the whole original connected 
 " fcheme .and evidence of ;-the Gofpeh 
 *.< A tafkj which men. already prejudiced 
 ,^' againft.the belief of; it, are not likely, to 
 *;* take; upon themfelves j . but , .without 
 V which, they n^iuft. always remain incom'- 
 " petent and partial Judges." • 
 
 '^ FrNALLY, let us carefully attend to th-c 
 rtal -Jirehgth of that tefiimojiy^ whicli th€ 
 YZ/'^/fj haye,given to the truth of the Gof- 
 pel, .and in particular, to the ^^^ of our 
 Saviour s refurreBion ii'om. the dead, ^which 
 is the corner-ftofie oi tho. whole fabrick : 
 And we flaall find it to be i^x fuperwr to 
 the proof of any particular- fa6l. recorded 
 in all antient hiilory ;• and to be. adequate 
 to the greatnefs and importance aftjiat 
 event: 
 
 - ..' . *5.As 
 
'^ As they were fo many in number-—— 
 
 * As they were themfelves fo ftrongly pre- 
 
 * judiced againfl the beUef of it, but over- 
 '' come by the clearefl evidence of feeing, 
 ' handhng and converfing with him. 
 
 * As their teftimony was fupported by that 
 
 ' cf many other witnefles. As it was a 
 
 ' fa6i: obvious to their fenfe§, and fubjedt 
 
 ' to their clofeil: examination. As their 
 
 ' whole future behaviour and condition in 
 
 ^ life depended upon it. As they per- 
 
 ' fifted unanimoufly and invariably in the 
 ' fame report, and at laft died in defence 
 ' of it." — And further, " As they difco- 
 
 * vered a wifdom in propagating the chrif- 
 ' tian religion above their birth and edu- 
 ' cation. — ^As they have prefented us with 
 
 * a hiftory of our Saviour, exhibiting a 
 ' character fo noble, fmgular and uniform, 
 ' as they were not capable of imagining ; 
 
 * and fuch difcourfes of his, as they were 
 ' not able to compofe. And as the con- 
 
 * fiftency, perfe6lion, and fuccefs of the 
 ^ whole fcheme and defign far exceeded 
 
 O 3 "their 
 
212 OhjeBiom agahifi the 
 
 *' their natural abilities. — And finally as 
 " their teflimony is ftrengthened by num- 
 " berlefs collateral circumflances, by pro- 
 " phecies preceding, and by events fubfe- 
 " quent to the age they lived in." 
 
 At jerufahn itfelf, where our Saviour 
 was tryed before the fupreme court of ju- 
 dicature, condemned and put to death 3 a 
 numerous church was colle61ed, wholly 
 founded upon the belief of his refurre<ftion : 
 And this was foon after the event, when 
 no opportunities could be wanting for the 
 flrictell examination into the truth of the 
 fa6l. The apoftles averred the fa61: in the 
 face of the fame great court -, who con- 
 fcious of what they had done, did not 
 think proper to examine any further into 
 the truth of it, but contented themfelves 
 with charging them to be filent about Jefus 
 for the future, under penalty of incurring 
 their high difpleafure. Here are evident 
 marks of conflernation and diffidence in 
 regard to their own proceedings 3 v^^hen 
 
 they 
 
Gofpel anfwered, 213 
 
 they could bear to be told by thofe apofllesa 
 that the fame Jefus of Nazareth^ whom 
 they had lately crucified, God had raifed 
 from the dead-, and that by his power the 
 miracle, for which they were called to an 
 account, was wrought : and would fuffer 
 alfo one of their own body to intimate a 
 doubt, whether the apoftles had not truth 
 on their fide, and were not acling under 
 a divine commiiiion. Afterwards, when 
 they found that the belief of Chrifl's re- 
 farre6tion was fpreading fafl throughout 
 the nation, they became apprehenfive, of 
 fmking themfelves into the contempt and 
 odium of the people i and judged, that 
 more violent meafures were necefTary, to 
 fupport what they had done, and to pre- 
 ferve their reputation and authority j and 
 therefore began a furious perfecution 
 againft all the chriflians, under a falfe 
 but politic pretence, that they were ene- 
 mies to the Jewifli nation and religion. 
 
 O 3 The 
 
214 OhjcBions cigainjl the 
 
 The Apoftles themfehes could neither be 
 decci'ved nor doubtful^ as to the facl of our 
 Saviour's refurreclion. They mufi knovj 
 with abfolute certainty^ whether they had 
 or had not {^tx^^ handled, and converled 
 with hirn after his crucifixion. And to 
 fuppofe that thefe twelve men, befidesmany 
 others, confpircd in aflerting his refurrec- 
 tion, as a matter of fa6l and of their own 
 experience, when they knew it to be falfe ; 
 is a fuppofition from which fo many im- 
 probabilities and abfurdkies follow, that 
 the more we examine, the more we fhall' 
 judge it to be impofTible. According to 
 this fuppofition, their whole fcheme and 
 purpofe was to make others belicue^ what 
 they themfehes knew to be falfe ! For the 
 fake of gaining this end, they fuftered 
 fcourging, imprifonment and deaths and 
 w^ere unanimous and faithful to each other 
 to the lafi, without any one of them re- 
 vealing the confpiracy ! To this end they 
 srave up all the prejudices of their educa- 
 tion, their country, and their religion 1 
 
 Foy 
 
Gofpcl anfwerc'^, ' 21^ 
 
 For this purpbfe they flifled natural affec- 
 tion, abandoned their friends and relations, 
 and wandered into foreign and inhofpita- 
 ble countries ! To this end they exalted the 
 honour and memory of that Jefus of Na- 
 zareth, by whom they had been wretched- 
 ly deceived and difappointed ! To thiis end 
 they pretended to work miracles, and to 
 fpeak in languages which they liad never 
 learned ! and had artifice and cunning 
 enough to perfuade many people wherever 
 they came, that they really did fuch things ! 
 For the fame end of impofing upon others, 
 they taught the beft morality that ever was 
 in the world ! declaimed againfl all wick- 
 ednefs, particularly that of falfehood and 
 hypocrify ! inculcated the do6trine of a 
 future judgment, when all the fecrets of 
 wickednefs fhall be deteftcd, hypocrify 
 punifhed, and integrity rewarded ! ap- 
 pealing to that future judgment for their 
 own fmcerity\'- — -They ventured alfo to 
 foretell future events; the fiege and de- 
 ftruclion of Jcrufalemi the difperfion of 
 O 4 the 
 
2 1 6 OhjeBiom agalnjl the 
 
 the Jewi'y their final refloration; the 
 fpread of the Gofpelj the corruption of 
 chriftianity ; the rife of an enormous anti- 
 chriftian power in the church of Chrifl ; 
 the deftruclion of that power j and a fe- 
 cond great fpread of the Gofpel in the 
 world i — when at the fame time they were 
 as ignorant as the reft of mankind, of all 
 the events which would follow after their 
 deceafe ! — Is it credible that fuch a num- 
 ber of men fliould a6t fuch a part, foretell 
 fuch events, preach fuch a doctrine, main- 
 tain fuch a character, give up fuch pre- 
 judices, and expofc themfelves to fuch fuf- 
 ferings, for the mere fake of making 
 others believe, what they themfelves knew 
 to be falfe ? Is this credible ? I fliould ra- 
 ther alk, is it fojjihle f 
 
 There may perhaps have been fomc 
 examples of men, who have facrificed their 
 ovv-n cafe, liberty, and life itfelf, to fupport 
 the belief of falfe opinions. Such perfons 
 not witli (landing gave the mofl undeni- 
 
 6 able 
 
Go/pel anfwered. 2. if 
 
 able proof of their ownfmceriiyi and that 
 they themfehes believed ihok opinions. But 
 chriftianity is not founded on fpeculation, 
 but fa6l. And the queftion here is, were 
 there ever any men who expofed them- 
 felves to penahies, imprifonment, and 
 death, for the fake of making others believe 
 what they did ijot believe themfehes^ and to 
 eflabhfh the credit of a faB, which they 
 knew to befalfe f Or if it be poffible that 
 fuch a fet of abandoned wretches could 
 ex ill: in nature ; yet were the Apojlks fuch 
 men j fo deftitute of the principles of felf- 
 prefervation, as well as of all fenfe of 
 truth, honour, and integrity ? 
 
 We may here leave it to every attentive 
 and impartial perfon, to determine for 
 himfelf, whether he will chufe to believe 
 all thefe improbabilities and abfurdities, 
 and many more ; or on the other hand» 
 will believe that the apoilles vvqyq faithful 
 witnejfes, and that the almighty Father of 
 mankind did a(5lually raife up Jefus from 
 
 the 
 
21 S Ohje^ions agalnfl the 
 
 the dead y ^n^ exalt him to. be a Prince and 
 Saviour^ and by him confers the reward of 
 eternal life on good men : or in the words 
 of thete^t, that Chrijlis the power of GOD 
 and the ivifdom of GOD. 
 
 We fhall now proceed to obferve, 
 whence the chie.' prejudices againft the 
 Gofpel arife. — It may be imagined that the 
 chief prejudices conceived in the prefent age 
 againft the Gofpel itfelf are of a different 
 kind from thofe which fubfifted in the time of 
 the apoftles. But, exclufive of thofe which 
 arife from the corruption of chriflianity 
 and the folly and wickednefs of chriftians, 
 they are in reality almofl if not altogether 
 the fame : and they arife from the worldly 
 imaginations and affedions of mankind.. 
 —To fum up all in a word, and to ufe 
 the apoflles exprefiive phrafe, modern un- 
 believers, as well as antient ones, fumble 
 at the crofs of Chrijl : and the do6lrine of 
 him crucified^ is to fome an offence^ and to 
 others foolifmefi, 
 
 5 To 
 
G of pel anpwered, 2:9 
 
 To reprefent this more particularly : — 
 His poverty ; the meannefs of his appear- 
 ance j his fufFerings ; his death upon the 
 crofs; the fimplicity of his inflruclions, the 
 fpirituahty of his religion 3 the genius and 
 defign of chrifHanity, as diflincl from and 
 unconneded with all worldly ■ philofophy^ 
 fcience, policy, government, interefts, pof- 
 feffions, and pleafuresj are circumftances 
 not proper to attract the admiration and 
 afFe6tion of the bulk of mankind, of the 
 men of the world,- of the great or the 
 fmall-vulgar j but are apt to out^weigh in 
 their efleem the greateft excellence of in- 
 ftruclion, ■ benevolence of intention, and 
 miraculoufneis of operation, and all the 
 proofs of a celeflial power and wifdom 
 and goodnefs. " Had our bleffed Saviour 
 appeared in the -world in majefty of perfon, 
 pomp of retinue, and the enfigns and ap- 
 pendages of worldly dominion ; had he 
 difplayed a perfe6l knowledge of the depths 
 of learning and philofophy, and the re- 
 lineiTients of human policy and eloquence; 
 
 had 
 
220 ObjeBiom againfl the 
 
 had he creeled a government and tribunals 
 of juftice on earth; had worldly prefer- 
 ments been the fure reward of his follow- 
 ers, and worldly difgrace and punifliment, 
 the fate of thofe who refufed fubmifTioii 
 and obedience ; fach arguments might have 
 converted the whole world, without the 
 leafl miracle being wrought for that end : 
 efpecially if his power had confifted in 
 being invincible in war, his wifdom in out- 
 reaching the policy of all other ftates, and 
 his goodnefs in pouring the riches and 
 and pleafures of the world upon his own 
 fubjedsj — fuch a Prince and Saviour would 
 have been highly agreeable to the paf- 
 fions of mankind. Such a Mefiiah the 
 Jews expc6ted : and becaufe he pretended 
 to be the Mefiiah, without any fuch 
 fhining and illuftrious proofs, and pre- 
 fumed alfo to convince them of their fu- 
 perftition and wlckednefs^ they crucified 
 him, notwithfLandlng his miracles, under 
 a pretence that he was a promoter of fedi- 
 tion. And we may eafily apprehend, that 
 
 if 
 
Gofpel anfwered, 22 1 
 
 if he was to appear a fecond and a third 
 time, and acl in the fame chara<5ler j the 
 fame miracles would hardly prevent his 
 being put to death again and again, as 
 long as God left it in the power of man to 
 do it : the fame worldly prejudices and 
 paffions would operate again, in the like 
 manner, notwithfcanding the fame evi- 
 dences of fpiritual power wifdom and 
 goodnefs, above all that is human. This 
 would undoubtedly be the confequence, in 
 all thofe countries, where fuperftition and 
 ecclefiaftical dominion prevail, and where 
 the chriflian do6l:rine would be thought to 
 oppofe the public or eflabliflied religion. 
 
 Mankind in general are willing to pay 
 a tribute of refpecl to eminent virtue ; 
 when it is at a diflance, when it does not 
 come too near them, when it does not 
 ferve to contrail and expofe their vices, 
 when it does not interfere with their pride, 
 patTions, or worldly interefl: otherwife, 
 there have been many tragical inftances to 
 
 prove. 
 
222 ObjeSl'ions ag^ahijl the 
 
 prove, that no virtue, no innocence, ct 
 goodnefs of life and converfation, are a 
 protedlion from envy and calumny, from 
 mortal hatred and perfecution. Nor would 
 the befl inftra6lions of true wifdora, ,^nd 
 the cleareft proofs of a miraculous power, 
 added to. the moft perfedl virtue, afford, a 
 fufficient fecurity j while thefe qualities are 
 thought to militate againft the inveterate 
 prejudices and paffions of the populace, or 
 
 the Dride and ambition of the Great. For 
 
 J- — - - .. 
 
 had men no other method of evafion, they 
 would have recourfe to the fame fuppolition 
 as the Jews of old, and afcribe fuch efte(5ls^ 
 to the power and art of the Devil, inftead 
 of the power and wifdom of God, 
 
 The highefl objefr of human admira- 
 tion is power. Men reverence the fuprcme 
 Being himfelf, chiefly becaufe he is al- 
 mighty. Yet the power of a victorious 
 and mighty m.onarch upon earth will draw- 
 more attention and admiration, than the 
 infinite power of Gop difplay'd throughout 
 
 all 
 
'■ ■' Gsr/peL anfojcred, 223 
 
 all nature. ^ Need we wonder then, that 
 our Saviour hath obtained fo Httle influence 
 and authority among men ; or that his 
 authority, tho' fupported by fuch eviden- 
 ces of wifdonij virtue, and miraculous 
 power, is fo^afily controuled or weakened 
 4)y the oppofition of worldly power palTion 
 and Artifice? 
 
 ..The' men vv-ho have been the moft high- 
 ly celebrated, have been fuch as have at- 
 tained, to worldly grandeur and dominion, 
 by their political condu61 and military at- 
 chievements ; who have purchafed a crown 
 
 .with, the blood of flaughtered armies ; and 
 eftablifhed a vail empire by the policy of 
 
 iiuman councils and laws. But our blefTed 
 Saviour attained to a celeftial power and 
 dominion by very different meafures ; by 
 
 -true virtue, by unwearied fortitude and 
 patience, and by the facrifice of his own 
 blood. .This chara6ler and conduct does 
 not equally engage the admiration and 
 applaufe of mankind. 
 
 It 
 
224 ObjeSfions agaijijl the 
 
 It appears from the fliort account the 
 Evangelifts have given us of the temptations 
 which our Saviour withflood when he firft 
 appeared pubUckly and entered upon his 
 office, that the fcheme of a worldly do- 
 minion and government, Vf^s /iro?jgly pre- 
 fented to his mind. And undoubtedly, had 
 he employed his miraculous power, not in 
 healing the fick, cleanfing the lepers, re- 
 ftoring the lame, the deaf, and the blind, 
 and raifing the dead; but in fubferviency 
 to the paffions of the multitude and the 
 ambition of the Jews, in conquering his 
 enemies and advancing his friends and 
 followers; he might have rifen to the 
 greateft empire that ever was in the world : 
 and had he employed his wifdom, not in 
 delivering thofe pure and fpiritual inftruc- 
 tions which we find recorded, but in form- 
 ing political conftitutions and laws; he 
 might have rendered that empire equally 
 durable as extenfive : and his wifdom and 
 Juftice, as well as power, might have been 
 celebrated thro' all ages and nations, as the 
 
 moil 
 
Gofpel anfwered. 225 
 
 mofl excellent of princes, and the greatefl 
 reformer and benefa6lor of mankind. 
 But he rejected this fcheme, which man- 
 kind would have fo highly applauded 3 and 
 rather chofe by fufFerings and death to rife 
 to another and fuperior kind of dominion 
 and glory. 
 
 There are but two fchemes, upon which 
 the reformation of mankind can be at- 
 tempted, and the practice of virtue in any 
 meafure promoted : which are, either by 
 the motives of this world, or of ano- 
 ther, A perfe6t government on earth 
 would undoubtedly promote the temporal 
 happinefs of men, and in fome fenfe their 
 virtue : but the motives being eflentially 
 different, the virtue mull be of a different 
 kind, and become wholly political and 
 temporary. That virtue, which is promo- 
 ted by worldly rewards, however wifely 
 dlfpenfed, muft of neceffity be of the fame 
 nature with thofe rewards : and however 
 fuch virtue might qualify men for enjoy- 
 
 VoL. II. P ing 
 
256 Obje^iom agalnfl the 
 
 ing the power and riches of thh world 5 
 it might be no qualification for enjoy- 
 ing the happinefs of another. Indeed, 
 that is alone true virtue which is derived 
 from motives purely fpiritual, from faith 
 in God, and the views and hopes of a life 
 to come : this virtue alone rifes fuperior to 
 the worldly prejudices, pafiions, views and 
 interefts of mankind. This virtue our 
 Saviour himfelf pra6lifed and recommend- 
 ed to his followers. By this he rofe him- 
 felf, and fought to raife them, not to 
 wealth and honour in this world, but to 
 true happinefs and glory in a world, 
 everlafling. To this end he hath given us 
 the befl: example and inftrudion, enforced 
 by that peculiar evidence of a life after 
 death, his own refurreclion from the 
 dead. 
 
 If our Saviour hath not reformed the 
 world and eftablifhed the political virtue 
 and happinefs of mankind ; it is becaufe 
 hh kingdom is not of this world y and becaufe 
 
 he 
 
Go/pel anjwered, 227 
 
 he would have his followers to be govern- 
 ed, not by worldly afFeclions and views, 
 but by the belief and hope of things un- 
 feen and eternal. 
 
 If any are difpofed to queftion, why 
 our Saviour did not reveal to us the things 
 of another world, in a more clear con- 
 vincing and aftonifliing manner, that fo 
 the motives of it might have operated 
 more ftrongly on men's minds, and pro- 
 duced a greater change and reformation ; 
 —We may juftly obferve, " That it is not 
 " probable, that the limits of the human 
 " underflanding would admit of much 
 " larger difcoveries ; and that we are ca- 
 " pable of underftanding but very little, 
 " of things fo different and fuperior in 
 " nature, to all our prefent experience. 
 <' But if we were capable of receiving fur- 
 " ther difcoveries ; yet it cannot be the 
 " intention of a divine revelation to gra- 
 " tify the vain curiofity of mankind, and 
 " to add fcope and heat to the imagination. 
 
 P 2 '' — That 
 
223 OhjeBions agalnjl the 
 
 " — That many fecrets of the invlfible 
 " world may be unfits if not impoflible to 
 " be known by us: and that in many 
 " things our ignorance is our advantage. 
 " That thofe things which aflonifli and 
 ** mofl ftrongly amufe the imagination, or 
 " raife the paffions, are not always found 
 " to produce the befl efFe6ls. Violent im- 
 " preffions are never lading ; and feldom 
 " contribute to amend the heart and life. 
 " That the beft means of promoting the 
 " greateil: good of mankind, is by bring- 
 *' ing them to act from a pure and undif- 
 *' turbcd reafon, from a calm attention to 
 ** the evidence of things, from a confi- 
 " dence in the power wifdom and goodnefs 
 " of God, and from the hope not of 
 " worldy rewards, but of a fpiritual and 
 " eternal hap])inefs. And this is evidently 
 *' the fpirit and defign of the Gofpel." 
 
 It appears then that the great Author 
 of our faith and Saviour of the world hath 
 done all that was fit in itfelf, proper to hig 
 
 cha_ 
 
Go/pel a7jfivered, 229 
 
 chara6ler, and confiftent with the plan of 
 nature, in order to the convidtion and re- 
 formation of mankind in the prefent ftate: 
 whilft at the fame time he had a far great- 
 er end in view : and the principal opera- 
 tions and efFefts of his power wifdom and 
 goodnefs, the difplay of his glory, the ex- 
 ercife of his dominion, the adminiftration 
 of his juftice, the eftablifhmentof his king- 
 dom in perfe6l virtue peace and happinefs, 
 belong to a fuperior fphere and an invifible 
 ilate. 
 
 It was foretold of our Saviour, that 
 there fhould ht no form or comelinefs in him : 
 that his lioice Jidould not be heard in theJireeU : 
 that he fhould appear in the loweft obfcu- 
 rity ; be defpifed and rejeSfed, a man of fir- 
 rows and acquainted with grief : that provi- 
 dence would fufFer him to be perfecuted and 
 put to death : yet that he fhould be a glorious 
 Prince, fet up an everlafiing kingdonu and 
 thoroughly eftablifli the virtue peace and 
 happinefs of the world. Thefe fieming 
 P I oppofite 
 
230 ObjetJions agatnjl the 
 
 oppojite parts and chara6lers are united in. 
 our Saviour. The former is already ac- 
 compli fhed J the latter is yet to come. Our 
 Saviour defcribes himfelf in both thefe parts 
 and characters : and he not only predids 
 and defcribes himfelf in the latter chara6ler, 
 as coming at lafl to accomplifli a moll glo- 
 rious and happy revolution ; but hath 
 given us a proof and fpecimen of his power 
 and defign to efFecl fo great and happy a 
 change, by the miracles he wrought, and 
 efpecially by his refurredion from the 
 dead, his afcenfion into heaven, and his 
 fending the holy fpirit to affifl and com- 
 fort his apoftles, 
 
 If we underlland aright the predictions 
 of the New Teftament, there will yet be a 
 time, when the Gofpel fhall have a greater 
 fpread and influence among mankind in 
 the prefent ftate j when the antichriftian 
 powers fhall be deftroyed, the Jews con- 
 verted, and the fulnefs of the Gentiles 
 come in. But whether we underlland thefe 
 
 things 
 
Gojpel anfwered, 231 
 
 things aright or not i we are aflured, that 
 the time will at length arrive, when our 
 Saviour will thoroughly reform the whole 
 world, adminifter full and impartial juf- 
 flice, abohfh all evils and eflablifh truth 
 virtue and happinefs for ever : when he will 
 fend forth his Angels^ and they fl:all colle5l out 
 of his kingdom i all things that offend , and them 
 that do iniquity^ andfjall caft them into a fur- 
 nace of fire^ to be utterly deftroyed : and 
 then Jhall the righteous foine forth as the fun in 
 the kingdom of their Father, 
 
 Informing our judgment and belief then 
 of the chriftian revelation, and of the cha- 
 ra6ler office and dominion of Chrifl the 
 Son of God, let us divefi: our minds of 
 all worldly prepoffefiions, and not con- 
 found together the ideas of a temporal Re^ 
 former and political Governor^ whofe king- 
 dom is of this world, v/ith thofe of an 
 immortal Prince and Saviour ^ whofe king- 
 dom is ?iot of this world -, whofe appear- 
 ance and refidence on earth, together 
 
 P 4 with 
 
232 ObjeSiwis agaiujfi the 
 
 with the exercife of his virtue, and his vo- 
 luntary fuhmiffion to the ignominious death 
 of the crofs, was only the proper prepara- 
 tory fcene to his refurreiSlion and exalta- 
 tion, that fo by humility he might rife to 
 honour, and by virtue and merit obtain 
 a celeftial dominion and glory, the empire 
 of another world, the power of raifmg 
 mankind from the dead, and of conferring 
 the rewards of immortality on all good 
 men j and who, by the miracles he wrought, 
 by his refurredlion, and by the powers 
 with which he endued his apoflles, hath 
 given us a fpecimen and proof of the fu- 
 ture difplay of his regal power and judg* 
 ment, when he will fubdue all things to 
 himfelfy abolifh every grievance, deftroy 
 death itfelf, and eftablifh univerfal and 
 eternal life virtue and happinefs. 
 
 To conclude : Let our religious fenti- 
 ments be formed upon a diligent and im- 
 partial examination ; and let no worldly 
 byafs draw us afide from the caufe of 
 
 truth. 
 
G of pel anfwered. 233 
 
 truth. Let not the integrity of our minds 
 be corrupted by the example or artifice of 
 men. Let us not be flruck with admira- 
 tion at external appearances, or fufFer our 
 affe6lions to be captivated with the power 
 and policy, the grandeur and wealth, the 
 fafliions and cuftoms of this world ; left 
 the GOD of this world lliould throw fuch a 
 mift of delufive cares paflions and fancies 
 over our minds, that the glorious light of 
 the Gofpel cannot fhine into them. There 
 is a certain candor fimplicity and dignity 
 of fpirit, by which men conceive^the high- 
 eft delight in the knowledge of truth and 
 the pra(5lice of gcodnefs, and are but little 
 affe6led with external and worldly things. 
 This let us cultivate, as the genuine fpirit 
 of a chriftian. Let us always remember, 
 that there are things far greater and hap- 
 pier, far more fublime and worthy obje^ls 
 of our admiration and purfuit, than all 
 the power wifdom wealth and pleafure of 
 this world. Let no outward changes that 
 may befal ourfelves, no commQtions of 
 
 men. 
 
234 ObjeSilom againft the 
 
 men, no alterations of government, no 
 revolutions of flates and empires on earth 
 fo much afre6l and govern our minds, as 
 the more momentous eternal change of 
 this world for another, and that final re- 
 volution in the whole flate of mankind, 
 when ail w^ho have lived wickedly fhall 
 perifh for ever, and all good men be put 
 into pofleffion of an immortal life -, when 
 our Saviour fhall reveal his unfeen glory, 
 and put forth his regal power, to the con- 
 fufion and deftruclion of the workers of 
 iniquity, and the admiration and joy of his 
 lincere followers. — That we may then be 
 approved of him, with well done good and 
 faithful fervantSy enter ye into the kingdom 
 and joy of your Lord^-^^—'MTiy God of his 
 infinite mercy grant, tho' Jefus Chrift our 
 Lord. 
 
 D I S- 
 
DISCOURSE VIII. 
 
 Salvation derived, not from human 
 merit, but Divine Mercy. 
 
( 237 ) 
 
 Rom. vii. 24, 
 
 O wretched man that I am ! who Jhall deliver 
 me from the body of this death f I thank 
 GOD through fefus Chrift our Lord, So 
 then with my mind 1 myfelf ferve the law 
 of GOD ', but with my flejh^ the law of 
 fn. Inhere is therefore now no condemna-^ 
 tion to them which are in Chrift fefus^ who 
 walk not after the fie jh^ but after thefpirit. 
 For the law of the fpirit of life in Chrifl 
 fefus hath fet me free from the law of fm 
 and death, 
 
 NOTWITHSTANDING the iiijurlous 
 treatment our Apoftle had met with 
 from his countrymen the Jews^ he itill re- 
 tained a ftrong national afFecSlion for them, 
 aud delire of converting them to the faith 
 of the Gofpel. This he exprefTeth in very 
 pathetic terms in feveral pafTages of this 
 
 epiftle. 
 
238 Salvation derived from 
 
 epiftle. But their converfion was a work 
 of the greateft difficulty. For the Jews 
 were more averfe to the reception of the 
 Go/pel Xhzn the Heathens: they had fome 
 peculiar and obftinate prejudices, arifing 
 from the high efteem they conceived of 
 themfelves, as the elefl and peculiar peo- 
 ple of God, of the divine authority of 
 their religion, and of the excellence and 
 perpetuity of their Law, The Apoftle 
 therefore endeavours to abate the exceffive 
 opinion they had of themfelves and of 
 their law, to fhew them the fuperior ex- 
 cellence of the Gofpel, and to convince 
 them of the neceffity which they flood in, 
 no lefs than the Heathens, of the mercy 
 and favour of God to mankind through 
 yefus Chrift our Lord, 
 
 To this end he afTerts, " That how 
 " much foever they might be difpofed to 
 *' boaft of their law, and arrogate to them- 
 " fclves the favour of God in reward of 
 " their obedience to it 5 yet in reality, that 
 
 " very 
 2 
 
Divine Mercy. 239 
 
 " very law, inflead of delivering them 
 " from fm, only ferved to expofe the cri- 
 " minality of their a6lions, and to con- 
 <« demn them for their difobedience. That 
 " fuch is the weaknefs of human nature, 
 " that no perfon in the world can be juf- 
 " tified before God, in virtue of a perfedt 
 *^ obedience to his laws j but only by the 
 *< mercy and favour of the lawgiver, par- 
 " doning tranfgredions, and accepting of 
 <^ men's repentance, inflead of their entire 
 " obedience. And that in refpecSl to the 
 " favour of God, the Jews were not at all 
 " fuperior to the Heathens. For tho* 
 " the law directed them to that which was 
 " rights yet they failed in their obfervance 
 «' of it, through the influence of another 
 " law, their bodily appetites and paflions, 
 " which the Apoflle ftiles, the law of Jin 
 " and of death. 
 
 In the chapter preceding the text, he 
 defcribes the moral or fpiritual flate of 
 the Jews. But as nothing could be more 
 
 . of- 
 
240 Salvation derived from 
 
 offenfive to a Jew than this defcription, 
 and the confequences drawn from it; (be- 
 caufe it flript him of his imaginary pre- 
 rogatives, and reduced him to a level with 
 tlie Heathens, whom he had always looked 
 upon with the utmofl contempt ;) there- 
 fore the Apoflle, to foften his addrefs, 
 fpeaks all along in the firft perfon: and 
 having finifhed his defcription, and re- 
 duced the Jew from his boafled fuperiority 
 and holinefs of charader to the miferable 
 condition of a condemned criminal, who 
 has nothing to truft to but the pardoning 
 mercy of the judge-, he pathetically ex- 
 claims, O wretched man that lam! who will 
 deliver me from the body oj this death? or, as 
 it might be rendered, this body of death? — 
 He ufes the phrafe, this body of deathy be- 
 caufe he had deduced all difobedience, the 
 penalty of which is death, not from the 
 mind, which approves and delights in the 
 law of God, but from the body. So then, 
 faith he, with my mind I myfelf (for the 
 mind is properly a man's felf) ferve the 
 
 law 
 
Dlvhie Mercy. 241 
 
 law oj God J but with my JleJIj, the law 
 of fat. 
 
 In this dercription of the moral flate of 
 the Jews, the ApoJIk reprefents in ftrong 
 colours the infirmity and mifery of human 
 nature. It may be faid of mankind in 
 general, that they are carnal^ fold under Jin^ 
 and with their fief d ferve the law of fn: yet 
 at the fame time delight in the law of God 
 after the inward man, and with their jninds 
 ferve it^ i. e. they are inwardly convinced 
 of the reafonablenefs and excellence of the 
 divine laws 3 their confcience dire6ls them 
 to that which is right and good, and the 
 judgment of their minds is in favour of 
 virtue : but they find their bodily appetites 
 and pafTions warring againfl this law or 
 judgment of their minds^ and bringing them 
 into captivity to fn^ i. e. enflaving them 
 to finful pra61ices : and hence it follows, 
 that the good which they woidd^ which they 
 approve and defire in the judgment of their 
 minds, they do not 5 and the evil which they 
 
 Vol. II. Q^ would 
 
242 Salvation derived from 
 
 ivould Jtot, or which they difapprove and 
 
 diflike, that they do. 
 
 The Apojiks defcription is no lefs appli- 
 cable to the Heathens than to the "Jews i for 
 it was not his intention to reprefent they^'K;^ 
 as in a worfe flate than the Heathem with re- 
 fpe6l to the favour of God 3 but both in an 
 equal condition, that every fnouth might be 
 ftoppcd, and the whole world be found guilty 
 before God. For all men are fubjeft to a 
 divine law : they who have no revealed or 
 written law, yet are, as the Apoftle fays^ 
 a law unto themfelves, having the work of 
 the law written in their hearts -, their con- 
 sciences either accufing or excujing them for 
 their aftions : i. e. they are fubje6l, as ra- 
 tional creatures, to the dictates of reafon 
 and confcience, which are the lav/ of God. 
 They are alfo fubjecl to what the Apoftle 
 lliles the law of fin and of death : i. e. to 
 thofe animal pafiions and appetites which 
 frequently oppofe the law of God, and 
 tempt them to difobedience, whereby they 
 
 Vecome liable to the penalty of death. 
 
 Human 
 
Divine Mercy. 243 
 
 Human nature is evidently compounded ; 
 one part^ confiding of the propenfities 
 and paffions of an animal body, the other 
 of the principles and defires of a rational 
 mind ; and thefe are often oppofite to each 
 other, and incite to contrary anions : and 
 this inward oppofition and conteft every 
 perfon in the v^^orld esperienceth, either in 
 a greater or lefs degree. Hence all men 
 are defe6live in their duty, and fall (liort 
 of perfect innocence and goodnefs: and 
 confequently, all iland in need of divine 
 clemency pardoning their errors and tranf- 
 greflions : and no perfon hath ground to 
 expe6t immortality, or to claim a conti- 
 nuance of life or exiftence upon the merit 
 of his entire obedience to the will of God ; 
 but, on the contrary, has rcafon to ac- 
 knowledge a forfeiture of life and being, 
 and that he hath rendered himfelf liable 
 to eternal death. And if this be the fitua- 
 tion of the befl of men, much more of the 
 hulk of mankind; who have contracled 
 iinful habits ; and who, tho' x\\^^ know 
 0^2 and 
 
244 Salvation derived fro/n 
 
 and approve the things that are good, and 
 the judgment of their own minds recom- 
 mends to them the laiv of Gcd, yet fuffer 
 the pafTions and appetites of a corruptible 
 body to cnflave them to the law of fin. It 
 is evident, that according to flritSl juflice, 
 exclufive of mercy and pardon, they can- 
 not h^jujlified^ or obtain eternal falvation; 
 but c?ily by the clemency of the Governor 
 and judge of the world, pardoning tranf- 
 greflions and- abfolving men from the pe- 
 nalty of eternal deftru6lion. 
 
 Now tho' this conftitution of our na- 
 ture renders us liable to fm, mifery, and 
 death j it does not impeach, but rather 
 illufbrate, the wifdom, power, and good- 
 nefs of the Creator. For as the divine 
 wifdom hath wonderfully united the dif- 
 ferent elements of earth and air, fire and 
 water, in the conilitution of the globe, 
 and from this difcordant mijiture producetli 
 all the beauty, harmony, and fertility of 
 the whole: fo with the like admirable 
 
 Ikill 
 
Divine Mercy. 245 
 
 fkill, he hath framed human nature, of 
 different and oppofite materials and prin- 
 .ciples J and from this oppofition and bal- 
 lance, all the virtue and happinefs of hu- 
 man life are derived, as well as the mifery 
 and death implied in the text; — all to 
 anfwer his own mofl wife and beneficent 
 
 ends: 
 
 It is this natural oppofition between 
 reafon and paffion, confcience and appe- 
 tite, which renders this life a ftate of 
 difcipline and trial, and which adapts hu- 
 man nature to this world, as to its proper 
 fcene of aftion; where the thinking, judg- 
 ing, chuiing, defigning, determining fa- 
 .culties find various fuitable objed.s, and an 
 ample field of exercife. From this moral 
 ftrife and fermentation arifes the noble 
 fpirit of true virtue; xh^Xfpirit which the 
 Apofcle defcribes as mortifying the deeds oj 
 the bodyy i. e. fubduing the oppofite animal 
 inclinations, and which, through the mercy 
 ^nd favour of God, produces eternal life. 
 
 Q 3 ^^^ 
 
246 Salvation derived from 
 
 For if ye live after the Flejhy fays the 
 Apoftle, ye fhall die. But if through the 
 fpirit ye do mortify the deeds of the body^ ye 
 fhall live. 
 
 Human virtue Is improved by exercife, 
 and fixed by habit. By furmounting dif- 
 ficulties and trials it acquires ftability and 
 worth J and is the more defer ving of honour 
 and reward.' Yet eternal life is the gift 
 of divine mercy and liberality to the befl 
 of men, not a reward due to their merit. 
 For fuch is the infirmity of our nature, 
 that the greateil human virtue is debafed 
 with a mixture of error and tranlgreflion ; 
 and falls fiiort of that perfe61ion, to which 
 alone ftri61: juftice would annex the reward 
 of immortality. None of the human race 
 ever attained to it, except the Son of GOI> 
 him.fclf, v/ho thereby became the firfl-bor?t 
 from the dead^ the Lord of life^ by whom 
 the faving mercy of God to eternal life is. 
 extended to all good men. Mankind in 
 general therefore are fo far from having a 
 
 claim 
 
Divine Mercy, 247 
 
 claim to immortality, upon the merit of 
 their own innocence and virtue, that they 
 have much more reafon to defpair of it, 
 and to cry out in the language of the A- 
 poltle, miferable as we are ! who will de- 
 liver us from this body of death f 
 
 God is the free giver of all life and ex- 
 iftence 5 beflows them on fuch conditions 
 as his wifdom fees fit ; and hath an un- 
 queftionable right to refume his own gifts, 
 even tho' they are not abufed j much more 
 when they are perverted to any evil pur- 
 pofe : He may without injuftice prefcribe 
 a period to the exiftence of any creature, 
 tho' perfectly innocent, and faperior in 
 virtue to the bell of mankind. How ab- 
 furd and arrogant then would it be in any 
 man to claim eternal life at the hands of 
 God, as a matter of right, or a reward 
 due in juflice to the merit of his obedi- 
 ence. It is plainly the efFe6t of infinite 
 ^race and mercy in the fupreme governor 
 pi the world, to deliver mankind from 
 O 4 tbs 
 
24S Salvation derived from 
 
 the law of death, and to beflow immorta-» 
 lity upon them on the terms of repentance, 
 inftead of thofe of perfect obedience. The 
 Gofpel is the authentic declaration of this 
 divine mercy and clemency, which is dif- 
 penfed to mankind by Jefus Chrifi the Sa- 
 viour of the world. For GOD who is rich 
 in mercy for his great love wherewith he loved 
 ziSy even when we were dead in fins, i. e. 
 when we had forfeited life and exiiience, 
 hath quickened lis together with Chrifi , and 
 raifed iis up with him, and jeated iis with 
 him in the heavenly regions : (For by grace 
 we are faved through faith -, and this falva- 
 tion is not of ourfelves, it is th£ gift of God:) 
 'That he might floew in the ages or worlds to 
 come the exceeding riches of his grace in his 
 benevolence towards us in Chri/i Jefus, 
 
 To the queftion, Who will deliver 7ne. 
 
 from this body of death ? the Apoflle anfwers, 
 
 I thank God J through Jefus Chrifi our Lord: 
 
 The words underftood are, Who delivers 
 
 me; in fome manufcripts it is found, T^he 
 
 grace 
 
Divine Mercy* 249 
 
 grace of God through Jefus Chrijl our Lord: 
 The fame words are ftill uiidcrftood, T^he 
 grace of God delivers me through feftis 
 Chrift our Lord. This deliverance is more 
 largely exprelTed in the text : T^bere is no 
 condetnnation to them which are in Chrijl 
 fefiiSj who walk not ajter the fefj but after 
 thefpirit : for the law of the fpirit of life in 
 Chrijl fefus hath fet me free from the law of 
 fin and of death* 
 
 By that death, which the Apoflle re^ 
 prefents as a penalty to which men are 
 fubjec:!, he cannot mean a mere difiblution 
 of the body : becaufe it is not true that the 
 la%v of the fpirit of life in Chrijl fefus hath 
 fet any man free from this deaths or that 
 Chrift hath ahoUfied it, or that good 
 chriftians are faffed from it unto lije, or 
 Xhzit he who believeth in Chrijl Jlsall never fee 
 IT : thefe and many other affertions in the 
 New Teftament would not be true, if by 
 death v\^as meant a mere bodily diifoliition. 
 |3ut the language of fcripture will be per- 
 
 feaiy 
 
250 S ah at ion derived from 
 
 fe6lly confiftent and clearly intelligible, if 
 we underftand by it, a deftruftion of the 
 whole man, or a deprivation of being ; 
 which is death in the full and proper fenfe : 
 and the mere difTolution of the body is 
 with great propriety termed Jleepy by our 
 
 Saviour and his Apoftles. In the former 
 
 fcnfe we may underfland the threatening to 
 Adam, In the day that thou eateji thereof 
 thou foalt furcly die : 1. e. not undergo a 
 mere bodily difiblution, and pafs into ano- 
 ther kind of life, but die eternally. The 
 Almighty Creator gave him being and life, 
 which he was to hold by the tenure of 
 obedience : confequently, by difobedience 
 he forfeited all that was given him and be- 
 came liable to a total deftru6lion. 
 
 Whether we confider the account of the 
 fall of our fiift parents as a literal hiflory, 
 or as an oriental allegory j the fpirit and 
 meaning of it is the fame. The tree of 
 life m the midft of Paradife denotes the 
 immortality of mankind : the forbidden 
 fruit reprefents all thofe unlawful obje«5l:s 
 8 which 
 
I)lvi?te Mercy. 251 
 
 which men defire : the fubflety of the fer^ 
 penty the pleafantnefs of t\\t fruit, and the 
 tree of the knowledge of good and evil, which 
 was dejirable to make one wife, reprefent to 
 us, in admirable figures, the curiofity, 
 vanity, ambition, lufts and appetites of 
 our nature, which tempt us ^.::> difobey the 
 will of God : ihefe have their fource in the 
 fiefi, as our Apoille obferves^ and hence 
 it becomes a body of death, by feducing us 
 to tranfgrefs the law of God, and incur 
 the forfeiture of life and being. From 
 this death, the law of the fpirit of life in 
 Chrijl Jefus, fets iis free : this death Chrift 
 hath abolified; and they that believe in him 
 fall never fee it, but are paffed from it tmto 
 life. That imm.ortality which all men 
 forfeit by the terms of fmlefs obedience, 
 is conferred in Chriji Jefus on the terms 
 repentance, ^here is therefore now no con- 
 demnation to them that are in Chrijl Jefus, who 
 walk not after the flcfi but after the fpirit, 
 por GOD did not fend his/on to condemn the 
 
 worlds 
 
2^2 Salvation derived from 
 
 worldj but to fave it, and to beflow ever-: 
 Ififling life upon all that repent. 
 
 Hence our Lord declares of himlelf: 
 1 am the refurrediion a-^id the Ufe \ he that 
 helie^oeth in me Jloall never die : — -I give my 
 fie fi for tJje lije of the 'world. And the 
 Apoftle fays, our life is hid with Chrifi in 
 GOD : And when he who is our IfeJJjall 
 appear, we fall appear with him: And we 
 know that we are pa fed from death unto life. 
 
 On the other hand, the v/icked and 
 
 impenitent are reprefented as remahinig 
 ftiil in a fiate of death: they jl:all not fee 
 life : and the 'wrath oj GOD ahideth en 
 them : i. e. they are under condemnation 
 to eternal deftruclion. And to fiich as 
 abufe the light, and reject the divine grace 
 pfFered in the Go/pel, that condemnation 
 is aggravated : and hence, the Gofpel it- 
 felf becomes to them, as the Apofde ex- 
 preifeth it, a Savour oJ death unto death, — ^ 
 It appears then, That tlie deliverance, re- 
 demption. 
 
r>hine Mercy. ^ 253 
 
 demption, or fahatm, which is in Chrift 
 Jefus, is from death-, i.e. not a bodily 
 diffolution, but a fpiritual and eternal de- 
 ftruaion. Tie wages of fin, fays the A- 
 poftle, is death ; but the gift of GOD m 
 Chriji Jefus our Lord is eternal life. 
 
 Let us acknowledge with the mofl 
 lively gratitude the inexpreffible mercy and 
 and goodnefs of God revealed in the Gof- 
 pel; which faves men from deftruaion, 
 and confers upon them eternal life. If it 
 be the effea of mere goodnefs in the Crea- 
 tor to form us for, and continue us in, 
 this life 5 if we ought gratefully to acknow- 
 ledge the free mercy and benevolence of 
 God for every moment of our preferva- 
 tion from temporal death i what fentiments 
 ought we to conceive of that divine good- 
 nefs which faves us from death eternal, 
 and raifeth us to the poffciTion of life ever- 
 
 j^f^i,-io-? The foul flirinks back on it- 
 
 felf at feeing the precipice of deftruaion 5 
 and prefers confcious exiflence, tho' in- 
 termixed 
 
 8 
 
254- Salvation derived from 
 
 termixed with many pains, to an eternal 
 extin(5lion : 
 
 ■ • *' For who would lofe, 
 " Tho' full of pain, this intellectual being, 
 " Thofe thoughts that wander through 
 
 eternity, 
 " To perifii rather, fwallow'd up and loft 
 " In the wide womb of uncreated night, 
 " Devoid of fenfe and motion ?" 
 
 The mind conceives with horror the 
 thought of falling into nothing, of lofing 
 for ever the light of heaven, the profpeft 
 of the glorious creation, and the delights 
 of fecial exiftence -, and longs after immor- 
 tality. Life is the objecSl of our natural 
 and moft conftant defire^ and Immortal 
 Life the moft grand and pleafmg idea we 
 can entertain. The mind is expanded and 
 elevated to the higheft degree with fo vaft 
 and fublime a hope. The unbounded 
 p-reatnefs of the reward, and of the di- 
 vine mercy and liberality in conferring it, 
 
 fur- 
 
Divine Mercy, 255 
 
 furpafles all human language* or concep-^ 
 tion. Our Apofile feems to labour for 
 words, to exprefs the grandeur of his 
 ideas on this fubje6l. Tho' he had en- 
 dured an heavy feries of affli6lions, yet, 
 faith he, / count that the light affdBiom of 
 the prefent time, which are but for a mo- 
 menty are not worthy to be compared to the 
 far more exceeding and eternal weight of 
 glory. And in another place, JVkat fjall 
 we fay then to thefe things? If GOD be 
 
 for us, who can be againfi us ? He that 
 
 fpared not his own Son, but delivered him 
 up for us all', how fiall he not with him 
 alfo freely give us all things F Who fiall lay 
 any thing to the charge of GOD's elecl? 
 It is GOD that jujlifieth ; who is he that 
 condemjieth ? It is Chriji that died, yea 
 rather that is rijen again, who is even at the 
 right hand of GOD : Who fimll feparate 
 us from the love of Chriji f Shall dijlrcfs, 
 
 perfecution, famine, or [word? 1 am per- 
 
 fuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor an- 
 
2:^6 Salvation derived from, 6cc. 
 
 gels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things 
 prefent, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, 
 nor am other creature, fiall be able to fepa^ 
 rate us from the love of GOD which is in 
 Chrift fcfus our Lord^ 
 
 DIS- 
 
®®0@®®€f®®@®®#@®®@@@®®@@a 
 
 DISCOURSE IX. 
 
 On the Nature of the Chriftian Re- 
 ligion. 
 
 €>^0^^^##^^^is^^^€^t^^®@^0«J 
 
 Vol. II. R 
 
r 259 1 
 
 Rom. xiv. 17. 
 
 T!he kingdom of GOD is not meat and drink^ 
 but righteoufnefs^ peace ^ and joy in the Holy 
 Ghoji. 
 
 N thefe words the Apoflle gives us an 
 excellent defcription of the kingdom of 
 GODy in oppofition to the fuperftitious 
 error of the Jewifh converts at Rome 3 
 who thought it a duty of religion, and of 
 great importance, to abftain from certain 
 nte-ats : and in oppofition alfo to thofe on 
 the other hand, who defpifed the Jews for 
 their weaknefs and groundlefs fcruples j 
 and did not behave to them with due re- 
 fpe6l and tendernefs. The Apoftle aflerts 
 therefore that the kijigdom of GOD, or true 
 religion, confifteth neither in eating, nor 
 in abjlaining from any kind of food ; which 
 is a matter of no moment ; but in righte^ 
 B^ 2 otifnefs^ 
 
26o On the Nature of the 
 
 oufnefsy i, e. in every man's pra6lifing that 
 which is right according tq his own judg- 
 ment and confcience i in peace, i. e. in 
 allowing and encouraging others to do the 
 fame, and thereby avoiding offences, and 
 preferving the peace of fociety: and in 
 joy in the holy fpirit : i. e. in pure and fpi- 
 ritual joy, ariling from confcious integrity 
 in our own minds, from peace and friend- 
 fhip with our fellow Chriftians, and from 
 the hopes which the Gofpel afferds. It 
 might be tranflated, "Joy in a holy fpirit^ or 
 in a fpirit of holinefs. And the exprelTion 
 here may be thought equivalent to another 
 of our Apoftle, where he faith, the fruit 
 cf the fpirit is joy : meaning by the fpirit, 
 the principle of true religion in the minds 
 of men, in oppofition to the flejh; by 
 which he means the principle or root of 
 impiety and wickednefs in mankind. Noiv, 
 faith he, the works of the fie fh are manifefi : 
 which are thcfe : adultery y fornication^ un^ 
 clea'ajiefsy lafcivioifnefs, idolatry^ hatred, con- 
 iention, emulation, wrath, jlrije, fedition, 
 
 berefy. 
 
Chriflian Religion^ 261 
 
 herefyy envyingy murders, drwihmnefs, revel- 
 ings, and fuch like. But the fruit cf the 
 fpirit, is love, joy, peace, long-fufferance, 
 gentlenefs, goodnefs, faith, meehiefs, tem^ 
 perance. 
 
 If any imagine that the expreffion, joy 
 in a holy fpirit, or as our tranflators have 
 rendered it^ in the holy Ghoft, muft necef- 
 farily have a dire6l reference to that power- 
 ful j^/r/V of GOD which alTifted and fup- 
 ported the Apoftles, imparted gifts to them, 
 and w^rought miracles by them j the fenfe 
 according to this conflru6lion will not be 
 entirely different from the former. For as 
 rejoicing in GOD, means in his perfec- 
 tions and providence, and the intentions 
 of his goodnefs and mercy to us j and re- 
 joicing i?i Chri/l, means in what he hath 
 done aiid is ready to do for our benefit 5 
 fo, to have joy in the holy fpirit, doth not 
 imply any emotions of joy, infufed into a 
 man's mind from the immediate agency of 
 a fuperior fpirit j but is, rejoicing in the 
 R 3 faith 
 
262 On the Nature of the 
 
 faith and hope of that Gofpel which was 
 propagated by the operation of the fpirit 
 of GOD. This fenfe then is not greatly 
 different from the other. But the former 
 explication feems preferable, as it coheres 
 better with the whole paflage. l^he kmg- 
 dom of GOD is not meat and drink ^ but 
 righteoufnefsj peace y and joy: and to define 
 exprefly what kind of joy the Apoftle meant, 
 he adds, in a holy jpirit : i. e. not in world- 
 ly power, pomp, or pleafure, but in a 
 right fpirit and holy temper of mind ; a 
 joy fpringing from innocence, virtue, and 
 goodnefsj efTentially conne6ted with that 
 righteoufnefs and peace which are before 
 mentioned, and efliablifhed by the bleffed 
 hope, which the Gofpel affords to virtuous 
 and good men. 
 
 It willbeeafily underflood, that by the 
 kingdom of GOD the Apollle means true- 
 religion, that religion which the Gofpel 
 was intended to promote in the world ; and 
 which it adually promotes wherever it is 
 
 received. 
 
Chrijlian Religion. 263 
 
 received, in propoitipn to men's ferious and 
 impartial attention to it. Wiierever men 
 are governed by regard to the authority 
 and will of God, there ^ is the kingdom of 
 GOD } and fuch men are hlsJubjeBs, T^hh 
 kingdom or government of God over the 
 hearts and actions of men, our Saviour 
 and his Apoftles laboured to edablifh, by 
 pubhfhing the doarines and precepts of 
 true religion : and He will at lafl fully and 
 univerfally eftablifh it, by exertions of his 
 regal and judicial power; when he fiall put 
 down all oppofite rule, authority, and power y 
 ^nd fu6due all things to hlmfelf. But in the 
 mean time, the Gofpel is left to the natu- 
 ral courfe of things, and the voluntary ufe 
 or abufe of mankind, without any exer- 
 tions of power or judgment on the part of 
 our Blejfed Saviour, to preferve it either 
 from negleft or abufe ; becaufe his kingdom 
 is not of this world, and it was not his in- 
 tention to alter the natural courfe of things, 
 by erefting a government on earth, and 
 judging men in this life ; his judgment being 
 R 4 referved 
 
264 ^^ ^^^ Nature of the 
 
 referved to thole times and flates which 
 are fore-appointed by the wifdom of God. 
 
 Hence it hath come to pafs, not only 
 that the Gofpel hath been negleded and 
 abufed, but that a ftrange kind of govern- 
 ment hath been fet up in the Chriilian 
 world (as was indeed /r^^/^^^j under co- 
 lour and pretence of being the kingdom ef 
 GOD and of his Chrift j but in reality, in 
 order to fupplant and deftroy itj and 
 which in fa6lj inftead of righteoufnefs efta- 
 blifhed tyranny and iniquity^ inflead of 
 peace^ difcord and perfeaiiion, inflead of 
 joy in a holy fpirit, fpiritual corruption and 
 7nifery, And fuch will always be the con- 
 fequence, whenever the will of ambitious 
 and tyrannical men is fubftituted for the 
 will of GODy and religion is molded ac- 
 cording to their arbitrary decrees andfu- 
 perflitious inventions. 
 
 But with all their endeavours to fup- 
 prefs the Gofpel, by hiding it from the 
 
 know- 
 
Chriflian Religion* 265 
 
 knowledge of mankind, and by fubfti- 
 tuting their own traditions and canons in 
 its ftead, they were never able to extirpate 
 it, or wholly dtftroy men's regard to it: 
 and the khigdom of GOD ftill had a being 
 in the minds of men, tho' more confined 
 to obfcure parts and corners of the world." 
 As when the Prophet Elijah was lamenting 
 before God the total apoftacy of the Iji-ael^ 
 itesy and their incurable attachment to 
 idolatry, in language that fpoke defpair 
 and wearinefs of life, and the Almighty, 
 who perfe6lly knew the real ftate of things, 
 which the prophet did not, informed him, 
 that there were ftill [even thoiifand in Ifraely 
 who preferved their allegiance and fidelity 
 to the true God, and had never bozved the 
 hiee to Baal', fo during the greatell height 
 and extent of the papal tyranny and cor- 
 ruption, there were Hill numbers of men 
 in different places, who duowned and- 
 chriftian authority, preferved their allegi- 
 ance to Chrlftj and took their religion from 
 the writings of the New Teltamwnt : info- 
 much 
 4 
 
266 On the Nature of the 
 
 much that when many princes encouraged 
 the reformation by taking It under their 
 proteclion, they did little more than make 
 a public difcovery of what before lay hid 
 in men's minds. The kingdom of GOD 
 therefore has fubfifted in the world from 
 the days of our Saviour and his Apoftles 
 to the prefent time. 
 
 And now If any are folicitous to know 
 where this kingdom is to be found, and by 
 what marks it may be difcovered; we 
 may anfwer from the text, that the efFe6ls 
 it prcduceth, by which it is to be diftin- 
 guiflied from all falfe and deceitful pre- 
 tenlions, are righteou/nefs, peace, and fpi^ 
 ritual joy, Thefe are the fruits by which 
 the tree is to be known : fruits fo noble 
 and excellent, that nothing in nature can 
 excel them. 
 
 In regard to ourfehes therefore, if we 
 endeavour to underftand and to obey the 
 will of God., as declared by the great 
 
 prophet 
 
Chrljilan Religion, 267 
 
 prophet of God and Saviour of the world, 
 and in confequence hereof, pra61:ife righte- 
 oufnefs, live in peace, and enjoy the fpi- 
 ritual comforts and delights of a good 
 confcience and of hope in God, we may- 
 be alTured that we belong to the kingdom of 
 GOJD. — 'And with regard to all others^ 
 wherever we fee men confcientioufly prac- 
 tifmg what they apprehend to be right, cul- 
 tivating a fpirit of peace and good will to 
 their neighbours, and taking a pleafure in 
 religious exercifes and good works; we 
 may be certain that there is the kingdom of 
 GOD. And fuch perfons, how much 
 foever they may differ from us, in words> 
 or modes, or opinions,, are his true and 
 faithful fubje6ls 3 becaufe they are governed 
 by the will of God, and he rules over 
 them, not only as he rules over all man- 
 kihdy and the whole material creation, by 
 his irrefiilible power, but by his free good- 
 nefs, by his holy precepts, by the motives 
 of his grace, by the hopes of his favour, and 
 of the rewards of his heavenly kingdom, 
 
 Hav- 
 
268 On the Nature of the 
 
 Having premifed thus much in general^ 
 concerning the nature of the kingdom of 
 GODy let us return to the particular de- 
 fign of the Apoftle in the text j in which 
 he defines true religion or genuine chrif- 
 tianity, under the name of the kingdom of 
 GOD, by three principal and diftinguifhed 
 qualities, on purpofe to re6lify fome mif- 
 taken notions of the Jewifli converts : and 
 let us apply in like manner the fame defi- 
 nition, in order to dctecl and confute fome 
 falfe notions of religion, which have pre- 
 vailed fince the Apoflle's time, and have 
 continued to this day. 
 
 To this end we may juftly obferve m th6 
 firjfl place. That the kingdom of GOD, or 
 true religion and chriftianity, is not con- 
 fined to any particular territory, or attach- 
 ed to any human conflitution, whether' 
 civil or ecclefiaftical -, but is entirely diftindt 
 from all human power, and may fubfift 
 in any part of the world: becaufe it is 
 the government of God over men, not of 
 
 men 
 
Cbrlfliiin 'Religion. 269 
 
 men over ofie another ; and theeflential pro- 
 perties and marks of it 2SzrighteoufnefSipeace^ 
 and joy in a holy fpirit : therefore, where- 
 ever thefe are, there is the kingdom of GOD, 
 Men may indeed fet up governments, and 
 even tyrannies in the v^^orld, and endeavour 
 to fupport and extend them by a colour 
 and fanclion of reUgion and of chriiHanity. 
 This hath been actually done in the church 
 of Rome : where in order to raife and fup- 
 port the papal power, the authority of 
 Chrijl and of GOD hath been exprefly af- 
 fumed, as a foundation of v7orldly domi- 
 nion J and chriflian names, and titles of 
 hoU?iefSi have been affixed to the mofh in- 
 folent tyrants, the mod unjuft v^ars, and 
 the moil iniquitous courts : and the king^ 
 dom of GOD hath been fo confounded ac- 
 cording to men's imaginations with the 
 dominion of the Pope and oj his clergy^ that 
 to this day the Roman-Catholics have not 
 been able to feparate them in their own 
 minds. But -every kind of human power 
 and government, is not only dijiinB and 
 
 feparate 
 
£7© On the Nature of the 
 
 feparate from the kingdom of GOD, but is 
 cppofie and injurious to it, if inftead of 
 promoting, it hinders righteoiifnefs, peace y 
 and fpiritual joy : if inftead of prote^ling 
 men in the practice of what they believe 
 to be their duty, it oppreffes them for 
 doing it : if inflead of encouraging men 
 to live in mutual peace and charity, it 
 cherifhes difcord : if inftead of the hap- 
 pinefs, it tends to the mifery of man- 
 kind. 
 
 The Chriftian religion does not inter- 
 meddle with human government, with 
 the refpe6live prerogatives of princes, or 
 the laws, rights and privileges of nations 
 and communities : it leaves all thefe as it 
 found them 5 and contents itfelf with en- 
 joining fubjeclion to government in ge- 
 neral, without regard to the different 
 forms 5 and at the fame time clearly point- 
 ing out the end of government, and de- 
 fining the charader and office of a ma- 
 giftrate : that government is the ordinance 
 
 4 
 
Qhrijlian Religion. 271 
 
 of GOD, and the magiftrate the minifter of 
 GOD : for what end ? for the good of men, 
 by being a terror to evil-doers^ and a praife 
 to them that do well: and affigning this end, 
 chara6ler, and office as the ground and 
 reafon of all fubjection. 
 
 That Chriftianity is not of a local and 
 external nature, our Saviour plainly de- 
 clares to the Pharifees. l^he kingdom of 
 GODy faith he, cometh not with obfervation ; 
 7ieither jhall men fay\ Lo here, or lo there : 
 i. e. its rife and progrefs is not like that 
 of an earthly conqueror or worldly em- 
 pire, with a noife of vi6lory and a (hew of 
 pomp and triumph j but the kingdom of 
 GOD is within you : i.e. it is wholly in- 
 ternal and invifible, and not of a local or 
 vifible nature. Yet the advocates of the 
 Church of Rome are continually crying 
 out, Lo here is the kingdom of God, with- 
 in the pale or enclofure of our Church, 
 and, no- where elfe: and the vifible head 
 of it is at Rome cloathed in purple and 
 5 "■ fcarlet 
 
is 7 2 0^2 the Nature of the 
 
 fcarlet, and poiTefied of worldly power and 
 grandeur. 
 
 In another place, our Saviour as plainly 
 infl:ru6ls us, that his kingdom doth not 
 conful in any kind of dominion or go- 
 vernment which men may obtain over one 
 another. For when there was an ambi- 
 tious contention among his difciples, which 
 of them fhould rife to the greateft power 
 and pre-eminence in his kingdom, from a 
 falfe notion that it would be a worldly do- 
 minion ; he called them unto him and 
 faid, Te know that the princes of the Gen^ 
 tiles exercife dominion ever them, and they 
 that are great exercije authority upon them ; 
 hut it Jhall not be fo among you : but whofo^ 
 ever will be great among you, let him be your 
 minijler : and whofoever will be chief among 
 you let him be your fervant : even as the Son 
 cf Man came not to be adminiflred unto hut 
 to mini ft er, and to give his life a ranfomfor 
 many. 
 
 Se- 
 
Chriflian tleltgion* 273 
 
 SecoNDLV : As the kingdom of God 
 doth not confifl in any dominion, much 
 lefs tyranny of men over one another j fo 
 neither is it to be fupported or propagated 
 by any worldly means, kafi of all by the 
 means of oppreffion and perfecution. So 
 the Apoflle Paul declares, that the ivcapons 
 of hh warfare were not of a carnal ox v/orldly 
 nature, (tho* mighty through GOD^ to the 
 pulling down the flrong holds of Satan.) It 
 is indeed a dire6l contradiction to imagine 
 that righteoiifnefs^ peace, and joy in a holy 
 fpirit, can be promoted by mutual con- 
 tention, abufe, and oppreflion, by abridg- 
 ing men of their liberty, invading their 
 property, or alTaulting their perfons, or 
 by any means of hoftility and compulfion. 
 Thefe things have indeed been practifed in 
 the Church of Rome, under a folemn pre- 
 tence of advancing the kingdom of GODk 
 But all men of impartial judgment may 
 cafily perceive, that the real defign and ef- 
 fe6t of them have been to fupport a world- 
 ly dominion and tyranny, by opprefUng 
 . Vol. II. S the 
 
2 74- ^^^ ^^^^ Nature oj the 
 
 the liberties and enilaving the confcieiices 
 of mankind. And it is much ^to,be,l2^- 
 mented, that any Chiiftians of any Pro- 
 teilant denomination fliould have To far 
 retain -d the fentiments and fpiiit of the 
 Roniiili Church, as to think that true re- 
 ligion can be pronioted by angry difputa- 
 tions, and ptrfonal ijiveaives and calum- 
 nies, ^he ivraih of man worketh not the 
 righteoujiiefi of GOD : mutual prpvoca- 
 tions do not promote peace: nor can mu- 
 tual difguft and hatred produce /ty? in a holy 
 fpirit, T^he kingdom oj GOD therefore is 
 not advanced, but Injured^ by all fuch pro- 
 ceedings. 
 
 Thirdly : 'Tis evident from the de- 
 finition the Apoftle hath given us, that 
 the kingdom of GOD doth not confift in 
 fpeculative opinions, or in modes ajid cir- 
 cumftances of wonliip, any further than 
 as thefe may contribute to righteoufnefs, 
 peace, and true happinefs. And if all 
 Chriilians had paid a due attention and 
 
 regard 
 
Chri/itan Religion, §75 
 
 regard to the Apofllc's doftrine In the text, 
 it would have pt^evented or foon put an 
 end to innumerable controverfics, which, 
 inilead of anfwering any good purpofe, 
 have difturbed men's minds, broke the 
 peace of fociety, and been produdive of 
 ftiany grievous confequences. Such effeas 
 in men of honefldifpofitions and real piety 
 have proceeded from an error in judgment 
 and a zeal imhout knoivledge^ in imagining 
 thofe things to be of importance and ef- 
 fential to religion, which are of little mo. 
 ment or entn-ely foreign to the kiizgdom of 
 GOD, Faith in the Gofpel, and the pub- 
 He v/orfliip of God, are indeed of great im- 
 portance, and to be carefully prelerved, as 
 the beft foundation of the virtue and 
 happinefs of men. But it is at the fame 
 time incumbent upon every man to try all 
 doarines, modes, and ceremonies, and to 
 eftimate their importance and value, by 
 their moral influence, by their tendency to 
 produce fighteoufnefs, peace, and joy, or in 
 Other words, the virtue and happinefs of 
 ^ " men. 
 
276 On the Nature of the 
 
 men. For it will be found upon impar- 
 tial examination, that many articles of 
 opinion and ceremonies of worfliip have 
 been highly exalted in the imaginations of 
 men, and zealoufly contended for, which 
 have had not the Icall tendency, either in 
 their own nature, or by a6lual confe- 
 quence, to the good of mankind. On 
 the contrary, thofe things which have 
 moil of all engaged the paffions of men,, 
 and which have been defended and pro- 
 pagated with the greateft violence, have 
 always been things of the leafl impor- 
 tance in their own nature, or no way con- 
 ducive to the reformation and good of the 
 world. The very temper and manner, 
 the heat and violence, with which they 
 have been advanced and maintained, in- 
 ftead of implying the truth and moment 
 of the things contended for, are rather 
 proper to create a fufpicion of their weak- 
 nefs and infignificance : fmce men are al- 
 ways mofl ready to have recourfe to paffion 
 and violence, when their caufe is the weak- 
 eft 
 
' Chrlftian Religion. ^JJ 
 
 eft and moft deftitute of reafon and ar- 
 o-ument. Who is a wife man, fays the 
 Apoftle James, and endued with knowledge 
 iimong you ? Let himJJjew out of a good con- 
 verfation his works with meeknefs of wifdom. 
 But if ye have hitter envying and flrife in 
 your he art Sy glory noty and lye not againfl the 
 iruth.' i.e. Do not vainly prefume and 
 bo^ft that you are contending for true re- 
 ligion, the religion which is from heaven. 
 Vot this wifdom dcfcejideth ml from above ^ 
 but is earthly, fenfual, devilifh. ' It hath 
 not been chriftianity or true religion, but 
 the corrupt inventions and falfe additions 
 of men, which have been advanced and 
 defended by fuch unchriftian methods. 
 
 Fourthly: If the kingdom of GOD is 
 righteotfnejs, peace, and fpiritual joy -y then 
 itMoth not in the leaft confift in a melan- 
 choly or enthufiaftic temper of mind. And 
 we- lilay learn from this definition of the 
 Apoftle what judgment to form of thofe 
 (Grange and unnatural appearances, which 
 
 .: / f. -7 fome 
 
gjS On the Nature of tl^e 
 
 fame Chriftians have, miftaken or mifrc- 
 prefented for figns of gi-ace or marks of 
 converfion : fuch as^ disfigured counte- 
 nances, bodily com\iiQtions, fits of de- 
 fpair, . deje^ion or elevation of fpirits, 
 flights of fancy, ^^d , fervors of iniagina-* 
 tion. True religioti i-s of a different ge- 
 ^lius ^nd complexion from all fuch frantic 
 and delufive appearances : it is calm and 
 ferene, free from, turbulent emotions, com- 
 pofed, deliberate, refulting from mature 
 judgment, from cool confideration, and 
 the fleady purpofe of a well-inftru<5led 
 mind. Like the calm air and unclouded 
 Iky, compared to dark and tempefluous 
 feafons j fuch is the true temper of religion, 
 compared to the gloomy and wild emo- 
 tions of ^nthufiafm. Paffion and agony 
 of mindv diilrufl of the divine goodnefs, 
 terror and defpair, are diredly contrary to 
 thaty^y inaholyjpiriti vi'hich is one prin- 
 cipal character of true religion. Repen-- 
 tance indeed is attended with forrow and 
 ielf-reprpach, efpeciallj^, , wh^u nipn have 
 
 ^om- 
 
Chrijlian Religion. 279 
 
 committed fome flagrant a6t of wickcd- 
 nefs, or have proceeded to a great length 
 in a vitious courfe : but no fooner hav.e 
 they fincerely repented, by making all 
 pofTible amends for the evil they have done, 
 and reforming their conduct, than they 
 begin to' reap great" .pleafure and fatisfaq- 
 tion from their pw;j,.y/ire refolutton-v they 
 find themfeives refcued. from flavery and 
 mifery, and advanced to a happy ftate. — 
 Whatever profeffiqns therefore men may 
 make of religion,* whatever marks of de- 
 votion they rhay exhibit, whatever figns 
 or evidences they may fancy to themfelves 
 of their being in a ftate of falvation; yet 
 if they take no pleafure in the practice of 
 virtue, but have rather an averficn to it • 
 if they~ are fober, peaceable, and honefl, 
 only by compalfioiy- if they have no love 
 of goodnefs j if inilead of delighting in 
 acls of piety and charity, their devotion 
 is attended with uneafinefs, and their cha- 
 rity with, reluctance ; if they cannot rejoice 
 in the teflimony of a good confciencej if 
 S 4. they 
 
aSo On the Nature of the 
 
 they are intire Grangers to that holy and 
 jpiritualjoy which Iprings from confcious 
 innocence, from benevolent afFedlions, and 
 from the Gofpel hopes of divine favour 
 and a blefTed immortality; fuch perfons, 
 whatever other kingdom, conftitution, or 
 church they may belong to, are ftrangers,. 
 and foreigners to the kingdom cf GOD, 
 For, the kingdom of GOD is righteoufnefs^ 
 peace y and joy in a holy fpirit. 
 
 We fhall conclude with obferving, from 
 this defcription of the Apoflle, that the 
 Chriilian religion is the mofl excellent in- 
 ftitution in the world, and fitted to pro- 
 mote the greateft benefit and happinefs of 
 mankind' in the prefent flate as well as in 
 futurity. For nothing can be fo abfolute- 
 ly necefiary or direi^lly conducive to the 
 happinefs of rational beings in any /late 
 of fociety, as rectitude of temper and 
 ccnducl, mutual peace and charity, and 
 thofe pure delights which flow fiom fm- 
 cere virtue and piety. And fuch are the 
 
 natural 
 
//"fihrtflian Religion. 2^t 
 
 natural efFefts flowing from a firm belief 
 of the Gofpeli and conftant attention to 
 its precepts and motives. The peace and 
 happinefsof the world cannot be eftablifli- 
 ed on. a better foundation, or raifed to a 
 greater height, than by the knowledge and 
 praftice of genuine chriflianity. 
 
 Let US then adore and praifethe Father 
 Almighty, the fupreme governor of the 
 univerfe, for his great goodnefs, in fend- 
 ing his Son y^fis Chrift our Lordy to fet up 
 a kin-gddm.of. righteoufnefsy peace , and joy on 
 earth, and in bringing us to partake of the 
 privileges .of this divine conilitution. Let 
 us feek in the firft place this kingdom of GOD 
 and the right eoufnejs thereof and endeavour 
 to become faithful fubje6ls of it, by obey- 
 ing and fubmitting to tiie will of God,' 
 according to the precepts and example of 
 our Blefied Saviour. Let us bear in our 
 hearts a true allegiance to the invifiblc 
 head and ruler of it, truft in his protec- 
 tion, and hope for his gracious acceptance 
 
282 On the Nature of thei Sec. 
 
 of our fincere afFe6lion and faithful fervice. 
 Let us baniili from our minds all hurtful^ 
 dielufions, fuperltitious; fears^ and vain 
 cares- '^M forrov/s :. and aa , becomes the ' 
 happy! fubjed:^ of the greatefl and beft of- 
 Sovereigns, , let; iji^ erideavour. to pratflife 
 rigbteoufnefsj liye.jn peacfy .and reap the 
 comforts and delights of a good confcience, 
 a».Iiply. temper^ and virtuous life : That 
 io we: may; alfo attain to the blefled and 
 joyful hope, that an entrance Hiall be ad-j 
 mimfired to us abundantly into ^i&^ f*'Wr- 
 h(iing\king4om oj our Lord . and- Saviour y. 
 whtrfi) per&cl righteoufnefs, uninrerru>pted> 
 puce^ arnd • f Lilluefs of joy are eftablilhed; 
 fbrv evermore. .. c\^^03,.Ir vnritjfltini 
 
 .'-\^«icH GoDAfrhis infinite mercy grant 
 tIjLof Jefus Chi'ift our Lord. nl 
 
 luo III ii.^d ai 
 
 'jldilivrr' ' 
 
 csfiBJq- D I S- 
 
DISCOURSE X. 
 
 On Religious Joy, 
 
^^^^'^^B^:^^e^v:::^9^^^m- 
 
 f 
 
 "A 
 
 9 V[ 
 
 3 -^^-i 
 
 iau '*. *». or. f». <-i ^, «■> . 
 
 ,». ^> f\t <r. 
 
( 28s P 
 
 
 ■ ' ' . 1 . * M r ■ ' . 
 
 Philip, iv. 4. 
 
 Rejoice in the Lord always-, and again I 
 fayy Rejoice. 
 
 AMONG the excellent infiru6lions 
 and precepts of our holy religion, 
 we find intermixed many perfuafions to 
 rejoice ; not only to banifli care, fear, and 
 forrow, but to be always joyful ^ and even 
 in the adverfities of life, to be not only 
 patient and contented, but exceeding glad^r 
 Joy is reprefented as one of the eiTential 
 characters of the Chriflian religion.: For 
 the kingdom of GOD (fays the Apoflle) i. e. 
 the Chriflian religion, is rlghtcoiijhefsj 
 peace, and joy in a, holy Jpirit, i. e. a holy> 
 and fpiritual joy. And again, Thefruitof 
 the fpirit is love^ joy, peace. Sec. And this 
 character of our holy religion may be 
 thought fo peculiar, and fo ftrongly de^- 
 
 ■ fcriptive 
 7 
 
S6 On Rtligious 'Joy, 
 
 fcriptlve of its particular genius and qua- 
 lity, as to diftinguifti it from all other 
 religious inftitutions, or fchemes of mo- 
 rality, that ever were propagated in the 
 world. 
 
 The Jewifi religion was not of fo li- 
 beral and elevated a fpirit. It enjoined or 
 permitted a train of fervile ceremonies j 
 was enforced only by political and worldly 
 motives, feparate from all the encouraging 
 hopes of a life to come j and tended rathei* 
 to contra61: the heart of man with fuper- 
 ftitious fears, than to dilate it with cou- 
 rage and joy : whence it came to pafs that 
 the Jews in general were of a narrow felf- 
 i(h and gloomy difpofition. 
 
 The Stoic Philofophy taught men rather 
 to extirpate than to govern their paflions. 
 And tho' it contained many excellent pre- 
 cepts and arguments to expel fear, grief, 
 and all uneafy and turbulent paflions, and 
 to maintain a noble fortitude of mind, 
 4 and 
 
On Religious Joy: 2S7 
 
 and indliference to pain and dangef ; yet 
 at the lame time, inilead of cherilhmg 
 it tended to fupprefs all love hope and joy, 
 to deprive the heart of man of its mod 
 natural and pleafmg aftedlions, and to fix 
 it in a kinci of ilupid infenfibility. It was 
 in this refped: a fenfekfs fcheme, and the 
 virtue which it taught was that of ^pne 
 rather than of a jnan : and however it 
 might fuit fome few perfons of a very ri- 
 gid and obdurate temper, was ill-adapted 
 to human nature in general ; and founded 
 upon a proud imaginary idea of a man's 
 felf-iufficiency to his own happinefs, ex- 
 clufive of human fociety, and even inde- 
 pendent of the fupreme giver of all good. 
 
 ■ But an apology may be ju% made 
 
 for \htk philofiphers; who were many of 
 them excellent men, and did much good 
 in the world : viz. That they were defti- 
 tute of thofs great difcoveries of the di- 
 vine goodnefs to men, and of a ftate of 
 immortality, which are the glory of our 
 
 re- 
 
28 S 0/7 Religious yoy. 
 
 religion, and the principal ground of 
 our hope and joy» 
 
 It will be difficult to find any jufl apo* 
 logy for thofe Chriftians^ who, notwith- 
 ftanding the glad tidings of the Gofpel^ 
 and the fublime and joyful hopes it is 
 proper to infpire, flill continue to defcribe 
 religion and virtue in offenfive colours* 
 and to fhade the luflre of the gofpel, with 
 the dark ideas of their own cloudy ima-' 
 ginations : who have reprefented faith in 
 unintelligible do6lrines, implicit fubmif- 
 fion to human authority, ufelefs ceremo-- 
 nics, needlefs aullerities, monkifii folituds 
 and melancholy, hatred and abufe of our 
 fellow chrillians, and even grief, horror 
 and dffpair, as conflituent parts, or ge- 
 nuine effects, of the Chridian religion} 
 and who have thus endeavoured to per- 
 vert that amiable religion, which ought 
 to be the pkafurc and joy of our lives, 
 into an objeft of terror, and an infu])- 
 
 portable 
 
On Religious yoy» 289 
 
 portable burden. No apology can be 
 
 made for fuch perfons but this : that the 
 grofs delufions of antichriftianifm have fo 
 pofTeffed their minds, that the glorious 
 light of the gofpel cannot fhine into them, 
 to diilipate fuch colle^led clouds of igno- 
 rance and error. 
 
 Our Blefled Saviour, amidftthe various 
 trials of his virtue, maintained a conftant 
 ferenity of mind, together with a fenfi- 
 bility of all the afFe(51ions belonging to 
 human nature j adminiftered confolation 
 and joy to his difciples, under their great- 
 eft fears and troubles j diffuades them from 
 indulging to care and forrow ; and exhorts 
 them, even when they fliould be perfecuted 
 for righteoufnefs fake, to rejoice and be ex^ 
 veeding glad. And the Apojlks preferved 
 this joyful fpirit and temper, during the 
 'courfe of their miniftt-y^ notwithftandincr 
 the adverfities and dangers to which they 
 Were expofed. Hence the Apoftle Paul 
 idefcribes himfelf asfo?yowful with refpecl 
 
 Vol. H. T to 
 
tigo On Religious Joy. 
 
 to his outward circumftances, but in rc-« 
 gard to the flate and temper of his mind, 
 as always rejoicing. And the Apoflle "James 
 perfuades the Chriftians, to whom he 
 wrote, to efteem the very trials of their 
 faith and virtue, as a ground of joy. And 
 the Apoftle Feter i^prefents the Ghriftians, 
 to whom he wrote, as greatly rejoicing in 
 their Chriftian profeffion ; tho' they were 
 in confequence of it affli6led with various 
 trials. And the writer to the Hebrews 
 perfuades them to hold fajl the rejoici?jg of 
 their hope firm unto the end. And in gene- 
 ral, whenever the ApolHes fpeak of their 
 own flate and temper of mind, or of that 
 of their Chriftian converts, as under the 
 influence of the Gofpel-principles, they 
 always defcribe it as happy, or full of 
 confolation, peace, hope, and joy. And 
 whenever occafion led them to mention the 
 Gofpel-revelation, and the purpofe of di- 
 vine wifdom and goodnefs difclofed in it, 
 they frequently break out into expreffions 
 of rapture and triumph. O death, where 
 
 is 
 
On Religious Joy, 291 
 
 is thy fling? O grave, where is thy *oiBory ? 
 T^hanh be to GOD, who hath given us the 
 
 'uiSiory, thro Jefeis Chrijl our Lord. Be- 
 
 holdy fays the Apoftle John, what manner of 
 love the Father hath hejiowed upon us. For 
 now are we the Sons of GOD : not the for- 
 lorn out-cafts of the creation, expofed to 
 peiifh for ever at death, but the Sons of 
 GOD. And tho it doth 7iot yet appear what 
 wejhallbe, we are affured, that when Chrift 
 Jhall appear, we jhall be like him., fh all par- 
 take of the fame life^ and ftate of happi- 
 nefs, which he enjoys : for our life, or fu- 
 ture flate, is hid with Chrift in GOD, And 
 he begins his firft Epiftle with the moft 
 lively air of confidence and fatisfa6lion* 
 What was from the beginning, what we have 
 heard, what we have feen with our eyes, what 
 we have viewed, what our hands have hand- 
 led of the word of life, (referring to the 
 appearance of our Lord after his refur- 
 redion) for the life, or the ftate of im- 
 mortality, is difcovered, and we have feen 
 it, and bear witnefs of it, and declare to you, 
 T 2 that 
 
2()CL On Religions Joy. 
 
 that immortal lifcy which was with the Father, 
 and which is now dif covered to iis. What we 
 have fe en and have heard therejore we declare 
 to you J that you may hold communion with us : 
 and our communion is with the Father ^ and 
 with his Son yefus Chri/l. And we write 
 ihefe things to you, that your joy may become 
 complcat. In like manner Saint Peter :—^ 
 That the trial of your faith y being more pre- 
 cious than of gold y may be found to your 
 praife, honour and glory ^ at the appear aiice of 
 fefus Chrift : whom having not jeen you love, 
 and in whojn, tho now you fee him not^ yet 
 believi?2g ye rejoice, with a joy inexprejjible 
 and full of glory. Hence the Apoftles ele- 
 gantly flile themfelves not Lords of the faith 
 of the Chriftian converts, but helpers of 
 their joy. 
 
 It is abundantly evident from thefe paf- 
 fages, and the whole tenor of the New 
 Teflament, that the proper e{Fe([?l of the 
 true principles of the Chriftian religion, 
 is not to infpire grief or terror, but fatif- 
 
 fadlion 
 
On Religious Joy. 293 
 
 fa6lion and joy. And we fhall proceed 
 in what follows, to explain the ground 
 and reafon of the Apoflle's exhortation in 
 the text, Rejoice in the Lord always ; which 
 he repeats with a particular emphaiis, a?2d 
 again I fay-, Rejoice, 
 
 Virtue is undoubtedly in fome mea- 
 fure its own reward. Innocence and good- 
 nefs are in themfelves a natural ground of 
 lktisfa6tion and pleafure : not only as the 
 mind is preferved from the perplexities 
 and miferies of confcious guilty but as it 
 becomes pofTeifed of thofe good difpofi- 
 tions, the exercife of which contributes 
 greatly to the happinefs of life. Nothing 
 affords greater delight to a generous mind 
 than the exercife of focial and benevolent 
 affe6lions : and there is a fatisfa6lion and 
 joy arifing from true virtue, which far 
 excels the pleafures of voluptuoufnefs, am- 
 bition, or avarice. But virtue, unfup- 
 ported by a belief of true religion, is un- 
 liable and precarious : and all the courage 
 T 3 and 
 
294 ^^ Religious Joy, 
 
 and hope it can poffibly afford, are liable 
 to be overborn by various accidents. The 
 calamities of life, the fears of death, the 
 wickednefs of men, the ingratitude of 
 fome, the malice of others, the adverfities 
 and oppreffions to which it is often ex- 
 pofed in this flate of trial, are fufficient 
 to blaft it, and prevent all the fruits of 
 peace and joy it might otherwife produce. 
 In fuch inclement feafons, religion alone 
 is capable of fupporting the generous 
 plant, and giving it fufficient ftrength and 
 warmth, to bring forth fruit to perfeflion, 
 Exclufive of all confidence in God, and 
 all hope of a life after death, how narrow 
 and circumfcribed muft our largeft views 
 and expectations be ! No profpe6l inter- 
 rupted by the many unpleafmg accidents, 
 which may befal us in life, and fhortly 
 terminated by the blank period of death, 
 can afford any folid contentment and 
 hope, to the mind of a wife and good 
 man, 
 
 Let 
 
On Religious Joy, 295 
 
 Let us then proceed, in the next place, 
 to the belief of natural religion^ or a con- 
 fidence in the wifdom, power, and goodnefs 
 of the fovereigndifpofer of all things : which 
 is a further ground of fatisfa6lion to a 
 good man, and which ftrengthens virtue, 
 and adds to the happinefs arifing from it. 
 
 There is upon the whole fo great a pre- 
 valence of order and good in the world 
 around us, even within our narrow ob- 
 fervation and experience, as affords an un- 
 deniable evidence, that the Maker of it is 
 a being of perfe6l goodnefs, as well as 
 wifdom and power. It is alfo reafbnable 
 to believe, that the infinite wifdom of 
 God may conduct his creatures, to the 
 ends for which he defigned them, and to ' 
 their own greatefl happinefs, by ways and 
 means myflerious to our apprehenfion 5 
 that thofe things may be good in his un- 
 erring judgment, which to our partial ima- 
 ginations appear evil ; and that his infinite 
 power can convert thofe events, which 
 T 4 feem 
 
296 0?i Religious Joy. 
 
 feem thq moft formidable and hurtful, into 
 real advantages, and the means of our 
 happinefs. Thefe confidcrations are fuf- 
 ficient to remove all objections againft his 
 government, and enable us to confide ir^ 
 his fupreme wifdom and goodnefs, not- 
 withflanding all the apparent evils of the 
 prefent ftate. 
 
 This belief of natural religion is a 
 firm ground of contentment, and is fuf- 
 ficient to difpel anxiety, and to gladden the 
 heart of a good man. Having our minds 
 free from all diflruft of the divine juflice 
 and goodnefs, and being thoroughly per- 
 fuaded, that all things paft, prefent, and to 
 come, are directed by infallible wifdom to 
 the happieft ends ; we may rejoice in God> 
 and contemplate his works with admira- 
 tion and pleafure. The v/hole creatiori 
 around qs will appear no lefs delightful, 
 than great and aftonifhing. We fhall 
 contemplate ourfelves with a fecret fatiL 
 faction^ i^s. being the creatures o{ fuch a 
 
 being ; 
 
On Religious jfoy^ 2,97 
 
 b/sing : and our greateft terror will be, l&ft 
 we fhould forfeit his prote6lion, and the 
 being he hath given us, and ceafe to be his 
 •reatures any longer. 
 
 And this faitb of natural religion will 
 afford yet more ample materials of coni- 
 fort and joy, if, inftead of confining our 
 views to prefent and fenfible things, we 
 extend them into remote fpaces and ages, 
 and endeavour to enlarge our ideas of the 
 divine intentions and operations : if in- 
 flead of limiting Almighty power by our 
 narrow faculties and fenfes, and infinite 
 goodnefs by our little capacity and expe- 
 rience, we learn to conceive and believe, 
 that all our knowledge of the works of 
 God, is nothing in comparifon of what 
 they are in themfelves : that infinitely more 
 lies beyond, than within, the compafs of 
 our faculties : that the world we inhabit is 
 not the only work of God j but that there 
 are flates and worlds innumerable, the 
 produce of infinite wifdom and power : 
 
 that 
 
29S On Religious yoy. 
 
 that there are creatures of God who excel 
 us in their knowledge, dignity, and happi- 
 nefs, far more than we excel the meaneft 
 infe6t : and that the fame power of God, 
 which created us to the enjoyment of this 
 life, can raife us after death to another 
 life, and a ftate of happinefs above our 
 prefent experience or conception. We 
 are ignorant of thofe various and fuperior 
 ftates of exillence, which are in the power 
 of omnipotence to confer, and which fome 
 orders of rational beings may a6lually 
 poflefs. Inflead, therefore, of meafuring 
 the efFe6ls of infinite power, by our igno- 
 rance and inexperience, we ought rather 
 to conclude, that our higheft conceptions 
 of the works of God, and the ends of 
 his wifdom and goodnefs, fall infinitely 
 ihort of their excellence and perfe6lion ; 
 and that the happinefs of mankind in this 
 life is indeed an obje6t of the divine in- 
 tention } but not worthy to be compared 
 to thofe far more glorious and beneficent 
 ends, which are intended and accomplifli- 
 
 ed. 
 
On Religious jfoy, 299 
 
 cd, in God's creation and government of 
 the boundlefs univerfe. 
 
 This world and the flate of mankind 
 in it, may not only bear a relation to other 
 ftates and worlds in the vifible creation, 
 as being one proper part of a vaft fyftem 
 too great to be comprehended by our ima- 
 gination: but may alfo fland connected 
 with an invifible intelledual fyflem, and 
 with future ages, and the diftant periods 
 of eternity. And the grand purpofe of 
 the Creator in the formation of mankind, 
 may lie far beyond the narrow fcope of 
 our prefent experience and obfervation; 
 And confidering human happinefs as 072e 
 obje(5l of the divine purpofe ^ yet the fi-, 
 tuation of mankind on earth, and their 
 enjoyment of this life, may be but a di- 
 minutive part of tbaf divine purpofe, in- 
 trodu6lory to future fcenes, and higher 
 fpheres of capacity, action and enjoyment. 
 
 Such 
 
^oo On Religious yoy. 
 
 Such confiderations as thefe, will not 
 only elevate the mind, with more fublime 
 and pleafing apprehenlions, of the works 
 and defigns of the all-perfe6l being ; but 
 lead us to place a more entire confidence in 
 his wifdom and goodnefs; to refign our- 
 felves to his difpofal, both in life and at 
 death, with complacency and fatisfa61:ion 5 
 not without fome probable hope^ that death 
 may not be the period of our exiftence, 
 but 2.tranJlation to fome better and happier 
 ftate. 
 
 But in the third place, the largejl and 
 Jirmejl foundation of hope and joy, to the 
 mind of a good cliriflian, is th.Q faith of 
 ihe Gofpel. As it not only enlarges and 
 confirms our belt fentimcnts, of the power, 
 wifdom, juflice, and goodnefs of the fu- 
 preme governor of the univerfe, and the 
 grandeur and benevolence of his defigns ; 
 but gives us thQ joyful affurance^ That the 
 eternal happinefs of good men after death 
 
 is 
 
On Religious Joy, 301 
 
 is one fpecial objedl of his intention, and 
 the principal end, for which our Saviour 
 was fent into the world, and raifed after 
 death to power and dominion, in the in- 
 vilible regions. He is difclofed to us, in a 
 chara6ler and office mofl proper to engage 
 our efleem, to animate our love of virtue, 
 and to encreafe our courage and hope. 
 We have in him the moll: perfe6l example 
 of every human virtue, and the highefl 
 hidance and proof of the intention of the 
 Almighty Governor of the world, to raife 
 mankind to another life, and to reward 
 virtue with everlafting honour and hap- 
 pinefs. That life and immortality which 
 is fo clearly brought to light, and fo fully 
 confirmed to us, by the refurreclion of' 
 our Saviour, is the moft interefting fub- 
 jed to which we can turn our attention, 
 and the higheft obje6l of our hopes : no- 
 thing greater or happier can enter into 
 human conception: this eftabliOieth our 
 peace and joy on a perfeft foundation, 
 and enableth us to rejoice in the Lord always, 
 
 coen 
 
302 On 'Religious yoy, 
 
 €'ue7i ivitb a joy inexprejjible and full of 
 glory. 
 
 There are two different views of the 
 ftate of mankind ; one exclufive, and the 
 other inclufive of a life to come. Which 
 is the more pleafing and delightful view, 
 can hardly need argument or explication^ 
 in order to convince a rational enquirer. 
 Had the Almighty Creator no further de- 
 fign in the formation of mankind than 
 their prefent fubfiftence in this v/orld, it 
 would be hard to reconcile this purpofe 
 alone^ with his infinite wifdom and good- 
 nefs : and was death the period of our 
 exiftence, and the happinefs of this life 
 the ultimate obje6t of our hope, there 
 would be apparent reafon to cry out. All 
 is vanity. Since all our prefent enjoyments,. 
 hopes and profpe6ls would be diminifliing 
 thro' life, and foon terminate in everlaft- 
 ing darknefs and infenfibility. This view 
 is not only ungrateful to the thoughts of a 
 v/ife man, but more proper to debafc the 
 
 mind, 
 
 4 
 
On Religious yoy. 303 
 
 iiiind, and damp the fpirit, than to encou- 
 rage it in a virtuous purfuit, of any wor- 
 thy and happy ends. It is hardly credi- 
 ble, that any perfons in the world can be 
 funk into fuch meannefs and folly, as to 
 wifh that death may put an end to their 
 being, and to derive eafe and contentment 
 from fuch a miferable expe6lation. — They 
 are terrified at the apprehenfions of that 
 flate, which in itfelf affords the moil 
 glorious and delightful prolpe6l ; and per- 
 vert that into a fubjeft of averfion and 
 horror, which ought in reafon to be the 
 delight of their hearts, and the ground of 
 their moft grateful praifes to God, and 
 mofl joyful hopes in regard to themfelves. 
 They have recourfe to that as their laft and 
 beil refuge, which every fenfible mind mufl 
 naturally abhor, and flartle at the thoughts 
 of J even that total and eternal deftru5fion^ 
 which the Gofpel denounceth to be the final 
 fiinifiment of wicked men; when they 
 fliall be extirpated out of the creation, 
 Jrom the prefence of the Lord^ and by his 
 
 glorious 
 
^o4 ^^ Religious yoy. 
 
 glorious power. Such a dread at the thought 
 of another world, can be the efFe<5l only 
 of confcious guilt, or of falfe Conceptions 
 of God, and a dark diilrafb of his wif- 
 dom and. goodnefs. Such perfons labour 
 tinder mofl unhappy prejudices, and fub- 
 ilitutey^'^r inftead oi faith ^ and horror in- 
 flead of hope. The face of univerfal na- 
 ture is obfcured to their eyes, while they 
 are afraid to extend their view beyond the 
 limits of this life, and are flruck with ter- 
 ror at the belief of a future exiflence. 
 The Gofpel itfelf, inflead of being iidijigs 
 cf great joy to them, is unwelcome news; 
 and they prefer the darkeft profpe6l of aii 
 eternal death, to that day-jpring jrom on 
 hi^h which brings life and immortality to 
 light. 
 
 In reafon all our fears fliould lie oil the 
 contrary fide : and our moll formidable 
 apprehenfions ought to be, left the Gofpel 
 fnould not be true j left death fhould be 
 the period of our exigence, and prove to 
 
 bo 
 
On Religious joy i 305 
 
 be in reality, what it is in appearance, a 
 total and eter?2al death : left all mankind 
 fliould be involved in that deJiruBion^ which 
 according to the Gofpel-doclrine, is to be 
 the end only of the wicked and impenitent. 
 And we ought in reafon to defire nothing 
 fo earneftly, as to be thoroughly convinced, 
 that the exceeding great and ineftimable 
 promifes of a refurre6lion from the dead, 
 and an eternal life, contained in the New 
 Teftament, are true. 
 
 " To the Atheift, w\\Q denies a God, and 
 believes that mankind are the produce of 
 chance i or to the Dcemonift, who ap- 
 prehends the caufe of all things to be a 
 malevolent being} the belief of a future 
 ftate may indeed be dreadful ; and it is no ' 
 wonder if they are terrified at the thought 
 of an eternal exiftence; as of an unfa- 
 thomable Chaos of confufion, — or an end- 
 lefs fcene of diabolic tyranny and cruelty. 
 But thele are not Chriftian, nor rational 
 fentiments. It is our happinefs to have 
 Vol. II. U jufter 
 
3o6 On Religious yoy. 
 
 jufter notions of the all-perfedt being, and 
 the excellence of his works and defigns, 
 who is known to us in the chaia6ler of 
 our Father in heaven^ a being of infinite 
 goodnefsj as well as Almighty power. 
 
 The Heathens were not fo happy, either 
 in their conceptions of the divine nature^ 
 or their apprehenfions of a future ftate. 
 Inflead of entertaining ycj*^/ hopes of a 
 life to come, their notions of it were dark 
 z.r\di fearful Even the Elyzium wYach. they 
 feigned, as the refidence and reward of vir- 
 tuous fouls, was a flate fo little defirable, 
 that it was much happier in their opinion, 
 to continue in this world, with all its 
 troubles and adverfities. Many of them 
 indeed denied a future flate : being more 
 willing to believe that death put an end 
 to their exiftence, than that fuch a ftate 
 Ihould follow hereafter. This was in 
 reality making a poor retreat, and flying 
 to a defperate refuge, when they preferred 
 the belief of annihilation or an eternal de^ 
 
 Jlru^fion, 
 
On Religious yoy, 307 
 
 fintBiojt, as the beft hope of what would 
 befal them at death. One of their old 
 poets pathetically laments this view of the 
 ftate of mankind 5 and complains, that 
 while the fun and the itars fet and rife 
 again, yet when man goes down to the 
 grave, he finks into everlafting night, and 
 never rifeth more : and that while the plants 
 and flowers of the field obtain a kind of 
 refurreBion in the fpring, yet the beft of 
 men muft perifh for ever without the leaft 
 hope of a reftoration to life. 
 
 ** * Alas, the tender herbs and flow'ry tribes, 
 Tho' crufh'd by winter's unrelenting hand. 
 Revive and rife when vernal zephyrs call. 
 But men, the brave, the mighty and the wife. 
 Bloom, llourifh, fade and fall : — and then 
 
 fucceeds 
 A long, long filent dark oblivious fleep, 
 A flcep which no propitious pow'r dlfpels. 
 Nor changing feafons, nor revolving years." 
 
 But the chriftian revelation gives us the 
 ineftimable aflurance, That there is a pro- 
 
 * Mofch. e|i-. on Bion. 
 
 U 2 pilous 
 
3o8 Oji Religious Joy. 
 
 pitiom power, able and ready to deliver men 
 from the power of death, and raife them 
 to another life : that there fhall be a revo- 
 lution, when they that Jleep in the duji Jhall 
 awake, and all that are in their graves Jhall 
 hear the reviving voice of the Son of GOD, 
 and Jhall live. Te are not ignora?2t, fays 
 the Apoflle, as the Heathens are, concern- 
 ing them which are ajlcep : and therefore ye 
 ought not to forrow, like thoje that have no 
 hope. For if ye believe that GOD raifed tip 
 Chriji from the dead; even fo them that flcep 
 in Chriji will GOD bring together with him. 
 
 The nature of a future ftate cannot 
 but furpafs our comprehenfion. The A- 
 poftle compares our prefent ideas of it to 
 thofe of an infant in comparifon of ma- 
 ture age : and fays, that we now fee fuch 
 things but thro a glafs darkly, i. e. by an 
 obfcure and didant reflexion. // doth not 
 yet appear, fays the Apoftle John, what we 
 fhall be : but this we are affured ofi that 
 when Chriji fall appear we fall be like him ; 
 
 for 
 
On Religious 'Joy, 309 
 
 for we Jldall fee him as he is, i. e. our fa- 
 culties will be then adequate to that exalted 
 ftate in which he is. Our BlefTed Saviour 
 affures us of the fame : In my Father s 
 houfe, faith he to his difciples, are many 
 manflons : 1. e. there are various ftates and 
 regions in the invifible univerfe. I am 
 going to prepare a place for you : a?id when I 
 have prepared a place for yoUy I will come again 
 and receive you unto myfelf \ that where I am^ 
 there ye may he alfo. 
 
 Thus, as the difcoveries of natural phi- 
 lofophy open the minds of the learned, to 
 contemplate the material worlds, in the 
 diflant fpaces of the Ikies, and the fcenes 
 of divine ppwer and wifdom there difplay- 
 edj fo the rhiiilian revelation opens the 
 eyes of our faith, to difcern the intellec- 
 tual worlds, and a future ftate of glory 
 and immortality. Thefe things are indeed 
 remote from human fenfe, and the com- 
 prehenfion of them is above our higheft 
 faculties. For how is it polfible that we 
 U 3 ihould 
 
3IO On Religious Joy, 
 
 (hould comprehend the operations and 
 
 efFe(Sl:s of infinite power and wifdom ? . 
 
 And what can be more abfurd than to ima- 
 gine that they are Hmited by the narrow 
 dimenfions of the human underftanding?— 
 The future ftate is revealed to our know- 
 ledge, as far as is neceflary, and for ought 
 we know, as far as is poflible. It may not 
 be in the power of fuperior beings them- 
 felves, to communicate to us a knowledge 
 of their operations, and manner of exif- 
 tence ; mankind not having any faculties 
 capable of receiving fuch information. 
 God may impart to the higher orders of 
 his creatures, various powers of percep- 
 tion and adion, not only different from 
 ours, but fuch as m2iy Jifigly comprehend 
 more, than all our capacities and fenfes 
 united j and v/hich may give them an ex- 
 cellence, in comparifon of mankind, great- 
 er than that which men poflefs, compared 
 to the meanefl: living creature on earth : 
 and the happinefs, refulting from fuch 
 fuperior faculties, may excel in the fame 
 
 prO'^ 
 
On Religious Joy, 311 
 
 proportion, all the enjoyments which men 
 are capable of in this world. 
 
 Our Saviour and his Apoftles repre- 
 fent the happinefs of the future flate, by 
 fuch images, as are not only moft intelli- 
 gible, but mofl apt to pleafe and delight 
 the mind of man : fuch as, a treafure j an 
 inheritance ; a kingdom j a region of light 
 and glory ; a life exempt from difeafe and 
 death j a flate of fociety ; a perfe6l com- 
 munity, confifting only of the wife and 
 good, free from every imperfection which 
 attended them in this world, and from all 
 other infirmities and evils. 
 
 Such a flate is the noblefl obje6l of our 
 defire and purfuit ; and we have the high- ' 
 efl reafon to rejoice in this expe6latioil. 
 We cannot be more happily employed at 
 prefent, than in confidering the evidence 
 and certainty of this our chriflian faith : 
 for it naturally tends to fill our minds with 
 joy\ and we cannot but inwardly exult 
 U 4 and 
 
^ 1 2 On . Religious yoy. 
 
 and triumph in the y^^/^//;;?^ hope any mor- 
 tal creature can conceive, the hope of 
 immortality. 
 
 When men are deprived of many va- 
 luable enjoyments, and reduced to a flate 
 of infirmity and confinement ; yet they are 
 not willing to part with life, but efteem it 
 preferable, even in fuch a condition, to 
 an utter infenfibility or extin6lion of being. 
 How happy then is it to be perfaaded, 
 that death itfelf fhall not put an end to us, 
 but only be a tranfition to another life. 
 How vaft and delightful a profpe6l does 
 the belief of a future flate afford ! What 
 a conftant fource of comfort and joy to 
 be afTured, that we fhall not only be fet 
 free by death from the evils of this life, 
 but redeemed as it were from a ftate of 
 (laverv. to the freedom and inheritance 
 of the fons of God : and inflead of being 
 reduced to our priniceval nothing, fliall be- 
 come polTefTed of a fuperior life and nobler 
 faculties j fhall be able to extend our pro^ 
 
 grefs 
 
On Religious Joy. 313 
 
 grefs in the unbounded univerfe, and to 
 contemplate thofe wondrous fcenes which 
 are continually pa fling, thro' infinite fpace 
 and the ages of eternity j and inilead of 
 being excluded from human fociety, fhall 
 be joined to a celeftial community, to the 
 Jpirits of ] lift men made perfeSi, and a higher 
 order of beings, amongft whom mutual 
 benevolence and focialjoy are compleatand 
 uninterrupted. 
 
 Our Blefled Saviour delivered inllruc- 
 tions of wifdom, and precepts of mora- 
 lity, adapted to the nature and condition 
 of mankind -, and was himfelf a perfe6l 
 example of every human virtue. But this 
 was not the moft important part of his 
 commifllon, nor is it the greatefl excel- 
 lence of our religion. The authentic dif- 
 covery and aflurance of a life to come, 
 and of glory and immortality as the re- 
 ward of virtue, is the ])erfe6lion and glory 
 of the chriftian religion : this is properly 
 the Go/pel: a do6lnne of confolation, of 
 5 hope, 
 
nj^ On Religious *Joy, 
 
 hope, and of joy inexpreffible. He came 
 with a certainty and authority which no 
 other perfon ever had, to afTure us of the 
 intentions of divine goodnefs and mercy 
 to men : to reveal and confirm to us the 
 happieji tidings that can arrive to the ears of 
 mortals, the pj-omife of immortality : that 
 the Almighty Father who made us, and 
 nvho hath appoi?2ted all men once to die^ doth 
 not intend to deftroy us at death, but hath 
 fo loved the world oi mankind, that it hath 
 been his eternal purpofe to deliver them 
 from death, and reftore them to another 
 life, and to reward virtuous men with 
 endlefs honour and happinefs : and that to 
 this end he hath appointed a perfon wor- 
 thy to execute the great defign ; and hath 
 committed to him the power of raiiing 
 mankind from the dead, the right of judg- 
 ing them, and the whole difpofal and go- 
 vernment of them in a future flate. The 
 Gofpel therefore difpels our moft formi- 
 dable apprehenfions, and raifeth us to the 
 higheft hopes J by afliiring us, that the 
 
 total 
 
On Religions Joy, 3 1 5 
 
 total and eternal deilru6lion, which all 
 mankind would have had reafon to live in 
 fear of, fliall be the fate only of the wicked 
 and impenitent ; whilft all good men, and 
 even wicked men who fmcerely repent^ 
 fiiall be faved ; fhall not perijh, kit have 
 evei^lajiijig life. 
 
 There are but two forts of perfons in 
 the world, who are incapable of deriving 
 any fatisfadion and hope from the Gof- 
 pel ', and who, inftead of rejoicing in the 
 profpe6l of a future ftate, have reafon to 
 live in fear of what will follow after 
 death ; viz. the mcked man, and the In- 
 
 fideL -The former, during his ftate of 
 
 wickednefs and impenitence, may and 
 ought to be filled with terrible apprehen- 
 lions. For the Father Almighty, even 
 the Father of mercies, the GOD of all con- 
 folation and good hope ^ will neverthelefs, ac- 
 cording to the Gofpel of our Saviour, be 
 (I confiiming fire to th^ workers of iniquity : 
 tliiey fliall be burnt tip like chaff, and their 
 
 end 
 
2 1 6 Ofi Religious Joy. 
 
 end fhall be eternal defiru5lion from the pre- 
 fence of the Lordy and from the glory of his 
 power. — The Infidel may mdeed be in a 
 better fituationj as he may, upon the 
 principles of natural religion, live virta- 
 oufly and pioufly, and avoid that wicked- 
 nefs and hypocrify, which will expofe the 
 chriftan to peculiar infamy and punifli- 
 ment. But at the fame time, by rejeding 
 the Gofpel, tho' it be in the fmcerity of 
 his heart, and becaufe he apprehends it to 
 want fufhcient proofs he deprives himfelf 
 of the beft evidence of a life to come, and 
 the moil delightful ground of hope, as to 
 his own future and eternal condition. He 
 remains in a dark and uncomfortable ftate, 
 or in the obfcure twilight of human 
 reafon ; which can make no clear and 
 certain difcovery of a life hereafter. He 
 mud of neceffity either believe that he fiiall 
 periHi for ever at death, (a thought ab- 
 horrent to the mind of a wife man) or 
 truft entirely to the flrength of fome feeble 
 probabilities and plaufibie conjedures, con- 
 cerning 
 
0?i Religious Joy, 517 
 
 cerning the purpofss of infinite wif- 
 dom. 
 
 Indeed the ablefl * of the Deiftical 
 writers has been fo honeft as to confefs all 
 this, and much more ; by exprefly owning, 
 that the doiirine of a future Hate is ab- 
 folutely uncertain and dubious, exclufive 
 of the chriftian revelation : and that a life 
 to come, however defirable, is what we 
 
 have no fufficient ground to expedl. It 
 
 is well that this writer againfl chriflianity 
 has been fo kind, as to inform us of his 
 real fentiments, in this mofi: momentous 
 Article of religion : for we may plainly fee 
 whither he would lead us, and to what 
 iffue his objections and arguments naturally 
 tend. For having firfl attempted to de- 
 prive us of our chriftian faith ; the next 
 ftep, and the natural confequence is, to 
 rob us of the greatefl confolation and joy 
 of our minds, the blefled hope of a life 
 to come, and of immortality after death.' 
 
 * Bolingbroke. / 
 
 —But 
 
2i8 On Religiotii yoy. 
 
 — But having attained, by our knowledge 
 and belief of the Gofpel, to this fublime 
 and pleafmg hopej we cannot willingly 
 part with it, or fuffer any flight objections 
 to deftroy our confidence in God, and our 
 hope of enjoying the efFe6ls of his good- 
 nefs in a life incorruptible and eternal. 
 Were it pofiible that our chriflian faith 
 and hope fhould be all a delufion ; it would 
 be a kind of cruelty to deprive us of fo 
 noble and pleafmg an expeflation, fo re- 
 quifite to fupport us under adverfity, to 
 give us joy in profperity, and to change 
 the formidable afpe6l of our laft enemy^ 
 death, into the countenance of 2i friend. 
 
 If, according to all human judgment 
 concerning matters of the greateft confe- 
 quence, even of life and death, the mouth 
 of two or three witneffes of honeft charac- 
 ter is thought fufficient to a decifion j how 
 vartly fuperior is that evidence*, which 
 determines our aflent to the truth of the 
 
 * Seethe 7th difcourfe. 
 
 Gofpclj 
 
On Religious Joy, 319 
 
 Gofpel, and on which our faith and hope 
 in the divine promife of eternal life is 
 
 founded ? What remains then in order 
 
 to our entire fatisfadion, but that we right- 
 ly underftand, and cordially embrace the 
 Gofpel of our falvation ? — We have a- 
 bundant reafon to confide in the divine 
 purpofe of everlaflinggoodnefs and mercy 
 to mankind in Ghrift Jefus our Lord. All 
 jiejh is indeed ^r^ j and all the glory of man 
 as the fiower of grafs: the grafs wither eth and 
 the flower thereof falleth : our bodily nature 
 is lo far akin to the lower creatures, even 
 the vegetables of the earth, that it muft 
 decay and fall like them. But the word of 
 the Lordy the purpofe and promife of God, 
 abideth for ever. And this is the word which 
 by the Gofpel is preached unto you. Let us 
 then hold f aft the profeffton of our faith ^ and 
 the joy of our hope, firm unto the end\ for 
 faithful is he who hath promife d. Let us en- 
 deav^our to walk as becomes the heirs of 
 the heavenly inheritance, the ineflimabie 
 gift of eternal life. Haviiig this hope in 
 6 us, 
 
2O On Religious yo)\ 
 
 us, let us purify ourfehes as Chrifi nicas 
 pure : and according to his example, by a- 
 patient continuance in well-doings fiek for glory ^ 
 honour and immortality. Then may we have 
 flrong confolation in our own minds j and 
 in all the events of this uncertain flate, 
 may rejoice in hope of the glory of GOD ; in 
 hope of feeing and enjoying the glorious 
 efFe6ls of divine power, wifdom and good- 
 nefs in the celeftial regions, and to ever- 
 lafling ages. V/hich GOD of his infinite 
 mercy grant, thro jefus Cjjriji our Lord, 
 
 D I S- 
 
DISCOURSE XI. 
 
 On Religious Gratitude. 
 
 Vol. IL X 
 
{ 323 ) 
 
 Psalm ciii. 2. 
 
 Blefs the Lord^ O my Soul, and forget not all 
 kis benefits, 
 
 AS the exercife of gratitude, in return 
 for benefits received, is mofl natu- 
 ral and agreeable to every ingenuous mind • 
 fo the moil: engaging chara6ler, in v/hich 
 we can confider the Supreme Being, is that 
 of a benefadlor. Sovereign authority may 
 command obedience; and the idea of Al- 
 mighty power enforce it: infinite gran- 
 deur and dignity of nature may imprefs 
 awe : and infaUible and all-comprehenfive 
 wifdom create admiration or afconiOinie^ it : 
 and other attributes may properly excite 
 rehgious veneration. But goodnejs alone at- 
 tra6ls love ; and benefits received are the 
 only foundation of gratitude. And, as 
 the difplays of infinite power and wifdom 
 X 2 through- 
 
324 O'^ Religious Gratitude. 
 
 throughout the ftraclure of the world 
 are not more obvious to reafon, or more 
 the fubjecl of human experience y than the 
 efFedls of divme goodnefsj fo every perfon 
 in the world hath reafon to fay with the 
 Pfalmift, Blefs the Lord^ O my foul, and 
 forget not all his benefits. 
 
 In recommending the cultivation and 
 excrcife of religious gratitude, let us firft 
 confider the divine goodnefs, and the be- 
 nefits flowing from it, which we have ac- 
 tually experienced. Secondly, the mean- 
 iiefs and odioufnefs of ingratitude. Third- 
 ly, the excellence and advantages of re- 
 ligious gratitude. 
 
 First, let us attend to the divine good- 
 siefs, and the benefits fiow^ing from it, 
 which we have experienced in life. — ' — We 
 have fufficient ground to believe, that the 
 effe61s of that perfe6l and unlimited good- 
 nefs, which is attributed to the Supreme 
 Being, are adequate to the perfedion of 
 
 that 
 
Oft Religious Gratitude: 325 
 
 that attribute ; i. e. are infinite and end- 
 lefs. But as we are able to difcern or nn- 
 derftand but a ffnall part, (nothing indeed 
 comparatively) of the exertions of infinite 
 wifdom and power ; fo wc are capable of 
 and fitted to enjoy the happy effects of 
 divine goodnefs, only in the like imperfeB 
 and narrow proportion. Indeed no [pedes 
 of living creatures are entirely deftitute of 
 their maker's goodnefs : they all enjoy the 
 things proper to their nature and ilate of 
 life ; and are produced into being for fome 
 beneficent purpofe. Much more is the hap- 
 pinefs of mankind an obje6l of the divine 
 regard and intention- And we have abun- 
 dant experimental proofs to convince us of 
 it. For the efTe6ls are proportionate to the 
 natural capacities, the moral qualities', 
 and external fituation of mankind : while 
 at the fame time tliere are numberlefs other 
 flates and worlds, in which the divine 
 goodnefs is infinitely augmented or diver- 
 
 fified. As the fun fhines perpetually 
 
 with the fame luHre and heat, tho' the na- 
 
 X 3 tions 
 
326 On Religions Gratitude. 
 
 tioiis of men partake varioufly of the be- 
 nents of it, according to the different cli- 
 mates of the earth, and many objects 
 arife to intercept its influence, and the 
 earth itfelf interpofing occasions nocturnal 
 darknefs; fo the goodnefs of the Supreme 
 Being is in itfelf perfe6l and invariable, 
 tho* the efFe6ls of it are diifafed with an 
 infinite variety, and in different propor- 
 tions to his feveral creatures j tho' the 
 happy influence of it is frequently inter- 
 cepted by many calamities and evils ; and 
 tho' human mortality feems to put a pe- 
 riod to our enjoyment of it. 
 
 But whatever agreeable fpeculations 
 or probable conjectures we may entertain 
 concerning the unknown effects of divine 
 goodnefs in other ^^.tQS and fuperior worlds j 
 yet the beneficial effe61s which we have 
 obferved and experienced are the only 
 ground and motive of our gratitude : and 
 it is our part to confider our own ftate, and 
 to reflect upon the advantages we enjoy, 
 
 and 
 
On Religious Gratitude. 327 
 
 and the bleffings we derive from the divine 
 
 favour to oiirfelves : not to ourfelves ex- • 
 
 chifive of mankind around us, who are 
 formed of the fame nature, placed in the 
 fame Hate, and equally the creatures of 
 God and the obje6ls of his care and good- 
 nefs with ourfelves. For thofe benefits 
 which we enjoy in common with others, our 
 fellow-creatures, fellow-fubjecls, and fel- 
 low-chriftians, are the moji proper ground 
 of praife and gratitude to our common Lord 
 and benefaClor. — -It is the temper of many 
 to put the leaft value upon thofe bleffings 
 which they partake of in common v\dth 
 many others, and to turn all their atten- 
 tion to fome peculiar endowments or ad- 
 vantages which they fancy themfelves to be' 
 pofiefTed of above others, or fome extraor-^ 
 dinary mercies or bleffings which they have 
 fmgly obtained. Nothing Rrikes their at- 
 tention but what is peculiar and fmgular : 
 nothing moves their gratitude but fome- 
 thing which they can appropriate to them- 
 felves, exclujive of their fellow-creatures* 
 X 4 Life, 
 
528 On Religious Gratitude, 
 
 Life, health, food, raiment, reft, the Ught 
 and warmth of the fun, the wide profpe6t 
 of the creation, friends and relatives, are 
 trivial bleffings in their efteem, and excite 
 no grateful refieftions j only becaufe they 
 are common to mankind in general. This 
 is the effect of vanity and felf-partiality j 
 by which men are willing to confine the 
 infinite goodnefs of God to themfelves, 
 and value it only as far as they imagine it 
 to be fo confined. And many chriftians 
 have fuffered this felfifli and narrow difpo- 
 fition to taint and vitiate the very princi- 
 ples of their chriftian faith, and tempt 
 them to appropriate the faving mercy of 
 God in Chrift Jefus to themfelves ; and to 
 efteem the gofpel principally becaufe they 
 imagine it to contain a fcheme of falvation 
 calculated for their own party, exclufive 
 of the reft of mankind. But we may juftly 
 obferve, that as all men are ftri6lly fpeak- 
 ing unworthy of that divine goodnefs which 
 they a6luaily enjoy i (ofuch felfifti perfons 
 are of all men the tnoji unworthy : and they 
 
 who 
 
On Religious Gratitude, 329 
 
 who are fo willing to exclude their fellow- 
 creatures from the benevolent and merciful 
 regards of their common Creator, do mod 
 of all deferve to be excluded from it tbem- 
 felves. 
 
 In confidering then the grounds of our 
 religious praife and gratitude to God, let 
 us not dwell fo much on any particular 
 and extraordinary events, in which the 
 divine providence hath feemed to didin- 
 guifli us from others: for it is the pro- 
 perty of weak and vain minds to arrogate 
 to themfelves fuch diflinftions. But let 
 us confider the divine bounty as the fpring 
 of univerfil good, as the fountain which 
 diffufeth its flreams throughout the whole 
 habitable world, enriching the earth, and 
 refrefhing its numberlefs inhabitants. And 
 if we enjoy a greater plenty than others, 
 either of the temporal or fpiritual means 
 of happinefs} let this only ferve to /«- 
 creafe our gratitude, and excite alfo our 
 benevolent defires and prayers, that all 
 
 men 
 
330 On Religious Gratitude. 
 
 men may partake in an equal or fuperior 
 degree of every blefling which the provi- 
 dence of God hath conferred upon us. 
 
 In refle6ting upon the common benefits 
 and fatisfaclions of life, and the conflant 
 and general eiTedts of divine goodnefs, we 
 may find an ample fabje^l of religious 
 
 praife and gratitude. The whole hap- 
 
 pinefs of life; every thing valuable and 
 delightful ; whatever is grateful to human 
 fenfe, great or amiable to the view, or 
 engaging to the affections ; whatever in- 
 forms the underftanding, entertains the 
 imagination, or meliorates the temper; 
 whatever reftrains vice and promotes vir- 
 tue; whatever mitigates difeafe, preferves 
 health, or invigorates the faculties ; what- 
 ever allays difcord, cements fociety, and 
 
 eftablifheth focial and relative blifs ; 
 
 thefe are all particular effefts of that moft 
 impartial, unconfined and invariable good- 
 nefs of God, who is benevolent to all, and 
 whofe tender mercies are o^oer all his works, 
 I When 
 
On Religious Gratitude. ^^j 
 
 When in the cheerful Hght of day we view 
 the ample creation around us ; does not 
 its very countenance befpeak the goodnefs^ as 
 well as the power and grandeur of the 
 Creator? It is his goodnefs^ which makes 
 heaven and earth to fmile upon us ; glows 
 in the fun, refrefheth in the breeze, dif- 
 tils in the fruitful rain, and afcends in the 
 copious harveft. His bounty continually 
 gives food to the hungry, cloathing to the 
 naked, health to the fick, and reft to the 
 weary. He fupplies the vital current of 
 life, and pours the tide of joy into the hu- 
 man heart. His wifdom formed and bal- 
 lanced the elements of the world, and 
 made them fubfervient to the produdtion 
 and prefervation of human life. His pro- 
 vidence planned the conftitution of human 
 fociety, made man allied to man, and im- 
 planted in the human breaft the pleafing 
 affe6lions of friends and kindred. The 
 moft engaging ties of nature, the tender- 
 ed and ftrongeft emotions of parental af- 
 fedlion, are an efFed and image of his fu- 
 
 preme 
 
332 On Religious Gratitude, 
 
 preme and paternal goodnefs. And as this 
 life^ and whatever adminifters to the com- 
 fort and happinefs of it, are the fruits of 
 his beneficence ; fo all our hopes of another 
 life^ and of happinefs in a world to come, 
 are wholly founded in his original love and 
 mercy to mankind. The fame power, wif- 
 dom and goodnefs which form.ed the earth 
 and the whole heavens, and which made 
 of one blood all nations of men to dwell 
 on the whole face of the earth, eflablifhed 
 alfo that conilitution which the chriftian 
 revelation difclofeth to us, according to 
 which all mankind are raifed jrom the dead 
 by the power of the Saviour oj the ivorld^ 
 and endlefs life and happinefs allotted to 
 
 all good men. If our knowledge of the 
 
 Gofpei ferved to no other happy end, than 
 to refcue us from the flavifh fuperftition of 
 popery, or the ftupid idolatry and the im- 
 pure and barbarous rites of heathenifm ; 
 how much reafon fliould we have to con- 
 gratulate ourfclves, and acknowledge the 
 favour of divine providence on that ac- 
 count I 
 
On Religioits Gratitude, 333 
 
 Count ! How much more ; when it difpels 
 the gloomy fliades of death, and opens to 
 us a profpedl into a future ft ate ! when in- 
 flead of the perplexing uncertainty or dark 
 defpair which opprefled the human mind, 
 it raifeth us to fo great and joyful hopes of 
 the event of things after death, and of a 
 <rlorious renovation of the ft ate of mankind ; 
 when juftice and clemency fhall be admi- 
 niftred in perfe6lion, all the evils of this 
 world abolifhed, and virtue and happinefs 
 for ever eftabli(hed ! What returns of 
 praife and gratitude are due to the eternal 
 giver of all life and happinefs -, who hath 
 added to the provifion, which his indul- 
 gent providence hath made for our infant- 
 fate in this world, the ineftimable aflu- 
 rance of a world to come, and the inhe^ 
 ritance of eternal life ! 
 
 Having thus far reprefcnted the bene- 
 fits derived to us from the divine goodnefs, 
 which are proper to excite our religious gra- 
 titude 5 let us in the next place attend to the 
 
 ~ mean- 
 
334 ^''^ Religious Gratitude, 
 
 meannefs and odioulhefs of ingratitude. — 
 This is indeed a vice fo univeiTally de- 
 tefled, that there is little need of argu- 
 ments to expofe, much lefs to aggravate 
 it. The very idea of it gives immediate 
 oiience, and the experience of it never 
 fails to raife refentment. It is contrary to 
 the flrongeft difpofitions of an ingenuous 
 and liberal mind : and even they who are 
 capable of allowing it in themfelves, ab- 
 hor it in others. Wherever men confer 
 benefits, they naturally expect fome ac- 
 knowledgment in return, and to difcover 
 a fenfibility of kindnefs in the receiver. 
 And nothing fo effectually damps the fpirit 
 of generofity, and flops the courfe of bene- 
 ficence, as the ingratitude of thofe who 
 are obliged. Efpecially, after various fa- 
 vours, a continued courfe of kindnefs, and 
 repeated endeavours to pleafe and benefit, 
 to meet notwithftanding with a ftupid in- 
 difference, or unnatural enmity in return, 
 creates the ilrongeft and juflelt fenfe of 
 refentment j as it difcovers the utter un- 
 
 worthinefs 
 
On Religious Gratitude. 335 
 
 worthinefs of the receiver, and his infen- 
 fibihty of all obligations. How does the 
 parent find hiniielf afFecled, when all his 
 tender cares and unwearied endeavours 
 for the welfare of his children, are repaid 
 with contempt or abufe ? How does the 
 friend, who hath hazarded fortune or 
 life for another's fafety or benefit, refent 
 
 his enmity or ingratitude? This vice 
 
 comes the neareft: to that of unprovoked 
 mahce and cruelty ; and next to that, is 
 the greateft reproach to a reafonable being. 
 Other faults and vices men are drawn into 
 by the power of temptation, and the 
 ftrength of their natural paffions or appe- 
 tites : but where are the temptations to in- 
 gratitude ? The fentiments of nature, and 
 the impulfes of honeft affection, are flrong 
 inducements to the contrary, and create a 
 propenfity to be grateful. How unnatural 
 and depraved then is that mind, in which 
 every fpark of gratitude is extinguifhed ! 
 which no goodnefs can oblige, no kindnefs 
 move, no benefits engage ! 
 
 It 
 
33 6 On Religious Graiilude* 
 
 It muft indeed be confeiled, that men 
 often confer benefits from motives of va- 
 nity or intereft, and without any real be- 
 nevolence to thofe who receive them : and 
 in fuch inftances the motives of gratitude 
 are in proportion diminifhcd. Or they 
 may expeft, under a colour of gratitude, 
 unreafonable and difproportionate returns 3 
 or may demand flavifii or vitious com- 
 pliances. But in regard to the Deity, 
 
 who is perfe6l in goodnefs, and who giveih 
 to all men liberally, and iiphraideth not, no 
 fuch impediment can pofTibly arife to ob- 
 ftru6l or diminifli our gratitude. The 
 benefits which he confers proceed from the 
 mod: pure and difinterefted benevolence : 
 and the returns which he requires are the 
 moil eafy and advantageous to ourfelvcs. 
 To ferve him is our moft perfect freedom -, 
 and to adore and praife him for his good- 
 nefs, our moil: natural duty, What can 
 
 be eafier than to give him thanks, and to 
 receive his favours and enjoy them with 
 grateful hearts ? The debt of gratitude is 
 
 indeed 
 
On Religious Gratitude. 237 
 
 indeed endlefsj '^ Jiiil oii;i?ig, ftill to pay : 
 ** But a grateful mind in owing owes noty 
 *' and is at once indebted and difcharged.'' 
 The duty of gratitude can never ceafe j 
 becaufe the goodnefs is endlefs which ob- 
 ligeth : but this is no lefs our happinefs than 
 our duty.- — How then can men be conti- 
 nually receiving gifts and bledings from 
 the hand of God, yet have no fenfe of his 
 goodnefs, nor ever return the acknowledg- 
 ments due to their divine benefa6lor ? How 
 can they, in the midft of profperity, when 
 all nature fmiles upon them, when they 
 are furrounded with grateful objects, and 
 a confluence of delights is flowing in upon 
 them J forget the fountain whence thefe 
 ftreams of life and happinefs proceed, and 
 be unmindful of that God who is giving 
 them all things richly to enjoy? Whence 
 comes it to pafs, that they are then mojl 
 negligent of the deity, and are the leafl: 
 
 willing to remember him ? but when 
 
 ikitjcene is changed^ when difl:refs and an- 
 
 guifli come upon them, when they are 
 
 Vol. II, Y fur- 
 
338 On Religious Gratitude. 
 
 fuirounded with dangers and alarmed with 
 fears, then and then only they begin to think 
 of religion, become fenfible of that power 
 which made them, implore the proteftion 
 of his providence, and fly to his good- 
 
 nefs, as their lafl and only refuge ? So 
 
 the froward and pampered youth defpifes 
 the indulgence of his parents, nor thinks 
 himfelf obliged by their goodnefs: But 
 when terrified by danger, or afRi6ted by 
 difeafe, immediately calls on them for help 
 and fuccour, and trufts himfelf to their 
 
 care alone. But how weak and vain is 
 
 it, how unbecoming our reafonable nature, 
 how difingenuous and contrary to the dif- 
 pofitions of a worthy mind, to fliew no 
 gratitude in return for the great efi benefits ! 
 to have the lefs fenfe of divine goodnefs, 
 the more we experience of it ! to be 7720ft 
 unthankful for thofe bleffings which occur 
 the 7710/1 frequently and in the greateft abun- 
 dance ! and at the fame time mofl readily 
 to acknowledge GOD when he withholds 
 His favours, and inflids chailifements up- 
 '3 o^ 
 
On Religious Gratitude, 339 
 
 on us j and fruji entirely to his goodnefs 
 when we have entirely forfeited it ! to be 
 Atheijis while God is fhowering down his 
 jbleflings upon us; and to grow religious 
 and devout when he hath taken them 
 away ! How fervile, mean and odious is 
 this temper j which is only to be driven by 
 fear, and can never be won by goodnefs I 
 
 Let us attend alfo, on the other hand, 
 to the excellency and happy efFe6ls of 4 
 grateful difpofition towards the Supreme 
 
 Being. As ingratitude is the vice of /]§-- 
 
 noble minds, and which none but mean 
 and felfifh fpirits are capable of; fo grati- 
 tude is the fpontaneous produce of a v/orthy 
 mind, and always takes root and flouridi- 
 eth in a generous heart. Tlie more good- 
 nefs men have in themfelves, they are 
 ufually the more fenfibie of goodnefs in 
 others, and the more attraSled by its inr 
 fluence ; and when they find themfelves the 
 objects of it, are the more eafily and 
 ftrongly afleaed with grateful fentiments, 
 y 2 y^hij^ 
 
340 0?i Religions Gratitude, 
 
 While they whofe hearts are flrangers to 
 generous principles and affedlions, and 
 who are themfehes deftitute of goodnefs, 
 are wilfully blind to it in others^ and often 
 endeavour to traduce and vilify it. Hence 
 they become infenfible of obligations j and 
 either have no gratitude, or endeavour to 
 weaken the fenfe and loofen the ties of it, 
 by afcribing the benefits they have received 
 from others to any other motive rather than 
 that of benevolence or generolity. 
 
 And the eJfeBs are as different as the 
 temper and principles of mind from which 
 they fpring. Ingratitude is ufually ac- 
 companied with envy and difcontent: while 
 a grateful temper is befl qualified both to 
 e?ijoy its own peculiar bleflings, and to par- 
 ticipate in thofe of others. The ungrateful 
 man never thinks that God or men have 
 been fufficiently kind and liberal to him ; 
 or that he is obliged by any benefits con- 
 ferred^ while any are with-held; and is 
 thankful for Jiothing, bccaufe he has no/- 
 
 every 
 
Of! Religious Gratinide: 341 
 
 every thing. Inflead of enjoying his own 
 pofreffions, he envies thofe of others. In- 
 flead of thinking himfeif happy that Hea- 
 ven has bellowed fo much upon him, he is 
 tmhappy becaufe it has bellowed no more* 
 Nothing can fatisfy his ungrateful and dif- 
 contented mind, unlefs all mankind would 
 bow down before him and ferve him, and 
 heaven itfelf would exhauft its boundlefs 
 treafures to enrich and blefs him alone^ ex- 
 
 clufive of the world befide. But a man 
 
 of a grateful temper is eafily fatisfied, and 
 well-difpofed for happinefs. He is pleafed 
 with the good will and fervice of his fel- 
 low-creatures, without forming unreafona- 
 ble expe6lations from them -, enjoys the gifts 
 of divine providence, without repining for 
 what it has not given j is happy in his own 
 advantages, without envying thofe of o- 
 thers J has the higher reliJJj of every blef- 
 fing the more common it is to others ; and 
 contemplates the divine goodnefs with the 
 greater delight the more it appears to be 
 diffufed throughout the world and extent 
 Y 3 five 
 
^4^ ^f^ Rdigious Gratitude. 
 
 five as the creation. Inftead of engroffing 
 to himlelf the divme favour and libera- 
 lity, he is flruck with a grateful aflonifh- 
 ment, that fo mfgnifi-cant a creature as 
 himfelj is an obje6l of the care and good- 
 tiefs of an infinite being : and that amidft 
 the immenfe grandeur and multiplicity of 
 the works of God, and the innumerable 
 fuperior and more worthy obje6ls of his 
 regard, himfelf fhould neverthelefs enjoy 
 fo large a proportion of the divine bounty : 
 and that, while the wants and defires of 
 millions of creatures in various flates and 
 "Worlds are to be fupplied out of the flores 
 of nature, yet the elements of the world 
 and all nature around him, are, at the 
 fame time, formed with fo wonderful a 
 fubfervience to his own particular fupport 
 and benefit. Much more, when he con- 
 ceives of himfelf as defigned for immor- 
 tality } and is afTured by the Gofpel, that 
 the divine goodnefs to mankind in generalj 
 and to himfelf in particular, fliall not ter-o 
 tninate at deaths but be inconceivably aug-^ 
 
 7nented^ 
 
0/z Religious Gratitude, 343 
 
 me?2tedj and endlefly diverftfied in the un- 
 known fcenes of the invilible and bound- 
 lefs univerfe j his heart becomes dilated and 
 animated with the higheft efteem of the 
 divine goodnefs, the warmejl gratitude for 
 prefent benefits, and the mo^ joyful hopes 
 of future happinefs. No tranfient clouds 
 of adverfity, no dark profpect of ap- 
 proaching Q'ifeafe or death, can deftroy 
 either his grateful remembrance of pad 
 mercies, or his hope of final deliverance 
 and falvation. 
 
 To conclude : gratitude is a debt due to 
 every benefactor in proportion to the be- 
 nefits we have received from him, and the 
 benevolence of intention with which he 
 confers them. ThQfmalleJi favour merits 
 a return of thanks : and the mere intention 
 of obliging, feparate from the a5l, deferves 
 a grateful acceptance. Where benefits 
 then have been a6lually conferred, and of 
 the mofl fubflantial and valuable nature ; 
 where favours have been multiplied and 
 Y 4 in- 
 
344 ^^ Religious Gratitude, 
 
 incefTantly repeated, all proceeding from 
 the pared motive of benevolence and the 
 ■udfeft regard to our welfare and happi- 
 nefs ; there the obligations to gratitude 
 are proportionably enhanced. But the di- 
 vine benefits, we are certain, can proceed 
 from no other motive than that of perfe6t 
 goodnefs ; and comprehend, in number 
 and value, all, and much more than we can 
 poflibly receive from any other benefa61:ors. 
 And in God, the Sovereign Author of all 
 good, all the moft refpe6lable and engaging 
 charaBers among men, of protedlor, go- 
 vernor, Saviour, friend, and Father, are 
 united. — If gratitude then be due to any 
 earthly benefactor, or in return for any 
 gifts which men can beflow^ how much 
 more to him, whofe inflruments they are, 
 who is the giver of all things, the origi- 
 nal author of every bleffing, by whatever 
 perfon or medium it is conveyed to us ?— 
 Nothing then can be more becoming us, 
 or conduce more to our advantage and 
 happinefs, than to cultivate a grateful af- 
 fection 
 
On Religious Gratitude, 345 
 
 fedion towards the befl of beings, i?i rer 
 turn for the numberlefs and various in- 
 ftances of his goodnefs to us; and as a 
 qualification for receiving more and larger 
 efFefts of his favour. To this we are ex- 
 cited, not only by a fenfe of duty, but by 
 the ties of nature, the motives of ingCr 
 nuity, the pleafure of a grateful mind, and 
 the hopes of happinefs. 
 
 Let us then frequently call to mind, 
 and gratefully celebrate, the conftant feries 
 and numberlefs effects of the divine good- 
 nefs, to ourfelves in particular, and to 
 mankind in general. Let us conftantly 
 and cheerfully pay our public tribute of 
 homage, adoration, and thankfgiving to 
 our common Creator and benefa6lor. 
 het us now magnify the Lord, and exalt 
 his name together ; let us give thanks unto 
 him, and blefs his holy name : let us fing 
 praifes to our GOD, and extol him in the 
 congregation of the people, O that men 
 
 would 
 
2^6 On Religious Gratitudi, 
 
 would praife the Lord for his goodnefs^ and 
 for his wonderful works to the children of 
 men. And let every one fay to himfelf 
 with fincere and fervent gratitude, Blefs 
 the Lord, O my foul; and forget not all bis 
 benefits. 
 
 DIS. 
 
DISCOURSE XII. 
 
 On Religious Feat. 
 
 <l>^@0@©^®@^©^^^0^^^©M 
 
[ 349 1 
 
 Luke xii. 4. 
 
 And I fay unto yoUy my friends y Fear not them 
 that kill the body^ and after that ha'ue no 
 more that they can do: but 1 will forewarn 
 you whom you Jhall fear. Fear him, who 
 after he hath killed, hath power to ca/l 
 into hell: — yea I fay unto you. Fear him, 
 
 IT was one principal intention of moil 
 of our Saviours difcourfes to his imme- 
 diate difciples, to prepare them for their 
 future office. To this end it was requi- 
 fite, not only to wean their minds from 
 the vain hopes they were poflefTed with, of r?y/^^-^ 
 raifmg to wealth and grandeur under their 
 Mefjiab, but to endow them with fufficient 
 fortitude to endure adverfity, perfecution 
 and death: a fcene quite the reverfe to 
 their worldly expe61ations. If we care- 
 fully attend to our Saviours difcourfes in 
 
 this 
 
35© On Religious FeaK 
 
 this view, it will not be difficult to per- 
 ceive the argument and addiefs of them. 
 
 He begins this difcouife to them with 
 warning them againil Hypccrify, which 
 he ftiles the Leaven^ or the fpreading vice 
 of the Pharifeesy which difrufed itfelf thro* 
 all their a£lions. His particular view in 
 this, was to excite them to an open un^ 
 difguiied profeffion of the Gafpel, unmoved 
 by the cenfure or applaufe of men, or by 
 any worldly confideration, apd from a fole 
 view to the approbation of Goj> the Judge 
 of men's hearts : a chara61er oppofite to 
 that of the FharifeeSy who were only ac^l- 
 ing a part, feeking worldly preferment, 
 courting popularity, and aiming to draw 
 the veneration of the unthinking vulgar, 
 by their folemn appearances. This in- 
 flru6lion he fupports by a powerful ar-» 
 gument. For there is nothing covered^ faith 
 he, which Jhall not be revealed^ nothing hid 
 which fiall not be known. How artfully 
 and clofely foever men may coniceal their 
 
 wickeder 
 
On Religions Fear, 35 1 
 
 wickednefs, or how much applaufe foever 
 they may gain by their well-diflembled ap- 
 pearances J ail fuch Hypocrify is folly, and 
 will only ferve to expofe them at lafl to the 
 greater difgrace. 
 
 Our Saviour then proceeds in the text to 
 another view of the fame fubje6l. For 
 men may not only be allured by hopes of 
 applaufe and worldly emoluments, to a6l 
 an hypocritical part j but in fome circum-? 
 fiances, fuch as he forefaw his difciples 
 would come into, may be terrified, by re- 
 proach, or violence, to defert the truth, 
 and have recourfe to diffimulation. — ' 
 Worldly feavy and the dread of fuffering, 
 may operate to the, fame effect, as Worldly 
 hope, and the profpecl of honour and 
 gain. And fear is a mofl powerful paf- 
 fion ; and may as ftrongly tempt men to 
 diflemble, and betray the caufe of true re- 
 ligion, as the contrary paffion, the defire 
 of favour and reward : and it vv^as equally 
 neceffary to fortify his difciples againfr 
 
 both. 
 
352 Of! Religious Fear, 
 
 both. He proceeds therefore, in the words 
 of the text, to arm them againft the alTaults 
 of fear j and to this end, with the great- 
 eft propriety and force, employs this 
 powerful paflion againft itfelfj and op- 
 pofes to the fear of human power, an awe 
 of the Almighty power of GoDi and to 
 the fear of temporal death, a dread of 
 eternal deftruclion j pointing out the de- 
 cifive difference which Ihould render the 
 one an over-ballance to the other. Hu- 
 man power may extend to the death of 
 the body^ but no further : that is the limit 
 which providence hath afligned to the rage 
 of men, and to the puniftiments they can 
 infii6l : there all worldly terrors and evils 
 terminate. But 'tis not fo with the power 
 of God, and the punifliments of his juf- 
 tice. He can make men feel the efFe6ls of his 
 difpleafure, not only in temporal mifery 
 and death, but far beyond; and hisjufticc 
 may extend to the deftru6lion of tht foul 
 itfelf for ever. / fay unto yoUy my friends y 
 fear not them that kill the body^ and after that 
 4 ba''^e 
 
On Religious Fear' 353 
 
 have no more that they can do : but 1 'will 
 forewarn you whom you Jhall fear : J ear him, 
 who after he hath killed^ hath power to caji 
 into hell I or as St, Matthew recites it, hath 
 power to dejiroy both foul and body in hell-, yea 
 
 Ifay unto you. Fear him. Thus our Lord 
 
 fortifies his difciples againft the fear of hu- 
 man power, by impreffing on their minds 
 an awe of the unlimited power and juflice 
 of God. 
 
 From thefe words of our Saviour, I 
 fhall take occafion to treat, in a general 
 view, of the fear of God, as a principle 
 or motive of religion : and firft, fliall en- 
 deavour to define it ; fecondly, to fliew 
 the ground or foundation, and thirdly, the 
 ufe and effe6l of it. 
 
 First, we are to explain the fear of 
 Goii, as a proper and rational motive of 
 true religion. And here, it is requifite to 
 our information and right underftanding, 
 to diflinguifh the fear of God (i.)from 
 
 Vol. ir. Z all 
 
354 ^'^ Religious Pear, 
 
 all vain and imaginary terrors, and (2.) 
 from a flavifli dread of the Almighty, as 
 of an arbitrary and tyrannical being. 
 
 (i.) The fear of God is to be diflin- 
 ^uiihed from all vain and imaginary ter- 
 rors. — -There are fome perfons exceed- 
 ingly fubjecl to the pafiion of fear ; and 
 who live in perpetual uneahnefs and dread 
 of they know not what j are often raifing 
 up formidable appearances in their own 
 imagination, with which they terrify them- 
 felves; are afraid where there is no danger j 
 and think they forefee evils where there 
 are none : and mixing religion with fuch 
 weak and timid paffions they impute all 
 calamities and fuiferings befaUing them- 
 felves or others, real or imaginary, to the 
 fpecial judgment of God, or to a divine 
 intention of chaftizing or punifiiing them. 
 But the fear of God does not confift in a 
 vifionary dread of we know not what, or 
 the fudden alarms of a frighted imagina- 
 tion. And thofe foolilh and childlfli ter- 
 rors 
 
On Reltgmis Fear. j^^ 
 
 tors which arife from ignorance, cowar- 
 dice, or a melancholy fancy, ought not to 
 pafs for any true principle of religion or 
 motive to virtue. They may indeed lead 
 to enthufiafm, and excite to fuperftitious 
 a6lions j but cannot be a folid ground of 
 a wife and virtuous conducl, which is the 
 proper effect of a rational fear of the Su- 
 preme being. 
 
 (2.) The fear of God is to be carefully 
 diftinguifhed alfo, from all llavifh dread 
 of an arbitrary and tyrannical power. 
 For it is evident that fuch a dread is not a 
 fear of GOD, but of another imaginary 
 i?ei?2g iplacQd in his ftead,:by our falfe and 
 unjuft apprehenfions. God is a Being of 
 perfe6l wifdom and goodnefs, as well as. 
 Almighty power, moil benevolent and 
 merciful in the difpofition of his nature, 
 and who employs his power only in pro- 
 moting and accompli filing the wifefl and 
 mofj beneficent defigns. He is the beft of 
 governors j and the great end of his go- 
 Z 2 vernment 
 
356 On Religious Fear, 
 
 vernmeiit is the improvement, good and 
 happincfs of his fubje61:s. To fuppofe, 
 therefore, an Almighty being deflitute of 
 thefe glorious attributes, and who employs 
 his power, not for the general good of his 
 creatures, bat to their hurt and deflruc- 
 tion ; tormenting and confuming them, 
 merely to fliew his power ; is framing to 
 ourfeives a GOD after our own hearts^ wor- 
 fhipping a being of our own falfe inven- 
 tion, and living in terror of our own 
 evil imagination. 
 
 The chara61:er and title moft conflantly 
 afcribed by our Saviour and his Apoftles to 
 the Supreme being is T'he Father : and the 
 appellation by which we are taught to ad- 
 drefs him. Our Father in heaven. By this 
 title he is, or ought to be, known to all 
 Chrijiia?2s, But if we impute to him qua- 
 lities inconfillent with the paternal charac- 
 ter, and reprefent him to ourfeives, as 
 feeking and delighting, not in the h^ppi- 
 nefs, but the mifery and ruin of his crea- 
 2 tures ', 
 
On Religious Fear. ^57 
 
 tures ; we dethrone, as it were, the Fafhery 
 and fet up in his ftead a tyrant y than which 
 no two charafters can be more oppofite. 
 And the dread of fuch a falfe deity is 
 widely different from the fear of God, not 
 only in regard to the objeB^ but in its na- 
 ture and eJfeBs, producing timidity, dif- 
 truft, deje6lion, horror, and defpair, and 
 leading to ail the low fervile and corrupt 
 methods, by which, men, deceiving them- 
 felves, may hope to appeafe his wrath and 
 gain his favour. 
 
 All true fear of the Supreme Being 
 can only fpring from* a right knowledge of 
 him. And it confifts, firft and funda- 
 mentally, in conceiving and believing him 
 to be what he is, moft powerful indeed, 
 but at the fame time, moft wife, jufl^, and 
 benevolent ; the Almighty uncontroulable 
 governor of the world, but whofe govern- 
 ment is that of a Father ; who will chaf- 
 tize the tranfgreffor, and finally cut off and 
 Z 3 deflroy 
 
3j8 On Religious Fear, 
 
 deftroy the impenitent and incojiigible ; 
 but who in the utmofl extent of his juf- 
 tice in punifhing wickednefs, always in- 
 tends and is infalUbly promoting the great- 
 eft good of his creatures in generaL And 
 in that inward reverence, which the con- 
 fideration and beUef of fuch a being na- 
 turally infpires -, in that ingenuous fear of 
 offending againft the moft perfe6l good- 
 nefs, and fubje6ling ourfelves to the pe- 
 nalties of the higheft juftice, by unworthy 
 and wicked aftions ; in that ftrong fenfe of 
 our dependance upon and obligations to 
 the greateft and beft of beings 3 in that 
 powerful apprehenfion of the mifery of 
 forfeiting his proted:ion, and rendering it 
 neceflary to the ends of his goodnefs, to 
 deftroy us for ever ; by which we are effec-? 
 tually warned to avoid lin as the greateft 
 evil ; in thefe fentiments, which natu- 
 rally refult from a juft apprehenfion of 
 his paternal authority and government, 
 confifts the true and rational fear of God, 
 
 This 
 
' On Religious Fear, 359 
 
 This leads us to confider, fecondly, the 
 ground or foundation of this fear ; which 
 is, our flate of fubjeclion to him, as our 
 Supreme Lord and Governor j or, the 
 authority and dominion which God ex- 
 ercifes over mankind as his fubjeds. It 
 is the confideration, not of his power 
 alone, but of his power connedled with 
 his wifdom and goodnefs, or of thofe at- 
 tributes which render him the moft juft 
 Governor and equitable judge of man- 
 kind, which ought to produce a reveren- 
 tial awe of him. It is founded on a be- 
 lief of his moral government, or of his 
 regard to the difference of men's adlions, 
 and his intention to treat all men accord- 
 ing to their moral qualities and deferts, 
 and to reward or punifh according to 
 thofe meafures which his unerring wif- 
 dom fees to be requifite to the ends of his 
 government. 
 
 Some vdanphilofcphers have difputed this 
 
 charader of the Supreme Being j and 
 
 Z 4 tho' 
 
360 On Religious Fear, 
 
 tho* they have allowed his Almighty crea- 
 tive power and preferving providence, yet 
 have thought, or ieemed willing to think, 
 that he takes no cognizance of the anions 
 of men, and excrcifes no judicial domi- 
 nion over them 5 by which they fubvert all 
 religion, and take away the only proper 
 ground of the fear of God, as a motive 
 to virtue and a reftraint from wickednefs. 
 But the books of Holy -Scripture conftantly 
 imprefs upon us an idea of the Almighty 
 in his judicial chara6ler, or as the infpec- 
 tor, judge and rewarder of human ac- 
 tions : and they teach us, that the mea- 
 fures of his juftice are not confined to this 
 life, but have only an imperfe6l beginning 
 in this world, are extended forward into 
 futurity, and have their completion in ano- 
 ther and eternal world. And it is in re- 
 ference to the future judicial exertion of 
 divine power, in inflivSling thofe penalties, 
 which his fupreme juftice has appointed to 
 the wickednefs of men, that our Saviour 
 forewarns his difciples to fear Hlniy imho 
 
 Is 
 
On Religious Fear. 361 
 
 is able to dejiroy both foul and body in 
 Hell. 
 
 These fentiments of the Hcly-Scrip^ 
 ture are agreeable to the natural confcience 
 of mankind. For all men are confcious 
 to themfelves of their being moral agents, 
 capable of ading right or wrong, and 
 having a power to govern their own ac- 
 tions, and therefore proper fubjects of law 
 and authority, and accountable for their 
 behaviour. And the natural notion men 
 form of GOD, is that of a Governor, 
 whofe empire and jurifAidlion extend to 
 the whole world and to all the a6lions of 
 mankind. And as vv'hen men break the 
 known laws of their country, they know 
 at the fame time that by fuch a6lions they 
 expofe themfelves to public refentment and 
 to the punifhing juftice of that autho- 
 rity which enadted thofe laws -, fo in every 
 criminal a6lion whatfoever, men are con- 
 fcious to themfelves of offending againft a 
 higher authority and more extenfive go- 
 vern- 
 
362 On Religions Fear, 
 
 vernment, of tranfgrefring the will and. 
 law of the fupreme ruler of the whole 
 world, and {landing expofed to his righte- 
 ous difpleafure. And who can prefume 
 to define the meafures of his juftice ? Who 
 can determine what punifliments the di- 
 vine wifdom may juilly annex to the pre- 
 fumptuous violation of his known v/ill, 
 or fee to be requifite to the ends of his go- 
 vernment ? The punifliments of hu- 
 man juftice extend to temporal ignominy> 
 pain and death. And do the penalties of 
 divine juftice reach no further ? Has the 
 greateft malefaclor or tyrant, who is above 
 human jujiice, nothing to fear from the 
 juftice of GOD 3 beyond that death which 
 is common to all mankind ? Can we ima- 
 gine that God hath left it in the power of 
 men to put a ftop whenever they pleafe to 
 
 the proceedings of his juftice? And 
 
 that what crimes foever they have com- 
 mitted, they can efcape out of his hands> 
 by only adding to all their other crimes, 
 
 that of felf-murder? Our Saviour af- 
 
 ferts. 
 
On Religious Fear, 363 
 
 ferts, not only, that the power of God 
 can, but that his juftice will extend to the 
 infliclion of penalties in another world, 
 of fhame, horror, anguifli, and torment, 
 and ftill further, to the eternal deflrudion 
 of the foul. And is not this reafonable 
 to be believed ? Do we not fee that the 
 providence of God fometimes permits the 
 beft men to fuffer the calamities of this 
 life and the torments of death from human 
 injuftice j and can we think that his juf- 
 tice will permit the woril of men to efcape 
 unpunifhed ? Or that the punifhmcnts of 
 ivicked men in another world ftiall be lefs 
 fevere and terrible, than thofe miferies 
 which good men fometimes endure in this 
 world ? Or can it be fuppofed, that the 
 eternal deftruclion of any number of fouls, 
 is fuch a lofs in the creation, as the Al- 
 mighty power of God cannot repair ? Can 
 he not, at pleafure, create an equal or 
 greater number to replenifh the woi Id, in 
 X\it fiead oi thofe who have juitly forfeited 
 tjieir being by their difobedience and wick- 
 
 ednefs ? 
 
364 ^^ Religious Fear. 
 
 ednefs ? If a whole world was to perifli at 
 once, cannot his inexhauftible power form 
 worlds without number? What is the 
 whole race of mankind from the begin- 
 ning to the end, but a mean and little part 
 of his creation ? Are there not infinite re- 
 gions filled with nobler creatures, in com- 
 parifon of whom mankind are but as 
 worms ? Or are the fouls of men of fuch 
 immenfe value in the eye of the Sovereign 
 Lord of all beings, that he will never 
 fuffer them to perifh, not even in punifh- 
 ment of their moft prefumptuous and in- 
 corrigible difobedience ? If we enter- 
 tain fuch fentiments as thefe, we err, not 
 knowing the fcriptureSy nor the power and 
 jujiice of GOD, 
 
 To deny the punifhments of a future 
 ftate, is in efFeft adigning limits to the 
 power, or bidding defiance to the juftice of 
 God. Nor can there be a greater mark 
 of ilupldity, than to treat this doftrine 
 as a fubject of ridicule and contempt. 
 
 No- 
 
On Religious Fear, 365 
 
 Nothing difcovers more of the folly and 
 weaknefs of men, than, when they fhew 
 themfelves timorous in virtue, yet bold in 
 wickednefs, frighted at what they ought 
 to defpife, yet defpifing what they have 
 moffc reafon to fear, cowards where there 
 is no danger, yet rafh and fool-hardy to 
 their own deftruclion -, when the puny 
 mortal, who trembles at a fhadow, who 
 is afraid of the creature of his own ima- 
 gination, who dreads what hath no power 
 to hurt him, and is ftruck with awe of a 
 fellow-mortal ; yet hath no reverence of 
 GODy no fear of offending that power 
 which is able to crufh him to nothing in 
 a moment. How little are men's fears 
 the efFe6l of rational confideration, or of 
 a judgment diftinguifhing great from lit- 
 tle, and real from imaginary dangers and 
 evils ! 
 
 Some wicked men may build their fe- 
 curity upon God's infinite goodnefs, and 
 
 flatter 
 
3 66 On Religious Pear: 
 
 flatter themfelves with hopes of impunity, 
 from an opinion, that he is too merciful 
 to punifli even the worft of men, with 
 the mifery of an eternal deftru6lion ; and 
 that therefore they have no reafon to Hve 
 in awe of his power or juftice : not con- 
 lidering, that it is the infinite goodnefs of 
 God which is moft of all to be dreaded 
 bv wicked men, and which renders their 
 punifliment inevitable. For if he was 
 not a being of .perfe6l goodnefs, there 
 might be fome room to hope, that he 
 would prote6l and favour wickednefs ; or 
 at leaft, not employ his power in punifh* 
 ing, fuppreffmg, and extirpating it. It is 
 his goodnefs which renders him an irre- 
 concileable enemy to all wickednefs, and 
 determines him as fupreme Governor of 
 the world to make a final feparation be- 
 tween good and bad men, and to deftroy 
 the workers of iniquity. For it is evident 
 that the excellence and goodnefs of every 
 Governor confifls in his being a terror 
 
 and 
 
On Religious Fear* 367 
 
 and puniiliment to evil-doers, as well as 
 in his prote6ling and rewarding them that 
 
 do well. Would we confider things 
 
 aright, we (hould foon be convinced, that 
 nothing is fo dreadful in itfelf, and fo 
 proper to ftrike men with awe, as infinite 
 goodnefs abufed and provoked beyond the 
 limits of patience and forbearance. In 
 the nature of all government, there are 
 certain rules and limits, according to which 
 pardon is difpenfed, and offenders re- 
 ftored J and beyond which, it becomes ne- 
 cefTary to the purpofes of goodnefs itfelf, 
 to make the criminal an example of terror 
 to others. And as all men are guilty before 
 GOD, and are criminals in the eye of his 
 juflice ; fo every wife and confiderate per- 
 fon will dread every approach to thofe 
 hmits where mercy flops, and beyond 
 which there is no redemption. Our Re- 
 deemer himfelf, the great minifter of di- 
 vine favour and mercy to finful men, hath 
 reprefented to us in many defcjiptions and 
 figures, the procedure and final execution 
 
 of 
 
368 Oil Religious Fear, 
 
 of divine juftice, when he fhall prefide as 
 judge of mankind, and pronounce the fen- 
 tence of deftriK^lion upon the wicked. De- 
 part from mey ye cur fed ^ into e^erlajiing fire 
 prepared jor the devil and his angels. 
 
 Having fliewn the proper nature, and 
 the ground or foundation of the fear of 
 God, as a reafonable principle of reli- 
 gion i I Hiall conclude with obferving 
 the proper ufe and effect of it : which 
 is to reftrain men from all wickednefs, and 
 excite them to all virtue; to make them 
 dread guilt as the only great evil, and that 
 which alone forfeits the favour of the Al- 
 mighty ruler of the world, and expofes 
 them to his juft difpleafure, and confe- 
 quently to mifery and ruin. 
 
 There is nothing in the true notion of 
 God, or of his juft dominion over man- 
 kind, which carries the leaft terror in it 
 feparate from guilt j nothing but what is 
 proper to infpire love and efteem, hope, 
 
 con- 
 
On Religious Fear. 369 
 
 confidence, and joy. He is an objea of 
 delight J and a belief of his governing 
 juftice is a ground of courage, and is 
 proper to banifh all low fervile fears out 
 of the mind. The true fear of God has 
 no tendency to enfeeble and enflave the 
 mind with perpetual terrors and difmal. 
 apprehenfions 5 but to animate and encou- 
 rage it, and render it fuperior to all vain 
 cares and weak fears of little or imaginary 
 evils. It is wickednefs alone which arms 
 Almighty juflice againft us, and converts 
 the moft adorable and amiable being in the 
 univerfe into an objcB of terror, and whicli. 
 difpcfes us to confider \\\m2iS2ii\ ejiemy, in- 
 flead of loving him as our bed friend, and 
 dehghting to addrefs him as a father. But ^ 
 the truly religious man, who hath eila-^ 
 bUPned in his own mind an habitual re- 
 verence of the Supreme Being upon ra- 
 tional confiderations, and as a preferva. 
 tive from every temptation to evil and mo- 
 tive to all virtue ; derives from it flrength,, 
 courage, and hope ; in all the emergencies 
 Vol. II. a a o^ 
 
^jo On Religious Fear, 
 
 of human life, and the approach of death. 
 He fears God, and therefore hath no fear 
 but of him. This makes him fcrene and 
 dauntlefs amidft all alarms, amidft the 
 commotions of the world and the revolu- 
 tions of nature ^ htingfecure in the protec- 
 tion of the Almighty, and knowing that 
 no power whatfoever, neither the elements 
 of the world, nor the malice of men, can 
 finally hurt him. 
 
 Happy flate, when we can reft affured, 
 that no evil fliall ever befal us beyond that 
 death which is common to all, and when 
 death itfelf is become no way terrible, our 
 minds being elevated above mean and 
 flavilli fears, by confcious integrity and a 
 juft confidence in the power and goodnefs 
 of the great difpofer of all things. — But, 
 the fear of the Lord is the heginni77g of ivif- 
 doniy and the foundation of happinefs. 
 And in order to arrive at this firm tran- 
 quility of mind, this fecure and happy 
 flate, we muft learn in the firft place to 
 2 revere 
 
On Religious Fear* 371 
 
 revere the authority of the Almighty Fa- 
 ther and ruler of the univerfe, to live in 
 awe of his juftice, and in obedience to his 
 will ; and to fear nothing in comparifon 
 of his difpleafure, neither poverty nor 
 pain, nor any temporal evil, which can 
 extend no further than to the diflblution 
 of the body^ but him alone, who is able to 
 add to all temporal evils the far more dread- 
 ful and eternal deflru6iion of the foul. From 
 which may God of his infinite mercy deli- 
 ver us thro' Jefus Chrifl our Lord. 
 
 A a 2 D I S- 
 
% 
 
 DISCOURSE XIII. 
 
 On Religious Obedience. 
 
( 375 ) 
 
 Matth e w vi. 10. 
 7hy will be done, 
 
 THAT the Almighty being is not 
 only the creator and former of all 
 things, but 2l moral Governor alfo, is allowed 
 by all men, who have not renounced all re- 
 ligion. And in reality this is the moft 
 excellent character, and the higheft glory, 
 we can poflibly afcribe to him ; — That he 
 is the fole, fupreme, independent monarch 
 over the univerfe of rational beings. For 
 to rule over numberlefs worlds of mere 
 fenfelefs matter, however unfearchable and 
 aftonifhing that Ikill and power which 
 framed them may appear, cannot in rea- 
 fon be thought equally glorious, as to 
 form innumerable fyilems of intelligent 
 beings, and to govern them by thofe 
 conftitutions, laws, and commands, which 
 A a 4 fpring 
 
^y6 On Religious Obedience. 
 
 fpring from unerring wifdom and perfeA 
 goodnefs. — In this chara6ler principally 
 the Holy Scriptures reprefent him to us : 
 and in this we are principally inrerelled 
 and obliged to confider him. For if he is 
 a moral governor, it undeniably follows, 
 that his 'willis the univerfal law of his rea- 
 fonable creatures ; and that all mankind, 
 the angels of heaven, and all intelligent 
 beings throughout the creation are bound 
 to fay, 7hy will be done. 
 
 All true religion confifbs in refignation 
 "and obedience to the will of God. To be 
 governed by a view to our own happinefs, 
 is wifdom or prudence : to a6l with a view 
 to the happinefs of others, is virtue or 
 goodnefs : to be influenced by a regard to 
 the will of God, this alone is piety or re- 
 ligion. How wifely or virtuoufly foever 
 men may ad: upon other motives j yet if 
 an apprehenfion of the divine will, as re- 
 quiring or prohibiting certain anions, or 
 
On Religious Obedience, 2)77 
 
 appointing certain events, hath no influ- 
 ence upon their minds ; they have in rea-^ 
 lity ?20 religion in them. 
 
 In order then to our becoming truly 
 religious, the firfl thing requifite, is to 
 gain a knowledge of the divine will, in 
 regard to our own difpofitions and actions: 
 and in the next place, to imprefs upon our 
 minds, (which is our prefent defign) a juft: 
 fenfe of the obHgations we are under to 
 
 comply with it. To this end, let us 
 
 particularly attend, firil, to the reafonabk- 
 nejs : fecondly, to the necefjity : and thirdly, 
 to the advantage of fubmiflion and obe- 
 dience to the will of God. 
 
 First, to the reafonablenefs of it. 
 
 This evidently appears from the nature and 
 perfedion of the divine government. For 
 if it be reafonable to comply with the direc- 
 tions of unerring wifdom, and with the de- 
 figns of infinite goodnefs 3 if it be reafonable 
 to do what is in itfelf the wife ft and befi 
 
 to 
 
^78 On Religious Obedience. 
 
 to be done, and which is alfo enjoined by 
 the higheft authority ; if it be reafonable 
 to fubmit our own will, which is fubje<5l 
 to the blindefl errors of judgment, and 
 the meaneft impulfes of pafTion, to a will 
 which is infinitely remote from all palfion, 
 prejudice, and error j — then nothing can 
 be fo agreeable to reafon^ as obedience to 
 the will of God j nothing fo contrary to 
 it, as an oppofition to his will. All juf- 
 tice, equity, right, fitnefs and propriety 
 are comprehended in wifdom and goodnefs : 
 and the laws, commands, or appointments 
 of a being who is fo good that he always 
 intends the beft ends, and fo wife that he 
 perfedly underftands what means are con- 
 ducive to thofe ends, can never in any in- 
 itance be unjufl, unfit, or improper j and 
 difobedience is in every inftance contrary 
 to the reftitude, fitnefs and propriety of 
 aftion. Submidlon to the divine will is 
 no other than a conformity to the true 
 nature, order, conftitution, and relations 
 of things which the wifdom of God hath 
 
 eaablifhed, 
 
On Religious Obedience, 379 
 
 eftabliflied, and a fubfervience to thofe 
 ends for which he eftabUflied them. And 
 as the ultimate end or purpofe of the Al- 
 mighty being in creating and governing 
 the univerfe, is the greatell good j fo an 
 oppofition to his will, is attempting what 
 lies in our power to deilroy the good of 
 the world, and to involve it in confufion 
 and mifery ; and inftead of becoming the 
 willing inftruments of his providence in 
 promoting the mofl excellent defigns, 
 making ourfelves the authors of evil, and 
 becoming the plagues and nufances of the 
 creation. 
 
 The reafonablenefs of yielding an entire 
 obedience to the will of God will further 
 appear, from confidering the relation we 
 bear to him, as his creatures and depen- 
 dents ; and his chara6ler in regard to us, 
 as our Maker, Prefeiver, and Benefa6lor; 
 who has therefore an abfolute unalienable 
 right of dominion over us and of property 
 in us. We are His by every poUible clairn 
 
 of 
 
^8o 0?t Religious Obedience, 
 
 of nature and of right 3 and he may do 
 what he will with his own, and difpofe of 
 us as he alone fliall think fit : and we can- 
 not pofTibly have a right to difpute his 
 will, oppofe his defigns, or cenfure his 
 proceedings in any inflance; Nothing is 
 iTiore familiar to mankind than a fenfe of 
 the obligations arifmg from the different 
 relations among men, and the inferior 
 fubordinate and dependent condition of 
 jbme in refpe6l to others. The relation of 
 parents and children, mafler and fervaats, 
 magiilrate and fubje^ls, naturally imply 
 authority and government on one hand, and 
 a duty of fubmiiTion and obedience on the 
 other: and nothing would be thought 
 more unreafonable and abfurd, than to 
 deny fuch obligations. But all the reafons, 
 which can be alledged for fubmilTion in 
 any cafe to any kind of human authority, 
 are infinitely more flrong and conclufive 
 for fubmiflion, in every inflance, to the 
 authority and difpofal of the Supreme 
 Lord and Father of all intelligent beings. 
 
 The 
 
On Religiotis Obedience, 3S1 
 
 The loweft creature upon earth cannot be 
 fo dependent upon or obhged to any earthly 
 fuperior, as the higheft creatures are to the 
 great Sovereign of the univerfe. And 
 therefore no perfon can be under fo many 
 or fo ftri6l obUgations to obey the com- 
 mands of any fuperior in the world, as 
 are incumbent on all men at all times to 
 obey the will of God, More efpecially, 
 where there is not only the moft abfolute 
 dependence, but alfo the greatefl benefits 
 received, and the higheft power and au- 
 thority are joined to perfe6l gooinefs; 
 there the reafon and obligation of obe- 
 dience are ftill more binding, and receive 
 an additional ftrength from every inft^ance 
 we experience of that goodnefs. And dif- 
 obedience, which is always unnatural and 
 unreafonable. becomes aggravated with the 
 charge of ingratitude, and an abufe of di- 
 vine mercy and favour. 
 
 And let it be obferved, that all thefe ar- 
 guments ferve to evince the reafonablenefs 
 
 of 
 
382 On Religious Obedience, 
 
 of fubmiffion to the divine will univerfallyt 
 even in thofe inftances, if there be any, 
 in which we are not able to difcern the u- 
 tility, or expediency, or even the juftice 
 of his commando and appointments. For 
 however things may appear to our weak 
 and narrow underftandings -, we have a 
 certain principle to proceed upon: that 
 the laws and appointments of his fupreme 
 wifdom and goodnefs are always right and 
 conducive to worthy ends ; and that if they 
 do not appear fo to us, it is becaufe our 
 apprehenfion and judgment of them may 
 be often falfe, and is always imperfe6l. 
 
 In regard to our aBive obedience, fuch 
 inftances can hardly occur : becaufe the 
 lav/s by which God governs his intelligent 
 creatures are adapted by his infinite wifdom 
 to their nature, capacity and condition j 
 and therefore are fucb^ in the whole, as 
 their own underftandings can judge of, 
 and perceive the juftice and ficnefs of 
 them, and the beneficent ends they are 
 
 in- 
 
On Religious Obedience, 383 
 
 intended to anfwer. But in refpe6l of our 
 pa[five fubmifTion, it muft be acknow- 
 ledged, that there are many events in the 
 courfe of divine providence, the juftice 
 and fitnefs of which we cannot poffibly 
 difcover j in which it is notwithftanding 
 our reafonable duty to acquiefce with en- 
 tire refignation j and from a convi6lion of 
 our own ignorance, and of the unfearcha- 
 ble extent of divine wifdom, to fay, T^hy 
 will be done. 
 
 But in every inflance, fubmiffion and 
 obedience are the more reafonable, and 
 the contrary the more inexcu fable, in pro- 
 portion to our apprehenfion and convic- 
 tion of the excellence and utility of the du- 
 ties required. And therefore when we 
 confider, how reafonable important and 
 ufeful the common duties of religion are, 
 how perfe6lly fuitable to the abilities of 
 human nature and the condition of human 
 life, and how plainly conducive to private 
 and public good, as well as the difgrace- 
 
 ful 
 
3^4 ^''^ Religious Obedience. 
 
 ful nature and pernicious effedls of the 
 contrary vices i to neglect fuch duties, in 
 oppofition to the will, in contempt of the 
 authority, and in defiance of the juftice, 
 of the greatefi: and wifeft of beings, and 
 the fovereign judge of the univerfe, can- 
 not but appear to be a condu6l inconfift- 
 ent with the charader of a reafonablc 
 creature, and attended with aggravating 
 circumftances. 
 
 Secondly : Let us proceed to confider 
 the iieceffity of obeying the will of God j 
 (I mean a moi^al neceflity) as we value our 
 own life, fafety and happinefs, and would 
 avoid mifery and deft ru6t ion. For we 
 cannot efcape his power and jufticej we 
 cannot throw off his government, and 
 exempt ourfelves from his jurifdidion : wc 
 cannot abandon his territories and find 
 protedion under any foreign potentate. 
 His dominion is univerfal, and his king- 
 dom is over all creatures. We are, and 
 cannot but be, the fuhjeBs of his govern- 
 ment : 
 
On Religious Obedience i 38^ 
 
 ment : and muft of neceffity, either live 
 under his prote6lion and by his favoun 
 or endure all the penalties his juftice may 
 fee fit to inflid. And it is abfurd and 
 dangerous to imagine, that the great Go^ 
 vernor and judge of the whole world will 
 permit, what no wife governor on earth 
 will difpenfe with, the prefumptuous vio- 
 lation of his known will, and fuffer his 
 authority to be infulted, and his laws 
 trampled on, with impunity. The fame 
 reafons and ends for which the Almighty 
 fees fit to give laws to his fubjeds, extend 
 equally to the execution of thofe laws^ 
 by an appointment of rewards and punifh- 
 ments ; without which the very defign of 
 government will be fruftrated. And to 
 fuppofe that the omnifcient ruler of the 
 world will be indifferent to the aflions of 
 men, and extend his protection and fa^ 
 vour equally to the obedient and difobe- 
 dient, is fuppofing him to zB. contrary to 
 his own wife and good defign in making 
 the world, and to deftroy his own au« 
 Vol. IL B b 
 
86 On Religious Obedience* 
 
 thority and government, by which the 
 order and happinefs of the world is fup- 
 ported. No fociety can be maintained 
 without government. The wills of finite, 
 frail and mutable creatures are always va- 
 rious, and may often be wrong : and the 
 end and purpofe of laws and conftitutions 
 is to incline, or compel, every particular 
 will into ofte getter al will, intending the 
 prefervation and good of the whole. And 
 this is to be done, principally by a due 
 diftribution of rewards and punifhments; 
 by protecting the innocent, rewarding the 
 virtuous, and defcroying or chaftizing the 
 tranigreiTor. 
 
 The order and happinefs of the uni- 
 verfe are maintained, by bending the wilh 
 of all intelligent creatures, to a conformity 
 with the will of the one all-wife and mofl 
 excellent being who prefides over, governs 
 preferves, and direds the whole. To this 
 will, the higheft angels of heaven are 
 equally fubjecl as the meaneil perfon upon 
 
 earth. 
 
0}7 Religions Obedience. 387 
 
 earth.' In this univerfal kingdom, the 
 greateft as well as the leafl:, the mightiell: 
 as well as the weakeft, are bound to 
 obedience, and liable to fuffer for difobe- 
 
 dience. From the obfcure intimations 
 
 given us in the books of the holy fcripture, 
 concerning the fallen angels, we may con- 
 je6lui e } that among the orders of beings 
 fuperior to mankind, there were fome, 
 who either prefuming upon their own dig^ 
 nity and importance, or queftioning the 
 reafonablenefs of the divine commands, 
 ventured to difobey the will of God 5 and 
 in punifhment of their difobedience, were 
 thrown down from the height of fplendor 
 and glory, into an abyls of darknefs and 
 mifery. On the contrary, the ever-blefled 
 Son of GOD, the angel of divine grace to 
 mankind, in reward of his mofl exemplary 
 obedience, was highly exalted, raifed to 
 glory and dignity above the angelic powers, 
 and obtained a name which is abonje every 
 
 name, Thefe examples moft ilrongly 
 
 evince the necejjity of obedience -, and fliew 
 Bb 2 how 
 
388 On Religious Obedience, ' 
 
 how vain and dangerous it is, to trifle with 
 the known will of God -, and what diffe- 
 rent effects are to be expected from a life 
 of obedience or difobedience. If the an^ 
 gels of heaven loft their prior eftate, and 
 were thrown into chains of darknefs for 
 their tranfgreflion -, if the Son of GOD 
 obeyed and fubmitted to death, even the 
 death of the crofs j how can tnen hope to 
 exempt themfelves from the divine judg- 
 ment, and to tranfgrefs his will with im- 
 punity ? There is evidently no choice, 
 
 but either to live in dutiful fubjedtion, and 
 become the inftruments of his gracious 
 providence in doing good to others -, or by 
 refufal to incur his juft difpleafure, and 
 lb become examples of punifhment, for an 
 admonition and terror to others : fo that 
 whether willing or unwilling, we are ftil] 
 fubje6l to his power and dominion j and 
 Ihall be made to ferve his wife and good 
 purpofes, either by our obedience or our 
 
 fuffering. 
 
 Thirdly: 
 
On Religious Obedience, 389 
 
 Thirdly : We are to confider the ad- 
 vantage of living in obedience to the will 
 of God — By ftudying to obey the divine 
 laws, and to comply willingly with all his 
 appointments, we may hope to gain his 
 favour and prote6lion j the prote6lion of 
 the all-wife and Almighty ruler of the 
 whole world and uncontroulable difpofer 
 of all events: which is the only proper 
 and fufficient fecurity againft the evils in- 
 cident to us, and the only folid founda- 
 tion of contentment and fatisfa6lion to 
 the mind. If from an unfeigned reve- 
 rence of the divine majefly, as fupreme 
 Governor of the world, we fmcerely en- 
 deavour to underfland and do his will, 
 we may on good grounds hope for 
 his mercy ; and that he will at lafl dif- 
 tinguifh us from all the prefumptuous 
 violators of his laws j and notwithftand- 
 ing our numerous imperfe6lions, beftow 
 upon us fome marks of his grace arid fa- 
 vour.— The Gofpel of our Saviour, which 
 B b 3 reveals 
 
390 On Religious Obedience. 
 
 reveals to us a future ftate, hath given us 
 the highefl aflurance, that if we imitate 
 the example of obedience w^hich he hath 
 fet before us, and do the will of our Father 
 in heaven^ we fhall obtain like him a refur- 
 reclion from the dead, and be raifed to a 
 ftate of immortality and glory. This fub- 
 lime profpedl is fet before us for our en- 
 couragement 5 and is fufficient to reconcile 
 our minds to the greateft difficulties we 
 can poffibly undergo, in fubmiffion to the 
 will of God. 
 
 In every well governed ftate or kingdom 
 on earth, the public advantage and hap- 
 pinefs reJults from obedience to thofe laws 
 of the community which are framed for, 
 and that will of the fovereign which in- 
 tends, the prefervation and good of the 
 whole: much more, in the univerfal go- 
 vernment of the wifeft and beft of beings, 
 whofe will is perfect reafon, the greateft 
 good muft arife from the obedience of all 
 his rational fubje6ls, By this chain the 
 
 whole 
 
On Religious Obedience. 391 
 
 whole intelleflual fyftem is co?me&edy and 
 the infinite multitude of various and dip. 
 cordant wills of all intelligent creatures 
 2iVQ united^ and confpire to one divine end j 
 and the purpofe of infinite wifdom is ac- 
 compiifhed in the focial harmony and hap- 
 pinefs of the univerfe. To this end, an 
 infliction of punifnments, in chaftifing or 
 cutting off the refradlojy and rebellious, 
 is no lefs neceflary, than a dilhibution of 
 rewards to the virtuous and obedient. 
 And thus the happinefs of each indivi- 
 dual is made to depend on his voluntary 
 fubjeftion to the order and good of the 
 whole. 
 
 The greateft happinefs of mankind in 
 -this Vv^orld arifeth from their obfervance of 
 the laws of their nature and the revealed 
 will of their all- wife Creator and Gover- 
 nor. And their future happinefs, when 
 raifed to a his: her flate of exiftence in ano- 
 ther world, will arife, in a ftill higher de- 
 gree, from their obedience to the will of 
 B b 4 God. 
 
•J 02 On Relfgious Obedience, 
 
 God. For the greater powers and facul- 
 ties any intelligent creature is endowed 
 with, and the more enlarged his fphere of 
 a6lion, fo much the greater are his obli- 
 gations to know and obey the divine will ; 
 and the more momentous the confequence, 
 both to himfeJf and others, of his obe- 
 dience or difobedience. This fhews the 
 vaft importance and benefit of acquiring 
 as early as poflible an habitual reverence 
 of the Supreme Being and attention to 
 the difcoveries of his will : that by being 
 enured to piety and obedience in our pre- 
 fent itate, we may be qualified to a6l in a 
 higher fphere, and to enjoy a fubhmer 
 happinefs, than this ftate affords. On the 
 other hand, by laying afide the fear of 
 God, and indulging to our evil inclina- 
 tions in oppofition to his known will, we 
 lliall not only be difqualified for enjoying 
 the dignity and happinefs of a higher ftate, 
 but fhall be utterly excluded from it, and, 
 in juftpunifhment of our negligence and dif- 
 obedience, be doomed to eternal deftrudlion. 
 
 Thi; 
 
On Religious Obedience: 393 
 
 The main purpofe of our living in this 
 world, and what is of greateft importance 
 to be learned in it, is obedience. The con- 
 flitution of nature is framed in order to 
 inftru6l and train us up in the habits of 
 obedience. To this end mankind are 
 brought into the world in a ftate of infan- 
 cy^ weak, dependent, and abfolutely Jub^ 
 jetl to the dire6lion and authority of pa- 
 rents : to the fame end they are placed, 
 when advanced to years of maturity, in a 
 focial and fubordinate ftate, fubjeSl to the 
 will of fuperiors, and to human law and 
 government. The whole procedure of 
 events is continually teaching us, that we 
 are not to make our own will the law of 
 our a6lions, nor expe6l that every thing 
 fhould bend to our inclinations 3 but that 
 we are to be governed by a fuperior will, 
 and ought to be continually bending and 
 molding the temper of our minds, to a 
 conformity with the conftitutions of in- 
 finite wifdom, and the will of the Almighty 
 fovereign of the world. All the divine 
 
 dif- 
 
394 ^^ Religious Obedience* 
 
 difp^nfations, and particularly the reve- 
 lation of the Gofpel, are directed to the 
 fame end i to eflabUfh the kingdom of GOD^ 
 or the habits of obedience to his will, in 
 
 the minds of his rational creatures. 
 
 Thus the frame of nature, the events of 
 life, the di6lates of reafon, the doftrines 
 of revelation, the obligations of duty and 
 g-atitude, the motives of hope and fear, 
 the views of another world and an eter- 
 nal ftate, all confpire to imprefs upon us 
 a fenfe of obedience due to the will of the 
 Supreme Governor and Father of the whole 
 intelligent creation. 
 
 Let us then, with the deepeft reverence 
 of foul, adore the eternal all-perfe6l being, 
 the fovereign difpofer of all things. Let 
 us karn to fubmit our appetites, inclina- 
 tions and defires to his righteous will ; and 
 cheerfully refign our interefts and lives to 
 his wife difpofal : and in the moft difficult 
 trials of life and of death, let us fay, af- 
 ter the example of our Great Lord and 
 
 Saviour, 
 
^. 
 
 On Religious Obedience, 395 
 
 Saviour, when he was going to fuifer 
 death upon the crofs in obedience to God, 
 Not my willy but thine be done. 
 
 That we may not be found at lafl 
 among thcfe negHgent and difobedient fer- 
 vants, who knew their Lords willy and did 
 it noty and who fiall be beaten with many 
 Jiripes ; but may obtain the high applaufe. 
 Well-done good and faithfid Jervants^ enter 
 ye into the joy of your Loj'd-y — God of his 
 infinite mercy grant thro' Jefus Chrift our 
 Lord. 
 
 D I S- 
 
DISCOURSE XIV. 
 
 On Religious Induftry. 
 
[ 399 1 
 
 John vL 27. 
 
 Labour not for the meat that peHfieth, but 
 jor that meat which endureth to everlafi- 
 ing Life, 
 
 T O man that is converfant with the 
 language of the Holy Scripttires 
 can be liable to miilake the fenfe of this 
 text fo far, as to imagine that our Saviour 
 intended to reflrain the induftry of men 
 in procuring to themfelves the fupports 
 and conveniences of this life. The chui\;h 
 of Rotne hath indeed given great encou- 
 ragement to idlenefs. But the Holy Scrip- 
 tures on the contrary condemn idlenefs, 
 reprefent induilry as a great and necefTary 
 duty, and afiert that he who provideth not 
 for thofe of his own hoiifhold is worfe than an 
 Infidel. And the expreflion in the text is 
 agreeable to the ufual language of fcrip- 
 I ture 
 
400 On Religious Indujiry, 
 
 ture and fimilar to many other paflTages ; 
 for inftance, / will have mercy and not fa- 
 crljice^ was not intended to prohibit fa- 
 crifices, but to afiert the fuperior value of 
 moral duties above thofe that are ritual 
 and ceremonial. St. Peter ufes the like 
 manner of expreflion : whofe adorning^ 
 faith he, let it not be the outward adorning 
 of plaiting of hair, and wearing of gold^ 
 and puttiiig on of apparel -, but let it be the 
 hidden perfon of the hearty in the incorrupti^ 
 hie ornament of a meek and gentle fpirit, 
 which in the fight of GOD is of great price. 
 Which paifage is not to be underftood as 
 meant to prohibit any particular kind of 
 apparel 5 but to recommend the internal 
 graces and accomplifhments of the mind, 
 as fuperior in beauty and value to any^A:- 
 ternal and bodily ornaments. So the ex- 
 preflion in the text is intended to fhew the 
 fuperior excellence of that fpiritual pro- 
 vifion which endureth to everlalling life, 
 above the provision requifite to the fup- 
 port of this life. And the propriety and 
 
 force 
 
On Religious Induftry^ 40 1 
 
 force of our Saviour's argument arifes from 
 a fuppofition that men not only may and 
 will but ought to ufe labour and applica- 
 tion in order to procure for themfelves the 
 fupplies of the animal life : and hence he 
 concludes, that if the little pofleflions and 
 enjoyments of animal life, which is un- 
 certain and foon at an end, be thought 
 worthy of our induftryj much more do 
 the provifions neceffary to the rational na** 
 ture and fpiritual life, which will laft for 
 ever, deferve and require our diligent ap* 
 plication. 
 
 As the Providence of God hath fur- 
 nifhed mankind with the means of bodily 
 fupport and pleafure attainable by their 
 natural fagacity and bodily Application, 
 fo in Uke manlier hath he provided them 
 with the rrieans of rational improvement 
 and fpiritual delight attainable by the 
 proper ufe of their fpiritual faculties. As 
 the mind opens, and the rational faculties 
 
 Vol. II. G c €a-» 
 
402 Ofi Religious Indujiry, 
 
 enlarge, from a flate of infancy to mature 
 age, fo the means of knowledge become 
 more ample and extenfive, and the fources 
 of intelleclual improvement and pleafurc 
 are enlarged. By parental inliru6tion, 
 by reading and converfation, by ftudy and 
 reflection, by an obfervation of a6tions, 
 charaders and events, the natural inqui- 
 fitivenefs of the human mind is gratified, 
 and the foul excited to a fpiritual difcern- 
 ment of the truth of fentiments, and of 
 the beauty and utility of religious prin- 
 ciples and virtuous a6lions. As there is a 
 fpirit in man^ and the infpiration of the AU 
 mighty hath given him zinderjlajiding, fo in 
 fa(5l God teacheth ns more than the beajls of 
 the fie Id y and maketh us wifer than the fowls of 
 the air. By the admirable difpofition of 
 all his works, by the continual courfe of 
 his Providence, by great and ftriking e- 
 vents, by repeated experience in life, he 
 inllruds all mankind, addrefhng their un- 
 derftandings and exciting their attention, 
 
 lead- 
 
On Religious Indujlry, 403 
 
 leading them to that knowledge of truth 
 and I'enfe of virtue, which fuftain and 
 cheiifli the rational part of their nature. 
 
 And to us Chriflians the Gofpel-revela- 
 tion is added : which as it conveys to us 
 the cleareft doclrines of true religion, and 
 the purefl fentiments of virtue, enforced 
 by the properefl and weightieft motives ; 
 as it difcovereth and afcertaineth to us a 
 future and immortal life 5 fo it is in the 
 higheft {zySq a provifion for our rational 
 iiature, and is ililed by our Saviour with 
 peculiar propriety and emphafis, T^he food 
 which endureth to everlafiing life. 
 
 Let us attend to the fuperior excellence 
 and worth of the fpiritual provifion God 
 hath afforded us above the fupplies of his 
 providence with regard to our bodily na- 
 ture : as the former is adapted to the more 
 excellent part of our nature: as it con- 
 tributes more to our prefent happinefs : and 
 as it is permanent and everlafiing. 
 
 C c 2 The 
 
404 0^ Religious Indujlry, 
 
 The excellence of human nature con- 
 fifts in its being endowed with the faculties 
 of a reafonable being. And the inftruc- 
 tions of religion, the precepts of virtue, 
 and the motives of a life to come, are 
 proper to the cultivation and improvement 
 of ©ur reafonable nature and higheft fa- 
 culties. -^ The external gifts of divine 
 providence are fuited to the animal nature, 
 and ferve to nourifh and adorn the body 
 and gratify the fenfe. But the other are 
 peculiar to the foul, and are proper to cor- 
 re6l its errors, enlarge its capacity, refine 
 its difpofition, and to endue it with 
 ftrength and beauty, virtue and happinefs.' 
 As much as the foul then is more excellent 
 than the body, fo much fuperior in value 
 are the means of fpirituai improvement 
 and pleafure, to all thofe things which con- 
 tribute merely to bodily nutriment and 
 
 gratification. And the mind is mod 
 
 capable of acquifitions and improvements. 
 The animal appetites and capacities are 
 foon filled up and fatiated : and how much 
 
 labour 
 
On Religious Induftry, 405 
 
 labour fo ever we may bellow, or how 
 large provifion foever we may makp for 
 them, it is not in our power to prolong 
 or enlarge them beyond very narrow li- 
 mits. But the more the mind is already 
 cultivated and improved, it becomes the 
 more capable of receiving ftill greater im- 
 provements. All acquifitions of a rational 
 and moral kind ferve as a foundation of 
 
 further attainments. In this fenfe our 
 
 Saviour's words are to be underflood : T^o 
 him that hath Jhall be given ^ that is, to him 
 that hath already improved the faculties 
 and means of knowledge and virtue, more 
 fhall be given, and he Jhall hame abun^ 
 dantly. 
 
 In the next place, the provifion God 
 hath made for our fpiritual capacities and 
 defires is not only adapted to the more ex- 
 cellent part of our nature, but contri- 
 butes in the largeft degree to our happinefs. 
 He that can doubt of this hardly deferves^ 
 the name of a rational creature. Who- 
 C c 3 foever 
 
jLoS On Religious Indtijlry, 
 
 foever can efteem thofe gratifications which 
 the brutes are equally capable of, as fu- 
 perior to thofe pleafures which are peculiar 
 to rational beings, muf]: have a depraved 
 underflanding, and be funk below the 
 dignity of human nature. For this, we 
 may appeal even to the common fenfe and 
 judgment of mankind. For, how much 
 foever men in their prai51ice are devoted to 
 riches, pomp and animal pleafures, and 
 how alluring foever thefe things may ap- 
 pear to the imagination dreffed in poetical 
 fidions and artificial embellifliments, yet 
 no perfons are held in fo general contempt, 
 or thought fo mean and miferable, as they 
 who are abandoned to thefe purfuits, and 
 have loft all tafle and capacity for rational 
 enjoyments. On the other hand none are 
 fo much admired and accounted happy, in 
 the fober judgment of mankind, as they 
 whofe minds are fuperior to riches and 
 pleafures, and formed to rational and vir- 
 tuous delights. — Let us fuppofe two cha- 
 laclers, one of each kind, and compare 
 
 theip. 
 
Ofi Religious hiduftry, 407 
 
 them. One places all his happinefs in 
 worldly pofTeffions, and in faring fumptu- 
 oufly every day ; lives a mere brutal life, 
 knows no higher felicity than that of gra- 
 tifying his fenfes j is entirely regardlefs of 
 the good of fociety, and defires only to 
 pleafe himfelf j hath no fentimcnts of re- 
 ligion and virtue, no tafte for knowledge 
 and mental entertainments. The other 
 delights above all things in the acquifition 
 of knowledge, the ftudy of religion, and 
 the performance of worthy and beneficent 
 a6lionsj is chiefly folhcitous, not what he 
 Jhall eat or drink^ or ivherewiihal he fJmll 
 bechathed', and is chiefly induftrious, not 
 in heaping up riches and temporal pro- 
 vifions J but in cultivating the rational part 
 of his nature, and laying up in flore in- 
 telle6lual treafures and delights. Can any 
 one hefitate, which of thefe characters to 
 prefer in his elleem ; or to determine, 
 which of them underflands and enjoys the 
 befl: happinefs of life ? The former, not 
 even wealth and grandeur, which are fo 
 C c 4 apt 
 
40 8 On Religious Induflry, 
 
 apt to dazzle the eyes of men, can fecure 
 from the general fcorn and contempt of 
 mankind. The latter is applauded and 
 elleemed wife and happy, even by men 
 whofe lufts and padions will not fuffer 
 them to imitate the noble example. — And 
 this confequence refults from the nature of 
 things. Animal gratifications cannot ad- 
 minifler a happinefs to the mind equal or 
 comparable to rational enjoyment, tho* 
 the former were exempt from all the dif- 
 quietudes of fear and remorfe, and all o- 
 ther temporal inconveniencies which attend 
 unrighteous and criminal purfuits. They 
 are in themfelves of an inferior and meaner 
 kind J and can contribute but in a fmall 
 degree to the true enjoyment of human 
 life ; and when not moderated by the go- 
 verning powers of reafon and confcience, 
 are always prejudicial, and deftruclive of 
 tranquillity and happinefs. 
 
 A.DD to this, the important argument 
 in tlie text j that the provifion God hath 
 
 madp 
 
On Religious Indujlry, 409 
 
 lyiade for our rational capacity is that food 
 of the foul which endiireth to everlajiing lije. 
 The fpiritual part of our nature will fur- 
 vive the animal part and live after death -, 
 and the ftores of Jinowledge and virtue 
 rppofited in the mind will remain there, 
 and be a growing treafure and an encreaf- 
 ing fource of delight to eternal ages. The 
 fli'ength, health, and life of the foul de- 
 pend on this fupport ; and if it is deflitute 
 of this provifion, it will be poor and mi- 
 ferable and perifh for ever. But the 
 knowledge of truth, the difpofitions of 
 piety, and the love of virtue, prepare the 
 foul for the happinefs of a nobler ilate of 
 being; where freed from all animal in-; 
 cumbrances, it will arrive to the enjoy- 
 ment of fpiritual and intelle6lual delights, 
 in a higher degree than it is capable of in 
 the prefent ftate. How much occafion 
 foever, therefore, we have to labour for the 
 meat that perijheth, and reafon to acknow- 
 ledge the divine goodnefs in rewarding hu- 
 ]VLdp. induflry with fruitful feafons and 
 
 an 
 
401 On Religious Indujlry, 
 
 an abundance of provifions for the animal 
 life, which will foon be at an end j yet we 
 are infinitely more obliged to receive with 
 thankfulnefs and to improve with diligence 
 the provifion he hath made for the nobler, 
 the rational life, which will continue 
 for ever. 
 
 Let us now confider the labour or at- 
 tention of mind requifite in the ufe of that 
 provifion which God hath afforded us in 
 order to our fpiritual and eternal hap- 
 pinefs. 
 
 Such is the conflitution of things efla- 
 bliflied by divine wifdom, that nothing 
 ufeful or valuable, either to ourfelves, or 
 to fociety, can be obtained without /«- 
 dujiry: All goodnefs and happinefs pro- 
 ceed originally from the free gift of di- 
 vine liberality : but God beftows all blef- 
 fmgs in a manner agreeable to that nature, 
 conflitution and order of things which his 
 wifdom hath ellabliflied ; that is, by the 
 
 ufe 
 
On Religious Induflry» 411 
 
 yje of the faculties and means which he 
 Jiath imparted to his feveral creatures. He 
 hath given to men all the powers of their 
 nature with a defign that they fhould make 
 ufe of them : and hath fo formed their 
 prefent flate, as to allure, Simulate and 
 compel them to a6lion and induftry. And 
 he rewards their care and diligence in 
 temporal affairs, with health and the con- 
 veniences of this life ; and in fpiritual af- 
 fairs, with wifdom and virtue j which are 
 the health and happinefs of the mind. 
 As he makes ufe of the powers and abilities 
 wherewith he hath endowed his creatures, 
 to ferve his own wifef and beneficent pur- 
 pofes ; fo he hath made the chief happi- 
 ;iefs of mankind to confiil:, not in reft 
 and indolence, but in aSlion. And if men 
 do not exert the faculties and improve the 
 advantages he hath given them, they can- 
 not attain to happinefs, but muft fuffer 
 the miferable confequences of their cri- 
 minal negligence. In regard to the tern- 
 
 ford and bodily flate of mankind, Go-d 
 
 giveth 
 
^12 On Religious Indujlry, 
 
 glveth rain and fun-fhine, maketh the foil 
 fruitful, bleffeth the fpringing of the corn, 
 and bellows all the increafe of the earth : 
 neverthelefs men mufl labour for the food 
 that perijheth, and acquire the neceffaries 
 and conveniences of life by their own care 
 and induftry : and when they will not ufe 
 diligence and prudence in order to the pre- 
 fer vation and comfort of life, and in 
 guarding againll things hurtful and de- 
 ilruftive, God doth not interpofe by ex-. 
 traordinary a6ls of power to preferve men 
 from calamity or death. So in regard to 
 the fpiritual flate of mankind, if they neg- 
 lect or abufe the faculties and means af- 
 forded themj they lofe the happinefs 
 aiifmg from the right ufe of them, and 
 bring upon themfelves calamity and de- 
 {Iruclion. 
 
 God gave to the Heathen world and to 
 mankind in general the Revelatiofi of na- 
 ture. By a diligent attention to it, they 
 niight hc^ve attained to the knowledge and 
 
 practice 
 
On Religions htdujlryl 413 
 
 pra6lice of natural religion. But when 
 they would not make ufe of their reafon 
 in obferving that divine revelation, he fuf- 
 fered them to fall into miferable delufions 
 and barbarous pra6tices. In like man- 
 ner the chriflian world was favoured with 
 the Gofpel of our Saviour^ which illujirates 
 and ej7forces natural religion. But when 
 Chrijlians would no longer give attention to 
 that Gofpely and inftead of carefully ob« 
 ferving and adhering to its do6lrines and 
 precepts, begun (in imitation of the Hea- 
 thens) to fet up a religion after their own 
 vain and foolifh inventions ; GOD gave 
 up them alfo tojirong dehijiom, and fufFered 
 them to fall into that darknefs, fuperftition 
 and flavery in which they were fo prone 
 to involve themfelves. 
 
 In every nation, knowledge, virtue, and 
 happinefs have incieafed, in proportion to 
 men's fmcere and induflrious inquiries 
 after true religion -, and on the other hand, 
 ignorance, corruption and ilavery have been 
 
 efla- 
 
414 ^'^ Religious Indujlry,' 
 
 eftabliflied in proportion to their lazy and 
 implicit fubmillion to vulgar opinions and 
 cuiloms. So in regard to individuals^ 
 they who honeftly and diligently apply 
 their minds to the knowledge and practice 
 of religion, will become wife unto faha- 
 tion ; whilft the carelefs and negligent will 
 link into ignorance and vice, and expofe 
 
 themfelves to final deflru(5tion. This 
 
 divine conftitution and procedure our Sa- 
 viour reprefents with great force and pro- 
 priety in the parable of the talents : where 
 the diligent fervant who had improved 
 his talents is honoured and promoted 5 but 
 the ftothful and unprofitable fervant is ftript 
 of all that was given him, banifhed from 
 his mafter's prefence, and condemned to 
 outer darknefs. 
 
 In civil and worldly affairs men often 
 need inilruction and perfuafion to exert 
 themfelves in the moft effectual manner 
 to the purpofes of life; and fometimes 
 fuffer the lofs of temporal advantages, and 
 4 even 
 
On Religious Induftry. 4^5 
 
 even of life itfelf, thro' their negligence. 
 In like manner men fuffer in their fpi- 
 ritual and everlafting affairs, thro' want of 
 ferious attention and induftry. If bodily 
 fupplies and pleafures are not to be attain- 
 cd without care and diligence, if all oc- 
 cupations and arts of life require lludy 
 and labour 5 how abfurd is it to imagme, 
 that far greater advantages and an eternal 
 happinefs are to be obtained without any 
 thought or application ! how unaccounta- 
 ble, that menlhould expeft to grow wife 
 and virtuous by chance, without any defign 
 or endeavour of their ownj and to gain 
 heaven at lafl without ufmg any means at 
 frefent to obtain or deferve it ! Knowledge 
 is the fruit only of a diligent and impartial 
 inquiry after truth : virtue the produce 
 only of refolute endeavours of the mind : 
 and eternal life the reward only of them 
 who by a fatient continuance in well doing 
 feck for glory, honour and immortality. To 
 'expea the moft valuable bleffings in this 
 world, and evcrlafting happinefs in ano- 
 ther. 
 
41 6 On Religious Indujlrf* 
 
 ther, without uling care and diligence to 
 obtain them, is like expe6lingto reap where 
 nothing hath httn/own : a folly which cart 
 be exceeded only by that moft abfurd and 
 fatal of all errors, hoping for falvation at 
 death after a wicked life j which is not only 
 expedling to reap where we have not fown^ 
 and gather where we have not fcattered^ but 
 according to the comparifon of our Sa-^ 
 viour, to gather the moft exquifite fruits 
 where we have planted only briars and 
 thiples^ 
 
 Men ufe indeed for the moft part much 
 care and diligence in thtiv fecular employ- 
 ments : they train up youth in ftudious arts 
 and laborious occupations : they form 
 numberlefs fchemes, and fometimes pur- 
 fue them with intenfe thought and inde- 
 fatigable induitry in order to fecure and 
 encreafe their worldly pofleflions. And 
 fuch diligence is in itfelf worthy of com- 
 mendation rather than cenfure. But at 
 the fame time, fhould not our folicitude and 
 : diligence 
 
On Religious tndiiflfy, li'f 
 
 diligence bear fomc proportion to th(^ real 
 '^alue of things ? — ^Does' the body deferve 
 fo much attendance, and is the mind not 
 worthy of improvement ? Do the things 
 ^ a day merit fo much attention 5 and 
 are the things of eternity neglected raid 
 forgot ? If indeed there be no hfe to comej 
 fpiritual objects and delights iofe their 
 greatefl value ; yet not all their value : for 
 knowledge and virtue VlVQ fiill better thail 
 riches and bodily pleafures. But if therci 
 is a life to come, and immortality is before? 
 us (as afluredly it is) here is evidently thd 
 great work and bufinefs of life ; To make 
 provifion for that fliate which is eterna];^ 
 to lay up thofe riches which are incorrupti- 
 ble, to fecure our title to that inheritance 
 which is everlafting. And here, for our 
 great encouragement, we may be mod 
 certain of fuccefs. All world-v dcfio-ns 
 tnay end in difappointment : but in reli- 
 gion, every one that ajketh^ receivefh; and 
 he that feeketh^ findeih ; and to him thac 
 knocnethy it fiall he opened. For, if God li- 
 VoL. IL D d 
 
4i8 On Religious Indujiry. 
 
 berally rewards the bodily and temporal in- 
 duflry of mankind, with the provifions 
 and gratifications of the animal life ; how 
 much more certainly and abundantly will 
 he reward the nobler induftry, the more 
 virtuous and rational purfuits of men, with 
 the happinefs of that life which is eternal ?— 
 
 DIS- 
 
DISCOURSE XV. 
 
 On Religious Liberty. 
 
 @@©i^^^-^^©@@@€-3@^@@^^^^^^ 
 
 Dd 2 
 
{ 421 ) 
 
 i 1 
 
 Rom. xiv. 22. 
 
 Hafi thou faith ? Have it to thyfelf before 
 GOD. Happy is he that condemneth not 
 himfelf in that thing which he alloweth : 
 and he that doubteth is damned if he eat ; 
 becaiife he eateth not of faith : for whatfo- 
 ever is not of faith is fin.— — We then that 
 are firong ought to hear the infirmities of the 
 weakj and not to pleafe ourfelves. Let 
 every one of us pleafe his neighbour for his 
 good to edification. 
 
 1 
 
 "^HE fenfe of the Apoflle in this 
 palTage, taken feparate from the 
 context, and according to our prefent 
 tranflation, is very obfcure. But by a 
 careful attention to the preceding part of 
 the chapter, and the itate of the chriftian s 
 at Kome to whom he wrote, his meaning 
 may be made to appear very evident. 
 
 D d 3 There 
 
422 On Religious Liberty, 
 
 There were two parties among the 
 chiiflians in Rome, as there were in mbft 
 of the cities, where chriftianity had been 
 planted. One confided of thofe who had 
 been converted from Heathenifm to chrif- 
 tianity, the other were the converted Jews. 
 There were alfo fubje6ls of much contro- 
 verfy and warm contention between them 5 
 which employed the attention of the Apof- 
 tle : and he exerts all the force of reafon- 
 ing, expoftulation, perfuafion, and ad- 
 drefs, in order to convince both parties of 
 their errors, and to compofe thofe dif- 
 ferences. 
 
 The points of debate referred to in this 
 chapter, were the diftin£lion of days into 
 holy and unholy, and of meats into clean 
 and unclean, i. e. lawful and unlawful to 
 be eaten. The Jewifh converts being not 
 entirely free from their old notions and 
 prejudices, ftill maintained a religious 
 diftinftion of days and meats ; and con- 
 demned the other party as guilty of im- 
 piety, 
 
On Religious Liberty, 423 
 
 piety, becaufe they paid no regard to that 
 diftindlion. And on the other hand, the 
 Heathen converts, who were indeed right 
 in their chriftian principles or faith in thofe 
 dilputes, yet took advantage in a wrong 
 manner to defpife and infult over the 
 weaknefs and little fuperflitions of the 
 Jewiih party : and hence animofities and 
 difcord arofe, to their mutual difquiet, and 
 to the prejudice of the Gofpel. 
 
 It will be worth our careful attention 
 to obferve the arguments, fpirit and man- 
 ner, by which the Apoftle endeavours to 
 put an end to thofe difputes, and the heats 
 
 and divifions arifing from them. It is 
 
 evident -throughout the whole, that he 
 earneftly perfuades both parties to mode- 
 ration, and to a favourable opinion and 
 kind treatment of each other. And par- 
 ticularly, that he addrefles the party that 
 was in the right, perfuading them to bear 
 with thofe who were in an error. — Ver» i. 
 Him that is weak in the faith ^ i. e. an igno- 
 D d 4 rant 
 
^24 ^^ Religious hikrty, 
 
 rant or miftaken fellow-chriilian, receive 
 ycy i. e. to friend fliip and ccmmunionj but 
 not to dQubtful difputatiom : — diflurb not his 
 mind with your controverfies.-r — ^He then 
 ^fierts, that both parties might think and 
 ^fl diiTereritlyj yet with the fame fuicere 
 intemion and reHgious difpafition. For h? 
 tkat rcgardeth the day^ regardetb it to the 
 Lord : and he that doth not regard the day, 
 p the Lord he doth not regard it. He that 
 ^aicthy eateth to the Lord, and giveth GOD 
 thanks :■ and he that eateth not, to the Lord 
 ■he eateth not, and giveih GOD thanks, i. e. 
 Both may a6l equally upon a good prin^ 
 ciple, and with a view to the approbation 
 pf Chrift. — Let every 7nan be fully perfuad^ 
 fd in his. own 7nind. i. e. Let every man 
 form the befh judgment he is able in fuch 
 contrcverfic'S, and act according to it. 
 But let him allow others to do the fame; 
 ^ — and not cenfare or defpife any man who 
 differs fromhim.---r-'? For what right have 
 i^. y&u to a.ra'gn and judge your fellow- 
 H chrifliaBj tho' ever fo weak or fo mucl^ 
 
On Religious Liberty. 425 
 
 «« in an error ? He is not your fervajit in 
 ^' matters of religion; he owes you no 
 *' llibjcction ; he belongs to another maf^ 
 *? ter ; by whofe judgment, and not yours^ 
 *' he mult iland or fall : nay he Jhall be 
 *• bolden up. — He will undoubtedly be ac- 
 ^' quitted and approved, if he hath follow- 
 *^ ed the dilates of his own confcience, 
 *? how miilaken foever, And why do you 
 " of the one party cenfure your brethren 
 *-' as guilty of impiety ? And why do you 
 ^* of the other party defpife your brethren 
 «' as weak and ignorant ? Do you not 
 ^' confider, that we mull ^7//y?^;z^ upon a 
 " level before the judgment feat of Chriji f 
 " Inilead then of judging and condemn- 
 <^ ing thofe who are of a different 
 ?« perfuafion ; judge this rather^ let this be 
 ^' your judgment and determination, to 
 ^^ avoid offence, and not to lay a fnare in 
 " the way of a weak brother, tempting 
 *' or compelling him to acl againft his own 
 " confcience, and to do what he believes 
 <* tP be wrong, tho' you perhaps who un-, 
 
 <' derflanci 
 
426 On Religious Liberty, 
 
 " derfland chriflianity better, may know 
 
 " it to be right. This, adds the Apoftle, 
 
 ** is the humane and charitable condu6l. 
 " And befides, fuch differences are of Httle 
 " importance. For the kingdom of GOD, 
 ** the Gofpel-conftitution, doth not confift 
 " in fuch diftindions, but in righteoufnefs, 
 ** peace y and joy in a holy fpirit. Will you 
 " then for the fake of fuch differences 
 " wound the tender confcience of a bro- 
 ** ther, tempt him to acl againft his own 
 " perfuafion, and fo contribute to the guilt 
 " and ruin of one whom Chri/ldied tofave? 
 
 ** For my own part, fays the Apoftle, 
 
 *' I know J indeed, and am perjiiaded by the 
 *' Lord Jefus, that there is nothing unclean 
 
 " ^J ^^fi\f-> ^' ^' ■"■ ^"^ certain, by my know- 
 " ledge of the chriftian principles, that 
 " no Chriflian is under any obligation to 
 " that dif{:in6lion of meats which the 
 " Jewifli converts obferve : nevcrthelefs to 
 " him that thinketh it to be uncle an ^ to him 
 *' // is unclean, i. e. Notwithflanding my 
 *' judgment and declaration; yet if any 
 
 "fliall 
 
On "Religious Liberty* 427 
 
 " fhall continue to have a fcruple of con- 
 " fcience in regard to the eating of certain 
 ** meats, he ought to abftain from them." 
 —And, to come now to the words of 
 the text, the Apoflle addrefling one of the 
 wifer party, who obfervcd no diftin;5lion 
 
 of meats, fays. Haft thou faith .^ It 
 
 fhould not be an interrogation, but an 
 alTertion, Thou haft faith : i. e. your prin- 
 ciple is right. Have it to thyfelf before 
 
 GOD, It fhould be rendered, hold it, 
 
 or adhere to it yourfelf before God 
 
 Happy is he that condemneth not hi^nfelf in 
 
 that thing which he alloweth. It would be 
 
 better tranflated, happy is the man, who 
 doth not condemn himfelf by his own 
 
 judgment. And he that doubteth is damned 
 
 if he eat, It fhoidd be tranflated. But 
 
 he that thinks there is a di/linclion of 
 meats, or he who hath a fcruple of con- 
 fcience in regard to certain meats, is con- 
 demned if he eat j — becaiije he eateth not of 
 
 faith : i. e. it is againft his principle. - 
 
 For whatever is not of faith is fin : what- 
 ever 
 
428 Oa Religious Liberty. 
 
 ever is againft principle is fin. — -We then 
 that are ftrong ought to hear with the ijjjir- 
 mi ties of the weak, i.e. We who are in 
 the right, ought to bear with thofe -who 
 are in the wrong ; and not to pleafe ourfelv.es. 
 Let every one of us pleafe bis neighbour for 
 his good to edifieation. i. e. Let every one 
 of us oblige his neighbour in order to a 
 mutual improvement in goodnefs. 
 
 The Apoftle's ftile is concife and ner- 
 vous J and it may ferve to explain his fen- 
 tlments more clearly, if we exprefs them 
 
 in the following paraphrafe. '' In re- 
 
 *' gard to thefe religious controverfies, you 
 " of the one party are in the right. I 
 " acknowledge it : and am far from per- 
 " fuading you to a6l contrary to your 
 <* principles. Adhere t9 them in your own 
 «' praclice, as you hope to be approved of 
 <' God. Happy is the man whofe prin- 
 " ciples and praclice are confiflent. He 
 *^ is fatlsfied in his own mind, and hath 
 «' nothing for which to blame or condemn 
 
 " him- 
 
 1 
 
\ 
 
 Oh Religious Libert f: 42"^ 
 
 ** himfelf. But the other party ought not 
 ** to conform to your pracStice, while it is 
 ** inconfiftent with their principles : they 
 «' would be guilty in fo doing ; becaufe it 
 ** is againft their own judgment.' For to 
 " a6l in any inflance whatfoever againfl 
 " one's own judgment or principle, is 1 
 ** fin. You ought not then to infult over 
 " their weaknefs and groundlefs fcruples -, 
 " but fliould be rather cautious of giving 
 " offence, laying a fnare in their way, and 
 ** tempting them to a6l againft their own 
 ** confcience. And it is to no purpofe for 
 " you to alledge, that you are in the right, 
 " and they in the wrong, and that I confirm 
 " your fentiments : for we that are ftrong, 
 " we who have a better underftanding 
 " and founder judgment, ought to bear 
 ** with the weaknefs and errors of others . 
 " and inftead of affuming any thing to 
 ** ourfelves, fliould be obliging every one 
 ** to his neighbour : for this is the way to 
 ^* promote the common good, and the 
 
 " mutual 
 
^jo On Religious Liberty, 
 
 " mutual improvement of all parties of 
 " Chriftians.'* 
 
 Now from this view of the fentiments, 
 fpirit and condu6l of the Apoftle, in re- 
 gard to the religious parties and contro- 
 verfies among the chriftians of his time, 
 we may draw fome very important and 
 ufeful inflru6lions applicable to the pre- 
 fent time, and to all the religious parties 
 and controverlies which are fubfilling 
 throughout the whole chriftian world* 
 
 (i.) We cannot avoid obferving in 
 general the proper condudt of a wife 
 and good chriftian in regard to all con- 
 tending parties in matters of religions 
 which is not to blow the coals of conten* 
 tion, and widen a divifion -, but to per- 
 fuade all parties to moderation, and to 
 brotherly treatment of each other. And 
 in the profecution of this truly chriftian 
 fcheme and method of reconciling parties 
 
 " and 
 
On Religious Liberty, 431 
 
 and compofing differences, he will make 
 ufe of the very fame arguments which the 
 Apoflle ufeth : viz. " That every man hath 
 
 * an equal right to think and judge for 
 ' himfelf : that all chriftians are upon a 
 ' level in matters of faith and religion ; 
 ' and none hath a right to claim any fpi- 
 ' ritual authority and jurifdidion over 
 
 * others : that none are Lords and mafters, 
 ' but all brothers and fellow- fervants, and 
 ' all equally accountable, each for him- 
 ' felf, to Chrift the one common Lord 
 ' and mailer of all : that every man, not 
 ' only may, but ought to follow his own 
 ' private judgment and the diftates of his 
 ' own confcience : and if he doth not, in 
 ' any inftance whatfoever, a6i: according 
 
 * to it, he is condemned, he is fo far 
 
 * guilty in his own confcience and in the 
 
 * fight of God : that what God chiefly 
 ' regards and requires is the integrity of 
 
 * the heart : and every man who a6ls con- 
 ' iiflently with his own beft judgment, 
 ' how miilaken foever, ihall be accepted : 
 
 " that 
 
j^^2 On Religious Liberty: 
 
 «' that in general, thofe different opinion:^ 
 ** and modes in religion, which chriftians 
 " contend about, are of no great impor- 
 " tance t for the kingdom of GOD, the re- 
 " hp'ion of the Gofpel, confijts in righte- 
 ** oufnefs, peace, and joy in a holyjpirit. i. e. 
 *' It confifls in the integrity of every man's 
 " own heart, the peace of fociety, and the 
 " fpiritual joy and fatisfadlion which fpring 
 *' from holinefs and goodnefs : — That all 
 " parties may probably think themfelves 
 
 *< to be in the right : But if any party 
 
 " were as infallibly in the right as the 
 '' Apoftiehimfelfi this is fo far from jui- 
 " tifying them in hating, defpifirig, or op- 
 *' preffing others, that on the contrary 
 " it is the duty of they?ro;?g-, of thofe who 
 " have a clear underftanding, and are 
 " found in the faith, to bear with the Cr- 
 ^' rors and infirmities of the iveiik-, and 
 *< the duty of all parties to be condefcend- 
 " ing and obliging to others, and to be 
 " cautious of feducing or forcing any 
 " pcrfon to conform to their way, while 
 
 ** i^ 
 
On Religious Liberty » 433 
 
 " it Is contrary to the perfuafion of his own 
 
 ** mind." Thefc are precifely the len- 
 
 timents of the Apoftle j which every wife 
 and honeft chriflian will endeavour to 
 promote in the world, as the bafis of re- 
 conciliation, peace and union : and they 
 are the only foundation upon which the 
 fecurity and welfare of the church of 
 Chrifl ever was, or ever can be, eflabliflied* 
 
 We may obferve in the next place, the 
 equity and candour of our Apoftle ; of 
 which he hath here given us a memorable 
 
 example. How ditferent is the condud: 
 
 and character of Paul, the chrifliari con- 
 vert and enlightened Apofde, from 
 that of Saul, the Jewifl:i bigot and perfe- 
 cutor. Before his converfion he was vio- 
 lent and outragious, eilablifliing his own 
 Jewifll religion by the crueleft oppreflions^ 
 perfecuting the poor chriftians from city to 
 city, and putting them to deathi But! 
 now being a chriftian Apoilie, he not only 
 permits men to differ from hirn in' an Sr- 
 
 VoL. II. E e tide 
 
434 ^^ Religions Liberty, 
 
 tide or mode of religion, but urges it as 
 their duty to diflent from him fo long as 
 they have the le.ifl fcruple remaining upon 
 their minds. For tho' he delivers his own 
 opinion and judgment, upon the fubjeft of 
 controverfy among the Roman chriflians, 
 with the clearnefs, freedom, and fpirit of 
 an Apoflle, yet he is fo far from contend- 
 ing for his own apoftolical authority, and 
 condemning thofe that would not fubmit ; 
 that he exprefleth his own opinion only 
 as it were by the way, without feeming to 
 lay any ftrefs upon it ; and infifts upon the 
 indifpenfable obligation every man is un- 
 der to a6i: according to his own judgment 
 and belief. And in another Epiflle he de- 
 clares, with a view to the like fubjed of 
 religious controverfy, that for his own 
 part, he V\^ould never tafte of meat or 
 wine, he would deny himfclf of any in- 
 dulgence, rather than tempt a weak mif- 
 taken brother to act contrary to his own 
 
 conference : Such was the humane, 
 
 obliging, and benevolent fpirit of this emi- 
 nent 
 
On Religious Liberty,. 43 5 
 
 nent profelyte, after his coiiverfiort to 
 chriftianity. And it would move the heart 
 of any attentive reader to obferve, in what 
 generous exprefiions he reproacheth him- 
 felf, for his own former condudl in his 
 ftate of Jewifh ignorance and bigotry.—^ 
 So happy a change does true chriflianity 
 produce in the minds of men, fubduing 
 the paflions of infolence and tyranny, 
 making them feel the force of equity and 
 goodnefs, and infufing into them the 
 ftri6tefl regard to the confcience and right 
 of another, with the moft candid allowance 
 for his infirmities and errors* — *In truth, 
 there are no characters in the world more 
 oppofite to each other, than thofe of a 
 chrillian, and a perfecutor. 
 
 It is of importance to obferve further, 
 the different fpirit and method of the 
 Apoftle, in propagating the Gofpel, from 
 the procedure of men fmce his time, who 
 have pretended to promote and eflablifh 
 the fame true chriftian faith and worfhip : 
 E e 2 Whofe 
 
436 On Religtotis Liberty. 
 
 — Whofe methods have not been thofe of , 
 reafon and perfuafion, of lenity and khid- 
 nefs, but of reproach and inve6live, of 
 curfing and excommunicating, of fining, 
 impi ifoning, and torturing ; of forcing 
 men by all the terrors of poverty, pain and 
 death, to acl againft their own judgment 
 and confcience, in a hypocritical confor- 
 mity to their eftablilhments. — The ground 
 upon which fuch men have always pro- 
 ceeded, has been a fuppofition, that they 
 were in the ?'ight^ and thofe whom they 
 perfecuted in an error. But this plea, be- 
 fide the abfurdity of taking the very mat- 
 ter in queflion for granted, is dirc6lly 
 contrary to the Apoftle's dodrine, that 
 they who are Jlrong^ they who have truth 
 on their fide, ought to bear with the errors 
 of the weak and fcrupulous. — »- 
 
 But let it be obferved, in the next place, 
 that tho' perfecutors have always taken it 
 for granted, that they have truth on their 
 fide, and that what they are eftabli filing 
 
 bv 
 
On Religious Liberty, 437 
 
 by fuch oppre (Five methods is true re- 
 ligion j yet the contrary may be more truly 
 affirmed J that it never was, in any in- 
 ftance, the real faith and religion of the 
 Gofpel, which were promoted by fuch 
 inhuman means, but always falfehood, 
 impoflure, and fuperftition. The king- 
 dom of Chriil is Jiot of this world -y and 
 never was, nor ^ver can be eftablifhed on 
 the foundation of v/orldly principles and 
 motives, or fecured and extended by the 
 terrors of perfecution.' It hath always 
 been a worldly dominion and tyranny, 
 which the authors and abettors of fuch 
 meafures have in fa61: laboured to eftablifh, 
 under the counterfeit names of the true 
 faith and the true church of Chriil ; de- 
 manding and forcing, as fit means to this 
 end, a flavidi fubmiffion of men's under- 
 flandings and confcienees to their ufurped 
 and antichriftian authority in matters of 
 religion. If we retie6l on paft ages, we 
 Ihall find it true in hiftory, that perfecu- 
 tion has always been employed in fup- 
 E e 3 port 
 
43? On Religious Liberty^ 
 
 port of error and abfurdity in belief, of 
 fuperflition in worfhip, and of an ar- 
 bitrary and tyrannical power : — that in 
 former times, perfecution began and in- 
 creafed in proportion as men departed 
 from the purity of the chriftian faith and 
 worfhip J *till the fyftem of popery was 
 eftabhfhed on the ruins of chrillianity : — 
 and that in later times perfecution hath 
 abated, jufl in proportion as proteftants 
 have returned back to the genuine prin- 
 ciples of the Gofpel. And whenfoever the 
 proteflant nations Ihall become further re- 
 formed, and entirely conformed to the 
 truth of chriftlanity, then, and not 'till 
 then, we may certainly expert, that a com- 
 pleat univerfal toleration will take place in 
 thofe nations. 
 
 This leads to another obfervation fi- 
 milar to the foregoing : which is. That 
 among all parties of chriftians, where 
 there is the moft moderation, candour, 
 and humanity in practice, there is alfo 
 
 the 
 
On Religious Liberty, 43^ 
 
 the mofl truth, and the lead error in belief 
 and opinion. And confequently, the fu- 
 reft teft by which any perfon of common 
 underftanding may try how far any party 
 or body, church or nation of Chriftians 
 underftand the truth of the Gofpel and are 
 found in the faith, or on the contrary are 
 wrong in their doctrine and principles, is 
 to obferve what degree of charity or enmity 
 they maintain, in their general condu<5l 
 towards the different parties of their fei- 
 low-chriftians. — This obfervation is found- 
 ed on reafon : for undoubtedly thofe are 
 moil likely to avoid error, who are the 
 freeft from prejudice and a party-byafs.— 
 It is attefled by hiftory j which informs us, 
 that perfecution has been always applied 
 to fupport error and fuperitition.— It is 
 agreeable to experience : becaufe the church 
 of Rome is at this day the mofl uncha- 
 ritable, domineering, and perfecuting in 
 pra6lice, and at the fame time, the mofl 
 
 erroneous and corrupt in do6lrine. It is 
 
 deducible from the inilance of the Apoille ; 
 
 who 
 
440 On Religious Liberty. 
 
 who was infallibly in the right, and un- 
 derflood the true principles of chriftianity 
 better than any of the Chriihans to whom 
 he wrote, yet had at the fame time more 
 candour, condefcenfion and charity to- 
 v/ards thofe who differed from him, than 
 
 all of them put together. And finally, 
 
 It is the fame tefr, by which our Saviour 
 and his Apollles teach us to try the found- 
 nefs of men's faith and the truth of their 
 profeffions. Our Blelfed Saviour thus in- 
 flrufts us to detecl the falfe prophets, the 
 wolves that appear in fheep's cloathing : 
 ye [ball know them by their Jruits, And by 
 what fruits can- we fo certainly diftinguifli 
 them, as by then" humanity and goodnefs, 
 or their malice, cenforioufnefs and bitter- 
 
 jiefs tov/ard their fcUow-chriftians ? ^ 
 
 And again, By this fiall all men know that 
 
 ve are my difclples^ ^f y^ ^^"^^ ^^'■^ another, 
 
 Thus like wife the Apoitle James teacheth 
 
 us to judge of the true faith : T^hou hafi 
 
 faith and I have isiorks. Sherd) me thy faith 
 
 qvithout thy ivorks -, and I ivilljlxw thee my 
 
 jaitb 
 
0?t Religious Liberty. 441 
 
 faith by my works. And in another place 
 he gives us the chara6ler of true rehgion, 
 as ciiftinguiflied from all faldiood, fuper- 
 ftition, and tyranny, that may afTume the 
 name or malk of religion. J4^ho is a wife 
 man and endued with knowledge among you ^ 
 let him few out of a good converfation his 
 works with meeknejs of wifdom. But if ye 
 have bitter zeal and contention iji your 
 hearts j glory not, and lye not again/} the 
 truth, i. e. Do not cover your unchari- 
 tablenefs with boafting and hypocritical 
 pretenfions of holding the right faith and 
 maintaining true religion. 7'his wifdom 
 defcendeth not from above ^ but is earthly, fen- 
 fual, devilif : it is a vile craft and wicked 
 policy to gain your worldly ends. But the 
 wifdom that is from above, the true know- 
 ledge and faith of the Gofpel, is firjipure, 
 then peaceable, gentle, eafy to be intreated, 
 fidl of w.ercy and good fruits, without par^ 
 tiality and without h)focrify, — —A more jufl 
 and admirable defcription of genuine chrif- 
 tianity cannot be expreifed : and here is 
 
 • - the 
 
442 On Religious Liberty, 
 
 the true mark and chara6ler held out to 
 us, by which we may difcover it in the 
 world. And thus we find it is a con- 
 firmed obfervation. That the true faith 
 and charity of the Gofpel are infeparable : 
 and that the latter is the clue by which we 
 are to find out the former, amidft the con- 
 fufion of various difcordant opinions, 
 
 modes, parties, and denominations. 
 
 Under this head let me add, That it be- 
 comes us, as chriftians, to extend our 
 charity even to thofe, who of all men in 
 the world the leaft deferve it, I mean, per- 
 fecutors themfelves. It is pofTible, nay pro- 
 bable, that fome of them may a6l purely 
 from a miftaken judgment, tho' they are 
 fallen into the mofi: pernicious of all er- 
 rors y and that they may really think that 
 they are doing GOD fervice^ while they are 
 abufing and perfecuting his moft faithful 
 fervants. This we know was actually the 
 cafe of our Apoftle, who did it ignorantly 
 [and not from bafe and v/orldly motives] 
 and therefore he obtained mercy, 
 
 3 T° 
 
On Religious Liberty, 443 
 
 To conclude : The great points of 
 
 our conftant view thro' the whole conduct 
 of life, fliould be thefe three. Firil, to 
 preferve our minds open to convi^lion and 
 ready to receive information ; left we fiiould 
 be blinded with ignorance and prejudice, 
 and act by the impulfe of an erroneous 
 judgment and confcience : in which cafe 
 it is poffible that we might fall into the 
 like dreadful error that the Apoftle was 
 involved in before his converlion ; and do 
 the greateft injuries to mankind, under a 
 wild enthufiaftic imagination, that we are 
 contending for the truth, and promoting 
 the glory of God. Secondly, that hav- 
 ing gained the beft information we are 
 able, we a6l fteddily and confiflently, ac- 
 cording to the judgment of our own con- 
 fcience, unmoved by any worldly motives. 
 This is chriftian integrity, which God, 
 if not men, will always approve. To a6t 
 otherwife in any inftance is in fome degree 
 criminal : for whatever is not of faith is Jin. 
 And finally that we allow and en- 
 courage 
 
444 ^'^ Religiciis Liberty, 
 
 courage others to do the fame ; and not 
 only forbear blaming, but approve and 
 commend them for their integrity, in fol-^ 
 lowing the diftates of their own con- 
 fciences, how much foever they differ from 
 US; according to the noble example, as 
 well as inftruftion, which our excellent 
 Apoftle hath fet before us. 
 
 On the firft of thefe depends the know- 
 ledge of truth ; on the fecond, the peace 
 of every man's own mind ; on the third, 
 the peace of fociety ; and on all three toge- 
 ther, the general improvement, happinefs, 
 and falvation of mankind. 
 
 F I N I S. 
 
m