there Knowledge in the moft High? For as the witty and eloquent Salvian faith (6), They that affirm nothing is feen by GOD, will, in all probability, take away the Subftance, as well as Sight of God. But what fo great Madness, faith he, as that when a Man doth not deny GOD to be the Creator of all things, he Should deny him to be the Governour of them? or when be confeffeth him to be the Maker, he should fay, GOD negleiteth what he hath fo made?

CHA P. IV.

That GOD's Works ought to excite us to Fear and Obedience to GOD.

Ince the Works of the Creation are all of them

Since

fo many Demonftrations of the infinite Wif dom and Power of God, they may ferve to us as fo many Arguments exciting us to the conftant Fear of God, and to a fteady, hearty Obedience to all his Laws. And thus we may make thefe Works as ferviceable to our fpiritual Intereft, as they all are to our Life, and temporal Interest. For if whenever we fee them, we would confider that thefe are the Works of our infinite Lord and Mafter, to whom we are to be accountable for all our Thoughts, Words and Works, and that in thefe we may fee his infinite Power and Wifdom; this would check us in Sinning, and excite us to ferve and please him who is above all Controul, and who hath our Life and whole Happiness in his Power. After this manner GOD himself argues with his own foolish People, and without Understand

་

ing,

(6) De Gubern. Dei. L. 4. P. 124. meo Libro; alfo L. 7. c. 14.

ing, who had Eyes, and faw not, and had Ears, and heard not, Jer. 5. 21, 22. Fear ye not me? faith the Lord: will ye not tremble at my Prefence, which have placed the Sand for the Bound of the Sea, by a perpetual Decree, that it cannot pafs it; and though the Waves thereof tofs themselves, yet can they not prevail; though they roar, yet can they not pass over it?

This was an Argument that the most ignorant, ftupid Wretches could not but apprehend; that a Being that had fo vaft and unruly an Element, as the Sea, abfolutely at his Command, ought to be feared and obeyed; and that he ought to be confidered as the Sovereign Lord of the World, on whom the World's Profperity and Happiness did wholly depend; v. 24. Neither fay they in their Heart, let us now Fear the Lord our God, that giveth Rain, both the former and the latter in bis Seafon: he re Serveth unto us the appointed Weeks of the Harveft.

CHAP. V.

That Go D's Works ought to excite us to { Thankfulness.

As the Demonftrations which GOD hath given

of his infinite Power and Wisdom should excite us to Fear and Obedience; fo I fhall fhew in this Chapter, that the Demonftrations which He hath given of his infinite Goodness in his Works, may excite us to due Thankfulness and Praife. It appears throughout the foregoing Survey, what Kindness GOD hath fhewn to his Creatures in providing every thing conducing to their Life, Profperity, and Happiness (1); how they are

all

(1) Si pauca quis tibi donaffet, jugera, accepiffe te diceres beneficium immenfa terraum late patentium Spania negas

efe

all contrived and made in the beft Manner, placed in the fitteft Places of the World for their Habitation and Comfort; accoutered in the beft Manner, and accommodated with every, even all the minutest Things that may minifter to their Health, Happinefs, Office, Occafions, and Bufinefs in the World.

Upon which Account, Thankfulness and Praife is fo reasonable, fo juft a Debt to the Creator, that the Pfalmift calleth upon all the Creatures to praise God, in Pfalm 148. Praise him all his Angels, Praise him all his Hofts; Sun, Moon, Stars of Light, Heavens of Heaven, and Waters above the Heavens. The Reafon given for which is, v. 5, 6. For he commanded, and they were created: he bath alfo eftablished them for ever and ever: he bath made a Decree which they fhall not pafs. And not thefe Celestials alone, but the Creatures of the Earth and Waters too, even the Meteors, Fire and Hail, Snow and Vapours, ftormy Winds fulfilling his Word. Yea, the very Mountains and Hills, Trees, Beafts, and all Cattel, creeping Things, and flying Fowl. But in a particular manner, all the Ranks and Orders, all the Ages and Sexes of Mankind are charged with this Duty; Let them praife the Name of the Lord, for his Name alone is excellent: his Glory is above the Earth and Heavens,v.13 And

effe beneficium? Si pecuniam tibi aliquis donaverit, - beneficium vocabis: tot metalla defodit, tot flumina emifit in era, super que decurrunt fola aurum vehentia: argenti, aris, ferri immane pona dus omnibus loci obratum, cujus investigandi tibi facultatem, dedit,→ negas te accepiffe beneficium? Si domus tibi donetur, in qua marmo ris aliquid refplendeat, &c. Num mediocre munus vocabis ? Ingens tibi domicilium, firé ullo incendii, aut ruinæ metu Atraxit, in quo vides non tenues crustas fed integras lapidis pretiofiffimi

moles, &c. negas te ullum munus accepiffe ? Et cum ifta quæ babes magna aftimes, quod eft ingrati bominis, nulli debere te judicas? Unde tibi iftum quem trabis fpiritum? Unde iftam, per quam à&tuš vitæ tuæ difponis atque ordinas, lucem &c. Senec, de Benef. L. 4.5, 6.

And great Reafon there is we should be excited to true and unfeigned Thankfulness and Praise (2) to this our great Benefactor, if we reflect upon what hath been fhewn, in the preceding Survey, that the Creator hath done for Man alone, without any regard to the rest of the Creatures, which fome have held were made for the Sake of Man. Let us but reflect upon the Excellence and Immortality of our Soul; the incomparable Contrivance, and curious Structure of our Body; and the Care and Caution taken for the Security and Happiness of our State, and we shall find, that among the whole Race of Beings, Man hath efpecial Reafon to magnify the Creator's Goodnefs, and with fuitable ardent Affections to be thankful unto him.

CHA P. VI.

That we ought to pay GOD all due Homage and Worship, particularly that of the Lord's Day.

OR a Conclufion of thefe Lectures, the laft

F Thing I fhall infer, from the foregoing De

mon

(2) Tempeftivum tibi jam fuerit, qui in bifce libris verfaris cofiderare, in utram Familiam recipi malis, Platonicamné ac Hippocraticam, & aliorum virorum, qui Naturæ opera mirantur; an eorum qui ea infe&tantur, quod non per Pedes natura conflituit effluere Excrementa. Of which having told a Story of an Acquaintance of his that blamed Nature on this Account, he then goes on, At vero fi de hujufmodo pecudibus plura verba fecero, melioris mentis bomines merito mihi forte fuccenfeant, dicantque me polluere facrum fermonem, quem ego CONDITORIS noftri verum Hymnum compono, exiftimoque in eo veram effe pietatem, ut fi noverim

ipfe primus, deinde & aliis expofuerim, quænam fit ipfius Sapientia, que Virtus, quæ Bonitas. Quod enim cultu conveniente exornaverit omnia, nullique bona inviderit, id perfectissima Bonitatis specimen effe ftatus; & hac quidem ratione ejus Bonitas Hymnis nobis eft cele

branda.

monftration of the Being and Attributes of GOD' fhall be, that we ought to pay GOD all that Ho mage and Worship which his Right of Creation and Dominion entitle him unto, and his great Mercies call for from us. And forafmuch as the Creator appointed, from the very Creation, one Day in feven to his Service, it will not therefore be improper to fay fomething upon that Subject: and if I infift somewhat particularly and largely thereon, the Congruity thereof to the Defign of thefe LeЄtures, and the foregoing Demonftration, together with the too great Inadvertency about, and Neg lect of, this ancient, univerfal, and moft reafonable and neceffary Duty, will, I hope, plead my Excufe. But that I may fay no more than is ne ceffary on this Point, I fhall confine my felf to two Things, the Time God hath taken, and the Bufiness then to be performed.

1. The Time is one Day in feven, and one of the ancienteft Appointments it is which GOD gave to the World. For as foon as GOD had finished his fix Days Works of Creation, it is faid, Gen, 2. 2, 3. be refted on the feventh Day from all his Work which he had made. And GOD bleffed the feventh Day, and fanctified it, because that in it he had refted from all his Work. This Sanctification (1), and bleffing the Seventh Day, was fetting it apart as a Day of Diftinction from the reft of the WeekDays, and appropriating it to holy Ufes and

Pur

branda. Hoc autem omne inveniffe quo pacto omnia potiffimum adorna entur, fumma Sapientiæ eft effeciffe autem omnia, que Voluit, Virtutis eft invi&a. Galen. de. Uf. Part. L. 3. c. 10.

(1) W. Vsibus divinis accommodavit, à communi & profano ufu fegregavit, in ufum facrum ad cultum Dei deftinavit. Kirch. Concord: p. 1. 336: Deflinari ad aliquid, Sacrari, &c. Buxtorf id Verbo.