nay, all consciousness and sense of his ble, and undefiled, and that fadeth own person and being: if, I say, not away;" he hath prepared for them upon a certain belief of this indica- an unspeakable, unconceivable pertion, the man should appear overjoyed fection of joy and bliss, things that at the news, and be mightily trans-" eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, ported with the discovery and expecta- neither have entered into the heart tion, would not all that saw him be of man." What a delightful ravishastonished at such behaviour? Would ing hypothesis of religion is this? they not be forward to conclude, that And in this religion they have had the distemper had seized him alrea- their education. Now let us suppose dy, and even then the miserable some great professor in atheism to creature was become a mere fool and suggest to some of these men, that an idiot? Now the carriage of our all this is mere dream and imposture ; atheists is infinitely more amazing that there is no such excellent being, than this; no dotage so infatuate, no as they suppose, that created and prephrensy so extravagant as theirs. serves them; that all about them is They have been educated in a reli- dark senseless matter, driven on by gion that instructed them in the the blind impulses of fatality and forknowledge of a Supreme Being? a tune; that men first sprung up, like Spirit most excellently glorious, su- mushrooms, out of the mud and slime perlatively powerful, and wise, and of the earth; and that all their good, Creator of all things out of no- thoughts and the whole of what they thing; that hath endued the sons of call soul, are only the various action men, his peculiar favourites, with a ra- and repercussion of small particles tional spirit, and hath placed them as of matter, kept awhile a moving by spectators in this noble theatre of the some mechanism and clock-work, world, to view and applaud these glo- which finally must cease and perish rious scenes of earth and heaven, the by death. If it be true then (as we workmanship of his hands; that hath daily find it is) that men listen with furnished them in general with a suf- complacency to these horrid suggesficient store of all things, either ne- tions; if they let go their hope of cessary or convenient for life; and, everlasting life with willingness and particularly to such as fear and obey joy; if they entertain the thoughts of him, hath promised a supply of all final perdition with exultation and triwants, a deliverance and protection umph; ought they not to be esteemed from all dangers; that they that seek most notorious fools, even destitute him shall want no manner of thing of common sense, and abandoned to a that is good. Who, besides his mu- callousness and numbness of soul? nificence to them in this life, "hath What then, is heaven itself, with so loved the world, that he sent his its pleasures for evermore, to be partonly-begotten Son, the express image ed with so unconcernedly? Is a crown of his substance," and partaker of of righteousness, a crown of life, to his eternal nature and glory, to bring be surrendered with laughter? Is an life and immortality to light, and to exceeding and eternal weight of glotender them to mankind upon fair and ry too light in the balance against gracious terms; that if they submit the hopeless death of the atheist, and to his easy yoke and light burden, utter extinction? Bentley. and observe his commandments, which are not grievous, he then gives them the promise of eternal salvation; he hath reserved for them in If we look into the writings of the heaven," an inheritance incorrupti-Old and New Testament we find, first,

§ 132. The Extent, Object, and End of the prophetic Scheme.

That prophecy is of a prodigious ex-worth and excellence is that Jesus tent; that it commenced from the said to be, to whom all the prophets lapse of man, and reaches to the con- bear witness!

summation of all things; that, for 3. Lastly, the declared purpose, for many ages, it was delivered darkly, which the Messiah, prefigured by so to few persons, and with large inter-long a train of prophecy, came into vals from the date of one prophecy the world, corresponds to all the rest to that of another; but, at length, of the representation. It was not to became more clear, more frequent, deliver an oppressed nation from ciand was uniformly carried on in the vil tyranny, or to erect a great civil line of one people, separated from the empire, that is, to achieve one of rest of the world, among other rea- those acts, which history accounts sons assigned, for this principally, to most heroic. No, it was not a be the repository of the Divine Ora- mighty state, a victor peoplecles; that, with some intermission, Non res Romanæ perituraque regnathe spirit of prophecy subsisted among that was worthy to enter into the conthat people, to the coming of Christ; templation of this divine person. It that he himself and his apostles ex- was another and far sublimer purercised this power in the most con- pose, which he came to accomplish; spicuous manner; and left behind a purpose, in comparison of which, them many predictions, recorded in all our policies are poor and little, the books of the New Testament, and all the performances of man as which profess to respect very distant nothing. It was to deliver a world events, and even run out to the end from ruin; to abolish sin and death; of time, or, in St. John's expression, to purify and immortalize human nato that period, "when the mystery ture; and thus, in the most exalted of God shall be perfected." sense of the words, to be the Saviour 2. Further, besides the extent of of all men, and the blessing of all nathis prophetic scheme, the dignity of tions.

the person, whom it concerns, de- There is no exaggeration in this serves our consideration. He is de- account, I deliver the undoubted scribed in terms, which excite the sense, if not always the very words most august and magnificent ideas. of Scripture. He is spoken of, indeed, sometimes Consider then to what this repreas being "the seed of the woman," sentation amounts. Let us unite the and as "the son of man ;" yet so as several parts of it, and bring them to being at the same time of more than a point. A spirit of prophecy pervadmortal extraction. He is even repre- ing all time-characterizing one persented to us, as being superior to men son, of the highest dignity—and proand angels; as far above all princi- claiming the accomplishment of one pality and power, above all that is purpose, the most beneficent, the accounted great, whether in heaven most divine, that imagination itself or in earth; as the word and wisdom can project. Such is the scriptural of God; as the eternal Son of the delineation, whether we will receive Father; as "the heir of all things, it or no, of that economy, which we by whom he made the worlds;" as call prophetic! "the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person."

And now then (if we must be reasoning from our ideas of fit and right, We have no words to denote great-to the rectitude of the divine coner ideas than these; the mind of duct) let me ask, in one word, wheman cannot elevate itself to nobler ther, on the supposition that it should conceptions. Of such transcendent lever please the moral Governor of

the world to reveal himself by pro- we ever be sure that the most ingephecy at all, we can conceive him to nious theories we can frame are any do it, in a "manner," or for "ends," thing more than a well-invented and more worthy of him? Does not the consistent fable. "extent" of the scheme correspond With the same caution we are to to our best ideas of that infinite Be- proceed in examining the constituing, to whom all duration is but a tion of Grace, as unfolded to our point, and to whose view all time is view in the volume of Redemption. equally present? Is not the "object" Here also we are not to excogitate of this scheme, "the Lamb of God conceits and fancies of our own, and that was slain from the foundation of then distort the expressions of holy the world," worthy, in our concep- writ, to favour our misshapen imations, of all the honour that can be ginations; but we are first to advert reflected upon him by so vast and to what God has actually made known splendid an economy? Is not the of himself in the declarations of his "end" of this scheme such as we word; and from this, carefully intershould think most fit for such a preted by the rules of sound criticism scheme of prophecy to predict, and and logical deduction, to elicit the for so divine a person to accomplish? genuine doctrines of revelation. By You see, every thing here is of a such an exertion of our intellectual piece; all the parts of this dispensa- powers, assisted and enlightened by tion are astonishingly great, and per- the aids which human literature is fectly harmonize with each other. capable of furnishing, we may adHurd. vance with ease and safety in our

$133. Our philosophical principles knowledge of the divine dispensamust be learnt from the book of Nations, and on the rock of Scripture ture, our religious from the book may build a system of religion, that shall approve itself to our most of Grace. enlarged understandings, and be

In order to attain right concep- equally secured from the injuries and tions of the constitution of Nature, insults of enthusiasts and unbelievers. as laid before us in the volume of On the other hand, previously to deCreation, we are not to assume hy- termine from our own reason what it potheses and notions of our own, is fit for a being of infinite wisdom and from them, as from established to do, and from that pretended fitprinciples, to account for the several ness to infer that he has really done phenomena that occur; but we are it, is a mode of procedure that is litto begin with the effects themselves, tle suited to the imbecility of our and from these, diligently collected mental faculties, and still less calcuin a variety of well-chosen experi-lated to lead us to an adequate comments, to investigate the causes which prehension of the will or works of produce them. By such a method, Heaven. Hallifax. directed and improved by the helps

of a sublime geometry, we may rea

sonably hope to arrive at certainty in $134. Comparison between Heathenour physical inquiries, and on the

ism and Christianity.

basis of fact and demonstration may The apostle saith, "After the erect a system of the world, that shall world by wisdom knew not God, it be true, and worthy of its author. pleased God to save believers by the Whereas, by pursuing a contrary foolishness of preaching." That is path, our conjectures at the best will to say, since the mere systems of reabe precarious and doubtful; nor can son were eventually insufficient for

the salvation of mankind; and since nature on the other, a disciple of it was impossible that their specula- Jesus Christ receiving the doctrines tions should obtain the true know- of revelation. To each we will give ledge of God; God took another way four subjects to examine: the attrito instruct them: he revealed by butes of God: the nature of man: preaching of the gospel what the the means of appeasing the remorse light of nature could not discover, so of concience and a future state. that the system of Jesus Christ and From their judgments on each of his apostles supplied all that was these subjects, evidence will arise of wanting in the systems of the an- the superior worth of that revelation, cient philosophers. which some minute philosophers af

But it is not in relation to the an- fect to despise, and above which they cient philosophers only, that we prefer that rough draught, which mean to consider the proposition in they sketch out by their own learned our text; we will examine it also in speculations.

reference to modern philosophy. Our 1. Let us consider a disciple of philosophers know more than all natural religion, and a disciple of those of Greece knew; but their sci- revealed religion meditating on the ence which is of unspeakable advan- attributes of God. When the distage, while it contains itself within its ciple of natural religion considers proper sphere, becomes a source of the symmetry of this universe; when errors, when it is extended beyond he observes that admirable uniformiit. Human reason now lodgeth it-ty, which appears in the succession self in new intrenchments, when it of seasons, and in the constant rorefuseth to submit to the faith. It tation of night and day; when he even puts on new armour to attack remarks the exact motions of the it, after it hath invented new me- heavenly bodies: the flux, and reflux thods of self-defence. Under pre- of the sea, so ordered that billows, tence that natural science hath made which swell into mountains, and greater progress, revelation is despis- seem to threaten the world with ed. Under pretence that modern an universal deluge, break away on notions of God the Creator are pur- the shore, and respect on the beach er than those of the ancients, the the command of the Creator, who yoke of God the Redeemer is bro- said to the sea, "hitherto shalt thou ken of We are going to employ come, but no farther; and here shall the remaining part of this discourse thy proud waves be stayed;" when in justifying the proposition of St. he attends to all these marvellous Paul, in the sense that we have given works, he will readily conclude, that it we are going to endeavour to the Author of nature is a being powprove that revealed religion hath ad- erful and wise. But when he obvantages infinitely superior to natu- serves winds, tempests, and earthval religion that the greatest ge-quakes, which seem to threaten the niuses are incapable of discovering reduction of nature to its primitive by their own reason all the truths chaos; when he sees the sea overnecessary to salvation: and that it flow its banks, and burst the enordisplays the goodness of God, not to mous moles, that the industry of abandon us to the uncertainties of mankind had raised; his speculaour own wisdom, but to make us the tions will be perplexed, he will imarich present of revelation. gine he sees characters of infirmity among so many proofs of creative perfection and power.

We will enter into this discussion, by placing on the one side a philosopher contemplating the works of VOL. I. Nos. 11 & 12.

When he thinks that God, having

S

enriched the habitable world with in- or the contrary attribute, that inclinumerable productions of infinite neth the Author of our being to give worth to the inhabitant, hath placed us existence. When the disciple of man here as a sovereign in a superb natural religion reads those reverses palace; when he considers how ad- of fortune, of which history furnishmirably God hath proportioned the eth a great many examples: when he divers parts of the creation to the seeth tyrants fall from a pinnacle of construction of the human body, the grandeur; wicked men often puair to the lungs, aliments to the dif- nished by their own wickedness, the ferent humours of the body, the me- avaricious punished by the objects of dium by which objects are rendered their avarice, the ambitious by those visible to the eyes, that, by which of their ambition, the voluptuous by sounds are communicated to the those of their voluptuousness: when ears; when he remarks how God he perceives that the laws of virtue hath connected man with his own are so essential to public happiness, species, and not with animals of that without them society would beanother kind; how he hath distri- come a banditti, at least, that society buted talents, so that some requiring is more or less happy, or miserable, the assistance of others, all should according to its looser or closer atbe mutually united together; how tachment to virtue; when he consihe hath bound men together by invi- ders all these cases, he will probably sible ties, so that one cannot see conclude that the Author of this unianother in pain without a sympathy, verse is a just and holy being. But, that inclines him to relieve him when he sees tyranny established, when the disciple of natural religion vice enthroned, humility in confumeditates on these grand subjects, sion, pride wearing a crown, and he concludes that the Author of na- love to holiness sometimes exposing ture is a beneficent being. But, people to many and intolerable cawhen he sees the innumerable mise- lamities; he will not be able to jusries to which men are subject; when tify God, amidst the darkness in he finds, that every creature, which which his equity is involved in the contributes to support, contributes government of the world.

at the same time to destroy us; when But, of all these mysteries, can he thinks, that the air, which assists one be proposed, which the Gospel respiration, conveys epidemical dis- doth not unfold; or, at least, is there eases, and imperceptible poisons; one, on which it doth not give us that aliments, which nourish us, are some principles that are sufficient to often our bane; that the animals, conciliate it with the perfections of that serve us, often turn savage the Creator, how opposite soever it against us; when he observes the may seem?

perfidiousness of society, the mu- Do the disorders of the world puztual industry of mankind in torment- zle the disciple of natural religion, ing each other; the arts which they and produce difficulties in his mind? invent to deprive one another of life; With the principles of the Gospel I when he attempts to reckon up the can solve them all. When it is reinnumerable maladies that consume membered that this world hath been us; when he considers death, which defiled by the sin of man, and that bows the loftiest heads, dissolves the he is, therefore, an object of divine firmest cements, and subverts the displeasure; when the principle is best-founded fortunes; when he admitted, that the world is not now makes these reflections, he will be what it was, when it came out of the apt to doubt whether it be goodness, hands of God; and that, in compari