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Les diagrammes suivants illustrent la mdthode. rrata o lelure, I a J 32X 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 I 'A TH PRII IMF Designe ii ^ Bi ■ ^/t^/^^fy^yf ^'-^ ^>^ /■zr /, i<.y ii^^*r-i THE A •a. 3 a /A^f THEOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM, COMTAININ'S SEVERAL DISSERTATIONS ON SOME OF THB GREAT DOCTRINES AND DUTIES OF RELIGION, WHICH ARE MADE PLAIN BY THEIR PRIMARY EVIDENCES AND DEMONSTRATIOiVS : TO WHICH IS ADflFl}, A SKETCH OF THE DIFFERENT DENOMINATIONS OF CHRISTIANS IN THE KNOWN WORLD ; Designed principally fur the Benefit of Yonnff Persons, and those who have not Money to Pnr«, recommended to the clergy of his diocese, to draw out, from the whole bo- dy of christiacn evidences, the principal and mo8t strileing arguments, and to bring them down to the understandings of the common people. In accordance with this satMtary advice of the worthy Pre- late, and with the same view of confronting;; anti-:^ciiptural o|iinloi)sand practices, and of defending the truth as it is in Jesus, the ensuing manual has been prepared for the press. Some of the nfiost momentous fparts of the christian system, are here exhibited not only in familiar, but perspicuous lan- guage. Here too the design of Christianity is set forth in so small a compats, that, on one hand, it is not too concise, and on the other, it is entirely free fromihe tedium of prolixity. However, the reader is admonished not toe^cpect too mnch from a production ot this nature. It is not designed as a full illustration, nor a copious vindication of all the impoitant truths in the Christian Religion, 'i'o attempt this, would be at variance with the title page, and incompatible with the publisher's present circumstauees. But it is hoped, that in this iiianual,some of the most important doctrines will besuf^ ficieuily elucidated, and certain duties exp'ained, recom- mended^and entorred. This is tliemore necessary hi cause there are many who are deluded by tlie prevailing fashion, of taking up the most in- teresting tjospel-trutbs on trust, without suHiciently investiga- ting thr-ir grounds an8tanUal advantage to the ^r was trau.c. ibing, especially as 1^ fJrT^* .^''""'^ ^<"lored,aH a serious inconven enc. iS.T" ^"^ '"• '" ^^ ^'^ »«r a8 possible, there has been «ud.d « «i .*" u' ' fe^oval. as entdenoaHnationsofehrisyrAVkntl^Jv^^^^^^^^ Itmaynotbedeemedsiinerfluoii«{nti,- , It ^"^'f ^'•^ '"^> condesS ?" read thi ''^ n^ '^ -^PP^'^* ' tlie pubhsher knows very well timi hfA r"»>Jication,fhat <".Mv construed by different n.^rfnT^^''^* will be vari! i^res that he se. ks no wo?^dJy eZ> u«em ' rT""' ^' ^^• J- PRIESTLEY. Halifax, n. s. November,1817.' «,^o^;f.tCs;K^^^ • circurafion, fatioijs from erifd doing to give file al'erwaids "gment his '«ge to tiie Jw impossi- fose Molds ofexpedi- avels thra* nt denoin. 9** but im- TO be de- ffloval, as lie differ- DtSSERTATION I. On the Being of a God. Ti HERE is one God contain! the great truth which unquefttionabiy is the foundation of all religion; of all that we are to believe and to do ; of all our hopesi and all our frare ; of our consolation in this world} and our happiness in the next. As to the term God, many attempts have been maid to define it. Dr. n"Z':ilt^'^-l"„'^^^^^^ them ; but vet'^he i re.„r7'"l*,"'°'" h^d contrived » »^"«- yci ne is resolved to be iev? that *u WHd„™ ,n ,hc contrivance of .tm! He bell '.'."" matter of itself is utterlv .™^ ^f m believes that «nd liberty • L, , for Jn ,1, . t * ","'*' ""^""anding partaofnfat'telyl!''^",^ i' of opinion, ,,,„„« .;;».. hence . e. art. r;t.tL'V^---'^ ouMotl'':Zt"ft:l„''a'^ h^ppine., Wuho,; h blf of a C'd 'Z7^ t" ""? ..— I..y. .he »i.er-:e.„f ujl\ttm XnZt ( « Ji>i-. A. Clark.-. Note „n c,„i,i, cu^p. i. ,. ,, Ill's infinite r ju5t, right, It there rs no , uncomfort- nark will ap. heist*: Creeds heist believes «nd conse* til ages have He be- htencd with y have most fnselvfs; or 'hough the ay know go eheve« that ?8 in them, t they were how, to be matter, all «8 happily ^ contri?ed there is no • lievea that crstanding '; that the soconveo- I and most operations st'sCrced, ufoys. and supportable. Influenced by this sentiment, I believe, it will not be superfluous to bring forward t few observations in defence of an opinion^ that has aiFardcd unspeakably great consolation to the learned and unlearned. Tije belief of this leading article, the bain^ of a God, is principally fou;:de" »•«- rial world, where we may obsem tuch an exquinte order and correspondence of all it. several part., that nothiW .Tc7 ■:£""•;'", '" "■'"«• """ • «"' of"mut«1 CoSIwirlan 11""' ^?"' "'"'"8I' th. whole creation. ton.iderman,whoh.m.elfis a proof of God', exiateoce L" u. pl^re htn, hefore u. in hi. full ..ature. W arc ai once ,a,pr..«d wi.h the beantiful organization of hi! b<^v b . sV/h " H 'T •'".";''"'<"•• -rangement of h" nZ b".. Such u the di.po.itio., of the.e, That their motion i, we are astonwhed to .ee the .ame simple matter diver.i. ficd mto «> many different sub.iance., of difr.reni qua «.«. ..« and figure. Thi, wonderful machine theVumln wifL'wTh"-"'- .^'■"''''"'' *"'■ P"'"'""' •'A "p" i^ wan. ;,r„f ^. P*""*'j '«7 ?""<='«. <■«'«<" "m organ, warn, us of danger, and adn.ini.ters to our pleasurw. tutiTrf^h T' ''''t •;"'' •"•''"'y' ''"""f"' con.ti. mTe^fo';™". ''''■''•• ^V' 'P""?"P from the ""?;;'"°™'<'^,.S"'«"ynot. Earth itself i. i„acti« !1 .T ' "''"''' f"" no ""otion can never nroduee any. Man could not. a. ha. been vainly .upposid h«e been formed by the mere concurrence of atomT We b.! hold the most exact o.drr in the human body. O^er at way. involves de.ign. Design alway. involved intell «nce the human body, must have re.ided in a kein^, whose pow. « was adequate to the production of such anlffect^^'e! beTn, 'fV?, "'' P^'-S"''" of'-'lf-^i'tcnt. uncled ^in(f. Finite creatures may arrange and dispoM, but ther """".« ""f • It i, a universal hw through ill „at„«! that like produce. like. Wchavc therefotlao reiooTj iite1]F blind. » that there nay of that operationt, » and, pre* ticn, ttrike this raate.- uiaife order lat nothing of mutual le creation. I existence. Wc are at f hi» body, f his mem- r motion is :onccived, cr diversi. «nt quali- he human y a spirit •7 organ, res. >i consti' from the > inactive produce sed, have We be. Order al» jihgence. nation of ose pow- > Crea« in caused but they 1 nature* caaoQ to auppose, that man was foimei eiiher by himself or mere ?orld'L.! .r '^' ''"r-;y -by ^o' we not see men formed so at the present d^y ? Why do we nerer see the clods bnghtrrj.ng into human flesh , and the dusi under our feet crawhng , .to animated forms, and starting up in- to hfe and intell.ge..ce. There must therefore be a God. uncaused, independent and complete. The nobler part of ?u\ a! "7"' '^'' «'''^ '•'"^b- When we consider the boundless desires and the unconceivable activity of .htf- •oul f man. we can "efer his origin tu nothing but God. Uy history, the human sou! can assembleall the preccd- iagages;and by prophecy, anticipate the future : it ca a converse wuh an,«.mens.ty of objects, and draw conclusion from each; and yet, this amaxing soul is no more than a >!/# being, circumscribed in all its powers. Who but he m whose „ght, all worlds of being, are as nothing, could thus limit and proportion the powers of man » « Let us turi» from man to the world we inhabit."— 1 he diversi flcation of its surface into land and water. islanda and lakes, springs and rivers, hills and Vallie., mountains and plains, renders it doubly enchanting. Wc disgusted by a tedious uniformity. Every thing seemt admirably formed for our profit and delight. There the vaUies are cloathed in smiling green, and the plains are bend- ing with corn. Here is the gentle hill to delight the eye, and beyond, slow rising from the earth swells the hu^c mountaiD. and wuh al Hts load of waters, rocks, and woods heaves itself up into the skies. From the mountain* de- scend the streams to fertUize the plains below and cover them wuh wealth and beauty. Who covered the earth with such a pleanng variety of fruits and flowers. Who gave them their delightful fragrance, and painted them with such exquisite colours ? Who causes the same water 10 whiten m the lily, that blushes in the rose ?~God. But how are we astonished to behold the vast ocean roll- fcguraiion of particlts. as to render it movable by the least pressure, and at the same lime so strong as to support it. I if heavittt weights ? Who gave it its regular motion ? t^U' confined it within its bounds ? A H .le more motion would* disorder the whole world ! A small inciteracni on the tide would drown whole kngdoms. Who restrains the proud waves when the tempest lifts them to the clouds ? Who' measured the great waters and subjects them to invariable jaws ? Thai great Biding, « who placed the sand for a bound thereof, by a perpetual decree that it cannot pass ; and though the Waves thereof tots themselves; yet can they not prevail ; though they roar, yet they cannot pass over.'^ Passing by the numerous productions and appendages of the earth, let us rise from it, and consider the body of afr, with which we arc surrounded. What a convincing pfoo'. do we here find of the existence of God ! Such is the sublilty and transparency of the air, that it receives the' rdys of the sun and stars, conveying them with incohceiva. blc velocity to objects on the ear'h, rendering them visible and decorating the whole surface of the Globe with ana- greeabrc intermixture of light, shades, and coloiirs. But' sfili this air has a sufficient cottsistency and strength to sup- port clouds, and all the winged inhabitants. Had it been less subtile, it would have intercepted light'. Had it been niore ratified, it would not have supported its inhabitants nor have supported sufficient moisture for the purposes of reapiratiort. What then but infinite wisdom could have K'mpered the air so nicely, as to give it fufficient ttiength to support clouds for rain, to afford wind for health, and at the same time to possess the power of convening soUnd and light ? Cut when we cast our eyes up to the firmament of hea- ven, we clearly see that it declares God's handy work. Here the immense theatre of God's works opens upon up^ and discloses ten thousand magnificent splendid objects We dwindle into nothing in comparison with this aUgust «cene of beaury, majesty ,and glory. Who reared this vast arch over our heads ? Who adorned it with so mdny shin- ing objects, placed at such imrrense drstance? fmn\ e?,rh o- Ihcr, regular in their motions, invariably observing the lawer 10 Which they were originally subjected ? Who placed ih*; inconceiva. icm visible with an a- irs. But' ^th to sup- lad it been lad it been nhabitants' urposes of ;ould have ; strength Ith, and at soUnd and It of hca- idy work, 3 upon liP^ )hject8.— . 11*8 adgust 1 this vast idny shin* the lawtr >laced ihK '*"Vivu^^ "convenient distance as not to annoy but refresh mf who for so many ages has caused him to rise and set »t fixed times? Whose hand directs and whose power re- strains him in his course, causing hiin to produce the a- greeabic changes of day and night, aa wcllas the varictvof .the seasons? Yes, ''^ • Part of t|iy name divinely stands, On all thy creatures wiit, They shew they hboiir ot thy hand:) Or impress or thy tVet. * ^fltV^'^'i^'l'T^*""^ regularity of the revolutions of^the heavenly bodies, are such incontestible proofs of the existence of God, that an eminent Poet well said. '«An un! devout asrronomer is mad." I„ the time of Cicero, wheu the knowledge of astronomy was very imperfect, he did seneATt '° ''.'^'IV^^' ••' his opinfon the maXho a - aerted the heavenly bodies were not framed and moved by a divine understanding, was himself void of uoderstaodinff. l-vriry plant, every atom, as well as every star, bears wit ness to a dcnty. Whoever saw statues, or piauresTut concluded there have been a statuary and a limner. Al things that are, demonstrate something from whence they are. A man may as well doubt whether there be a Sun There t Tc f ^{'"^^ f^'^^S ^^U earth, as doubt whether' the lw.r«P : ""^'"m ' '"' ^"^ ^°''^^- Can we behold thi Tfj ""'''°'" "^.\-'^°'''"«' ^^b. the bees' closets, or the ants granaries, without acknowledging a higher be- Irom all these things we may as clearly iSfer design and wisdoin about the contrivance of any fi«1te understaVng, chanism of a watch.or anyother well- constructed machine. in the creaii(,n a harmony subsists amonif things in their own nature dissimilar, and even destructive to eafh other hence also we must acknowledge an infinitely wise mind'. I'fj::^^'^ ^«"^' '"^ !"PP'^"ing this system, or totally a- ^ =-.„-;, uui .-cason i aua there is no need of extraordinary m racles to coufirm what the whole constitution of natMrc loudly and continually proclaims. s The univerjal consent of mankind, in all ages, to tlie :ur"h:rhth^'^ -ybe f.iHy,l,eged, "afdVe^o't •tratea, the r high prerogative ibore inferio r animals It » true the heathen, worshipped innumerable d'vi„"ie yet on tmergence., or when surpri^d by ,on»e .udden « imi- tr. they would exclaim, « O the gJeat God." Henc" t that they could not h.ve been «> unanimous in these il ctaations. had not God impressed a conviction of hi! be mg on every bcom. So '.hat, a. Archbishop LeichtoL says, Itisnot rmprobable that those few among thcXX who were called Atheists, had not that epithet beciu« they absolutely denied the b.ing of God.buf only because dt'L?'?-''' "^r''y'''"8''«'« the fictitious and ri- diculous deities of the nations. ce^r.in .iiK*" "f"?'?'"' J""" "•»»«"". have asserted, that certam tribes of Indian, have b«n discovered, who have ligious worship s or even granliog there are Atheists in •rihrthrbMrsety^^it^^^^^^ IbuseXir """"" »«.P"«««='l.ortho.e who do not whTch thev He ?"■ P"' """"P™" the opportunities with wnicii they are favoured. And shall ihe Dractical athri..^ entient iM' "^'^ *'^ 'h"^ Ca«»io«s, invalidate the co.". sentient testimony of mankind > The necewUv of f»ith L c'oi?dn!:tlr/'" f ' -'''°"'''he«."e7fltor.d coud not mora//y subsist, nor any piety or iustice suhordJ rhVs'hrid" bt^ht/Tot i; ; ^^^^^^^ The ceita^^y of aVrot ic"H;hT Lr.o'r,T;ut-;' events, and the truth of miracles, are p.intr," w!| el « 1 BuTthV:"'? the jud.,.,e;t of a'll I'll'pa'r'ii.Ti ql" «.. But the one i. the exclusive prerogative of >iUZ. (6) This was the opinion ef Aristotle I'latn rr^.>» ui . . Ac. a. well as all the wiser philosopher. ' ' *^'"'"''<'''. ages, to tlic and deitoon- animals. It ivinitics, yet Iden calami- * Hence it mythology, in these ex- }n of his be- Leichton g the Greeks het because tily because lous and ri- serted, that who have ights of re- Atheists in oes not fol- Eise, univer* e ill wbom vbo do not nities with 2s\ atheism 1 of specu- te the coii- of faith in the world S subordi* cseary is it possible.*' ot future well esta- ial inquir* all-coni. prehending wisdoms the oth^r ii a work of omnipotent power : Such a prodigy, therefore, as a professed atheist, can have no more claim to be considered as a rational being, than the greatest monster ia nature to be looked upon as fa true man. If God can be seen in creation, study the creatures ; the creatures are the heralds ef God*s glory. The world is a sacred temple, man is introduced to contemplate it. A0 grace does not destroy nature* so the book of redemption does not blot out the book of creation. Read nature \ na- tu re is a friend to truth. If it be a folly to deny, or doubt, the being of Ood, is it not a folly also not 10 worship him, when we acknowledge his existence i To fear Go(^ and keep his commandments is the whole duty of man. We are not reasonable if we are not religi* ous. Because religion is our reasonable service. If it be absurd to deny the existence of God, will it not be our wisdom, since we acknowledge his being« often to think of him. It is the black work of a fool, <*God is not in alibis thoughts." If we believe the being of a God, let us abhor practical atheism. Actions speak louder than words. In St. Paul's days there were some of wbom he says, •* They profess that they know God ; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate. " Tit, i. 16. Men's practices are the best indexes to their principles j Therefore, ** Let yout lighc shine before men," Thu* you shall be enabled to adore his exalted majesty* with an enlightened and humble rever* ence. You shall praise him with a grateful heart, and im- itate him in all his works of holiness and truth. B 20 DISSERTATION M. On the Auribtites of God. Prefatory Observations on the Attributes of GOD. *... and ^^^^:.^^^^^^^^ class wc include his Omnipotence hTlL ^". '^^ (<*'*'»« mutability, his OmnisciTncrinTi' ?r """'y» ^^' ^'^' latte., we^•nc,„de ^^^^^^^^^^ ^^^ ti3 Mercy, and his Love justice, his Goodness, an injurious lig£?. ' "' f«q»ently bee. placed i„ tial to God , but thi? h. '^' ■ 1^' '""" '« "<" e«»en. and could t dUp«Ld wUhT'f*^'"" ""'"'y "anoer. out doubt, i. an'^erronZ „o,ion""i:- ^"' "■"' "«•- tack upon tb«e attribute. Ihth i' "mmence, an at. and in fact, tends .oaX'™'''' *^ denominate e«ential. by :h"rn":;i':reJt^^tri:''''°'-'"'"''"""''''' •>»' loankiud. And we can 'n °°""' '•" ">' 'anRuagcs of exist without his JusX hi r.~""':?' "'"God can M"cy. hi. Love, th " 4 "an 1°"'' *■'? ^P*""""'' >■" -.hou. any of those attri ute . w "Kl'' "" «'" «»/«/. Let us only suooose fL » denominate «. these attributes were to h^, -f i "■''"""'' '•>« ""«' of ful abyss should we imll, ?*'',"*•* ' """ """a' a dread. tice w^re destroyTd/r tt 'h'aJ"'a"Ld"" •"' ' "''"•• go<,dne68 were destroyed U.r^U r ""J""" If hi. ii cuiicr his Mcrcv or k'Jo f ' ~ -^ r"==«:oo uo purity; and - possibly ^^^:^;^;z^:x:^'^^ n therefore, which could be destitute of any perfection could not be infinite; and, consequently, all those attributes which wc denominate essential, would immediately oe found in- applicable to God. On these accounts, we are under a necessity of concluding, that those attributes which wc de- nominate moral, must be as inseparable fiom the divine na- ture, as those are which we dcnomiiiate essential. And we can no more conceive that the Deity can exist without the one, than that he can exist without the other ; with- out involving ourselves in difficulties, from which wc shall not be able to escape. The reason, in all probability, why the attributes of God were thus distinguished by the appellations oUtienttMl and moral, was, that they might be better accommodated to the condition and to the understanding of man. In this view, the attributes which we perceive in God, ar« evidently dis- tinguished from one another. The former class is evident- ly incommunicable to any hnite being whatsoever ; because finite wouM then become infinite. But the latter class God has been pleaied to cominunicate to created beings, in a limited manner. These moral excellencies are now possessed by angeU} they were once possessed by man, and will be inseparable from the spirits of just men, made per- fect, through eternity ; and will render themselves visible as far as that condition of being can give them an oppor- tunity of operating, for ever. In the present condition of human nature,the case, how- ever is otherwise. The former dais of the divine attri. butes we are assured, can never be communicated to any creature ; and the latter, though communicated, has been unhappily lost. We are now awfully convinced, that those attributes which we have denominated mora/, are by no means inseparable from man. They are communications from God, which apply to our moral conduct, and they are intimately connected with our manner of existence here- after, without interfering with existence itself. Hence, then, I presume they have been denominated morai attri* hfett in God, because in a moral view they apply to mai», m It «»r. it i. '"Picu. ilXt^h rd^t'^f ''-" " "^"'"' CoDc|„,,o„, therefore, appe„, a. o? I'V/P"'* "• The «»bk, that the moral perSn..* *?""' ^"' '"^ '""i- "«»rc a, those attribSt . . iThi/lf "' '7^"'^'' ^"'" I"' e»MntiaI. And -ve have no t,„ "" ''"*<' denominated .h..emoral.xcelle„cieroG"Kr,''l"" ;'•'■'''•'■" "^ •nflnite perfections and exisr^^l ?-n "'"'" f™™ •"m, hi. •:an conceivr rK,, ■ '^*""«"ce stil remaininir .h,„ vuceive, that immeniUt can h.... r ."""S> 'oan we ■ P°'"«"n lose its powerf ' '"n'ts. or that omni- CHAP. I. On the Eternitif of God. b^and fo«p •,'•„„ V '.'"'r." ""';«'•«'« ail num" •gM. are lo.t i„ it lit, ^ '?•''!■ »''=' 7"". yea, and mim„n.ofKea„:'.^J:/;X;;;*« ocean , Millio'n.'o'f "Shore or particle, of Va,[^ !L'."' T"''' <"'"'* those multiplied to the high t read, ^f ' "u "'"•• »«<1 •re nothinsc to eternity. Thet do "V*""''"' «" "•"« «-nabie proportion to it. fol.hese »m ''"' ""^ '"" '»«• certainly Ma day. but eterni.t Ti """ '» an end, a. put a sbcre I Ala, I whit sbil ? "<•." '" °«an wkh. «e. unknown somcthin' fat i/i.h^"/" ' '' " «" '"6"- I ,4 i Id 'ffis or mUcrf, cahavc been ™ be lost with J on ihatac-- -it is absurd, •pose it. The it" and ioeti- able from his denominated '>Bt either of •om him, his 'g> iban wc r that ohqdi- >n ^vithoiit :8 aJI num- yea, and Millions of da on the *nh, and all these 'east iffja. -n end, a« » come to an with* an infin- ^gi^t can of God iiOi any essence, „,j. C^od is without bcj^ianing. la the beginning God cre- ated the world." Time signifies duration measured by the revolutions of the heavenly bodies ; but prior to the ef€t- ' tion of these bodies, there could be no measurement of dura- tion, and consequently notime^ therefore, in thi^ place, the words must necessarialy meah the commencement of time which followed, or ratiier was produced by God's creative acts, as an effect follows, or is produced by a caujc, God was then before tlie beginning of the world, and conse- ■vjuently before the commencement of lime i and what point can be set wherein God began to be, if he was before the beginning of created things 1 Whatsoever number of years we can imagine before the creation of the world 4 yet God ,va8 infinitely before these- God is without end. He always was, alwaya is, and al- ^vays will be what he 49, he remains always the same in be- ing; «o far from any change that no shadow of it can touch him, Jas. i. 17. ''The Lord shall endure for ever.*' As it was impossible that he should not be,bcing from all eter- nity ; so it is impossible that he should not be to all eterat- ty. That which had no beginning of dv.ration can never have an end, nor any interruptions in it. Since God never depended upon any, what should make him cease to be what eternally he hath been, or put a stop to the continu- ance of his oerfections. Whenever, therefore, we read iii scripture of God's repenting, and the like, it ja not to be understood of any alteration in him ; but all tuch expre»- sions are to be understood with relation to his outward dis- pensations. A.II those affections of love, joy, grief, and hatred, that are ascribed to God : these are not properly affections, that take their turns in his heart, as they do in ours ; but they are the expressions of the agrecableness or disagreeablencss of persons and things to his holy nature. God does not only always remain in being, but he al- ways remain? the same in that being. The creatures are in a perpetual flux ; something is acquired, or something lost every day. A man is the same in regard of his existence, when he is a man, as when Be was a child ; but there ja a «ew succession of quantities and qualities in him. li ^■1^ 14 And this tnchanafaM* — • * mcd, nor at the d"^"";?, '"'l " *''™«r. « Bot dc bj- "Mure and «,«„.&*■"' ''"' ""e poM«,«it "« but .he duration o> GoS • .'jT ^^ °'^ ■« "otb'ng •re a.cribed to him, we are "nZ^ -j ^""foK when vearj presaon, which God u^ r°Z " " «' » ""de of ex" •e f ro our finite capacit ei fort*: ", f f """"odate him. «e,ve that God i, lii-ndedVor measZd ^ '^'""^ '» """ This doctrine insoire. ,. , ."""'".fed by time. Without admittingX ,,«h 0''^,'" J^"^«'*" con«>I,tio„. fort could we ha,f i„ any of ol'/^" foundation of com. God be merciful, good. wi,/.S f ? ,»,""'"«" I Thongh that these perf.ctiSn, beWto a :"'''^^'' ^^ '^ *« belief e Fould afford but imperfect rfa.„„!r"T*'« '"'»«. they if we doubt God'.'et.Sy' we n.^/?*'*"""'' P"«^ of hi. promi.e„ but if we ? C. T"' f " 'l»»l>t the truth and .teadfar forerer, then „I Z " •'" *" ''" ''""g God tence and power, being a„„T^7/,T'? '" '"■» """"iP'- coinplwh hi, promise, fud^^fj'"' ^e ha, ability ,„ „• Allowing the eternity „?God' !? K""!" W. w^rd. Church of Chr«t ,0 fear her eni^^", "if ""O" •». the ".the ««.., but soon thiy wiH "wW?,' 1 ^t'^ ""^ «?'»« pmcple. of decay, „r .ha" be t 1'' ""f T" '-"-^d God. They may (hr«te„, but their t "J'^ '"" ""^nd of •oon a, their threatening are "r»„„T ?"" ""'' "»"»"' " i«h a, a shadow. He -ha. int?v. *'"• They shall van- |H.. inhabit ->ortah.y,Xtu« ' Jl:h"'*''l" "^-^ "■:: ;. "y "> ""uption. thou ar"mv'fr,u" " I.'"'' ""' " ""t «hou art my mother and sister."^ ' ""'' *" "« "o™. CHAP. 11. God is a Spirit. .„^5P'^''."»'''?~Torealbeina„..'„..ii:..-. . spirit. The. pirilu,,i;y'o?G;7/.r?.|? •Bvuss %i7ua li a n I ii not de- poaseascs it is nothing > of God is when ycard lode of cx- 'odate him. Jrd to con- e. >Q«oIation. on of com - Though we believe :ing, they md peace. the truth ving God omnipo* ty to ac- cord, Q has the »y spring i» iiiW4rd '■ band of vanish as the ad- hall van- vc them J or not ' worm, whicii is in-. tnaterially. or being without body. *« But. pcrbapa God, who is 6piritual in one part of his er,scnce. may be corpo- real in another." No ; for.however aamirablc in man, that tinton may be, and those laws which unite his soul to hi» body, nothing more folly marks his weakness and dcpen- dencf, and conseqiunfly nothing can less agree with the divine essence. If God be sometimes represented with feet, with hands, with eyes, these portraits arc designed rather to give us emblems of his attributes, than images, properly speaking, of any part« which he possesseth. But [here is a very last sense, in which it may be said, that the whole universe is the body of the Deity. la effect, as wc call this portion of matter our body, which wc move, act, and direct, as we please, flo God actuates by his will every par t of the universe. «' He weighs the mountains in scales. When wc bay that God is present in any place, let none suppose wc mean, that he is actuaUy contained therein ; at if, whtn wc say that God is in every place, we mean to assign to him a real and proper extension. Neither of these is designed. And whatever difficulty there rnay be m thii system, there are greater difficulties in opposite opinions. God is a Spirit i* one of the first, greatest and «nj8Uub. lime, necessary truths in the compass of nature I " Who by searching can find out God 1" Wc can easier say what he is not than what he is. . That there is but one God, is the concurring language of the genuine light of nature, and of scripture revelation. The very same arguments by which we pro»e that there is « God, must, if perused, necessarily lead us into the thought that there can be no more Gods than one 5 for there can be but one necessarily cxistcntBcingj one firbt cause. Hence, though the rude, unthinking multitude among the pagans, were led, perhaps chiefly by the wild fictions of the poets, into the absurd notion of Gods many, and Lords many. Yet the soberer and wiser of their philosophers had their one Supreme God, and all the rest were looked upon as petty deities^ It is notorioua th-^t Socrates fell a sacrifice to Athenian fury, for asserting the doctrine of one God. Aud it would be easy to shew, that wc are still morcabun* lil/ 16 When It IS said that C^a • MnM under thi. character, tohril,' '.""^ '"'■« «pre- •i.t of part^ ,„a ,0 are i„ ,h"f; „ ^" ""T'real bciog, coni paration or d,„olu,io„ of ll, •*" "'"" "pable of » mi.n., and of different w'Ir'V'''''"''°"'^°' <^™"- Pld Tmament, and at Chri» 'Vk •"'"' '^•■""' ""d" the .« .he New , t« ,h„ we,; l^JoT '"^ ■"■"««>'"'-0' oJ Goditaclfj thev «,,./ i ^PP^'^n^softhe e»«.-nr. «cca.fon,llyf:C/,7;«-'yj'-ard .yn,b„l., 4 rhe Po«« J hut a, to hi.ow„'j„^'^ P'""« f"-- »P«i,l pur We God, who™ „o„,„ 'CZnTrT"'' *" ''"« "''"- Whenever we read nF "" *^<^- •We, a, haWngeyes, <^r"roJ'ZT''''T°^^'''^'''>'"-'P- "O mean, to imagine, that h/h .u" °« ''"""S' «■« "e br »«s by then, ; fjr '• .^ Jk„ "'^ ""='' bodily or,fa„7 oV tended ™age? orpti:';'^ V' '''^"'' "•« "" P- •«rd None can draw the L^e 'f h"'°*'"''*'« »"<•»''. »ion.trou,ly f„oli.h ,he„,Ul ?t hi , ' S-"" '""'• »»* "^I's^v^'it^'V^Site-t:-^^^^^^^^ »nd in truch. Fo'r .h'^God't'in", 7"^'P I*™ '" -P-Vit *li.ch resembte, lii^iaelf ■ 7h^"r J '" P'""'' ""h "hat titers of hii dfvinc na,? e W° fi" ''' "''°"' *»*P'r. ("und humiij, .hoild „eeveVtti'„'i;«7'«"«artdpro. ?nt^•f;^^:;l^r/J^S^^-^"^ -^- Who "««^d''h^o7e'iri:a%sr[K2« 17 can appreciate tKc ^^^^^^f (^^1;^;:::^ tercstin hu favour? ^" ^" **V"* ', "j ^^^ hU peo- ' How th.nWully .houtd w. embr.ce . go.pel re«l.Uon. wh"h op«'« th. way for . .u.ful creator.'. ««« «" G»^' r«T.ccep..n=e with him through . Redeemer. In Chmt »e beh»W God » . Father of merce., .nd . Ood of con- soUtion. CHAP. III. The Omnipresence of God, The omipreaence or ubiquity of God, is his being pre- .cnTin cvc?/pla«. This may be argued from h,8 tnfinUy j hifl oowcr which is every where, &c. The fi "idea of God', omnipre.ence is '>'•<>,"'■»'=•""• God i. every where present, because he nee. all. God . knowTedReiiincompreheo.ible: we cannot indeed com- pXnd how God know, all thing,, yet .t « cvien that he does' for to suppose otherwue i. to suppose h man imperfa't &Ing, „nd directly contrary to the Revdat.od he Ht8 given of himself. Vfc cannot evade God's notice. Darkness the most thick distance the most mmense, can conceal nothing from hi kiowledg . Soar to the utmost heights, ay to the re- potest climates, wrap yourselves m the bUckest darkness, e»ery «rhere you will be under his eye. The knowledge of God is not a bare knowledge, h,8 t)re8ence, it is accompanied with active knowUdge. For Fnstanc^ God observes all the effects of matter. He calls into being matter, without motion,and in some sense, with- out form! He gives this matter form and rnotion. He saw thaT a eert Jn degree of motion, imparted to a certam portion of matter, would produce water ; that another^de- gree of motion communicaita lo anoincf poruou w ...>....., &X2 Vi\%\f!f J f^: anothc; 18 '^ould produce iJrc ; tl •nd^.o^of Che rest. ' be forgotten in the i.mensut oS '^ \" ^"« ^^ 'J^al doubts are remored. whcnZl J^ -a 'J!*''^'- B"t these 0U8 being who pas/es throrK'^ ^^^ " '^« cM ?^^oi^/r-,.cof Lture nt'/""^'^'' «"d supports the '^ !• A,ll of him. There is inr^^^T' '"^ ^'^n pa t of "either so disrant or o • ^^"«f »^«t he has made /k-/ 7-tially inh^bt* °^: ;:;°""^"«^'^^ which he ;t «f 'very thing, materbl „"•"'*' '.« ^"'"*" »h' substancJ p--ttoit.t tKin: "rriv 'i --tima" ; ^-ng whose centre i, every wh re ' ;, J" *^°^^' ^^ " « IS no where. "^ "^^^'^^ *nd his circumference - th::rort:erra,rr:vr' rr »-- '»- anse. v-idcs ; and of every tho. I u"'' ^' ^^"«e3«ential y n'? "tual world, to\i;e;;; ?,^ /t;V^'^'^""^ - ^^e^' .' '^J- So that infinite space il 1 '^ "^^ '^ "'fmately uni. Bnites and men have thdr '^' -T'"""" "^l^cGodhead fey which they appreh „d' 1^'"^'' "^ «"'e sensoriums ^ct,on. of a'fei:'ob> fa hat heT"^ '"' Perccivc he ?W knowledge and apnre un i """^'g^O"** to rhem. J 'o^' circle. But as God U u" '"''" ^'^^•" a very nar and know every thing f'^^h^Ifl'^ ''T' ^"^ P^-fvc g-es room fo n>finite\nLt g .t ^ '^"' ''^fi-- apace ^ Iv *''""*»^'«n«-'e. ^ '^ "' "^^ '' were, an or- Were the soul senaraf- f i «'»■.« 0/ thought "Should 1 "; '^' '""'>'• «') with one "cation i shoufd it for m,' ''7''"'' ""^ '"'"■ .Is "n," •till find tstif u/i»K; f'"-^wunthe samear" : .. ^ ,, compared ^urj't^h'l!"''"'" ?f "« Creator ' ' nd""' I"«hor,. reason J'tV,' \TJT^ "^ <>" Godh",dl" :rr,.t:.--'o--:u:Srdi-;::r^^^^^^^^^^^^ .'" this consideration of r^M ""'"'" "^""«« """ieo. Hep,,: '^"ce earth, t wonderful »« we ihall But these 'hat glori. Pports the :fy part of '"adc.that c does not substance ntimately ''(f he 13 a "n-'iercnce arises ypcr. hat ial( t^e intcl- tt'ly uni, '"dhead. soriums, ■tivc* the 'hem. — ery nar- 3e revive t^ space I an or, ith one of the *8pro- ^ould id eu- ad lat he iscoY- )ninL C4a« 19 •otbut regard every thing that has being, eipecially luch of his creatures wh» fear they are not regarded by hina.-- For as it ii. impossible that he should overlook any of hit creatures, so we may be confident that he regards, with an eye of mercy, those who, in unfeigned humility of ^"rt, think themselves uaworthy ikat he should be mindful of Effects prove God to be every where— for every where life ih sustained and given — and this is the work of God only : now if hfc be every where, what can be placed out of his sighi ? Hence we read, <♦ Do I not fill Heaven and Earth! saith the Lord!" Beside, how could he judge the world in nghteousnest unless he were perfectly acquainted with all our doings ? He could not produce what he had never witnessed. Ic is very pleasing to good men to consider that God dwcWs every where and knows all things. The medita- tion of a christian ot an all seeing God is sweet, and thtre-^ fore it is frequent— he c imca to the light, and instead of shunning scrutiny he invites it. If he be not right he wishes to be niai'e right. 1 know not, says the christain, what to pray fot, but God always knows what to give. When he suffers under the suspicions of friends, or the reproaches of enemies, he rejoices that his witness is in Heaven, and his record on high. To the wicked and incorrigible the reflection is awful. — Yes, what can be more awful than the thought — thai God sees you rise in the morning, goes forth with you, observes you all day long— that you have passed under his eye from infincy to youih, and from youth to manhood — that he has beheld every plan you have fvirmed, every bargain you hdve made — that he ha- observed not only actions but motives, not only wuids but thoUi,ht3, not only the evil you have committed b-it the evil you wished to comoait, all the (ill ir.ees of your imaginations as wellas of your lives-— fll the difficulties you have had to overcome in pursuing a providence — and has noticed not only the number but ag» so T*^" *loctrine iff calculated to be uaefttl t Aa u i. Jjor let my weaker passions dare Consent to sin for God is there." appearance might be sufficient , t°i /A /!!?// ,1 ^" Jrom our religious cjccrcisea. ' nypocnsy CHAP. IV. TAe Power of God. now to att.n^ 41 "' '^'/i'nciiona it is not necessary >,, TJll".'^^- ^^^^ Pr^"- «f God, is that ability wherZ hi^Zr" "''% ^° P^'^ ^vhatsoever be picaecs j whatsoever k 21 dcrs a] I ibis he has seen I the whole » everlasting ^ory of his ^8 8 check I Impos- faulu, and r. least, f ODC who rcnce ele- ire to act ) phiIo8o- est meang imagine ng upon with the icity and V, a fair ^th to the l^pocrisy e, ordi. cessary where- tsoever rity of Perhapi it will not be decnGed superfluoas, in this place, to draw a line of distinction between the power and author- ity of God. I have already observed, that by the power of God, we understand that ability or strength^ by which God performs whataotver pleases him. By the authority of God, we understand the W^^/ that he hath to act what he pleaseth. Among men, strength and authority are two distinct things. A subject may be a giant, and be strong- er than his prince, but he hath not the same authority. Worldly dominion may be seated, not in a brawny arm, but a sickly and infirm body. A greater strength may be set- tied in the seivant, but a greater authority resides in the master. As God is Lord, he hath a right to enact j as he is Almighty he hath a power to execute. His strength is the executive power btlon^ing to his dominion. The power of God gives activity to all the other perfcc tions of his nature. As holiness is the beauty, so power is the hfe of his attributed in their exercise. God has a powerful wisdom to attain his ends without interruption, a powerful mercy to remove our misery ; a powerful jii'itice to punish offenders ; a powerful truth to perform all hia promises. , This power is originally in himself, in his nature. The power of princes is originally in their people, and only man* aged by their authority to command ; but the power of God id not derived from any thing without him^ but essen- tially in himself. Power belongeth unto God j and all the power that the creature possesses is derived from him. Hence it follows, that the power of God is infinite. Nothing can be too difficult for his divine power to effect. He possesses a power which none can oppose. None can stay his hand. God's power is manifest in creation, and in the preser- vation of this universe. It is by his power that the heav- enly bodies have rolled in their spheres, and the tumultuous elements have oersistcd \\\ their order. He ho'da the wa- ters in the hollow of his hand, and weighs the mountains in scales, and thchillain a balance ; and in him we live, move and have our being. It is no small argument of omnipo. 5S vcot .hose jarriB7» which t T^ "" l?''"^'^ ' =""» P«- opposite qUZf "" """"•'"'' ■•""'' fro" their a ram'8 horn, wa7a mor. Ii • "^J*".'"- « «he sound of Ooa..ha./nr^^,«JS-P'a.-^^^^^^^^^ he cho« f„. thaKuTur;^. '" mL' on'""^""/'"^'' meanly bred. »o far from anv .„^. Men of low condiiion, possessed on v their „T ""^ »P'«" and pre- t from their tis purposes >y using ig. the weak, n the court e sound of e power of >y cngrjnes in thepub- cnts i^hich condition, that they utation in t the wise employed Lhoutelo. of their :l€8 were were di- ' flo. ked "d them, of God, nne na* hi'th h«" 9 glory here to 4 •hew, that fn our conception there is ■ difference between wisdom and knowledge, though, by many, they have been confounded together. The wisdom of God appears in the creation of the world. The whole creation is a poem, every species a stanza, and every individual creature a verse in it. This wisdom not only appears in the great variety of animals, plants and col- ours ; but in the fitness of every thing for its end. After the most diligent inspection, there can be found nothing unprofitable. The earth is fitted into parts ; the valleyi are appointed for granaries, the mountains to shadow them ; the rivers like veins, carry refreshment. The sea is fitted for 'ts U3e ; it is a fish pond, for the nourishment of man ; it joins nations, &c. Showers are appointed to refresh the bodies, to open the womb of the earth, •' to make it fruit- ful" Winds are fitted to purify the a'r, to carry the clouds, to refresh the earth. The trees are for the habitations of birds. The seasons have their uses. The days and nights have also tht ir usefulness. This wisdom appears farther, in the dispensations of his providence ; in the work of redemption ; in the govern* mem and preservation of his church in all ages, while the greatest cities have diflappeared, antl the best connected and formidable nations have been broken to pieces. This subject should teach us the necessity ol knowledge and wi-dom. No miin is obliged t know everything;^ this can neither be sought nor required, for it is utterly im- possible ; yet persons arc under some obligation to improve thtirown iinderstanding, otherwise it will be a barren de- sart, or a forest overgrown with weeds and brambles Uni- versal ignorance, or infinite error, will overspread the nind which is utterly neglected and lies uncu'tivated. The ad- vantages of religious knowledge are very, great. It forms the basis of true honour and felicity. Not all the lustre of a noble birth j not all the influence of wealth ; not aH the pomp of titles, nor all the splendour of power, can give By this we are allied to angels, and are capable of rising for ever in the scale of being. Such is its inherent wortb^j^ H f irill" ''"•y'":" «P'e«ented under tl,e most picas. ng image. I„ particular, it bath been compired lo Liu he iroat valuab e and re.i.ing p,„ of M.ur.?. „o k and «o that glo„o,.a luminary which is the most beautiful and transporting Ob ect our eyes behold. If we en ert "n anr doubt, concerning tl« intrinsic valne of r I gi^" TnoT. Sab'e'it'i r\"'"""' "•'• '"/ ""'"" becoiinld how desirable it la to be acquainted w ih God, with soiritual lifted and barren country. While the former is a lorely. lade M h' ^'^'^l'^^' '«V' "" ""•""l-ninirters a sp c^ tatleof horror. Asdiv.ne knowledge instructs in the war to endlesa bl.ss, so it will .nr,i,e tif.t mighty day, wbej 'LriMTT'""^ accomplishmentt slll'^foTe,; 'I, f 'Mt so emn period, in which the records and re- gmersofmenshallbe destroyed, the systems of hum^B pohcy be dissolved, and the grandest work, of genius X; suh.;! k^Tk" !'"' " »?•""''■'»"'» '«'«nly shall not on J «ub.,8t, but be increased to an e«ent, thai humao natwe cannot, in this present life, admit. Frorn the consideration of God's wisdom, we shm.M u. .nd mo. diUgcnt applicall^l'^ VS LTaTt'hl"' eaTatt- ^"PPJ'.f";"'^'" if">«y ""e a, much^,^„c rn-" rherr''drtre^g";:frg: ^'"'»f"'-'«»-th.u:f God's clioice is safer tban our awn • Of ages past inquiie, M hat is U.e most formidable late ? loLavt' our own desire. What can be more reasonable and aafe. than that we I*.,*, him to govern the wrld who made itio wi^Iy ' most pleaa<- ed to light, works* and autiful and lertain any iou8 knovv- vinc?d how b spiritual, wetn acuU is a loTcIy, :ers a spec* in the way day, when ill forever rds and re- of hUBMIi;! eiiius die} not only aQ n at are should be k wisdom itcat care, ny thing ght wific i I CQDccrn- He fear of to resign 25 CHAP. Vic we leave The Holiness of God, The holiness of God is the purity and rectitude of Wa nature. It is an essentia! attribute of God. If any attri- bute have an excellency above the other perfections of his, it is this. None is sounded out so loftily, with sttch solena* nity, and so frequently by angels, as this. Power it his hand and' arm, omniscience his eye, eternity his duration, Kit holiness is his beauty. God is essentially and absolutely holy. His holiness is necrgsary to his being. He is not only holy, but holiness ; holiness, in the highest degree, is hia sole prerogative. Of consequence it follows, that God hates all sin. He abhors it necessarily, intensely, univerpally, perpetually.-- And it follows also that God cannot encourage any to sin, or promote sin in any degree. No being can produce any thing which is not in itself. More properly, like always- produces like. An evil tree cannot provluce good f^wit- A fountain cannot produce salt water and bitter. Light m^y sooner be the cause of darkness, than h<; that is the fountain of good, should be the source of evil. " Let n» man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of; God." — James iii. ii. It is still more imposaible that God should necessitate man to sin. Indeed siiv cannot be committed by force ; there is no sin but is in some sort voluntary. The holiness of God ia visible by his weris ; he made all things holy, Gen. i. 51. By his firovUtneesy all whick are to promote holiness in the end, Heb xii. fo. By hia gracfi which influences the subjects of it to be holy, Tit. ii. 10 — 12. By his tuord^ which commands it, Pet. i. 1 5, By his ordlnanceii which he hath appointed for that end, Jer* xliv. 4, 5. By the punishment of sin in the death ofChrist, Is. liii. and by the etetnal punishment of i/ in wicked naea, ^ CHAP. VIL The Goochms of God. 'M jfll ^^{V'yixP °f 88odnc!8 is iaseparable from the notioi lonTc:, hi.S>d"."°' """ '''•""'"«. but we mu.t alaa f. Ji"V' f J""^""' °f being, which i, the natural per. Sw:i?n\''";°" ' "T " "" good"", of the hand X„ M ''b"a ,,y, or beneficence, or doing good to I^f 1 J " t'. ' *,'] ""*■' "«" '" ">« ""an- Were he rffu!r.^,"'""'U^''"°"'" not be in«„i,ely good and .elf .„H h "'• ""* ""' "" •"" « f"'l»"» of light in if oh the lorU '•:. • "'r ""^ "=""• ">* ""' """ "ot en. with t re"."""" '" '"""• """" """^ <='■ ""^ "'^"t of God^''Tl!""l.°r^"' "r"^°' ''" '""^ «'«'> the holine.. Z^ rJ A '"'"r A^9°^ '' "" --"titude of hi, na. Bt h, i.T SO?i""" °f G»'i i» 'he .fflux of hUwill.where- byheubeneficial to his creatures. G„.h!^°°''°"'.°'°'"^ " """ ">« "•»« "i'h his mercy. Goodae.,e Mends to more object, than mercy 5 g,odn« [T/'a i "• '"."" """k, of God's hand , merfy°,e" tended only to miserable objects. God*, eoodnes, is seen in all h,s creatures: Yea/i„ the inanima^cJea ion he •un, the earth, and M hi, works j and in the to'ernl„e .upport and protection of the world at large.^HUs'ne*. oal goodness relates to angels and saints. ®To an« s ^V creating, confirming, and making them what nfey ,^ To ...nts, m redemption, justificatifn. adoption &c.'^ ^^ 1 his subject IS matter of comfort in affliction What " so good that he cannot be insensible?„„,„ „«,„."?. ^"co^mforte^hfo" Xr^'V •■ ""™e whom irmolb! ^ comforteth so will I comfort you." -J «r the notioa e must abo atural per- > «vhich ia f the hand, ig good to jood meets Were he good and light in it* iild not en> very creek le holiness of his na- nll,where- iis mercy. goodness rcy is ex^ sa is seen ation, the 'ernment, His 6pe> ngeis, in are. To Can a fond mother from hsrself depart, Can sh© for|B;et the darlinpr of her heart ? The little darling whom she bore and bred, Nurs'd on her knee and at her bosom fed ? To whom she seem'd her every thought to give, And in wkose life alone she seem'd to live. Yes, she possibly may ; but God will not forget to sup- ply the wants of those that fear and love hi.ii continually. Let a view of God's goodness induce and encourage yott to seek his favour. Thousands, millions have sought him and none ever sought him in vain. These successful sup- pliants returning from his throne encourage us to go for- ward, all saying, / sought the Lord and he heard me and delivered me from all my fears. They looked unto him and stament contain the words of Eternal Life -The Bibe « hath GOD for its Autlior— Salvation for it* End, a>»tJ 'i;ai;TH, without any mixture of error, for its Matter." Lockk. ' Sc:rifture is a wprd derived from the Lzt'm seri^urtt, and, in its original sense is of the same with, writings siijni- fying any thing written. It is, however, comiponly used to denote the writings of the Old and New Testaments, which are called sometimes the scriptures, sometimes the sacred or holy scriptures. These books are called the scriptures by way of eminence, as they are the most im- fortant of all writings. They are said to be holy or sacred •on account of the sacred doctrines whicJi they teach; and •they are termed canonical, because, when their number and authenticity wer€ ascertained, their names? were inserted in 'ceclesiastical canons, to distinguish them from other bocks, which btingof no authority, were kept out of sight, and therefore cnW^ n^ocryj^hai. The Holy Scriptures are the word of God, they are the language and address of the universal Father to his children En this world, whom he hath endowed with ration- al faculties to hear and understand his voice. No book can contain more evident marks of such a Re- velation, than the Holy Scriptures, eminently so called, of which we are happily posaessed. There we have the ful- lest and clearest account of the nature and perfections of God. far beyond what the world at best could have attain- ed to, and far beyond what could, in the ordinary cours.e of things, have been preserved through succeeding gen- ^erations. 89^ 'riUngs. contain the ts Aiitlior — mixture of LOCKK. I scriptura, tingt siijni- ponly used estanjenift, etimes the called the most im Y or sacred each ; and umber and inserted in her bocks, sight, and they are her to his ith ration- ich a Re- called, of re the ful- 'ections of ive attain- irv cours-c idini In the Scriptures any one, in commoo lifci fray not on- ly very readily see that God is, but he aces what God is to U9 i that ai great as he is in himself, he is our God and Father, that he hath from his own immensity of being, given ua being, a noble and distinguished kind of being ; that he constantly regards us, loveth ust internists himself in our afFairf, is concerned for our welfare, is daily near us, the object of our truM and dependence ; that all our safety is in hii favour, and that in his favour, and under his protec- tion, we are infiaitely safe and happy. In the Holy Scriptures, any man of common sense may not only with ease, learn his duty in the fullest extent, but at the same time he may see that it is practicable, and may §ee how to engage in it ; — how ready and cheerful he should be in the discharge of it ; — how he ought to resist tempta- tions, — to struggle with difficulties. The word of God does not only contain simple propo- sitions, declaring what wc ought to do and be, but rules of life intermixed with the power and splendour of divine grace, woiking mightily to renew us into the Divine Na- ture. There religion appears in all its truth, lustre, sweet- ness, and majesty. There it is dressed in all its charms j not as a sour, severe, morose, gloomy principle,for bid ding enjoyment, and the parent only ©f sorrow, horror, and des- pair, but BvS our life, our glory, our peace, our joy ; as giving us the truest relish and enjpyment of life, as the sonrce ofthemost solid pleasure and comfort, as uniting us to God, as lodg-iug us for ever in the almighty arms of his love and goodness, a^ leading us to, and prcpaiing for endless joys and ineffable plea'^ures in his presence. As to sin and wickedness, the learned tell u.s that phil' o^ophers have said much concerning the odious nature of vice, that it is evil and the worst of evils, that it is the dis- ea?e an! dcf<;rmity of the mind, hurtful to the health of th^ body, and ruinous to the reputation and estate. These reflections were so far just, but the benefit of them was little or no advantage from them ; but in the sciipturesthe meanest minds are favoured with the greatest iostrvLctioo;:). I II: I (ii 30 mry way superior to those which philosopher, could »,». biy comn,un,ca,e. There .,„ i. L, ,„{^ ,c'for"h iH .tsodiou, colour.. and in ,li i.s ptrnicious.fFcct.... .^"hi itand, ,n contraMety to God, a, it j, the .r.n,gre«i„„ of hi. holy law. a. ic expo«ih u, ,„ hi, di.pleasore! and dia quahfies «. for h„ bic.sing : a, i, i, opposite ,„ aU ,he end of our creat...n. and con..q„en,l, as deserving of d, a.h. ,dT^r " "■"''".'•""« *'"ch might not to be overlook- ed i .he pardon of s,„. Of .his .he wisen of the ph W phers en..r.a,ned but very imperfect notion,. Tk^, vert ":!'rT';-""'"JV" ;"»"°" -^ ^i^onancy .0 .'he Z g .he placableness of .he Dcity.whe.her God would par- don s.n, or ,n »ha. way hi., wisdom though, proper to do and herefore of c. urse. must be in the dark as to the r^ J..s.„ of ,.. But all these things are delin audt.hj Holy W,„,„gs. with so much perspicuity, that they are ru':":"'y tT'J a"" -7''-' -P««y fso that heU: .King'"?a'"''g;et ,; Zcf "hL™ ^" ""'' "<" "' '» '"• cn,;rofcrpLti:xCburt':i-T:;rar putable mark of a noble mind^ But how m ... "' na.,.n,.„s K ,h more henf^^alTo ralXZ: fnV . J V ""'■' ""gn'nio'Mi because every eraciou, and exalted dipoinon of ,he human mind is rToS Ki^l7„ the pracfct of it , and i, is ,he mo t beneflri^ bec^"'^ puts an end to an eternal succession of iS 'and reuL t-pns. Let us therefore endeavour to Sh "hi' loM." disposition i let the bitterest enemy we hav-L s^f, 4 by ,ts effects ; ,„ us also .ee how fr^nVi'" to ZZ Tnd rZ-rr.^'! ",?:--"■' -ha^ppines^of otht^: our saviour. • Sel^d Tnd di^d^aZo'Tu'^/ercZ?^' °[ provocations, not only frotn his frien^dt^nd fX^ :";« 31 'I coald po»- t forth in all ct8,n8 tothit strated as it legressioD of re, and dis> ' all theendi ofd^alh. be overlook- the philoKo* Tkey very r to the di- ng concern - would par- •"oper to do icritof sin, to the re* ated in the at they are ^at he who err in the nown, not est moral- ced by hi* s an indis- TJore mag- nd is for- ' gracious quisitc to Jecauee it id retalia- his noble poftencd our hap- of others, ample of continual '% .;>^ from all sorts of persons. He endured the mftst spiteful reproaches and injurious usa^e» and the most cruel perse- cutions and sufferings, from tnose whom he had endeavour- ed by all means to oblige. He endured the concradiccion of sinners whom he came to save. And how did he de- mean himself under these provocations ? With the great- est meekness and mildnes imaginable, answering their bit- terest reproaches and the most cruel usage, either with reasonings, or meek silence ; that, by the reasonableness and meekness of his answers and carriage, be might either convince or mollify them I When his enemies charged him with the profanation of the Sabbath, he only reaions the matter fairly with them, asking them whether it tvat lawful to Jo good, or to do evil on the Sabbath Day ? When they accused him of being a magician, and casting out devils by the prince of the devils ; he convinces them by reason, that this was a malicious and groundless charge. In short, the whole life of our Saviour upon earth, exhibits one un- interrupted jiCene of forbearance and forgiveness ; — let the reader go and do likewise. Prior to the coming of our Saviour, how much the world was in the dark about a future state is well known ; and what should we now know of it without a Divine Revela- tion i Al)d ;t cannot be concealed from any one, who is ever so little acquainted with the go'^pel of Christ, how clearly the world to conr.e is opened to us in the sacred vo« lume. These things duly attended to will shew us the admirable excellency »f the holy scriptures ; that God's word is truth and able to make u-^ rise unto salvation ; and further do demonstrate, that it is our duty to be much in reading them. It is worthy of observation, that the more humble and holy people are, the more they read, ad-nire, and value the scriptures : and, on the contrary, the more self conceited, worldiy-minded, and wicked, the more they neglect, dtrs- pisc, and asperse them. The more, therefoie, the holy ▼oiume is disregarded and unknown, the greater will be the prevalence of wickedness^ ignorance, and the mo&t degra- ding superstition. % 32 In the tenth century, oil thcnation« of Europe were en- vcloptd in darkness, and this darkness was never fully dis- sipated for several succeeding centuries. Some who filled the highest offices ind stations in the Church, could not so much as read, while others who pretended to be better scholars, and attempted to perform the public offices, com- mitted the mo«t egregious blunders. About ihiti lime, books were so scarce in Spain, that one and the same copy of Bible, St Jerome's Epistles and some volumes of Ecclesiastical Offices, and Martyrologies, often served several diffc-rent monasteries j and in an in- ventory of the goods of John de Pontissara, bishop of Win- u^tf^* <^o"tained in his capital p dace of Wuine>^ey, all the books which appeared are nothing more than parts of seventeen books on diff. rent sciences. Long after those days, when a book was bought, the affair was of so much imporianct, that it was customary to a-semble persons of con ^fi|uence and character, and to make a formaWecord that they were present ; and the disputed property of a book often occasioned the most violent altercations. Con. sequentiy, the prices of books in the middle ages were ex- cessive. In the year 1174. the price of the Bible with a commentary, fairly wriUen, wa^ thirty pounds I A most eiiormous sum I For in 1272, the pay of a labouring man in England, was only three halfpence per day ; so that such a work would have cost him more than fifteen years labour. No stronger proofs than these need be adduced of the degrading state of religion, at this time, and of the 8uperstitiori, which reigned in that, and some of the follow- ing ages. But now, the means of instruction are plentifully diffu- sed, and the sacred volume is extenively circulated. Let us not undervalue our privilege.-;, but adequately appreciate and improve them. And in order to evince that we do so, jet us manifest a strict compliance with our Saviour's in- junction Search the Scriptures. While others search the works of nature, and the laws of nations, let us search the infallible rccoids of truth Do we want wisdom to guide our steps through this dark world ? Do wc want consola- 35 tion in distress ? Do we want to find brigljt cxanaples of piety ? Da we want rational amusement ? Let us search the scriptures. Let us search them in our cloaete, where all ia calm and still ; in our families, that our children and servants may be iustructed j and in the public aBecmbliet of religioua worshipt that all may learn. Thus while we acarch the scriptures we shall feed upon ibcm, and grow up in the life of God. They will be a safe guide to a better state and a comfort by the way Let I u3 teach them to our children, and may both they and our children's children, read, understand.^nd obey the heavenly oracles. This advice will well accord with the sentimenta of the humble and pious christian, in whatever station he may be placed. These sentiments are not, as some have, erroneously s ap- posed, peculiar to the illiterate. Ih running tue mind a« long the list of serious and devout christians, and sincere as Well as firm believers in divine revelation, such a« New- ton, Boyle, Locke, tiale, Milton, Baerhaavc, and a mul- titude ot others, deserve to be noticed, none of whom can be srigmatized with the epithets " illiterateness and enthu- siasm." As to Newton, he was a christian. His mind burst forth from the fetters cast by nature upon our con- ceptions. Newton, whose science was truth, and the foundation of his knowledge wa"? philosophy : not those visionary and arrogant pretiumpiions,which coo often usurp its uam«;, but phrosophy resiing upon the basis of mathe- matics, which, like figures, cannot lie — Nbwtom, who earned the line and rule to the utmost barriers of creation, and explored the principle-; by which, no doubt, all created matter is held together and exists. As to Locke, he was a christian ; to the highest pitch of adoration and devotion he was a christian. Locke, whose office was to detect the errors of thinking, by go- ing up to the fountains of thought, and to direct into the proper track of reasoning, the devious mind of man, by shewing him us whole process, from the first perceptions Si ¥ l! I rein besides upon false opinion, by oractical mT.. f .t. conduct of human judj^mcnt. P'^**^''"' '^"i« for the What shall be said of the otm* M. n«. i . into ,h. o,g«.c structure of ma tc^evt ,?.L h '°°''"' amn..tc«ub«,„c«. on which th "foo .""ad, > Such But p„hapa u may be said, that the christian hbe^-; Z L: 'k' -f.''-' ™»™ "Ci'"t superstition, of the worM MnhoiogiJ., ;^;^ thef^Jt^'e'rhjroftlm'otl .ong? And though he was shot out frim all „cVr""ce to t nVh'^'i.K* R'T"' ""^™ '■""'• f^"'" the stores o?a"e"o° ry.nch with all that man ever knew anri l»ij .1, *""["?■ order a, the illustration of that r";7',nd e« Ited ftiir'^.r unquestionable source of that ferWdgerus 'whichtsta' sort of .hade upon all the other works of man ; « He past the bounds of flamnie space W here aiis,Is tremble while thev caM He saw, till blasted with excess if light, ae closed his ejts In endlfss night." .wi«"l r 'k "t* °^. ">• ^y """ «'»' "tingnished , Yes, bleated be God, V • A • ^ .. '^P'«ty has found Friends in the friends of science and trne oraver Has flowed from lips wet with ast^lian deS^ ' ' Such was thy wisdom, Nei^ton, chihthknaie ' Sa^cjous reader of the Work, of God ^ ' And in hi8 mrd sagacious. Such too thine. Whose genius Iiad angelic wings, ' nil S^*", T'"** • ^"""^ «"«'* t^"'"e in whom ?rnLr?«'i'H ^"^.T SJ°''^<*^'*th just cause, Imnaortal Hale ! tor deep discernment prnis'd And sound integrity not more, than fam'd ' fS» scautiiy of rn«uiucrs uudciii'U," t rules for the who looked thfr brutffio- Such a man mature to na- contempla- aelief in the d will be, in admiration, tian fable is ■ the world, idingofthe tand these is immortal currence to of a memo> em m their /aith, the lich casta ngufshed y to justify Mo vtondcr. What book is comparable with the Bibls ? For most of the learning that is now in the world wc are radtbted tJ x.\i€Blbk, To the same book we are also in . dcbtcd for all the moral! ly and religion which prt vail a- mong men . Nay, even the abeiird talcs and fables, which are found in the writings of the ancient Greeks and Ro- mans, are nothing more than perversions of the several his- torics and characters recorded in the Old Testament, The B'hk should be read for its beauties. Str W. J one s, in the Asiatic Researches, vol 3d. page 402, ob«ervc8,l he- ologioalinqmiiesareuo part of my present subject ; but I cannot refrain from adding, that the collection of tracts, which wc oall from their excellence ihe Scriptures^ contain independently of a divine origin, more true sublimity, more exquisite beauty, purer morality, more important history, and finer strains both of poetry and eloquence, than could be collected within the same compass from all other bodks that were ever composed in any age or inany idiom. The two parts, ot whiih the Scriptures consist, arc connected by a chain of compositions, whicbbear no resemblance m forni or style to any that can be produced from the stores of Giecian. Indian, Persian, or even ^ra^ian learmng. The antiquity of those cotnpositioni no man doubts ; and the unrestrained application of thtm to events long subsequent to their publication, is a solid ground of belief, that they were genuine predictions and consequently mspirsd. The following masonetical analysis of an anonymous English author, may perhaps amuse the reader. The au- thor terms it the Old and New Testament dissected. It contains an enumeration of all the books, chapters, verses, words, and letters which occur in the EngliA Bible and Apocryphar U did, as some say, occupy three years of the author's life. r->oks in tlie Old Testament, CHaplers, Vtrsts, -- - - VVORIS, . . - - L<*tters, ta tUt Nfcw Testament, books, S9 929 23,yl4 2,72b',100 2T 3Q vw i if! Chapter*, Verses, Words, Letters, In the Apocrypha, chapters. Words, 260 7,96» 181,25^ 838,380 6081 152,1 8u Vh. r « •^"I'^'^fT"'' ^" ^^^ ^'<* Testament 35,548 times The same m he New Testament occurs 10,084 times ?^ r'.'* '^'^'"'^ *'*^'^"'-' 6^855 times- ' ^*- Alplmber* "^^''^ '''"P- of Ezra,ha.s all tl,e letters of the Total number of Books Chapters, and Verses, in the Old and ^ , New Testaments— ■dOOKS, • • Verses, '•. . ' ' l.»«9 WorrJs - . • - ,3»»175 Leturs, .... ■ • " 773,692 ' ... 3,566,480 .. J^' ^;^"^7'"^ Synopsis of tbe times at which the wrf. ters of the Ntw Testament wrote, ^i\\ perhaps be accepta. ble though the reader will please to take notice, that per- tect accuracjr cannot be expected. ^oois in order of time. Mathew, . . , i:pij;tle8 to lilie Galatians, « " . 1. Epistle Ui the Thessalonians, 2. Epistle to the Thessalonians, . . Epistle to Titus, 1. Epistle to the Corinthians, . ' . 1. Epistle to Timothy, . , , J. Epistle te the Coiinthions, - Epistle to the Romans, luke, - . . Epistle of James, *. Epistle of Pet. r, Epistle to tlie Ephesians, between Ej)istle to the Colossians, between Epistle to Philemon, between Epistle to the Philippians, between Acts of the Apostles, Mark, - - . Epistle to the Hebrews, a. KpisTleofPeter, '- . .* Epistle of JikIc. between - H^/?en written, A. D. 41 49 51 61 " 66 6? - *7 58 6a 60 60 60 G2&69 6il&65 • 62&6^ 68 64 - 64 64 64&7t tnes. 260 7,96» 181,25^ 838,380 18S 6081 152,1 8u 2. Epistte to Timothy, John's Gospel, 1. Epistle of St. John, 2. Do. 13o. 8. Do. Do. Revelation, 3T A.D. ' 66 68or7» 70 8C 80 96or97 ttrrs of the f»e Old and 66 1,189 31,175 773,692 • 3,566,480 h the wri- te accepta- , that per- tn wrttten, A. D. 41 49 51 61 66 67 67 68 68 69 60 «0 62^66 G2&66 62&65 62&66 68 64 64 64 64&76 CHAP. II. Comprehending a concise history of Reveh at ion. Rkvelatiom, 18 that which makes known to us the will and wayo of the most high God, the Father of the universe, the fountain of all being and happiness, upon whom we have a necessaiy dependence for life, for understanding, and knowledge, for being and enjoyment, at all times and in every respect ; for without him wc cannot live, we can- not breathe, wc can have no kind or degree of sense and understanding. This is true. And it ia equally true, that the best and mof t beneficent ©f Beings, the greatest and the kindest of all Fathers, could have no other end or de- sign in creating mankind, but his own glory, and their happiness. ^ v^ j The chief end of man must be to glorify and enjoy God forever ; for perfect goodness cannot be conceived to pro- pose any lower end in making a creature so noble and ex- cellent, e ^ J But then it is certain, both from the holmeas of God, and the nature of an intelligent, rational being, that a char- acter of holiness and virtue, of obedience, righteousness, or ..IffXtf ffxnAfiftf ia wiariaaamirn fktl nUf C^ft^ tQ QUr eOlOVment Ot God, or our happiness in his favour and blessing. It is ne- cessary that we love the great Author of cur being, that ;i 38 wc pay him all due honour and obedience, ihat we arc da. tiful and submissive to his will, that we understand ourdc. pendence .pon him, and what we have to expect from him, thSt we may be excited to gratitude and due improvement of his benefits. But we cannot love honour and obey God unless we know him, and arc acquainted with him; nor can we pos- eibly have any knowledge, or undersiandinjr of any kind ■whatever,but what must come originally from God. There- fore, that God, our Father should instruct and leach his creatures, whom he has made for the highest and noblest ends, in those things whi h iinmcdiately relate to his glory and their happine£8, is perfectly consonant to his good new and love. And that infinite wisdom, the Lord and Proprietor of all being, should have various ways of making known him. self and his will to ua, is also perfectly true. He produced a great variety of creatures with different powers and in- stincts in our world, by them to shew that he can bestow tipon us any kind or degree of being; he has displayed his immense greatness, power, wisdom, and goodness in num* berless glorious bodies which, by his hand, are perpetually rolled about us in the heavens. His continually providing for our 8ubsi8tcnce,in a way which is quite out of our pow. » \ 1 Some objections which have been leveled a- gainst the Holy Bible, stated and refuted. It 13 pretended — ** to be quite needlcBa, nature and rea- son bein^ sufficient to direct any man in the plain way of his duty, without any supernatural assistance." To this it may be answered— that in general, nature and reason are sufficient to direct any man in the way of his duty, so far as God, in his circumstauces, expects duty from bim. For Gor' txpects duty from every person, only in proportion to the light he enjoys, and to the talents he hath received. But the experience of all mankind shews that natur< and reason, by themselvn, will advance but a little way in the knowledge of divine things. It is impossible to make a fair and rational inquiry into the Pagan world, without perceiving that the whole frame of their religion to be the highest reproach of human nature, and that the very mysteries of their worship are so horrid and impure, as to need to be veiled from the common view of the world. Men, in a land like ours, where, in spite of themselves, their nature and reason are enlightened and directed, in a considerable degree by Revelation, may talk of the perfec- tion and sufficiency of nature and reason. If wc look into those nations, which are perfect strangers to Revelation, we shall I'md thrm grossly ignorant, of the Being, unity and perfections of God, the dispensations of his Providence, the proper honour and worship that are due to him, the prayers which we may, address to his goodness, and the hopes which we may entertain of his acceptance. — They know nothing of the pardon of sin, the promises of God's mercy and blessing, nor of any thing belonging to the covenant of his love, the present privileges, or future o-fory of his kino'doms The resurrectinn from th?d*?d-fhff day of judgment, the immortal life, which will be the re- ward of piety, and the death everlasting, which will be thf 41 nd lot of all the impcniteotly wicked,are thinga with which they are altogether, or in a great measure, unacquainted. But all these are great principled in rehgion, and of great fjrccto purify our spirits, ennoble our minds, animate our hoped, and guard U9 against the influence of bodily appetites, and the violence of temptation. And however others may fare, in a degree of darkness and ignorance, through the favourable allowance of God, yet surely every man's reaaon will tell him, that superior knowledge, and a more extensive view of the divine dis- pensations, is absolutely necessary to a higher degree of piety, comfort, obedience, and devotedness to God. What has been related, may be true, that some primitive mortals subsisted only upon acorns and water, in dens and caves ; and we know, that still, there are some parts of the world where the nahed inhabitants enjoy very few conveniencea of life } but shall we therefore despise the blessings of agri- culture, and the various accommodations which make life happy and comfortable, and say they are needless ? Cloihs, habitations, and vaiious other accommodations are nccessa- ly to our kind of life in the natural world ; and so is ReveU ation to a corresponding degree of spiritual life. The food, raiment, and habitations which we enjoy are the gifts of God's goodness, and it is our duty to accept and use them with thankfulness. In hke manner. Revelation iff the gift of God, and, as such it ought to be received } and as it g'-'es great light, we are obliged to attend to it ac- cordingly, because we must, in the nature of things, be ac- countable for it. However nature and reason, in their pure and most per« feet state, might be sufficient to direct in Che way jf duty, ytt when nature is corrupted, and reason obscured, or al- most quite extinguished, they are by no means sufficient to restore and recover themselves to the knowledge and obe- dience of the truth ; because they who should be physician to heal themselves, are sick and disabled. But it was the primary intention of God, in giving us the Revelation of his Will, to restore and preserve the knowledge of himself in a corrupt and degenerate world. 49 ill 'II. So that Revelation isaot only needful, but a very gttal blessing to mankind. It may be said — " If this blessing were given to all man- kind, who all equally stand in need of it ; but whereas it ts confined only to » part of mankind, while others are left to grope in the daik. how can it be accounted the gift of divine goodness ? For is not God the Father of all men? How then can it be consistent with his beneficence, to con- fine the light of revelation to some, which wculd so mucB contribute to the happiness of all ? May we nf)t then con- clude, that a p'^riial revektion is no revclstioii fiomGod ?'* I answer — It is very certain that God is the Saviour of all, that he is good to all, and that his tender mercies are over all his works. But while we are sure of thi8,we are not equally sure that our reason is a perfect rule for aC'just- ing the distribution of his benciits. Ou the other hand,we may be very sure that it is not. From the lowest to the hightst degree of existeoce, from a grain of sand, to the most glorious angel in heaven, every kind of higher degree of being is an incontestible proof, that God m«y very justly according to his own wiidoon and good pleasure, bestow what gifts, endowments, and privileges upon his creatures he sees fit. So that though as ^ judge he be no respector of persons j yet, as a benefactor he is. He i^ debtor to none, therefore, his dispensations are not to be censored by our narrow and imperfect judgments. We may as well make an objection against the goodness of divine provi* dence, that all men are not rich alike, wise alike, or know ing and learned alike. ¥Vould you not think him a very fooHsh man, who should be displeased, that God has made him rich, and placed him in easy circum^^tances, because there are many about him in a poor, low condition ? Who refusei wealth, or objects a- gainet plenty, because his neighbours are pinched,and make but a hard shift to get a living I Or who can be so absurd as to reckon his i^uperior knowledge and learning of no ?eaiadvant?>o'e; because there are numbers of illiterate oer- sons, whoare much below him in understanding ? Or that the possession of reason is bo blessing, because there are %» 45 ry gteal all man- het eas it 3 are left e gift of all menil , tocon- 60 mucB hen con- iGod V^ iviour of relet) are 8,we are r aC'just- hand,we t to the i, to the r degree ry justly , bestow features espector debtor to sared by as well le provi* r know o should iced him It hinn in bjects a- n(} make absurd ig of no •ate oer- Or that re are tm many idiots among mankind f And is it not l« absurd to deny revclalion,or to argue against it as improperly bestow- ed, and unworthy of the divine goodness, because it is not comitiunicated to ail the world as well as ourselves ? It is very unnatural to dispute against God*s goodness in any »hape,and very presuflaptuous to direct him how to bestow it either as to quantity, quality, or extent. If it is a fact, that hv-: has given us any blessing, our duty surely is to be thankful, and to enjoy and improve it, whether he have be- stowed more or less upon our fellow-creatures ; being cer- tain where less is given, less will be required ; and that the judge of vhe whole earth, will, in the last day, deal with all in perfect tquity and goodness. But, "If Revelation is such a blessing, surely it would appear in the fruit* or effects of it. Whereas great numbers, if not the generality of those who enjoy Revelation, are as bad as the very heathen, who are strangers to it. And such evils have been produced, such variance, discord, and bloody petsecutions, on account of revealed religion, that it may justly be questioned, whether it has not done nacre harm than good. What reason ihen have we to say, it is a valuable gift, cr worthy of the Father of the universe." To this I reply— That natural cau'^es bv a sort of ne- cessity produce their proper effects ; so fire always burns combustible matter, and a good medicine heals a disease ; and that is no fire which will not burn proper matter, nor that a good medicine which never heals a disease. But mora/ causes are of a different nature, because their efficacy depends upon the choice and disposition of the subjects to whom they are applied. And therefore a moral means or cause, may be itself most excellent, though it happens to produce no good effect ; nay, though accidently it may prove the occasion of very bad efFectP. OurLoid*6 nainistry and doctrine were perfectly divine, and yet it had but small influence for good, upon the Jewish nation $ nay, on tf>€ other hand, excited their malice to that degree, that tht^y slew the prince of life and glory. Whatever effects therefore, Revelation may have produ- ced in the world, still it is true that it is a valuable gift, ani u worthy of the divine goodness. But it must e^er be re» membered, that it is absolutely necessary to our receiving any benefit from gospel means, that we be truly de$iirous to shake off the yoke of sin, and to cultivate and improve our minds in piety and true holiness. But if we choot^e to Uve*in ignorance, unbelief, or any branch of impiety or W'ickedness ; if our hearts are so attached to ihe world, so engrossed by business, sensual pleasures, and amusements, that we can epare no time for serious reflection, for God, our soulfi, and a future world, I cannot ^ec how we should be saved by any grace, which the gospel has provided in Jesus Christ. It is certain, the gospel hath produced many good effect3» and will always do so, when it is received and attended to. Some ttf these will be mentioned hereafter. But ic is as notorious as it U lamentable, that many pretended Chris< tians make it the occasion of variance, hatred, and perse- cution ; we cannot, however, with anyjueiicc or propriety say, that thfy do receive or attend to Revelation, nay, it is certain, that in fact, they do not. *' But can we be sure, that we have now in possesaion, those very books entire and perfect, in which Revelation was origmally recorded ? May they not in length of time be lost, or quite altered from what they were at fir-t ? Or so varied and changed by transcribers and translators that we can lever be sure that we have the true and genuine sense of Scripture*' ? I ANSWER— No nation in the world, can be more sUre of any of their public records and acts, preserved in their archieves with the utmost care, than we are of the truth of the Scriptures now in our handb. The Jews preserved the books of Mo>-es' a;' the laws of their kingdom, in the most sacred pans of their tabernacle and temple ; tlio^e bocksi the P'^alms and Prophets, were every where publicly read in their synagogues, every week on the Sabbath day j their learnt'd men, with the utmo t exactness and scrupuloi-ity, inspected, and guarded the text, even so far as to count the very nnmbet of letter in every book. In short, our Lord and the apostles frequently quote Motes, the Bialms 45 and Prophelu without a-.y intimation that ll""' ''/."'^••"7„': in anv respect altered or depraved. Wh. teas had they in- dee7b«?co,r„pted, we need not doubt but our blesaed Sa,iour,would have rcfor,.e""''"""'« than any oth^r instance cf corruption >»""«.'*■' ■^«'^-. From our Lord, time, the Scripture, of the Old Tc.ti. ment were publicly read among the Jew. » .1. P»«» o* '« "or d, and .hosr scriptures, and the aportohc wnt.ng., Tthty came out, were read by ..hnriao. every where m th .> a'l.embU.a, and di.per«d over .11 the world «,here the ,elim,.n of Jt«u» wa» profes«d ; as coota ning the U». rndmlcsofthe Religion which he taught In.omuch that it was impossible to corrupt and deprave tlietn. And a. for uan.cril,.,.. or translator,, it .. f"' h' »'™« reaVon.impo,,ibl«they.h.«Ulmakeanym.ter,al.l.e .fo,^. And it is in fact tru. that .hey have not. /"'/"'^ "»/. 1 ,ke anv translation, in any language, or by any party a mong clist'ans. Papists a. -» - Pr^^XtUrto'th^ will find that they all agree !n ah thmg. "'""-I J" '■« covenant of the Lord our God. and 'J-' '7"' ''X in which we are thereby oWigei. though '^'l^^^^fl^Z some thino-s, and coraMentalor. may put their own MOse ;™ oth«s' But lam well -ti.fied tl^t they^have been preserved pure and entire in every translation, f.om the be ^'Sc^ibel: m'y indeed make literal mistakes.but those «.,^ o«i-Jf*. in pverv iraQ8lation» irom iiic ucg,M.» ^ ?hTdry ^d thriJ^buadantly enough for ou. mstruc tion. comfort, edification, ^^^ d^rect.on. It is well known, that gentlemen, mforeign^^^.^^^ ^^ who do not understand ioreigu ^'''^""ii"';; T:f ".^Yter itt carry it on by the help of translations. And it a letter n ■ *" 41! ^°.tm™uf'''"*' "■ ■P««'*.''"«P«" into th. hand, w>uTd dLr r„ '•," ".P'"'""''- •''« ""y translation wrtuw dittcr, more or less, in some exprcjeions. The same word.orpl,raees ,.„„H hardly be r.ndcred in he ,.1 maooer by „fry one of tl,c translator. , and yet "i.ey mTZ .:'b;iL7'th?"' '" "': '"'•' "' '^' ■»«-^-« And tnat being a I the correspondent wants to understand h« w-l never think it worth hi, while, to JtTu^o^'„u^l ToZt:::: ^i^r/" i" """"^ i ?'>"""• -^"^^»' iioHiing to do w th Ilia buunea.. Jut so it it with refer ence to the translation of the Bible. During h" pace of a great number of year,, learning „,y have Leived consf derable .mprovement.. and by that mean, some i„,cc„r4; may be found in a ,ra«sl,tion. about two hundred veT. aid. B„, yo„ may re,t fully satisfied that a. our Enehah tranjlation ,s. ,„ „self, by far the mo.t excellent book „ knoiT^'''^'''!'" ■■" P"'' •"'' P'^-'f"' fou tat ofdivi e ;^.:b'it:"th::s:.ro7!i:'iS;e^T^^^ differ no, so much abo«t the literal sense, o^nSo^f Scrip u ,. ,b„„^^ constrncon which they pTt rpon word."rr'L .T """'•['' f r 'g-dt'^.ttZ:: Tre ri^'htl, /:/ 'li ' " ,"'■' ^'"*' «■*'■'* " t'ohmfory.u, are rightly and well translated ; but the question is what a^d'aC h the' rc"di: o:;'; a"/ ""'"""'" '"'"'""y' of Chrisf, .acrificed body. ^ ^""""" '^P'-^''""""- IT DI SER TATION IV, CHAP. I. On the Creation : Inehtdtn^ Preliminary Ohtervationr, ♦' These are lliy \Vork§, Parent of Good ! Almiglity, tlinie tiun univerHal Frame, Tlius wuiuleious fair ; tli>fcelf how woi:-' »U8 then V^ That there is one first uncaused Cause, from whom alt othfer beings dcrire their existence, and upon whom thtjr have iheir entire dependence, has already beeu proved. — Consequently, all beings, except the first cause, muse have been produced, or brought into being by the power and agency of the first Cause. Of the creation of all things, Mo8€«, in Gen. I has giv- en us a summary account } not in a precise philoi>ophicaI manner, but bo as to give the mer of that age, in which ht wrote, just and effecting notions, of this first and mof^t stu* pendous wotk of God, so far as was necessary to the pur- poses of true Religion, and no farther. It is enough there* fore, that this account is true, so far as it goes, and not in^. consistent with the (nost accuiate discoveritis, which have been made in latter lAges, concerning the bystem of the uni* Terse, or any part of ic. Creation, in its primary import, signifies the bringing in*^ to being, something which did not before exi^l. The terras is therefore most generally applied to the original produc- tion of the materials, or \\it prima materia^ whereof the vi* sible world is composed. It is also used in a secondary or subordinate sense, to denote those subsequent operations of the Deity upon this matter so produced, by which the whole system of nature, and all the primitive genera of things, receive their form, qualities, and laws» ii IVM been 8upp06eo, ana assertcu t>y bquis or tnc anci^ eats, as well as n^odera free-thinkecs, that the materials o€ k m 48 which the world ia composed, are eternal. But that thiji opinion is at vanance with the signification of the word createt in Gen. i. i. is, and always has been, the opinion of those whose decision, on a subject ot thia naturci is cverjr Hvay worthy of our regard and credence, A learned author obscrveEf that the Rabbins, who arc legitimate judges in a case of verbal eriticism on their own languagCf are unani* mou3 in asserting, that »he Hebrew word barot expressei the commencemeat of the existence of a thing ; or its egres- sion from nonenity to entity. It does not, in its primary meaning, denote the preserving or new forming things that had previously existed, as sonrte imagine ; but creation in the proper sense of the term, though it has some other decep- tions, in other places. The supposition that God formed all things put of a pre existing eternal nature, is ctrtainly absurd : for, if there was an eternal nature besides an eter- nal God, there must have been two self existing, indepenJ> cnt, and eternal beings, which is a most palpable contra* diction. It was theopinion of Aristotle id some others, that the world was eternal, both as it respcs its matter and form. But that the present system of things had a bef inning, ap pears evident, if we consider the following things t i . We sec the world incessantly changing ; whereas if it were e- ternal it would be self-exieent, and if self-exisient always the same. 2. We have no credible history of transac- tions more remote than six thousand years, from the present time. 3. We can trace the invention of the most useful arts and sciences, which probably had been carried farther, and invented sooner, had the world been eternal. 4, The origin of the most considerable nations of the earth,may be traced, i. e. the time when they first inhabited the coun- tries where they now dwell ; and ft appears that most of the western nations came from the east. 5. If the world be eternal, it is hard to account for the tradition of its be- ginning, which has almost every where prevailed, though UiiUCr uiuercnt IGiimo, muiCHk DQiQ pOiuc Snu DctrUilfOUS nations. 6. Wc have a most ancient and credible history ef the beginDiBg of the world i I mean the history of Mo* 4d ises, with which oo book in the wor!d» in p^kit of antiquity- can contend. Moses, having received, by divine revelaiioa, instruction concerning the origin and formation of the world, conducts. us, at once, to its great and adorabic Architect. In the beginning CjOD created the Heavent and the Earth. Here he adopts a phraseology whereby he expresses, the Supreme fieing, and that is generally used in the Old Testament for the same purpose, which is very tntportant and necea* sary to be understood, as it gives us information after what manner he exists. The original word Elohintt God, savsa great linguist, is certainly the plural form of «/, or ehah, and has long been supposed lo imply plurality of persons in the Divine Nature. And this plurality appears in so many parts ol the sacred writings to be confined to //&r« Persons, namely, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, hence the doctrine of the TV/m'/y. Mr. Parkhurst, who has greatly distinguished himself in Hebrew Literature, directs his readers, who may doubt whether Elohim, when mean- ing the true God, be plural or not, to about twenty five passages in the Old Testament. A j CHAP. II. On the Chaotic MasSy ^c. " Before the seas, and this terrestrial ball, And heaven's high canopy, that covers all, One was the fare of nature ; if a face : Rather a rude and indi<^ested mast*. t\ lifeless lump, nnfa"-hion'd,and nnfram'd. Of jarring seeds ; and justly Chaos U4m'd," Du^^ig the first state of things, Moses informs us, that the earth was without form and void, and darkness was up- on the face of the deep. The original terms toboQ and bo» r p I 5$ w6oO| translated without form and void, convey the idea of confusion and disorder. It «eerr8 plain, that Moses con- sidered the whole tcrrsKiucous globe as beinp created in a Jluui s/ati, the earthy and other particles of matter being mingled with the water. The present form of the earth dcmonstraten the truth of the Mosaic account ; for it is well known, that, if a 8oftela«»ic globular body be rapidly whirled round on its axis, the parts at the poles will be flat- •tcned, and the parts at the equator, midway between the north and south poles will be rais-nl up. This is precisely the shape of our earth. Ic has been demonstrated by ad- measurement, thn the earth is flattened at the poles and 'raised at the equator. This was first conjectured by Sir Isaac Newton, and these conjeciwres have been since corro. borated, ao^ consequently the account of the Mosaic crea- tion has been coi.firmcd. During the continuaticc of this chaotic ^ mass, the materials and iiigredionts of all bodies, were mingled in confusion with one another, so that heavy and light, dense aiwl rare, fluid and solid particles, were jumbkd together ; so that the small constituent parts of fire, air, water and earth, were proo)i«cuously scattered throughout. The chaotic mass continued in thi-! state, until God was .-pleased to assimilate, assort, and arrange the materials,out of which he built up, in the space of six days, the whole of the solar system. The Spirit of God, represented as sit- ting upon the va^t abyss, like as* a bird does upon its nest, while either in the acts of incubation or fostering its young, moved or brooded upon the face of the wa/V Jit^ niade i t p I c|[nan t. " ^l CHAP. III. The Creation of Light. " Let th<»p^^^^ Ills goodnc-ft is nwnifcs^ttd therein to maiK " Fri.m night to » fumdav to night, The ue/u'iuMiranU th««*/*'»;K liglit Lcctaresof h.avcnlv nlsdomveiid } ' "Witiisutnt elo'jtieitc*; th y ra^se. Our thcnffhts \o the- (;r»'Htov'H praise, Aiid neiihei* souiidnor la^gnn^ie n*ed.?'' ^ CHAP. ^. The Creation of the Earth and the Seas, The more we examine the Mosaic account of the cre*» tion, the more we see the excellency of his system ; C3- peciaily when we attend to iHe inconveniences which have reiUltfid from ignorance, dibbclief, or neglect of it. The Hebreop lawgiver hffirmsj that God created the eanh, sea, bird?, beasts, and Sshts, for the convenience of mankind. Had naiurali'ts embraced this account, and esercised their talents in discoverinjr the laws iwhich prevail in this system^ their time might have been usefully employed ; whereas by dcviacing from thi« account we find that thty exhibit no» thing but errors and absurdities. Newton, by agreeing with the inspired writers concerning the production of the several elements, and the motion and organization of the whole has dtvised a theory which will last forever ; whiltf the systems of fantastic writers are forgotten and disre^ gardcd. This prince of Philosophers, by adopting the Mosaic accounts has investigated the laws which prevail in our system, and proved them the be t that could possi&ly bave been contrived : thus exerting his abilities for the glory of God, and good of man, and not eoiployinjjtheiA 55 «gair»t his Creator, like some ancient and modern unbc licvers. The Almigfety, on the 'Kird day, proceeds to separate, put in order, and control the clement nearest to lighi ^wA air in quality and Use, fluid like them, comparatively eim- p!e and pure, and, although not elastic, 7et of great p»wer. Probably the air waa used by him as an agent in gathering the waters into one plact. Thus, instead of the confusion, which existed when the earth and the water were mixed in one great ma^js, there wi.s now order, and by such a sepa- ration, both were rendered useful, the earth was prepared to be a habitation for man, and to yield him support, aa well as for various orders for land animals ; and the watera were for the still mote numerous tribes of living creatures, formed to abide in the seas, lakes and riyer3,and setk thtir subsistence therein. Previous to this arrangement, the water being a pure element, it was abo-e the earth. The waters being gath- tred into one place were confined there, that they might not return to cover the earth. It is wonderful that the sea, which being a puter and lighter element, has a natural disposition to be above the earth, should not overflow it ; but the power of God keepa it in the place which he has provided for it. The sea water contains a quantity of salt, but not in the same proportion every where. It contains the greatest qumtiiy of sale in the torrid zone, where otherwise, from the excessive heat, ir would be in danger of putrefaction : as we advance northward this quantity diminishes, till at the pole it is nearly gone altogether. To ascertain the depth of the sea, has been found a thing impracticable, both on account of the numerous ex« periments which it would be necessary to make, and the want of proper instruments for that put pose. Beyond a certain depth the sea has hitherto been found unfathoma- ble, and though several methods have been contrived to j:rc^..i _r -t. *'--T»«L\, iijio uiiacuiiy, TTUiic oj iiictn na5 compictciy an- swered the purpose. We know in general that the depth o» the sea increases as we leave the shore ; but if this con* d6 ^ ^' ii J ! tinued above a certain distance, the depth in the middle of the ocean would be prodigious. latlced the numerous islands every where scattered in the sea demonstrate the contrary, by shewing us that the bottom of the sea is un- equal like the land, and that so far from uniformly sinking, it sometimes rises into lofty mountains. If the depth of the oea be in proportion to the eltvation of the land, as has been gcner;4iy supposed, its greatest depth will not exceed five or six miles ; for there is no mountain six miles perpen- dicular above the level of the sea. The sea has never been actually sounded to a greater depth than a mile and 66 feet; every thing beyond that therefore, rests eitirely upon con- jecture and analogical reasoning, which^ in this case, is no wise conclusive. Along the coast», where the dep'h of the «ea is generally well known, it has always been found proportioned to the height of the shore : when the coast is high and mountainous, the sea that washes it is deep ; when, on the contrary.the coast is iowihe water is shallow. Whether this analogy holds at distance from the shore, ex- periments alone can dercrmine. The sea has three kinds of motion : the first is that un- dulation which is occasioned by the wind. This motion is evidently confined to the surface ; the bottom, even dur- ing:: the mo^t violent storms, remains perfectly calm. The second kind of motion is that continual tendency which the whole water in the sea has towards the West. It is greater near the equater than abou» the poles ; and indeed cannot be said to take place at all in the northern hemi- sphere beyond the tropic. The third and most remarka- ble motion of the sea, is the tide, which is a regular swell of the ocean every i 2 hours, owing, as Sir Isaac New- TOM has demonstrated, to the attraction of the Moon. In the middle of the sea the tide seldom rises higher than one or two feet, hut on the coast it frequently rist« higher than 45 feet. When the Sun and Moon act conjointly on the tides, which is at the chatigc and full of the moon, they arestroncer and ruQ hicrher than at other time.^, and are called spring tides ; but when the Sun and Moon are 9« de- grees apart, their attractive powers are opposed, and oc U 57 caslon the tides to be weaker and lower than at other times, and these are called neap tides* " The moon turns ocean iu his bed, From side to side in constant ebb and flow, And puiifies from stench his wat'iy realir.s." The water rxista in four parts, viz. : solid or ice ; liquid or water ; vapour or steam ; and in a state oFcomposition with other bodies. The ice i« only the re-establishnaent of the parts of water m their natural state. Underneath the poles water ia always solid ; there it is similar to the hardest rocks. When the water is converted into ice, it is lighter than in a fluid state, which is a circumstance of great importance. It was necessary for the pregervation of the world, that water should be subjected to a law dif* ferent from that of other substances which change from fluid to solid, that of being lighter. The wisdom and goodness of the great Artificer of the world will mani- fest itself in this arrangement. Had water been subject to the general law, and, like other fluids, become specihcal- ly heavier by the loss of its caloric. In the winter, the water on the surface of our rivers would sink when froze ; another sheet of water would freeze immediately, and sink also ; the ultimate consequence of which would be, that the beds of our rivers would become repositories of im- mense masses of ice, which no subsequent summer could unbind, and the world would shortly be converted into a frozen chaos. My limits will not, at pret^ent, permit me to introduce the three other states in which water is found ; and the aqueous fluid, vapour, clouds, rain, proportion between sea and land ; mountains, vegetables ; power of multiplying, manner of dissemination, &c. are all subjects of importance, but in this place I can do no more than mention their n^mes. Except concerning the vegetable oration,! may be allowed to say a few words, which shall conclude this chap- ter. In noticing this subject, the ftrst thing by which our attention is arrested is, the goodness of God in displaying his consummate wisdom in that which is little as well as D -g. ... 1:1 68 that which is great. Who can tccount for, or comprc* hend the utruclurc of a single tree or plant ? The rooti, the «em, the woody fibret, the bark the dnd, the air.ves- fclsi the sap vesseli, the leaves, the flower*, the fruits, arc so many mysteries. All the skill, wisdom, power of men and angeli could not produce a single grain of wheat I A serious and reflecting mind can see the grandeur of God, not only in the immense cedars on Lebanon, but also in the endlessly varied foresta that ippear through the microscope in the mould of cheese, Sec, It t J * CHAP. VI. The Solar System^ cjc. So little can here be said on ■ subject so vafit, that it may, to some, appear improper to introduce it at all. It may be sufficient, in reply to this to say, that, in my opi- nion, not to introduce it would be a culpable omission.— The astronomical discoveries which have recently been made, have explained things which prior to euch discove- ries appeared inexplicable. And who shall say what dis* coveries may be made in future ages ! Who can prescribe to science her boundaries, or restrain the active and insatia- ble curiosity of man within the precincts of his present ac- quii ements ? We may guess with plausibilty what we can- not anticipate with confidence. The day may vet be com- ing, when our instruments of observation shall be incon- ceivably more powerful. They may lay open to us the unquestionable vestiges of art, industry, and intelligence. In the progress of years we may trace the hand of cultiva- tion, spreading a new aspect over some portion of a plane- ._r vUI *•*% [c cii i» ij_ _ _ a mighty empire, may expand into a visible spot by the or compre* The rooti, he air*ve8* fruitH, are wer of men Mrheat ! A ir of God, also in ihe nicroecope 59 powern of some future telcscopec Ferbapi the glaia of same obBcrvcr, in a distant age, may enable him to construct the map of another world, and to lay down the surface of it in all its minute and topical varieties. But there is no end of conjecture, and to the men of other times, we leave the tull uesurancc of what we can assert with the highest probability, that yon planetary oibs are so many worlds, that they teem with life, and that the mighty being, who presides in high authority over this scene of grandeur and aatontshment,nas there planted the worshippers of his glory. Fit, that it It all. It in my opi- imieeion.— :ntly been h discove- r what dia* n prescribe nd insatia- present ac- lat wecan- et be com- be incon* to us the telligence. of cultiva- >f a plane* ifOpQilS iii ot by the Ohservat'inm on the Sun, 8011I of the worldn I in whom bast seen iShitif'soiit tliy Mflker! - 'Tis hy thy nccn^t, Ntrung, attractive force, An with a cliaiii iiuliiisulubic bound, Tliy syHteiii lolln entire iNFoKMRit of ih<' planetary traiu ! \Viihnit whose qvnck'ninff glance their cumbrous orbs Were hrute unlovely Diasfijnert and dead, And not, as now, the green abodes of life ! Thomrom. On the nature of the sun there have been various conjec- tures. It was long thought that he was a vast globe of fire, 1,384,462 times larger than the earth ; and that be was continually emitting from his body innumerable mil- lions of fiery particles, which extremely divided, answered for the purpo c of light and heat, without occasioning a- ny ignition or burning, except when collected in the focus of a convex lens or burning glass. Against thisopioiony however, many serious and weighty objections have been made ; it has been so pressed with difficulties, that philo- sophers have been obliged to seek for a theory lets repug- nant to nature and probability. Dr. Herschel's discove- ries, by mi'ans of his immensely magnifying telescopes^ have, by the general consent of philosophers, added a new habitable world to our system, which h the sun. Without stopping to enter into detail, which would be improper here, itissufBcient to say, that thcie discoveries tend to ;n (! ■ 60 prove, that what wc call the sun is only the atmosphere o( that luminary ; that this atmosphere consists of various c lastic fluids, that are more or less lucid and transparent ; that as the clouds belonging to our earth are probably de« compositions of some of the elastic fluids belonging to the atmosphere itself, so we may suppose that in the vast at* mosphereof the sun, similar decompoeitions may takt place« but with this difference, that the decompositions of the e- lastic fluids of the sun are of a photphorlc nature, and are attended by lucid appearances, by giving out light. The sun throned in the centre of his planetary system, givfslight and warmth, and the vicisbitudes of seasons, to an extent of surface, several hundreds of times greater than that of the earth which we inhabit. We cannot conclude this chapter wifhout inquiring who made that luminary, which is an incxhausted source of light, heat, and comfort ? tliat luminary, which without the assifctance of any fire, is able to shed day through a thousand realms, and not to confine his munificence to realms only, but to send his influences to surrounding • worlds : — that luminary that \k the prime cheerer of the an- imal and the vegetable tribes, who is so beautiful in him- self ; so beneficial in his effects, that erring heathens ad- dressed him with adotrations, and mistook him for their Maker. He was made by that Being, who filled the orb of the sun with a profusion of lustre ; before whomhia meridian splendours are but a shade. 61 CHAP. VII. The Moon, As when the moon, refulgent lamp of night, O'er heav'n's clear azure spreads her sacied light ; \\ hen not a breath disturbs the pose, that our earth which is but a little spot in the immen- sity which surrounds it, should be the exclusive abode of irrowed blei un« .Watts: lift the engaged thdrawa ove this es. The is tran8- and uti' )r of her ted witU etermin- mament. kat space her balls >ur earth of those ' heaven, ibiy sup. e iminen> abode of iife and intelligence. What reason have we to suppose that lhc3e planets which are known to be worlds in m&gDi- tude, should not also be worlds in use and dignity ? What though, from our remote place of observation, we can see nothing but the naked roundness of yon planetary orbs ? Are we therefore to say, that they are so many vast and unpeopled solitudes ; that desolation reigns in every part of the universe but ours ; that the whole energy of the di- vine attributes is expended on one insignificant »rnei of these mighty works ; and that to this earth alone, belongs the bloara of vegetation, or the blessedness of life, or the dignity of rational and immortal existence i We have something more than th mere magnitude of the planets to allcrlge, in favour of the idea that they are inhabited. We know that this earth turns round upon itself; and we observe that all these celestial bodies, which are accessible to such an observation, have the same move- ment. We know that the earth performs a yearly revolu- tion round the sun ; and w€ can detect in all the planets which compose our system, a revolution of the same kind, and under the same circura8l:inces. They have the same succession of day and night% The same agreeable viciisi- tude of the seasons. In all these things we see, that God, in his wisdom, hai done the same things for the accommodation of the planets that he has done for the earth which we inhabit. And shall we say that the resemblance stops here, because we are not in a situation to observe it >. Shall we say that this scene of munificence has been called into being merely to gratify a few astronomers ? Shall we measure the counsels of heaven by the narrow impotence of the human faculties ? or suppose that not a worshipper of Divinity is to be found through the wide extent of yon vast and immeasurable regions ? 6i CHAP. IX. The Stars. " When I consider — the stars which thou hast ordained ; vilmi is man that thou art mindfnl of him ? and the son of man that thou visitest him r" Ps. The stars in general are considered to be suntt similar to that in our system, each having an appropriate number of planets moving round it ; and that as these stars are innumerable, consequently there are innumerable worlds, all dependent on the power, protection, and the providence of God. The planetary system has its boundary, but space has none. There are only five, or at most six, of the planet- ary orbs visible to the naked eye. What then is that muU titude of other lights which sparkle in our firmament, and fill the whole concave of heaven with innumerable splen- dourr. ? The planets are all attached to the sun ; and, in circling around him, they do homage to that influence which binds them to perpetual attendance on this great lu* minary. But the other stars do not own his dominion.— Are these innumerable fires only made to shed a feeble glimmering over this little spot in the kin|[dom of nature ? or do they serve a purpose worthier of themselves, to light up other worlds, and give animation to othqr systems ? The first thing which strikes a scientific observer of the fixed stars, is their immensui abie distance. If a body were projected from the sun with the velocity of a cannon-ball, it would take hundrec^s of thousands of years before it de- scribed that mighty interval, which separates the nearest of the fixed stars from our sun and from our systeni. If this eat th, which moves at the velocity of a million and a half mil€3 a-day, were to be hurried from its orbit, and to take the same rapid flight over this immense tract,it would not have arrived at the termination of its journey, after rdaincd ; I of man Ps. » similar number stars are worlds, ovidence 65^ taking all the time which has elapsed gince the creation of the world. This, in eome degree, aceounts for the diminutive ap- pearance, which according to our views, the stars have. We know that every visible object appears less in magni- tude as it lecedes from the eye. The lofty vessel, as it re- tires from the coast, shrinks into littleness, and at last ap- pears in the form of a small speck on the verge of the hori- zon. The eagle, with its expanded wings, is a noble ob- ject ;jbut when it takes its flight into the upper regions ofthc air, it becomes less to the eye, and i^- Pccn like a lit- tle dark spot upon the vault of heaven. The same is true of all magnitude. The heavenly bodies appear small to an inhabitant of cur world, only from the immensity of thfij: distance. pace has r planet- hat mulr ent, and e splen- ; and, in influence great lu- inion.— a feeble nature ? to light y stems ? of the )dy were lon-bali, ire it de* : nearest en>. If }n and a > and to ,it would ey, after DISSERTATION V. Religion. Introductory Remarki. Unanimity of sentiment has by no means prevailed among men, concerning the word Religion. According to the o- pinion of most modern grammarians, the word is derived from refigartt " to bind fast.'* If this etymology hav« just claims to accuracy, then the word religion will denote the diligent study of whatever pertains to the worship of God. The Religions which exist in the world have gen. erally been divided into four — the Pagan, the Jewish, the Mahometan, and the Christian ; on each of which a few Wt\rAa aVifxW k< I ft^£> ..^r>^M^^^ :-t«i P €6 * It f!il m 1 £ CHAP. I. r/^£ P JIG AN RELIGION, The Religion of Pagans, or heathens consisted in the a- «?oration of idols or false Gods. It is said the theology of Pagans was of three sorts. The first of these may well be called fabulous, as treating of the Theology and Gene- alogy of their deities, in which they mention fiuch things as are unworthy of deity ; ascribing to them thefts, mur- ders, adulteries, and all manner of crimes ; and therefore this kind of theology is condemned by the wiser sort of heathens as nugatory and scandalous. The second sort, 'called /V'*^' or natural, was studied and taught by the philosophers, who, rejecting the multi- j>:icity of Gods introduced by the poets, brought their theo- ology to a more natural and rational form, and supposed that there was but one Supreme God, which they common- Jy make lo be the Sun ; at least; an emblem of him, but at too great a distance to mind the affairs of the world, and Therefore devined certain demons, which they considered as mediators betwec < the Supreme God and man ; and the doctrines of thfse demons, to which llie apostle is thought to allude in i Tim. iv. i. were what the philosophers had a concern with, and who treat of their nature, office, and regard to men. . The third part, called pohtict or civil, was instituted by legislators, statesmen and politicians ; the first among the Romans, was Numan Pompilius ; this chiefly respected their gods, altars, sacrifices, and rites of worship, and was properly their idolatry, the care of which belonged to the priests ; and this was enjoined the common people, to keep iKem in obedience to the civil state. It is manifest that this religion of the heathen, is prefer- able to none at all, when in the hands of those ptrsons who T,-.,- v.nA anv #.niiiraV»l*> nretcusiooB to wisdom. No regu- lar government was ever established without some religion ; as if the former were defective without the latter, and the one was a necessary appendage to the other. Not that it 67 U to be devised for political purposes. Heathen law-gii- tr«, who were ignorant of true religion, employed the false in supplying the defects of their laws, and the weakness of their authority. We shall now perceive a few of the uses which were made of false religion by the wisest of the heathens. These men inculcated reverence for an oath, deified truth, justice, con- cord, fidelity, and erected temples in honour of them. The veneration, even of false gods, contributed to make oaths binding, leagues obligatory, and compacts inviolable. X hese remarks, if necessary, might eauUy be substantiated by abundance of proofs But norwithstanding this, it cannot be concealed, that upon the whole, the heaihcn philosophers contributed but little towards a reformation of manners. They were but few in number and rarely instructed any except persons of fortune ; and their notions were too abstruse for the gen- erality of the people. They taught their disciples to dis- pute, rather than to live. They amused the understand- ings of their scholar*!, without impr«vipg their minds, and prescribed rules, but violated them by their conduct. They had little authority to enforce moral precepts, and this lit- tle was diminished by endless disputes. Their wisdom was not levelled against the prevailing vices ; nor did they la- bour generally, nor .sufficiently to improve mankind in vir- tue. They totally neglected the instruction of the poor, in moial and social duties. In fact, the lectures which they gave were not calculated to meliorate, but to corrupt men's hearts. It was the observation of a great divine and re- former, that he who acquires his Icaming at the expense of his moralsjis the worse for his education: and we may add, that he whose heart is not improved with his understand- ing, is not much the better for it ; for he ouglit to measure his progress in science by the improvement of bis morals ; and remember he is no further a learned man than he is I sions to true wisdom, until he have acquired true piety. It is a lamentable thought that upwards of 480 millions (nearly half the globe) arc supposed to be yet in pagan "Ul 68 darkncsa. Considerable altcmpU have beea made of late years, for the enlightening of the heathen ; and there li every reason to believe good has been done. From the aapcct of scripture prophecy, we arc encouraged to believe that the kingdoms of the heathen shall be brought to the light of the Gospel. Whether it be possible for the hea- then to be saved without the knowledge of the gospel, is a controversy of long standing : some have absolutely de- nied it upon the authority of those texts which universally icquire faith in Christ : but to this it is answered, that those texts regard only those to whom the light of the gospel comes, and who arc capable ot understanding the contents of it. Dr. Doddridge observes, the iiuth seems to be this ;■ that none of the heathens will be condemned for not believing the gospel, but they are liable to condem- nation for the breach of God's natural law : nevertheless, if there be any of them in whom there is a prevailing love to the Divine Being, there seems reason to believe thai,for the sake of Christ, though to them unknown, they may be accepted by God ; and so much the raiher, as the ancient Jews, and even the apostles, during the time of our Savi- our's abodeon earth, seem to have had but little notion of those doctrines, which those who deny the salvabihty of the heathens are raost apt to imagine to be necessvy. A great deal which has been said in addition to what is here advanced, has been erroneous, and much of what has been said in contradiction to it, has generally been fanciful ra- ther than useful. CHAP. II. THM JEWISH RELIGION. I cannot agree with Voltaire, tbit Judaism consists en- tirely in offerings of birds and beasts, in shov^ and ceremo unreasonable "" ny re na to .vligion to such points, as it is to confine vhe gospel to baptism and the Lord's si^pp ' The Mosaic code, beside? many rites, requires us to b-Ueve in one God who 6D of late there ii rom the \ believe t to the :he hea- pel, is a tely de- iversally ed, that It of the ding the :h seems idemned condeni- irtheless, ling love that, for r may be e ancient lur Savi- noiion of ibility of at is here has been nciful ra- >n9i9t8 en- d ceremo- h law ana gospel to eaic code, God who created the world,to lovs aitcl fear him ; prohihits murder, adultery, steaUh, and Tilse witness ; and enjoins justice, charity, and love tovvanU our neighbour. However, the Mosaic institution, though superior to heathen systems, was deftcuve in some points. Moses kncvr that thongh Ih=! iaw was perfect in its kind, yet, it was imperfect in itself. The Hebrew code was n«t in- tended for the whole ham:in race, but for the Jews only ; not as a pt.fect l^w, but as a step to a perfect one. The Hebfew ritual was not sufficiently general to serve man- kind : it does not mention a covenant between God and mankind, bat between God and the Israelites ;— requires the Hebrews to repair thrice a year to particular places appointed for God's wnrshipv commands the celebration of feast in commemoration of benefits conferred on that peo- ple only, and enjoins duties which other nations could not j>erform with propriety or convenience. The rewardsand punishments of the Mosaic law were prosperity and adver- sity in the land af Canaan ; which scantions were applica- ble to the Jews, and could not extend to the rest of man- kind. Hence, it appears, that Judaism was local and tem- porary, and not intended as a rule for all men. Such an imperfect a revelation could not have been intended for a perpetual one ; had the first covenant been faultless there would have been no place found for the second. From what has been said, it appears that Judaism was imperfect, even in its purest state : and surely this imperfect aystem, as well as the morals of the Jews, were so corrupted at Christ's appearance, as to render a new revelation expedi- ent and necessary. , m. • The principal sects among the Jews, were the Pharisees and Sadducecs. The Pharisees were a very numerous sect among the Jews, who, in their origin, were, very probably a pure and holy people. It is likely, that they got the name of Pharisees, or separatistsfram their scpaiatmg them- ._i f fi»» T>r.lliitmn nf the Jewish national worship ; and hence, says a learned author, the word m the Anglo- Saxon version, means holy personf who stand aparU or by themselves : but, in process of time, like aU rtlis'taui sects only the form oVg^ f„ °/'X. I " K""?'"'"'"' h-d •h/world J forhe bore ti-? r"' ?''"" "PP^^d i» outside of th/cun .Td r,,!' .' " ""'J ''"' ""'« 'he ;, L , P'^esent, the Jews have two sgctn - th^ r *tes, who admit no rule of rehVion bu7r/r ' clP''''"' and the Rabbiniats. who add to^hp T l^^ of Moses ; Talraud. "^ '° '^"^ ^^^ the tradition* of CHAP. III. MAtiOMETANISM, By Mahoraetanism, is meant that svar^m ^f ^ . • nte« which are enjoined by hVcla'^ anf ^'^1''."'^ guish it from the Hebrew an^P^-"* ^ T^'*"^ ^'^t'"' Mahomet was •l^::^ :^i ^~ [-'J^--. As had a L.de?;bLT„llt^^^^ ^e 'T^^' Hence we may ascribe the chief advanta«8ofXK'''^ to the Jewish and Christian fnstitutiou ! and all iL r" t^.r'''' ^^^" ^^^-^'-- toT:;atroneVrL^^ Writers have HifFr>fP^ «.:j-i.. —.-.i 71 have been actuated by enthu mm, others by ambition.— This prophet who was to be the last expectation of man- kind has never been foretold. And what token has he to shew more than another man who may please to call him- Hclf a prophet ? What miracles does he himself tell us ihat he wrought ? What mysteries did he teach even accordinj; to his own account ? What morality ? What felicity ? Mahomet is entirety" without authority : his rcasonsstherc- fore, ought to be very cogent, as they rest entirely upon their own force. Any man can do what Mahomet did i for he wrought no miracle, his coming was never foretold. But what Jesus Christ has done, no other can do. Maho- met established his religion by killing others- Jesus Christ by making his followers lay down their own lives ;--Ma- homet by forbidding his law to be read— Jesus Christ by commanding us to read. In a word, the two were so op- posite, that if Mahomet look the way, in human probabi- lity, to succeed ; Jesus Christ tock the way, humanly speaking, to be disappointed. And hence, instead of con- eluding, that because Mahomet succeeded, Jesus Christ in like manner might have succeeded ; we ought to infer.that since Mahomet has succeeded, ^Christianity must have m- evitably perished, if it had not been supported by a power altogether divine. The prophet of Arabia unquestionably possessed some very splendid virtues, but these were blend- ed with many enojmous crimes arising from his predomin- ant passions of lust and ambition. But in the commence- ment of his career, as a prophet, he took care to conceal his nefarious practices, and to maintain some exterior de- corum in his actions. Otherwise his reputation as a pro- phet must have been blasted by adultery, perjury, blasphe- my, and other atrocious offences. A very great partof theKorao was invented occasionally, to solve some difficulty, or to gratify his passions of lust or ambition. Having been defeated at Ohud he was asham- ed, and said, that God suffered it on account of thetrana- grcssions oi some oi nis iuiiuwcsB, mm s.v usss-tsiu-'-" '>'«— from false believers. To silence the clamours of those who lost their friends in the engagement, he invented the doc- 7f Irincof fate, and maintained that all events have been irre« vocabtv (i^ed from eternity, that God had accurately pre- dCK'.<-i" -< .good or bad fortune of every person, his h'i'n 0* s ; ion, his that life by anf [ the ap> equence into the :8 as dirt bcir brc- >ut away lia crime the 13d id intro- tbuking had his ofwifea rrved to Msed.-— B ; but, im from itrsoever guinity. ; idea of and not m para- ens and ions are ite, they paradise. DISSERTATION VI. The Chrhtian Religion, CHAP. I. Remgion's all, descending from Its •! re To wretched man, the goddess in hcr M't Holds out this world, and in her right, the next— Remgion ! Providence! an after state ! Here is finn footing ; here is solid rock ; This can i«upport us ; all is sea besides ; Sinks under us; bestorms, and then dtvour«. Hishand the good nwii fastens on the skies, And bids t-arth roll, nor feels the whirl. Religion ! thou soul of happiness; And gro-ining Calvary of thee! There shiuc The noble truths ; there strongest motives sting! Ciiii love allure us ? or can terror awe f He weeps ! —the falling drop puts out the sun ; He sighs— the sigh earth's deep foundation shakes. If, in his love, »o terrible, what then His wrath inflamed ? — — — — • Dr. Young. CHRISTIAN LIBERTY, Liberty of conscience, in matters of religion is justly al- lowed to be every man's birthright ; and yet there are fcv«r subjects that have been more misunderstood, and erro- neously represented than this. It appears to me to be proper, and even necessary, before I speak of the advanta- ges, &c. of Christianity, *o say something conceruingChris* tian Liberty ; '* for, say what we will, if this preliminary doctrine of right be disallowed, voluntary piety is the dream of an enthusiast ; the oracles of God in the chribtian world, like those of the Sybils in pagan Rome, are sounds convertible to senatorial sense ; and the whole christian mission, from the first prophet down to the last minister, is one long mustet roll of stated men*8 tools, a disgrace to their species, a contradiction to their profession, a disho- |ir«u». rjj tneir Csrod 1 For much more than a thousand years, the Christiati world was a stranger to religious liberty. Even toleration m ■;! I I 74 wii unknowR till about a centur^r ago. And it if to be deeply lamented that even the Clergy have been unfriendly to it. So that when the Act of Toleration was obtained In King William*! time, great numbers of them were much •gainst it. It appears to me, however, that both the name •nd the thing (toleration) are inconsistent with the very nature of the Gospel of Christ: and this now appears to be generally understood, not only by those who may be cob- sidered, by some, as insignificant individuals, but by those ia high authority. Lord Holland said, in the House of Lords, not long ago, " I hate the word Toleration ; it is a mean beggarly word." Has not one man as great a right to contronl others in matters of religion, as othera have a tight to controul him ? For one man to talk of tol- erating ano^cr, implies an authority over him in matters of religion. Yet, who but Christ has any such authority. And what name shall we find for him who pretends to any such thing ? Dr. Owem is said to be the first, who wrote in favour of religious liberty, in the year 1648. He was follawedby Milton about the year 1658, in his Treatise of the Civil Power '\t\ Eccletisitical Cdutet. And they were succeeded by the immortal Locks, who wrote zTnea- tiie on Toleratioiit in 1 689. But what in Christian liberty ? In Italy it is a liberty to be a Roman, or a professor of the Romish religion, that is, a liberty to believe what the Bish- op of Rome affirms to be true, and liberty to perform what he commands to be done. Glorious liberty ! ! or, more properly speaking, cruel bondage I Liberty in some Proteetant countries, is a liberty to be. lieve what the reformers believed, and to renounce what they renounced, and to practice what they required. But we beg leave to define Christian liberty to be something more. And if we be asked, what is Christian liberty ? we answer, it is liberty to be a Christian. One part of Chris- tianity consists of propositions to be believed. Liberty to be a Christian believer, is liberty to examine these propo- sitioiis, to form a judgment of them, to come to a self-de- termination, according to our own best abilities. Another part of Christianity consists of duties to be performed. Li- 75 is to be ifriendlf obtained re much he name the very »rB to be be COB* by those ; House tion ; it as great s othera I of tol- matters ithority. i to any wrote He was Treatist id they : a 7Wa» liberty ? ir of the he Bish- rm what r, more f to be* e what i. But nethiog ty ? we fCbris. jcrty to propo* self.de- iLnother ed. Li- libei perform these berty to be i rrs^t v'M Christian duties* cithfr as whr/ regard God« our neighbour, or our« selrcs. L> irrty i j be a Christian, implies liberty not to be a Christian m IU rrty to examine a proposition implies lib- erty to rjcct ' arguments brought to support it, if they appear in« ^nct" ive, as well as liberty to admit them if they appear der r -live. To pretend to examine Christian- ity, before we have established our right to do so, is to pretend to cultivate an estate before we have made our ti- tle to it, which is the same as building a house on the sand. Our blessed Saviour has given us a direction which is full of consummate wisdom ; and which establishes the //miV/, regulates the rlghttt and distinguishes the jurisdiction of the two great empires of heaven and earth. The direction to which I refer, is contained in these words, <* Render to Cesar the things that are Cesar's, and unto God the things that are God's." But what does a man owe to Cesar ? to the civil government under which lives ? Our Lord has answered this <|uestion — That which it Cesar*9. But what is it that is Cesar's ? i, Honour. 2, Obedi* ence, ^Vnd 3,Tribute. The civil government under which a man lives, and by which he is protected, demands his honour and reverence. In the Holy Scripture, fear God and honour the King, are duties closely connected. 2, The laws which are made for the suppression of evil doers, and the maintenance of good order, which are calculated to promote the benefit of the whole, and the comfort of the individual, should be religiously obeyed. 3, The govern- ment that charges itself with the support and expence of the whole, should have its unavoidable expenccs, however great, defrayed by the people, in whose behalf they are in« curred : Therefore, we should pay tribute. But remem- ber, if Cesar should intrude into the things of God, coin a new creed, or broach a new gospel, and affect to rule the conscience, while he rules the state ; in these things Cesar is not to be obeyed ; he is taking the things of God, and he must not "•?! them. Give not therefore God's things to Cesar, and give not Cesar's things to God. That which belongs to the commonwcalih, should on no accouat what* 76 fi ever, be dgvoted to religious uses ; and let no man think he has pleased God, by giving that to charitable or sacred uses, which he has purloined from the state. CHAP. 11. The attentive reader is also desired to refer to St. Paul's epistle to the Roman8,chap. 13, where hewill 8ee,with what dexterity, truth and gravity, the apostle, in a small com- pass, affirms and explains the foundation, nafnre, ends,and just limits of the magistrate's authority; while he, at the same time, is pleading his cause, and teaching the subject the obedience which he owes to the civil government. He begins by observing, '« Let every soul be subject to the higher powers." In which words we are not to con- sider the apostle as teaching a doctrine of present expedi- ency i but as declaring ihewi/iJ of God on a subject of the utmost importance to the peace of the worid ; a doctrine which does not exclusively belong to any c^ast of people, order of the community, or official situationa ; but to every soul. And what is this solemn doctrine ? It is this ; Let every man be obedient to the civil governnent,under which the providence of God has cast his lot. As God is the origin »f power, and the Supreme Gov- ernor ot the universe, he delegates authority to whom, soever he will ; and though, in many cases, the governor himself may not be of God, yet, civil government is of him J for, without this, there could be no society, no se- curity, no private propmy ; all would be confusion and anarchy ; and the habitable world would soon be depo- pulated. The civil governor, whether he be elective or her^ edilary^ agrees to govern according to the constitution re- cognised. Thus, we may consider, that there is a com- pact and consent between the governor and the governed ; and, in such a case, the potentate may be considered aa coming to supreme authority by the way of God's provi- dence : and, as civil government is of God ; who is the an think r sacred it.Panl'i ith what all com- 'nds,and , at the subject ent. ibject to to con- : expedi- :t of the Joctrinc people, to every 8 : Let ir which le Gov- whom- overnor mt is of S no sc- ion and e depo* ? or her* tiun rc" a com* /crned ; deredas I provi- is the 77 fountain of law, order, and regularity; the civil governor who administers the laws of a state according to its consti- tution, is the mini ter of God. But now comes a ques- tion of great importance :— If the ruler be an immoral or piofligatc man, does he not prove himself, thereby, to be unworthy of his high office, and should he not be deposed ? No. If he rule according to the constitution, nothing can justify rebellion against his authority. He may be irregular in his own private conduct ; he may be aji immor- al rnan ; and difgrace himself by an improper conduct ; but if he rile according to the law ; if he make no attempt to change the constitution, n«r break the compact between him and the people, there is, therefore, no legal ground of opposition to his civil authority ; and every act again^t him is not only rebellioHi in the worse sense of the word, but it is unlawful, and absolutely sinful. For hh political con* duct, a ruler is accountable to his people : for hit moral conduct, he isaccountable to God, his conscience, and the ministers of religion, A king may be a good moral man, and yet a weak, and indeed a bad and dangerous prince.— He may be a bad man, and stained with vice in his private life, and yet be a good pi ince. It would be easy, id run* ning over the list of our own kings, to point out several who were deservedly reputed good kings ^ who in their pri- vate lives wer? immoraL Bad as they might be, in pri- vate life, the constitution was, in their hands, ever consider- ed a sacred deposit ; and they faithfully preserved it, and transmitted it unimpaired to their successors, and took care, while they held the reins of government, to have it impartially and effectually administered. It must be allowed, notwithstanding, that,when a prince, howsoever heedful to the laws, is unrighteous in hitj pri- vate life, his example is contagious : morality banished from the throne is discountenanced by the community ; and happiness diminished in proportion to the increase of vice. On the other hanJ, when a king governs according to the constitution of his realms, and has his heart and life governed by the laws of God, he is then a double blessing to his people ; while he is ruling carefully according to the I 78 laws, his pious example is a great means of extending and confirming the reign of pure morality among his subjects. And there is a king in whom the^^e txcellencies, during a unusally protracted reign, have shone conspicuously ; I mean GEORGE the Third. His care in watching o- vcr thecnn'tuucion committed to hh trust ; who has act* ed as a father to his people, whose exemplary, private con- duct has exceeded in lustre the lives of all that have prece- ded hira,wheiher in ancient or modern times. His tacitiy discountenancing vicci not only by his religious conduct, bur, by his frequent proclamations, forbidding sabbath* breaking, profane swearing, and immorality in general,have made it just to denominate him the best of kings. But to return from this digression : does it not appear from what has been said, thatj if a man is a peaceable, in- dustrious, moral, and religious person, and an obedient sub- ject to the civil government under which he lives, let his religious views of things, be what they may, he seems to have a jubt claim to the enjoyment of every office,privilege, and emolument of that gov£»-nmcnt. When every member of society enjoys equal privileges with his fellow members, the boned of contention are removed, and theie is noching for which they should be at enmity. Equal and impartial liberty ; equal privileges and emoluments, are, or chould be, the birth right of every member of civil society ; and would be the glory of any government to bestow upon all its serious, religious, and morally-acting citizens, without any regard to the sect or party to which they belong. — Talents and integrity al e should be the sine qua nons to recommend any man tot. . notice of people in power. 79 CHAP. III. Christ and Mahomet, zcith their lives and doctrines compared. From what has been said already, we mav form a toler- ably correct judgment of the influence of Mahometanism in tho8C countries in which it ia established. The princi- pal pernicious effects are reducible to the following heads : namely, a spirit of revenge, hatred of other sects the des- potism of rulers, the ignorance and servitude of subjects the depopulation of countries by war and pestilence, and especially the inconveniences to individuals, and the public from pilgrimages XoMecca, And, yet notwithstanding the inconveniences frequently arising from pilgrimages, they have been greatly in voffuc. even in Great-Britain and Ireland. We find that in the year 1428, under the reign of Henry Vf. abundances of licences were granted for the crown of England to Cap. tains of English ships, for carrying numbers of devout per- sons to the shrine of S^.. James, at Connpostella ; on con- dition, however, that those pilgrims should first take an oath, not to take any thiug prejudicial to England, or do any thing that was likely to prove ini^nical to their country. But pilgrimages are not only incoavenienl, but they are unnecessary. Long journies in search of truth are not com. manded : truth, such as is necessary foi life and godliness, ij always found where it is honestly sought : change of place isnonaturaU.,- of the increase of piety, for it inevita- bly produces dissipation of mind.— That the Supreme Ee- lag may be more easily propitiated in one place thar in a- nothci , 3 the dream of idle superstition. He who thinks that .dc^ vices may be more easily combated, o. who suppo- ses that they will be more fretly pardoned, in one place than m another, will not only find himself mistaken, ba^ he uishonours at once hi§ reason and his t-eli'^i^n h\ 80 If we judge of the veracity and divinity of a religious syatem, from the tendency and effects of its doctrines, we must conclude ihat Ivlahometanism could not have been inspired by a good and wise God, who never dictates what, upon the whole, is hostile to the temporal happiness of hia creatures. Comparing then, the good effects which are produced by Christianity^ in numerous instances, and the evil effects arising from Mahometanism, we may form a general opinion, of the truth or falsehood of those different systems of religion. The authenticity of these remarks will acquire addition- al force, by contrasting Christ and Mahomet. Place,thcn, before your imagination Mahomet and his disciples, array* cd in armour and in blood, riding in triumph over the spoils of thousands, and tens of thouaands, who fell by his victot ious sword. Behold the cities which he set in flames, the countries which he ravaged and destroyed, and the miserable distress of all the inhabitants of the earth.— When you have beheld him in this scene, puri^ue him into his retirements, into his chamber; there see his concu- bines — his wives — his adultery ; and there hear him alledge rfvelation, and his divine commission, to justify his lust and his oppression. When you are satiated with this prospect, then contemplate rhe blessed Jesus, — humble — meek, doing good to all the sons of men, patiently instruc- ting botii the ignorant and perverse. See him in his most retired privacies ; — follow him to the mount, and hear his devotions and supplications unto God. Follow him to his table— view his fare, and hear his heavenly discourses ; — see him injured but not provoked ; — attend him to the tribunal, and consider the patience with which he endured the scoffs and reproaches of his enemies. Go to his cross — view him in the agony of death, and hear hia last prayer for his persecutors, — Fathert forghe them^for they know not what they do ! When you have viewed both, ask which ie the prophet of God ? ti, 8J CHAP. IV. Comparism between Heathenism and Christianity, It is cot my intention to cxphiin the disparity of these in every pvactictble way ; it being quite sufficient, for my present purpose, to notice in one or two instances only, wherein Christianity is indubitably superior to hcatheoittm. The apoatle saith, « After the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God to save believers by the foolish- ness of preaching." That is to say, since the mere sys- tems of reasoi* were eventually insufficient for the salva. tion < ankind ; and since it was impossible that their specut ons should obtain the true knowledge of God ; God took another way to instruct them ; he revealed by preaching o; the gospel what the light of nature could not discover, so that the system of Jesus Christ, Und his apos- tics, supplied all that was wanting in the «y8tems of the att- cient |jhJloaophers. Let ub place before us the disciple of natural religion, and the disciple of revealed religion, at the tribunal of God, as penitents soliciting for pardon. The former cannot find by feeling after it, as St. Paul phrases it, the grand means of reconciliation. which God has given to theChurch ; I mean the sacriHce of the Cross. Reason, indeed, disco! vers that a sinner deserves punishment. It presumes that God will yield to the entreaties of his creatures. It even goes so far as to perceive the necessity of satisfying divine justice. But, how likely soever all these speculations may be, they form only a systematic body without a head. For, to them, the mystery of the cross is invisible. Qow can human reason alone, unassisted discover the mystery of redemption, when, alas I after an infallible God has feveal. ed it, reason is absorbed in its depth, and needs all its tub* ssj t:b j5„ as i«.«,JC sii atUkU i 83 But thf revealed 1 god- man ice before hia affords he pardon I of Provi. spared not ft not with inal reeulc lat system We arc crning the >wards his ed Chri$t him with to obtain eg, God en sinners are aging display of return to ou be con- st raiQca to mourn at the hst, nvhen thyjlesh and thy h tonsumedy and say hoxu have I hated Instruction, and my heart despised reproof . Such regrets, at such moments* are gen- erally uselew. Not as they regard otherg-they may serve to convince them what an evil and bitter thing it is to sin against Qod, and awaken in them a salutary, because a sea- sonable fear. But with regard to the individuals them- selves, God often says, «« because I have called, and ye have refused ; I have stretched my hand, and no raUn re- garded ; but ye have set at naught all my counsel, and would have none of my reproof. I also will laugh at your calamity ; I will mock when your fear cometh as desola- tion, and your destruction as a whirlwind ; when distress and angiiish cometh upon you." What 1 U this dying gncf always, and invariably unavailing ?— I mswer ; wc flrc to dcicribe things according to their natural and com- mon course, and not according to occasional and very un- usual exceptions. And in the case before us, are not ex- ceptions very unusual ? Do not men commonly die as they live ? And with regard to those dying regrets, to which £o many look forward as a final refuge— what degree of dependence is to be placed upon them \ In reply to this, let the following remarks be examined :— The first regards the Scripture. There we find one, and only one called at this hour. It was the dying thief. He implored mercy when the heaven was covered with black- ness, and the earth trembled, and the rocks rent, and the grave? were opened, and a suffering Saviour would crown the prodigies of nature with a miracle of grace— a case, in ail its circumstances, so amazingly peculiar, that were men not infatuated by sin, it could never be drawn into a prece- dent. '^ The second is derived from observation. We have often attended persons on what was deemed their dying bed : we have heard their prayers and profession ; we have seen their distress. But how few of these, on their recovery, have lived agreeably to the gospel of Christ. ^ The 'bird regardj^ the force of habit. Can the Ethhpiam ihange hit tkin, or the Leopard his spots; ? then may ye also do 84 gooJ, that are auuttmedto do evii. Diseases, which, if ta. ken in time are curable, by becoming inveterate are render- ed desperate. But you arc ready to say, " Theie ii ho desperate case here. With God all thingn are possible. — His Grace is Almighty." Acknowledged : and you shall have all the encouragement derivable from a miracle of grace. But v/\\zi prtbabiUty is there, that an extraordin* ary dispensation of grace will be adopted, after all the or- dinary means of salvation have been de; pised and neglected ? And despised and neglected too-— in hope of thlt ? Hence a fourth rtmark, regards the influence of such ex- amples. If persona who live without God in tht world, were as frequently called in their last hour, as too many t^tem to admit ; would not the frequency of this occurrence influence persons to procrastinate their religious concerns, and to say to every present application, Go thy way for this time, ivhen I have a more convenient season I tuill send for thee ! But does God by his condsct, contradict his commands I And having said, to-day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts ; notv is the accepted time, now is the day of aalvation ; and seek the Lord while he may be found, and «all upon him while he is near — would he supersede the tiecesoity, or weaken the impression of all this, by his con- stantly receiving sinners when they can insult him no lon- ger. Let nothing in all thiu be construed so as to limit the Holy One Israel. — It is intended to excite seasonable repentance, by shewing the great hazard and uncertainty there is in dcfering this great work until a dying hour force U8 to see the necessity of it. 81 arc render- rhete ii ho possible. — d you shall miracle of sxtraordin* iW the or- nffglectcd I p • of such ex- tht world, ) too many occurrence ) concerns, vayfor this ill send for ommands I harden not he day of Found, and lersede the >y bis con- m no Ion- as to limit seasonable ncertainty hour force CHAP. vr. The Superiority of Chnstianiti/, cfc. the^cVrlr ""^'t P"rP»"y d"PIay8 the prerogative of natural rH*"' above those that have only what is called of dea h^ a"* •^'"'".■^"ffi^'ent provision against the fear Zt u • . ^o"Pa"son between a dying pagan and a dymg christian will shew this. I consider a Pagan in hil dying bed speaking of himself what follows : ''nmort?Iity be th^ mv na.f Uf tT' ""' '^.' ^'''^"'S^^ °^«'"- ^^ ^ consider fh. iIh r kT ^'^^ '^''^ ™y knowIedge,how smaU soeveV Ll L.» .'^'u 'l'.'? ' ""'^ '^'' '^' abundant depravity of my heart hath thickened the darkness of mind. If I con afuYu e'sTa?^' think I discover through many thick cloud. Natuiha I "^ ''''°" suggests that the Author of so eXDanSlVe in H<>eir#> n*a.-.1„ t^ i_ .1 • t. .** . - J er'-'-wj iw »«vf7w iii saig iiJiic oru lot ■: 86 - . a moment: but this is nothing but conjecture; and if there be another econonay after thi«, should I be less mise- rable than I am here ? One moment 1 hope for annihila- tion, the next I shudder with the fear of being annihilated ; my thouRhta and desires are at war with one another.— Such is the dying heathen. If a few examples of thcac who have died otherwise, be adduced, they ought not to be ur^ed in evidence against what we have advanced ; for they are rare, and very probably deceptive, their outward tranquility being only a concealment. O ! how different- ly do christians die ! How does revealed religion triumph over the religion of nature in this respect I May everyone that shall read this be an evidence of this article 1 The whole that troubles an expiring heathen, uy'ivf.i a chns- tian's dying bed. CHAP. VII. The Death of the Christian. I woo thee, Death ! in fancy's fairy paths Let the gay songster rove,aHd gently trill The strain of empty joy. Life and its joys 1 leave to those that prize them. Forgive the tear That feeble nature drops, calm all her fears, Wake all lier hepes, and animate her faith, Till my wrapt soul, anticipating heav'n, Bursts from the thraldom of incum'bring clay, And on the wing of Ecstacy upborne, Spruigs into liberty, and hght,aud lile. *^ Dn. PORTEUS. Thus speaks the dying Christian. When I consider the awful symptoms of death,aBdthe violent agonies of dissolving >,n»turc, they appear to me as medical preparations, sharp, * but lalutary | they are necessary to detach me from life. and if :.<;s mise- innihiU* hilated ; 3thcr.— of thcae t not to :cd; for outward liffcrcnt- triumph very one Ic 1 The a chris- RTKUS, ssider the dissolving ns, sharpy rom life. Beside. 1 8h,l| not be abandoned to my own frailtv • but thrS l"? •'•", P"«;"f''' •■•">. «hich hath .„ppo,tcd m, through Ife, will uphold me under the pre«uriof dear »nd u^rice itLlT "'•^'"T'.^^"' God i, reconciled .™ i ..• "i""'^' If I consider my body, i perceive I organ. , fJuoLjiltyl^lt^'^^^^^^y;^ h^ sown ,mcorruf,„„, lu, raiuJ In htfrnpim-sllnll .T I' "«aom. I shall carry w th me tha' whi»h a te .he"'h,''''"'- ,'''"" "^"T with me the de Icacy of taste, ihe harmony of sounds, the beauty of colour! ihl f^grance of odoriferous sme.l.. I .h,l| Lrmout heaven the .uture econom;''.oT&S "Ce,- 1 o" T-^lt adequate oofonsofit : but mf incapacity i.The' er7und accumulated treasures, if the enjoyTen :nhe*'^°frre'4.; ed roluptuousness, were to repri.i:„t t« me ccl„"al fe Jty t„, I y """''• ^"'' 'f n<"hing here can reure. rTot r -MTardo' " ''•''"""Vt" ""' ^"^''^'^^'c- edee of it Lit"'' ", T""i ^r "y ™P"fc<=t know, w fj rT •'"""'''dge and virtue, I know, will be perfected! I know I shall comprehend truth, iadobev order , I know I shall be free from all evils, .ndirnos«:. with al! the happy spirits who surround his throne .'and tb s per ect state, I an, sure, will cminue fo c™er aid e- ver. Such are the all-sufficient wpports. whirh re^^I.,! «el.g.on afford, against the fear of deitr^^uch tXt . IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3} 1.0 I.I 1.25 no 2j8 12.5 ^^ I "■saw s 1^ 1^ 12.2 ^ us, 12.0 1= U 111.6 6" Hiotographic Sciences Qjiporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 (716) 873-4503 % (/i I rap mmmmmmm. S ■! ditations of a dying Christian ; not of one, whose whole chrietianity consists of dry speculations, which have no influence over his practice ; but of one who applies his knowledge to relieve the rral wants of life ; and, who while he has the form of godliness, denies not the power. The pirns person; in his dying moments can testify to the honour of God's grace, that Jesus Christ is his salva- tion and his desire. In every difficulty, says he, thou hast been my guide ; in every danger my refuge ; Li every dis* tress my consolation. My happiest moments have been {>ai8ed in coAimunion with thee. And, though I cannot bok back up6n every part of my life as well spent ; yet, I review with thankfulness the instances of thy goodnees. By thy grace I am what I am. And now I come to thee, and this soul of mine, which thou hast redeemed by thy blood, and won by thy love, I surrender. Yes. ■The chamber where the good man meets his fate, .Is privileg'd beyond the < oivmoii walk Ot virtuous life, quite in the verge of heaven. His God sustains him in his iinalhouv! ' His final hour brings glory to his God ! Man's glory heaven vouchsafes to call his own. Amazement strikes ! devotion burslsto flame ; Christians adoie ! and infidtls believe. At that black hour, which general horror sheds On the low level ot the inglorious throng, Sweet peace, and heavenly hope, and humble j »y, Divinely beam on his exalted spul ; Destruction gild, and crown him for the skies. Life,take thy chance : butoh for such an end. Dr. Youno. Let us now, for a moment turn our attention to the death of the man that has been favoured with God's revealed will, but who has despised, neglected, and rejected it. Do tyrannical masters, wicked servants, selfish neighbours, hard-hearted professors of religion, die thus i Ho-^When the wicked per isht says Solomon, there is xAo«*#«^.— This is dreadful.—For a man to think that there is no individual upon earth that wishes his continuance ; that if be were removed no one being would sigh ; and could he come back, he would find the door of life bolted agaiast him«^ it whole ch have iplies his bo while • estify to lis salva- hou hast very dis* five been I cannot nt ; yet, [oodnees. : to thee, i by thy YOCJNG. the death revealed d it. Do ighbours, — When —This is individual f be were I he come I6t him-* 89 Why there is something in this, morf chilling than Amif and more cruel than the grave. And yet how many are there, who, if they were carried to the grave to-morrow, would excite no lamentation over //^m— unless indeed, « la- mentation that they had not died sooner. One perhaps would be ready to say—** O that the wretch had died, be- tore, by his wanton speculations, he had ruined the sub- stance that was to rear my babes." Another—" O that the wretch had died before he had oeduced my daughter the glory of ray family." A third— «0 that the wretch had died, before by his infidel principles, he had poisoned the mind of my darling son." Ah ! says the man, that has lived without God in the world, m adymghour, "This body is all weakness and pain, but my soul, as if strung up by toimtnt, is full pow. erful to reason ; full mighty to suflFer. And that, which thus triumphs within the jaws of mortality, is doubtless immortahty As for a Deity, nothing Uss .han an Al- migmy could inflict what I feel. My soul, and my body, lie iniuins; m scattered fragments of broken thou — fh^- '•"'IT n r^^"^'^^^ ^ «traordinaV deg^^^^^^^^ Wamy. . practice repugnant to the in cntLn of ttfe mcou, effects mast result from a pluramrofwives ^J consequence of this, mutual jealousies mu.t^-„bs^ b^iweeJ hU ;r?:^'^"^^'"' ^"^ P*^^'^"^"- which arlid.! ble, must bea constant source of strife and disconient sages, of some heathen states. And not onir adulterr hcentious divorces were common .t Christ's ap^caran e Zt Among the heathens, and also among many depraiH Jews, a man m.ght divorce his wif,.if fhe di"pWd hTrf even, „ the dressing of his victuals. Moses pSed^. vorcts m some cases, on account of the stubborne s of hi people ; but, ,n process of time, the Jews solicTcS nd oh! tamed them on the most trifling occasions. It i. not i« ^."'"^"''\^l' if, in those fimes there were cwSappT marriages. Where separations ivere easily obtainelne theJ the husband nor wife w,8 anxious to please the ocherrnor cou d parents, who were likely to separate! u4e cordfailJ m the education of their children. A ju!t sense of the divme attributes, is a powerful preventivfof the cnme of adultery ; a crime so black, as. i^ ce, rain case 'nhTeye pulton; '"^ ^^^\^J-^^^^ of the pc/son who'i: guilty of It. This crime being alurnys committed in se- cret. .« best prevented by the dread of a power whoseesTu nddoesnorT""rP'°^^^^^ wife "" '"^ P''''''S' '^ withholds from hi Th?AS'^ f«tly improves the condition of females. I he Asiatic nations always felt the passion of love, xvith. ^t any esteem for the obiect t and L.u «.,:.!» Ll^'^. 92 . .. . • from adoralion to jealotfsy, to indifference, or to contempt. In the purest agei of Greece and Rome, it was lawful to put female infsints to death ; and, on the decline of the Romish empire, heathen matrons were degraded creatures. According to the system of oppression, which generally prevailed when the gospel was promulgated, the husband, instead of being the friend of his wife, was a tyrant over her ; and the wife as might naturally be expected, obeyed from a principle of fear, not of love» gratitude, or a sense of duty. In those days, wives were exhorted to bear pa- patienily the infidelity of their husbands, since the privilege of fornication was allowed to men but not to women.—- But the Scriptures consider woman as a rational being, the moral companion of man, bound to the same duties, and entitled to the same rewards. The pagan female sometimes retained her influence during youth and beauty, while a christian woman, who is held in respect for her sense and virtue, may preserve t?hat respect though old or deformed. Christianity tends to render females rational, chaste, desir- able ; discourages impurity and fornication, those preven- tives of matrimony ; and concubinage, adultery, and poly- gamy, those nevcr-f ailing sources of jealousy and discontent. Christianity has reclaimed dissolute men. It is impossi- ble to furnish a stronger instance of vile profligacy and sin- cere repentance, than in the Earl of Rochester. He was depraved in his principles and morals, a professed unbe'i v- er, and employed his time and talents in* blasphemous and obscene writings, in drunken gaiety,and in gross seneuaKty , which, at the age of thirty onr , and two years before his death, reduced him to a state of weakness and decay. At this age he was acquainted with Dr. Burnet, and from whom he received such a convictioi5 of the truth of Chris- tianity, and of moral obligation, that he eipressed a vcn- eration for the Holy Scriptures, and resolved to read them frequently: for, having spoken to his heart, he. acknow- ledged that all the seeming absurdities in them vanished, and that he was now sensible of their beauty and excel- lence—And that his repentance and conversion were real, apoears evident from his subacquent iile 5 which, iuougu ; I contempt. \ lawful to ine of the i creatures. L generally iC husband, tyrant over ted, obeyed or a sense to bear pa- le privilege women. — 1 being, the duties, and ; sometimes ity, while a r sense and r deformed, laste, desir- lose preven* r, and poly- discontent, t is impossi- acy and sin- He was ed unbei i?- iiemous and s sensuality, rs before his decay. At t, and from ith of chris- eesed a ven- to read them he.acknow- em vanished, Y and excel* on were real, • V -1 1. 93 •hort, was truly christian. A few days before his death, he thu : expressed himself : / shaii now diet ^"'» ! what unspeakable glories do I see I I am assured of God*s mercy to me through Christ, ! how /'long to die^ and be ^ith my Saviour, And thus d^ing. His languishing head is at rest, Its thinking and aching are o'er ; The quiet, iinnioxeable bi'ast Is heav'd by aSttiction no more. H is heart is no longer tlie seat Of tronble, an»] tortuving pain ; It ceases to flntler and beat, It ne ver shall flutter again. WESLBY. CHAP. IX. The subject continued. —Religion! oh thou Chernb! heavenly bright, Oh joys unmix'd and fathouikss delight! Thou,'thuu art all ! — YOUNGi Pure religion abolishes human sacrifices. The history of almost every heatlicn nation evinces, that gentdism was productive of human sacrifices, not only in barbarous coun- tries, but in Greece and Rome, as well as other civih^ed states. It is well known that several antient nations ot- fered human victims, t® appease the ^ods, to recover health, to drive away famine, to avert storms, to obtam success m war, in ratifying treaties, in compounding philtres, and m magical rites in honour of the devil. The heathens com- mitted numerous acts of cruelties. Such acts of cruelty were exploded by the gospel and its professors. Tn J»r^^, heathen nations it was allowed to destroy the H ■,,( ■ fatusm the womb, to strangle or drown nc^.>orn infantau or to expose them to the sea -shore, or «v^em^ corner where ihey were le t to perish by cold or hunger, or to be de- all infants pronounced deformed or defective to be destroy, ed. And female infanta were less commiserated than males. Hence k wa. a rule, that «« A man though poor, will not expose a son ; but if rich, he will scarcely ^res^erve'a daigh. re^rrl nf ?{!'" !^»^^h"3Uan institution well deserves the regard of those individuals, who otherwise would have fall- lie T^^aV" ^'^"'"'"^ "^ ^^^'^""^ > «"^ «'««» the pub. nc regard, by preserving many deformed or feeble men who have been highly u eful oJornamental to sodeU-. ' mJt '"%V"^J^"t Greek, and Romans discouraged self- murder The former suffered the bodies of suicides to be buned,but«ot burned; while the latter not only refused them iMhumaiion, but ordered that they should he exposed on acros. and left there to rot, or be devoured by beast, of E; A »"^«e^'"g ages this punishment was rarely to escape the penalties of the law. A man who endured any mental or corporeal affliction might obtain from the mman';-"T" r ^'^^^^^^ ^'-selff with an exempt on from any msult to his corpse, or any aspersion on hi« name The widows of the ancientlndi.ns voluntarily burned them-' pelves, to accompany their deceased husband., nor's bet bominable custom abolished to this day in the empire of naS I^f^^"" doctrine of fJturity,^Z'?ury inculcated, mu.i h«ve removed those erroneous and mil chievous opinions, by declaring, that, in the next xvoH^ firy„ef^/.er marry, nor are given in marriage, and that f pleasures arc such as eye hath not seen, nor ear heard nihil ' hath a entered iMo the heart of ma^ to conceit 'CZ ' ~ 0?"." 'm^" ^T P"M'"g - -d to his life in co^ ^equence of trouble or disappointment.thathe bears his af fl.ctionsw.th calm submission to the will and diposaVof Khis!uZn.'r7'"' '°'"' '"' *^ ^^^'^ '"^ ^' -'''«a^iour, he bears them patiently, from a certainty of a re- ' I ward ; if they are the effects of his vic€«> he receives them withliumility, as chastisements of his o^ences ; and if they arisi from the faults of otherst he considers them a» triah of his patience and forgiveness. The heathen who wanted such motivrb, frequenily put themselves to death, and they were infinitely more cxcuaablc than modern self-murderers. When a heathen murdered himself, he neither violated the lawi^ of his rehgion nor his country ; but a modern self* murderer, generally speaking, dots both. The law of England is well calculated to prevent this crime, as it grants to the King, the goods and chatties of the felo-Je-se^ and requires his body to be hurried in the high way, lran>^hxed with a stake. But this law is shamefully eluded by Cor* oners, who return verdicts of I^unacy against the stlf mur- derer, and hunaancly perjure ihemttelves fox the beuclit of bis relatives ) t grant the deed Is madnosR ; b'lt tha niadne«8 of the heart. And what i» that ? oqv utmost bound of gnilt „ « —.— ■■■ — The bold to bleak Heaven's Ihw («t«pienit», ci»mI de9}»er»tely ruf»b Thro' aacretl nature's njurUer.on their own, Bpcau«a tli- y never think of death, tbey di«>. DR.IfOUJK*. Si Vflj CHAP. X. C/imtianitif^ discourages Duels, There were few customs among the ancients more ab. surd than that of single combat, for deciding doubtful or disputed points. The Turks, Germans, Saxons, Danes, and other ancient nations, employed this method to prove their iDnoccncc, and to determine the justice or in- m ii justice of their cause, and imagined that God would inler- poae miraculously, to decide who was innocent or guiltyi ]u8t or unjust. To chuse to determine points by single combat» rather than to refer them to Che judgment of the mapstrate, is to be condemned : as being a derogation from hia authority, or opposition to his determination, as well as a rash expos- ing of our own hves or that of otherf^^and a probable means of being detrimental to the lives and souIh of manyi who might otherwise be useful m varioua ways. Duelling as a punishment is absurd ; because it is an equal chancci whether the punishment fall on the offender, or person sffended. Nor is it much better as a reparation ( it being difficult to explain in what the J3tis faction consie^ts, or how it tends to undo the injury, or to afford a compea* sation for ^he damage already sustained. Murder is forbidden ; and wherever human life is .deli- berately taken away, otherwise than by public authority, there is murder. The value and security of human life make this rule necessary ; for I do not eee what other idea or defination of murder can be admitted, which will not let in so much private violence, as to render society a scene of peril and bloodshed. Take away the circumstance of the duellist's exposing his own life, and it becomes assassination ; add this circum- stance, and what difference does it make ? In expostulating with the duellist, I all along suppose his adversary to fall. Which supposition I am at liberty to make, becauae if he have no right to kill his adversary, he has none to attempt it. The inr,ufficiency of the redress which the law of the land affords, for those injuries which chiefly affect a man ia his sensibility and reputation, tempts many to redress themselves, Profiecution for such offences, by the trifling damagts that are recovered, serve only to make the sufferer more ridiculous. — This ought to be remedied. Beside, dueHing, as the law now stands, can seldom be overtaken by legal punithment. The challenge, appointment, and ether previous circumstances, which indicate the intention 9T with which the combatants met, being surpresaed, nothing appears to a court of justice, but the actual rencounter ; and if a person be slain when actualfy fighting with hi9 ad- ver9»ry» the law deems hia death nothing more than man- slaughter. . - It is strange, ih*t fighting should be considered a proot of the truth,hoQour, or honesty of the duellist: a man may possess personal courage without another good quality.—- The har, the knave, the seducer of his friend's wife, will fight : He who was a villain before he fought, will 8t"i Dc a villain, and generally a greater villain than if he had de- clined the combat. . . . j r i Colonel Gardner, who was as distinguished tor valour as for piety, declined a duel, observing to the person who brought the cUallcnge---/ am really afraid of unntng, but vou know I am not afraid of fighting. . ... j^. The Rcncral practice of duelling among the higher order of society, is a sure indication that a spirit of infidelity w alarmingly goae abroad. A Christian fight a duel ? Im- DISSERTATION VIX. CHAP. I. On Man, Know tlieu thyself, presume notOod to scan ; The proper stndy of maiikiud is nan. Pqpk. Itha.b«n erroneously .uppo«d, »nV'''^'r,iTn°' pecly aBserud, that ignorance i« the mother of aevotion . 98 thia is 80 far from heing founded in fact.thai she h the mo- tkerofsupcrstit'oii and idolatry. A deeiic of known uge ii natural to the m'nd of man ; and nothing diacovers the truj quality and diepoaiiion of the mind more, than tlic particular kind of knowledge of which it ifi most fond. Thus we 8ec that low and little oainds are most delight- ed with the knowledge of trifles ; as in children ; an in. dolenc mind with that which serves only for amusement, or the entertainment oi the fancy ; a curious mind i., best pleased with facta : a judicious penetrating mind, with dc. monfitratiDn, and mafhematical science : a worldly mind es- teems no knowledge like that of the world : but a wise and pious man, before all other kinds of knowledge, prefers that of God and his own soul. Bat some kind of knowledge or other 'the mind is continually craving after : and by- considering what that is, its prevailing turn and temper may easily be known. And of all the subjects which engage the attention, and employ the contemplation of man, there is none either more enensive or important than a knowledge of himself.—. Know thyseify ia one of the most useful and comprehensive precepts in the whole moral system : and it is well known in how great a veneration this i».axim was* held by the an- cients. ' But it IS to be greatly lamented, that there is not any thing, in which men are more deficient than a knowledge of their own characters. Is it not strange that this science 13 so generally neglected > We spend a great deal of time in learning useless things, bu. take no pains in the study or ourselves. ' The creation of Man. Man was made last of all the creatures, being the chief and master.piece of the whole creation on earth. He is a compendium of the creation, and therefore is sometimes called a mtcrocosm, a little world, the world in miniature j iometbing of the vegetable, animal^ and rational world 99 meet in him ; spirit and matter j yea, heaven an.l earth ccn. trc in him ; he ia fhe bond thit cannrcvs ihcra both toge- ther. The consti'ucnt and csaentiai {^ .rrc of man created by God are two ; body and ou! The one was made out of the dust, the other wa« breathed kuto him. The tjo- dy is formed with the grcaifst pfctai >u md exactncas. The members of the human body arc vari')Ui, and minis- ter to many drffcreut jmrpo es.— They arc very numerous nearly ten thousand . yet ad vitally und intimately united and connected to each other ; sc that every muscle, vcm, artery, yea, the least fibre is in its proper place I am uQwiliTnjj to proceed without taking occasion from hence to observe, that man is entirely dependent upon hts Creator for th« preservation of iiia body : and that this re- iation of dependence, which sub::iri('* between the Creator and his creatures, ia an cLu.nJ relation. That world, mto which we enter when wc die, is a part of his empire. It this be not sufficient to make us feel all our dependence, we may add another, namely, that what wc enjoy w not ours. He has attached our felidty to one fibre, to one caprice, to one grain of sand. On what is our hi;»h idea of ourselves founded ?— on our genius ? And what is ne- cessary to reduce the finest genius to a state of melancholy »i^d madness ? Must the earth quake ? Must the sea over, flow its banks ? No -, there needs nothing but the displa- ' cing one little fibre in your brain. On what is your idea of self-complacence founded, which fortune, ratik, and pleasing obje-ts that surround you, seem to ooatrioute to excite ? And what is necessary to dissipate your Bclt-cooj- plac.nce ? Must heaven arm itself with thunder and light- ning ? Must all nature be shaken ? No ; tne caprice is sufficient. On what .s your l«fty idea of yourself found- ed? On your health ? But what is necessary to deprive youofy^ur health? Earthquakes > No; one gram ot gand is sufficient. ^ ,, . . ^^^. God who is the living fountain of all perfection, spent an eternity in the contemplation of his own excellencies, before anv creature wag made. In the moment appomtea by bis owa wisdom, he gave the fir^t being to the world. 100 Three distinct orders of natures he foVmed, the one purely »p'intaa\,CdJ the other purely material, and bet' icn both one mixed, which unites the extremes in itself. This is man, the abridgment of the universe, allied to the angeU in his soul, and to material things in his body, and capable of the happiness of both ; by his internal faculties enjoying intel- lectual, and by his external, tasting the pleasu'cs of the lensitive world. Man was made last of the creatures, that it might not be suspected that he had been a helper in the work of cre- ation ; that question must be for ever mortifying to man, IVhere watt thou when I laid the foundations of the earth ? Vet it was both an honour and a favour that he was made last : an honourj ^3r the method of creatioa was to ad- vance froni that which was less perfect, to that which was more so ; and a favour, for it was not fit that he should be lodged in the palace designed for him, until ic was com- pletely prepared for his reception. Man was made the same day that the beasts were, because his body was made of the same earth with their's, and while he is in the body he inhabits the same earth with them. God grant that by indulging the desires of it, we may not make ourselves like the beasts that perish ! (rfMVJiethcr angels are pure spirits divested of all matter or united to some thin bodies, or corporeal vehicles, has been aeon- troversy ot long standing: the more general opinion is, tliatthev are subslances entirely spiritual, tliongh they can at any lime as- nnne bodies, and appear in human sli.ipe. U^> Ml 10! one purely t' icn botk 'his 18 man, igeU in his able of the ying intel- it-es of the might not ork of cre- ig to man» the earth ? I was made WAS to ad" which was should be was com- made the was made I the body nt that by rselves like II matter, or been a con- is, tliattliey xny limcas- CHAP. II. Man's primitive State. How complicate ! how wonderful is man f How passing wonder he who made him such ! Dr.YouNo. The works of God are beautiful in their appearance, re- gular in their motions, and useful in their various opera- tions. To contemplate them frequently is both an im- portant duty, and a source of delight. The nvorh of the Lord are ^re at, sought out of all those that have pleasure there* in» He hath made hit wonderful works t$ he remembered. The solemnity with which ir.an was created, ptovedthat he was designed to fill an important place in the newly- created world. A Council was held. Let us, said God, make man in Our image. Many erroneous opinions have b«en maintained on man's primiiive state. Some have placed him on a level with, if not above, the angeli of God j and others have placed him below many of his descendants. To avoid these wide ex- tremes, we must abide by reason and rc^^elation. Though it is said man was made in the image of God ; yet, this expression does not refer to the body of maa, which was formed of the dust ; for God is a spirit, and cannot be represented by any material form. In the beginning God created all things good. Inher- ently and immutably good himself, every production of his must necessarily be so, according to the several kinds wherein he created them. As roan was wholly made by him, he must have been made wholly good ; his natur^ clear of all impurity, and free from all defect and disorder. In man's primitive state, hie understanding was enriched with knowledge. Nature was unveiled toAdam, he entered into its scantuary, and discovered its mysterious operations. When the creatures came lo piy their homage to him, ^hai' sciver he called them, that was the name thtreof. And their ♦I JOf Jl names expressed their natares. His knowledge reached through the whole compass of the creation, from the sun the glorious vessel of light, to the glow-worm that sliinea in the hedge. But man, merely as man, could not origi* nally bring any rtal knowledge into the world with him.— That must either be communicattd, or afterwards acquired by himeeif, through obscrvatTofl and experience. The latter acqufred time to tffect it. So that it is rea'-onable to believe, that this knowledge was not acqu'Ved hy study, nor was it the fruit of anxious inquiry, but as the illumina- tion of the air is in an instant by the light of the morning, lo his understanding was cnlightcricd by a pure beam from the Father of lights. Besides he had such a knowledge of the Deity, as was sufficient fdr his duly and felicity. His mind did not stick in the material part of things, hut ascended by the several ranks of beings to the uriivcrsal caufie. He discovered the glory of the divine cFsence and attributes by their wonder, ful effects. He had clear distoveriep : — t. OF God's power. When he firft opened hia eyes, the stupendous fabric of heaven and earth preseitted itself to his view, and in it the mo t express and clear characters of that glorious power which produced it. 2. Of his admirable wiedam. By con»idering the or- der and union, the variety and efficacy, the beauty and sta- bility of the world, he clearly discerned that wisdom which «o regularly disposed all. It is thusihst wisdom epeaks — H^hen he prepared thcheavens, I nvas there : tuhen he jet a tompats upon the face of the deep : -nhen he gave the sea hh decree, that the walers fhould not pass hu ccvtma^mentt : vihem be appointed toe foundatioas of the earth ; I was with himt contriving all in the best manner for ornament «nd use. 3. His infinite goodness, Tbe goodness of God it that leading attribute, which called forth the rest to work. As there was no matter, so no nM^ive to induce God to make the world, but what aro';e from his goodness ; for he is ftn all-sufficient being-, perfectly blessed in himodf. His mpjpKry 18 not increased by the adoration of aiageis, nor his greatness by the obedience of nature ; neither was he lesi 111 tos reached the sun at shines ot orjgi* I him.— Kquircd . The s'-onable y study, Dumina- norningy am from , as was not stick e several ered the wonder. ii9 eyes* ed itself laractert r the Gr- and 8ta« m which peaks — I he jet a e sea bh \dfnenU : vcu with «nd use. God it ;o work* God to ; for he If. His , nor his s he lesi liappy, or cootent, in that eternal duraiion before the exis- tence of any creature, ih n he is since. His original felici- ty is equally incapable of accession, as of diminution. Ic is evident therefore, that only free and uncxcited goodness moved hicn to create all things, that he might impart being and happiness to the creature, and not enrich his own. CHAP. in. The ifnagc of Gnd was resplendent on man's conscloce, the seat of practical knowledge and treasury of moral prin- ciples. The direct faculty was sincere and uncorrupt, not infected with any disguising tincture : it was clear of all prej' dices, which might render it incompetent to judge of good and evil. It instructed man in all the part^ of hit relative obligations to God, and the creatures. It was not fettered and confined, fearfully restraining from what is lawful ; no^ licentious and indulgent in what was forbid- den. Briefly, conscience in Adam was upright, was a sub- ordinate God, that gave laws, and exacted obedience to that glorious being who is its superior. There was a divine impression on his will. Si)iritual reason kept the throne, and the inferior faculties observed an easy and regular subordination to its dictates* The af. fecpons were exercised with proportion to the quality of their objects. Reason was their inviolable rule, love the most noble, which gives being and goodness to all the rest, even to hatred itself ; (for so much we hate an object, ?8 it hinders our enjoyment of the good we love,) this precious incense was offered up to the excellent and Supreme Be- ing, who was the author of his life. The image of God was visible, though in an inferi»r de- gree, in the excellent disposition of the i^rgans of mart's bo- dy. His body was foroaed immediately by God, and so not liable to these defects which proceed from the weak- ness of second causes. No blemish nor disease, which are the effttct and foot-steps of sin, were to be found in him. His health was not a frail inconstant di^'position, c»>iiy ruined by the jatring elements^ but firm and stable. Tl^ I* 104 , humours were in 8 just temperament, to prevent any dis- temper which might tend to the dissolution of tbiit excel- lent fr^me. J; '^'^e^«PP>ncss of man, consisted in the knowledge of God. As the desire of knowledge is the most natural to the soolofman, so the obtaining of it produces the most noble and sweetest pleasure. And proportion ably to the degrees of excellency that are in objects, so much of rati- onal perfection and satisfaction accrue to the mind by the knowledge of them. The discorery of the works of God greatly affected man, yet the excellencies scattered among them are but an imperfect and mutable shadow of God'* infinite and unchangeable perfections. 2. TJhe happincts of man consisted in the love of God, It was not the naked speculation of the Deity, that made him happy, but such a knowledge as rsvished his affection : for happiness results fror the fruitions of all the faculties. Adam, m this state, loved nothing in comparison of God and nothing but in reference to him. He had, in his heart, neither love, hope, inclination, desire, «or delight, but as they related to God, and were regulated by him. God blessed man with dominion; He was appointed as God's lieutenant in the world,and adorned with a flower of his crown. God gave him the solemn investiture of this dignity, when he brought the creatures to receive their names from him, which was a mark of their homage, and a token of his supreme empire to command them by theit' names, ' Thus holy and blessed was Adam in his primitive state. And that he might continue so, he was obliged for ever to obey the will of God, who had bestowed upon him this life and happiness. By the first neglect of his duty he would most justly and inevitably incur the loss of both. It itf scarcely necessary, after what has already been said, to observe that man was completely happy in his primititre itate. There was nothing to make him unhappy. All wUiioUt Has ueautifui, and all within was pure. "God de- lighted in him— the creatures paid him homdge— the earth produced every tree that was pleasant to the eye, and^ood ent any dis- ' tbiit excel- I knowledge lost natural es the most ably to the ch of rati- oind by the rks of God :red among 9 ofGod'ff ive of God, I that made > affection : le faculties. m of God, n his hearty ht, but as I. i appointed th a flower ture of this ceife their lage, and a. n by theit' litive state. for ever to m hioi this is duty he >f both. been said, s primitive ppy. All Godde- -the earth } aadj;ood 105 for food. Oh t lovely £den, where innocence and happi- ness grew up together ! Within thy sacred enclosure there was no sorrow — no pain— no crying— no death I The original state of man reflects the highest honour upon God. Here we behold an astonishing display of di- vine wisdom, power, goodness* purity and lore. If the glory be departed, let man bear the blame— let him be a- shamed — let hina be punished, for the awful change took place through his transgression. Gad intended him to continue as he made him. He gave him power to stand, but left him free to fall. There is another Eden far above the skies, wh?re human nature itj exalted to a state of inconceivable perftction.— The subtle temper has no access to that delightful paradise. There the states of the jubt 2ixt confirmed in a state of ever- lasting happiness and glory. Jt.us, the second Adam — the Lord from heaven dwells amongst them ; and it would be e eaey to shake the throne of God, as to disturb Or in^ terrupt their felicity. God has crowned them with im- mortality, and their happiness and glory will continue as long as eternal ages roll. The saints in his presence receive Their gix^at and eternal reward ; In Je^Hs, in heaven they live ; They i eigu in the sniile of their Lord i The Ah me of angelical love. Is kindled at Jesus's face ; • And all the enjoyment above Coijsists in the rapturous gaze. Wesley. Every man on earth should bend his course to this hap. py world. The way to it is open and plain. All may en- ter in at the straight gate and walk in the narrow way which leads to life. God graciously invites ui to it and condescendingly affords us all the help we need. il'l'ljll iji,3" iniif I iiiit 106 DISSERTATION VIII. JHAP. I. The Fall of Man, Of Man's first disobedience, and the fruit Of that forbidd«n tree, whose mortal taste Brought death into the world, and all our woe. With loss of Eden,-: _- Milton. That man once enjoyed a state of greater happiness and morfj rectitude than at present, is positively asserted, and satisfactorily proved in the Holy Bible. And there is rea- son to suppose that many of the heathens believed this.— And hence their notions of a GoUen Age, Many object to the i^wtf/V account of the fall as absurd ; not only as it represents God as suspending the happiness of mankind on so indiffcient a circumstance as the eating of the fruit ; but also supposes a brute to speak, and yet Eve to have no alarm at it, and out of regard to what such a creature said to have violated the divine command, and to have been guilty of a weakness, when in the perfec- tion of human nature, of which few of her descendants m the present degeneracy of it would be capable. As to the offence in question, it may be shewn elsewhere, that h«w hght soever it might be in itself, there were cir- cumstances of most enormous aggravation attending it, yhich might abundantly justify God in the punishment in- flicted on account of it. As to the latter part of the ob- jection, which is indeed the chief difficulty, some have re- plied that the serpent only spoke by his actions, eating the fruit in the presence of £v^, and seeming rather refreshed and animated than injured by it. But we wave this j nor do we chuse to say with Mr. Joseph Mei>b, that she took thesernent fnr a wiep rtinnn-k t»W^^ ^ f _t.- njore of this new formed a ■_ A ■ . world than she, and could ha ve m woe, Milton. happiness and asserted, and id there is rca- :lieved this. — fall as absurd ; the happiness : as the eating peak, and yet I to what such ne command^ in the perfec- er descendants table. rwQ elsewhere, lere were cir- attending it, unishmeot in« irt of the ob* some have re- ins, eating the :her refreshed ive this i nor that she took I could have MO principle of enmity agaii.st her, to lead him to wish her destruction. Neither do we say with Dr. Thomas Bur- net at Boyle's Lectures, that she took him for some at- tendant spirit, sent from God to revoke the prohibition be- fore given. It seems more probable that the fact might be> as is beautifully represented by Miltom, i. c. that the serpent, being actuated by an evil spirit, might pretend to have gained reason and speech by that fruit, and from thence might infer with some plausible appearance of ar- gument, thit if it was capable of producing so wonderful a change in A/ot, it might exalt the human nature to divinity. The fall of man, or the doctrine of original sin, is a most important and necessary doctrine. The whole religion of the bible supposes it, requires it, and is built upon it ; and it is so much a first principle, that he who will not learn this, can learn nothing else to make him wise to salvation. He, who knows not that the imagination ofhii heart it evil from his youth, has not yet begun any religion that will be of serv'ce to him. Original sin is that whereby our whole nature is corrupt- ed, and rendered contrary to the law of God ; or, accor- ding to the 9th article of the Church of England, " It is that whereby man is very far gone from original righteous- ncijs, and is, of his own nature, inclined to evil." Man is row so far removed from God, that he scarcely retains any feeble glimmer of the Auihor of his being, so much has all knowledge been lost or confused. His senses now, being not the servants, but masters of his reason, have led him a- way in the pursuit of pleasure : all the creatures with which he is surrounded, either tempt or afflict him, and exercise a kind of sovereignty over him : either subduing him by their strength, or seducing him by their charms, which is the more imperious and fatal dominion of the two. Some deny man's depravity ; and contend that we are naturally virtuous, or at least as much inclined to good as evil. But if ibis be the fact ; why do we need so many hindrances to restrain us from evil, and somany^ndeavours to excite us to good ? And why are thty ineffectual too t They ought, upoa this principle, to be succeeslul with the lOS 7'Jiher>V' '""' '° '^"'^^ """^^'^ ^f """kind- But eicrv rLL?? ""'r.' ''' "^" ^^°"""y ^^"'''"g through anSTcorooT? a"h ^'^''^g^^l-g ^^7 kind of LtructL and reproof ? And are not they who walk by the rule of God's word, a peculiar people ? CHAP. ir. Man's fail was voluntanj. ' ■ Whose fault? Who.ce bur his n ? Iiigrate, he had of me Al ho coi.ld have ; I mi.de him jast and risrht, fault* lent to have stood, though free to fall. T^ . L I . ' ■ Milton. In such language the Almighty is repreacnted as speak- fn^, in i-c.ereece to Man's fall, Man was created perfectly holy, but in a mutable state. He was invested with power 10 prevent his falling, yet under a possibility of it. He was complete in his own order, but receptive of sinful impres- Had man kept in obedience to his heavenly guide, and rejected the efforts of the temper, he might undoubtedly., in due time, have been advanced to a degree of establish, ment beyond all possibility of falling ; but rot continuing upon his watch, and, contrary to the warning before given hini, turning his attention towards the temptation, when alluringly presented, he fell into the bondage of corruption • a sure introduction to .njsery. For as holiness and happi' iiess arc inseparably united, to sin and misery arc individu- ally connected. That Adam, during his innocence had a tufficient power ^jpersevere in his holy state, is, I think, Fufficienily plain. any grace which was recui- iuc to hig standing ; he left God before he was forsaken lankind. But aking through of instruction y the rule of y- ?ht, Milton. ted as speak, atcd perfectly d with power fit. He was iinful impres' ly guide, and undoubtedly., of establish. >t continuing before ginn ration, when 'corruption : s and happi- are individu' icicnt power iently plain. ti was requi- vas forsaken 109 by him. Much less was there any internal impulsbn from God. It is inconsistent with the divine purity to incline the creature to sin : as God cannot be tempted to evil, nei- ther tempts he any man. It is injurious to his wisdom to suppose, that God would spoil that work which he had composed with so much design and counsel. And it is dishonourable to his goodness ; he loved his creature, and love is an inclination to do good ; it was impossible chere- fore for God to induce man to sin, or to withdraw that power which was necessary to resist temptation, when the consequence must be his inevitable ruin. So that men can- not *' accuse Their Maker, or their making, ot their fate, As if predestination overruled Their will, disposed by absolute decree Or liigii forekuowledge ; they thenRselves decreed Their own revolt, not I : if I foreknrw, Foreknowledge had no influence on their fault, Which had uo less proved certain uuforeknown." Milton. The enemy of man could only allure, he could not ravish his consent. Though bis malice is infinite, yet his power is restrained, that he cannot fasten on immediate, much less an irresistible ia)pre8sion on the will. The enemy there- fore, made use of an external object to invite man. Now objects have no constraininj? force, they are but partial a- gents, and derive all their efficacy from the faculties to which they are agreeable. And although since sin hath disordered the flcih, there is difficulty in restraining those objects, which pleasantly insinuate themselves, yet such a universal rectitude was in Adam, and so entire a subjection in the sensual appetites to the superior power of reason, that he might have obtained an easy conquest. It willfully appear that the disobedience was voluntary, by considering what denominates an action to be so. The two springs of human actions are the understanding and the will ; and as there is no particular good but may have the appearance of bomedimculi uupieasant quality annexed, upon which account the will may reject it ; so any parti- cular evil may be so disguised by the false lustre of good- no Vf' fi' ncas, as to incline the will to receive it. This is clearlf verified in Adam's fall. For a specious object was cv nvcy> ed through the ungu^trded senae to his fancy* and from that to his understandint;, which, by a vicious careleesnebs, neglecting to consider, or judging that the end did ouc> weigh the evil of the mtans, commended it to the will,and that resolved to embrace it. It is evident therefore, that the action which resulted from the direction of the mind, and the choice of the will, was absolutely free. Suppose the devil had so disguised the temptation, that BOthwithstanding all circumspsection and care, Adam could not have discovered its evil ; his invincible ignorance had rendered the action involuntary : but Adam was conscious of his own action ; there was light in his mind to discern the evil, and strength in his will to decline it. Or suppose he had been tried by torments, the extrem- ity and continuance of which, had vehemently oppressed his nature; this had only extenuated the guilt, the action had still been voluntary. But thib was not Adam's case ; the devil had no power over him, as over Job, to disturb his felicity, he prevailed by a simple suasion. If it should be asked, what is the cause of evil in the world ? Wc answer — Wc must allow, that God, who is infinite in holiness, purity, and goodn<8s, could not have done u '^tthlng cauproduce what is not in itself. This is a maxim to which every man subscribes as soon as he sees or hears it ; and to which we, before, have had occasion to allude. God then could not have produced sin, forasmuch as his nature is in* finite goodness and holiness. We have already asserted, and pel haps we have proved, that he made man in hi» own image, a transcript of his own purity, and since sin enter' ed into the world, he has done every thing consistent with his own perfections, and the freedom of the human mind, to drive it out ; and to make and keep man holy. After a thousand volumes are written on the origin of evil, we shall just know as much as God, in his word, has told — An enemv has done it ; and ibis enemv is the dtvih- Matt. enemy xiii. 39 enemy But why was evil permitted to enter into the world I- Ill 'his 18 clrarlf :t was Cv^nvey cy* and from IS carelessness, cod did ouc* Lo the wiU,and therefore, that of the mind, k >• mptation, that ;, Adam could ignorance had was conscious nd to discern t. ), the extrem- tly oppressed iit, the action Adam's case ; >b, to disturb If it should [) ? Wc answer e in holiness, axim to which ;ar$it ; and to e. God then is nature is in- >ady asserted, lan in his own ince sin enter* onsistent with human mind, holy. the origin of his word, has is the devtL — the world ?— There sre doulitlesi sufficient reasons in the divine Mind» iox \19 fermistlon \ which, connected with his infinite es* fence, and extending to eternity, are not only tinfathom- tble by us, but also, from their nature, incommunicable to men. But it may be justly said, that hereby many attrU bates of the Divine Nature become manifest, which other- is'iie could not have bean known ; such as mercy, con- liassion, lung •suffering! &c. CHAP. III. Some of the Consequences of Man's Fait This soul degenerated from its purity ; the faculties re* fnained, but the moral peifections were lost, wherein the brightness of God's image was most conspicuous. The iioly wisdom of his mind, the divine love, that sanctified his will, the spiritual power, to obey God, were totally quenched. How is man disfigured by the fall ! He is defiled with the filthiness of flesh and spirit $ he is ashamed at the sight of his own nakedness that reproached him for •his crime. He was deprived of liis dominion and liberty. The light of the understanding was much impaired ; the will in some senses,, hath lost its true freedom ; a furious dia* order is in the affections the restraint of reason to check their violent courae, provokes them to swell higher, and to he more impetuous. The senses, whose office is to be the intelligencers of the soul, to make discovery, and to give a naked report* without disturbing the higher faculties, they sometimes xnistake disguised enemies for friends ; and sometimes by a false alarm move the lower appetites, and fill the soul tfritb disorder and confusion, that the voice of reason caa«>- 119 II 4 not be heard. By the irritation of grief, the inbinuiiion of plcaflurc, or some other perturbation, the soul is captivated and wonnded through the senses. In short, when man turned rebel to God, he became a slave to all the creatures. Deplorable degradation ! and worthy of the deepest shame and sorrow. Seriously consider your present state. You have forsa- ken God your Maker—you have, perhaps, no desire to re- turn — you have, no power of yourselves to return nor have you the means of returning, unless God in great mer- cy afford those means. But what reason have you to hope for mercy ? Will God be merciful unto you ? Not while you live in wilful sin. But earnestly seek salvation through JesusChrist. He came into the world to seek and to save that nvhichtifaslost. But when are you to seek this salvation ? Now. ^Qt what says the Scripture > it says, Beholdy Notr is the accepted time } behold^ no/f is the day of salvation, 1. Coneidcr the true character of sin. — It is of the greatest importance to entertain proper apprehensions of the evil of sin. Hence the scriptures are so large and par- ticular in describing it. They place it before us in every quality, and express it under every allusion that can rouse our indignation, or awaken our fear or our flight. 2 . Consider what the world has gained by sin; rather what the men of the world havfc lost in conseQuence of it. Read the hi?tory of wicked nations, families, individuals.— What does the sinner ever gain or enjoy ? What that is valuable or satisfactory ? What that even corresponds with his own expectation ?— Sin is deceitful ;— it attracts by flattery ; it destroys by delusion. 3. Permit me to ask, what has sin done for yoi* t What has it done for your connexions, for your bodies, your souls, your reputation, your property ? Let the sin- ner consider his weary steps ; his mean condescensions, and compliances ; his corroding anxieties, and suspicions ; his restless desires and tormenting fears— when under the do- minion of some lust or passion — to gain a fancy or a fca- £ucr : ivf ucUuirc lac ouinion or SAiii^ mutr mnrm • to pick tiiv. , lu ac4-uirc iuc opinion or soiiiC poor worm ; toptck up a little shining dust, to enjoy some light, unsatisfying, »inuation of captivated when man E creatures.- pest shame have forsa- Jesirc to re- ctum — nor great mer* ou to hope Not while on through to save that salvation i hhoU, NOtr vatlon. is of the hensions of ^e and par- us in every : can rouse • •ather what Fit. Read Is.— What is valuable th his own lattery j it for you I we bodies, M the sin- isions, and ions ; his er the do- or a fea- ; to pick satisfying, 113 and low indujgence — and will he not confess that these things are more than unproticabic and vain? 4. Oocs not a life of irreligion prove degrading to any man. There is nothing so shamcrul, so scandalouH as sin. Whatever be a man's station, or office, or abilities, sin de- grades all and renders him vile. It is not a ^harne to be oblifrcd to labour ; it 13 not scandalous to be poor and de* peudent ; it is not disgraceful to be tried and distressed—- but it is shaaieful, scandalous, disgraceful to be a sinner.-— Piay that God may save you from sin. Then shall it be weil with you, ia time and in eternity. Amen. DISSERTATION IX. CHAP. I. The Immortality of the SouL Who tells me he denies his soul immortal, Wh.te'er his boast, has told me, he's a knave. Dr. Young. It has been said that many of the Greek writers, fre- quently considered man as composed of three parts, spirit, J out ^nd body. And it has been supposed that St. Paul alluded to this which was then the prevailing opinion, in his firsi epistle to the Thess. where he says, May the very Cod of Peace tcantify you wholly : and / pray God your whole spiritf and soul, and body, be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, But did not the A- postle, in these words, mean, by the word spirit^ the spirit- ual estate of the persons to whom he wrote ? praying that the Spirit of God, with his various graces, might preserve them whole and entire^ That man, strictly speaking, can* Bot consist of three parts appears hence} the soul is either ^4' 114 matter or not matter, there is no meditim : but if it be matter it is part of the body ; if not matter, it coincides with the spirit. The immortality of the soul, is a thing which so deeply, so infinitely concerns us, that we must have utterly lost all feeling, to be cold and indifferent about it. All our ac- tions and thoughts must take so very different a course, ac cording as eternal blessings may, or may not be expectedi that it is impossible for us to proceed with judgment and discretion, except we keep this point, which ought ever to be our ultimate object, continually In view. This is a doctrme which, in importance, ranks next to the being of God. Though the body dies, the soul dies not ; it survives the body, and not only lives after it, but lives for ever, it never dies : though the body without the soul is dead, yet the soul without the body is not dead. When it is said the soul is immortal, it roust be under- stood that it is bj in its own nature ; and is not liable to death eithe;- from any thing within itself, or without it : but not that it hath luch an immortality as God himself has, who only hath immortality ; he has it of himself. An. gels, and the souls of men, have their immortality of him, who has made them immaterial and immortal spirits ; his immortality h without beginning, and any priorcause of it { their*s has a beginning and that beginning is from God t his is independent ; thelr's depends on him, in 'whom they livCi and meve^ and have their beirg. It is we'l known that matter, however modified, can neither reason, perceive* nor will ; hence, that being in man which is endowed with these powers, must be distinct from the body, and it can have no principles which tend to corruption. That the nature of the soul is immaterial, which, though not absolutely necessary to the eternity of its duration, has, I think, been evinced to almost a demon- stration. The soul, in its nature, is spiritual, of the same nature with angels, who are made spirits, spiritual sub- be cut to #1f ..•n.WI A J.. ccf ir.a'i pieces : not so the soul ; it is out of the reach of every slaughtering weapon. I?! ut if it be . coincides 80 deeply, :rly lost all l11 our ac- course, ac» expected9 rmeot and ;ht ever to ks next to ! soul dies er it, but ithout the ot dead, be under- t liable to ithout it : 3d himself elf. An« y of him J irits ; his auseofit; am God t j^om ihejf ified, can t being in e distinct h tend to imaterial, ernity of a demon- the sance :ual sub' }c cut to> of every The powers of reason, perception, and rolition, beingin. dependent of sensatioi, as appears from the phenomenoi ot dreaming, prove in the opinion of many, that the soul may exercise all these powers when the senses arc dissolv- ed ; and consequently, that it is capable of an immortal existence. Perhaps the immortality of the soui maybe provcd,froim the providence of God concerned in the distribution and disposal of things in this life, which is oftentimes very une- qual ; wicked men prosper and good men are greatly pffiict- ed,and therefore, if they had hope in this life only, ther would be of all men most miserable. Little children suffer also both pain and death, and it seems high'y improbable, that the God of infinite felicity should have created these amiable beingi foi the sole purpose of suffering exquisite misery. Thaw he should have made a difference in the dis. tribution of temporal and intellectual endowments, is agree- able to reason ; but, that he should really afflict the inno- cent, and prosper the guilty, seems, in a moral view, to re. quire a future state of rewards and punishments, in which he will clear up the obscurity of providence, and discover the equity of his ways. The love of immortality, which all men feci, especially good men, attaches a strong probability to the doctrine of a future state : God having formed the eye for vision, gratifies it with a world of sublime and beauti.^ul objects g and having formed this love of immortality,the strongest of our propenj^itits, we havt thcjustest ground of confidence^ U^at be will so gratify it. CHAP. II. •» I'll praise my Maker while I've breath, And when my voice is lost in death, Praise shall employ my nobler powers : My days of praise shall ne'er be past, While life, and thou^ht^ and beintf last. Or immortality endures." The dissolution of the body affords tto just grounds fof I »i « 116 ' I'l I i believing, that the soul dies when the body dies. It is troct the soul and the body are at present united by the closest sympathy. When the one suffers, the other is aflPected. Both seem to grow up to the maturity of their powc>d to- gether ; and together both seem often to decay. Such a shock is apparently suffered by the soul at death, as at first view might lead us to suspect it was sharing the same fate with the body. As long as b) the ordination of the Cre- ator these different substances remain united, there is no wonder that the one should suffer from the disorder or in- disposition of the other. However, the soul and the body substances of different and dissimilar natures. This are being admitted, it clearly foilow8,that since thought depcndi not en matter, from the dissolution of the material part we have no ground to infer the destruction of the thinking part of man. Jc is so far from following that the soul mmt cease to acton the dissolution of the body, that it seems rather to follow, that it will then act in a more perfect manner. In its present habitation it is plainly hmited and confined in its operations. When it is let loose from the body it is brought forth into greater liberty. These imperfect hints are much strengthened by the be- lieffthat has ever prevailed among all mankind, of the soul's immortality.' Never was there a nation discovered on the face of the earth so rude and barbarous,that in the midst of their wildest superstitions there was not cherished among them some expectation of a state after death, in which the virtuous were to enjoy happiness. If the soul of man were to die when the body dies, man would be made in vain, which cannot be said of any other creature. A 11 the other works of God arc contrived to an- swer exactly the purposes for which they were made. Their powers are perfectly suited and adjusted to their con- dition. But it is not so with man. He has every appear- ance of being formed for something greater than he here attaiils. We see, then, that among the argumcuts which have beeo brought forward, to prove the immortality of the It is true) he closest i affected. lOWt. J to- . Such a > as at first same fate f the Crc- ere is no der or in- the body es. This ?/ depends al part we thinking t cease to rather to nner. In onfined in body it is 3y the be- the soul's ed on the z midst of ed among which the ^ies, man any other ved toan» ere made, their con- ry appear- in he here hich havtg ity of the m §oul,are to be incUidcd, it;* vast capacities, boundless desire j, di.ssatisfaction with its present state ; the consent of all nations } the consciousness that men have of sinning ; the sting of conscience ; the justice and providence of God. How far these arguments are conclusive, I will not say* One thing, however may be said with safety, that the rea- sonings which have been adduced to prove the immortali- ty of the soul and a future state, are of considerable weight, yet reasonings still they are, and no more, and in every hu. man reasoning, suspicions may arise of some fallacy or er- ror. In a point so momentous to us, as our existence after death, we never cotiid with absolute certainty and full satisfaction, have rt led on any evidence except what was confirmed by God himself. — For many and high bles- sings we are indebted to the christian revelation j for none more than for its having brought ItfeandiMMORrJUTrto light* The revelations made by God to the world in early ages, gave the first openings to this great article of faith and hope. In future periods the light dawned more and more: but it was not until the Sun of Righteousness arose, by Ihe appearance of Christ on earth, that the great discovcty waa completed. 1 recommend to the serious perusal of the reader, the following passages of Holy Writ, as a very few of the many passages which might be adduced in support of the soul's immortaUty. Matt. X. 28. Matt:%yiv, 46. Dan. xii. 2. 2 Tim. i. 10. I Thess.iv. 17, 18. John x. 28. Whence this pleasinp hope, this fond desire, This longing -alter immortality ? Or, whence thh secret dreudtmd inward horror^ Of faHing into nought ? 'Tis the Divinity thatsftri within us : 'Tis heaven itself that points out an hereafter^ And intimates £Jernt/(/ to man. - The soul shall flourish in immortnl youthf Unhurt, amidst the war of elements^ TUe wreck of matter, and the crush of worlds. Addisos^. 118 From what has been said, we sec that it is of great in. portancc, that we have the distinction between the soul and the body deeply imprinted on our minds : Few things ifl religion or morals are entitled to make a stronger im- pression than this distinction ; and yet, with the bulk of men, the impression it makes appears to be slight. They seem to think and act as if they consisted of no more than mere flesh and blood, and had no other concerne than what respect their embodied etate. If their health be firm, if their senses be gratified, and their appetices Indulged all is well With them. ^ Ought not the doctrine of the souPs immortality, pro- duce in our hearts the most lasting j?ratitudc, love and re- verence, towards) the great Benefactor of mankind, who hath not Only made known and published a future state to the righteous, but by his great under tafcinjr for their re- demption hath erected in their behalf a house In the heavens . If our souls be immottal, let us conduct ourselves as be- comes those who have an interest in a happiness beyond the grave. If this life be a state of probation for that which IS to come, if every action be connected with everlasting happmess or misery, how careful should we be to abstain from evil, how pure, correct, and dignified our behaviour shoulG be in every situation ; how vigilant to do good, and how emulous to prepare the soul for the exalted nappiness ofa future world I That happiness which is not like the /ranw/orypleasures of this world, but is complete and im- mortal. '^ Oh ye blest scenes of permanent delight ! Fuii above measure ! lasting beyond bounds ' A perpetuity of bliss, is bliss ! Could ye, so ricu in raptures, fear an end, That ghastly thought would drink up all your jov Apd quite unparadise the realms of bliss ! Dr. YouNfiL. great loi- I the soul 'cw things •ongcr im- !ie bulk of t. They more than than what >e firm, if ilged all is ility, pro- vc and re- kind, who re state to their re- te heavens . ves as be> eyond the hat which verlasting to abstain behaviour l^ood, and Happiness t hke the : and im- YoiJNft, no t)ISSERTATION X. The Doctrine of the Trinity. DifcUia qua pulchra, CHAP. I. thaT?e'alt'i!L^ of the 7W«//^ is of so much importance, that real religion is founded upon it : for what is christianl gaged in the great work of man's redemption, be^u i con tinued and .0 be ended by them, in theTr ev'erafre btiol' ^anft fie/'rlf "'p'^ ""^^ ^^°^^ ' ^^^^^^^ Redeemer and ^anct:hcr, three Persons, one God ? If rh/r*. K. «« c r God where is our Redemption I If thl'brno V:; SZ/ r.w:7"""''"''^" • ^^'^^-'both, wher'eirrr iJtlfr-l ""'^ '^' ^''i'^ '' '"'^''''^ ^y ^^«™e because the word rrm//y ,8 not in the Scriptures. But terms or phrases of the eame import arc ther^, and this is sa sfTcto: 'uh Thr"A°'V'""^^^"^ '"P^^^^ to receive. he tur r.« . I ;«^''''^«^^»^ome say, may be more scrip., tural, as to phraseology ; but the Greek word upoUaJ, by our translators rs rendered Person; and upostfsis. /!' stance Jatth ts the subUance of things hoped for. TheGreek commentators, taking the word in its etymological mean, lug, says a very able critic, explain the close thus : Faith gives a present subusience to the future things that arc hoped for. So the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, are the three flubsistences in the Unity of the Divine Es. seoce. And it could easily be shewn, that these subsis- tences were soon called Persons. But still says a writer on this subject. « I dare not insist «pon any one's using the word Irtmty or Person, I use them myself without any scruple, because I know of none better. Bu^ if -«« man have any scruple concerning them, who shall' con"^. 8 ram him to use them ?- If a man prefer using the terms Father, bon, and Holy Ghost, who will dispute »jfri J M II ^' t'Jt n,M 120 wiih him on that account, or say unto him, What doest thou ? . , t • r Bur it has been farther o>.jected against the doctrine ot Ihr Trinity, that it is mysterious, exceeding he rench of the human understanding* ^md therefore »h,»uld he explo- ded from every sybtem of rJigion. It is al owed that the moJus exiitendi, (or manner of exislen.e) of the riinity cannot be comprehended by finite beings, btcau e it is not revealed, and therefore i- a u^ject on which th« u-der- standing cannot prop.crly be exercised } and, ccns qucntly, remains at preaeut an inexphcable my-^tcry : rut the/flf/ is recorded by ihe pen of -'ivuic inapir.ition. and therefore should be crcHiied Gfti, i 23 Gen. v 6 7 Afl xivni. i6. Isk XXXIV. i6. 2 Cor xiii. 14 John yLw 2$, Matt, xxiii. 19. 2 Iheu. iii 3 i John v. 7. -rfc/x.v.3,4. CHAP. II. It has been asserted that where my tery begins, religion ends. But rhis is so far from being true, that rthgion, e. ven what is called natural reliK'o.), begins with a mystery, with the greatest of all rnvst^ries, the Klf-existence and eternity ol God. Let any one tell ns how an eternity can be past, unless it was once present, and how that can be once present which nevrr had a beginning. That the doctrine of the 7V/m/y is a mysterious doctrme we do not deny : but it is no more so than many other doctrines of the c' ristian revelation, which we all admit, and which we cannot reject without subverting the foun- dation, and destroyinij the very fiubstancs and essence of our religion. We cannot carefully examine the grounds which establish the truth of the christian religion, without being convinced, that the same principles establish the doc- trine for which we are now contending. The miraculous u:_iu __4 :^»»..«-.»;nn Aprkiir mf>a«pd T^ord. his union of the buman nature with the divine, hia redemption of mankind, and his expiation of their sins upon the Cross: these are doctrines plainly taught in the scripturesjand yet as incom- What doest doctrine of he rench of J be cxplo- /ed that the the Trinity u e it is not th? uider* :ns qucntly, tut the/flf/ nd therefore Ita x'.viii. 'ohn xiv 23t tn8» religion religion, c» 1 a mystery, xistence and eternity caa low that cao iou-i doctrine 1 many other ve all admit, ng the foun- essence of the grounds ion, without )Iish the doc- i miraculous union of the of mankindi s : these are ^et as incom* 121 Toobject, then, against the doctri.^e of the TV/m/v be- of the ZZt • '^ ^"^ ""''J^'' ^'^-■^^^ '^' corviprchension of the most capacious and penetrating human intellect ; shall we suppose that his infinite nature h without mystery ai»d w.thm the grasp of a>,V. understanding. ^ ^' CI.SI! Jnfi,"^ ' doctrine of the ever blessed VriW/y i. de- clared ,n the scriptures, though its mode may perplex and Ztr.\r-'''ri^ P^^^'^* " '^ --^ ^-'r to receive k on the authoruy of, he Revealer ; and, while we are desti- tutc 9f the means to assist us to fathom so great a mystery, .n the spimof humble adoration and supreme lole, we fjht Vo\ "~? f '!'^'^ ' ^'' '' '« ''' -isfortunc! ought to have said, the sin of man, that two often his ways are not as God s ways, nor are his thoughts as God's thoughts. God is pleased to re..althe/i/; man h^sists upon apprehending the mode: in hi, present s'tate h .r. n./ apprehend it, he thetefore denies the fact and com- mences unbeliever. »ho?rh''*''f we contend for is, that these mysteries, al- though confessedly akve our reason, arc not contrary to it. This 18 a plain and well known distinction, and in the pre- sent case an incontr vertible one. No one, for instance, can say, that the supposition of three persons and one God 18 contrary to reason. We cannot, indeed, compre/jend such a distinction in the divme nature ; but unless xve knew perjectly wh&t that nature is, it is impossible for man to say that such a distinction may not subsist in it consistent with Its unity. The truth is, on a subject where we have no clear ideas a, all, our reasoning faculties must fail us, and we must be content to submit (as well we may) to the clear and explicit declarations o( holy writ. ** The whole intellectual world is full of truths /Worn- prehensthle^ and ytt incontestible." And the same nh..?rva= tion may, under certain limitations, be made concerninff the qatural world. The denial of the doctrine of the Trinity, is productive 122 of awful consequences. It is an error and a crime, com* mit ted against the nature of God, who is the only object of religious worship. If he had not deemed the revelation of this fact, ncce>8ary for mankind to he acquainted with, he would not have favoured us with it : and, for a person in the face of scripture to contradict it* is a conduct to which great enormity is attached* Many have ventured to say, that the doctrine of the Trinity ought to be ranked with transsubatantiatioa at c- qually absurd. But such persons will do well to pay some attention ro what has b«cn said in answer to this. Arch- bishop Tillotson,has proved, by arguments the most con- vincing, that trauasobstantiation includes the most palpa- ble contradictions ; and that we have the evidence of our tyes^fetlingy and tatte, that what we receive in the Lord's Supper is breads and not the body of a man ; whereas we have the testimony oi oxxveyes alone that thewordu **Thi« is my body,*' are at all in the scripture. CHAP. III. The Divimtt/ of Jems Christ ^^^c. The divinity of Jesus Christ, which is a fundamental principle in real religion, has been frequently exposed to the fooHiih oppositions of the human mind. Men, full of pride, whose mouths ought to be filled with only thanksgivings for the ineffable gift, made to them by the Father ofroer- cies, of his only Son, have continually insulted him by vom* mo8t impious ■ - ■ • .K] nut %. t^v.-:t» i a\ ?^l^r<\^^ a r*f\r\n V J i^iKIp tHar. (e) Dr. CtARK€ observes, " that two natures are ever to be distinjj;uished in Christ : the human nature, in reference to which he is the .Son of Go(/,aud inferior to him, Mark xiii. 32- John v. :nme» com* only object le revelation ainted with* for a person conduct to trine of the tiatioa at e- to pay some Ilia. Arch- ie most con- most palpa- lence of our I the Lord's whereas we ord» «*Thi« fundamental Kposed to the full of pride, hankagivinga tther ofroer- him by vom* 1st that ador- isonsblc thiTi are ever to be rence to which . 32- John V. 123 it is impious. For there is scarcely any thin?, of which Chri"" '"'''^ ""*'"' '*"" °^ '**' ^'"'''''y °f ''^^"» In the comrnencement of the Gospel by St. John, we are told, that in ihe beginning was the Word or Lojrot.— This phrase fully proves, in ihe mouth of an inspired wri- ter, that Jcbus Christ was no part of the creation j as he existed when no partof that existed ; and that consequent- ly he 18 no creatute, as all created nature was formed by him ; for wtthout htm tuas not any thing made that was made. Now, as what was before creation, must be eternal, and as what gave bemg to all things, could not hSve borrowed or derived its being from any thing j therefore Jesus, who wai 19. xiv. 29. and the ditine nature which was from etetnitv and e qual to God. John i. I. x. 30. Rom. w. 5. Col. i. 15-18. It ia true that to Jesus Christ, as lie appeared among mm, every char- acteristic of the divine nature is sometimes atirihuted without appearing to make any distinction between the divine and human natures; butts tliere any partof the Scriptures iu which it is plinnly said that the divine nature of Jesus Christ is the Son of God * Hore I trust I may be permit'.ed to say, with all due respect for those who difftr from me; that the doctrine of the eternal worship ot Christ, IS in my opinion, anti-scriptural and highly dangerous • tins doctrine I reject for the following reasons : 1st, I have not been able to find any expresa der laration in the Scripture concern- ing it. 2dly, If Christ be the Son of tiod as to his divine nature then he cannot be eternal ; for Son implies Fathei- ; and a Father implies in reference to San, precedency in time, if Hot in nature too. Father and Son imply the idea of generation ; and venera- tion implies a time in which it was effected, and time ahounlece- dent to such generation. 3dly, If Christ he the Son of God, as to his f/iri«c nature, the Father is of necessity /wi«r, consequently su- perior to him. 4thly, If this divine nuture were begotten of the Father^ then it must be in titne ; i, e. there was a period in which it did not exist, and a period whnn it began to exist. 'I his destroys the eternity of our hIes^e(l Lord, and robs him at once of his God- head. Stilly, To say that ho was begotten from all eternity, is in my opinion, absurd ; and the plnase eternal Son, is a positive silf- contradiction ; Eternity is that which has had no beginning, nor stands ill any reference to Time. Son .supposes lime, generutiont and father; and time also tintecedent to such generation. There- fore the conjunction of tliese two terms, Son and eternity is abso- lutely impossible,ds they imply essentially diiicrentand opposite ideas," f;^ 1 - m 124 lefore all things ^'9nr] who made all things^ must necessarily be the Eternal GOD. The truth of this will be still more evident, if wc observe that to Jesus are ascribed the proper names of God. Je- hovah is a name ascribed to God, to the exclusion of all o- ther beings. This name^ which is peculiar to the most high God, is given to Christ. Jer. xxiii. 6. l^a. xl. 23 — 25. compared with Rom. xiv. 10 — 12. I«a. xl. 3. com* pared with Luke i. 76. and Isa. vi. 1,9, 10. with John xii. 40, 41. Heisnotonly frequently called God, Matt. i. 23. John i. I, 2. I Tim- iii. 16. but he is called the true God. i John V. 20, 21. \.\it great and Almighty God, Tit. ii. 14. Isa. ix. 6). In the Scriptures, the attributes, perfections, and pro- perties, that are essential to the divine nature, are ascribed to our Lord Jesus Christ 1. Unbeginning existence, or proptr eternity, Mic. v. 2. — Christ speaking as the personal Wisdoni of God, says, / was set up from everlastings Prov. viii. 23. 2. Omnipresence — Matt, xxviii. 20. Matt, xviii. 20. Eph. iii. 17. 3. Omniticence — John ii. 24^ 25. John xxi. 17. . 4. Omnipotence — Phil. iii. 21. 5. Immutability — Heb. xiii. 8. 6. All the divine perfections — John xvi. 15, Such are the divine perfections, which the sacred wri- ters attribute to the Saviour of the World. CHAP. IV. Did ever a person appear so wonderful a3 Jesus Christ, in his actions and miracles ? I am far from saying, that in the ages which preceded him, no extraordinary men ap* pcared on earth, to whom the Lord seemed to have delega- ted his Omnipotence. In Egypt and in the desert, Moses cccssarily e obeervc od. Je- I of all o- the mo9C a. xl. 25 I. 3. com* ;rith John 3. John God. I c. ii. 14. , and pro- ? ascribed c. V. 2. — J, saya, / xviii. 20. 17- • acred wri- J3 Cluist, g, that ill wen ap« ive delega- ert, Moees Khtht^ ' In the following •ge^ Lhjah came to present the aame si^ht to men Buf when we narrowly examine their pow.t itself, we find tha; all these miraculous men always bore with th;m the m rks of nependence and weakness Such is the OmnipoTency of Je.UHChr.8t.thac his miracles bear no markoflpend^ eiVCltoGo'd't^' with thereby shewing to Wt ne 18 rqual to God, he also advertises us, that, whatever wonder ,8 operated by his F3ther on the earth, heTikcwise operates ; and that his father's works are his/ ^'*'*'^^'^^ buch wa< the conduet of cur Saviour on earth, that the ria;:d"""s:iv?"^"'%'i^'^'"^'^ "« sapctity-'di:! o he a would / f"'""'' '^ ^""^'"' ^°"'^ ^*= «»>»^'^'''-^d : ^vaLT . J "' "P°" "^quaintance, and where intima. aLi>a ion ''t "" °"' "'"^^* '^ ^^"^"^^"'^ ^'«'°»»'" o»r der but as the character of the Saviour is perfect and infiouc. the more we know of his attributes, and works and ways, the more we shall admirean.l ador;. Thc^^t* d.sciplcs of our Saviour, who had it be«t in their power to know h,m, are the most affected with the innocence of h^S hfe ; and famihar.ty serves only to discover fresh matter of er answers but when h.s answers may. be useful towards the salvation of those that mterrogate him. Every grace that can recommend religion, and every virtue that can adorn humanity, are so blended, as to excite our admiration and engage our love. In abstaining from licentious pleasures, he was equally free from ostentatious .ingularity and chur! lish sullenne^. When he complied with the established ceremonies of his countrymen, that compliance was not ac- companied by any marks of bigotry or superailion ; when he opposed their rooted prepossessions, his opposition was perfectly exempt from the captious petulance of a contro- versiaiisr, and the undistinguishing zeal of an innovator -^ His courage was active in encountering the dangers to -whicn ne was exposed, and passive under the affgfavated calamities which the malice of his fnes heaped upon him • his fortitude was remote from every appearance of ra^hntas', .vri 120 «Dd his patience was equally eicmpt from abjcot puflillan- imity : he was firm without obstinacy, and humble without meanness. Though poasessed of the most unbounded pow- er, we behold him living continually in a state of voluntary humiliaiion and poverty ; we see him daily exposed to aU most every species of want and distress; afflicted without a comforter, persecuted without a protector ; and wander- ing about, according to his own pathetic compla.nt.because he had not where to lay his head. Though regardless of the pleasures, and somtlimes destitute of the comfort of hie, he never provokes our disgust by the sourness of the mis- anthrope, or our contempt by the inactivity of the recluse. His attention to the welfare of mankind was evidenced not only by his salutary injunctions, but by his readmess to embrace every opportunity of rchcving their distress, and administering to their wants. In every period and circum- stance of his life, we behold dignity and elevation blended with love andpiiy ; something, which, though it awakens our admiration, ytt attracts our cor.fidencc. We see pow- er, but it is power which is rather our security than our dread ; a power softened with tenderness, and soothing while it awes. With all the gentleness of a metk and low- ly mind, we behold an heroic firmness which no terrors could lealrain. In the p.ivate scenes of life, and m the public occupations of his ministry ; whether the object of admiration or ridicule, of love, or of persecution ; whether welcom-d with hosannas, or insulted with anathemas, we still sec him pursuing with unwearied constancy the same end, and preserving the same integrity of Hfe and manners. His life was of the most perfect piety towards God, ex- tensive benevolence, and tender compassion to men. He does not merely exhibit a life of strict justice, but of over- flowing benignity. His temperance has not the dark shades of austerity ; his jneckness does not degenerate into apathy ; his humility is signal, amidst a splendour of quaU iiics more than human. His patience is invincible j hia .- . _.: ^A nkanliit'o 'M^vf>r wan a character at resignation ciuifc «ss- a_-cv^.«»^- • •• t' \ ' the same time so commanding and natural, so resplendent and pleasing, so amiable and venerable. pusillan- without led pow- roluntary d to aU without wander- (.because C9S of the t of life, the mis* ; recluse, enced not diness to ress, and J circum- I blended awakens see pow- than our soothing , and low- Do terrbrs nd in the object of J whether tcmas, we the bame manners. Crod, ex- len. He It of ovcr- the dark lerate into r ofquaU rible $ his laracter at ^splendent Let us pursue him to the Mount, accompanied with two or three of hii disciples, there we see his glory, impatient. It I dare sav it, at having been hitherto held captive under the veil of humanity, openly burst forth : he appears all resplendent in light ; the heavenly Father, then, declares to the astonished disciples. Uu is my beloved Son» in whom I am luellpUasedt and ailixes no bounds to the homagea they were to render him. But let us from Mount Tabor repair to Mount Calvary i that place, in which all the ignominy of the Son of Man was to be consummated, is not less, however, the theatre of his glory and divinity. All nat.re disorganized, con- fesses Its author in him ; ihc stare which are hidden ; the dead who arise j the stones of the tonjbs, which open of their own accord, and break in pieces ; the veil cf the tem- ple, which is rent from top to bottom ; even incredulity itself, which confesses him through the mouth of the Cen- turion ; all feel that it is not an ordinary man, and that things take place upon that Mount totally new and extra- ordio&ry. f 128 A Sketch orCoinpcndiovs view of the "pr in* cipal Christian Sects in the World, 'I'i ' ' Want of moderation towards those wlio differ from us in relig- ious opiaions .seems to be tlic most unaccountable thing in the world. Bishop Watson. The word Sect, is a collective term comprehending all those who follow ilie tenets of some divine, philosopher, &c. It is now, however, invariably used to designate those who form separate communions and do not associate with one another jn rtligious worship and ceremonies. To delineate the nature, point out the foundation, and appreciate the tendency of every individual opinion, would be an endless task. My chief dcsijjn 'i»very briefly to enu- merate the leading tenets of the several parties which at- tract our notice. And the name by x\hich each of these parties is known, shall, for the accommodation of the rea- der, be alphabetically arranged. 1. Antinomians, (ftom anti againsty and nomos the /aw) are tho e who maintain that the law is of no use under the gospel dispensation, or who hold doctrines that clearly supersede the necessity of good works. 2. Arians, the followers of Arius, who maintained that Jesus Christ was essentially, and totally distinct from the Father ; that he was the hrst and noblest of those be- ings whom God had created, and ihe instrument by whom he formed the universe ; that he was inferior to theFathcr both in nature and dignity, and that the Holy Ghost was not God, but created by the power of the Son. The Ar- ians owned thnt the Son was the Word, but denied that word to have been eternal. The appelation of Arian has been indiscriminately applied, in more modern times, to all those who consider Jesus Christ as inferior and subordinate to the Father. 3. Arminians. The principal tenets of the Armin* lehended in R compi articles, to which they add t id. us in reliv- ing in the W^ATSON, ending all ilosophcr, [late those ciate with ation, and on, would fly to enu- which at- 1 of these [ the rea- lomos the use under lat clearly naintained LJnct from * those be- by whom theFathcr jrhost was The Af. enied that Arian has nes, to all ibordinate ic Arm in* hey add n m few; oF the atgumentij they make use of ia the defence of their sentiments. f. That God from eternity, determined to bestow eternal salvation on all those who shtnild believe in Jesui Christ, and persevere unto the end of their lives in this faith ? and to inflict everlasting puaiehment on those who would continue in their unbelief and disobedience. 2. ' That Jesus Christ, by his sufferings and death,made an atonement for the sins of all mankind in general, and of every individual in particular. 3. That true faith cannot proceed from the eiercise of our natural faculties and powers, since man, \\\ consequence of his natural corruption, is incapable of any good ; and that, therefore, it is necessary, in order to bis salvation, that he be regenerated,by the operation of the Holy Ghost, which is the gift of God. 4. That this divine grace begins and perfects every thing that cau be called good in man — ttiat good works are not meritoriou3—and that grace docs not compel a man to act against his inclination, and may be rendered ineffectual by the perverse will of the impenitent sinner. 5. That God gives to the truly faithful, who are regent crated, the means of persevering in this state j but that the regenerate may lose their true faith, forfeit their state of grace, and die in their sins. In order to support the truth of this system, they sup- pose that the following are a few, of the many arguments, which may be adduced for that purpose. I St, That as the Deity is just, holy, and merciful, wise in all his counsels, and true in all his declarations to the sons of men, it is inconsistent with his attributes, by an antece* dent decree, to fix our commission «f so many sins, in such a manner that there Is no possibility for us to avoid them. And it is dishonourable to God to believe, that he, by his revealed will, hatti declared he would have all men to be sa- ved \ and yet, by an antecedent secret will, he would have the greatest part of them to perish. That he hath impo» sed a law upon them, which he requires them to obey, on penalty of his eternal di^jpleasurc, though he knows that G ISO they cannot do it without his irresistible grace j and yet he is absolutely determined to withhold this grace from them, and then punish them eternally for ochat ihey could not do m^ithout his divine assistance. 2d, They say that the Scriptures, in a variety of places, declare that Christ died for the whole world. John lii. i6, 17. 1 Johnii. 2. Heb. ii. 9. If Christ died for those who perish, and those who do not perish, he died for all. That he died for those who do net perish is confessed by all ; and if he died for any who may or shall perish, there is the same rea?on to affirm that he died for all who perish. Now that he died for such the scripture says exjireesly, in istCor. viii. 11, jind through thy knowledge shall the iveai hrolher periih, for whom Chriit died, 3. h upport of the fourth article of their faith, they allcdge, as far as it respects irresistible grace, that if con- version be wrought only by the infrustrabic operation of God, and man is purely passive in it, vain are all the com- mands and exhortations ;o wicked men, to turn from their evil tvayt, iffc. Isa. 1.16. Dieut x. 16. Eph. iv. 22 ; and divers other texts to the same purpose. Were an irresistible power necessary to the conversion of sinners, no man could be converted sooner than he i , becaufe, be- fore tuis irresistible action came upon him, he could not be converted ; and when it came upon him, he could not re- sist its operations : and therefore no man could reasonably be blanficd, that he lived so long in an unconverted state. 4. They further think that the doctrine of a possibility of the final departure of true believers frcm the faith, is expressed in Heb. vi. 4, 5, 6 : also «d. Pet. ii. 18—20, 2 1, 22, and divers other passages of scripture to the same purpose. All commands to persevere and stand fast in the faith, s-hew, that there is a possibility that believers may rot stand f«8t and persevere unto the end. All cautions to Chrifitianft not tn fall Tr^m ^.^^^ -.«-. :j ._ j _^_ Htiona ihat they may fall. For what we have just reason to caution any person against, must be something which 131 may come to pf»««. Now such cautioa Christ gives his disciples. Luke xxi. 34—36. To them who had like pre* clous faith with the aposilee, St. Peteraaitb, Beware^ Cfff. 2 Pet. iii. 17. Whitby, the celebrated commentator, has written a large and celebrated defence of Arminianism. Biahop Bur- net has. given a full account of the opinions of this sect, in his exposition of the seventeenth article. It is suppos- ed, that by far the majority of the Enghsh clergy have ta- ken this side of the qacman.f/J 5. Baptists. — Baptists are those, who admini5rer the ordinance of baptism by immersion only, in ^tcad of sprink- ling. They contend that baptism ought not to be admin- istered to infants or children at all, no* to grown persons in general ; but to adults, who profess repentance for sin* and faith in Christ, and to them only. The baptists sub- sist under two denominations, viz : ist, The particular, who embrace Galvinistic principles, and who are the most nu- merous ; and 2d, The general, who are Arnainians in doctrine. 6. Baxtbrians, so called from the learned and pfous Mr. RitHARD Baxter, who was born in the year 1615. I feel unwilling to deny myself the pleasure of giving a short account of his character. It has been si id, that the Icaruiog and talents, the piety and labours, the writings and sufFetings of the great and good Richard Baxter are known to all respectable divines; and while the English language continues, or eminent piety shall be venerable, his praise will live in the Churches. The late Rev. John Fletcher thought him the greatest divine that England ever produ- ced, a karned cotemporary said of him, that he could say (f) I have given the c' ief rfligiows sentiments of the Armtni- ans, nearly in the words of others who have v/rittcn 011 the same subject. If I were obliged to give an opinion of my o"wd, it would be very short :— Among those whom ti.e world denominate Ar- minians, there is great diversify of sentinwnt ; the opinions of some of these veige towar.ls Socinianism ; a number are Pelagi- ans, while a veky nameroris majority strieily adhere io tlie doc- trines of the Gospel, and are among the most strenuous cont«ii- 4eis for the/nith onctdtlivtred to the Suints* Pub. M m m 139 TdlLi'^"n* W ««^^/r«.r 'wBai he saU-, and ific ccl^ ebriud Dr. Barron dcclared,/^j/ hU prattled mtrUlngt mere never mended^ and hit controvenial seldom eonfuted. He was a nan famous for the strength of mind and weakness ©f body ; for preaching many s erraons^ wrhing many books., engaging in many controversies. ^ j r Mr. Baxter, and his followers strike into a middle path, betwcen^rmwwnam and Cahinhm.znd their endeavoiin to unite both echemea. With the advinhr, the Baxterian profesECs to bdieve, that a certain number determined udqq Jn the Divin. councils, will be in/a/B/e saved, and with the Jlrmintan he joins in rejecting the doctrine of reprobation as absurd and impious, admits that Christ, in a certain saisc died tor all, and supposes that such a portion cf grace is allotted to every man, as renders it his own fault if he doct not attaifl eternal life. 7- Brownjsts, were the followers of Robert Brown, a clergyman of the Church of England, who lived about the year 1 600. He inveighed against the ceremonies and dia- cip.ine of the church, separated himself from her communi- on and afterwards returned into her boeam. The Brown- ibts maintamcd the discipline of the Church of England to be pophh ond anti christian, and all her ordinances and ««. cramenis invalid. Hence they forbad their people to join vviih tbem in prayer, in hearing the word or any part of poblic worship. They not only renounced communion witlv vlie Church of England, but with all oort, the npme has been conferred on those who foUov* mat reformer's views of the gospel, in order to distinguish them from the Armenians. The diatioeuished theologi- cal tenets of Calvin, are : I. Predestination. 2. Particu- lar rcdemution. i. Tnral H#>ni-au;»ir /^r».«r. . f/r ?I calhng. And 5. Ihe certain and final perseverance of ^; and tEe cel^ / writings were ^uted. He was 1 weakness «f I mznj booksy. a middle path, r tnJeavoiirs to the Baxterian ternnined upoa i)and withthr of reprobation a certain .'cjisc n cf grace is Rult if he doei bert Brown, a ved about ihe tonies aiid di&- her comaauni- The Brown* f England to lances and sa- people to join »r any part of on^union with' irchc8,cxcept the doctrines the christian ition wa8giv> ecclesiastical^ the Synod of : who follow^ o distinguish bed theoiogi' 2. Particu« a •p/r severance of 13^ ^e saints. CiLri w considered every church as a separate and independent body, invested with the power of legisla* iron for itself. In France the Calvinists were denominated HueonoTs. Calvinism subsists in the gteatest puuty ia Gcneta, where Galvin himself was the pastor of a churchj and established his form of ecclesiastical discipline. '9 GoNGRBGATiONALitts, a denomination of Protest- ants, who maintain that each particular church hasautfaa* rily from Christ for exercising government, and enjoying atl the ordiiiances of worship within itself. The platform of Church discipline, which was drawn up 4n r648, and agreed upon by the elders and messengers, assembled in the Synod of Cambridge in New-Engliind, defines a congregational church to be, by the institution ^f Christ, a part of the militant vissible church, consisting of a company of saints by calling, united in ont body by holy covenant, for the public worship of God, and the mu- tual edification of one another, in the fellowship of the Loid Jesus. According to this platform, such as are admitted mem- bers of Churches ought to be first examined. For the Eu- nuch of Ethiopia, before his admission, was examined by Philip, whether he did believe m Je«us Christ with all his heart. The officers are charged with the keeping of the ^doors of the church, and therefore are, in a special manner, to make trial of the fitness of those who enter. The qualifications hecessary to be found in all members, are repentance for sin, and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. The confession of faith, that was agreed upon by the Synod, at their second session, teaches the doctrine of the Trinity, of predestination, total depravity, particular re- idemption, effectual grace, and final pereeverance. This denomination differs from the Independents in this respect, V\t. i they invited councils which are advisory on- ly; but the independents fdrmerly decided all difficulties within themselves. 10. DuMXERs, a denomination which took m rue in the year 1724. It was founded by a German, who, weary of the world, retired to ao agreeable solitude within fifty' m 'W »ilcs of PfaHadelphia, for the more free ate rcJsc or letigioiii contc«pUtion. Curiosity attracted followers, and his sim. pie and engaging manners made them proselytes. They •oon settled a little colony called Eaphrata, in allusion to the Hebrews, who used to sing psalms on the borders of the £npbratei. This denomination seem to have obtained their name from their baptising their new converts by plunging. They arc also called Tumblers, from the man- ner in which they performed baptism, which is by putting the head of the person while kneeling first under water, so a« to resemble the motion of the body in the action of Gambling. Their habit scema to be peculiar to themselves, consist- ing of a long tunic, or a coat; reaching down to their heels, wit'» a sash, or girdle, round the waists, and a ea;>, or hood, hanging from the shoulders like the dress of Dominican friars. The men do not shave the head or beard. The men and women have separate habitations and distinct a- partmenti. For these purposes they have erected two large wooden buildings, ©nc of which is occupied by the brethren, the other by the sisters of the society ; and in •,orhood, F Dominica Q beard. The nd distinct a- erected two upied by the ety ; and in in apartment 3 do not meet chiefly upon r society not casions. The happiness is nortifications meritorious icral, so each )8tinence and »fay, they go and declare stice obliged lay therefore enythe eter* n6 df Ed nsvs! r ; and that I the gospel m to th68e» who have had nd retelatioil in this life. They deny the impntation of Adam's sin to his posterity. They disclaim violence even in cases of self-defence* and suffer themselves to be defrauded or wronged, rather than go to law. Their church government and discspline are the same with the English baptists, except that every brother is al- lowed to speak in the congregation ; and their best speaker is usually ordained to be the minister. II. The Episcopalians, in the modern acceptatioa of the term, belong more especially to the Church of Eng- Und, and derive this title from Ephcopust the Latin word for Bishop ; or they are so called tromepi and skepeo. They insist on the divine origin of bishops, and maintain that the bishops have superiority over the priests, yMr« dirvmo, and directly from God ; and they further insist on an alliance between church and state. V The sovereigns of EBglafid,ever since the reign of Hen* ry the VIII, have been styled the Supreme Heads of tht Church, The Church of England is governed by the King, who is the Supreme Head : by two Archbishops, and twen* ty four Bishops. The King has the right, according to the ecclesiastical establishment in England, to the nomin- ation of Bishops. The two Archbishops are those of Can- terbury and York, who are both dignified with the address of Tour Grace. The former is first Peer of the Realm* as well as metropohtan of the English Church. He is en- abled to hold ecclesiastical courts upon all affairs, which were formerly cognirable in the Court of Rome, when not repugnant to the Kirg's prerogative. The Bishops are addressed by the appellation of Tour Lordthipt, styled. Right Reverend Fathers in Godt and take the precedence of all temporal barons. The benefices of the bishops were converted by William the Conqueror, into temporal baronies ; so that every pre» late has a seat, and vote ia the House of Peers. (i^) Pr. (^) There is a Bishop of Sodorand Man, who has no seat m tht House of Peers. 136 # ;»!,i' Benjamin Hoadley, tiovrever, in a sermon preached (ram this text* my kingdom it not of this worlds insisted that the Clergy had no pretensions to temporal jurisdictionst which gflve rise to various pnbiication«,ternned by way of eminence the Bangorian Controversy, for Hoadley was tKen Bishop of Bangor. The Church of England broke off from the Church of Rome, in the time of Henry the Vlil, In earlier life, and during the earlier part of his reign, Henry was a bigotted papist, burnt William Tynoal, who made ooe of the ilrst and best translations of th^ New Testament, and wrote fiercely in defence of the Seven Sacraments, against Luther, for which the Pope honoured him with the title oiTkt Dt- fender of the Faith. This title is retained by the l^^ings of England^ to the present day. The Church of EngUnd has thirty nine articles, which were established in the reign of Queen Elizabeth. They are to be found in mow xnmmon prayer booit y and the Epi^- copal Church in America htis reduced their number to 2Q; By many, these articles arc made to speak in favour of Ar* ninianism, and by some ihey have been interpreted in fa- ♦out- of Calvinism. In the public olbces of the Church of England^ three Creeds are ju«?cd ; the jlpostoUcal, Athanasian, and Ni- cene creed. Sjubscription to them is required of all the rstabKehed elergy j and of all the dissenting teachers by the toleration act» but from this they were relieved by 1^9 Geo. 3d. Several articles of faith contained in these creeds, which were formerly considered as too sacred to be oppo. scdtare now publicly controverted, particularly the doctrine of the Trinity. Places of worship have been established, in which that doctrine has been openly renounced ; and se- veral clergymen have thrown up valuable livings in the church, and assigned their disbelief of that doctrine as the motive of their conduct. It is by no means certain that all the clergy of theChurch _11 iiii iiiC J__4. J r_ CUiihwiiiCU it! ^1 creeds, especially the Athanasian creed has been thought objectionable, ilrchbiihop Tiliotson, one of the greatest sached (ram ed that the ionst which of eminence Ken Bishop ; Church of Iter life, and a bigotted one of the tf and wrote inst Luther, he ^ing$ of iciesy whid^ eth. They id the Epi^- mber to 2Q; iT04ir of Ar- reted in fa- [rlandj three rif, and N'f 1 of all the teachers by CvVcd by i;9 hcse creeds, be oppo* the doctrine established! :ed ; and se- vings in the trine as the FtheChurch r_ .1 ill liiCEtC en thought :he greatest fifnatfiehts the C^urc^ of England ever had, sayi, •' I wi«h we were well rid of it." Though a man may belicfe the doctrine of the Trinity, as revealed in the Holy Scriptures, yet it h hard openly and explicitly to aendxo the devil, all who cannot receive the Manajiah iiluitration of rt. Some make their minds tolerably easy under the damnatory close of the Athqnasian creed, by omitting to read it at the time* appointed. But, to all persons, this is not perfectly sa- tisfactory ; because \he clergy of the established Church of England, solemnly declare artd fubsciibe their names be- fore the bishop, that they will conform to tlic liturgy of the Church of England as by la<7 establr hed. Now <= very time they omit to i^ead the ea^d creed, or any other part of the service of the church, when appointed by law lo be read, they are guilty of a breach of engagement. So that* whether they read the creed in question, or neglect to read it, they are culpable, if they do not ea anima approve of it. It is true, according to the celebrated Dr. Palky, aub- ^cription may be justified without the actual belief of each oiihe articles. But, on this point the artic.j speak for themselves. Why is an article continued in its place if »t be not meant to be btlieved? If one may be signed without being belitvcd why not all ? By what criterion are we to distinguish those that may be subscribed by a person who thinks them false, from those which may not I Is not the present mode of subscription virtually the same as if each article were separately offered to the subjcriber I No cir- cumstance could have a more direct tendency to ensnare the consciences of the Clergy / no circumstance could alford the enemies of the established church a more advantageous occasion of charging her ministers wiih insincerity, than the admisuion of the opinion, that the articles may safely be fubscribcd whhout a conviction of their truth, taken sever- ally as well' as collectively.. That opinion J have seen maintained by writers of inferior note, but I could not wit^- out particular surprize, behold it avowed by a writer of 8wch authority as Dr. Paley. 12. HucoNOTs. This appellalion was given to the lotestanU in 1561. The term is| by some, sup- Trench P 13^ *i !.-!i posed to be derived from a gate in Tours, called HugOn, where they first assembled j according to others it is taken from their original protest or confession of faith ; hue not venimus, fltc. During the reign of Charles the IX, and the 24th August, 1572, happened the massacre of St.Bar- tholomew, when 70,000 Protestants throughout France were butchercdi with circumstances of aggravated cruelty. 13. HuTCHiNSOMiAMil, so called from the late John Hutchinson, Esq. who was born in 1674. The Hutch* iosonians maintain, that the great mystery of the Trinity is conveyed to our understandings by ideas of sense ; and that the created substance of the air, or heaven, in its three -fold agency of five, light, and spirit, is the enigma of the one essence, or one Jehovah in three person?. The Bnity ofesence is exhibited by its unity of substance ; the trinity of persons by ua trinity of conditions, fire, light and spirit. Thus the one substance of the air» or heaven in three conditions, shtvvs the unity in trinity ; and its three condiiions, in, or of one substance, the trinity in unity. 14. Imqependants, deny not only the subordination of the clergy, but also all dependency on other assemblies. Every congregation, they affirm, has in itself what is neces* sary for its own government, and is not subject to other churches or to their deputies. Thus this independency ol one church with respect to another, has given rise to the appellation, independenti. ( See CongregatiomUiU.) 15. LuTHLRANs, are the followers of the illustrious reformer, Dr, Martin Luther, with regard to religion. — The Lutherans, are of all protestants, said to differ least from the R' mishChu ch; as they affirm the real presence of Christ in the sacrament ; and that the use of images in the churches,^ — private confession of sins, — the use of wa- fers in the Lord'b Supper, — exorcisms in baptism, — and similar rites arc not only tolerable, but some of them arc useful. They further hold, that the divine decrees respect the salvation or misery of men, in consequence of a previ- ous knowledge of their sentiments and characters, and noi as free and unconditional, and as founded on the mere will of God. But from these views the Lutherans began to I Hug6n, it is taken ; hvt not i IX, and DfSt.Bar. ut France d cruelty, laie John t Hatch- [icTrJnity ;nse ; »nd VCD} in its enigma of in?. The :ance ; the t light and heaven in d its three unity, lordinatioa i€semblie3. at is neces- :t to other endency ol rise to the illustrious religion. — differ least al presence F images in lae of wa- jsm, — and if them are CC8 respect )f a prcvi- tSt and noi : mere wiil 8 began to 139 rel« about the middle of the 17th century, andtheirpub- he teachers arc now at liberty, to dissent from the decision* , ihosc creeds, or symbol*, which were formerly deemed almost Hjfalhblc rules of faith and practice. 16. Mbthodi.ts. The Methodists form a very laree part of the christian world. They sprang up at Oxford not quite a century ago : it was a.i appellation given to a tew young students in cont .qucnce of their rigid adhcr- ance to study, and the manner in which they employed thci» time generally. "^ ' The Character of the founder of the Me- thodists. This venerable man, the Rev. John Wesley, in hit mdefatrgablc ztal in the discharge of his duty, has been long witnessed by the world ; but, as mankind are not al- ways inclined to put a generous construction on the exer- tion of singular talents, his motives were imputed to the love of popularity, ambition, and lucre. It now appears that he was actuated by a disinterested regaid to the im. mortal interest of mankind. He laboured, and studied, and wrote, and preached to propagate what he believed to be the Gospel of Christ. He had every help whicb educstion could give him.— He was perfect in those ancient languages in which the holy scriptures were originally written, and particularly so in Greek, the original language of th? New Testament.— This, as a tutor, he taught many year^ at Oxford, and, it seems, Hebrew also, if not publicty and profcssiqnally, at least to some individuals in private. For we find the Rev. Jas. Hervey, in one of his letters to him, thanking him, as f©r many other favours, so especially '• for teaching him Hebrew." He understood most of the modern languages. In Logic he excelled. He was well skilled in natural Phi- lesophy, as his many volumes published on that subject shew, and was an accurate mstorioM, In Mathematics he was well vereed. As to Divinity^ his nuratroas writings shew 140 *^ Hii how Much he studfed and how well he understood that sub- ject. He WM qualified to excel in every branch of literal- ture-f he wae versed not only in languages and logic> but in metaphysics, in oratory, in criticism ; liis preaching was |.4thetic, and persuasive s his style was nervous, clear, and manly } his journals are artless and interesting ( his com- positions and compilations to promote l^nowledge and piety were almost innumerable. Had he loved wealth, he might have accumulated with- out bounds ; had he been fond of power, his influence would have been worth courting by any party. I do not •ay he was without ambition ; he had that at which chris'o tianity need not blush, and which virtue is proud to con- fess. I doi not say that which is gratified by splendour and large possessions ; but that which commands the hearts and afft^ctions, the homage and gratitude of thousands. — ]For him they felt sentiments of veneraiion only inferior to those which they paid to heaven ; to him they looked as their father, their benefactor, their guide to glory and im* mortality ; for him they fell prostrate before God, with prayers and tears to spare his doom, and prolong his stay. Such a recompence as this is sufficient to repay the toils of the longest life. Short of this greatness is contemptible impotence. Before this, lofty prelates bow, and princes hide their diminished heads. After surviving almost all his adversaries, and acquiring respect among tliose who were the moat distant from him in principles) he lived to see the plant he had reared spreadp ipg its branches far and wide. DoGtrines of the Methodists, So little can be said on this subject here, that ii may ap^ pear improper to iwention it, but I am unwilling to pass it by in silence. The Methodists bciieve, concerniBg vjoa ana nis attri- butes, that there it one God ; that his existence is from everlasting io everlasting ; that God is a spirit ; that hp Hi I that Bub> \ of literst- logiC) but ching was clear, and ; hi^ com- ; and piety ited with- I influence I do not lich chris* 1 to con- splendour the hearts usands. — inferior to looked as y and im- Grod, with ^ bis staf • he toils of uemptible ,nd princes acquiring from him ed spreadp It roayap>> (o pass it « 1 • . . . • 3 uiS iiin* ice is from ; ; that h^ is present in everyplace ; knows CYcry thing : ii almighty in power ; true and faithful ; pure and holy ; perfectly just; and yev unspeakably merciful. They hclitve further, that in the Unity of the Godhead, there are three Persons, of one substance, power, and eternal existefice. The Fath • eti the IVord, and the Holy Ghost. They believe that God created the world, visible and invisible, together with aa* gelb, men, and every thing that is, and hath life. They believe in the toul depravity of humaa nature ; and that man cannot be restored from his fall, and enjoy pardon, adoption, holiness, and heaven, but in and through Jesus Christ ; that through his living, suffering, dying, rising a- gain, ascending into hcayen, and there ever living to make intercession for us, salvation is offered to, and attaiuable by all' The Methodists believe, that although salvation is at- tainable by all, yet that none will be saved but those who g:om^\y with the terms of salvation, as expressed in the ho- ly scriptures. The Methodists believe that all who comi- ply with these terms receive the blessings of pardon, justi- ^cation, &c. &c, , ^ , . The Methodists believe, that the will of God is our sane- ' tification, and that the design of Christ incur redemption 18 universal holiness. They believe, that in all the forego- ing articles, they have drawn their opinions from the word of Ggdi which they have declared to be the- only and suffici- ent rule, both of their faith and practice. They believe, that the scriptures of the Old and New Testaments coniam aU things necessary to salvation : so that whatsosyei is not found therein, or cannot be proved thereby, ought not to be imposed upon any man as an article of faith, nor to be thought necessary to salvation. THE NUMBERS IN THE METHODIST SOCIEr TIES, AS PUBLISHED IN 1.816 : Jn liieat-Briiaiu, IreUiud, . . » • • • In 4 ROIk J7 i -•-••;"r 28,54? fm.. U2 In France, At Brussels, Gibraltar, Sierre Leone, The Cape of Good Hope, . . .... lo Ceylon, ........ . . . , 6S 10 63 129 42 56 The \Ve.st-Ind»e«, Xqva-Scotia, Sec, , 1 18,938 • • • • • . . . 1,824 Total number of Members under thr oarc ) ot the JJntishand Irish Conferences, } 241,319 Number of Men. bers in the United Ssates of Aaunca, in 1815, Whites, . . . 107,976 Blacks, . . Total, . . . Total number Members in the Methodist Societies throughout the World, . , . , "V,187 211,105 452,484 It W.11 occur to those who have any knowledge of the d:ac.phne of the Methodists, that the above nurXrs com pose but a very small part of their regular beared' As to the success of the Methodists in doing good ft i« evident that no people have done more to morfli.e 'm „ kmd than they; nor have chey rested ther. : they hav^no only contributed to render thousands bett.r i«embers "^ society, but be ng instrumental in promoting th^ r so • ua and eternal welfare ^See History of ^./L^« . ^c2^^ Croaut&er^ Portraiture of Methodism, second ediin.^",^^^ J /7.. MiLLBNARiANs. a'name given lo those iirh. primitive ages who believe chat the^aints wi I reU\ fh Christ on earth a thousand vears aft*r »h^fi«/ ^ ^ before the final rn^T:"y.rul!!:*^'*'*^^%r^.«""e«.on, us . . 6S . . 10 . . 63 . . 129 .• . 42 « . 56 . 18,938 . 1,824 241,319 167,976 ' ',187 2il,I05 452,484 ge of the ibersjcom. •3. good, it is ralize man- ■y have not embers of ir spiritual n; Coke's r IVorh ; se in the 'Cign with urrection, I appella* lion is of Latin original The antient Mellcnarians held that, after the coming of Antichrist, and ihe destruction of all nations, which should follow, there Bhall be a first re- surrection of the just alone— that all who bhall be found upon earth, both good and bad, shall continue alive ; the good to obey the just that are risen, as their princes ; ihe bad to be conquered by thsj-ist and to be suSject unto them ;— that Je8U3 Christ will then descend from heaven in his glory— ihat the city of Jerusa'cm will be rebuilt, en- larged.embcUished, and itsg^tes stand open night and day. i8. MoJiAviAMS,are supposed to have arisen underNi- choUs Lewis Count of Zinzendoif, a German nobleman who died in 1760. The follower* of count Zinzendorf arc called M jravians, because the first converts to this sys- tem were 3ome Moravian families. The society them- selves howtver assert, that they are descended from the old Moravian and Bohemian brahrcn, who existed as a dis- tinct sect sixty years prior to the reformation. They also style themselves the Unitas Fraimm, or united brethre« ; and in general profess to adhere to the Augiburgh confc»- sion of faith. ... ,j i »l • i. The Mora'oians have astonished the world by their hu. mility. zeal, and patient endurance of hardships, as well as by their ministerial labours ; so that, ab one observes, they have done much, To plaut the Tree of Life in fields of w«, And make \\ flourish in eternal snow. The frigid and the torrid zones exhibit the fr oils of their labours. . . 1 • .u • »-..«- ig Mystics. This denomination derive their name from maintaining, that the scriptures have a mystic sense, which must be sought after, in order to understand their true import. Of this sect there have been many singular characters, especially Madame Bourignon, a French lady. Ftnelon, the amiable Archbishop of Cambray, favoured the sentiments of this female devotee, for which he was se- verely reprimanded bv 'he Pope. The my-iica suppose that certain passages ot scripture have three mystical sen- ses. Thus, according 10 them, foe pssssgc iQ -^vu«.;». HI i Ml m !i Hi t'ltZ^'"^^'''""''^"'""''''^'"' "''*=''■■•. «':tf'>r8,AK "uCT(t IKJioT''"''^' "' "'^"'"°'"'^" """- bro.'fh.T.V""''. ^""^^'^ ''J ^"'e« To,, who, being scoZ, « 1"' •«<> J""."«» '" D"by«liire, one of them «ar„e?l '''." 'PP'-''""" "hich aoon became and ha. ..Iva ado«,H .,'1!"'' •'*"'«»"«"'<"• : b" ther them, ipc llado?^f i- ■ )•" >r,„,mi.ted to u., th« endearing appellation of /-wbA. It is difficult to eiveajBeciSc d"d'" S&^dXo "'"" " """' ^''='''*'' "''° S>.oVlLj^t'"""u*"'-"'^' ° """'"'' '«' 'hat oriKinated in ^t" from tr 'n1 ^'"'1^1' '""l »"^ first called GloT. IZJ- T"' '" T"' ^""" ^'- Rob"' Sandeman, wh» wrote ID favour of their orineinlf. Ti .; "".'*"> '"'°' Draciicf. rl,l,fl,. '""r principles. 1 heir opinions and Tf the Lord'f '^ "nslst, i„, their weekly administration o' tlie iord a supper; their lo.e-feasts, of which ever» ".ember „ rflU iwg of Marlyr, f Sandcman'. Licr, on Theronlnd A '*»•'><'«<' Ohr:, of ,6, Go,f,/, Lon. ,d. notes, p. «,L u 9, accord I rtg aZ/y, theMes- riousfy, beair- iiring the in- who, being' )ne of them sc about him the imputa- ame and has they them- le endearing ve a 3pcciiic id in a weK Quaker, who ri*j>i«ated in ailed G/as> la By their emani who iiiiions and linititration hich every iriiy, usciJ before (he other ex- blood aniT i^hich they maintain » church. — They arc from most em a sioi* Testimony heron and id its In- Bellamy'' 9 P. €5— U5 lij 5 Hut. ofDU. Church, p. i^$» v, I ; Fu//*fr'# leUei-J on Sandemaniantsm. 21. Sabbatarians, are a body of christians who k€ep the seventh day sabbath, and are to Ue foand principally, if not wholly, among the Baptiats, both in EflgUod and {the States of America. 23. The Shakers, instituted in 1774, arethe follow- ers of one Anna Leese, whom they style the elect Lady, aad the mother of all the Elect. They lay she is the wo- man mentioned in the i? Chap, of the Revelations, can spealc seventy two tonguts and converse with the dead 5 though these tongues are jjmintelligiblc to the li»ing.--- This sect 18 peciiiliar to America. Their entliw'^^iasm ia yented in jniipiBg, dancing, and other violent exertions of the body,* which bringing on thaking, they are termed aha- Jeers. This dancing, they say, denotes their victory over «in. Their moetfavourite exercise is twrning round for an hour or two, which, in their opinion, shews the great pow- er of Gad. The tenets which peculiarly distinguish this denomination are comprised in seven articles. I, That the resu'-rcction u already come, and now is the time to judge ourselves ; and this resurrection is an entirely new- dispensation, in which the people of God are not to be gui» ded by the written word, but by the immediate influences of the lioly Ghost. 2, That they hare power to heal the fick, raise the dead, and cast out devils. 3, That they have a correspondence with angels, the spirits of the saints, and their departed friends. 4, That they spealt with di- vers kinds of tongues in their public assemblies. 5, That it is lawful to practice vocal music, w»th dancing in the christian churches, if it be practised in praising the I^ord. ,6, That they being the children of th- renirrection, must neither marry nor be giyen in marriage. 7, That the word iverhsiing, when applied to the punishment of the vvicked, refers only to a limited space of time, except in the case of those who fall from their church. This denommattoi? maintain that it is unlawful to swear, game, or use comp 1. mentf to each other ; and that water-baptism and the er are auOujneu. ^ injy v«»v '"*" ' "^'"'----r |. tfOru's fiupp 146 of Adam's sin to posterity, and the doctrine of election and reprobation. 24. S.H»o»oiAHf are the followers ofEmannel Sw.dcnborg,, Swedish nobleman, who died in London, • k"?' /?' ,P™f"fe"y onder-tood. .hat there are three distinct persons in the undivided Godhead, the Father, the Son, and .he Holy Ghost. The word rr ,1 derived from Tt" '>' ^'5'%''"' " ' ^^l"-'""' «"™' fold unity '"■ ""'"' ^'™'"' '^""'""e » ">«'• conTutrv."!".? "••'''• °" ""^^"""y -Tbeproetably 14T election and tus Sucinus, year 1574, in Poland, of SocinuSf same doc no existence [ a roan like I of the Di- ere to teach tf as a tne* tple for our • and in his inty of our md modern ains. The t> bothal* nodern So* >f Emanuel 1 London^ der (under ing to the Revelation ion on this 'bich have ie doctrine that there [ihead, the )rd Trinity 8tic term, I a three- profitably inianiim ; u £rownf FawcetU Simpton, BuWt Defentio FM Niuna ; Ditplay oj the Trinity^ by a Laymmn ; SeotCt Eisayi ; lVood*t Let- ier t9 the Rev. John Grundy^ and many others. 27. Unitakians, are those who confioe the glory and ittributet of the Divinity to the Father, not allowing it to the Son or Holy Spirit. Sec SocmiAMS. 28 Umitersalists, properly so called, arc those who believe, that Christ died for all, so before he shall bavc de- livered up his mediatorial kingdom to the Father, all shall be brought to a participation of the benefits of his death in their restoraiioo to holiness and happiness. They teach that the righteous shall have part in the first resurrection, shall be blessed and happy with Christ in his millennial kingdom, that over them the second death shall have no power ; that the wicked shall receive a punishment appor« lioned to their crimes that punishment itself is a mediato- rial work, and founded upon mercy, consequently it is a means of humbling, subduing, and finally recoocihng the •inner to God. Romish Church, 29. It may he useful, in this place, to say a few wordi concerning the origin of the word Church, and to shevr how improperly the phrase, Tas Church, is atsumed by the Roman Catholics, so called. In primitive times, before Christians had any stated hildingt, they worsh pped m private houses f the people that had been converted toGod, meeting together in some dwelling h »uae of a fellow con. vert, more convenient and capacious than the rest ; hence the Church that was in the house of ^quila and PriscUja, Rom. xvi 3—5. and i Cor. xvi. 19. and the Church that was in the house 0/ Nym/>has, Col. iv. 15. Now, as these houses were dedicatea to the worship of God, each was ttrmtd iuriou oiios, the house of the Lord; which word m process of time, became coniractcd intoiiinW and iuriake, and hence the word kirk among the people of Scotland, and iiriit among our Saxon ancestors, from which by cor- ruption, changing the hard Saxon c into ch, we have made the word church. \ i f 1 m In the proper U3e oF this word t1>ere can he no eucli thing asTffK Church, excluiivcly— there miy be ji Churth^ ■^u 1-ff ''''^*' «'&"'fy^"g ^pariuular congregation, or the different assembliea of religious people. The Church of Christ on earthy consisting of all parties whercpocver ;tound,who maintain the truth as it is inJesus, may properly enough be termed Catholic ; hence the arbsurdity of apply >ng the term catholic, which signifies universal, to ihnverv mall portion of it, the Church of Rome. The Church o*f Kome, by applying this term exclusively to itself, abuses the term, and acta as ridiculously, as it does absurdly.— ^^he term C*«rr* is rery properly defined in the loth ar. ^'cje of the Church of England ;— which see. The word popt is derived from the Greek Pappat, which ^y^T^x^tzaMtr, Hence he is etyled the father of the ^hnrch. This pontiff is likewise called the Vicar of Jesui Uinst, the vissiblc head of the church, and the successor f St. Peter, and a great many other titles, too numeroui to be detailed. He wears the keys as an emblem of hi. power, to open tlie gatcu of heayen. And he wear, the tnplc crown, to inform the christian world that he is constituted wKh spiritual jurisdictrdn over priests, empe- rors, and kings, as well as every person beside. This de- nomination supposes that the bishops of Rome are the .dc^cendents of St. Peter, and in that .quality have from the begioning exercised jurisdiction over the churches. The principal pomts which distinguish the papists from the pro- testants are j That St. Peter was desired by Chrisl to be the head of the church; and the bishops of Rome fceing his succcBsors, have the same apoatolic autho- 4"iiy. 2. That t:he Roasm Catholic Church is the ir.other and Tf 'flirh '^^'^•■^''"' ^"^ <^3"not possibly err in matters 3. That the ScrJptu-es are not sufficient without tradi- '^^^ fj? c -^ '^''"''"'' traditions are of equal authority with the bcnptures. ' 4. That there are seven sacraments, and that all of them |:oflfer grac£. H^ e no eucli egation, ar he Church irhcrcpocver ly properly f of apply ) that very Church of elf, abuses bsurdly. — ; 19th ar^ past which :her of the X of Jesui ^ successor numeroui ietn of his he wears that he ii Its, empe- Thisde* c are the : from the :8. The n the pro* Christ to of Rome ic autho* )ther and n matters •ut tradi- luthority I of them ^. That in mass there is offered unto God a true and- propitiatory sacrifice for the quick and the dead ; and thar in the sacrament of the eucharist, under the forms of bread and wine, is really and substantially present the body and blood, together wlih the soul and divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ. 6. That there is a purgatory ; and that souls kept in prison receive help by the suffrages of the faithful. 7. That the ^aint.s reigning wiih Christ are to be hon- oured and invoked, and that they offer prayers unto God- for us ; and thtir relics are to be had in veneration. 8. That the images of Christ, of the bieised Virgior the MOTHER OP GoD, «n4 of other SaintiS, ought to be retained in the churches ^ and honaur and veneration ought to be given them. 9. That the power of indulgences was left by Christ to the church, and that the use of them is very beneficial. Some of the Ctremonks of the Church of Rome. I, — They make use of the sign of the cross in all their »a» cramcnts. z, Sprinkling holy water by the priest, on sol- emn days, is used by every one coming in or going out of the church. 3, The ceremony of blessing belle is called chritrtening them ; because the name of some Saint is as* cribed to them, by virtue of who^e invocation they are pre- sented, in order that they may obtain his favour and pro * tection. 4, They have a cu^tona of bowing at the name of Jesus. 5, They keep a number of lamp^i and wax can- dles continually burning before the ihriues and images of the Saint.«. 6, They make uee of incen£e,and have lighted candies upon the altar at the celebration of the mass, &c.&c. 50. Protestant Church. Piotestants, a namegiv^ ea in Germany ta those who adhered to the doctrines of Luther J becai4*e, in 1529, they protested against the de- cree of Charles the V. and the Diet of Spire?, declarinj^ that they appealed to a general council, i'he same name is now become a common denomination for a variety of sects J iiz\,zz vfttij-ii tsxgtis iu-_ -w- i4is: '..es vr " I,' 1 ' n\ 150 31. GreekChurch. The Greek or Russian church, IS vety ancifnt,and bears a considerable resemblance to the Church of Rome. Denying, ho'.vever, the infallibility and fluprcmacy of ihc Pope, they arc in communion with the Patriarch of Constantinople. Amongst other articles of belief, they are distinguished for these three, i , The rejection of images. 2, The doctrine of consubscantia. tion. 3, The administration of Baptism, by immersing the whole body in water. D T^'"®"S^ inadvettance the t^resbyterians, Seccdcrs, and Reliff, were not mentioned in their proper plai:e. 32. The members of the Kirk of Scotland are strictly apeaking the only Presbyterians \r\ Great-Britain.— Their mode of eccleaiasiical government was brought thi« ther from GjCneva by John Knox. Contrary to the Episcopjilians, the Presbyterians mah- tain that the church should be governed by Preabyteries, Synods, and general AsRembiica. The title Presbyterian comes from theGrcek word />r«i«/r#-o/, which signifies senior or elder. In the Kirk of Scotland there are fifteen Sy- imdc, an'l sixtynine Presbyteries. Their doctrine is Cal- vinisf.c, though some of their most popular preachers, scarcely ever introduce into their sermons, the peculiarities of Caivfinism. 33 Secedbr!). Dissenters from the kirk of Scot- land, call themstlves Seceden.fotM the term Dittenter came from the Latin word dhsentio, to differ, so the appellation SeceJer is derived from another Latin word tecedof to sepa- rate or withdraw from any body of men with which wc may have been united. The Seceders are rigid Calvinists, ana severe in their discipline. Through a difference as 10 civil matters they are broken down into Burghers and >^nti' burghers. Of these two classes, the latter arc most con- fined in their sentiments, and associate therefore the least with any other body of christians. The SeceHert originat- ed under Ralph and EbenezerErskine, about the year 1 730, 34. Relief. The only diffrrence between the esta- blished church of Scotland and the Relief, is, that the latter chose their own pastors. n church, ICC to the ifallibiiity lion wrth cr articles I, The jbscantia* nmersitig « dcrsy and ■ e strictlr »ritiin. — light thi« na mah* ibyterlcs, jbyterjan ^es teaior ieen Sy- e is Cal- reachers, :aHarities >r Scot- iter came peilation to sepa- 'hich we alvinists, ice as to nd fl/nti' lost con- :he least iriginat- an 730, he esta- lie latter ADV^EllTISEMENT. ** The proper end of every instructive composition, is to illaniiii- ate,and the small taper, which ijives us h^ht to read by,is prefera* ble to the blazinie MU'teor of tlie sky, which raises astoni^hincnt, but soon leaves us in darkness." " I HAVE now brought thissniall work to its concInsion,andscnd it to ihc Public not without a degree of anxiety. I am far from beiv.ii pleased with the wwk itself, though perfectly satisfii^d with the purity of luy motives, and the simplicity of my intention. And iutleetJ upon tlu v^^^" which I have found it necessary to adopt, de- feats arc una voiilable: the perpetual study lo be as concise as pos- sible.has made the work in several instances tlefectivp,and in a few incorrect. Whatever enors may be observed, muft, in general, be attributed to my sca)itiii< ss of knowledge, when compared with the mfonnation necessary for the tolerable perfection of the manual how submitted to tlu. candid reader's perusal. But I ani fully of opinion, that some allowances will be made for my youth and inexperience, espt- oially as I write professedly for the ignor- ant, and not for mtu of l« afning ; to them I would look lor in- struction, and esteem it a privih ge to sit at their feet and re- ceive lessons of wisdom. Pel haps it may be said, that this work is tinctured too much with niv own sentiments. I may be permitted to say, in answer to this,' that honesty made it ii. eesvary for me to assert what 1 believed to be true. Yet notwithstanding this declaration, the featuiesof bigotrv, arcsofarfrom being prominent in this work, that they will not,! think,beea8ily,ifatail, discernible. And v\hen I have ventured to express my own opiiiion,on subjects concern- ing which men of learning and experience have ditiered, I hope the candid will allow that I have not transgressed the bounds of modesty. In tilescribingtlie principal denominations ofChristians, my lira- its would not enable me to do all the justice that I intended to do. Perhaps some will suppos*-, that here the marks of partiahty are very visible. In reply, it may be deemed sufficient to say, that I have not intentionally lost sight of that fundamental principle of morality, "we should do unto others as we could reasonably desire others to do to us."— To conclude, I am fully aware, that though even a Paul were to plant, and Apollos water, it is God aUtne that givt'th the increase. ERRATA. ■ I iti The title paj^e ; read A Theolgical, &«. In the Preface ; ri-ad oschancy, insead of afcitatvcy^ Papie 1st; read beiuficent, instead of beneficient. Page 2d ; lead G.ueMs, instead of Genisls. Page 5th ; read moveable, instead of movable. Page 8th ; reai firtitions, instead of flictitious. Do. Do. read rites, instead of rights. Page 9th ; read mark, instead of work. Page 10th,; read denominate, instead of denominare. Page 12th ; read inseparable, instead of inscperable. Pane. 34th ; read Castalian, instead of antaiian. Page 62d ; after Creator, add bt'. Do. Do. read surrounding, instead of senound ing. I'age 108(h ; rfad indivisiblj, Instead of individuaUv. Page lOOth; read an, instead of on. . Page 111th ; read His, instead of This. Page 12 id ; in the word transubstautiation, leave ou.t tlie 2d a. Page 123d ; read sonship, instead of worship.. [There are several other errata, which have been occasioned principally by the rapidity with which the work has gone througk the press^ and whi« b the candid rc^er is requested to corr^ectj e. r. ii.t Uie 2(1 & i1 jccasioned ne thvougii cprr^ectj I