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contemplation of himself and his own infinite perfections, as either not to be at leifure, or not difpofed to intereft himself in our affairs, but our good and bad actions were to him equally indifferent, this mere speculative Theifin is but a more refined fpecies of practical Atheifin. He that, by a due exertion of his rational faculties, cometh to the knowledge of a God muft not only believe that he is, but that he is a rewarder of them that diligently feek him, and confequently must punish all thofe, who as moral agents, have led a life in habitual oppofition to his attributes. As from the creation of the world his eternal power and natural perfections are clearly seen ; fo by the invisible things of our own hearts, juftice, benevolence, and mercy, his moral, may with equal certainty be inferred. For he that gave us our being itself must be the author of whatsoever in us is most excellent; or has in its nature any approach towards perfection ;—if then justice benevolence and mercy exist in the human soul in any degree; God must be the giver of them; consequently he must be himself juft, benevolent and merciful. But juftice is merely a relative term, and confifts in rendering to another what is fit and equal; as then God by his eternal power was enabled to create, fo by his infinite juftice he must be disposed to reward or punish us in proportion as we shall fulfil, or disappoint the councils of his wifdem in calling us into existence.

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Thus much at leaft is indifpenfably effential to rational Theifm, and the fame corruption of heart, the fame naughtiness of flesh and spirit, the fame apprehension of punishment which make it men's intereft to difbelieve God's moral attributes, would foon induce them to deny his natural; but that the contemplation of these gives but little check or disturbance to them amid the unbounded gratification of their finful appetites. But now if the belief of a God be a mere fpeculative notion, having no influence on our conduct, either as individuals, or members of fociety; what material difference, I beseech

I beseech you, can be discovered between such a barren belief and abfolute Atheism?

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"The invifible things of him, even his eternal power and godhead, have been from the creation of the world clearly feen, being "understood by the things that are made;" or, as the original more properly fignifies, by the things that are done; " so that they are "without apology or excuse." But of whom does the apostle speak? Not of those who did not from the works of nature infer the exiftence of a deity, but of those, who from the things that are done, or the divine Providence, were not convinced of his godhead, or moral attributes. Because, fays he, in the verse immediately preceding, That which may be known of God is manifeft in them is legible in their own hearts ;-for God hath fhewn it unto them, by making them moral agents. And therefore he tells us, "that "the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness, " and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteouf"nefs;" who pretend to admit so interesting a truth as the being of a Gcd, without seeing the neceffity of a godly life and conversation. This is to all intents and purposes Atheifin. And therefore our apostle, in his epiftle to Titus speaking of certain among the Cretans, who, being abominable and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate, fcruples not to bring home to them this very charge. They profefs, fays he, "that they know God, but in works they deny him,"

And fuch Atheists, to the difgrace of human nature, have always infefted fociety: nay, a late noble pretender to philofophy has gone fo far, as to deny, or, at least, to explain away, every moral attribute of the Deity, and has thought fit to bequeath his books as a rich legacy to mankind: for what purpose, but that others may learn to live without God in the world, it would puzzle the most refined charity to discover.

VOL. III.

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As fome antidote against the malignity of this poison, which is but too grateful to the vitiated taste of those, who wish to be freed from the restraint of confcience, that they may wholly devote themfelves to the things of this life; I take leave to offer the following plain difcourfe; humbly trufting, that fince the world by fuch philofophy cannot know God, it may pleafe him by the foolishness of preaching to fave them that shall be prevailed on to believe.

And let me appeal to any here prefent; fuppofing they had never heard, that there was a Supreme Being; fuppofing they never had any idea of a God before, and were to be afked, who it was that made this world, and all things that are contained therein? Who ordered the courfe of the fun? Who it was that regulated the feafons, and caufed the earth to be productive of fuch a vaft variety of fruits? Let me appeal, I fay, to the most illiterate whether they would not readily anfwer; there is certainly fome Being, who orders and disposes of all things according to the dictates of infinite wif dom and goodness. Nay, even children, by being fhewn the various works of nature will be unavoidably led to the fame conclufion and shall man, by habitual fenfuality, be reduced to fo ftupid and difingenuous a ftate as to deny what is as evident to reafon as light and heat are to the fenfes.

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For, as St. Paul well obferves, in our text,-" The invifible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly "feen, being understood by the things that are made, even "his eternal power and godhead;-fo that they are without "excufe."

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Let fuch confiderations raife in us a defire to look a little nearer into the miracles of nature, which is the "art of God, a bright display of that divine wisdom and goodness, which demand an "eternal tribute of wonder and worship."

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In the illustration of this noble subject, we shall point out to you those things only, which are daily obvious to every one of us, and which a man, that has any curiofity at all, must often have reflected on in his own mind: and he must be weak indeed, that cannot demonftrate to any one, who denies à Supreme Being, fuch as we have before described, that he must do it in open defiance to reason and common fenfe. For it is fo loudly proclaimed by the voice of universal nature, and engraven in fuch deep and legible characters on the minds of mankind, that all their expreffions; nay, all the most exalted ideas their imaginations can poffibly entertain, fall vaftly short of what every object they behold discovers at one glance to their awakened fenfes.

If we look up, we view with a delightful amazement the numerous celestial bodies, the fun, moon, and ftars, which notwithstanding their almost infinite motions, do not in the least clash, or interfere with one another.-If we look down, the fea, which every moment threatens the land with a fecond deluge, and yet obeys that irrefiftible command of its awful creator; "Hitherto fhalt thou come, "but no farther; and here fhalt thy proud waves be ftayed:" and the earth on which we live are the surprising prospects that lie before us. These contemplations naturally elevate our thoughts, and insensibly lead them to the notion of a God; and the exact order of the feemingly irregular parts of the vast universe, the beautiful harmony which they all obferve among themfelves, and one with another would foon be unhappily interrupted to our inevitable destruction, if infinite goodness did not fuperintend what infinite power had formed. But when we defcend into ourselves, and examine man, that microcofm, or little world, and contemplate his body, adapted to various actions; and his foul, which, though invisible, directs the motions of the body as it pleafes, and is endued with a rational faculty; to which paft, prefent, and future are at once the objects of confideration, and which weighs all our actions

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actions in the balance of moral rectitude, either accufing or excufing us; we cannot, but admit, that he, in whom we live, move, and have our being, not only framed our bodies, after the model of the ideas in his all-comprehending mind, but our fouls after his own divine image. This made an antient philosopher very well obserye, "that the first thing we conceive is the Deity, which we rather feel, by a divine contact, than know; and that this knowledge "is the most certain." Another goes ftill further, and boldly afferts, "that he, who denies a Supreme Being, is not only devoid of reafon, but fense itself."-Now, if the fenfes, those doors at which knowledge enters, give us fuch incontestable proofs of his divine efsence, and we are fully convinced that an object exists, if we touch it; when we feel a Deity, to talk in the language of these philofophers, in the world in general, and what he is, in ourselves in particular; then this must be laid down for a firft principle, that there is a God, infinitely wife, powerful and good:-And that man who fhall dare to call fo evident a truth into question, muft offer violence to his own nature, muft render himself more vile and fenfelefs than the brutes that perish.

It is much to be lamented, that men, whofe thoughts are continually employed in the contemplation of the things of this world should be so obstinate and confirmed in infidelity, as not to grant what the curious frame of that ftupendous fabric, if duly confidered, would incontestibly demonftrate to them.

If we begin with the less curious parts of the creation, and thence proceed to those that bear the greater marks of artful contrivance, whether we confider them in general or particular, with regard to themselves, or the creatures about them, our thoughts cannot but gradually lead us to him, who, as he formed all things by the word of his power; fo governs all, by the word of his goodness, in fuch a manner as is moft confiftent with the general benefit and happiness.

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