nanimous degree of extraordinary ex- be immortal; and could I demoncellencies, that can be imagined: but strate its natural immortality, I should the gospel very seldom presents it to not be able to say, whether my Creus in any of these views, it leaves ator would display his attributes in them to our own perception; but preserving, or in destroying it; when it speaks of his death, it usual- whether my wishes for immortality ly speaks of it as an expiatory sa- be the dictates of nature, or the lancrifice. Need we repeat here a num-guage of sin. If I consider my past ber of formal texts, and express de- life, I have a witness within me, atcisions on this matter? Thanks be testing that my practice hath been to God, we are preaching to a Chris- less than my knowledge, how small tian auditory, who make the death soever the latter hath been; and of the Redeemer the foundation of that the abundant depravity of my faith! The gospel, then, assureth the heart hath thickened the darkness penitent sinner of pardon. Ze- of my mind. If I consider futurity, no, Epicurus, Pythagoras, Socrates, I think I discover through many thick Porch, Academy, Lycæum, what clouds a future state; my reason sughave ye to offer to your disciples, gests, that the Author of nature hath equal to this promise of the gospel? not given me a soul so sublime in IV. But that, which principally dis- thought, and so expansive in desire, plays the prerogatives of the Chris- merely to move in this little orb for tian above those of the philosopher, a moment: but this is nothing but is an all-sufficient provision against conjecture; and, if there be another the fear of death. A comparison be- economy after this, should I be less tween a dying Pagan and a dying miserable than I am here? One moChristian will show this. I consider ment I hope for annihilation, the a Pagan, in his dying-bed, speaking next I shudder with the fear of beto himself what follows. On which ing annihilated: my thoughts and side soever I consider my state, I desires are at war with each other, perceive nothing but trouble and de- they rise, they resist, they destroy spair. If I observe the fore-runners one another. Such is the dying of death, I see awful symptoms, vi- Heathen. If a few examples of those, olent sickness, and intolerable pain, who have died otherwise, be adducwhich surround my sick-bed, and ed, they ought not to be urged in are the first scenes of the bloody tra- evidence against what we have adgedy. As to the world, my dearest vanced; for they are rare, and very objects disappear; my closest con- probably deceptive, their outward nexions are dissolving; my most tranquillity being only a concealment specious titles are effacing; my no- of trouble within. Trouble is the blest privileges are vanishing away; greater for confinement within, and a dismal curtain falls between my for an affected appearance without. eyes and all the decorations of the As we ought not to believe, that phiuniverse. In regard to my body, it losophy hath rendered men insensiis a mass without motion, and life: ble of pain, because some philosomy tongue is about to be condemned phers have maintained that pain is to eternal silence; my eyes to per- no evil, and have seemed to triumph petual darkness; all the organs of over it so neither ought we to bemy body to entire dissolution; and lieve, that it hath disarmed death in the miserable remains of my carcass regard to the disciples of natural reto lodge in the grave, and to become ligion, because some have affirmed, food for the worms. If I consider that death is not an object of fear. my soul, I scarcely know whether it After all, if some Pagans enjoyed a real tranquillity at death, it was a very inadequate notions of it but groundless tranquillity, to which rea- my incapacity is the ground of my exson contributed nothing at all. pectation. Could I perfectly compreO! how differently do Christians hend it, it would argue its resemdie! How doth revealed religion tri- blance to some of the present objects umph over the religion of nature in of my senses, or its minute proportion this respect! May each of our hear- to the present operations of my mind. ers be a new evidence of this article! If worldly dignities and grandeurs, The whole that troubles an expiring if accumulated treasures, if the enHeathen, revives a Christian in his joyments of the most refined volupdying bed. tuousness, were to represent to me Thus speaks the dying Christian. celestial felicity, I should suppose, When I consider the awful symp- that, partaking of their nature, they toms of death, and the violent ago-partook of their vanity. But, if nonies of dissolving nature, they ap- thing here can represent the future pear to me as medical preparations, state, it is because that state surpasssharp, but salutary; they are neces-eth every other. My ardour is insary to detach me from life, and to creased by my imperfect knowledge separate the remains of inward de- of it. My knowledge, and virtue, I pravity from me. Beside, I shall know will be perfected; I know I not be abandoned to my own frailty; shall comprehend truth, and obey but my patience and constancy will order; I know I shall be free from be proportional to my sufferings, and all evils, and in possession of all that powerful arm, which hath sup-good; I shall be present with God, I ported me through life, will uphold know, and with all the happy spirits, me under the pressure of death. If who surround his throne, and this I consider my sins, many as they perfect state, I am sure, will continue are, I am invulnerable; for I go to a for ever and ever. tribunal of mercy, where God is re- Such are the all-sufficient supconciled, and justice is satisfied. If ports which revealed religion affords I consider my body, I perceive, I am against the fear of death. Such are putting off a mean and corruptible the meditations of a dying Chrishabit, and putting on robes of glory. tian; not of one, whose whole ChrisFall, fall, ye imperfect senses, ye frail tianity consists of dry speculations, organs, fall, house of clay, into your which have no influence over his original dust; ye will be "sown in practice; but of one, who applies corruption, but raised in incorruption; his knowledge to relieve the real sown in dishonour, but raised in glo- wants of his life. ry; sown in weakness, but raised in Christianity, then, we have seen, power." If I consider my soul, it is superior to natural religion, in is passing, I see, from slavery to these four respects. To these we freedom. I shall carry with me that will add a few more reflections in which thinks and reflects. I shall farther evidence of the superiority of carry with me the delicacy of taste, revealed religion to the religion of the harmony of sounds, the beauty nature. of colours, the fragrance of odorife- 1. The ideas of the ancient phirous smells. I shall surmount hea-losophers concerning natural religion ven and earth, nature and all ter- were not collected into a body of restrial things, and my ideas of all doctrine. One philosopher had one their beauties will multiply and ex-idea, another studious man had anopand. If I consider the future eco-ther idea; ideas of truth and virtue, nomy, to which I go, I have, I own, therefore, lay dispersed. Who dotb It was the gos not see the pre-eminence of revela- use of their reason. tion, on this article? No human ca-pel, that assisted men to form a body pacity either hath been, or would of natural religion. Modern philoever have been equal to the noble sophers avail themselves of these aids; conception of a perfect body of truth. they form a body of natural religion There is no genius so narrow, as not by the light of the gospel, and then to be capable of proposing some they attribute to their own penetraclear truth, some excellent maxim: tion what they derive from foreign but to lay down principles, and to aid. perceive at once a chain of conse- 3. What was most rational in the quences, these are the efforts of great natural religion of the Pagan philogeniuses; this capability is philoso-sophers was mixed with fancies and phical perfection. If this axiom be dreams. There was not a single incontestable, what a fountain of wis-philosopher, who did not adopt some dom does the system of Christianity absurdity, and communicate it to his argue! It represents us, in one love- disciples. One taught, that every ly body, of perfect symmetry, all the being was animated with a particuideas that we have enumerated. One lar soul, and on this absurd hypotheidea supposeth another idea; and the sis he pretended to account for all whole is united in a manner so com- the phenomena of nature. Another pact, that it is impossible to alter one took every star for a god, and thought particle without defacing the beauty the soul a vapour, that passed from one of all. body to another, expiating in the body 2. Pagan philosophers never had of a beast the sins that were commita system of natural religion compara- ted in that of a man. One attributble with that of modern philoso-ed the creation of the world to a phers, although the latter glory in blind chance, and the government of their contempt of revelation. Mo- all events in it to an inviolable fate. dern philosophers have derived the Another affirmed the eternity of the clearest and best parts of their sys- world, and said, there was no period tems from the very revelation which in eternity, in which heaven and they affect to despise. We grant, earth, nature and elements, were not the doctrines of the perfections of visible. One said, every thing is unGod, of providence, and of a future certain; we are not sure of our own state, are perfectly conformable to existence; the distinction between the light of reason. A man, who just and unjust, virtue and vice, is should pursue rational tracks of fanciful, and hath no real foundation knowledge to his utmost power, in the nature of things. Another would discover, we own, all these made matter equal to God; and doctrines; but it is one thing to maintained, that it concurred with the grant, that these doctrines are com- Supreme Being in the formation of formable to reason; and it is another the universe. One took the world to affirm, that reason actually disco- for a prodigious body, of which he vered them. It is one thing to al-thought God was the soul. Another low, that a man, who should pursue affirmed the materiality of the soul, rational tracks of knowledge to his and attributed to matter the faculties utmost power, would discover all of thinking and reasoning. Some these doctrines and it is another to denied the immortality of the soul, pretend, that any man hath pursued and the intervention of providence ; these tracks to the utmost, and hath and pretended, that an infinite numactually discovered them. It was ber of particles of matter, indivisible, the gospel that taught mankind the and indestructible, revolved in the universe; that from their fortuitous and historians, and is absolutely the concourse arose the present world; ancientest writer extant in the world. that in all this there was no design; No writings are equal to these of the that the feet were not formed for Bible, if we mention only the stock walking, the eyes for seeing, nor the of human learning contained in them. hands for handling. The gospel is Here linguists and philologists may light without darkness. It hath no- find that which is to be found no thing mean; nothing false; nothing where else. Here rhetoricians and that doth not bear the characters of orators may be entertained with a that wisdom, from which it proceeds. more lofty eloquence, with a choicer 4. What was pure in the natural composure of words, and with a greatreligion of the Heathens was not er variety of style, than any other known, nor could be known to any writers can afford them. Here is a but philosophers. The common peo- book, where more is understood than ple were incapable of that penetration expressed, where words are few, but and labour, which the investigating the sense is full and redundant. No of truth, and the distinguishing of it books equal this in authority, because from that falsehood, in which passion it is the Word of God himself, and and prejudice had enveloped it, re- dictated by an unerring Spirit. It quired. A mediocrity of genius, I excels all other writings in the exallow, is sufficient for the purpose cellency of its matter, which is the of inferring a part of those conse- highest, noblest, and worthiest, and quences from the works of nature, of of the greatest concern to mankind. which we form the body of natural Lastly, the Scriptures transcend all religion; but none but geniuses of other writings in their power and efthe first order are capable of kenning ficacy.those distant consequences, which Wherefore, with great seriousness are enfolded in darkness. The bulk and importunity, I request the reader of mankind wanted a short way pro- that he would entertain such thoughts portional to every mind. They want- and persuasions as these, that Bibleed an authority, the infallibility of learning is the highest accomplishwhich all mankind might easily see. ment, that this book is the most vaThey wanted a revelation founded luable of any upon earth, that here on evidence plain and obvious to all is a library in one single volume, that the world. Philosophers could not this alone is sufficient for us, though show the world such a short way: all the libraries in the world were but revelation hath showed it. No destroyed. philosopher could assume the authority, necessary to establish such a way ; it became God alone to dictate in such a manner, and in revelation he hath done it. Saurin. Edwards. $136. The volume of the Scriptures § 135. The Bible superior to all other dently of a divine origin, more true books. sublimity, more exquisite beauty, purer morality, more important hisIn what other writings can we de- tory, and finer strains both of poetry scry those excellencies which we find and eloquence, than could be collectin the Bible? None of them can ed within the same compass, from equal it in antiquity; for the first all other books that were ever compenman of the Sacred Scripture hath posed in any age, or in any idiom. the start of all philosophers, poets, The two parts, of which the Scrip tures consist, are connected by a sufficient for the population of our chain of compositions, which bear globe in a period of no inconsiderable no resemblance, in form or style, to length, (on the very moderate supany that can be produced from the position of lawyers and political arithstores of Grecian, Indian, Persian, meticians, that every pair of ancestors or even Arabian learning. The an- left on an average two children, and tiquity of those compositions no man each of them two more,) is evident doubts; and the unstrained applica- from the rapid increase of numbers tion of them to events long subse- in geometrical progression, so well quent to their publication, is a solid known to those who have ever taken ground of belief, that they were ge- the trouble to sum a series of as manuine predictions, and consequently ny terms as they suppose generations inspired.* Sir William Jones. of men in two or three thousand $137. The Mosaic account of the origin of mankind, and of the deluge, confirmed by reason and history. years. It follows that the Author of nature (for all nature proclaims its divine Author,) created but one pair of our species; yet, had it not been (among other reasons) for the devastations which history has recorded, I admit without hesitation the of water and fire, war, famine, and aphorism of Linnæus, that, in the be- pestilence, this earth would not now ginning God created one pair only have had room for its multiplied inof every living species, which has a habitants. If the human race then diversity of sex; but, since that in- be, as we may confidently assume, comparable naturalist argues princi- of one natural species, they must pally from the wonderful diffusion all have proceeded from one pair ; of vegetables, and from an hypothe- and if perfect justice be, as it is most sis, that the water on this globe has indubitably, an essential attribute of been continually subsiding, I venture God, that pair must have been gifted to produce a shorter and closer argu- with sufficient wisdom and strength ment in support of his doctrine. to be virtuous, and, as far as their na That Nature, of which simplicity ture admitted, happy, but intrusted appears a distinguishing attribute, with freedom of will to be vicious, does nothing in vain, is a maxim in and consequently degraded. Whatphilosophy; and against those who ever might be their option, they must deny maxims we cannot dispute: people in time the region where they but it is vain and superfluous to do first were established, and their nuby many means, what may be done by merous descendants must necessarifewer, and this is another maxim, ly seek new countries, as inclination received into courts of judicature might prompt, or accident lead them. from the schools of the philosophers. They would of course migrate in 'We must not, therefore,' says our separate families and clans, which, great Newton, 'admit more causes forgetting by degrees the language of natural things, than those which of their common progenitor, would are true, and sufficiently account for form new dialects to convey new natural phenomena: but it is true, ideas, both simple and complex. that one pair at least of every living Natural affection would unite them species must at first have been cre- at first, and a sense of reciprocal utiated; and that one human pair was lity, the great and only cement of We extract this passage from the author's social union in the absence of public Eighth discourse to the Society for Asiatic Re-honour and justice, for which, in evil times, it is a general substitute, would * searches. He is said to have written it also at the end of his Bible.-Editor. |